Request for Proposal: Consultancy to facilitate training on financial literacy for the Investing in Women in South Sudan programme beneficiaries
1. About 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 clean energy access, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve 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 financing institutions dare to go.
To date, we have supported over 510 businesses in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 33million lives, and created over 35,000 direct jobs. The AECF is headquartered in Kenya and has offices in Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Sudan, Benin, and Somalia.
2. About the programme
Investing in Women in South Sudan (IIW-SS) is a five-year gender equality and economic inclusion programme (June 2021 to July 2026) being implemented by AECF with the generous support of Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The programme responds to the continuing poverty, food insecurity, conflict, and climate vulnerability of female small-scale farmers in South Sudan who are excluded from the opportunities of agriculture value chains that could increase incomes, reduce risk and climate exposure, and transform their livelihoods.
Specifically, IIW-SS works in the sorghum, groundnut, shea, honey, and sesame value chain in Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria states, by investing in women-focused businesses to create climate-smart, gender sensitive value chain opportunities for thousands of rural women and youth from poor and food-insecure households.
The programme seeks to:
- Reduced gender-specific barriers for women’s participation in agricultural value chains, including the unpaid care burden in Eastern and Central Equatoria States in South Sudan
- Increased adoption of gender-sensitive climate-smart agricultural practices by women farmers in Eastern and Central Equatoria States in South Sudan
- Improved employability and livelihoods for women in agriculture and food systems in Eastern and Central Equatoria States in South Sudan
The IIW-SS had a specific emphasis on gender equality when it was designed following the launch of the Feminist International Assistance Policy in 2017, which led to an increased focus on the effective inclusion of women into programme outcomes.
3. Scope of work
The consulting firm will support the Investing in Women in South Sudan (IIW SS) programme by delivering targeted training interventions aimed at strengthening the financial capabilities of women beneficiaries engaged in targeted agricultural value chains. Specifically, the assignment will focus on building beneficiaries’ skills in financial literacy, accurate record-keeping, and effective participation in village-based savings and credit systems.
This support will equip women with the knowledge and tools to better manage their incomes, track their agricultural enterprises’ performance, and access affordable financing through community-based financial institutions such as SACCOs. By improving financial management practices, the initiative will directly contribute to the outcome of enhanced economic empowerment of women in the agricultural sector in South Sudan. Strengthened financial inclusion and sustainable enterprise management will enable women to grow their agribusinesses, increase productivity, and achieve greater economic resilience, thus promoting inclusive and sustainable development in the region.
Below is the scope of work;
- Conduct a needs assessment to determine current financial literacy, record-keeping skills, and access to savings/credit systems among IIW SS beneficiaries
- Tailor existing training curriculum covering basic financial literacy (budgeting, income/expenditure tracking) and record-keeping for agricultural enterprises as well as village-based savings and credit systems (VSLA principles, governance, and management
- Deliver capacity-building sessions using participatory, gender-responsive approaches adapted to local literacy levels and languages
- Facilitate the establishment and/or strengthening of VSLAs among beneficiary groups, ensuring clear governance and accountability structures
- Provide practical tools (templates, logbooks, guides) for ongoing financial tracking and group management
- Mentor and coach selected local trainers to sustain financial literacy and VSLA practices beyond the consultancy period
- Monitor and document progress through pre/post-training assessments and field follow-ups
4. Specific deliverables for the assignment
The consulting firm will be required to deliver the following within a period of eight (8) months:
- Inception report with detailed work plan, training schedule, and beneficiary targeting plan for 4,000 women (2,000 in Central Equatoria and 2,000 in Eastern Equatoria) submitted within first month
- Needs assessment report outlining current financial literacy levels, record-keeping practices, and VSLA participation among beneficiaries, submitted by end of month 2
- Training curriculum and materials (manuals, visual aids, templates, logbooks) developed and validated by end of month 2
- At least 100 local trainers and community facilitators oriented to support training delivery and follow-up by end of month 3
- 4,000 beneficiaries trained in:
- Basic financial literacy
- Agricultural enterprise record-keeping
- Village-based savings and credit systems
Training to be completed by end of month 6
- Mid-term progress report documenting number of beneficiaries trained, VSLA groups formed/strengthened, and preliminary outcomes submitted by end of month 5
- Final report submitted by end of month 8, detailing:
- Training outcomes and skills gained by beneficiaries
- Participant feedback and testimonials
- Number and functionality of VSLAs formed/strengthened
5. In-kind contribution
The consulting firm will be required to provide in-kind contributions to the assignment. Below are examples of in-kind contributions expected.
- Provision of experienced lead trainer(s) and master facilitators at no additional cost beyond the agreed consultancy fee
- Use of the firm’s existing training manuals, financial literacy toolkits, and VSLA operational guides (adapted for South Sudan context) without charging content development fees. Largely contributing to item b of the scope of work.
- Free provision of digital templates for record-keeping and financial tracking, including simplified logbooks and budget sheets for beneficiaries
- Use of the firm’s training equipment (projectors, flip charts, audio systems) during sessions at no cost to the project
- Printing of a limited number of training materials (e.g., 500 beneficiary handbooks) as part of cost-sharing
- Access to the firm’s monitoring and evaluation software or tools for tracking training participation and VSLA performance
- Provision of short post-training remote coaching sessions for selected trainers after project completion, at no extra cost.
6. Duration of service
The Assignment will be conducted over a period of eight (8) months based on agreed milestones and deliverables. The assignment is expected to be completed by the end of May 2026.
7. Reporting
The consultant/s is expected to liaise regularly with AECF to report on progress, deal with any queries, and highlight any challenges that threaten timelines. It is expected that this will involve a meeting every month at a minimum, and the AECF contact person will be the Programme Manager, IIW SS.
8. Required expertise and experience
It is expected that the organization/firm will have the following qualifications and experience:
- It must be incorporated and have a physical presence in South Sudan
- Demonstrate experience and expertise in capacity building of smallholder farmers, particularly in financial literacy
- Over 5 years of experience in capacity building rural smallholder farmers in financial literacy and business skills
- Demonstrate the capacity to build over 4000 smallholder farmers on the above thematic areas. Presence in Eastern and Central Equatorial and having resources within their disposal to successfully execute the above scope of work is an added advantage
- The project lead should have a bachelor’s degree and over 10 years’ experience implementing programmes, particularly working with development partners
9. Pricing
The AECF is obliged by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold taxes on service contract fees as well as ensure that VAT is charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position with regard to the provisions of the Kenya tax legislation when developing their proposals.
10. Proposal submission
Qualified firms are invited to submit a proposal that includes the following:
- The methodology and approach for executing the assignment
- A capacity statement outlining the organization’s resources to successfully complete the assignment within the proposed 8-month period. This should include a brief profile of the personnel to be engaged, the organization’s presence and mobility within the two project implementation states, and its financial position, particularly considering the engagement will be on performance-based reimbursement
- A detailed work plan
- Cost breakdown, including fees, expenses, and any other relevant costs (in USD)
N/B: Technical and Financial proposals should be submitted separately. Combining the financial and technical documents as one document will automatically disqualify the applicant
11. Evaluation criteria
Mandatory Requirements for firms:
- Company profile
- Trading license or Certificate of incorporation or Certificate of Registration, and other statutory documents
- Valid Tax Compliance certificate or its equivalent
- Audited financial statements
N/B: FAILURE TO ATTACH AND ADHERE TO THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATION.
An evaluation committee will be formed by the AECF and may include employees of the businesses to be supported. All members will be bound by the same standards of confidentiality. The consultant should ensure that they fully respond to all criteria to be comprehensively evaluated.
The AECF may request and receive clarification from any consultant when evaluating a proposal. The evaluation committee may invite some or all the consultants to appear before the committee to clarify their proposals. In such an event, the evaluation committee may consider such clarifications in evaluating proposals.
In deciding the final selection of a qualified bidder, the technical quality of the proposal will be given a weighting of 80% based on the evaluation criteria. Only the financial proposal of those bidders who qualify technically will be opened.
The mandatory and desirable criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are identified in the table below.
The following criteria will be used for the evaluation:
NO. | CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT | Weighted Award |
A. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL | 80 | |
An understanding of the terms of reference | ||
1. | Demonstrate understanding of the assignment and expected deliverables | 10 |
2. | Demonstrated knowledge and expertise in capacity building of rural smallholder farmers | 10 |
3 | Demonstrated understanding of the project context (Eastern and Central Equatoria) | 5 |
Methodology and work plan that will deliver the best value on the assignment | ||
1. | Soundness and feasibility of the proposed technical approach and methodology that demonstrates experience in executing similar assignments, especially in South Sudan. – Adequacy of resources (personal, infrastructure, and mobility in project states) | 20 |
2. | Realistic and well-structured timeline, clear identification of deliverables and milestones, and coherence with the intended program goals. | 10 |
Qualification and Experience | ||
1. | Qualification and experience of the consultant/team, and evidence of relevant certification |
10 |
2. | Demonstrated experience and relevant services are undertaken by the applicant in past engagements, with evidence linking to previous work done / completion certificate | 10 |
3. | All the required registration and certification documents, and at least 3 signed reference letters of similar work done. | 5 |
B. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL: Detailed showing the level of effort of the team, Clarity, relevance, and reality to market value/ value for money of cost for the assignment (inclusive of any applicable tax, reimbursable, and travel where applicable). | 20 | |
Total Score | 100 |
12. Application details
The AECF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AECF considers all interested candidates based on merit without regard to race, gender, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
- Interested consulting firms are requested to submit their technical and financial proposal to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 22nd September, 5 pm EAT.
- All questions should be directed to the procurement email: aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 15th September, 2025
- The subject of the email should be “RFP FOR CONSULTANCY TO FACILITATE TRAINING ON FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR THE INVESTING IN WOMEN IN SOUTH SUDAN PROGRAMME BENEFICIARIES”. The AECF shall not be liable for not opening proposals that are submitted with a different subject or responding to questions that did not meet the deadline as indicated.
13. Disclaimer
AECF reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, the number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice, and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party.
Note: AECF does not charge an application fee to participate in the tender process and has not appointed agents or intermediaries to facilitate applications. Applicants are advised to contact the AECF Procurement Department directly.
About AECF
About us
The AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is a development institution that finances early and growth-stage businesses to innovate, create jobs, and leverage investments and markets to create resilience and sustainable incomes in rural and marginalized communities in Africa.
Since 2008, we have invested over US$ 300 million in over 510 businesses across sub-Sahara Africa focusing on Agribusiness, Renewable Energy, and Climate-smart Technologies. We have impacted more than 33 million lives, created over 35,000 jobs, and leveraged over US$ 838 million in matching funds to our portfolio companies.
AECF is headquartered in Kenya, with offices in Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Sudan, Benin, and Somalia.