Request for Proposals – Partnership to Strengthen the High Iron Bean (HIB) Value Chain in the Western Province of Rwanda 

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – SERVICES 

PARTNERSHIP TO STRENGTHEN THE HIGH IRON BEAN (HIB) VALUE CHAIN IN THE WESTERN PROVINCE OF RWANDA 

Issued by 

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) 

RWANDA 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION 2 

II. BACKGROUND & TIMESCALES 2 

III. THE OPPORTUNITY 3 

IV. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS 7 

V. TERMS & CONDITIONS 10 

VI. OFFER OF SERVICES 13 

GAIN’s procurement is conducted based on our procurement principles, including “a focus on ethical and sustainable procurement which requires us to take note of our legal and ethical commitments… in our procurement and supplier management.”

We require all our partners, suppliers and service providers to familiarise themselves with our Code of Conduct (Code) and to adhere to either our Code or to their own equivalent code or set of behaviours.

This is addition to any relevant clauses and provisions in our contractual terms.

We also expect our partners, suppliers, and service providers to proactively inform GAIN, via the mechanisms detailed in the Code, of any breaches, potential or perceived breaches of its provisions.

Any supplier or service provider found to be in violation of these principles will be excluded from this process and may be barred from responding to future opportunities.

I. INTRODUCTION

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the UN in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with both governments and businesses, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious food for all people.

At GAIN, we believe that everyone in the world should have access to nutritious and safe food. We work to understand and deliver specific solutions to the daily challenge of food insecurity faced by poor people. By understanding that there is no “one-size-fits-all” model, we develop alliances and build tailored programmes, using a variety of flexible models and approaches.

We build alliances between governments, local and global businesses, and civil society to deliver sustainable improvements at scale. We are part of a global network of partners working together to create sustainable solutions to malnutrition. Through alliances, we provide technical, financial and policy support to key participants in the food system. We use specific learning, evidence of impact, and results of projects and programmes to shape and influence the actions of others.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, GAIN has representative offices in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We currently have a presence and conduct programming activities in Bangladesh, Benin, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

II. BACKGROUND & TIMESCALES

Nutrition is a national priority in Rwanda’s development agenda. Our Combatting Malnutrition through Sustainable Food Systems (CMRFS) program supports this by strengthening supply chains for nutritious foods like beans. The purpose of this RFP is to engage the services of a qualified organisation in Rwanda to implement a market-based system that increases high iron bean (HIB) production by smallholder farmers and farmer cooperatives in Western Province. This includes, but is not limited to, increasing the acceptability/uptake of improved HIB seeds obtained by farmers through the formal seed system, and strengthening the formal seed system supply chain to ensure consistent farmers’ access to these improved seeds.

The opportunity for this partnership will

• Work with 50 farmer cooperatives to increase adoption of HIB seeds and see the ROI from increased yields
• Establish and strengthen local multiplication of HIB seeds
• Improve last-mile availability of HIB seed varieties.
• Build farmer capacity on best farming practices for HIB seed varieties to improve yields • Ultimately increase the supply and affordability of HIB seeds within Western Province.

Set out below is the proposed timescale for this procurement. It is a guide, and whilst the GAIN does not intend to depart from the timetable, it reserves the right to do so at any stage. Timescales end at 23:59 hours Rwanda time (GMT+2).

RFP issue date	January 20, 2026
Deadline for Bidders to submit questions	January 28, 2026
Deadline for GAIN to respond to clarifications	January 30, 2026
RFP closes – deadline for submission	February 1, 2026
GAIN clarifications, evaluation & governance	February 10, 2026
Contract award – subject to negotiation & due diligence checks	February 20, 2026
Planned contract signature date	February 28, 2026
Date by which all work is to be completed	December 31, 2027

III. THE OPPORTUNITY 

Nutrition has taken an important place in Rwanda’s NST 2, aiming to reduce stunting from 33% to 15% and achieve a 3% annual reduction. Embedding nutrition into both national and sectoral strategies ensures that interventions across production, value chains, consumption and health are aligned, thereby reinforcing the country’s broader development agenda. Data from the Financial Flows to Food Systems show that between 2018 and 2024, MINECOFIN allocated USD 330 million (16.2%) to nutrition and health, mainly supporting the education sector, including school feeding (47.4%), and health interventions to improve diet quality (13.9%). Under PSTA5, MINAGRI plans to dedicate 11.6% of its budget (RWF 741bn) to improve food security and nutrition, marking a significant shift toward integrating nutrition as a core component of Rwanda’s food systems transformation. 

To address malnutrition in partnership with the Government of Rwanda, GAIN has been implementing a 6-year (2025 – 2030) flagship programme, “Combating Malnutrition in Rwanda through Sustainable Food Systems (CMRFS) programme” since January 2025. The programme is tackling the underlying factors driving higher malnutrition rates in the Western Province, with a focus on Rutsiro, Nyamasheke, Rusizi, Karongi and Nyabihu. The programme rests on three strategic objectives: improving community consumption (Micro), supporting the enabling environment for nutrition outcomes (Macro), and strengthening the supply chain for nutritious foods (Meso). All strategic pillars are interconnected.

The CMRFS Meso component aims to strengthen key value chains in Western Province and at the national level. By focusing on eggs, high-iron beans (HIB), fruits, and fortified staples (LSFF), the programme seeks to enhance the production and market systems for these nutritious foods to benefit vulnerable communities. The partner will work within the Meso-level objective of CMRFS, strengthening the supply chain for nutritious foods—specifically HIB—through an integrated HIB

production and market access model.

This strategic objective will contribute to PSTA5’s impact level indicator on food and nutrition security, specifically through PSTA5’s strategic pillars. On Strategic Pillar 1, the programme will contribute to 1.1. Modernized Crop Production and 1.2. Modernised Animal Production; on Strategic Pillar 2, the programme will contribute to 2.2 Market Linkages and Post-Production and 2.3 Promoting Food Security and Nutrition; on Strategic Pillar 3, the programme will contribute to 3.3 De-risking Agriculture Finance and Insurance, 3.4 Upgrading Public Capacity to Facilitate Transformation.

The recently completed HIB supply chain analysis across the five districts identified gaps in HIB production systems. Many farmers prefer producing traditional beans where they rely on planting their own saved seeds (bean grains)

obtained from an informal seed system (market, saved bean grains , donations, etc.) instead of improved seeds generated through a formal seed system (RAB then seed multipliers). The main reason behind this practice is their perception of improved seed prices without analysing the value for money. Insufficient demand for HIB seeds results in an unstructured and inefficient HIB seed market system (limited number of HIB seed traders) in the Western province. Seed suppliers

(Agrodealers & seed multipliers) don’t have incentives to invest in HIB seed production without an assured market for HIB seeds.

Henceforth, the programme seeks a partnership to address the underlying problem of low HIB production by working with 50 farmer cooperatives in Food Basket Sites (FOBASI) across the five target Western Districts. Below is the list of project sectors per district. It is important to note that the interventions in this RFP can be implemented in non-project sectors but primarily serve vulnerable people in project sectors.

1. Karongi (Rugabano, Ruganda, Gashali)
2. Nyamasheke (Rangiro, Bushekeri, Karengera, Kirimbi, Karambi)
3. Rusizi (Muganza, Bugarama, Bweyeye, Rwimbogo, Giheke)
4. Nyabihu (Jenda, Bigogwo, Muringa, Rambura, Shyira, Rugera)
5. Rutsiro (Rusebeya, Mukura, Manihira, Musasa, Murunda)

DELIVERABLES & TIMESCALES 

The main objective is to increase the capacity of bean-producing farmers to adopt HIB seed varieties and establish localised input systems that consistently provide HIB seed to farmers in the Western Province. The partner is expected to work heavily with the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB). 

Specific objectives:

Improve the capacity of bean producers to adopt improved HIB seeds

• Identification and profiling of farmer cooperatives and small farms within the food basket sites • Training and follow-up of farmers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) adapted to improved HIB seeds production to optimise HIB yield potential.
• Support in formalising and professionalising small and medium enterprises, farmer cooperatives in record keeping that allows them to forecast their demand for HIB seeds. • Co-develop with cooperatives an accessible ROI calculator for farmers to see the value of investing in HIB seeds through the formal seed system.

Increase the local (formal) seed system to increase availability and affordability for farmers• Establish and strengthen local multiplication of HIB seed (certified/QDS) systems

• Support seed multipliers to have easy and timely access to Early Generation Seeds (EGS) from RAB.
• Improve last-mile availability of certified HIB seed varieties for bean producers • Identify HIB value chain partners and appropriate contractual agreements

Expected outcomes

By December 31, 2027, we expect the partner to deliver:

1. # of farmers trained on good agricultural practices (GAP)
2. # of farmers who have adopted HIB seeds.
3. # of hectares under HIB cultivation
4. Volume (kg) of certified HIB/QDS HIB seed procured by program participants from HIB seed multipliers or Agrodealers,
5. # of Agrodealers selling certified/QDS HIB seed in their shops
6. % Increase in HIB production among participating farmers
7. # of seed multipliers or agrodealers reporting an increase in demand for HIB seeds 8. # of tons of certified/QDS HIB seeds locally produced by seed multipliers 9. # of farmers perceiving greater access to HIB seeds

Timescales(Provisional but subject to change based on the best model proposed)

Intervention	Start	Finish
Improve the capacity of bean producers to adopt improved HIB seed
1. Identification and profiling of farmer cooperatives and small farms within the food basket sites	Mar 2026	Mar 2026
2. Training and follow-up of farmers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) adapted to improved HIB seeds that increase their preference.	Mar 2026	Nov 2027
3. Support in formalising and professionalising small and medium enterprises, farmer cooperatives in record keeping that allows them to calculate ROI of HIB and forecast their demand for HIB seeds.	Mar 2026	Nov 2027
Increase the local (formal) seed system to increase availability and affordability for farmers
4. Establish and strengthen local multiplication of HIB seed systems	July 2026	Nov 2027
5. Improve last-mile availability of HIB seed varieties.	July 2026	Nov 2027
6. Identify value chain partners and appropriate contractual agreements	Mar 2026	Jul 2026

ELIGIBILITY AND EXCLUSIONS 

1. Individual applications or consortia of more than two partners from Public Institutions, Local and International Non-Governmental Organisations, and Private Sector Organisations registered in Rwanda ARE Eligible.
2. Individuals, academia and research institutions ARE NOT eligible
3. Organisations registered outside of Rwanda ARE NOT eligible
4. This is not a call for proposals for consultancy services and therefore, applicants must not propose advisory services.

CONTRACT GOVERNANCE 

The contract will be a partnership to execute these interventions over a 20-month period, which may be extended for additional years, subject to the programme’s needs and funds. It will follow a robust, transparent, and collaborative governance framework. The partner shall implement a structured governance model designed to ensure continuous alignment, proactive risk management, and the consistent delivery of high-quality services throughout the contract term. The partner will work in close collaboration with GAIN, organizing regular meetings and reporting on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on quarterly basis.

PAYMENT PROFILE 

GAIN has a policy of disbursement by percentage or partial payments for both services and partnership contributions, limited to 30% of the project contribution at the beginning. However, this is subject to change based on the nature of the project.

DEPENDENCIES & CONSTRAINTS 

The donor approved the CRMFS Programme, and the budget is available until the stated completion date of this assignment. However, its continuation beyond the completion date depends on sectoral needs, partners’ complementarity in delivering expected outcomes, and the availability of funds.

IV. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

This section is designed to ensure that Bidders are provided with the necessary information to understand and respond to the requirements and ensure that a consistent level of information is obtained from each Bidder and provide a structured framework for the evaluation of Proposals.

Bidders should read these instructions carefully before completing their submission. GAIN CONTACT 

The following individual is the nominated contact for this RFP

Name/role: Jean Pierre Murekezi, Project Coordinator – Value Chains Development
Email address: jmurekezi@gainhealth.org

QUERIES AND CLARIFICATIONS 

• Bidders are to direct any questions regarding the RFP to the GAIN contact in writing via email. • It is the Bidder’s responsibility to ensure safe receipt of communication. • No other member of GAIN staff should be contacted in relation to this RFP unless directed to do so by the GAIN contact.
• GAIN may choose to convey responses to submitted questions and queries to all Bidders so that each is equally informed.
• GAIN may amend the RFP documents by issuing notices to that effect to all Bidders and may extend the closing date and time if deemed appropriate.

PREPARING YOUR RESPONSE 

• Bidders must obtain, at their own responsibility and expense, all information necessary for the preparation of Bids.

Bidders should notify GAIN promptly of any perceived inconsistency, or omission in this RFP, or any of its associated documents.

SUBMITTING YOUR RESPONSE 

• The Proposal and any accompanying documents must be in English
• Bidders must submit their Proposal in the following way:

Email to rwanda@gainhealth.org and copy the contact’s email address. The email subject line should be
Partnership – HIB Value Chain in Rwanda.

All submitted documents must be viewable using the Microsoft Office suite of applications. Your submission should not exceed 30MB.

Your submission must include the following:

Technical proposal:

A submission of no more than 10 pages of A4 in Word or PDF format, including:

• An introduction to your organisation. Your bid must make clear which organisation will be awarded the contract if your bid is successful1 and include evidence that you are a properly constituted business eligible to operate in Rwanda (business registration document, etc). Additionally, include evidence of any relevant insurance cover (for example professional indemnity cover, public liability insurance etc.)
• The individual/team who will be completing this work
• Approach and methodology, including timescales, milestones and KPIs • Understanding and experience, including two relevant examples of comparable work

Financial proposal:

• Detailed budget (see Notes on Budget below) in USD.
• Signed Offer of Services (see section V: Offer of Services below)

NOTES ON SUBMISSIONS 

• Bidders should not include in their submission any extra information which has not been specifically requested in the RFP for example, any sales literature etc.
• No Proposal may be modified after the deadline for receipt.
• GAIN may request additional information from Bidders to assist further evaluation of Proposals.

NOTES ON BUDGET

• As a donor-funded organisation, GAIN is committed to achieving value for money in all our procurements.
• The available budget for this opportunity is USD 300,000
• Submitted rates and prices are to be deemed include all costs, insurances, taxes, fees, expenses, and other things necessary for the performance of the requirement.
• Any charge not stated in the Proposal as being additional will not be allowed in any resultant contract.
• We are looking for full cost disclosure: there must be an appropriate breakdown of costs to allow for price visibility across the two components in the Specific Objectives.
• All rates and prices submitted must be in Rwandan Francs, and any contract arising from this RFP will be in Rwandan Francs.

1 For example, if you are submitting a bid as part of a Group of companies, you must explicitly state in your response which entity will be the contracting party if your Bid is successful.

NOTES ON EVALUATIONS 

• GAIN may choose to shortlist Bidders at any stage of the process.
• GAIN reserves the right to negotiate on the final costs and the final scope of work of the proposal. • GAIN reserves the right to limit or include third parties at GAIN’s sole and full discretion in such negotiations.
• Bidders should note that GAIN may award a Contract based on the original Bid received and may, at its absolute discretion, undertake any or all of the following processes: o shortlisting
  • taking up references
  • undertaking presentations or meetings
  • entering into a dialogue with one or more Bidders.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The following indicates a list of the significant criteria against which proposals will be assessed. This list is not exhaustive and is provided to enhance the applicants’ ability to respond to this Opportunity.

1. Understanding of the scope of work (15 points) 

1.1. The proposal shall demonstrate a clear understanding of the project objective and deliverables as outlined in Section 2.

2. Demonstrate a clear understanding of the technical requirements of this RFP (30 points)

2.1. Providing detailed technical documentation of the proposed strategy.

2.2. Evidence of experience delivering solutions

2.3. The creative and methodological approaches required to implement each of the parts of the scope of work.

2.4. Sustainability of the model

3. Comprehensiveness of work plan and reasonableness of proposed time frame (20 points)

3.1. The proposal shall include a feasible work plan to ensure the successful completion of deliverables.

3.2. The work plan details how activities will be coordinated.

4. Detailed budget and cost-effectiveness of proposed approach (20 points)

4.1. Evidence of cost-effective approaches to undertaking the scope of work within the proposed budget.

4.2. Partner contribution to the project cost, if any, and cost coverage

5. Experience and capacity (15 points) 

5.1. The team members working on this project shall have the relevant qualifications, and the roles and responsibilities of each team member shall be clearly defined.

5.2. Past experience in similar projects

5.3. The relevance of this project to their mission

5.4. Partner contribution – the higher it is, the more points (if any)

V. TERMS & CONDITIONS 

This section constitutes the full conditions of this RFP, and participation in the process automatically signals that the Bidder accepts the conditions.

JURISDICTION

Any Contract resulting from this RFP shall be governed by Swiss law.

LATE PROPOSALS 

Any bid received after the deadline may be rejected at GAIN’s absolute discretion.

DISCLAIMERS 

Bidders will not be compensated for costs incurred in preparing proposals, submitting revised proposals or in participation in any meeting or presentation.

This RFP does not commit GAIN to any course of action, it is not an offer or a contract and does not commit GAIN to contract for any of the services detailed within the RFP.

GAIN reserves the absolute right to:

• accept or reject any or all Proposals with or without notice or reason
• accept or reject any proposal in whole or in part
• accept a proposal other than the lowest priced
• negotiate with any, all or none of the Bidders
• modify or cancel this RFP

ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSALS 

GAIN is under no obligation to accept the lowest priced Proposal, or any Proposal, and reserves the right to reject any Proposal which is incomplete, conditional, or not complying with the RFP documents.

A Proposal may be for all or part of the Requirement and may be accepted by GAIN either wholly or in part.

A Proposal will not be accepted, in whole or in part, unless and until GAIN has signed a Contract in writing to the successful Bidder. GAIN reserves the right to:

• amend the terms and conditions of the procurement process
• cancel the evaluation and award process at any stage
• require the Bidder to clarify its Proposal in writing and/or provide additional information. Failure to respond adequately may result in the Bidder not being selected.

AMENDMENTS 

Prior to the final date for submission of Proposal, GAIN may issue amendments to clarify, modify or add to the procurement documents. A copy of each amendment will be issued to each Bidder and shall become part of the RFP

VALIDITY OF PROPOSALS 

Proposals submitted in response to this RFP are to remain valid for a period of not less than 90 days from the RFP closing date.

WITHDRAWALS 

Proposals may be withdrawn at any time prior to the RFP closing date and time by written notice to the Company.

INTERPRETATION OF REQUIREMENTS

Bidders are responsible for ensuring that they have all the information required for the preparation of their tenders and that they satisfy themselves about the information and correct interpretation of terminology used in the tender documentation.

Bidders must also ensure that they are fully conversant with the nature and extent of the obligations to be accepted by them if their tender is accepted.

ASSUMPTIONS 

Any assumptions that have been made in responding to this RFP should be outlined in the Bidders response documents.

CONFIDENTIALITY 

Except as required for the preparation of this Proposal, Bidders must not, without GAIN’s prior written consent, disclose to any third party any of the contents of the RFP documents. Bidders must ensure that their employees, consultants, and agents also are bound and comply with this condition of confidentiality.

FEEDBACK TO UNSUCCESSFUL BIDDERS 

GAIN appreciates that significant time and resource goes in to preparing a tender response, and we try to ensure that feedback is provided to all unsuccessful Bidders.

Please note however that GAIN does not share detailed scoring information with unsuccessful Bidders.

INCONSISTENCIES AND OMISSIONS 

Bidders must promptly advise the Company in writing of any inconsistencies and omissions they discover in the RFP.

RFP DOCUMENTS 

Bidders must destroy all copies of the RFP document if unsuccessful within 30 days of being notified they have not been successful (either issued by GAIN or created by the Bidder).

DISCLAIMERS 

Whilst the material in this RFP and the Information has been prepared in good faith, it does not purport to be comprehensive, nor has it been independently verified.

Neither GAIN nor their advisors, their respective directors, officers, members, partners, employees, other staff or agents makes any representation or warranty (express or implied) as to the accuracy, reasonableness or completeness of the Information; or accepts any responsibility for the information contained in the Information or for their fairness, accuracy or completeness of that Information nor shall any of them be liable for any loss or damage (other than in respect of fraudulent misrepresentation) arising as a result of reliance on such Information or any subsequent communication.

COLLUSIVE BEHAVIOUR 

Any Bidder who:

• fixes or adjusts the amount of their Response by or in accordance with any agreement or arrangement with any other party; or
• communicates to any party other than GAIN the amount or approximate amount of its Responses or information which would enable the amount or approximate amount to be calculated (except where such disclosure is made in confidence to obtain quotations necessary for the preparation of the Response or insurance or any necessary security); or
• enters into any agreement or arrangement with any other party that such other party shall refrain from submitting a Response; or
• enters into any agreement or arrangement with any other party as to the amount of any Response submitted; or
• offers or agrees to pay or give or does pay or give any sum or sums of money, inducement, or valuable consideration directly or indirectly to any party for doing or having done or causing or having caused to be done in relation to any Response, any act or omission.

shall (without prejudice to any other civil remedies available to GAIN and without prejudice to any criminal liability which such conduct by a Bidder may attract) be disqualified.

VI. OFFER OF SERVICES 

I/we agree to supply the required services described within this Request for Proposal, for the sum of:

Sum in figures: …………….………………………

Sum in words……………………………………………………………………………………………

I/we the undersigned confirm that I/we are able to furnish all expertise, supervision, materials, and any other things necessary to complete, to the entire satisfaction of the Executive Director or authorised representative, required services described within this Request for Proposal, according to GAIN’s terms and conditions.

I/we agree that any obvious errors in pricing or errors in arithmetic that may discovered by GAIN in examination of the priced Specification submitted by me/us shall have no effect on the amount of this offer unless GAIN shall otherwise decide.

I/we understand that the lowest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted.

I/we agree that the Offer of Services will remain valid for a period of sixty days (60) calendar days after the date of its receipt by GAIN.

I/we confirm that I/we have read the GAIN Code of Conduct and understand my/our duties under the Code.

I/We confirm that I/we have no actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest which apply to this procurement OR that I have notified GAIN in writing of any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest which apply to this procurement.

Signed by:

Print Name:

Job Title:

For and on behalf of (Company name):

Date:

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 Partnership To Strengthen The High Iron Bean (Hib) Value Chain In The Western Province Of Rwanda | GAIN