1. BACKGROUND

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner working in more than 20 African and Asian countries. Building on 60 years of experience and grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we work on the core themes of gender equality and social inclusion, climate adaptation and mitigation, and strong institutions and effective governance. Together with our team of over 1,600 people, our mission is to strengthen capacities and catalyse partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems, which enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all. For more information on SNV, visit our website: www.snv.org

With support from Energising Development (EnDev), SNV Laos promotes electric cooking (eCooking) through smoke-free village initiatives. Two key challenges in promoting eCooking are “taste” and “cost.” The common question is, “Can my favourite food taste the same when cooked with electricity as charcoal or gas?” To address these challenges, SNV Laos has been developing various tools, including an eCookbook, which aims to tackle these concerns.

In this context, SNV Laos is seeking consultancy services to develop an eCookbook by conducting a controlled cooking test.

1. OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this eCookbook is to present the recipe for cooking the ten most popular Lao dishes in eCooking devices and establish the energy consumption per meal cooking with energy-efficient eCooking devices compared to traditional cookstoves. It aims to answer the following questions:

• Can the most popular Lao foods be cooked using modern energy-efficient eCooking devices?
• On a dish-by-dish basis, how much electricity is consumed, and how does this compare to primary cooking fuels in urban Laos (firewood, charcoal, and LPG)?
• Is it convenient to use electricity for cooking, and how does the taste compare?

1. SCOPE OF WORK

The assignment includes, but is not limited to, the following tasks:

• Identify ten dishes most commonly prepared in ordinary households in Laos.
• Cook each dish three times on each of the following appliances: (i) induction cooktop, (ii) electric pressure cooker (EPC) or advanced rice cooker, (iii) LPG stove, (iv) traditional ceramic firewood stove, and (v) traditional ceramic charcoal stove. For grilled items, cook them three times on a charcoal grill stove and three times in an air fryer.
• Allow the cook to practice with different dishes and cooking devices before the actual start of the controlled cooking test.
• Document the quantities of ingredients used, the processes and their sequence for preparing the meal, the time taken, and the number of people served. Include qualitative feedback on the taste of the meal from relevant tasters. From a panel of tasters comprising minimum four people.
• Record and calculate the energy used to prepare each dish each time on each cookstove.
• Analyse and prepare a comprehensive report in the form of an eCookbook in both Lao and English.
• For guidance, refer to the eCookbook published by Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS). Links are provided in section 12.

1. COMPOSITION OF THE CONSULTANT TEAM

The consultant team shall have a team leader with a basic understanding of energy efficiency; professional cooks experienced with electric cooking devices, and other team members required to deliver the assignment.

The Team should be able to collaborate and communicate proactively with people at all levels. The Team has to work closely with the following team members from SNV nd carry out the overall work under the guidance of SNV project manager
- SNV Energy Engineer: will guide on the energy measurement part

- Photographer: Will visit the kitchen and take photos of 3 stages for each stove: (i) cooking ingredients; (ii) while cooking, (iii) final product.

1. DELIVERABLES

• The inception report includes: Detailed methodology and procedure for conducting CCT and preparing the eCookbook
• The final report documenting each dish and cooking appliance used.

- Overview of appliance used

- Quantities of ingredients used,

- Processes and their sequence for preparing the meal,

- Time taken and number of people cooking for (minimum four people and number of people remain constant throughout the test)

- Energy used (under the guidance of energy engineer from SNV)

- Qualitative feedback on taste from a panel of tasters

1. BUDGET, TIMELINE AND TERMS OF PAYMENT

The consultant should provide a budget specifying all the cost items. The amount should include all applicable taxes, which will be deducted at the source.

In the case of electric cooking devices, consultants can burrow the devices from SNV Laos while conducting CCT.

• 1st instalment (50% of the total contract price): After approval of the inception report
• 2nd instalment (50% of the total contract): After approval of final report

1. TENTATIVE TIMELINE

The assignment is expected to commence in the third week of November 2024 and be completed by the end of December 2024.

(See tabel on ToR attached) 

1. COMMUNICATION AND REPORTING

The contractual requirements will be managed by the SNV Laos. All meetings and appointments to discuss the overall progress of the project against the contract will be agreed and arranged in advance and at mutually convenient times. Any significant changes to the approved research plan and timelines have to be discussed and approved in advance. SNV Laos reserves the right to request the consultant/organisation to make revisions to the deliverables if they do not meet the required quality. The consultant/organisation will be required to make these revisions at no additional costs to SNV Laos.

1. RESPONDING TO THIS TOR:

Please provide the following when responding to this ToR along with the letter of interest.

• State which dishes have been selected with a short justification of why they were chosen.
• A description of how the activities will be designed and implemented to complete the CCT.
• Develop a tabular form showing the proposed combination of the type of dish, energy-efficient device (Induction, advanced rice cooker/EPC, or Air fryer) and traditional cookstove (firewood or charcoal) to conduct CCT
• How will the energy consumption be measured? Which appliances and energy meters will be used
• A description of how cooks will be recruited.
• A detailed breakdown of the budget in terms of personnel, materials, travel etc. Where costs have been estimated, please highlight these and briefly explain the assumptions used to generate the cost.
• Details of all personnel involved in the study, along with their responsibilities.
• A proposed Gantt chart of activities.

The proposal can be submitted by email or physically to the following address on or before 17:00 hrs., 15 November 2024. The subject in the email or the envelope should be marked as “eCookbook”

SNV Laos

Sanpanthong Tai Village, Sisattanak District, Vientiane, PO Box 9781

Phone: +856 2141 4091

Email: [email protected]

1. ASSESSING THE PROPOSAL

Shortlisted consultants may be invited to an interview to finalise the selection. The assessment process will consider the criteria below to ensure value for money.

• Quality of proposal and methodology.
• Appreciation and understanding of the task.
• Skills, expertise and experience of consultant/organisation team members.
• Proposed management of the activities.
• Price.

1. REFERENCE eCOOKBOOKS

• India-eCookbook-21-compressed.pdf (mecs.org.uk)
• Ghana eCookbook FINAL (A5 Document) (mecs.org.uk)
• Nepal-eCookbook.pdf (mecs.org.uk)