Request for Proposal: Terms Of Reference For Consultancy Services To Conduct Impact Data Surveys For The Investing In Women South Sudan Program.

1. The Africa Enterprise challenge Fund

The AECF is a leading African development organization that supports innovative enterprises in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors to reduce rural poverty, promote resilient communities, and create jobs. AECF has raised over US$ 450 million to provide catalytic funding and technical advisory support to enterprises that struggle to meet traditional risk-return standards for commercial investors. In just over a decade, we have supported 510 enterprises in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 33 million lives, created over 35,000 direct jobs, and leveraged US $838 million in matching funds.

We surface and commercialize 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 while also addressing the crosscutting themes of women, youth, and fragility. AECF is committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financing institutions dare to go. In 2021, the AECF launched a refreshed strategy of building resilience and sustainable incomes for rural and marginalized communities in Africa.

2. About Investing In Women in South Sudan (IIW SS)

The Investing in Women in South Sudan (IIW-SS) program is a five-year program (2021-2025) (addresses poverty, food insecurity, and climate vulnerability among small-scale farmers. Supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), it operates in East Equatoria and Central Equatoria States. IIW-SS aims to enhance women’s economic empowerment in selected value chains (groundnut, sesame, sorghum, shea nut, and honey) to increase incomes, reduce climate risks, and transform livelihoods. The programme supports businesses through grant funds disbursed directly into larger private sector investees based on AECF’s standard operating procedures. The project focuses on 8 private sector companies in Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria operating in the following value chains, Honey, Shea butter, Sesame, Groundnuts, Sorghum and Seeds. The companies have reached over 8000 smallholder farmers with products and services and the data will be collected from the sampled smallholder farmers and the communities’ members engaged in the program.

Program objectives

• Reduce gender-specific barriers to women’s participation in agricultural value chains.
• Increase adoption of gender-sensitive climate-smart agricultural practices.
• Improve employment or livelihoods for women in agriculture and food systems.

The program seeks a qualified consultant to support the impact measurement of specific indicators as highlighted in the scope of work.

2.1 Key Indicators to Be Measured but not limited to;

Gender Empowerment and Decision-Making

• % of total women reached by the project who participate in decision-making at household/farm level related to agriculture.
• Reduction in Value Chain Barriers% of total women reporting a reduction in at least two of the following value chain barriers:
• Gender based violence
• Unpaid care work
• Land tenure issues
• Access to information
• Access to resources

Adoption of Gender-Sensitive, Climate-Smart Practice

• % of women-owned/led SMEs and farmers adopting at least two gender-sensitive, climate-smart agricultural practices
• # of farmers (m/f) implementing at least one new climate-smart and/or gender-sensitive practice or technology
• % of early warning systems on climate/conflict risks considered improved by users- WRO/ CBOs/ investees
• Satisfaction and Perception Metrics
• Satisfaction level (scale 1–5) of women-owned/led SMEs and farmers on the resilience of their agribusinesses
• Change in participant perception of knowledge on risk and asset security (scale 1–5)
• Community member satisfaction (f/m) with cross-learning events on risk/security (scale 1–5)
• % of farmers (m/f) satisfied with extension services (scale 1–5)

Economic Impact and Inclusion

• % of total farmers, especially women, with a change in net income
• % of farming community members (f/m) with increased knowledge of gender-specific barriers to resource access

Climate and Risk Preparedness

• % of early warning systems on climate/conflict risks considered improved by users- WRO/ CBOs/ investees

3. Purpose of the assignment

The IIW SS Performance Measurement Framework has a list of indicators that are being tracked through the investees reporting cycles. However, there are indicators that require surveys for data collection. The consultant will work closely with the IIW SS program manager, Gender and Impact teams, to develop data collection tools, carry out the survey on progress towards achieving the milestones/indicators and develop the reports based on each of the indicators being tracked.

4. Scope of Work

The key objectives of the study will be to

• Review the market assessment report and the PIP to understand the situation before the project implementation.
• Develop a sampling methodology for interviewing both the 8 investee businesses and their beneficiaries (including disaggregation by gender, age, region).
• Interview the sampled beneficiaries and the business they are affiliated with.
• Interview community members engaged in areas of project implementation
• Ensure ethical standards, informed consent, and safeguarding protocols for all respondents.
• Develop tools (questionnaires, interview guides) aligned with the indicators listed above
• Recruit and train enumerators (if applicable), pilot and finalize survey tools and coordinate and oversee field data collection across selected project areas.
• Conduct analysis and submit a comprehensive report detailing the methodology, findings per indicators, lessons learned and recommendations for improvement.
• Clean, analyze, and disaggregate data as required.
• Use both descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative analysis where relevant.

5. Methodology

This assignment will include desk top based research to find any materials available on women economic empowerment and compare the information collected during the market assessment and PIP development phase and the data being collected in the study at hand.

The consultant is expected to conduct both online and face-to- face interviews where necessary with enterprise owners, implementing partners, local government officials, men and women participating in the program, and the community targeted in programme. The consultant will develop relevant tools and approaches to gain a deeper understanding of the outcomes and impact of the projects.

6. Deliverables

The consultant is expected to lead, accomplish, and submit the following deliverables within the agreed timeframe and budget.

• An inception report outlining approach, data sources, methodology, work plan, team members, tools to be deployed and stakeholder engagement processes.
• Draft report on the study findings on results and target matrix and recommendations for future interventions
• A validated comprehensive report (not more than 40 pages) on the study findings, target matrix, and recommendations for future interventions.
• A PowerPoint presentation to the stakeholders on the findings of the study

7. Qualifications
   • The lead consultant should have a master’s in development finance, Economics, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, or related fields.
   • Minimum of 8–10 years of relevant experience in the design, implementation, and evaluation of agribusiness and gender-focused development programmes.
   • Extensive experience in South Sudan.
   • Proven expertise in household and beneficiary survey design, quantitative and qualitative data collection, and analysis methodologies.
   • Strong track record in stakeholder engagement, especially with women-led businesses, rural households, and local government structures.
   • Extensive experience working in South Sudan, with a deep understanding of the socio-economic, cultural, and gender dynamics affecting women in agribusiness.
   • In depth knowledge of investing through the private sector, particularly models that empower women in agriculture and enterprise development.
   • A team member with gender specialty
   • Ability to work independently in remote and fragile contexts.
   • Knowledge of local languages in South Sudan is an added advantage.

8. Duration of the service

The task will take a period of 4 months staggered and paid for based on the deliverables.  This assignment can be conducted by a team of experts or an individual expert.

9. Proposal submission

Interested and qualified firms are invited to submit their technical proposal(s) comprising the following:

1. Technical proposal

• An understanding of the consultancy requirements.
• Methodology and work plan for performing the assignment.
• Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments.
• Relevant services undertaken in the past five (5) years.
• CVs of relevant team members
• Letters of reference from previous companies/assignments
• Registration and other relevant statutory documents (this apply to Institutional consultants).

2.A financial proposal

• Clearly showing the proposed days and the proposed professional fee (daily rate and total amount per month/day). The financial proposal shall also include an indication of reimbursables (travel, communication etc.). Currency to be in USD.

N/B: TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL PROPOSALS BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY. COMBINING THE FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENT AS ONE DOCUMENT WILL AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFY THE APPLICANT

10. Pricing

AECF is obliged by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold taxes on service contract fees as well as ensure VAT, at 16%, is charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position with regards to provisions of Kenya tax legislation when developing their proposals.

11. Evaluation Criteria

MANDATORY EVALUATION CRITERIA.

1. Mandatory Requirements for firms: –
2. Company profile.
3. Trading license or Certificate of incorporation or Certificate of Registration and other statutory documents.
4. Valid Tax Compliance certificate (Applicable to firms).
5. Passport/National Identification of the lead consultant and key personnel

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 qualified bidder, the technical quality of the proposal will be given a weighting of 70% based on the evaluation criteria. Only the financial proposal of those bidders who qualify technically will be opened. The financial proposal will be allocated a weighting of 30% and the proposals will be ranked in terms of total points scored.

The mandatory and desirable criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are identified in the table below.

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 firms are requested to submit their technical and financial proposal to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 3^rd July 2025
• All questions should be directed to the procurement email by 26^th June 2025, 5pm (EAT).
• The subject of the email should be ‘’TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO CONDUCT SURVEYS TO EVALUATE IMPACT FOR IIW SS”. 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, 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.