TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)
Advisory Consultant for SustainSwitch Platform Enhancement on ESG, Social Compliance & Responsible Sourcing
SustainSwitch Platform – Centre for Social Markets
Project :SustainSwitch – Centre for Social Markets (CSM).
Assignment type :Independent advisory consultancy (part-time).
Location :Remote, with periodic virtual consultations and occasional engagement with textile and apparel manufacturing clusters as required.
Duration: 4–6 weeks from contract signing
Reports to: CSM – SustainSwitch Project Management Team.
1. Background
The Centre for Social Markets (CSM), through the SustainSwitch platform, is supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the textile and apparel sector to improve their sustainability performance through simplified data collection, ESG reporting, climate action planning, and access to credible sustainability solution providers.
As sustainability regulations and buyer requirements continue to evolve, textile manufacturers are increasingly expected to report on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance, social compliance, human-rights due diligence, and supply-chain transparency. SustainSwitch aims to become an integrated platform that lets suppliers collect data once and generate multiple sustainability outputs, while guiding improvement actions and connecting them with verified solution providers.
To ensure the platform is practical, credible, brand- and retailer-aligned, and genuinely MSME-friendly, CSM seeks to engage an experienced ESG, social compliance and responsible sourcing advisor. This is a subject-matter advisory engagement focused on content, frameworks, and usability — not a software-development assignment. Technical build and software engineering are handled separately; the consultant will work alongside the technical team to shape what the platform should capture, assess, and present.
2. Objective
To provide strategic advisory support to the SustainSwitch platform by bringing brand and retailer expectations, compliance requirements, process documentation, auditable data expected from the MSMEs, social and human-rights expertise, and supply-chain due-diligence insight — so that the platform is practical, credible, and useful to MSMEs, brands, retailers, and solution providers alike.
Specific objectives include:
- Aligning the platform’s ESG and social content with the expectations of global brands and retailers.
- Structuring social, human-rights and governance parameters in a way that is robust and aligned with compliance requirements and buyer expectations yet practical and MSME-appropriate.
- Strengthening the verification and validation logic so it is credible and proportionate.
- Establishing a transparent due-diligence and accreditation approach for solution providers.
- Improving dashboard usability, benchmarking, and risk-scoring from a buyer’s perspective.
- Mapping and enabling data collection against recognised ESG and social standards to reduce duplication for suppliers.
Scope of Work
The consultant will provide advisory inputs across the following areas.
A. Brand & Retailer Perspective
- Advise on what global brands and retailers expect from supplier ESG and social-compliance dashboards and reporting (self-reporting and second/third party verified reporting).
- Review and refine dashboard structure, key indicators, usability, and reporting logic so outputs are insightful and buyer-aligned.
- Advise on benchmarking views (e.g. organisation vs. industry vs. top quartile) and how progress is presented.
B. Social, Human Rights & ESG Content Structuring
Guide the development of social and governance modules of the software so that it is aligned to internationally recognised labour and human-rights principles, including:
- Child labour; forced labour; discrimination; harassment and abuse.
- Wages and working hours; occupational health and safety; worker wellbeing.
- Freedom of association and collective bargaining; grievance mechanisms.
- Gender equality; and management systems.
- Advise on self-assessment scoring, gap identification, practical recommendations, prioritised improvement actions, and dedicated social-risk scoring (High / Medium / Low).
- Align data collection with global frameworks while keeping requirements appropriate and achievable for MSMEs.
- Advise on how factory’s existing audit reports for social compliances could be used/integrated (through report uploads) into the specific ESG related fields on SustainSwitch.
C. Verification & Validation Framework
Advise on a verification model that empowers suppliers to take ownership, including the design and weighting of:
- Self-verification (training and certification of supplier representatives).
- Recognition of existing audits (e.g. SEDEX/SMETA, GOTS, Higg FSLM) to avoid duplicate verification.
- Third-party verification by approved parties on client request.
- Brand verification and Third-party verification, where applicable.
- A credibility / authenticity matrix that assigns appropriate weight to each verification method.
D. Solution Provider Due Diligence & Accreditation
Because the platform endorses and recommends solution providers to MSMEs, advise on a transparent screening and accreditation approach, including criteria such as:
- Technical expertise; geographic capability; sustainability and ethical credentials.
- Conflict-of-interest checks; pricing transparency; client references; regulatory compliance.
- A rating, feedback and monitoring approach, including delisting and corrective-action principles.
- The logic for recommending the best-fit provider against a supplier’s identified gaps.
E. Standards Mapping & Reporting Harmonisation
- Advise on mapping common requirements across key frameworks and standards (e.g. GRI, BRSR, CSRD, SA8000, WRAP, amfori BSCI, Higg) to support a “collect once, report many” approach.
- Identify opportunities to reduce reporting duplication and improve consistency for MSMEs.
- Advise on capturing data and gaps from other recognised reports to position SustainSwitch as a one-stop platform.
F. Ongoing Advisory
- Regular (weekly) review of platform progress and content.
- Inputs on workflows, scoring, and validation logic at key development stages.
- On-call guidance on emerging questions and decision points; participation in stakeholder workshops and pilot-testing reviews.
4. Key Deliverables
The consultant will deliver advisory outputs, phased across the engagement:
Deliverable Indicative timing
Inception note and advisory work plan 7-10 days
Reviewed and refined ESG / social parameter set and data-collection logic 2-3 Weeks
Guidance for development of social and human-rights questionnaire and scoring approach 2-3 Weeks
Verification framework and credibility-weighting approach 2-3 Weeks
Solution-provider due-diligence and accreditation framework Week 4
Dashboard, benchmarking and user-journey review inputs Ongoing / key stages
Fortnightly advisory notes summarising recommendations and decisions Every 2 Weeks
Pilot-testing review inputs and final advisory summary Ongoing / key stages
5. Required Qualifications & Experience
Applicants (individuals or firms) should demonstrate:
- A minimum of 8-10 years’ experience in ESG, social compliance, responsible sourcing, or ethical supply-chain advisory.
- Demonstrated understanding of global brand and retailer sustainability and social-compliance expectations, ideally gained through direct experience working with or for brands/retailers.
- Strong working knowledge of recognised social and ESG standards and audit schemes — for example GRI, BRSR, CSRD, SA8000, Sedex/SMETA, Higg/FSLM, WRAP and amfori BSCI.
- Practical experience in social and human-rights due diligence and in designing assessment, scoring or improvement frameworks.
- Familiarity with the textile and apparel sector and with the realities of working with MSMEs.
- Experience advising on the design or review of sustainability dashboards, questionnaires, or reporting tools (subject-matter advisory; software development is not required).
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to translate complex requirements into practical, MSME-friendly guidance.
6. Reporting & Governance
The selected consultant will report to the CSM SustainSwitch Project Management Team and will participate in regular review meetings, stakeholder consultations, and pilot-testing reviews as required.
7. Confidentiality
All information, platform designs, and documents shared during the engagement will be treated as confidential and used solely for the purpose of this assignment.
8. Application Process
- A short CV / company profile highlighting relevant ESG and social-compliance experience.
- A brief technical note (1–2 pages) on their proposed approach to the assignment.
- A financial proposal (professional fee for the retainer, exclusive of applicable taxes)
The application deadline is 31st July 2026 9pm IST.