1.0 The African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)

The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) transforms lives by providing investment funding and technical assistance to commercially viable businesses that improve the lives of rural communities. It mobilizes donor funding to support early and growth-stage businesses in agriculture and renewable and clean energy sectors, with a focus on improving incomes and employment for rural and marginalized groups. It is a non-profit organization, with its headquarters in Nairobi and operational centers in Somalia, Ethiopia, Dar-es-Salaam, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Sudan and Côte d’Ivoire.

2.0 About the REACT Kenya 2.0 Programme

The Renewable Energy and Climate Technologies (REACT) Kenya 2.0 Programme is a four-year initiative (January 2025 – December 2028) implemented by the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The total programme budget is SEK 39.5 million.

The programme’s overarching goal is to contribute to the green growth of Kenya by providing employment opportunities, increasing incomes, enhancing resilience, and improving the quality of life through the transformation of the energy access, e-mobility, and waste management / circular economy sectors.

Key objectives are to:

• • Increase access to modern energy services for underserved communities;
• • Enhance access to Productive Use of Energy (PUE) solutions for MSMEs and agricultural value chains;
• • Support the growth of reliable and affordable e-mobility services (primarily 2- and 3-wheelers) in Kenya; and
• • Promote circular-economy principles, including ecosystem restoration, waste recycling, and green transition technologies.

The programme uses a challenge-fund model to identify and support innovative, commercially viable businesses operating anywhere in Kenya. It provides concessional capital (Results-Based Financing and Milestone-Based Grants) together with non-financial technical assistance. The technical assistance component is designed as a value-add service to strengthen project implementation quality, business sustainability, and development impact among selected investees. Page 2 of 9

3.0 Purpose of the Assignment

The AECF is seeking the services of short-term consultant(s) / consultancy firms to deliver customized technical assistance to three (3) REACT Kenya 2.0 investees, focusing on the core thematic areas identified by AECF through its portfolio monitoring and needs assessment process. Specifically, the consultant will:

• • Deliver tailored advisory support under the intervention areas set out in this scope of work.
• • Develop usable tools, systems, frameworks, action plans and training materials that the investees can continue applying after the assignment.
• • Support the investees to improve operational efficiency, commercial viability, governance standards and sustainability.
• • Strengthen the ability of the investees to achieve project milestones, meet AECF reporting requirements, and advance gender-responsive and inclusive business practices.

4.0 Scope of Work

The consultant will work with the AECF and the investees’ leadership teams to validate and refine the identified technical assistance needs at company level and deliver the interventions across the functions below. The specific mix and depth of support required by each investee will be confirmed during inception phase, based on the company-level diagnostics and the priority needs already documented by AECF.

4.1 Financial Management & Business Model Viability

The consultant shall support the investees to strengthen financial discipline, reporting and the underlying commercial logic of their business models.

For each investee, the consultant will:

• • Conduct a comprehensive financial diagnostic assessment covering internal controls, record keeping, reporting processes and key gaps in financial decision-support.
• • Strengthen financial controls, budgeting, cash flow forecasting, working capital management, financial reporting systems, return on investment (ROI) analysis and asset tracking.
• • Optimize unit economics, cost structures, inventory management and credit or financing models, including asset-financing and end-user credit structures where relevant.
• • Develop and implement practical financial tools, templates, dashboards and standard operating procedures (procurement, inventory, sales) and contract frameworks suitable for SME adoption.
• • Support corporate structuring, accounting and audit readiness, including organisation of financial documentation and localisation of the accounting or finance function where required.
• • Mitigate key-person dependency in financial management and support the production of audit-ready financial statements.

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• • Review the viability of the current business model, including core revenue drivers, cost structure, delivery and distribution model, and key constraints affecting growth and scalability.
• • Support full compliance with AECF reporting requirements and sustained financial discipline as the companies grow.

4.2 Market Attractiveness & Commercial Strategy

The consultant shall support the investees to strengthen market positioning, revenue diversification and customer acquisition.

For each investee, the consultant will:

• • Assess the current commercial model, including sales structure, customer segments, distribution channels, pricing approach, market positioning and key barriers to market growth.
• • Refine go-to-market strategies, sales pipelines, pricing models and product or service bundling approaches.
• • Support the development of strategic partnerships and distribution channels, including engagement with microfinance institutions, financiers, agent networks, last-mile distributors and retail partners, and support engagement activities between parties where uptake has been slow.
• • Facilitate market assessments and strategic planning workshops to identify growth opportunities and expansion pathways.
• • Strengthen customer acquisition, onboarding, and after-sales service models.
• • Support diversification of revenue streams, reduction of client concentration, and optimization of pricing and sales strategies to enhance local value recovery aligned with circular economy goals.
• • Build management capacity to track commercial performance, including lead generation, customer conversion, retention and channel performance, using simple monitoring and reporting tools.

4.3 Leadership, Governance & Business Structuring

The consultant shall support the investees to strengthen governance arrangements, management effectiveness and institutional continuity.

For each investee, the consultant will:

• • Assess current governance structures, organisational arrangements, decision-making processes, leadership capacity and key management gaps.
• • Support the development or refinement of board charters, policies, organograms, decision-making protocols, delegation of authority, reporting lines and codes of conduct.
• • Institutionalize policies, ESG and health, safety and environment (HSE) compliance, risk management frameworks and board or advisory board structures appropriate to the size and stage of the company.

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• • Provide coaching to founders and senior management on leadership, strategic planning, performance management, fiduciary responsibilities and organizational oversight.
• • Support second-tier leadership development, succession planning and the institutionalization of processes to reduce key-person dependency and secure long-term operational continuity.
• • Guide the formalization of ownership, corporate structure, compliance and regulatory frameworks where required.
• • Prepare practical governance improvement roadmaps outlining priority actions, timelines and responsibilities that companies can implement progressively as they scale.

4.4 Impact Measurement, Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)

The consultant shall support the investees to strengthen results measurement and evidence-based decision making.

For each investee, the consultant will:

• • Strengthen results frameworks, data collection tools and impact reporting systems.
• • Track operational, environmental and social outcomes, and establish key performance indicators for waste diversion, material recovery, energy efficiency, energy delivered, yields improved, jobs created and youth and women employment, as relevant to each business.
• • Build internal capacity for ongoing monitoring, evaluation and evidence-based decision making.
• • Align impact tracking with AECF reporting requirements and company-specific objectives.

5.0 Deliverables

5.1 Key Deliverables

The key deliverables for each investee will include:

5.1.1 Financial Management & Business Model Viability

• • Financial diagnostic report for each investee.
• • Tailored financial tools and systems, including budgets, cash flow management tools, reporting templates, record-keeping tools, internal control tools and management dashboards.
• • Financial standard operating procedures and contract templates adopted by each investee.
• • Business model assessment and refined business model framework highlighting key viability issues, risks and growth constraints.

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5.1.2 Market Attractiveness & Commercial Strategy

• • Updated commercial or strategic plans for each investee.
• • Market assessment reports and workshop facilitation summaries.
• • Strengthened partnership and distribution frameworks, including recommendations on branding, customer retention, channels and market penetration approaches.
• • Practical sales and marketing tools, which may include sales plans, customer segmentation frameworks, outreach approaches, messaging guides or promotional plans.

5.1.3 Leadership, Governance & Business Structuring

• • Governance diagnostic report for each investee.
• • Governance documents and templates, including board or advisory board charters, policies, organograms, role definitions, meeting templates, decision-making frameworks and succession plans.
• • Leadership and management coaching sessions for founders, senior management or boards, with session reports and agreed action points.
• • Governance improvement roadmap with priority actions, timelines and responsibilities.

5.1.4 Impact Measurement, Monitoring & Evaluation

• • Strengthened M&E frameworks and impact tracking tools for each investee.
• • Agreed KPI sets aligned to AECF reporting requirements and company objectives.
• • Progress and impact data reports.

5.2 Cross-Cutting Deliverables

In addition to the area-specific deliverables above, the consultant will deliver the following:

5.2.1 Inception Phase

• • Inception report detailing the overall methodology, detailed work plan and individualized technical assistance roadmaps for the three investees.
• • Baseline diagnostic and gap assessment reports for each investee.

5.2.2 Implementation Phase

• • Tailored tools, dashboards, templates, plans and training materials adopted by each investee, as set out under the key deliverables above.
• • Mid-term review report demonstrating measurable capacity improvements across the portfolio.

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5.2.3 Close-Out & Sustainability Phase

• • Final company-specific technical assistance completion reports.
• • Consolidated portfolio insights report with key lessons learned and recommendations for future REACT programmes.
• • Sustainability and post-technical assistance exit strategies for each investee.
• • Full handover of all tools, templates, training materials and capacity-building records.

6.0 Duration of Service

The assignment will be conducted over three (3) months in Kenya and is expected to commence in October 2026.

7.0 Reporting

The consultant will report to the Senior Advisory Specialist at the AECF.

8.0 Consultant Qualifications and Experience

The assignment requires a consultant or consulting firm with strong experience in enterprise development, SME advisory and market-based renewable energy, e-mobility, productive use of energy and circular economy sectors in emerging markets, with demonstrated experience supporting SMEs operating in Kenya.

Successful consultant(s) should have:

• • Proposed team members with an advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Energy, Environmental Management, Development Studies or a related field. Additional qualifications or certifications in business strategy, financial management, or enterprise development are an advantage.
• • At least five (5) years’ demonstrated experience in business development support, technical assistance delivery and strategy development for companies in the renewable energy, e-mobility, productive use of energy or circular economy sectors.
• • Demonstrated experience in delivering practical technical assistance in financial management systems, internal controls and SME reporting practices, preferably in Kenya.
• • Experience supporting companies on organizational development, governance strengthening, leadership capacity building and succession planning.
• • Demonstrated experience in designing and strengthening monitoring, evaluation and impact measurement systems, and in aligning company reporting to donor or investor requirements.
• • Previous experience in similar assignments with renewable energy, e-mobility or circular economy companies.

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• • Good understanding of the renewable energy, e-mobility and circular economy landscape in Kenya, including the applicable regulatory and compliance environment.

9.0 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 three (3) month period. This should include a brief profile of the personnel to be engaged, the organization’s presence and mobility within the project implementation country, 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 must be submitted separately. Combining the financial and technical documents as one document will automatically disqualify the applicant.

10.0 Evaluation Criteria

MANDATORY 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 for the last three years.

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. THE PROPOSAL SHOULD BE IN PDF FORMAT NO LINKS

An evaluation committee will be formed by the AECF. 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. Page 8 of 9

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 the proposals.

In deciding the final selection of a qualified bidder, the technical 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 according to the total points scored.

The mandatory and desirable criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are identified in the table below. Assessment Criteria	Weight	Max. Point
Technical	70%	70
Relevant, demonstrated experience and capacity of the consultant in the provision of similar services. Please provide details of at least three (3) similar projects completed in the last (5) years	20
The proposed team/individuals must have relevant skills, qualifications, and experience and have played key roles in at least three similar assignments. Provide a detailed Curriculum Vitae of the proposed team, which must clearly highlight the areas of experience and competence relevant to the tasks and objectives of the project as outlined in the scope of work.	20
The bidding entity must demonstrate through the application of its methodology how, in a time and cost -effective manner, it will conduct the processes.	20
Workplan	10
Financial (Lower offer/offer*100)	30%	30