INTRODUCTION
Swisscontact was established in 1959 as an independent foundation by notable figures from the worlds of commerce and science in Switzerland. It is exclusively involved in international development co-operation and has carried out its own and mandated projects since 1961.
Swisscontact’s working principles include inclusive systems development, learning culture, evidence-based adaptive management, and engaging private sector. In addition, the organisation’s criteria comprise of gender equality and social inclusion, financial capability, environmental responsibility, and good governance.
BACKGROUND
Bangladesh exports fresh vegetables to markets in South, East and Central Asia, the European Union and the United Kingdom, but the volumes remain small and the shipments remain fragile. In FY 2024-25 the Plant Quarantine Wing issued 1,679 phytosanitary certificates covering 6,842 metric tons of exports, of which only 244.4 metric tons reached the European Union. Twelve consignments were rejected, with teasel gourd recording a rejection rate of 8.8 per cent on pesticide residues and pest infestation. In response the Plant Quarantine Wing imposed a self-ban on teasel gourd exports.
The constraint is not an absence of knowledge or of demand. Farmers take pesticide advice from the dealers who sell to them on credit. Aggregators bulk produce with no residue-based sorting. Exporters face testing costs and turnaround times that make routine compliance impractical for a perishable crop. Public extension is committed but stretched. What is missing is a reliable, commercially grounded supply of the services that compliance requires.
Those services exist in fragments. Laboratories, certification bodies, extension agents, input companies, traceability platforms, transporters and financial institutions all hold part of the answer. Few are organised around the export value chain, and fewer still operate close to the districts where the produce is grown. The gap is therefore not technical. It is the absence of a service market.
Swisscontact implements projects on sanitary and phytosanitary compliance, green skills capacity building and trade readiness for agro exports, digital traceability system readiness under its agriculture portfolio.
Swisscontact is now looking for service providers to deliver capacity development activities in these districts and, in doing so, to test a way of supplying compliance services that can continue once the project ends. This EOI is an invitation to be part of that.
OBJECTIVE OF THE EOI
The objective of this EOI is to identify and engage organisations, enterprises and institutions able to deliver capacity development activities in Jashore and Narsingdi while building a service offer that can stand on its own.
Swisscontact is not looking for a fixed set of deliverables. We are looking for partners who can bring a service model, test it under project conditions, and carry it forward.
Through this process, Swisscontact aims to:
- Map the organisations already supplying, or able to supply, compliance and export readiness services in and around the two districts;
- Understand the service models, pricing approaches and revenue logics being used or considered;
- Identify providers to deliver capacity development activities under the current programmes;
- Establish a small number of service arrangements that can be tested during the project and continue commercially after it.
SCOPE OF ENGAGEMENT
Swisscontact welcomes expressions of interest from organisations offering services anywhere along the fresh vegetable export value chain, including but not limited to:
- Advisory and training services covering good agricultural practice, integrated pest management, safe pesticide use, pre-harvest interval compliance and farm record keeping;
- Laboratory testing, residue and pest screening, and preparation for GAP, HACCP and equivalent certification;
- Documentation, batch identity and traceability services, including digital record keeping aligned to certificate requirements;
- Hygiene, post-harvest handling, packhouse operation and cold chain services;
- Financial products and risk cover linked to compliance investment, including working capital, certification finance and consignment insurance;
- Aggregation, sourcing and quality assurance services connecting farmers to exporters;
- Business development services for exporters, including buyer linkage, negotiation support and market intelligence.
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Applicants may express interest in one area or several. Organisations already operating inside the chain, including aggregators, transporters, input suppliers and packhouse operators, are encouraged to apply.
WHAT SWISSCONTACT OFFERS AND WHAT WE EXPECT
Selected organisations can expect the following support:
- Funding towards the delivery of agreed capacity development activities;
- Access to organised farmer groups and to exporters through BFVAPEA;
- Linkage with the Department of Agricultural Extension;
- Technical backstopping on sanitary and phytosanitary requirements and buyer standards;
- Monitoring data and shared learning from the wider programme.
In return, Swisscontact expects the following:
- A stated willingness to co-invest or co-finance, in cash or in kind, at a level the applicant considers realistic;
- A service offer that identifies who pays, what they pay for, and why they will keep paying;
- Presence in Jashore or Narsingdi, or a credible plan to establish it;
- Willingness to share service uptake and performance data for joint learning.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
This EOI is open to local, national and international organisations, including private sector firms, cooperatives, producer and trade associations, financial institutions, etc. Interested applicants should demonstrate:
- Engagement in or around agriculture, food safety, quality assurance, logistics, finance or export services in Bangladesh;
- A service offer that can realistically be delivered in Jashore or Narsingdi;
- Legal registration in Bangladesh, or international registration with demonstrated in-country presence.
Priority will be given to organisations based in or operating from Jashore and Narsingdi. National and international applicants are welcome and are encouraged to apply jointly with a locally based organisation or company.
There are no minimum thresholds for organisational size or years of operation. We welcome applications from established actors and emerging ones alike.
PROCESS AND NEXT STEPS
This EOI is the first step in a structured engagement process. Swisscontact will review all submissions and identify organisations for follow-up conversations and, if useful, joint design sessions. A small number of service arrangements will then be taken forward for testing under the programmes.
Participation in this EOI does not constitute a commitment to engage or a guarantee of contractual relationship. Swisscontact reserves the right to accept or reject any submission without assigning any reason and is not bound to engage any applicant through this process.
The deadline for submission is 20 August 2026.
For any queries, please email: [email protected]
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Interested applicants are requested to complete the EOI Application Form (Annex 1) and submit any available supporting documents relevant to their experience, operational capacity, and area of interest. Applicants are encouraged to submit below mentioned administrative and legal documents.
- A certificate of incorporation (in the case of individual companies, a trade licence);
- Joint-stock registration certificate (if applicable);
- An organisational organogram of key personnel, inclusive of the names of such personnel;
- Tax Identification Number (TIN);
- Business Identification Number (BIN)
- Other valid papers (provided by government institutions);
- Organisation / NGO profile (if applicable);
- Updated Proof of Submission Return (PSR).
Applicants may submit their EOI either online or offline:
- Online: Submit the EOI via email to [email protected] The subject line should read: “Expression of Interest (EOI) for Service Provision – SAFE BD”.
- Offline: Submit printed copies of the completed EOI Application Form and supporting documents to the Swisscontact Bangladesh Country Office at:House 28, Road 43, Gulshan-2, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
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