RFP: Consultancy for Incubation of Small Nutrition Sensitive Business at Concern Worldwide

Purpose of the Consultancy

• The purpose of the consultancy is to support the Concern to develop a contextualized gender responsive accelerator platform for small businesses in Nairobi City county informal settlements (Mukuru Njenga, Mukuru Reuben, Viwandani and Mathare). Specifically, the consultancy will; review the ecosystem within which small business operate in Nairobi city County; determine a suitable gender transformative business incubation approach based on the practical and strategic needs of women for viable and sustainable business enterprises contributing to improved food and nutrition security; and identify and recommend appropriate policy gaps at National and County level that need to be addressed to support the growth and equal gender participation of small businesses in Nairobi City County informal settlements.

Objectives and Specific Tasks to be undertaken by the Consultant(s)

Review the ecosystem within which small business operate in Nairobi City County:

• Review food value chains and estimated market value and undertake a thorough mapping of business chains, including production, cold chain, distribution channels, and markets, with a focus on reaching beneficiaries at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). Employ the Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) and Value Chain Analysis approaches to gain insights into the dynamics of existing markets.
• Identify Social demographic characteristics of small business owners, particularly in relation to gender and intersectionality
• Assess financial facilities available to small businesses
• Identify Enablers and barriers of operating small businesses in the urban informal settlements

Determine a suitable gender transformative business incubation approach based on the practical and strategic needs of women for viable and sustainable business enterprises contributing to improved food and nutrition security:

• Identify and recommend suitable options and approaches for the business incubator that enables viable sustainable gender transformative business enterprises.
• Develop quality improvement criteria for graduation of small businesses.
• Identify and recommend suitable financial options for scale up of small business. (financial and support mechanisms)

Identify and recommend appropriate policy gaps at National and County level:

• Review existing legislative and regulatory frameworks within which small business in urban informal settlements operate including trade, sourcing of raw materials, food production, processing, food safety, marketing and food consumption.
• Recommend key policy gaps, which if addressed will create an enabling business environment for small enterprises.
• Provide evidence based recommendations on policy foundations for understanding the complex issues related to gender, entrepreneurship, and informal urbanism in the context of Nairobi City County informal settlements.

Expected deliverables from the consultant:

The required outputs of this consultancy will be as follows:

• An inception report (maximum five pages) outlining the approach/methodology and execution programme/timetable.
• Data collection tools shall be submitted with the inception report
• Preliminary report.
• The final report

Final payment is dependent on the submission of a good quality, well-written final report or completion of agreed outputs (as detailed in the TOR). In addition to methodology, findings and discussion, the report should include a comprehensive executive summary and a section outlining clear and concise conclusions and recommendations.

A digital copy of all reports will be required by Concern at the end of the piece of work.

Lines of Communication

• The consultant will work closely with the Programme Director and Health and Nutrition coordinator.

Timeframe

• Time Frame for the consultancy is 30 days.

Essential and Desirable Experience/Qualifications

The Consultancy team must be multidisciplinary (one of the key consultant should have Agribusiness background). At the minimum, the consultant(s) must possess the following:

• At least Master’s Degree in Agriculture, Economics, and Business related disciplines, Development Studies, with a minimum of five (5) years demonstrated experience in agribusiness research and/or practice with good understanding of food industry, with a focus on its dynamics within low-income urban communities.
• Demonstrate a good understanding of Kenya urban context especially with regards to the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP), with practical working experience or research/surveys in such environments.
• Experience of effective interaction with local and national institutions, government departments, and business service providers.
• Be conversant with current business models and practice around the agricultural sub-sector.
• Practical application of cross cutting themes like gender mainstreaming, and gender competence, M&E, advocacy.
• Proven experience of using participatory tools and methodology.
• Past experiences working on crop value chain development will be key in this assignment.

Required documentation with your proposal:

• Certificate of Incorporation (firms) or National ID card (individual)
• Valid Tax Compliance Certificate
• PIN Certificate
• Company / Consultant’s Profile
• CVs of key staff
• Certificate/reference information of previous undertakings of similar contracts with NGOs/UN agencies
• Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct etc. or what are the necessary provisions have you put in place to keep everyone safe in the course of your engagement.
• Attach copy of Certificate of Good Conduct or proof that you have applied for the same
• Confirm the gender ratio for the team that you will be engaging in this exercise
• A detailed work plan with milestones