International Consultant for Brunei IB Landscape Study

The consultant will work from his/her home base and in the field. They will work under the guidance of and report to the Economic Affairs Officer of the Innovation, Enterprise and Investment Section of the Trade, Investment and Innovation Division (TIID), ESCAP. The outputs will be delivered in electronic format, in Word, Excel or PowerPoint as relevant. The performance will be evaluated based on: The performance of the consultant will be evaluated based on the quality of the work and the timeliness of the work delivery.

Home based

May 2026 to January 2027 (date to be confirmed)

Inclusive businesses models are specific innovative business models that explicitly seek to address the needs of low-income groups by “providing 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”. Given the critical importance of inclusive business for supporting social impact at scale, ASEAN member states adopted in 2017 the ASEAN Inclusive Business Framework and in 2020 adopted the Guidelines for Promoting Inclusive Businesses in ASEAN (this is the first sub-region to do so). In addition, several ASEAN countries - in particular Cambodia, Malaysia and Viet Nam - are in the process of adopting strategies to promote inclusive businesses. There are opportunities to support the implementation of such strategies, learn from these efforts, and replicate best practices in countries in Asia. The initiation of the National Landscape Study on Inclusive Business (IB) for Brunei Darussalam stems from the country’s active engagement in the ASEAN Inclusive Business agenda under the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME). The Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE), through the Industry and Business Ecosystem division and the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), currently represent Brunei Darussalam in the ACCMSME. Brunei Darussalam has demonstrated its commitment to promoting Inclusive Business through sustained regional engagement, including hosting the 4th ASEAN Inclusive Business Summit, which was organised by Darussalam Enterprise (DARe), during its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2021. The momentum to further advance the promotion of Inclusive Business at the national level, and to enhance understanding of the Inclusive Business landscape and its potential for growth and expansion in Brunei Darussalam, was further strengthened following Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah’s recognition as the recipient of the 2024 ASEAN Inclusive Business Award for its Sara Diri (Self-Reliance) Programme, which supports underprivileged and low-income families in starting and sustaining their own businesses. Building on these developments, ongoing discussions have been undertaken at the national level to advance the IB agenda. Stakeholders recognised that promoting Inclusive Business in Brunei Darussalam requires taking stock of existing inclusive businesses and the enabling environment in order to identify targeted support measures, as well as raising awareness of IB models among government agencies, the private sector, and civil society organisations. Following consultations held during the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) courtesy visit to Brunei Darussalam in June 2025, the Government confirmed its commitment to undertake a National Inclusive Business Landscape Study. The study will assess the current state of inclusive businesses and social enterprises in Brunei Darussalam, identify emerging opportunities, examine the enabling ecosystem, and provide strategic recommendations to advance the Inclusive Business agenda. These efforts will contribute to national development priorities and support the achievement of Wawasan Brunei 2035 through inclusive and sustainable economic participation. The responsibilities of the consultant are to conduct the Landscape Study of Inclusive Business in Brunei Darussalam. The work will comprise: 1. Agree with ESCAP and the national counterpart on the design and implementation of the study, including scope and priority focus areas, key stakeholders to interview, timelines, quality control, confidentiality, approvals, and format of expected outputs. 2. Agree with ESCAP on the specific methodology to be used in the study including reference assessment framework, assessment of companies, gender lens, impact data. 3. Guide and supervise the work of the national consultant, including briefing them on IB specific analysis and the methodology used in the study, business assessment meetings with companies, providing the necessary guidance and directions, and monitoring the quality of their work and outputs. The local consultant provides information on key stakeholders to interview, support organize interviews, interview companies and do IB assessment, collect data and information (including translate as necessary), and prepare inputs for the report. 4. Conduct interviews and meetings with businesses and other stakeholders (including inclusive businesses, disadvantaged entrepreneurs, businesses associations, public institutions, development partners, impact investors) to gather the necessary data and information. 5. Conduct up to three missions in Brunei Darussalam: (1) initial one to gather information [tentatively early May 2026]; (2) workshop sharing preliminary insights with key stakeholders [tentatively October 2026] and help sharing key findings during the report launch and dialogue [January 2027] 6. Provide a summary report on the results of key meetings and workshop discussions. 7. Identify, conduct IB assessments and prepare the profiles of 5 IB and potential IB models spanning a variety of models (different sectors, geographic areas, models). This includes: 7.1 With the support of the national consultant, identify a long list of about 20 potential IB companies, help screen this down to 15 companies. Interview about 10 companies. 7.2 Guide the national consultant on the methodology and how to conduct the interviews. Conduct pilot interviews together with the national consultant – the national consultant can afterwards carry out independently additional interviews. Develop a guiding questionnaire to be used for the ~1 hours semi-structured interviews with the CEOs, COO or CFO of the companies. Based on the interviews, fill in a data questionnaire for each company. 7.3 Do IB rating of the companies interviewed–together with the national consultant for the pilot ones, review the rating of the other businesses done by the national consultant. 7.4 Review and finalise the company profile for each interviewed company. 7.5 With the support of the national consultant, get clearance from the company for the final edited profile. 8. Assess the enabling environment, including: - Role of government, including existing (federal & state) policies, strategies and programmes supporting IB models in agriculture and agribusiness - Role of the private sector - Financing and impact investment - Intermediary organisations (civil society organisations, industry associations, academia, others) 9. Identify opportunities to promote IB models, including by government, private sector associations and universities 10. Draft a high-quality Landscape study of inclusive business in Brunei Darussalam (60 pages), based on the outline provided in Annex 1 and following ESCAP report template and editorial guidelines (to be provided by ESCAP) 11. Support the dissemination of the study results, including by: - Preparing a set of PowerPoint slides presenting the messages of the report that could be used for different public audiences - Preparing quotes from business leaders and government officials, including their permission to use them in the report and in communications related to the report - Taking/requesting quality pictures of business leaders, beneficiaries, and government officials to be used together with the quote, and their permission to be used in connection with the report. - Presenting the report in at least two events (to be determined). 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.

Advanced university Degree in Economics, International Development, Management, Public Policy, Innovation policy or related field. A minimum of ten 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 Brunei Darussalam desirable.

Fluency in English is required.

Not available.