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TERM OF REFERENCE

Consulting on marketing strategy development and Branding

for Agricultural Cooperatives

 

I. INTRODUCTION

DGRV – the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation is the national apex organization and top-level auditing confederation of the cooperative sector in Germany. Since more than 30 years, DGRV is involved in international development cooperation aiming on the sustainable development of the cooperative sector worldwide.

The project of the Raiffeisen Cooperative Union of Germany (DGRV) in Vietnam operates with the goal of contributing to promoting sustainable and effective social structure development and poverty reduction. This is a project funded by BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany) and implemented in Vietnam in recent years.

To achieve the overall objective, DGRV supports the development and strengthening of cooperatives to operate effectively and stably through impacting five main aspects: Comprehensive market access; Protection of business assets and deposits; Improving product and service quality to meet market needs; Increasing member income; Risk management. DGRV has effectively provided advisory support at many levels from macro to micro.

In the context of increasing competition, many cooperatives still face limitations in building their brands, developing marketing channels, and effectively accessing markets. Therefore, DGRV intends to recruit a consulting expert to support cooperatives in strengthening their marketing capacity and building their brands in a structured and practical manner. The specific objectives of the on-site consulting activities are:

• Cooperatives have clear and feasible marketing strategies
• Cooperatives improve their brand identity and communication
• Cooperatives are able to apply marketing tools in practice

 

II. SCOPE OF WORK

 

1. Consulting Objectives

Agricultural cooperatives in provinces that are partners of DGRV and have a need to develop strategies and improve marketing effectiveness. These cooperatives have personnel in charge of marketing and aim to strengthen marketing activities to improve market share, expand revenue, and generate profits for their members.

 

2. Consulting content

The consulting activities should provide practical knowledge and tools for cooperatives in the areas of marketing and branding, including:

• Assessing the current status of sales activities, brand development, and brand management of the cooperative
• Guiding the development of a marketing strategy that aligns with the cooperative’s orientation, scale, and financial capacity
• Supporting the development of modern marketing channels suitable for market conditions
• Consulting on building or improving brand identity elements (logo, packaging, labeling, product story, etc.)
• Guiding cooperatives in developing communication and product promotion content
• The consulting content should be highly practical, easy to apply, and suitable for the conditions of cooperatives in Vietnam.

After the consulting activities, cooperatives should be able to:

• Clearly define their marketing and branding orientation
• Apply appropriate marketing tools
• Gradually improve their market access capacity

 

3. Location

Consulting activities may be conducted:

• On-site at cooperatives/cooperative unions and/or at meeting rooms of DGRV’s partners in the provinces
• Online or in a hybrid format (combining both modalities), depending on actual conditions

 

4. Duration

• Consulting round lasts 2–4 days (including online and onsite sessions)
  • The consultancy activities are expected to be implemented from May 2026 to October 2026. The specific schedule will be communicated by DGRV

 

III. BUDGET

DGRV will cover the expert fees for consulting activities, including:

• Fees for preparing documents and consulting tools
• Fees for conducting consulting activities (including travel time)
• Travel, accommodation, and meal expenses related to the consultancy assignment

 

IV. Deliverables

The consultant is required to provide the following deliverables:

• A report assessing the cooperative’s current marketing and branding status (presented to the cooperative)
• A marketing strategy and specific action plan
• Proposed/design of the brand identity system
• A final consulting report including recommendations
• Priority is given to a practical, cooperative-centered consulting approach that combines short training sessions and hands-on guidance.

 

V. SELECTION CRITERIA

Candidates will be evaluated based on the matrix below, using the Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal submitted to DGRV during the recruitment period

Evaluation areas	Evaluation criteria within scope	Priority in%
1. Professional skills (50%)	Knowledge, Skills needed to fulfill the tasks	30
	Skills needed to fulfil the tasks (Preference for experience working with SMEs/Agricultural cooperatives)	20
2. Expediency/ appropriateness (20%)	Concept note how to achieve the goals	10
	Orientation of the concept notes on the needs	10
3. Schedule (10%)	Convincing concept note ensuring that the timeline is met	10
4. Price (20%)	Price-Performance-Ratio	20

                                    

VI. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

The proposals should be sent to the following address via courier:

DGRV, Unit 301-302, Block A1, Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound, No. 298, Kim Ma str, Ba Dinh dist., Hanoi, Vietnam

The proposals can be emailed to Ms. Vi Thuy Linh (Email: [email protected]).

Deadline for the submission: 26 Apr 20256

The proposals should be composed of the following:

1. Contents, training methods relating to this course.
2. The consultants proposed (personal files, CV).
3. Financial proposal.

Applicants are requested to prepare application dossier in both English and Vietnamese

Please kindly note that only shortlisted consultants will be contacted.