Below are some questions that we often hear from potential BAS clients, consultants
and other parties interested in the BAS Programme. If you have any questions, feel
free to contact us directly at the coordinates provided on our
contact page.
This medium-sized electric steel mill needs ISO-compliancy to maintain sales to
foreign purchasers; BAS helped the factory hire quality management consultants that
are preparing it for ISO certification
One of the BAS Programme’s operational objectives is speed in delivery. We usually
make a decision as to whether to support a project within one week of receiving an
application from a potential client enterprise, and the average time from our first
meeting with an enterprise to signing a project contract is 5 weeks.
BAS support is made up of 3 elements: (1) a grant that covers 50% of the cost of the
consulting project, (2) assistance in setting up the project and (3) project monitoring
and evaluation. For more details, click on this link to read about
the assistance we
provide.
There are 10 basic steps in the BAS project cycle (click on this link to take a
virtual tour of the BAS project
cycle). These steps include our first meeting with
a prospective client; completion and submission of a 2-page application form by the
potential client enterprise; an enterprise visit by BAS staff; consultant selection;
drafting and signing of the project contract; project implementation; project
completion and grant disbursal; and a completion report conducted by BAS staff one
year after the end of the project to evaluate results.
Yes. All information and
documentation provided by a client enterprise to the BAS Programme is kept
strictly confidential and under no circumstances are third parties allowed to
have access to client data. Likewise, all reports and data resulting from BAS
Projects are treated as strictly confidential.
To be
considered for BAS support, an enterprise must meet 4 criteria: (1) it must be locally-owned, (2)
there may be no more than 25% state ownership in the enterprise, (3) it
must employ fewer than 500 people and (4) it must have been in business for at least
two years (1 year in Kyrgyzstan). Click on this link to read more details about
criteria for BAS
participation.
Enterprises that do not
meet all criteria but would nevertheless like to inquire about the BAS Programme can
contact us at the coordinates provided on our
contact page. Although the Programme will not be able to provide grant
support, the Programme team may be able to provide useful advice on qualified
consultants and how best to organise a project.
BAS clients can apply for a second BAS-supported project one year following the end
of the first project. The second grand will equal 25% of net costs, regardless a type of projects.
The BAS Programme can work with
different companies within a conglomerate or holding company, but will
undertake no more than 3 projects per year within any one such group.
The BAS Programme supports projects that enable enterprises to enter new markets,
improve internal operations and products, reduce operating costs, gain access to
financing and plan future business operations. Typical BAS-supported projects include:
Market research and strategy
Creation of business plans for financing
Implementation of ISO quality management standards
Improvement of accounting and control systems
Implementation of computerised management information systems
Choice and assessment of equipment
Enterprise reorganisation and restructuring
Implementation of energy saving technologies
Brand development and launch
Partner and investor search
Other business advisory services (BAS does not fund
audits or counselling on legal or taxation matters)
Because they are usually highly-targeted, most BAS projects have a duration of about
2-3 months. However, some projects – notably ISO quality management projects – can
last as long as 6-12 months.
The BAS Programme takes great care to ensure
that the prices of projects it supports are in line with local market rates for
consulting services. The average total cost of a BAS-supported project is about USD
8,000-12,000. As the BAS Programme’s grant covers 50% of this cost, a typical BAS
client will pay the equivalent of between USD 4,000 and USD 6,000 for the project.
BAS projects are in no way
connected with the lending or investment activities of the EBRD. A
BAS-supported project can have the objective of helping a client enterprise
gain access to financing, but the potential sources of financing are a matter
for the client to decide.
The BAS Programme provides consultant contact information to potential client
enterprises and can provide general information on consultants’ capabilities and
experience. However, it is the client’s responsibility to select from among the
available consultants.
No. BAS Programme staff act as a facilitator between the
enterprise
and the consultant. They assist in organising the project and monitoring it after it
begins, but they do not conduct or manage the project. The consultant provides the
advisory services, and the client must coordinate with the consultant to ensure that
the project stays focused on achieving the results set out in the project agreement.
If misunderstandings develop between a client and consultant, or if a consultant does
not perform up to expectations, the BAS Programme staff can intervene.
To be qualified by the BAS Programme, a consultant must demonstrate significant
experience in providing advisory services to local clients. The BAS staff qualifies a
consultant only after having visited at least two of the consultant’s previous clients
as references.
Yes.
Although over 90% of consultants
utilised in the Central Asia BAS Programme are local, some consultants from
outside of the country of operations have been used. The BAS Programme
generally supports projects engaging foreign consultants only if no local
consultants are capable of undertaking a particular project. Also, the BAS
Programme usually insists that foreign consultants are “twinned” with local
ones in order to build local consulting capabilities in the course of the
project.
The donors providing funding
for the Central Asia BAS Programme, the Japan Enterprise Cooperation Fund
(JECF) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco), seek to
support the development of local, privately-owned small and medium
enterprises. More information is available on the Internet about
the objectives of the JECF and seco.
