Result of ServiceThe outputs will be delivered in electronic format, in word, excel or PowerPoint as relevant. The services will be provided in close collaboration with the Economic Affairs Officer of the Technology and Innovation Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division (TIID), and the Project Officer (where relevant) in order to ensure successful completion of work. The performance of the consultant will be evaluated based on the quality of the work and the timeliness of the work delivery. Work LocationHome base Expected duration1 month Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground: To meet the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the private sector will need to play a greater role in supporting development objectives. Inclusive businesses offer the opportunity to address development challenges and leave no one behind. Inclusive businesses are companies that: “provide goods, services, and livelihoods on a commercially viable basis, either at scale or scalable, to people living at the base of the economic pyramid making them part of the value chain of companies’ core business as suppliers, distributors, retailers, or customers.” Inclusive businesses provide triple wins. They provide market opportunities to enterprises; they provide above market-rate income opportunities and access to affordable essential goods and services for low income and marginalised groups; and they help governments deliver affordable goods and services and lift people out of poverty at scale. Social procurement can serve as a powerful enabler of inclusive business by integrating impact-driven enterprises into corporate value chains, thereby expanding their market access and scaling their social and economic impact. Procurement is getting equipped to measure and evaluate suppliers on their environmental and social performance because of regulations. The rate of corporate executives mentioning that corporate sustainability goals are top priority increased from 25% to 63% in between 2019 to 2021. Every purchasing decision has an economic, social and environmental impact. Supply chains represent a huge impact lever since >60% of an average company's ESG footprint lies with the suppliers. For every $1 spent on CSR, $400 is spent on indirect goods and services to run operations. Social Procurement is the strategic use of purchasing power to generate social value beyond the traditional value of goods and services. It involves creating partnerships across sectors to achieve economic, social, and environmental benefits for communities. This approach considers factors such as supplier diversity, employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups, fair labour practices, and environmental sustainability. By leveraging procurement activities, organizations aim to drive positive social outcomes while maintaining efficient business operations. Redirecting a percentage of procurement to social procurement allows businesses to drastically scale their social impact. Procurement budgets worldwide amount to trillions of dollars. Social procurement is an important lever for inclusive businesses, enhancing social equity while delivering on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) outcomes and, if done correctly, competitiveness in the market. A review of the status of social enterprises in Thailand points to a significant number of impact-driven enterprises within the food and agriculture sector. B2B partnerships between social enterprises and corporate partners* in the agrifood sector enables impact-driven enterprises to stabilize their revenue streams and scale their impact. However, the scope and nature of these partnerships has been poorly explored in detail. A survey by Yunus Thailand and Yunus Social Business in 2024 with 50 B2B impact-driven enterprises determined that 30% were in the food and agriculture sector with various experiences and readiness to engage with corporate partners. Building a strong social procurement ecosystem requires developing a market understanding from the perspective of procurement teams of corporations. This proposal outlines a project that takes an initial step in this direction, with a focus on the agrifood sector in Thailand. (*These include companies involved in the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food and agricultural products. Examples include, but not be limited to, landholding companies, retailers, food processors, farm machinery producers, agrichemical and seed manufacturers, biofuel producers, agritourism services providers, and food service providers.) Objectives: The overall objective of the proposed project is to build a market understanding of social procurement in the agrifood sector in Thailand, complementing existing supply side analysis with demand side analysis focused on corporate procurement teams. Specific objectives include: 1. To gain visibility of potential buyers who are and/or want to engage with social enterprise suppliers in Thailand’s agrifood sector. 2. To analyse and understand the needs of procurement teams in regard to partnering with social enterprises. 3. To connect potential social enterprise suppliers and corporate buyers in Thailand’s agrifood sector together. CONSULTANCY SERVICES: The responsibilities of the consultant are to conduct an analysis of social procurement in the agrifood sector in Thailand. To support the achievement of these outcomes, ESCAP seeks to engage high-level consultancy services to: 1. Agree with ESCAP on the design of the methodology for assessing social procurement trends in the agrifood sector in Thailand, including scope and priority focus areas, key stakeholders to interview, timelines, quality control, confidentiality, approvals, and format of expected outputs, as well as the design of the survey and interviews, the assessment framework to be used, the inclusion of a gender and disability lens and the collection of impact data 2. Develop value proposition and communication materials to engage key stakeholders. 3. Conduct outreach, initiate mapping exercise and engage strategic advisors and dissemination partners to support mapping efforts. 4. Agree with ESCAP to finalize and launch the mapping methodology. 5. Conduct scouting and outreach to procurement teams of agrifood sector companies in Thailand. 6. Disseminate the survey through various channels and leverage partners for outreach. 7. Review and validate companies that align with the project’s scope and criteria. 8. Analyze and evaluate the social procurement readiness levels of identified companies. 9. Develop an analysis of social procurement in the agrifood sector companies in Thailand with guidance from strategic advisors. 10. Engage at least 50 companies, securing responses from a minimum of 30 companies. 11. Synthesize findings and prepare a summary brief on the analysis and market assessment. 12. Organize a \"Meet the Buyer, Meet the Supplier\" networking meeting in Bangkok, engaging at least 30 participants from social enterprises and procurement teams. 13. Ensure engagement of 30-50 representatives from procurement teams, inclusive businesses and social enterprises. 14. Deliver a final list of at least 30 mapped agrifood sector and agrifood buying companies implementing or interested in social procurement. 15. Organize a second \"Meet the Buyer, Meet the Supplier\" networking event in Bangkok, incorporating a dedicated matchmaking component to connect inclusive businesses and social enterprises with procurement teams. (Amendment#1) 16. Follow up engagement with stakeholders to update the social procurement database, develop a compendium of supplier profiles, and organize a briefing session on procurement platforms for impact suppliers. (Amendment#2) The consultant will work under the guidance of and report to the Economic Affairs Officer of the Technology and Innovation Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division (TIID), ESCAP. Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced university Degree in Economics, International development, Management, Public Policy, Innovation policy or related field. - A minimum of five years of progressive experience in promoting social and economic development through research and analysis, policy formulation and application. - Experience in the promotion of inclusive businesses, social enterprises or impact investment in ASEAN. - Experience in conducting research and policy formulation/advice related to ASEAN desirable. - Experience in Thailand desirable. LanguagesProficiency in English is required. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.