Mentoring Young Green Entrepreneurs

Terms of Reference

Mentorship of Young Entrepreneurs in Innovation, Development and Promotion of Green Products, Services and Solutions for the Lao Tourism Value Chain

Plan International Laos (PIL) is currently seeking a service provider to support Young Entrepreneurs (YEs) to incubate, innovate, develop and promote green products and services focusing on key sectors and issues throughout the tourism value chain in support of the Lasting Laos project.

1.     About Plan International Laos
Working in over 50 developing countries globally, Plan International strives for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan International has been working in Laos since 2007, and is delivering programs in 10 provinces in Laos, including Bokeo, Oudomxay, Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Salavan Provinces. We support children and youth to access their rights through our Public Health, Education, Livelihoods, Adolescent and Youth Economic Empowerment programmes. In all contexts, together with partners, we strive for lasting impact in norms, attitudes and behaviors, social and economic safety nets, and policy frameworks. Our work includes community-based action, partner strengthening, and policy advocacy, all focused on gender transformative programming. Visit www.plan-international.org and www.lastinglaos.com for more information.

2.     Project Background
The Lasting Laos project is funded by the European Union (EU) under the SWITCH-Asia Programme with co-funding from Plan International Germany. The project builds upon and scales-up key aspects of the previously EU funded project, SUSTOUR Laos project (2020-2024). Specific actions continued into the Lasting Laos project include: Lasting Laos sustainability certification programme, developing green products and services, tackling single-use plastic (SUP) waste and access to finance for MSMEs in the tourism value chain.

Focusing upon key tourist destinations and urban centres with the highest concentration of MSMEs (Vientiane Capital, Luang Prabang Province, Vientiane Province), while expanding and scaling-up to one additional province (Champasak Province), the project contributes to the tourism value chain in its growth, ensuring MSMEs are sustainable, non-polluting and contributing to the sustainable livelihoods of Lao women, men and children.

Plan International Laos (PIL), in partnership with LNCCI, will achieve this by promoting and standardizing sustainability certifications, and bringing MSMEs in a variety of tourism related sectors into the green transition of the economy. The Lasting Laos certification provides tailored support for MSMEs, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to transform their businesses towards circular economy, decent work and SCP practices while creating spaces and opportunities for young entrepreneurs to innovate in these areas. The project creates a foundation for replication and scale-up across other sectors of the Laos economy and ultimately aims to cultivate a movement for environmentally and socially conscious entrepreneurship and investment in the Lao tourism value chain. The project has 2 main objectives:

• Specific Objective 1: MSMEs throughout the Lao tourism supply chain adopt SCP, circular economy and decent work practices through the Lasting Laos sustainability certification programme supported by an enabling policy environment.
• Specific Objective 2: MSMEs and young entrepreneurs (YEs) are provided with technical support to access green financing instruments (GFIs) in order to produce and adopt and promote green products, services and solutions that demonstrate circular economy, low carbon and SCP practices for the Lao tourism value chain.

In addition, the project contributes to the Lasting Laos Small Grants Matching Programme which is funded by France and the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), the TUI Care Foundation and Plan International Germany. The programme will directly provide financial assistance in the form of small grants for MSMEs and young entrepreneurs operating in the Lao tourism value chain to innovate, develop, and implement green products, services, and solutions. The grants programme focuses on fostering sustainable consumption and production, circular economy practices, and tackling priority sectors like agri-food, textiles/handicrafts, and single-use plastic (SUP) waste management.

3.     Objective
The overall objective of this consultancy is to support PIL and LNCCI to mentor YEs to incubate, innovate, develop and promote green products and services focusing on key sectors and issues throughout the tourism value chain (e.g., textile/handicraft, agri-food, single-use plastic (SUP) waste). Up to 50 YEs are to be provided with technical support and mentorship to develop a green product, service or solution relevant to the tourism value chain. Building upon successful pilot projects of the SUSTOUR Laos project (2020-2024) that demonstrated innovative green products, services and solutions for the tourism sector (e.g., biodigesters for food waste, EV transport for tourists, SUP alternatives), the project will support YEs enabled with green financing with technical support and mentorship to incubate, develop and produce green products and services that demonstrate SCP, low carbon and circular economy practices that solve key issues within the tourism value chain (e.g., agri-food, textile/handicrafts, SUP waste). Following their successful application for GFIs, in particular the Lasting Laos Small Matching Grants Programme which will provide small grants to YEs, the service provider will provide support to YEs to incubate and develop products with market potential through “think-tank” like workshops, training, study trips, relevant materials, and ongoing mentorship. This activity will help to ensure that investments from GFIs result in products and services with high potential for scale-up and replication.

The selected service provider will support YEs through the full entrepreneurship journey, from idea refinement and circular product/service design to prototyping, market testing, business model development, branding, promotion and market entry. The mentorship should help YEs develop commercially viable green products, services or solutions that respond to real needs within the Lao tourism value chain while applying sustainable consumption and production, low-carbon and circular economy principles across the full product lifecycle. Moreover, products and services should be assessed not only for environmental benefits, but also for market demand, affordability, usability, scalability and potential adoption by MSMEs in the tourism value chain.

This assignment will support PIL and LNCCI to implement 3 relevant activities under the project’s Objective 2, Output 2.2 – MSMEs and YEs are provided with technical support to innovate, develop and implement green products, services and solutions):

• Activity 2.2.1: Mentor YEs to incubate, innovate, develop and promote green products and services focusing on key sectors and issues throughout the tourism value chain (e.g., textile/handicraft, agri-food, single-use plastic (SUP) waste). 50 YEs are provided with technical support and mentorship to develop a green product or service relevant to the tourism value chain. The project will support YEs enabled with green financing with technical support and mentorship to incubate, develop and produce green products and services that demonstrate SCP, low carbon and circular economy practices that solve key issues within the tourism value chain (e.g., agri-food, textile/handicrafts, SUP waste).

• Activity 2.2.1.1: Study trips for YEs based in target provinces to businesses, institutions and universities in Vientiane Capital leading in areas of youth entrepreneurship and innovation in green products and services (1 trip x 3 provinces x 2 years). 30s YE are supported to visit leading businesses, organisations (e.g. development agencies) and academic institutions (e.g. NUOL) in Vientiane Capital. A total of 2 trips will be organized in years 2 and 3 of the project. A select group of YEs (10 per province) will be supported to visit business, organisations and academic institutions in Vientiane Capital which are leading in areas of youth entrepreneurship and innovation for inspiration and knowledge sharing.

• Activity 2.2.1.2: Promote green products and services to MSMEs in the tourism value chain (staff cost only). Green products, services and solutions developed by YEs are promoted to MSMEs in the tourism value chain. Ongoing throughout implementation, the project will support YEs to promote their green products and services to target MSMEs, particularly those registered in the Lasting Laos certification and those who received a Travelife certification under the SUSTOUR Laos project. MSMEs will be informed of new products and services through regular communications of the action (e.g., monthly email newsletter, Facebook pages/groups), through LNCCIs network and with support of the service provider.

4.     Scope of Work
The selected service provider will work closely with PIL and LNCCI to plan and implement the mentoring programme for 50 YEs in 4 project target areas and key tourism destinations (Vientiane Capital, Luang Prabang, Vientiane Province and Champasak Province), including implementing the 2 study trips and supporting YEs to promote their green products, services and solutions to MSMEs in the tourism sector. PIL and LNCCI will be responsible to identify and introduce each YE included in the mentorship programme. The service provider is ultimately responsible for the execution of the mentorship programme.

The service provider shall guide YEs to apply circular economy design principles, including responsible material selection, resource efficiency, durability, repairability, reuse, refill, recycling, low-waste production, reduced packaging, reduced emissions, and realistic end-of-life solutions suitable to the Lao context. Further details on circular economy principles are available from the SWITCH-Asia programme here: https://www.switch-asia.eu/resource/circular-economy-an-introduction-and-overview/.

The service provider shall apply a gender-responsive and inclusive approach, with specific attention to the barriers faced by young women entrepreneurs, including access to finance, networks, time constraints, care responsibilities, digital skills, mobility, and market access. The mentorship approach should create safe, accessible and supportive spaces for young women to participate, lead, pitch their ideas, access role models and build business networks.

Phase 1: Inception

• Prepare an inception report outlining the methodology and work plan for the assignment including planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
• Finalize the report based on feedback from PIL and LNCCI.

Phase 2: Execute the Mentorship Programme

• Working closely with each YE (identified by PIL and LNCCI over the course of the assignment), develop a detailed action plan designed to support each entrepreneur to fully realize, develop, promote and ultimately bring their product, service and/or solution to market. Each action plan must include measurable indicators with clear short, medium and long-term targets. Additionally, each action plan must include a product and market readiness plan covering product/service concept, circularity considerations, target customers, value proposition, production requirements, pricing, sales channels, environmental benefits, gender and inclusion considerations, key risks, and next steps for market entry. Furthermore, each action plan should include a simple circularity assessment covering materials, production process, packaging, distribution, use phase, repair/reuse potential, and end-of-life management.
• Provide tailored mentorship and coaching to guide each YE as outlined in each action plan. The coaching may include capacity-building sessions, peer learning workshops, 1-on-1 coaching, remote guidance, etc. The coaching should cover of an average of 4 days per YE over the course of the assignment. As part of the ongoing mentorship, conduct regular monitoring to measure progress against indicators included in all YEs individual action plans.
• Mentorship should include practical support on entrepreneurship and market readiness, including customer discovery, value proposition development, business model design, pricing, cost analysis, branding, sales channels, pitching, financial planning, risk assessment, and preparation for buyer engagement or investment/grant readiness.
• Implement 2 study trips for 30 YEs to visit business, organisations and academic institutions in Vientiane Capital which are leading in areas of youth entrepreneurship and innovation for inspiration and knowledge sharing (in Y2 and Y3 of the project). The service provider is responsible for executing the study trips, including logistical arrangements and covering all travel-related costs.
• Support each YE to promote their product, service and/or solution to MSMEs in the tourism sector and bring it successfully to market. This should include organizing at least one product showcase, demo day or buyer-linkage event connecting YEs with MSMEs, hotels, restaurants, tour operators, retailers, investors, financial institutions and relevant government/private sector actors.
• The service provider is ultimately responsible for organizing, planning and executing the mentorship programme. Any relevant costs for training, workshops, events, travel, etc. are to be covered by the service provider and should be included in the financial proposal.

Phase 3: Reporting

• Prepare a consolidated final report (20 pages maximum, not including annexes) and a presentation highlighting key results, case studies, and lessons learned. Present the findings to PIL, LNCCI and other project stakeholders.

5.     Deliverables
The following deliverables are expected from the service provider:

#
Deliverable
Description
Timeframe

Phase 1 (July 2026)

1
Inception Report
Detailed report outlining the methodology, work plan, mentoring framework, templates, etc. (20 pages max. excluding annexes). This report must be approved by PIL before moving onto the next deliverables.
July 2026

Phase 2 (Aug 2026 – Feb 2028)

2
Individual Action Plans
In cooperation with each YE, develop tailored action plans with measurable improvements and recommendations, including relevant indicators and targets to develop and promote their green product, service or solution and ultimately bring it to market.
Aug 2026 – Feb 2028

3
Mentorship and Coaching
Provide ongoing, tailored coaching meeting the specific needs of each YE. Each YE should receive 4 days of coaching over the course of the assignment.
Aug 2026 – Feb 2028

4
Study Trips
Implement 2 study trips to Vientiane Capital for YEs in the project target areas. Timeline to be determined in the inception report.
Aug 2026 – Feb 2028

5
Promotion of Green Products
Support YEs to promote their products, services and/or solutions to MSMEs in the tourism value chain, enabling them to bring their product to market.
Jan 2027 – Feb 2028

Phase 3 (Feb 2028)

6
Final Report and Presentation
Prepare a final report and present findings to PIL, LNCCI and other project stakeholders.
Feb 2028

6.     Timeline & Working Days
The contract is expected to commence on 1 July 2026 and end on 28 February 2028 for an estimated 250 working days. The working location is Vientiane Capital, Vang Vieng, Champasak and Luang Prabang.

#

Phase / Deliverables

Timeline

Estimated # of Working Days

1
Phase 1: Inception (Deliverables 1-2)
July 2026
15 days

2
Phase 2: Mentorship and Coaching (Deliverables 2-3)
August 2026 to February 2028
4 days per YE = 200 days (including training, workshops, events, travel, etc.)

3
Phase 2: Study Trip
TBD in Inception Report
20 days (including all relevant travel costs)

4
Phase 3: Reporting
Feb 2028
15 days

Total Est. # of Working Days:
250

7.     Payment Details
Payments will be made in instalments linked to the satisfactory completion of deliverables and progress against agreed milestones based on the value of the budget submitted by the awarded service provider. Given that the number of YEs supported may vary over the duration of the assignment, the contract will include a combination of fixed payments and variable payments tied to completion of deliverables and mentorship delivery.

Payment Structure:

#
Milestone / Deliverable
Description
Payment (%)

1
Inception Report Approved
Submission and approval of the inception report, including methodology, work plan, mentorship framework, tools and templates
10% (fixed)

2
Mentorship Delivery (Variable Payment)
Provision of ongoing mentorship and coaching support to YEs. Payments will be made on a unit-cost basis per YE paid on a quarterly basis, conditional upon: (i) approved action plan, (ii) delivery of minimum coaching support, and (iii) demonstrated progress towards product/service development
70% (variable)

3
Study Trips Completed
Successful organization and implementation of 2 study trips, including documentation and reporting of outcomes
10% (fixed)

4
Final Report and Presentation Approved
Submission and approval of final report and presentation, including results, case studies, lessons learned, and evidence of market readiness outcomes
10% (fixed)

8.     Qualifications

• A legally registered company, consulting firm, or organization operating in Laos with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience and able to provide a multidisciplinary team with relevant technical specialists.
• Demonstrated understanding of sustainable consumption and production (SCP), circular economy, and green business practices.
• Experience supporting youth entrepreneurship, women-led enterprises, green business incubation, circular product/service design, market validation, product development, and business model development is required.
• Proven experience in entrepreneurship incubation/acceleration programmes for youth or MSMEs.
• Experience supporting product development and market readiness (from idea to market).
• Strong track record in delivering mentorship, coaching, and capacity-building activities.
• Experience in tourism value chains or relevant sectors (e.g. agri-food, handicrafts, waste).
• Demonstrated ability to apply gender-responsive, youth-friendly and inclusive facilitation approaches, particularly with young women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs from outside Vientiane Capital.
• Relevant working experience in Laos and/or South-East Asia;
• Strong skills in monitoring, analysis, and report writing.
• Excellent communication skills in both Lao and English languages is a must.
• Experience working with development organizations or donor-funded projects is an asset.
• Commitment to Plan International’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and ethical standards.

Child Protection: Plan or its partners does not tolerate child abuse. All staff and consultants are selected and employed in line with the conditions of Plan’s Child Protection Policy. These include appropriate reference and background checks.

9.     Application Process
Plan invites interested applicants to submit their application to Laos.procurement@plan-international.org, and copy to Chindavone.Keomanykhod@plan-international.org . The application deadline is June 08, 2026. For any technical inquiries please contact Connor.Bedard@plan-international.org. Please note that only the successful applicant will be contacted.

Please include the text “Mentorship of Young Entrepreneurs in Innovation, Development and Promotion of Green Products, Services and Solutions for the Lao Tourism Value Chain” in the email subject line and kindly include support documents as outlined below:

1. An expression of interest (1-page maximum).
2. An indicative work plan with timeframe (1-page maximum).
3. An indicative budget with a daily rate, any travel and other costs (must be inclusive of per diem, travel costs and other related government charge (Tax, VAT)).
4. Curriculum Vitae of any persons mentioned in the work plan (If a consulting firm or company, a company profile with: a company name, registered office address, physical address, telephone numbers, date of registration, registration number, copy of registration certificate, names of directors/proprietors and name of contact person).

Note: All applications received after the time of the deadline will not be accepted without exception. Only the successful tender will be contacted.