Consultancy for Research on inclusive SMEs development to inform DFAT GEDSI future portfolio

Term Of Reference

Scoping analysis on how supporting SMEs and microenterprises development can be effective in creating decent job creation for women and GEDSI groups in Vietnam

1.Background

Government of Vietnam (GoV)’s recent national strategies and resolutions position the private sector as a principal engine of economic development. Strategies and resolutions also emphasise improvements to the enabling business environment, including regulatory simplification, reduced administrative burdens, and strengthened market institutions. Within this private-sector-led growth model, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are recognised as key drivers of growth, productivity, and employment. MSMEs[1] play a particularly important role in employment generation and market participation across urban and rural areas, including for women, ethnic minority communities, persons with disabilities, and other groups that face barriers to formal labour market entry. However, many MSMEs continue to operate within structural constraints- such as fragmented regulation, uneven implementation across provinces, limited access to finance, skills gaps, and underdeveloped market and digital infrastructure- which restrict their capacity to scale, formalise, and generate decent, stable, and quality jobs.

While MSMEs (including social enterprises) are frequently promoted as a pathway for inclusive job creation, evidence suggests that without targeted, system‑level support, they may remain trapped in low‑productivity and informal activities. This limits not only MSMEs growth, but also the quality, stability, and sustainability of employment they generate. These challenges are often more acute for enterprises owned or led by women, persons with disabilities, ethnic minority women, and other under‑represented groups, which face compounded barriers related to finance, market access, policy responsiveness, and institutional support. In response, recent policy and development approaches increasingly focus on strengthening market‑enabling systems around MSMEs, for example access to finance, regulatory clarity, institutional capacity, and data readiness as necessary preconditions for MSMEs to contribute meaningfully to inclusive growth and decent job creation.

This policy context aligns closely with DFAT’s strategic priorities in Vietnam. The Australia–Vietnam Development Partnership Plan (2025–2030), launched in December 2024, is structured around four pillars: inclusive and sustainable economic growth; strengthened human resources; climate resilience and emissions reduction; and equitable participation in development. These pillars are implemented through major bilateral programs, including Aus4Growth, Aus4Skills, Aus4Adaptation, and Aus4Equality, and are complemented by Australia’s regional and global investments. Pillar 4 on equitable participation in development builds on Australia’s long‑standing commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment since 2015, while increasingly integrating disability inclusion and broader social inclusion objectives across economic systems.

Following the strategic review of its recent and ongoing GEDSI portfolio, Australian Embassy in Hanoi (also referred to below as Hanoi Post) provided clear direction that its future Equality Portfolio’s overarching objective is to support decent, inclusive and resilient jobs for women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities in targeted sectors in Vietnam.

An investment options paper was subsequently delivered. Among recommended options, the paper suggests that the future GEDSI portfolio (to be designed from March 2026 to March 2027) considers supporting the development of MSMEs (including social enterprises) owned or led by women, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minority groups as a mechanism to generate decent, inclusive and resilient jobs for women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

Hanoi Post therefore commissions this scoping analysis, as set out in the TOR to inform decision-making during the design process by addressing the key question: How effective is support to MSMEs (including social enterprises) as a pathway to creating decent, stable, and quality jobs for women and GEDSI groups in Vietnam?

To be fully useful to Hanoi Post’s design of the future GEDSI portfolio, the scoping analysis report is expected to be delivered by September 2026.

Australia-funded GREAT program:

The Gender‑Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) Program (2017-2027) is Australia’s flagship investment on women’s economic empowerment in Vietnam. This scoping analysis will be procured through the GREAT program’s existing procurement procedures.

2. The overall purpose of the scoping analysis

The scoping analysis will help inform Hanoi Post’s internal decision-making on positioning its future GEDSI portfolio in Vietnam, related to whether MSMEs can be an effective mechanism in creating decent job creation for women, as well as people with disabilities, ethnic minority women, and other under‑represented or disadvantaged groups in Vietnam (also referred to as women and GEDSI groups).

Hanoi Post recognises that GoV and development partners have provided various supports for the development of MSMEs in Vietnam over the years. The scoping analysis would assist DFAT to understand what has been learned from that support, in particular with the lens of decent job creation for women and GEDSI groups.

The report is for Hanoi Post’s internal use and will not be published.

3. Scoping analysis questions

The key question is: How effective is support to MSMEs (including social enterprises) as a pathway to create decent, stable, quality jobs for women and GEDSI groups in Vietnam?

Supporting questions (to be further finalised and agreed with selected scoping analysis team)

Inclusive Employment Sectors and the role of MSMEs

Which economic sectors in Vietnam have showed the strongest evidence of generating decent, inclusive, and resilient employment for women and GEDSI groups?
To what extent are MSMEs represented within these sectors, and how do their employment outcomes compare with those of other types of enterprises (e.g. household businesses, large domestic firms, and corporates)?
What key barriers and enabling factors shape women’s and GEDSI groups’ access to, participation in, and sustainability of decent, inclusive, and resilient employment? across these sectors?
Looking ahead 10–20 years, which economic sectors are likely to combine a high presence of MSMEs with strong potential to generate decent, inclusive, and resilient employment for women and GEDSI groups?

GoV’s priorities on MSME development and inclusive employment

What are Vietnam’s short‑ and long‑term policy priorities for generating decent, inclusive, and resilient employment for women and GEDSI groups?
What are Vietnam’s short‑ and long‑term priorities for MSME development, particularly in relation to MSMEs owned or led by women, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minority groups?

Lessons from inclusive MSME accelerator models

What lessons (both successes and failures) can be drawn from international, regional, and domestic models of inclusive MSME support and enterprise accelerators, particularly those targeting MSMs led and owned by women, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority groups?
Which design features and delivery approaches have shown the strongest evidence of improving enterprise performance and decent job outcomes for women and GEDSI groups?

Constraints to MSME growth and evidence of what works

What structural, financial, regulatory, and socio‑cultural constraints limit the establishment, scaling, and formalisation of MSMEs led by women, ethnic minority groups, and persons with disabilities in Vietnam?
Which interventions demonstrate the strongest evidence of addressing these constraints and enabling MSMEs to generate decent, stable, and inclusive employment?

Social enterprises in inclusive jobs creation

What is the current landscape, performance, and growth trajectory of social enterprises in Vietnam?
What evidence exists regarding the capacity of social enterprises to create decent, inclusive, and sustainable employment for women and GEDSI groups?

4. Scope of work

Analyse evidence to identify which economic sectors, and which kinds of jobs, in Vietnam generate decent, inclusive, and resilient employment for women and GEDSI groups, and assess the role and employment performance of MSMEs relative to other enterprise types.
Review GoV’s priorities on inclusive employment and MSME development, with particular focus on policies affecting MSMEs led and owned by women, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority groups?
Assess lessons from inclusive MSMEs and enterprise accelerator models (international, regional, and domestic), identifying design features and delivery approaches associated with improved enterprise performance and decent job outcomes.
Assess key constraints and evidence on what works to enable the establishment, scaling, and formalisation of MSMEs led by women and GEDSI groups, including structural, financial, regulatory, and socio‑cultural factors.
Examine the role of social enterprises in inclusive job creation and synthesise findings

5. The (anticipated) research methodologies:

Desk review of policy documents, relevant research, reports, studies.
Key informant interviews with relevant government agencies, social enterprises, donors, accelerators, business associations, and MSMEs.
Comparative case studies of accelerator models, for example in Vietnam, ASEAN, Australia, and global.

GEDSI lens is expected to be mainstreamed throughout all stages of the research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting.

6.Research team requirements

The research team must have:

Demonstrated experience and track record in conducting research, reviews, and studies requiring synthesis of large volumes of information from desk reviews, stakeholder consultations, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions.
Strong analytical, writing, and synthesis skills, including the ability to produce high‑quality reports and actionable recommendations.
Strong expertise in employment, job, and labour issues.
Familiarity with private sector development, including MSME‑related policy frameworks, and enterprise support ecosystems, including accelerator, incubator, or innovation ecosystems.
Demonstrated ability to integrate (GEDSI) across all stages of scoping analysis.
Ability to engage sensitively and appropriately with diverse stakeholders including government, women‑led enterprises, ethnic minority businesses, disability‑led enterprises, social enterprises, private sector actors, donors, Organisations of People with Disability (OPDs), and under‑represented entrepreneurs.
Understanding of Vietnam’s socioeconomic and policy context relevant to MSMEs and inclusive employment, jobs, and labour issues.

The selected supplier must be fully self‑reliant to deliver the agreed deliverables, without any support from DFAT or the GREAT team.

The Team Lead will have principal responsibility to deliver the final report. Specifically, the Team Lead will:

Provide professional advice on the scoping analysis questions for further refinement before contract signature and the resources allocated for the scoping analysis
Lead the development of the methodology and plan for consultation and agreement with DFAT and GREAT
Be responsible for managing and directing scoping analysis activities and leading consultations with stakeholders (if required)
Be responsible for leading the drafting deliverables (with inputs from team members) and ensuring the quality of all reports and other outputs, which incorporate comments provided by DFAT and other key stakeholders.
Be responsible for producing the final high‑quality report.
Manage and direct the team member(s).
Be the primary contract point of the scoping analysis with DFAT.

7. Roles and responsibilities

DFAT (First Secretary and Senior Program Manager) is primarily responsible for managing the entire scoping analysis.
GREAT team will assist DFAT where possible and relevant, including but not limited to:
- Review bidding proposals and suggest to DFAT the shortlist of interested suppliers and scoping analysis proposals.
- Join the interview of the shortlisted suppliers to select the top scoring supplier for contracting.
- Sign and manage the scoping analysis contract following GREAT and Cowater’s procurement procedures.
- Provide comments on relevant deliverables if relevant

8. Timeline and deliverables

The assignment is expected to start in June 2026, the final report is expected to be delivered by the end of September 2026.

Table 1. Activities and TimelineActivity	Timeline
Call for proposal	28 April 2026
Shortlisting and interview	End of May 2026
Signature of service contract.	Early June 2026
Introductory meeting with DFAT and GREAT	Maximum one week after contract signature (Mid June 26)
Deliverable 1: Draft scoping analysis methodology and plan for discussion	Two weeks after the introductory meeting (End June 26)
DFAT and GREAT program team review and comment on the draft final methodology and plan	One week after the submission the draft (First week of July 26)
Finalisation and agreement on the final methodology and plan	One week after receiving comments and inputs from DFAT, GREAT program team, and potential DFAT-commissioned design team for GEDSI future investment (if mobilised) (Mid July 26)
Document review and informants’ interviews (if agreed in the final methodology and plan)	Two weeks after the finalisation of the Methodology and Plan (End July 26)
Deliverable 2: Draft scoping analysis Report for submission to DFAT	End August26
Reviews, comments, and feedback from DFAT and DFAT-commissioned design team for GEDSI future program	Maximum two weeks after the draft report submission (Mid September26)
Deliverable 3: Finalisation of the Scoping analysis Report for submission to DFAT: The main part of the final report (excluding supporting annexes) should not be more than 50 pages, including an executive summary (no more 4 pages) that highlights key findings, lessons learnt, and recommendations., but excluding supporting annexes	Maximum 2 weeks after receiving comments and feedback from DFAT, and DFAT-commissioned design team for GEDSI future program (End September 26)
Total	4 months

9. Bidding proposal

Interested suppliers are invited to submit scoping analysis proposals to [email protected]. no later than 15 May 2026.

Proposals should include:

Proposed methodology to address the scoping analysis questions and scope of work (maximum 15 A4 pages), including indicative workplan (to be further finalised with DFAT after contract signature)
Team composition, including respective members’ roles and their CVs
Proposed total budget
Up to 2 past experience statements of no more than 1 A4 page each
Risks and mitigation strategies

10. Funding and contracting mechanism

The indicative budget for the scoping analysis is up to 150,000 AUD
Cowater is responsible for signing and managing the contract with the service supplier based on this TOR, in line with GREAT’s Standard Operating Procedures Manual and DFAT-Cowater contract for the GREAT program.

11. Limitations

The assignment will be conducted entirely as a desk-based review drawing on literature and documents and selected informants’ interviews. No, or limited, travel is required for the assignment.

[1] MSMEs are defined in Vietnamese law and under law regulations