Expression of Interest
Brief About Foundation for MSME Clusters
Established in June 2005, the Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC)www.fmc.org.in specializes in the promotion of MSMEs through cluster and value chain led development. FMC was promoted as a Registered Public Charitable Trust with the technical support of a then UNIDO Cluster Development Programme, in June 2005. It is governed by a very eminent Board of Trustees from the Government, Banks, Academia, Donor institutions and NGOs, ably led Mr. Ajay Shankar, IAS (ex-Secretary Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Govt. of India). FMC undertakes all its operations in line with its vision and mission that are given as under:
Vision: FMC’ s initiatives are guided by our Vision for “An economically progressive, socially connected, environmentally sustainable world that is spiritually rooted and composed of interconnected yet diverse local socio-economic systems.”
Mission: Our mission is to “Assist institutions undertake effective and inclusive cluster based local area development in developing and transition economies.
In India, FMC has worked with around 200 MSME clusters, undertaken studies/research in another 150 MSME clusters and worked with 250 Business Membership Organizations (BMOs) thus benefiting more than 100,000 MSMEs across different sectors and sizes. FMC and its experts have also provided training, handholding, and research on cluster development in 16 other countries across the globe.
We are calling out for an individual having experience in Sales & Marketing in Artisanal Products (Hereafter referred as consultant)
Project Brief:
The project, "Digitalization to Employment (D2E): Empowering Women Artisans of India" aims to enhance the livelihoods of women artisans through a multi-faceted intervention targeting 25,000 women.
SCOPE OF WORK: Consultant will help FMC to generate business orders and receiving of payments for the sale execution completed from contemporary markets for textile-based handicraft and handloom products. Guide, follow up with production team for timely execution of these business orders from the selected artisanal clusters along with visit to these clusters to understand production capacity and skill-sets at regular intervals. The consultancy assignment is for 10 months (May 2026 to Feb 2027).
Selected consultant would support FMC in delivery of below actionable:
- Use existing buyers’ relationships at B2B level (textile retailers, exporters, design houses, artisan boutiques, and ethnic décor store chains) and build commercial relationships between sellers and buyers from the artisan clusters.
- Communicate the buyers’ requirements (designs/ colours/ technical specifications/ packaging/ timelines/ other logistic & commercial considerations) and provide all necessary market knowledge support to the production team and artisans producer groups/lead artisans in the supplier clusters to ensure that the business orders are executed as per the requirements.
- Create linkage with 15-20 wholesale/export/institutional buyers for artisanal clusters
- Create a sales & marketing strategy and a road map for expanding the sales further to new markets including e-commerce, retail chain stores, new traders/ brands, buying houses, exporters etc. for future growth.
- Provide market intelligence for participation in high sales-oriented exhibitions
Selection criteria (Technical Experience):
- The Consultant should be Graduate or Post Graduate with experience in sales & marketing of artisan products and having a very good business linkages and network with wholesale buyers, shops, sourcing agents from leading brands/stores in India for handloom and textile-based handicraft products
- Overall experience of 10 Years in sales & marketing for textile-based craft and handloom products only
- Experience in selling of handloom and textile-based handicraft products. S/he must have generated business orders of 2-3 Crore per annum only related to textile-based craft and handloom products in the recent past and ensured their on-time execution with payments received.
- Experience in working with procurement team at least for 3-5 years in a large brand in artisanal product sector only.
- Very good knowledge and understanding about the handloom/handicraft products, strong business linkages with artisans/ master artisans in their clusters/ supply base.
- Educational Qualification: P.G./MBA in Marketing from reputed institutes.
Payment Terms:
First Invoice: The Consultant shall be eligible to raise the first invoice equivalent to 10% of the total contract value upon submission and approval of the Marketing Plan and Strategy, which needs to be submitted within 30 days of contract signing.
Milestone-Based Payments: The remaining payment shall be released on a deliverable basis, subject to submission of relevant supporting documents, including order copies / Payment proofs and other agreed deliverables at the time of signing of the contract.
Balance Payment Structure: The balance amount shall be released through five (5) progressive invoices.
The Consultant may raise each invoice upon successful completion of 20% of the assigned target value, supported by required MOVs.
2. Cluster Details
The clusters have been categorized into the following buckets:
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Bucket 1
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Bucket 2
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Boko, Assam
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Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh
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Dhemaji, Assam
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Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh
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Majuli, Assam
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Dindori, Madhya Pradesh
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Dongria, Odisha
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Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh
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Bargarh, Odisha
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Birbhum (Labpur, Bolpur, Shantiniketan), West Bengal
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Puri, Odisha
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Agra, Uttar Pradesh
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Boudh, Odisha
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Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
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Pochampally, Telangana
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Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
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Kotpad, Odisha
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Note:
- Applications for each bucket must be submitted separately.
- Consultants may apply for one or both buckets, subject to relevant experience and eligibility criteria.
3. Revised Schedule
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Activity
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Revised Date
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Date for Submission
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24th May 2026, Time-5:00 PM
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Bid Opening
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26th May 2026
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Result Announcement
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29th May 2026
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4. Submission of Proposals:
The proposal should include an Individual Profile/CV and financial quote. You are requested to submit your proposal with the subject line: Sales & Marketing- Artisanal Products to procurement@msmefoundation.org by 24th May 2026.
Only the final selected individuals will be contacted. For any query, you may write at hr@msmefoundation.org. EOI will be screened by a committee formed by the FMC. Selection will be based on technical experience and financial quote. Decision of the Screening Committee of FMC will be final. FMC will inform the shortlisted consultants after the decision of the screening committee. Personal canvassing is strictly prohibited.
Submission of Proposals
You are requested to submit your proposal with the subject line: Sales & Marketing- Artisanal Products along withyour individual profile along with cost for the assignment to FMC by 24th May 2026 to procurement@msmefoundation.org Cost for the assignment should include GST, if applicable. Only the final selected individuals will be contacted. For any query, you may write at hr@msmefoundation.org
EOI will be screened by a committee formed by the FMC. Final selection, out of those individuals meeting the eligibility and qualification criteria as per the committee. Selection will be based on technical experience and financial quote.
Decision of the Screening Committee of FMC will be final. FMC will inform the shortlisted consultants after the decision of the screening committee. Personal canvassing is strictly prohibited.