“Just a small fraction of foreign aid has gone to Haitian businesses, but an NGO network is trying to change that,” writes Jacob Kushner.

To see the full article go to:

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/haiti/120510/haiti-aid-economy-private-enterprise?page=full

http://haiti.buildingmarkets.org/sites/default/files/April2012-EnglishNewsletter.pdf

http://haiti.buildingmarkets.org/sites/default/files/April2012-FrenchNewsletter.pdf

As the owner of Plantes et Services, an agricultural supply firm, Dieusel works in a wide variety of sectors, including agriculture, aviculture, trade, and maintenance. His firm sources everything from fruit trees to goats, and had been previously selected by the South-East Consortium for Economic Development (SECID) to be part of USAID’s Haiti Productive Land Uses System Project.

However, even though Plantes et Services had experience working with international donors, Dieusel was unable to compete for international tenders due to the confusing nature of the bidding process. Attending a PDT training in 2009 changed all of that. As Dieusel explains:

“Tenders from international organizations could be very long and tedious-there were many differences in the requirements of international versus national tenders, and we weren’t sure how to adjust our bids to fulfill these new standards. The PDT training was particularly helpful since it went through a section-by-section breakdown of the tender process. Thus, even if certain parts of the bidding process were familiar, I was able to narrow in on the specific differences and learn how to complete those sections accordingly.”

In applying these lessons, Dieusel successfully bid for over half a million dollars worth of contracts for Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, ACTED and Concern. To fulfill these contracts, Dieusel was able to increase business’s employees from 3 to 15. As he continues to bid for tenders, he hopes to increase even more.

As the director of COPROFER Kenbe, a national cooperative of wire and iron workers in business since 1980, she had the resources to compete for international contracts. The problem was the format of international tenders, which was very different from that of local Haitian companies in terms of everything from price lists to payment schedules.

“Even when we had the goods these organizations wanted, we were not winning contracts,” Verna (shown left) explained from her office in Port-au-Prince.

That changed when Verna attended one of PDT’s three-hour procurement training sessions, which teach local businesses about the rules and procedures of international tenders. As in the case of COPROFER Kenbe, participating companies or cooperatives often have the resources to execute international contracts but lack the technical knowledge to negotiate the complex bidding process.

“The training not only showed us the international procurement requirements, it also taught us how to tailor our business practices to adhere to them. Once we started doing this, we were immediately able to start bidding competitively for contracts.”

COPROFER Kenbe has since filled orders for such agencies as Caritas Suisse and the UN International Organization for Migration. For a cooperative that supports 227 artisan groups throughout the country, this is no small feat.

“We support the poorest of the poor—rural peasants who can barely make a living,” Verna said. “When we win contracts, the effect is felt all the way from Cap Haitian to Les Cayes to the Central Plateau.

“Thanks to PDT,” she added, “we’ve been able to provide jobs and dignity.”

But until recently, Gerly lacked one important thing: contracts with international organizations.

“I knew we had the items the buyers wanted, but we needed to show them that in the proper way,” explained Marsan.

Marsan addressed the problem by attending training sessions and then networking events with Peace Dividend Trust, all designed to teach companies about international contracting procedures and then put them in touch with potential customers.  Marsan is third from left at the front table in the picture taken at PDT’s recent  Networking Event for Women Entrepreneurs.

“I learned all the nuances of international contracts; what was required, how certain information should be presented,” she explained. “There are a lot of differences between local and international tenders…I immediately saw what I was doing wrong, and made the necessary adjustments.”

It didn’t take long for Marsan to get results—to date, over half a million dollars in contracts with five different international organizations. Today, Gerly Distribution, which is based in Les Cayes, is busy meeting the demands of a contract to provide $6,000 worth of beans per month to Finn Church Aid. Gerley has also gotten contracts with USAID, German Red Cross, Oxfam Quebec, Help Age International, and the Taiwan Technical Mission.

“USAID has one of the most complex tender applications, but because of PDT I was able to not only complete it, but win the bid,” Marsan said. “After that, there was no stopping me! Gerly has been able to grow and prosper.”

(Stay Tuned: Marsan’s story, as well as those of other private-sector leaders who have benefited from the Peace Dividend Marketplace in Haiti, will be featured in Building Market’s upcoming Haiti Impact Report.) //

Gerly Distribution se crée un Chemin vers une Clientèle Internationale

Fondée en 1998 par l’agronome Yvette Marsan, Gerly Distribution a toujours joui d’une bonne réputation pour l’excellente qualité de ses produits et son service impeccable.  L’entreprise vend des produits agricoles, semences, engrais, aliments et produits vétérinaires et aussi des machines agricoles à travers Haïti.

Mais jusqu’á récemment, il manquait à Gerly quelque chose d’important: des contrats avec des organisations internationales.

« Je savais que nous avions les articles que voulaient les acheteurs, mais il nous fallait le leur montrer de façon convenable », expliqua Marsan.

Marsan a abordé le problème en assistant à des séances de formation et en participant à des événements de mise en réseau de Peace Dividend Trust, tous conçus pour enseigner aux entreprises les procédures de passation de marchés internationaux, et ensuite les mettre en contact avec des clients potentiels. Sur la photo prise lors du récent événement de réseautage pour les femmes entrepreneurs, Marsan figure en troisième position à partir de la gauche sur la table au premier plan.

« J’ai appris toutes les nuances des contrats internationaux; ce qui était requis, comment certaines informations doivent être présentées », expliqua-t-elle.  « Entre les appels d’offres locaux et les appels d’offres internationaux, il y a beaucoup de différences…J’ai tout de suite vu ce que je faisais mal, et j’ai fait les ajustements nécessaires ».

Il n’a pas fallu beaucoup de temps à Marsan pour obtenir des résultats—à ce jour, plus d’un demi-million de dollars de contrats avec cinq organisations internationales différentes. Aujourd’hui, Gerly Distribution, qui est basée aux Cayes, est occupée à répondre aux exigences d’un contrat pour fournir 6,000 dollars d’haricots par mois à Finn Church Aid.  Gerly a également obtenu des contrats avec la USAID, la Croix-Rouge Allemande, la Oxfam-Québec, Help Age International,  et la Mission Technique de Taiwan.

« La USAID a l’une des plus complexes applications d’appels d’offres, mais grâce à PDT, j’ai pu non seulement la compléter, mais la gagner, » a indiqué Marsan. « Après cela, rien ne pouvait m’arrêter! Gerly a été en mesure de croître et de prospérer. »

]]> http://buildingmarkets.org/blogs/haiti/2012/04/13/gerly-distribution-finds-its-way%e2%80%a6and-international-customers/feed/ 0 http://buildingmarkets.org/blogs/haiti/2012/04/09/votre-regard-sur-le-marche-haitien/ http://buildingmarkets.org/blogs/haiti/2012/04/09/votre-regard-sur-le-marche-haitien/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:18:12 +0000 Barbara Saint-Cirin http://buildingmarkets.org/blogs/haiti/?p=1578 http://haiti.buildingmarkets.org/sites/default/files/PDTBulletin-Mars2012.pdf

http://haiti.buildingmarkets.org/sites/default/files/PDTNewsletter-March2012.pdf

Please click the links to read our March newsletter/Prière de cliquer les liens pour lire notre bulletin mensuel de mars.

“Thanks to the PDT site, the Chinese importer we work with understood that we are a serious and credible company,” Ernst Charles, co-owner of Sonac-Agricole, told Le Nouvelliste. To access the article click here: http://lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=103922&PubDate=2012-04-03

Peace Dividend Trust, which recently changed its name to Building Markets, cited the sea cucumber company in a series on Haitian success stories earlier this year. The new Building Markets website also features a video about Sonac-Agricole. To see it click here.

The newspaper article is one in a series in Le Nouvelliste’s “Entreprise & Entrepreneurs” campaign that will run throughout the year. Peace Dividend Trust is cosponsoring the campaign along with such Haitian companies as Digicel and Bongu.

“We generally have more men than women apply for our Entrepreneur of the Year award, so we came to this event looking to identify potential candidates,” explained Digicel executive Brona Cusack. In fact, Digicel has added a new “Community Businesswoman of the Year” honor to its slate of entrepreneurial awards. The award goes to a successful woman entrepreneur who demonstrates social responsibility and community outreach.

Peace Dividend Trust, which recently changed its name to Building Markets, is currently partnering with Digicel and several other leading local firms as a cosponsor of the “Entreprises & Entrepreneurs” campaign in Le Nouvelliste, Haiti’s leading newspaper.

Cusack visited PDT’s networking event along with F’Tamar Jean Pierre, Program Manager for Digicel Entrepreneur of the Year. Just as the international organizations in attendance presented their procurement needs, the Digicel team went from table to table talking about Digicel’s programs with the more than 60 businesswomen who attended the second annual event.

“This kind of event is a great way for the entrepreneurs to network,” Cusack remarked, “not only with international organizations but among themselves. It’s a way for businesses to connect.”

(Photo: Digicel’s Brona Cusack and F’Tamar Jean Pierre, third and fourth from left, respectively, visit with entrepreneurs at Peace Dividend Trust’s Networking Event for Women Entrepreneurs March 28 at the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.)  //

Digicel Visite l’Evénement de PDT sur L’Entreprenariat Féminin

L’évènement de Mise en Réseau pour les Femmes Entrepreneurs organisé par la Peace Dividend Trust a mis l’accent sur la création de liens entre acheteurs et fournisseurs de biens et services en Haïti. Mais les femmes d’affaires qui ont assisté à l’évènement du 28 mars ont également reçu une visite surprise d’une délégation de Digicel, le plus grand opérateur de téléphonie cellulaire du pays et un ardent promoteur de l’entreprenariat en Haïti.

« Nous avons généralement plus d’hommes que de femmes qui appliquent  pour notre prix Entrepreneur de l’Année, alors nous sommes venus à cet événement pour chercher à identifier des candidates potentielles », a expliqué Brona Cusack, un exécutif de Digicel. En fait, Digicel a ajouté une nouvelle distinction « Femmes d’Affaires de l’Année pour la Communauté » à son éventail de prix pour les entrepreneurs. Le prix est décerné à une femme entrepreneure à succès qui fait montre de responsabilité sociale et d’engagement communautaire.

Peace Dividend Trust, qui a récemment changé son nom en Building Markets, est actuellement en partenariat avec Digicel et plusieurs autres entreprises locales principales en tant qu’organisme co-parrainant la campagne  « Entreprises & Entrepreneurs »  dans Le Nouvelliste, le principal journal d’Haïti.

Cusack a visité l’événement de réseautage organisé par PDT avec F’Tamar Jean-Pierre, Directeur de Programme à Digicel pour l’Entrepreneur de l’Année. Tout comme les organisations internationales participantes qui ont présenté leurs besoins en approvisionnement, l’équipe Digicel est passée de table en table pour parler des programmes de Digicel avec les 60 femmes d’affaires et plus qui ont assisté au deuxième événement annuel.

« Ce genre d’évènement est une bonne opportunité pour les entrepreneurs de se connecter, » à remarqué Cusack, « pas seulement avec des organisations internationales mais aussi entre eux. C’est une manière pour les entreprises de se connecter. »

Le Nouvelliste: Valuing Haiti’s Women Entrepreneurs

PDT’s second annual Networking Event for Women Entrepreneurs on Match 28 received major media coverage, including the lead article in the economy section of Haiti’s top newspaper Le Nouvelliste.  Entitled “Valuing Haiti’s Women Entrepreneurs,” the article states in part: According to PDT, encouraging international organizations and other national buyers to buy local is a way to reduce the country’s dependence on development aid.” The article is available at http://lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=103788&PubDate=2012-03-28