Call for Consultant: Mobile Cooling Solutions Sourcing and Supplier Engagement

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) — Bangladesh

1. Background

IFPRI, in partnership with the Shakti Foundation, one of Bangladesh's largest microfinance institutions, is developing and evaluating an asset-based loan product that will help street food vendors in Dhaka acquire mobile cooling solutions. As part of our research, the product will be offered to a sample of vendors during an initial launch and rigorously evaluated through a randomized controlled trial.

A central design feature of the product is that vendors will be offered a menu of mobile cooling solutions at a range of price points, so that each vendor can select what fits the scale of their business and the goods they sell. This can include products that serve to cool both the food being sold, the vendor themselves, or both, as well as ventilation solutions for vendors who cook on site  or at home. This is likely to include insulated/ventilated cart modifications, evaporative cooling units, battery-powered coolers, or other lithium battery based solution packages.

2. Description of the assignment

The consultant will determine what mobile cooling solutions can actually be sourced in Dhaka at the price points, volumes, quality, and reliability the project requires, and will establish working relationships with the suppliers, workshops, importers, and manufacturers who can deliver them.

This is a field-based, relationship-driven assignment. The bulk of the work involves going to markets, workshops, and manufacturing clusters across Dhaka; talking to fabricators, traders, importers, and repair technicians; getting quotes; inspecting and comparing products; and negotiating terms. Desk research and supplier directories will not be sufficient.
The consultant is not expected to design cooling equipment from first principles. However, the consultant must be technically literate enough to judge whether a product will survive daily use by a street vendor, to specify a product clearly enough that a workshop can build it consistently, and to tell the difference between a supplier's claim and a supplier's capability.

3. Scope of work

3.1 Market and supply scoping

• Map the supply landscape in Dhaka for mobile cooling solutions relevant to street food vending, covering local fabricators and informal workshops, domestic manufacturers, importers and distributors, and retail and wholesale markets.
• Identify the range of products currently available, including products already in use by vendors and products used in adjacent sectors that could be adapted.
• Establish realistic price ranges at retail and at volume, and identify what drives cost.
• Assess local capacity for modification and custom fabrication where off-the-shelf products do not fit vendor needs.

3.2 Product assessment and menu development

• Evaluate candidate products against criteria to be agreed with the research team, such as durability; portability; weight, handling, and usability for women vendors; effectiveness in reducing food spoilage and/or heat exposure for vendors and on-site cooks; power requirements; and maintenance/repair needs.
• Work with the research team to translate this into a menu of options spanning several price points, each specified precisely enough to be procured repeatedly and consistently.
• Where a promising product does not exist in a suitable form, scope what it would take to have it made or modified locally, including cost, lead time, and minimum order quantity.
• Support small-scale pilot testing of shortlisted products with vendors, and revise the menu in light of what is learned.
• For battery-powered products, assess whether the product can accommodate a remote locking or disabling controller and whether the supplier is able to integrate one, as this may be required for collateral purposes.

3.3 Supplier engagement and agreements

• Build and maintain direct working relationships with priority suppliers.
• Assess suppliers on capacity to fulfil orders in the hundreds to low thousands of units, consistency of quality, lead times, financial and operational stability, willingness to provide warranty and after-sales support, and ability to meet the documentation requirements of Shakti Foundation, the implementing microfinance institution.
• Negotiate indicative pricing, volume terms, delivery schedules, warranty terms, and after-sales and repair arrangements.
• Support the resolution of supply problems as they arise during pilot and launch.

3.4 Coordination and reporting

• Work closely with the IFPRI research team, ensuring the menu meets the project's operational and research requirements.
• Coordinate with Shakti Foundation's operations team on procurement processes, documentation, and facilitating supplier relationships.
• Maintain organized, current records of suppliers, products, specifications, quotes, and contacts in a format the project team can use directly.
• Provide regular written progress updates and flag emerging problems early.
• Participate in stakeholder consultations relating to product sourcing and deployment.

4. Deliverables
Exact deliverables and timing will be agreed at contracting. They are expected to include:

5. Required qualifications and experience

• Direct, hands-on experience dealing with Dhaka-based manufacturers, workshops, importers, or wholesale markets. Candidates must be able to describe specific sourcing work they personally carried out.
• Sufficient technical literacy to read and write product specifications and assess build quality, materials, and durability. A background in engineering, industrial design, product development, or a technical trade is an asset but is not required if practical sourcing experience is strong.
• Currently based in Dhaka, with the mobility and willingness to spend a substantial share of working time in markets and workshops across the city.
• Fluency in both English and Bangla.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision, plan one's own fieldwork, and deliver on schedule.
• Competence in maintaining structured records in spreadsheets and writing clear, organised reports.
• Not required but any experience with connected or remotely managed devices (e.g., IoT controllers, pay-as-you-go solar, vehicle telematics) would be useful.

Assets

• Experience sourcing cooling, refrigeration, solar, or battery-powered equipment.
• Prior work in or around informal markets, street vending, or urban informal enterprise.
• Experience supporting research projects and working to research-driven standards of documentation and consistency.

6. How to apply

Applications must be submitted through the online application form at 

The form asks a set of substantive questions and requires several document uploads, including a CV and at least one sample of relevant prior work. The sample does not need necessarily to be a formal report. A product specification, a quote or supplier comparison, procurement records, or photographs of an item the candidate had fabricated or sourced, or a combination of several of these, accompanied by a brief description of the candidate's role, are all acceptable.

Please allow adequate time to complete the form; the substantive questions are intended to be answered thoughtfully and cannot be completed in a few minutes.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview, which will include a practical discussion of the Dhaka supply landscape.