TERMS OF REFERENCE
Consultancy Service to manufacture rice parboiling machine and provide training on its operation
Background: MEDA/EMERTA Project
MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) is an organization dedicated to creating business solutions to poverty. MEDA’s Global Affairs Canada-funded EMERTA project (Ethiopians Motivating Enterprises to Rise in Trade and Agri-business) has the objective of contributing to increased income and employment opportunities for entrepreneurs and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) focusing on three value chains: rice, vegetables and gemstones.
In the rice sector, MEDA is committed to support MSMEs to work on innovative ideas that can contribute for sustainable income increment while keeping environmental sensitivity. One of the value adding innovative ideas that can generate income is rice parboiling.
The parboiling process involves soaking the paddy rice for some time, steaming with water vapor for a certain period and drying it before it has to be milled. Parboiling increases grain transparency and hardness that helps to reduce grain breakage during the milling process. In addition, the parboiling process helps to improve the nutritional value of the rice as nutrients in the rice husk (outer cover) percolates to the grain. Milled parboiled rice has higher contents of vitamin B and Thiamine that possess some unique cooking flavour and textural characteristics.
MEDA, in its past project, has distributed a number of parboiling technologies to its beneficiaries. The pilot has helped the project to understand the limitations of the technologies and where improvements need to be made. These are: uneven distribution of steam thus, the lower part of the grain over-cooked and the upper under-cooked, small capacity of the parboiler (50 kg per batch), thus time and labour consuming, air leakage at the top and side of the parboiler as a result extended time required to steam, and burning problem while bringing out the steamed rice from the parboiler machine.
Therefore, MEDA wants to get 6 improved parboiling machines manufactured for distribution to 6 selected organized youth groups and/or individuals in Fogera and Libokemkem woredas of South Gondor Zone, Amhara Region.
In pursuit of the above, MEDA is looking for the services of a qualified parboiling machine manufacturer who can also deliver practical training on parboiling.
1. Objective of the assignment
The consultancy aims to create access for sufficient knowledge and skills of parboiling, and equip with improved parboiling equipment for unemployed youth in the project areas.
More specifically the consultancy aims to:
§ Create job opportunity for youths, at least 50% of them will be females
§ Capacitate the youth with knowledge and skills related to parboiling techniques
§ Create access for the youth to own parboiling equipment
2. Scope of Work
The consultancy task is expected to achieve the following activities:
§ Conduct pre-training/manufacture assessment, understand the status and interest of trainees, collect feedback on the previous parboiling machine constraints
§ Manufacture 6 parboiling machines as per the specification provided, taking in to account resolving the shortcomings of the previous parboiling machines
§ Prepare training material in Amharic on how the parboiling machine is working and parboiling is procedurally done
§ Conduct training with practical demonstration for three days in Bahir Dar.
§ The consultant should ensure to demonstrate parboiling practically and test the functionality of the machine; the raw material will be made available by MEDA
§ When MEDA team confirmed the parboiling machine is successful, the consultant will transport the machine to Yifag and Woreta towns.
§ The consultant should share training plan to MEDA 10 days before the training schedule, to incorporate feedback timely.
§ Incorporate safety rules in the parboiling manual and provide training including the practical application of safety rules.
3. Parboiling machine specification
The following is specification of the parboiling machine:
· Electric type that works with single phase electric power; the outer part made of aluminium and the inner part made of stainless steel.
· Has two compartments: the lower part to boil the water and the upper to contain the paddy rice.
· Has three perforated material that are placed in the inside compartment to distribute steam.
· Capacity: 100kg at once
· Height of leg from the ground:10cm
· Shape of the machine: the outer part cylindrical and the internal part that carry the rice is cone type
· Height and width of the perforated compartment: 125cm and 115 cm diameter respectively
· Voltage: 220
· Has resister and breaker conducive for 220 voltages
· Wrapped or sealed at the adjoining point of the two compartments with rubber or related material
· Has lifting apparatus to unload the parboiled rice without having to burn the user
· The parboiling machine should have a one-year warranty for the body to avoid (leakage, cracking, busting) and one month for electric materials used.
· The parboiling machine outer part will be made from 2mm thickness aluminium and the internal part from 1.5 mm thick stainless steel (cone shaped, perforated that carries rice)
· The parboiler machine should be energy conserving like the mirt stove (with concrete between the outer layer of the water holding can) and should get the energy from all sides like an electric water boiler.
4. Time frame:
The training will be conducted in Bahir Dar, tentatively starting from 20 August 2018 for three days.
1. Required Competencies
The technology manufacturer and trainer consultants must have:
§ Qualifications in one of the following fields; Mechanical Engineering, metal and wood works engineering, food processing technology, Agricultural mechanization, and/or any related field.
§ Broad experience on developing food processing technologies (parboiling will be an asset)
§ Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
§ Documentation (plan preparation as per the requirement) and excellent Amharic and English language skills.