Ballyhoura Development Mentoring Programme

INVITATION TO TENDER:

Ballyhoura Development Mentoring Programme

11thJuly 2018

1. Introduction

Ballyhoura Development CLG is the Local Development Company operating in South and East Co. Limerick and North East Co. Cork, an area with a population of approx. 86,000 people, and is a partnership structure of community/ voluntary, social partners, statutory agencies and local government nominees.

The principal activity of the company is the implementation of an integrated, multi-sectoral, area development strategy in Ballyhoura Country to support the diversification of the rural economy, enhance the quality of life of citizens and foster a proactive and inclusive society. It does this through programmes such as the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) and LEADERRural Development programme. See more at

Ballyhoura Enterprise and Social EnterpriseDevelopment Supports:

Ballyhoura Development provides one-to-one supports to unemployed individuals who wish to set up and develop their own business enterprise (mainly sole traders). The support ranges from one-to-one advice and guidance as the option of self-employment is explored, to more targeted support in relation to business idea development, writing business plans, accessing funding and applying for the Back to Work or Short Term Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA/STEA). Information clinics are offered monthly, as are 3-day Start Your Own Business programmes. Training and workshops are also provided on an ongoing basis covering a range of topics such as Sales & Marketing, Costing & Pricing, Taxation, Social Media, and Book Keeping.

A range of developmental supports is also provided to local community groups and social enterprises[1]operating in accordance with a strong social mission’. The supports are aimed at improving community group structures, leadership, management and governance; supporting compliance with regulation and adherence to relevant codes and standards; improving knowledge of committee/board roles and responsibilities; transparency and accountability around finance and successful fundraising; managing human resources and adhering to employment law, and better stakeholder reporting and communications especially in relation to social impact delivery. These supports are generally framed in the overall context of The Governance Code - A Code of Practice for Good Governance of Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations in Ireland[2].

Ballyhoura Development CLG would now like to invite experienced and qualified Mentors to tender for inclusion on our mentor panel to support these clients in setting up a business or social enterprise or further developing social enterprises. Applications are particularly welcome from active or retired business people in the local area who would like to share their expertise and skills with others starting out in business or those moving to a new stage of economic development.

1. Role Purpose

The Ballyhoura Development Mentoring Programme aims to match up the knowledge, skills, insights and entrepreneurial capability of experienced business practitioners with start-up and existingbusinesses and social enterprises who need practical and strategic advice and guidance. The mentor will contribute independent, informed observation and advice to aid decision making.

Ballyhoura Development is compiling a panel of Mentors, from which future mentor assignments for a two-year period will be selected. Applications are invited from mentors with appropriate skills and experience that wish to be included in the mentor panel.

Minimum selection criteria will apply and not all applicants may be awarded a place on the panel. This is not an application for a position of employment. Successful applicants will engage with Ballyhoura Development CLG as contractors for the supply of services.

The Mentor will help the clients explore their business goals and ideas for the future and to help them appraise their current situation. As a business develops, the role is to challenge and support the client and to assist them to keep track of their objectives.Mentors are not encouraged to solve the problems for the client, rather to help clients develop the capability to solve their own problems. Mentors do not carry out the work on behalf of the client but can be a source of guidance and advice for them. The mentor may offer advice and opinion, but the mentor is not a consultant. Responsibility for decision-making rests solely with the client. The value of a mentor is having someone who can ask questions that clarify the situation and can help relieve the anxiety that builds when there is nowhere to articulate the doubts that the client may feel.

The purpose of the Ballyhoura Development Mentoring Programme is to help meet with this need by establishing a panel of mentors with relevant experience and skills who will provide one-to-one advice and guidance to individual start-up businesses and social enterprises.

1. How the Mentor Programme will work:

It is envisaged that the panel will commence operation by September 2018

Individuals and Social Enterprisesseeking a mentor will complete a mentoring application form, provided by Ballyhoura Development, detailing their specific mentoring need. Each request for a mentor from a client will be dealt with on an individual basis.

To select the most suitable mentor available for the particular project the selection of the mentor will be made by Ballyhoura Development based on the type of mentoring required by the client and the experience and expertise of the various mentors on the panel. Where more than one expert mentor is identified as suitable, work will be allocated on a rotation selection basis.

Should assistance be required in more than one field of expertise, one or more mentors may be assigned to the client. However, the combined total number of mentor visits must not exceed that agreed.

During the mentor visits, the mentor will help the client to develop by advising and mentoring, helping to identify areas for improvement and assisting in developing an action plan and offering guidance in implementing such a plan.

The mentoring service will be a professionally delivered service for which a payment at a maximum pro rata rate of €50 per hour for a visit lasting up to 3 hours (€150 per visit),excluding travel time, shall be made available to mentors for each visit related to an assignment. Each consultation/session is considered as being one mentor visit and the length of each visit will be up to 3 hours duration. The maximum number of visits related to an assignment shall be three.

The mentor shall provide Ballyhoura Development with a report(typed/written, co-signed by mentor and client) after each mentoring visit which will include a comprehensive timesheet outlining work completed, dates, hours worked, tasks completed, outputs, and any further information that may be required in keeping with the delivery of the role. The preparation of these timesheets andreports will ordinarily be undertaken in the mentor’s own time. Payment will be subject to receipt of the completed timesheet and report along with an invoice from the mentor made out to Ballyhoura Development CLG for the service provided.

Ballyhoura Development excludes mentors from serving simultaneously as a mentor and as a paid consultant to a client/company.

Mentors may apply at any time for inclusion on the panel but should be registered by 31st July 2018 in order to be considered for initial contracts.

Qualifying for a panel, does not constitute an award of a contract.

Assignments under the Lots may be allocated as follows:

•By selection of the most suitable person available in a Lot for the particular project on the basis of their expertise

•Where the nominated person is not available due to existing commitments then the next most appropriate person will be consulted and allocated the work

1. Mentor Experience and Competencies Required:

The mentor will possess some or all of the following: -

•At least three years’ experience working in/or with entrepreneurs, micro-enterprise, and in particular, social enterprises

•Relevant managerial or executive experience.

•Relevant experience working in an area where particular professional, service or technical skills may have been developed that are transferable to entrepreneurs, micro-enterprises, social enterprises

•Previous experience of delivering mentoring assignments to business start-ups, entrepreneurs, micro-enterprise, social enterprise clients.

•Good knowledge of the local economy, local and rural development sectors and business environment in Ireland, particularly around the supports available for the development of the social enterprise sector.

•Excellent administrative skills together with the ability to successfully organise and prioritise work

•Sound judgment as well as good communication skills

•Computer literate with knowledge of relevant applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

•Mentoring / Coaching skills including: Empathy, Listening without judging, Challenging, Questioning, Sharing, Non – directive, Supportive, Business counselling skills, Business planning, Project management, Business knowledge, social impact assessment skills and expertise.

1. Panel Requirements & Panel Duration:

•Ballyhoura Development CLG will form a panel of mentors who will be required to take on mentor assignments and may be available for other assignments involving Ballyhoura Development CLG activity.

•Applicants must provide evidence of professional indemnity insurance and a valid Irish Tax Clearance Certificate when requested.

•The panel will be established for a 2-year period subject to programme funding being available. Successful panel members will be required to update their CVs/profiles annually should there be any changes to same. Mentors will be retained on the panel for the 2-year period, subject to satisfactory performance and professional behaviour. Should Ballyhoura Development CLG identify a gap in expertise in the panel during the 2-year period, mentors with the required expertise may be invited to apply for consideration for inclusion in the panel.

•Individual mentor performance will be monitored over the term of the contract and quality of service will be the main criteria for measuring performance. The successful tenderer will ensure an excellent quality of service, which will be measured by client satisfaction rankings and progression.

•Before the conclusion of the 2-year term, a review will take place which will examine current mentoring procedures and the performance of mentors on the panel through client progression and satisfaction rating surveys.

•Note: each successful applicant will be provided with the Ballyhoura Development CLG mentor manual and a Code of Conduct document.

1. Confidentiality

Ballyhoura Development CLG requires that all information made available to the contractor/mentor in the course of this project be treated in strict confidence unless indicated otherwise in particular instances. Mentors will sign a confidentiality agreement prior to commencement on the panel.

The mentors shall at all times keep confidential and shall not, without the prior written consent of Ballyhoura Development CLG, use for its own benefit or purpose or the benefit or purpose of a third party or disclose to any third party any information of a confidential nature (including any trade secrets and information of commercial value) which may become known to it by virtue of it providing services pursuant to their membership of the Mentoring and Related Services Panel, unless such information is in the public domain (other than by breach of this provision) or the information is required to be disclosed by law. The mentor shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that its employees, agents and sub-contractors (if permitted by the terms of this contract) are bound by the same obligation.

1. Conflict of Interest

Any conflicts of interest involving an applicant (or group of applicants in the event of a consortium bid) must be fully disclosed to Ballyhoura Development CLG, particularly where there is a conflict of interest in relation to any recommendations or proposals put forward by the tenderer (See Conflict of Interest Declaration in A4.2).

Any registerable interest involving the applicant and Ballyhoura Development CLG, members of the Government, members of the Oireachtas or employees of Ballyhoura Development CLG or their relatives must be fully disclosed or should be communicated to Ballyhoura Development CLG immediately upon such information becoming known to the applicant, in the event of this information only coming to their notice after the submission of a bid and prior to the award of the contract. The terms 'registerable interest' and 'relative' shall be interpreted as per the Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995.

Mentors shall not invest directly (or indirectly through any kind of investment vehicle or intermediary) in any enterprise participating in the Mentoring Programme.

1. Instructions to Candidates

An application means the submission by a mentor candidate of a completed application and associated appendices.

Every effort has been made to ensure that this document contains all the necessary information for the completion of applications. Ballyhoura Development CLG does not warrant or represent that this document, or any other information given to candidates, is accurate or complete. No liability is accepted for any error, misstatement, or omission (negligent or otherwise) in this document, or in any other information given to candidates.

All queries should be submitted on or before 20th July 2018 by 12 noon to enable clarifications to be issued to all interested candidates prior to the deadline date for the receipt of applications.

Completing the Application

When completing the application contained in Appendix 1 to this document, candidates should note the following conditions:

•All questions must be completed in full and without reference to other documents or other parts of the application.

•All questions should be answered with relevance to the subject matter of this competition. For the avoidance of doubt, it is emphasised that the information requested in the application is aimed solely at determining the suitability and choice of candidates for admission to the panel(s).

•Where a ‘Rule’ is associated with a particular criterion, candidates must satisfy the requirements of the rule in order to remain eligible for consideration in the competition.

•Candidates are permitted to add lines to the pro-forma tables and boxes set out within the application if required.

•Failure to provide a sufficient level of detail or to explain adequately any relevant matters may result in such data or information not being taken into account during the evaluation process.

•Candidates for qualification may include individuals, partnerships, limited companies, groupings or any combination of the foregoing with or without legal personality as long as a Tax Reference Number (TRN) and Tax Clearance Access Number (TRN) is provided to Ballyhoura Development CLG. However, a grouping if successful will be required to establish legal personality in order to enter into the contract.

•If the application is from a consortium / joint venture candidates must ensure that all the relevant information is provided and where necessary provide the information requested separately for each party. The consortium must appoint a single supplier who will assume overall responsibility for delivery, and who is authorised to sign a contract on behalf of all consortia members. Ballyhoura Development CLG will not act as an arbitrator between members of project consortia.

•Ballyhoura Development CLG is not responsible for and will not pay for any expense or cost incurred or loss suffered by a candidate in the preparation or submission of its application or otherwise. Furthermore, Ballyhoura Development CLG is not responsible for any travel or accommodation costs incurred by the candidate unless previously agreed in writing by Ballyhoura Development CLG. Each candidate is fully responsible for the entirety of all expenses and/or costs it incurs in the presentation or submission of an application or in participating in this process and competition.

Submission of Applications

Applications should be submitted in both soft copy by email in Word format and hard copy (2 copies), along with all supporting documents:

BY POST:Ballyhoura Development Mentoring Programme Tender

Ballyhoura Development CLG

Kilfinane

Co. Limerick

BY EMAIL:

The latest administrative date for receipt of applications (hard and soft copy) for this notice shall be 31st July 2018 @ 12noon

Please note that this is an administrative closing date to facilitate the establishment of the panel and there is no closing date for Applications for inclusion on the panel. Applications for inclusion on the panel may be made at any time but be registered by 31st July 2018 in order to be considered for initial contracts.

Note:

•All applicants will be treated equally and must submit the requested documents as part of the tender application, regardless of what documents Ballyhoura Development CLG may already have on file.

•Ballyhoura Development CLG accepts no responsibility for documents arriving after the closing date and time for submissions and late submissions will not be assessed.

1. Evaluation of Applications

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with the selection criteria, minimum rules and weightings specified in the application, outlined in Appendix 1.

While not being obliged to seek clarifications from candidates, Ballyhoura Development CLG reserves the right, at its absolute discretion, to ask candidates for clarification or elaboration of their applications to assist in its evaluation of applications.

However, Ballyhoura Development CLG will not seek clarification where any of the pass requirements set out in the application have not been met. Therefore, candidates should pay particular attention to ensure that their applications contain all the required information as even small administrative errors (such as failure to sign or date a declaration) will not be clarified by Ballyhoura Development CLG where the required information forms part of the pass requirement.

Any effort by the Candidate to unduly influence Ballyhoura Development CLG or any other relevant persons or bodies in the process of examination, clarification, evaluation and comparison of applications and in decisions concerning the award of the contract shall have their application rejected.

APPENDIX 1