1.0 Background

The Tanzania Clean Cooking Project (TCCP), funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) as part of Sweden’s bilateral support to Tanzania, is implemented by AECF. TCCP is a four-year initiative (2022–2026) aimed at accelerating access to sustainable clean cooking solutions targeting households, small enterprises, and institutions to reduce reliance on biomass, improve health outcomes, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Since its inception in July 2022, TCCP has invested over USD 3.75 million in nine companies, complemented by technical assistance to strengthen business models and market expansion.

Rationale of the assignment

To strengthen business performance, the inclusion and sustainability of TCCP investees, AECF conducted gender assessments to identify gaps in workforce diversity and inclusion, product development and access, workplace policies and practices, among others. While the investees have received targeted capacity-building to address these gaps, there is a need for additional support to institutionalize the recommended solutions and properly mainstream gender across the businesses.

AECF seeks to engage a qualified consultant to deliver a structured gender mainstreaming capacity-building programme for TCCP investees, grounded in previous assessment findings, building on capacity building outcomes, and aligned with AECF’s proprietary Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit.

2.0 Objective of the assignment

The overall objective of the assignment is to strengthen the capacity of TCCP investees to effectively integrate a gender lens into their business operations, leadership structures, and value chains. The consultant will:

• Build investees’ understanding of gender mainstreaming as a business growth and sustainability strategy.
• Support companies to update their existing gender action plans.
• Strengthen the implementation of gender, safeguarding, and inclusion policies.
• Address barriers limiting women’s participation in production and technical roles.
• Facilitate peer learning and practical exchange among investees.
• Strengthen understanding of the business case for gender inclusion.

3.0 Scope of work

The consultant will undertake the following:
Review and planning

• Review gender assessment findings and action plans
• Contextualize AECF’s Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit to the clean cooking value chain
• Identify priority capacity gaps across investees

Training design and delivery

Design and deliver a practical, participatory training programme covering:

• Addressing gender inclusion within a private sector context
• From compliance to practice and institutionalization of gender inclusion
• Gender-responsive recruitment and retention strategies
• Increasing women’s participation in product production and other technical roles
• Leadership, confidence building, and internal mentorship
• Safeguarding, SGBV prevention, and reporting frameworks
• Addressing resistance to equal pay and workplace bias
• Creating male allyship within the workforce
• Surfacing how gender inclusion increases profitability and productivity

Peer learning facilitation

• Facilitate structured sharing sessions among investees
• Highlight practical case studies (e.g., women in production, leadership progression, sales growth)
• Develop a simple peer-support mechanism for ongoing exchange

Practical output development
Support investees to:

• Refine or update gender action plans
• Support the investees in developing clear implementation roadmaps with timelines
• Identify measurable gender performance indicators

4.0 Deliverables

The consultant will deliver:

1. Inception report
   • Training methodology
   • Work plan and timeline
   • Refined training modules
2. Training materials
   • Facilitator guide
   • Participant handbook
   • Practical tools/templates
3. Training delivery
   • Facilitation of the agreed training sessions
   • Peer learning session documentation
4. Updated gender action plans
   • Updated and practical implementation frameworks for each investee
5. Final report
   • Summary of key capacity gaps
   • Participant feedback analysis
   • Recommended follow-up actions

5.0 Duration of the assignment

The assignment is expected to take approximately 1 month, including preparation, delivery, and reporting.
Workplan

Week	مجال التركيز	المنجزات الرئيسية	Key activities
الأسبوع الأول	Inception, Review & Design	Inception Report, Training Outline	Kick-off meeting with AECF Gender and TCCP teams Review: Gender gap assessments Investee action plans Previous training learnings AECF Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit: Identify priority capacity gaps across investees. Develop training framework and session outlines. Develop a pre-training assessment tool
Week 2	Material Development	Final training toolkit,        training slides & templates	Develop: Facilitator guide Participant handbook Case studies from TCCP investees Action plan templates Monitoring indicator templates Integrate real examples (e.g., women in production, pay parity, leadership progression) Validation meeting with AECF Revise materials based on feedback
Week 3	Training Delivery	Workshops delivered, pre- and post-training evaluations	Facilitate 2-day capacity-building workshop (in-person) Conduct capacity building on the identified cross-cutting gaps Facilitate structured peer-learning exchange Support investees in refining action plans Gather insights to inform the final report
Week 4	Consolidation                        & Reporting	Final Report, updated action plans

6.0 إعداد التقارير

The consultant will be accountable and report to the Gender Manager, Gender Analyst, and TCCP Portfolio officer, with support from the Country Programme Manager.

7.0 Consultant qualifications

AECF seeks a consultant with:

• At least 8 years of experience in gender mainstreaming within the private sector or SME contexts
• Proven experience in gender mainstreaming training and institutional capacity building
• Strong expertise in safeguarding and SGBV frameworks within the business context
• Strong facilitation and participatory training skills
• Excellent report-writing and analytical skills
• Experience working in energy, climate, or clean cooking sectors is an added advantage
• Experience in East Africa, particularly Tanzania, is an added advantage

8.0 Application process

Interested consultants should submit the following:

• Technical proposal outlining understanding, methodology, and work plan
• Financial proposal (in USD) showing clearly the budgeted cost for the work to be conducted (to be submitted in a separate document from the technical proposal)
• Curriculum Vitae(s) of the consultant(s) explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
• Relevant Experience – Two examples of similar assignments previously conducted
• Three professional references
• Registration and other relevant statutory documents required (Copies of National Identification or valid Passport, Tax Registration Certificate, Tax Compliance Certificate)
• All documents related to the technical proposal must be compiled and submitted as a single PDF, with a clear Table of Contents. The Financial Proposal MUST be submitted as a separate, distinct attachment to the Technical Proposal. Bidders are strictly prohibited from including any financial information, pricing, or fee structures within the Technical Proposal attachment. No links shall be accepted.

9.0 Evaluation criteria

ستشكل المؤسسة لجنة تقييم تضم موظفين. ويلتزم جميع الأعضاء بنفس معايير السرية. يجب على المدرب/مقدم التدريب التأكد من استجابته الكاملة لجميع المعايير ليتم تقييمه تقييماً شاملاً.

يجوز للجنة الاستشارية أن تطلب وتتلقى إيضاحات من أي استشاري عند تقييم المقترح. ويجوز للجنة التقييم أن تدعو بعض أو جميع الاستشاريين للمثول أمامها لتوضيح مقترحاتهم. وفي هذه الحالة، يجوز للجنة أن تنظر في هذه التوضيحات عند تقييم المقترحات.

In making the final selection of a qualified bidder, the technical quality of the proposal will be weighted 80% in the evaluation. Only the financial proposal of those bidders who qualify technically will be opened. The financial proposal will be weighted at 20%, and the proposals will be ranked by total points scored.

Mandatory Requirements for firms:

1. Company profile
2. Certificate of incorporation or Certificate of Registration and other statutory documents
3. Tax Registration Certificate / Tax Registration Proof: Documentation proving you are registered with the tax authority in your country
4. Valid Tax Compliance certificate or its equivalent
5. Audited Financial Statements for the 2024 Financial Year
6. Copy of National Identity Card (ID), Passport, or any other applicable clear copy of your primary national identification document (For individual consultants).
7. N/B: FAILURE TO ATTACH AND ADHERE TO THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATION.

لا يوجد	معايير التقييم	جائزة مرجحة
1	فهم الاختصاصات
	Demonstrate understanding of the assignment’s objectives as outlined in the TOR.	10
2	المنهجية وخطة العمل
	The methodology and work plan are intended to be adopted to implement the tasks. The proposed approach should reflect the Appropriateness of the assessment approach for investees (pre-training needs analysis), the clarity of training delivery steps and participatory methods, the integration of confidentiality, do-no-harm, and survivor-centered principles, and the strength of the proposed post-training evaluation methods.	10
3	الخبرة الفنية
	تفاصيل الشركة/الاستشاريين - بيانات القدرات، والملف الشخصي للشركة، والسير الذاتية للفريق,	10
	Proven experience (minimum 5 years) in gender mainstreaming in business context, SGBVH prevention, and safeguarding in Tanzania, and similar contexts	15
	Demonstrated experience engaging businesses or enterprises on workplace SGBVH, safeguarding, HR policy strengthening, or similar interventions.	15
	Evidence of designing contextualized training modules and assessment tools for organizations.	10
	Qualifications of consultant(s), including advanced degree(s) in Gender Studies, Human Rights, Social Sciences, or related fields. Strong facilitation, analytical, and report-writing capabilities.	10
4	الاقتراح المالي Clarity, relevance, and reality to the market of value/value for money of cost for the assignment (inclusive of any applicable tax).	20
مجموع النقاط		100

The AECF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AECF considers all interested candidates based on merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, marital status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

All clarifications and/or questions should be sent to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by Monday, 23rd March 2026, 5 PM (EAT)

The AECF invites qualified consultants/firms to send a proposal to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org clearly marked to read “TCCP Gender capacity building for Investees” to receive no later than the 31st March 2026, 5.00 pm (EAT), addressed to: AECF, Procurement Department.

10.0 إخلاء المسؤولية

تحتفظ المؤسسة بالحق في تحديد هيكل العملية، وعدد المشاركين في القائمة القصيرة، والحق في الانسحاب من عملية تقديم العروض، والحق في تغيير هذا الجدول الزمني في أي وقت دون إشعار، والحق في سحب هذه المناقصة في أي وقت، دون إشعار مسبق ودون مسؤولية تعويض و/أو تعويض أي طرف.

1.0 About the assignment

We are seeking a firm to conduct an independent verification of REACT programs in Kenya & Ethiopia.

2.0 Proposal submission

Interested firms are requested to submit their application. The proposal should clearly demonstrate the capability, experience, and capacity to deliver.

3.0 Evaluation criteria

Mandatory Requirements for firms

• الملف الشخصي للشركة.
• Trading license, Certificate of incorporation, Certificate of Registration, and other statutory documents.
• Valid Tax Compliance certificate & PIN (Applicable to firms).
• Passport/National Identification & curriculum vitae (CVs) of the lead consultant and key personnel

معايير الأهلية

• Registration as a legal entity- certificate of registration
• Proven expertise in the relevant field
• Availability of qualified personnel with experience in relevant areas
• Valid tax compliance certificate.
• Must have an operational presence in Kenya and Ethiopia
• Must have at least 5 years of experience in delivering similar assignments with reference letters/completion certificates, preferably from donor organisations.
• Demonstrated financial capacity- Bank statements, 3 years audited accounts (2022,2023 & 2024)
• Minimum number of 5 full-time employees.
• Please refrain from sharing documents with links and Zip files. All documents to be shared in PDF with a clear table of contents.

N/B: Failure to attach and adhere to the above requirements will result in automatic disqualification.

The AECF will form an evaluation committee and may include employees of the businesses to be supported. The same standards of confidentiality will bind all members. The consultant should ensure they fully address all criteria to be comprehensively evaluated.

يجوز للجنة الاستشارية أن تطلب وتتلقى توضيحات من أي استشاري عند تقييم المقترح. ويجوز للجنة التقييم دعوة بعض أو جميع الاستشاريين للمثول أمام اللجنة لتوضيح مقترحاتهم. وفي هذه الحالة، يجوز للجنة التقييم أن تنظر في هذه التوضيحات عند تقييم المقترحات.

In selecting the final qualified bidder, the technical quality of the proposal will be weighted at 80% based on the evaluation criteria.

المعايير الإلزامية والمستحبة التي سيتم تقييم المقترحات على أساسها محددة في الجدول أدناه.

The following criteria will be used for the evaluation:

المجالات الرئيسية للتقييم/التقدير	Weighted Award – 80%
(A)  Expression of Interest
ط) فهم المتطلبات الاستشارية;
ii) Relevant services are undertaken by the bidder in past engagements with evidence of LPO/LSO, contracts, letter of engagement, and completion certificate
iii) Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments and at least 3 signed letters of reference from past customers or associates to the consultant
iv) Qualification and experience of the consultant/team and evidence of relevant certification
v)All the required registration and certification documents and any other statutory documents
vi) Demonstrated financial capacity- Bank statements, 3 years audited accounts (2022, 2023, and 2024)

4.0 Application

AECF هو صاحب عمل تكافؤ الفرص. تنظر AECF في جميع المرشحين المهتمين على أساس الجدارة بغض النظر عن العرق أو الجنس أو اللون أو الأصل القومي أو الدين أو التوجه الجنسي أو العمر أو الحالة الاجتماعية أو الحالة العسكرية أو الإعاقة أو أي خاصية أخرى يحميها القانون المعمول به.

• Interested consultancies are requested to submit their EOI guided by the provided template aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 20^th March 2026
• All questions should be directed to the procurement email by 13^th March 2026, 5 pm (EAT).
• The subject of the email should be ‘INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION SERVICES FOR REACT 2.0, KENYA AND ETHIOPIA.’ The AECF shall not be liable for failing to open proposals submitted under a different subject or for failing to respond to questions that did not meet the indicated deadline.
• Click here to download the Expression of Interest template

5.0 Disclaimer

تحتفظ المؤسسة بالحق في تحديد هيكل العملية، وعدد المشاركين في القائمة القصيرة، والحق في الانسحاب من عملية تقديم العروض، والحق في تغيير هذا الجدول الزمني في أي وقت دون إشعار، كما تحتفظ المؤسسة بالحق في سحب هذه المناقصة في أي وقت، دون إشعار مسبق ودون مسؤولية تعويض و/أو تعويض أي طرف.