Beauty Cluster opens a tender to subcontract capacity building tasks for the project GCC.eu.

Within the framework of this project, specifically in the Acceleration Program for the internationalization of SMEs, Beauty Cluster has to organise 5 training sessions for these companies with the aim of reinforcing and strengthening their capabilities and skills in international business. The project has 5 target countries where focus its services and activities, these are India, Mexico, South Korea, UAE and USA.

This tender is divided into 5 different lots, one for each of the sessions to be held. Each proposal submitted must be associated to only one of these lots. It is possible to apply to more than one lot simultaneously, but sending separated proposals for each lot to which you would like to apply.

Further details on the topics to be covered and the structure of these batches are provided below:

LOTS

  • LOT 1 – Regulatory framework of exports in Mexico and USA

This regulation analysis and training session has to provide an overview of the regulatory requirements for beauty and personal care products in the United States and Mexico.

It will review the regulatory bodies, enforcement tools and the relevant legislation and guidance to inform regulatory compliance. This will include key agencies having jurisdiction over cosmetics like the FDA in U.S., among others.

There will be a discussion of ingredient restrictions based on their function in the finished formulation. In addition to a full review of labeling requirements, we will consider how claims impact a product’s regulatory classification and its acceptability to the regulator, with examples to demonstrate the restrictions, risks and current enforcement priorities.

The expert contracted must provide to Beauty Cluster a Report Analysis with the content of the session and a minimum 2h. virtual session has to be held adressed to the SMEs of the industry.

The final content and structure will be agreed with the cluster management team before launch the registration for SMEs.

Maximum budget: 1.500€ for the Report analysis and the 2h presentation.

 

  • LOT 2 – Regulatory framework of exports in India

This regulation analysis and training session has to provide an overview of the regulatory requirements for beauty and personal care products in India.

It will review the regulatory bodies, enforcement tools and the relevant legislation and guidance to inform regulatory compliance. This will include key agencies having jurisdiction over cosmetics like the CDSCO, among others.

There will be a discussion of ingredient restrictions based on their function in the finished formulation. In addition to a full review of labeling requirements, we will consider how claims impact a product’s regulatory classification and its acceptability to the regulator, with examples to demonstrate the restrictions, risks and current enforcement priorities.

The expert contracted must provide to Beauty Cluster a Report Analysis with the content of the session and 1’5h. of virtual session has to be held adressed to the SMEs of the industry.

The final content and structure will be agreed with the cluster management team before launch the registration for SMEs.

Maximum budget: 1.000€ for the Report analysis and the 1’5h presentation.

 

  • LOT 3 – Communication skills & Intercultural aspects of business cooperation in UAE.

The UAE is a global business center. New businesses should nonetheless have some awareness of Arabic culture and the ways of commerce in an Arabian business environment. In the Arab world, more than anywhere else, business is conducted on the basis of personal relationships and mutual trust.

In order to provide them with these cultural insights and to improve their social and business skills in this complex market, the expert will organise a session adressed to the SMEs from the Beauty Industry offering them topics like an Introduction to the UAE (including the influence of culture, history, economic situation and politics on business and society); an understanding of Islam and its impact on business practices in the UAE; business culture and attitudes in the UAE workplace; communication, management and negotiation styles for doing business in the UAE.

The expert contracted must provide to Beauty Cluster the presentation of the session and an around 2h. virtual session has to be held adressed to the SMEs of the industry.

The final content and structure will be agreed with the cluster management team before launch the registration for SMEs.

Maximum budget: 500€ for the 2h. presentation

 

  • LOT 4 – Market & cosmetics trends (General overview + specific tips of 5 target markets)

A session will be organized in which the main trends in beauty will be analysed, allowing attendees to understand the consumer accelerators behind them and some examples of innovation that capitalize on these trends.

These insights will be focused, in a first part of the session, through a global overview and then, they should be focused on the target countries of the project: India, Mexico, South Korea, UAE and USA.

The expert contracted must provide to Beauty Cluster the Report of the session and 1 to 1’5h. of virtual session has to be held adressed to the SMEs of the industry.

The final content and structure will be agreed with the cluster management team before launch the registration for SMEs.

Maximum budget: 1.500€ for the Report and the 1 to 1’5h. presentation.

 

  • LOT 5 – Negotiating, closing & maintaining agreements. (General overview + specific tips of 5 target markets)

Differences in language, culture, and legal systems can greatly affect the success of an international business relationship. When doing business with a company based in another country, it is essential to have written agreements which cover matters that are unique to international business.

International contracts are the primary legal tool put in place for companies to limit their risks when working in the global or international market. When a company plans to expand its products or services into the global market, one or more contracts will most likely be required from several parties, such as freight forwarders and sales tax agents.

With this training session, the Beauty Cluster aims to improve the knowledge and tools with which SMEs can work internationally, specifically in the 5 target markets of the project: India, Mexico, South Korea, UAE and USA.

This session will be composed of two different sides, the first one more theoric to reinforce the knowledge related to these practices and, on the other hand, a more practical side in which attendees can participate and express their doubts and concerns in this field. This practical side of the session could be held in the same session or a posteriori evaluating some material from attendees about the session.

The final content and structure will be agreed with the cluster management team before launch the registration for SMEs.

Maximum budget: 1.500€ for 4 hours of training + 6 hours for specific consultations from the participant SMEs

  • Requeriments from the expert trainers to be contracted:
    • All the sessions must be held in Spanish, but all the materials have to be elaborated in English.
    • Experience in International Business for the beauty and personal care industry.
    • Experience in similar projects for internationalitation of SMEs.
    • Years of experience: 5 years
    • Previous projects in the Beauty Industry
    • The expert/company must justify their capability to be contracted for a project funded with public money.

 

  • Offer:
    • The offer has to be all costs included. The maximum values accepted for the offer for each lot are:
      • Regulatory framework of exports in Mexico and USA – 1.500€ for the Report analysis and the 2h presentation.
      • Regulatory framework of exports in India – 1.000€ for the Report analysis and the 1h presentation.
      • Communication skills & Intercultural aspects of business cooperation (UAE) – 500€ for the 2h. presentation
      • Market & cosmetics trends (General overview + specific tips of 5 target markets) – 1.500€ for the Report and the around 2h. presentation.
      • Negotiating, closing & maintaining agreements. (General overview + specific tips of target markets) – 1.500€ for one morning training and practice with the attendees.
    • Any offer that could be considered unsostainable will be rejected. Unsustainable offer is that one with 20% lower than maximum budget proposed.
    • The maximum lenght for the proposals is 10 pages.
    • Beauty Cluster will provide the necessary software tools for the proper implementation of the sessions.
    • All lots have to be held before July 2021.

 

  • Evaluation criteria: as a responsible in the project for this task, Beauty Cluster will select the proper expert based on the quality of the proposal with the following criteria:
    • Excluding criteria: if the material of the session could not be available in English the proposal will not be evaluated.
    • Quality of the proposal – (49 points)
      • Technical quality of the proposal. Work methodology and session planning: [19]
      • Match between the content to be developed and the objectives of the project: [10]
      • Expertise and background in SMEs internationalitation at the Beauty Industry: [10]
      • Expertise and background in projects for clusters or other competitiveness organisations: [10]
    • Economical analysis of the proposal – (51 points)
      • Calculation formula: (51 points to be evaluated compared with the minimum quotation received (quotation vs. minimum quotation). Unsustainable offer with 20% lower than maximum budget proposed will not be considered.

 

ABOUT GCC.eu

Global Cosmetics Clusters – Europe is a partnership of European Cosmetics clusters to boost SMEs international business opportunities toward third markets. It is composed of 6 structures (Cosmetic Valley, Beauty Cluster, Polo della Cosmesi, Transilvania Lifestyle Cluster, Beira Baixa Business Association and Istanbul chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters Association, covering 5 European Member States (FR, ES, RO, PT, IT) and Turkey.

Our ESCP-4i has set 6 specific objectives:

  • To encourage business, international and R&D cooperation across sectorial boundaries;
  • To focus on supporting SMEs in international accessing markets in particular through an Acceleration Programme tackling these 5 targeted countries;
  • To foster cooperation among cluster organisations and its members in the ESCP-4i;
  • To support the establishment of value chains (in particular in health, digital, agroindustry, circular economy) along with the cosmetics cross-sectorial industry, geared towards international markets, based on inputs and needs from SMEs;
  • To develop a governance system and a common branding for the ESCP-4i to ensure active and sustainable collaboration among the different stakeholders;
  • To promote and increase the visibility of GCC.eu as a cluster representing the whole value chain on cosmetics: Production of plants, raw material or ingredients, beauty brand (cosmetics, perfumes, devices…), manufacturing and formulation, distribution and retail, testing and analysis, packaging, research and training, engineering, machines, tools, instruments.