Terms of Reference – Consultancy Services for the Development of Climate Risk Assessment Toolkits and Training of Implementing Partners in Benin and Burkina Faso

Job Title: Terms of Reference – Consultancy Services for the Development of Climate Risk Assessment Toolkits and Training of Implementing Partners in Benin and Burkina Faso

Closing date: 20/11/2026

The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)

The AECF, LLC (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is a leading non-profit development organization that supports innovative enterprises in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors, with the aim of reducing rural poverty, promoting climate-resilient communities, and creating jobs.

We catalyze the private sector by surfacing and commercializing new ideas, business models and technologies designed to increase agricultural productivity, improve farmer incomes, expand access to clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen resilience to the effects of climate change. We finance high-risk businesses that struggle to access commercial funding; we are committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financial institutions dare to venture. We also focus on the most vulnerable, including women, youth, and people living in fragile contexts.

To date, we have supported 698 businesses in 26 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, improved the living conditions of more than 36 million people, and created over 38,000 direct jobs. AECF is headquartered in Kenya and has offices in Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Somalia and Tanzania.

About Women ADAPT

Women ADAPT – Catalyzing Women-Focused Climate-Smart Investments through Climate Adaptation Technologies and Climate Resilience Services – is a 24-month project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and executed by AECF in Benin and Burkina Faso.

The project strengthens the climate resilience of women-led enterprises, cooperatives and smallholder farmers in agricultural value chains by improving their access to climate-smart technologies, tailored financial services and climate information. It is delivered through four components: digital access to climate information and markets; capacity strengthening and knowledge generation for climate-smart agriculture (CSA); integration of climate risk management into the operations of microfinance institutions, cooperatives and MSMEs; and monitoring and strategic impact evaluation.

Women ADAPT builds on AECF’s Investing in Women in Benin and Burkina Faso programme (IIW-B&BF), a six-year gender transformation and economic inclusion programme funded by Global Affairs Canada, already active with women-led MSMEs, cooperatives and financial institutions in agricultural value chains. Where IIW-B&BF provides catalytic finance and general business support, Women ADAPT adds the climate adaptation layer: digital climate information, targeted CSA subsidies, and climate risk integration into the operations of financial partners.

À propos de l'affectation

This assignment sits under Component 3 of Women ADAPT, Integrating Climate Risk Management into the Operations of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It delivers Output 3.1.1, the development of two Excel-based climate risk assessment toolkits, one for Benin and one for Burkina Faso, and the training component of Output 3.1.2, the training of 14 implementing partners in the use of the toolkits.

The toolkits to be developed will guide cooperatives and MFIs through five steps:

(i) identifying the climate hazards relevant to their geography and sector;

(ii) assessing physical, social and financial vulnerabilities;

(iii) prioritizing risks by severity and likelihood;

(iv) mapping institutional capacity and service delivery constraints; and

(v) formulating initial action plans.

The toolkit must start with the needs and capacities of its users and remain simple: experience shows that climate risk tools are only used when staff with limited Excel skills can complete them on their own. Simplicity and usability are therefore central requirements for this assignment.

Under Women ADAPT, the toolkit will be developed in a version for each country and used by 14 implementing partners, namely 10 cooperatives and 4 MFIs (seven per country). With the support of AECF’s Technical Advisor, these partners will then develop Climate Risk Mitigation Action Plans (Output 3.1.3), which are outside the scope of this assignment. The contractor remains available for technical questions on the toolkit for three months after the acceptance of the final deliverable (D9).

Contractor. The assignment will be awarded to a single firm, or consortium, covering both countries. The contractor develops two Excel-based toolkits, one for Benin and one for Burkina Faso, built on a common structure, each reflecting national climate, policy and institutional realities. It mobilizes at least one national expert based in each country, who leads the work and the training in that country. In these Terms of Reference, “the toolkit” refers to both countries’ toolkits.

Overall objective: to equip cooperatives and MFIs in Benin and Burkina Faso with a simple, French-language, gender-responsive, Excel-based climate risk assessment toolkit designed around their needs and national context, and with the skills to use it in their planning and decision-making.

Specific objectives:

Design and develop, starting from the needs of its future users, a simple Excel-based toolkit in French, with a version for each country reflecting its national climate risk context and policy landscape, and including gender-responsive and context-specific indicators.
Produce a French-language user manual with step-by-step instructions and definitions, so that non-technical users can use the toolkit and interpret its results.
Train at least 28 staff from the 14 implementing partners, seven partners per country (at least two staff per institution), with at least 50% women and 20% youth, to use the toolkit and integrate climate risk data into their business planning.

Scope of Work

The assignment is structured in three sequential steps, all under the responsibility of the contractor:

Step 1 – User needs assessment, design, development and testing of the toolkit, and development of the user manual (Output 3.1.1).
Step 2 – Preparation of the training programme and materials (Output 3.1.2).
Step 3 – Delivery of the training to the 14 implementing partners, in each of the two countries, and reporting (Output 3.1.2).

4.1. Target users and participants

The users are the 14 implementing partners of Component 3 (10 cooperatives and 4 MFIs), identified by AECF through its Investing in Women (IIW) programme. AECF will share the list of institutions and their contact persons at contract signature. For pricing purposes, bidders assume one training venue per country, in Cotonou for Benin and in Ouagadougou for Burkina Faso, one field visit to each of the 14 partners during Step 1 for the collection of the baseline data, combined where possible with the user needs assessment, and a second visit to the four institutions taking part in the validation tests (18 visits in total); bidders state their travel assumptions in the financial proposal. At least two staff per institution will be trained, including managers or decision-makers and the staff responsible for planning, credit or member services. A sample of these institutions will take part in the user needs assessment and the validation tests. The manual and the toolkit will also be disseminated by AECF to other national stakeholders interested in using the tool.

4.2. Key deliverables and indicative timeline

The dates below are submission dates. AECF’s review of each deliverable follows under Section 4.6, and development of the toolkit starts once AECF has validated the inception note. “Month n” means the end of month n from contract signature. Reports to AECF (D1, D2, D4, D8, D9, the methodology note, the technical documentation and the data register) are written in English; the toolkits, the user manual and the training materials are in French.

Non.	Produit livrable	Indicative date
D1	Inception note understanding of the assignment, approach to the user needs assessment, methodology, and detailed work plan. The methodology section sets out, for AECF validation: the risk framework used and the justification if it is not the IPCC AR6 framing; the risk equation; the scoring scales and the descriptors attached to each level; the weightings and the rationale for them; the rules for aggregating scores; the baseline data collection form used during the field visits; the treatment of missing data; how uncertainty is handled and communicated to non-technical users; the climate baseline period and the future horizons covered; and the quality assurance arrangements.	Within 2 weeks of contract signature
D2	User needs assessment and tool concept: information needs, capacities, equipment and Excel skills of cooperatives and MFIs; proposed structure of the toolkit (sheets, questions, scoring logic) with a mock-up, validated by AECF.	Month 2
D3	Draft toolkit (Excel, in French), with a version for each country, and draft user manual (in French).	Month 3
D4	Validation test report: toolkit tested with at least one cooperative and one MFI in each country against the six criteria of Section 4.3 (Validation testing), with the feedback received and the corrections made.	First half of Month 4
D5	Two Excel-based toolkits, each in a user version and a master version, with the standard export sheet, their final user manual (in French), methodology note, technical documentation and data register (in English), and the paper questionnaire and handover sheet template (in French).	End of Month 4
D6	Training programme and materials: agenda, PowerPoint modules, handouts, exercises and case scenarios, pre- and post-training assessment tools, participant selection criteria (Section 4.4), all in French, gender-responsive and inclusive of gender and youth perspectives.	End of Month 4
D7	Two-day training delivered in each country to its seven implementing partners (at least 14 staff per country).	Month 5, dates agreed with AECF
D8	Documentation of participant feedback and technical recommendations for the refinement of the toolkit and of the training approach, together with the baseline risk profiles of the 14 implementing partners completed during the training (Section 4.5).	Within 2 weeks of the last training session
D9	Summary training report: key insights, gender and youth dimensions, recommendations for scaling and replication; participant lists disaggregated by sex, age and institution; pre- and post-training results.	Within 3 weeks of the last training session, and no later than Month 6

4.3. Toolkit requirements (Step 1)

Requirement area	Minimum requirement
Needs-based design and structure	The design starts with a user needs assessment with a sample of cooperatives and MFIs in each country: their information needs, capacities, equipment and Excel skills. The sample comprises at least one cooperative and one MFI in each country, chosen among the 14 implementing partners, and, as far as possible, is built to cover both institution types, the agro-ecological zones and value chains concerned, different institution sizes, institutions led by women and different levels of Excel literacy; the contractor sets out the sampling in the inception note. The toolkit is designed for self-assessment by the institutions themselves and focuses on the physical climate risks relevant to agriculture and rural finance. It covers the five steps described in Section 3, keeping only the questions and outputs that serve these users’ decisions. It works for both types of users through a common core and two institution-specific modules. The MFI module covers exposure of the loan portfolio by crop, location and product, a simple stress test of the effect of a climate-driven income loss on portfolio quality and provisioning, and a short list of response options such as rescheduling, contingency credit, insurance and guarantees. The cooperative module covers member production, assets and storage, the value chain, and member credit outstanding. The contractor checks, before finalizing the MFI module, whether the regional or national supervisory authorities have issued climate risk guidance for decentralized financial systems.
Langue	Developed directly in French, in plain language, without technical jargon and with consistent terminology.
Climate and national context	Hazards, risk descriptions and scoring references adapted to the climate risks, agro-ecological zones and value chains of each country, drawing on national climate policy documents (for example the NDC and the national adaptation plans), national climate information and the project’s climate risk and vulnerability assessment. At a minimum, the toolkit covers the main climate hazards identified for each country in the project’s climate risk assessment. As part of the inception note, the contractor reviews and, where necessary, corrects the hazard set, documenting the justification for any addition or removal, for AECF validation. Climate data are built into the toolkit, so that users do not need to consult external sources. They are provided for each commune in Benin (77 communes) and for each province in Burkina Faso (47 provinces), following the administrative divisions in force at contract signature. The contractor compiles existing published climate data and does not produce new climate modelling; where published data follow a previous administrative division, the contractor maps them to the current one and documents the method in the data register. The variables and scenarios used are proposed in the inception note for AECF validation. The toolkit covers the current climate and at least two future horizons, drawn from national climate information and recognized public climate data portals; the contractor states the baseline period and the horizons used in the methodology note, and the user manual explains in plain French how uncertainty is communicated to users. A short methodology note documents the data sources, scoring scales, weightings and assumptions used, with the date of each data source and how to update it. The method is anchored in the IPCC AR6 risk framing, in which risk arises from hazard, exposure and vulnerability. The contractor may propose another internationally recognized risk assessment standard or methodology, provided it justifies the choice and demonstrates that it is fit for the users and the purpose of this assignment. Whichever framework is used, the toolkit scores risk hazard by hazard and, where relevant, by value chain or portfolio segment, and does not average scores across hazards; scores may be aggregated within a hazard, from indicators to the hazard score. The contractor provides a data register listing, for each dataset built into the toolkit: source, geographical coverage, reference period, publication and update dates, update frequency, owner, and the protocol for replacing it. The technical documentation explains how AECF can update the data without breaking the scoring logic. Gaps in data availability are flagged, for Burkina Faso. Where national data are missing or insufficient, the contractor complements them with recognized global datasets (for example the World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal, ERA5 or CHIRPS), extracted or aggregated to commune and province level, and documents the sources and method in the data register. The toolkit reflects the policy, regulatory and operational context of cooperatives and MFIs.
Avoiding maladaptation	The method includes a screening step that flags whether a proposed response could shift vulnerability to other users or places, increase exposure, cause environmental or social harm, or disadvantage women, youth or other vulnerable groups. The flag appears in the toolkit output and is explained in the user manual.
Gender and youth	Gender-responsive and context-specific indicators reflecting the risks and constraints faced by women-led MSMEs, cooperatives and women clients of MFIs; the perspective of youth-led enterprises, sex- and age-disaggregated fields; review by AECF’s gender team. The methodology shows where and how gender affects exposure, vulnerability and adaptive capacity, and therefore the resulting risk score, drawing on the barriers the project has identified in land access, finance, time and information, rather than only adding disaggregated fields. Youth means people aged 15 to 24 years, the definition of the project’s Gender Analysis and Action Plan.
Data protection and non-exclusion	The toolkit holds member and loan data. The contractor specifies who owns the data entered, how it is anonymized, and what AECF may see and store. The toolkit and the manual state that risk scores are a planning tool and may not be used to refuse credit or services to women, youth or other vulnerable groups.
Simplicity and usability	Simple for non-technical staff to use: a limited number of visible sheets, clear navigation and built-in instructions, drop-down menus and minimal typing, results displayed progressively even when the assessment is only partly completed, and a one-page printable summary showing the risk scores by hazard, the confidence rating, the priority risks and the results split by sex and age band. The confidence rating is a simple high, medium or low rating, given for each hazard, of the completeness and reliability of the data used to score that hazard. The age bands are 15 to 17, 18 to 24 and 25 and over, as in the project’s M&E Plan. Formulas are protected while input cells remain open. A light file that works offline on standard versions of Microsoft Excel. A printable paper version of the questionnaire is also provided, so that staff can collect the information in the field and enter it into the toolkit later.
User manual	In French, concise and illustrated: step-by-step instructions, definitions of key terms, a worked example, and guidance on how to interpret the scores and results. The manual states, in French, that « atténuation » in the title of Output 3.1.3 means the reduction of climate risk and not the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; the French materials use « réduction des risques climatiques ».
Handover to action planning	The toolkit produces a standard handover sheet for each institution: priority risks, their underlying drivers, the controls and capacities already in place, and the response options considered. The sheet is designed as the starting point of the Climate Risk Mitigation Action Plans of Output 3.1.3, so that partners do not have to repeat the assessment.
Validation testing	Validation testing with at least one cooperative and one MFI in each country before finalization, with documented feedback and corrections. The test covers, and the test report addresses separately: usability (staff can complete an assessment without external support); technical robustness (formulas, protection, behavior with incomplete data); scoring consistency (the same case assessed independently by several users gives comparable results); data accuracy; gender responsiveness; and decision usefulness (the result supports a decision the institution actually takes). The contractor proposes the acceptance levels for each criterion in the inception note, and AECF validates them.
Format	For each country, the final toolkit is delivered in two versions: a user version, with protected formulas and open input cells, suitable for hosting on the project’s digital platform; and an unprotected master version for AECF. The user manual is delivered in editable (Word) and PDF formats.
Maintenance	A short technical document (structure, formulas, data sources and change log) allows AECF or another provider to maintain and update the toolkit. The toolkit contains no hidden content other than documented reference tables. The contractor corrects any defects reported within three months of the acceptance of D9 at no additional cost.

4.4. Training requirements (Steps 2 and 3)

Training area	Minimum requirement
Format	Two-day, in-person, participatory training in each country, for its seven implementing partners. The venue is agreed with AECF; in Burkina Faso, an accessible and secure location is selected. If security conditions prevent an in-person session, AECF may approve a hybrid or remote format.
Participants	At least 28 staff in total (14 per country), at least two per institution. At least 50% women and 20% youth (for training participants, youth means staff aged 18 to 24). Participants are nominated by the partner institutions on the basis of selection criteria proposed by the contractor in the training programme (D6) and validated by AECF, so that the women and youth targets are reached; the contractor documents the composition of each session and any gap against the targets, with the reasons; a documented gap against these targets, or the absence of a partner or of a second participant despite the invitations issued, does not affect the acceptance of D7 or D9. Participant lists maintained and disaggregated by sex, age and institution type.
Content	Structure, purpose and components of the toolkit; practical application using real examples and case scenarios, each partner completing its own first assessment, which becomes its baseline risk profile (Section 4.5); gender-sensitive approaches to climate risk identification and response; how to embed climate risk analysis into institutional strategies, product development and support services; how to institutionalize climate risk management practices. During the training, each partner records its toolkit focal point, the decision or process in which the toolkit results will be used, who updates the data, and how often the assessment will be repeated. These records are annexed to the summary training report.
Method	Participatory and iterative: participants test the toolkit in small groups, receive feedback and practice through hands-on exercises. Plain language and visual aids adapted to varied literacy and digital fluency levels.
Materials	Gender-responsive PowerPoint modules, handouts and exercises, in French, inclusive of gender and youth perspectives, in printable and digital formats.
Assessment	Pre- and post-training assessment administered to every participant to evaluate knowledge uptake, completed by a practical check in which each participant completes and interprets a sample assessment. The contractor proposes the pass levels in the inception note, for AECF validation. The assessments test understanding of climate risk concepts (hazard, exposure, vulnerability, likelihood, severity) and the ability to interpret the toolkit results, not only the use of the tool.
Logistics	The contractor organizes the training logistics (venue, participant mobilization, transport and support, and laptops with Microsoft Excel, one per participant) in coordination with AECF. Related costs are reimbursable by AECF as set out in Section 10.
Support after training	Until the end of the contract and for three months after the acceptance of D9, the contractor remains available to AECF’s Technical Advisor and to the participating institutions for technical questions on the toolkit. Further support during the action planning phase is provided by AECF’s Technical Advisor and is not part of this assignment. The obligations of this row and of the Maintenance requirement (Section 4.3) survive the expiry of the contract.

4.5. Indicators

Step 1 – Development of the toolkit (Output 3.1.1). The contractor shall deliver, each verified by AECF’s written validation:

an Excel-based climate risk assessment toolkit developed in French, with a version tailored to each country, ready for use;
a toolkit that is inclusive of gender and youth perspectives;
a user manual with clear step-by-step instructions and definitions on how to use the tool and interpret its results;
a short methodology notes documenting the data sources, scoring scales, weightings and assumptions of the toolkit;
a toolkit that produces, for each institution assessed: a risk score by hazard with a confidence rating; the share of the loan portfolio, or of member production and storage, in the higher risk categories; the share of women and youth members or clients in the high-vulnerability category; whether climate screening is in place in credit appraisal (MFIs) or in production and storage planning (cooperatives); and a standard export sheet that allows AECF to consolidate results across the 14 partners;

Steps 2 and 3 – Training (Output 3.1.2).

Indicateur	Target
Implementing partners trained in the use of the toolkit	14
Institutional staff trained in the use of the toolkit	At least 28 (14 per country, at least 2 per partner)
Women among participants	At least 50%
Youth among participants	At least 20%

In addition, the contractor shall deliver training materials in French that are gender-responsive and include youth perspectives, pre- and post-training assessments for every participant, and a summary training report that covers gender and youth dimensions.

a baseline risk profile for each of the 14 implementing partners: the data required are collected on site during the Step 1 field visits (Part A); during the training (D7, Part B), each partner completes its first assessment with the contractor’s support, and the contractor compiles the 14 profiles in the standard export format and delivers them with D8, so that a later reassessment can show change.

4.6. Responsibilities of AECF

At contract signature, share relevant extracts of the Project Document, namely the project’s climate risk and vulnerability assessment, the results framework and the gender requirements for Outputs 3.1.1 and 3.1.2.
Share the list of implementing partners and their contacts, and facilitate introductions, invitations and access for the user needs assessment and the validation tests.
Arrange the review of the toolkit and materials by AECF’s gender team and Technical Advisor.
Share AECF’s Artificial Intelligence Policy at contract signature.
Share the draft toolkit (D3) and the final toolkit (D5) with the CSA curriculum firm and the digital platform provider, so that the toolkit is reflected in the training content and made available on the platform. The contractor takes part in up to two coordination meetings with them, held online; the technical requirements of the platform are provided at contract signature.
Validate or comment on each deliverable within 10 working days of receipt, and within 5 working days for the validation test report (D4). AECF organizes its reviews in parallel: the project team, the gender team and the Technical Advisor review at the same time and AECF returns one consolidated response.
Disseminate the user manual to the implementing partners and interested national stakeholders and share an anonymized version of the summary training report, without the participant lists, on AECF’s website, linking it with UNIDO’s learning systems.

4.7. Cross-cutting requirements

Apply gender-responsive design and facilitation throughout, reflecting women’s actual roles and constraints, including land access, time poverty and unequal access to finance and information.
Adapt all content to varying literacy levels, using plain language, visual aids and worked examples.
Draw on local knowledge of each country’s climate risks, agro-ecological zones, cooperatives, and MFIs.
Coordinate closely with AECF throughout, including on the selection of testing institutions and the scheduling of the training.
Comply with the environmental and social safeguard policies of GEF, UNIDO, and AECF in all activities.
Obtain informed consent for any personal or institutional data collected during the needs assessment, the validation tests, the baseline data collection and the training.
Acknowledge the GEF, UNIDO and AECF in all deliverables, in line with the GEF Communications and Visibility Policy (2023).

4.8. Intellectual property and confidentiality

The toolkits, their source files, user manuals and training materials produced under this assignment become the property of AECF, which may disseminate them freely, including to implementing partners, national stakeholders and the project’s funders. The contractor may not reuse, modify or commercialize them without AECF’s prior written consent. The contractor shall treat all information received from AECF and the participating institutions as confidential.

4.9. Use of artificial intelligence

The contractor complies with AECF’s Artificial Intelligence Policy, which applies to consultants. Deliverables must be the original work of the contractor’s experts. Artificial intelligence tools may be used only as a support, for example for drafting assistance or formatting, under the experts’ full responsibility; any content they generate is reviewed, contextualized and verified, including all data and sources, before submission. The contractor does not share AECF documents, personal data of participants or information from the participating institutions, such as contracts, partnership details, project plans or other proprietary information, with free or unlicensed artificial intelligence tools. It describes in the inception note whether and how it intends to use such tools and reports any AI-related incident to AECF without delay. AECF may reject any deliverable that does not meet these requirements.

Duration and Institutional Arrangements

The delivery schedule covers six months from contract signature, which is expected in late November 2026, and the contract runs until the acceptance of the final deliverable (D9). Step 1, the user needs assessment, design, development and testing of the toolkit and the user manual, runs until the end of Month 4. Step 2, the preparation of the training programme and materials runs in parallel with the finalization of the toolkit, building on the tested version, and is completed by the end of Month 4. Step 3, the training takes place in Month 5, followed by reporting no later than Month 6. Step 1 corresponds to Part A of the financial proposal, and Steps 2 and 3 to Part B (Section 10). The contractor shall propose a realistic level of effort and sequencing across all steps.

Any additional services may be agreed through a contract amendment, in line with AECF’s procurement policy.

Rapports

The contractor will report to AECF’s Project Management Unit for Women ADAPT, specifically the Senior Portfolio Officer and AECF’s Climate Finance Advisor. The toolkit and training materials will also be reviewed by AECF’s gender team and Technical Advisor. The Technical Advisor is the AECF expert who supports the implementing partners in developing their climate risk mitigation action plans (Output 3.1.3); AECF’s written validation of deliverables is issued by the Senior Portfolio Officer after the consolidated review.

Qualifications and Experience from the Firm and Team

7.1. Applicant-level experience

The applicant must be a legally registered consulting firm, research or training organization, or a consortium of such entities (in which case the proposal includes a consortium agreement naming the lead firm, and each member provides its registration and tax documents), and must mobilize at least one national expert based in each country, Benin and Burkina Faso (resident in that country; this role may be held by one of the key experts listed in Section 7.2). The applicant should demonstrate:

At least five (5) years of experience in climate risk assessment, climate change adaptation, risk management or sustainable and agricultural finance, with at least three similar assignments, as defined in Section 9, evidenced by signed reference letters from the clients.
Demonstrated experience designing and developing simple Excel-based tools for non-technical users, including user testing, with at least one tool delivered and in use.
Experience delivering participatory training to cooperatives, MFIs, MSMEs or extension services.
Working knowledge of agricultural value chains and of the cooperative and microfinance sectors in Benin and Burkina Faso.
Experience integrating gender and youth perspectives in tools or training content.
Strong command of French and English, with working ability in at least one relevant local language in each country.

7.2. Key experts

The proposal must include CVs for the following key experts. One expert may cover more than one role, provided the proposal shows that each skill set is covered, except for the Climate and Agricultural Risk Finance Specialist, who is a dedicated expert. The team includes, in addition, at least one national expert resident in each country, Benin and Burkina Faso, who leads the work and the training in that country (Sections 3 and 7.1); this role may be held by one of the key experts below, for example a Trainer / Facilitator, and the CV shows the country of residence.

Team Leader – Climate Risk and Adaptation Specialist: advanced degree in environment, climate, agronomy, risk management or a related field; at least seven years of experience in climate risk assessment or adaptation, ideally in West Africa.
Excel Tool Developer: at least five years of experience building structured Excel tools (advanced formulas, data validation, protection) for non-technical users, and experience in user-centered design and usability testing.

iii. Gender and Inclusion Specialist: at least five years of experience in gender-responsive tools or training in agriculture, microfinance or financial inclusion.

Trainers / Facilitators (at least one per country): experience delivering multi-day participatory training to cooperatives and MFI staff; fluent in French, with working ability in at least one local language of the country.
Climate and Agricultural Risk Finance Specialist: at least five years of experience in microfinance, agricultural finance or adaptation finance; able to design the portfolio exposure and stress-testing components for MFIs and the financial vulnerability component for cooperatives; familiarity with the regulatory environment of decentralized financial systems in the region is an advantage.

7.3. Added value

The following elements are not mandatory but will be considered favorably in the technical evaluation, under the criteria indicated:

A registered presence in Benin or Burkina Faso (criterion f).
Existing relationships with cooperatives, MFIs and their networks in Benin and Burkina Faso (criterion f).
Prior work on climate risk or climate finance tools for MFIs or cooperatives (criterion d).
An agronomist or a cooperatives specialist in the team (criterion e).
Experience with projects funded by the GEF, UNIDO or other United Nations agencies (criterion d).
An approach to knowledge retention within the institutions, for example by training internal focal points to support their colleagues (criterion c).

7.4. Proposal submission

Qualified applicants are invited to submit a proposal that includes:

An understanding of the assignment requirements.
A methodology and work plan covering the user needs assessment, toolkit design and development, the user manual and the training.
An indicative outline of the proposed toolkit (structure, steps and outputs).
A detailed reference list indicating the scope of similar assignments completed in the past five years.
CVs for the key experts listed in Section 7.2.
The mandatory documents listed in Section 9: company profile, registration and statutory documents, valid tax compliance certificate, identification documents of the Team Leader and all key experts, the reference letters, the CV and proof of residence of the national expert in each country, and, for consortia, the consortium agreement.
Technical and financial proposals submitted as two separate PDF files.
A financial proposal, in USD, showing separately the direct costs of Parts A and B, the optional price for hybrid or remote training in Burkina Faso, and the reimbursable costs, with a breakdown by country, as described in Section 10.

N.B.: SUBMITTING THE FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS AS ONE FILE WILL AUTOMATICALLY LEAD TO DISQUALIFICATION OF THE APPLICANT.

Tarification

Payments under this contract will be made in United States Dollars (USD). Tax treatment of this contract will be confirmed at contracting stage; applicants should note that AECF, LLC is domiciled in Kenya.

Critères d'évaluation

Mandatory Requirements

Profil de l'entreprise.
Trading license or Certificate of Incorporation or Certificate of Registration and other statutory documents.
Valid Tax Compliance certificate.
Passport or National Identification of the Team Leader and all listed key experts.
At least three (3) signed reference letters from previous clients for similar assignments. Similar assignments are the development of climate, agricultural or financial risk tools, or the training of cooperatives or MFIs, completed in the past five years; for a consortium, the letters of any member count. Each letter states the client, the object of the assignment, the completion date and the contact person. The similarity of the assignments is assessed only at this stage; criterion g scores the letters on other grounds.
CV of at least one national expert based in each country, Benin and Burkina Faso, as required under Section 7.1, with proof of residence (national identity document, residence permit or employer attestation).
For consortia: the consortium agreement naming the lead firm, and the registration and tax documents of each member.

The above documents must be valid at the time of submission through to the duration of the tender process.

N.B.: FAILURE TO ATTACH AND ADHERE TO THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATION

An evaluation committee will be formed by AECF and may include relevant technical staff and external experts. All members will be bound by the same standards of confidentiality. The technical quality of the proposal carries a weighting of 80%; only proposals scoring at least 56 points out of 80 on the technical evaluation will proceed to the financial evaluation, which carries the remaining 20%.

Key Areas for Evaluation / Assessment	Prime pondérée
(i) TECHNICAL PROPOSAL	80
a) Understanding of the Terms of Reference: grasp of the toolkit’s purpose, its five steps, the three steps of the assignment and the intended users.	10
b) Methodology and work plan for the user needs assessment, toolkit design and development, validation testing against the six criteria of Section 4.3, and the user manual, the indicative outline of the toolkit (Section 7.4) and how the toolkit requirements of Section 4.3 are met, including how simplicity is ensured and how gender and youth perspectives are integrated.	15
c) Training approach: participatory methods adapted to non-technical users and mixed literacy levels, assessment approach and approach to knowledge retention within the institutions.	10
d) Applicant experience and track record: at least five years of experience in climate risk assessment, adaptation, risk management or sustainable and agricultural finance; experience designing and developing simple Excel-based tools for non-technical users; experience delivering participatory training to cooperatives, MFIs or MSMEs; at least three similar assignments, as defined in Section 9, shown in the reference list of Section 7.4 (the reference letters themselves are scored under g only); prior work on climate risk or climate finance tools for MFIs or cooperatives and experience with GEF, UNIDO or United Nations projects (Section 7.3).	15
e) Team composition and multidisciplinary capacity: CVs for all key experts listed in Section 7.2 covering climate risk, Excel tool development, climate and agricultural risk finance, gender and inclusion, and training, each meeting the minimum experience of Section 7.2 (a key expert below the minimum scores zero for that role); strong French and English language capability and working ability in at least one local language in each country.	15
f) Knowledge of the national context: cooperatives, MFIs, agricultural value chains and climate risks in Benin and Burkina Faso.	10
g) Quality of the reference letters: similarity of the clients to AECF and to the implementing partners (development partners, financial institutions, cooperatives), scale and duration of the assignments, and quality of the evidence provided (scope, dates, contact person).	5
(ii) FINANCIAL PROPOSAL	20
Clarity, completeness and realism of the financial proposal, including level of effort, cost-effectiveness and value for money (inclusive of applicable taxes and travel; reimbursable costs are not scored).	20
Score total	100

Award and contract management

Deliverables that do not meet the requirements are returned for correction before payment. Key experts may be replaced only with AECF’s prior written approval and with experts of equivalent qualifications.

Proposition financière

The financial proposal shall present the direct costs in two parts, and the reimbursable costs separately:

Part A – Step 1 (toolkit): user needs assessment; design, development and testing of the toolkit for both countries; development and layout of the user manual; methodology note and technical documentation; on-site collection, with each of the 14 partners, of the data required for their baseline risk profile, during the field visits of Step 1, using the form validated with the inception note; reporting. If Part B is not activated, the baseline data collected are delivered with D5.

Part B – Steps 2 and 3 (training): preparation of the training programme and materials, including their printing; delivery of the training in both countries; pre- and post-training assessments; completion of the first assessment by each partner during the training and compilation of the 14 baseline risk profiles (Section 4.5); reporting. Parts A and B are covered by a single contract. Part B is activated by written notice from AECF within 5 working days of the validation of the user needs assessment and tool concept (D2), subject to satisfactory performance on Part A. If Part B is not activated, the contract is limited to Part A. Bidders price Part B in full in their financial proposal, and quote separately an optional price for a hybrid or remote delivery of the training in Burkina Faso (Section 4.4, Format).

Direct costs form the contract price of each part. They include all the contractor’s fees, travel, and accommodation.

Reimbursable costs, presented separately and reimbursed by AECF at cost, against supporting documents: training venue and logistics, rental of laptops (one per participant), and participants’ transport and support. For these costs, the contractor obtains at least three quotations, in line with AECF’s procurement policy. Bidders shall provide an indicative estimate of reimbursable costs, which does not form part of the contract price.

The first disbursement, upon acceptance of the inception note (D1), may not exceed 30% of the price of Part A. Subsequent payments will be contingent upon validation of deliverables and achievement of agreed milestones. The financial proposal shows a breakdown of costs by country.

Applicants must submit their financial proposal in USD. Payments will be made in USD, in accordance with the payment schedule defined in the contract.

Détails de l'application

The AECF is an equal opportunity employer. The AECF evaluates all interested candidates based on merit, without regard to race, gender, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Any questions should be sent to the email address designated for procurement: aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 11^th November 2026, at 5:00 p.m. (East African Time). The subject line of the email must be: “CLARIFICATION: Women ADAPT – Climate Risk Toolkit Development and Training.”

Interested applicants are requested to submit their technical and financial proposals via the procurement portal https://procurement.aecfafrica.org/ by 20^th November 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (East African Time). Proposals may be submitted in English or French. No pre-bidding conference will be held for this tender. Responses to questions will be published as an addendum on the procurement portal by 30 October 2026.

Clause de non-responsabilité

L'AECF se réserve le droit de déterminer la structure du processus, le nombre de participants présélectionnés, le droit de se retirer du processus de proposition, le droit de modifier ce calendrier à tout moment sans préavis et se réserve le droit de retirer cet appel d'offres à tout moment, sans préavis et sans obligation de dédommagement et/ou de remboursement à l'égard de toute partie.

AECF does not charge an application fee for participation in the tendering process and has not appointed any agents or intermediaries to facilitate applications. Applicants are advised to reach out directly to the AECF Procurement Department.

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A propos de l'AECF

A propos de nous

L'AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) est une institution de développement qui finance des entreprises en phase de démarrage et de croissance afin d'innover, de créer des emplois et de tirer parti des investissements et des marchés pour créer de la résilience et des revenus durables dans les communautés rurales et marginalisées d'Afrique.

Depuis 2008, nous avons investi plus de 300 millions de dollars dans plus de 510 entreprises en Afrique subsaharienne, en nous concentrant sur l'agro-industrie, les énergies renouvelables et les technologies intelligentes en matière de climat. Nous avons eu un impact sur plus de 33 millions de vies, créé plus de 35 000 emplois et mobilisé plus de 838 millions de dollars en fonds de contrepartie pour les entreprises de notre portefeuille.

L'AECF a son siège au Kenya et des bureaux en Côte d'Ivoire, en Tanzanie, au Nigeria, au Sud-Soudan, au Bénin et en Somalie.