Request for Proposals (RFP) – Individual Consultants for Technical Assistance to Rubavu District to Establish a Comprehensive Strategic Plan That Aligns With the District’s Vision for Agribusiness and Nutrition.

Section 1 – General Information

Solicitation Number:	RFP 2024-11-061
Solicitation Type:	Request for Proposals (RFP) – Individual Consultants Only
Procurement Description:	Technical assistance to Rubavu District to establish a comprehensive strategic plan that aligns with the district’s vision for agribusiness and nutrition.
Anticipated Period of Performance	December 2024 – May 2025
Place of Performance:	Rubavu District and with possible travel to other Rwandan districts as needed
Contracting Party:	Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) For: Rwandan Individual Consultants Only Under: Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Wunguke Activity 72069623CA00001
Release Date:	November 25, 2024
Point of Contact for Questions:	Name: Title: Address: Email:		Aaron Gatabazi Procurement & Operations Manager ST. KG 28 Ave. Kimihurura hingawunguke@cnfarwanda.org
Questions:
	Instructions: Questions must be submitted in writing; phone calls will not be accepted. Only CNFA’s written answers will be considered official and carry weight in the solicitation and subsequent evaluation. Verbal information received from CNFA, or any other entity should not be considered an official response to any questions. Question Deadline: December 3, 2024
Offers:	Offer Deadline: December 9, 2024
	Via:	☒ Email
	Instructions: Reference the Solicitation Number in any response to this solicitation. Offers received after the specified time and date will be considered late and considered only at CNFA’s discretion. Offerors must strictly follow the deadlines provided in this solicitation to be considered for award.
Offer Validity:	Offers must remain valid for not less than 90 calendar days after the offer deadline.
Award:	An award will be made to the offeror who is determined to be the best offeror per the evaluation criteria and methodology provided herein. CNFA will not issue an award to different offerors, entities, or third-parties other than the selected offeror(s) which submits an offer in response to this solicitation. CNFA anticipates awarding a fixed price contract to the selected offeror(s).
Terms and Conditions:	The resultant award is subject to CNFA’s standard Terms and Conditions as stipulated in Section 6.

Section 2 – Scope of Procurement

Introduction to Offerors:

About CNFA & Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Wunguke Activity

Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) is an international agricultural development organization that specializes in the design and implementation of sustainable, enterprise-based agricultural initiatives. CNFA implements the Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Wunguke Activity, a USAID-funded $28M five-year (January 2023 – January 2028) initiative with the objective to increase incomes and improve nutritional outcomes by sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and strengthening domestic consumption of and markets for safe, nutritious food products (raw and processed).

The activity applies a market systems development (MSD) approach to strengthen private-sector engagement through co-investments and partnerships to improve agricultural productivity, markets, farmer incomes, and nutrition. Hinga Wunguke has four complementary Intermediate Results (IRs) referred to as activity components:

• Sustainably increase agricultural productivity
• Access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses increase
• Improve producers’ market and nutrition outcomes
• Strengthen the enabling environment to foster market driven agriculture.

Hinga Wunguke (HW) is focusing its interventions in thirteen Districts (Zone of Intervention), namely: Bugesera, Burera, Gakenke, Gatsibo, Karongi, Kayonza, Ngoma, Nyabihu, Nyamagabe, Nyamasheke, Ngororero, Rubavu, and Rutsiro. The Activity works with public and private sector actors in rural, urban, and peri-urban areas across Rwanda relevant for a well-functioning system in selected agriculture value chains. Hinga Wunguke is prioritizing value chains which have the greatest potential impact on increasing farmer incomes, MSME (medium and small enterprises) profitability and nutrition outcomes. Its current priority value chains include maize, beans (HIB, French beans, dry & shelled beans), soybeans, Irish potato, peas (dry & green), sweet potato (OFSP), carrot, tomato, mango, avocado, and passion fruit.

Overview of the Assignment   

The purpose of this Solicitation is to solicit an individual consultant to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that aligns with Rubavu District’s vision for enhancing agribusiness and improving nutrition outcomes, ensuring sustainable economic growth and food security for the local population.

Scope of work:  Develop a comprehensive strategic plan that aligns with the district’s vision for agribusiness and nutrition by focusing on the following key areas:

• Stakeholder Engagement: Foster active participation and collaboration among stakeholders to ensure that the strategic plan reflects the diverse perspectives, needs, and aspirations of the community.
• Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening: Enhance the skills and capabilities of District technical staff and private stakeholders to effectively implement the strategic plan and achieve its goals.
• Resource Mobilization and Management: Identify and secure the necessary financial and human resources to implement the strategic plan effectively and sustainably.
• Innovation and Adaptation: Encourage innovative approaches and solutions in agribusiness and nutrition to respond to emerging challenges and changing circumstances.
• Sustainability and Scalability: Ensure that the strategic plan promotes long-term sustainability and the potential for scaling successful interventions beyond the initial context.

Tasks

This Individual Consultant will be responsible for the achievement of the below scope of work:

Inception Phase (1 month) Workstream A: Prepare advisory services to identify, assess, and propose solutions for challenges in agribusiness and nutrition

• Kick-off meeting with HW and Rubavu District Leadership and set-up of communication and cooperation framework.
• Review available documentation including District Development Strategy (2025-2029) focusing on agriculture and nutrition, District performance contracts (Imihigo) for the year 2024-2025, reports from current activities, operational manuals, and propose recommendations to address the gaps, if any.
• Prepare and draft an inception report, include insights from document review, revised methodology and operational plan.
• Rubavu District and HW to review and provide feedback and approval of the inception report.
• Finalize and submit the final version of the inception report.

Implementation Phase (1month) Workstream 1: Strategic planning and stakeholder engagement

• Conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to understand the current landscape.
• Facilitate workshops with stakeholders to define strategic priorities.
• Draft a strategic plan document outlining goals, timelines, and responsible parties
• Identify key stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, community leaders, and private sector partners.
• Organize stakeholder meetings to gather input and foster buy-in for the strategic plan.
• Develop a stakeholder engagement plan detailing roles, responsibilities, and communication strategies.

Implementation Phase (2 months) Workstream 2: Resource mobilization and management, Innovation and adaptation

• Conduct a resource mapping exercise to identify existing resources and gaps.
• Research potential funding sources, including grants, partnerships, and community contributions.
• Develop a resource mobilization strategy that outlines approaches for securing necessary funding
• Encourage innovation and experimentation in the design and implementation of initiatives.
• Remain adaptable and responsive to changing circumstances, including shifts in policy, market trends, or community needs.

Work Package (1 month) 3: Capacity building and institutional strengthening

• Assess the capacity needs of district staff and institutions involved in agribusiness and nutrition initiatives considering social inclusion. (youth, women and people with disabilities)
• Provide training, coaching, and mentoring to enhance the skills and capabilities of staff and institutions

Work Package 4. Monitoring, Evaluation and learning, Sustainability and Scalability  

• Establish a robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to measure the impact of initiatives.
• Use data and lessons learned to inform decision-making, adjust strategies, and improve outcomes.
• Develop strategies to ensure the sustainability and scalability of initiatives over time.
• Consider how initiatives can be replicated or expanded to reach more beneficiaries and achieve greater impact.

Work Package 5. STTA Closure (Final week)

• Handover of all materials and deliverables
• STTA closure meeting.
• Finalize the report
• Submission of the final report (including recommendations) to Rubavu District and Hinga Wunguke management for final approval.

Deliverables and Schedule:

The individual consultant will contribute to the creation of several key reports as follows:

#	Deliverable Description	Anticipated Due Date after Contracting
1	Inception Report: Detailed inception report including advisory services on set-up of communication and cooperation framework; report on reviewed documentations: District Development strategy (2025-2029) focusing on agriculture and nutrition; District performance contracts (Imihigo) for the year 2024-2025 and reports from current activities; operational manuals; and proposed recommendations to address the gaps.	15 days after contracting
2	Implementation Phase 1 Report: Report on a completed SWOT analysis, drafted strategic plan document outlining goals, timelines and responsible parties, list of identified key public and private stakeholders, meetings or workshops organized to collect input and foster buy in for the strategic plan adoption and the developed stakeholder engagement plan detailing roles, responsibilities, and communication strategies.	2 months after contract signing
3	Implementation Phase 2 Report: Comprehensive Report on identified existing resources and gaps, potential funding sources including grants, partnerships and community contributions; a developed resource mobilization strategy that outlines approaches for securing necessary funding.	3 months after contact signing
4	Implementation Phase 3 Report: Comprehensive training needs assessment report; proposed capacity-building plan; designed training/coaching methodology plan, training materials; workshops and training reports; report on customized on agribusiness and nutrition improvement.	4 Months after contract signing
5	Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning & Reporting on Sustainability and Scalability transitions: Reports on developed monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework including: complete list of indicators, developed monitoring tools to measure the impact of initiatives, developed strategies to ensure the sustainability and scalability of initiatives over time, list of recommendations on how initiatives can be replicated or expanded to reach more beneficiaries and achieve greater impact.	5 Months after contract signing
	Presentation of the final report: The consultant will present the final report (including recommendations) to Rubavu District and Hinga Wunguke management for final approval.	5.5 months after contract signing.
6	STTA Closure: Full handover report of all materials and deliverables; closure report (including recommendations).	6 months after contract signing

The overall allocation of the work to be done by the consultant will be managed by the Hinga Wunguke Enabling Environment Director

Section 3 – Evaluation Methodology and Criteria

CNFA will use a Weighted Trade-Off Analysis, Including Cost Criteria evaluation methodology for this solicitation. Weighted Trade-Off Analysis selects the offeror providing the best overall value to CNFA, considering both price and technical factors, according to the assigned weights provided in the evaluation criteria. The Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) will assess offer acceptability in accordance with the following criteria:

Criteria	Criteria Description	Assigned Weight
Methodology	The offeror should clearly outline how the SOW described in Section 2 will be completed, and a proposal for when the deliverables will be submitted within the period of performance. The methodology should also highlight the understanding of the subject matter of the technical assistance in its context.	30
Qualifications and required expertise	Master’s Degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Nutrition, Food Science, Rural Development, or related fields. Advanced Certification or Professional Training in fields such as agricultural marketing, food security, value chain development, or public health nutrition can be an advantage. Proven Experience: At least 10 years of experience in agribusiness development, food security, agricultural value chains, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, or related fields. Agribusiness Development: Skills in market analysis, value chain development, supply chain management, and market linkages. Nutrition Knowledge: Understanding of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, dietary diversity, food safety, and nutrition interventions. Policy and Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with agricultural policies, food security regulations, and public health guidelines related to nutrition. Project Design and Management: Ability to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate agribusiness or nutrition projects. Resource mobilization and management: Proven expertise in Resource or Fund Mobilization for agriculture and Nutrition initiatives. Sector-Specific Experience: Hands-on experience working with NGOs, or government agencies (local authorities), farmers’ cooperatives, agribusinesses on projects in agribusiness, market access, food security, or nutrition improvement. International or Regional Experience: Exposure to working in diverse agricultural systems or nutritional contexts, especially in developing regions, is often highly valued. Language: Kinyarwanda required and French or English preferred.	30
Working with USAID/Donors	Demonstrated experience working with US government funded initiatives (i.e USAID, USDA) or other international donors and funders.	10
Budget	Reasonableness and allowability of proposed budget relative to the above-mentioned preferred qualifications and scope of work.	30
Total		100 points

Note: Only selected applicants will be contacted for further negotiations.  

Section 4 – Offer Format Instructions

Offers in response to this solicitation must comply with the following instructions:

• Submissions will be accepted in the following language(s): English
• Include the following in the offer footer:
• Offeror name
• Solicitation Number
• Page Numbers
• Offer in the format provided in Annex 1

Section 5 – Complete Offer

A complete offer must include the following documents:

• Completed Annex 1 – Offer Template
• Copy of the Offeror’s business license – if an individual, a copy of personal identification
• CV/Resume

Section 6 – CNFA Terms and Conditions

Ethical and Business Conduct: CNFA is committed to integrity in procurement, and only selects offerors based on objective business criteria such as price and technical merit. CNFA does not tolerate fraud, collusion among offerors, falsified proposals/bids, bribery, or kickbacks. Any organization or individual violating these standards will be disqualified from this solicitation, barred from future procurement opportunities, and may be reported to both CNFA’s Client – as applicable – and the appropriate Office of the Inspector General.

Employees and agents of CNFA are strictly prohibited from asking for or accepting any money, fee, commission, credit, gift, gratuity, object of value or compensation from current or potential vendors or suppliers in exchange for or as a reward for business. Employees and agents engaging in this conduct are subject to termination and will be reported to CNFA’s Client – as applicable – and the appropriate Office of the Inspector General. In addition, CNFA will further inform these agencies of any Offerors’ offers of money, fee, commission, credit, gift, gratuity, object of value or compensation to obtain business.

Please contact the designated Point of Contact on the Solicitation Cover Page with any questions or concerns regarding the above information or to report any potential violations. Potential violations may also be reported directly to CNFA’s Fraud Hotline in writing via email at FraudHotline@cnfa.org or you may make an anonymous report by phone, text, or WhatsApp to the CNFA Global Fraud Hotline at 202-991-0943.

Terms and Conditions: This Solicitation is subject to CNFA’s standard terms and conditions. Any resultant award will be governed by these terms and conditions; a copy of the full terms and conditions is available upon request. Please note the following terms and conditions will apply:

• CNFA’s standard payment terms are 30 calendar days after receipt and acceptance of any commodities or deliverables. Payment will only be issued to the entity submitting the offer in response to this Solicitation and identified in the resulting award; payment will not be issued to a third party.
• No commodities or servicesmay be supplied that are manufactured or assembled in, shipped from, transported through, or otherwise involving any of the following countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria.
• Any international air or ocean transportation or shipping carried out under any award resulting from this Solicitation must take place on U.S.-flag carriers/vessels unless otherwise approved by CNFA.
• United States law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. The selected offeror under any award resulting from this Solicitation must ensure compliance with these laws.
• United States law prohibits engaging in any activities related to Trafficking in Persons. The selected offeror under any award resulting from this Solicitation must ensure compliance with these laws.
• The title to any goods supplied under any award resulting from this Solicitation shall be passed to CNFA following delivery and acceptance of the goods by CNFA. The risk of loss, injury, or destruction of the goods shall be borne by the offeror until title passes to CNFA.
• The offeror is prohibited from providing certain telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as a critical technology as part of any system, produced by the following covered companies, and their subsidiaries and affiliates, in the performance of any resulting award: Huawei Technologies Company; ZTE Corporation; Hytera Communications Corporation; Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company; Dahua Technology Company; and any other company as determined by the United States Government. The offeror certifies it will not provide covered telecommunications equipment or services to CNFA in performance of the resulting award. If covered telecommunications equipment or services are offered, the offeror must disclose it.

Disclaimers: This is a Solicitation only. Issuance of this Solicitation does not in any way obligate CNFA, its project(s), or its client(s) to make an award or pay for costs incurred by potential offerors in the preparation and submission of an offer. In addition:

• Offerors are responsible for ensuring their offers are received by CNFA in accordance with the instructions, terms, and conditions described in this Solicitation; failure to adhere to instructions may lead to disqualification
• CNFA may cancel the Solicitation and not award at any time
• CNFA may reject any or all responses received
• Issuance of the Solicitation does not constitute award commitment by CNFA
• CNFA reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on offeror failure to follow the Solicitation instructions
• CNFA will not compensate offerors for response to the Solicitation
• CNFA reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion
• CNFA may negotiate with offerors for their best and final offer and/or request clarifications from any offeror prior to award
• CNFA reserves the right to increase or decrease its order for quantities or units with the selected offeror
• CNFA may reissue the Solicitation or issue formal amendments revising the original Solicitation specifications and evaluation criteria before or after receipt of proposals
• CNFA may modify the specifications without issuing a formal notice to all offerors when the revisions are immaterial to the scope of the Solicitation
• CNFA may choose to award only part of the activities in the Solicitation, or issue multiple awards, if in the best interest of CNFA
• CNFA reserves the right to waive minor offer deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition
• Offerors understand that CNFA’s Client(s) is not a party to this Solicitation and the offeror agrees that any protest hereunder must be presented – in writing with full explanations – to CNFA for consideration. CNFA’s Client(s) will not consider protests regarding procurements carried out by CNFA. CNFA, at its sole discretion, will make a final decision on any protest for this procurement.

PART 1 – COVER LETTER

To: Aaron Gatabazi, Procurement and Operations Manager

    KG 28 Ave., House 7, Kimihurura

Reference: Solicitation No: RFP 2024-11-059

Procurement Description: Request for proposals to support Rubavu District to Establish a comprehensive strategic plan that aligns with the district’s vision for agribusiness and nutrition

To Whom It May Concern:

We, the undersigned, hereby provide the attached offer to perform all work required to complete the activities and requirements as described in the above-referenced Solicitation. Please find our offer attached.

We hereby acknowledge and agree to all terms, conditions, special provisions, and instructions included in the above-referenced Solicitation. We further certify that the below-named organization—as well as the organization’s principal officers and all commodities and services offered in response to this Solicitation—are eligible to participate in this procurement under the terms of this solicitation and under the applicable regulations.

Furthermore, we hereby certify that, to the best of our knowledge and belief:

• We have no close, familial, or financial relationships with any CNFA, its project staff members, or its client (as applicable).
• We have no close, familial, or financial relationships with any other offerors submitting proposals in response to the above-referenced Solicitation.
• We and our principal offerors are not debarred, suspended, or otherwise considered ineligible for receiving US Government funds. We understand that CNFA will not make any award to an entity that is debarred, suspended, or considered ineligible by the US Government.
• The prices in our offer have been arrived at independently, without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other offeror or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.
• All information in our proposal and all supporting documentation is authentic and accurate.
• We understand and agree to CNFA’s prohibitions against fraud, bribery, and kickbacks.
• We understand and agree to CNFA’s prohibitions against funding or associating with individuals or organizations engaged in terrorism or trafficking in persons activities.

We hereby certify that the enclosed representations, certifications, and other statements are accurate, current, and complete:

For:	Offeror Name:	Offerors must provide entity name, if applicable, here
Submitted By:	Name:	Offerors must print name of the authorized person who completed this offer here
	Title:	Offerors must provide title of the authorized person who completed this offer here
	Signature:	Offerors must provide signature of the authorized person who completed this offer here
	Date:	Offerors must indicate the date this offer was completed here
Organization Information:	Phone:	Offerors must provide phone number for contact if selected for negotiation or award here
	Email:	Offerors must provide email for contact if selected for negotiation or award here
	Address:	Offerors must provide address for contact if selected for negotiation or award here
	Website:	Offerors must provide organization website, if applicable, here
	Country of Nationality:	Offerors must indicate their country of legal organization, ownership, citizenship, or lawful permanent residence here
	Registration or Taxpayer ID Number:	Offerors must provide registration and/or taxpayer ID number here

PART 2 – PROPOSAL

Offerors are instructed to complete this form and place it on the Offeror’s letterhead. Once completed, this form serves as the binding proposal in response to this solicitation and is valid for the period identified on the cover page of this Solicitation. Failure to submit the information required herein may lead to disqualification of the offer.

Technical Proposal

Background

A two-page overview of the assignment’s objectives should be included in the proposal.

Work Plan

A 5-page (max) proposal should clearly outline how the SOW described in Section 2 will be completed, and a proposal for when the deliverables will be submitted within the period of performance. Please also be sure to answer the below points:

• If there are required materials to be provided by the client to facilitate this assignment.
• The work plan should explain the details of each activity, key milestones and indicative delivery schedules.

Offeror’s Profile

The proposed expert(s) by the firm should have at least a master’s degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Nutrition, Food Science, Rural Development, or other related field from a recognized university/institution.

The CV of each proposed expert should be attached as an annex to the proposal and should highlight the expert’s working experience, demonstrate knowledge and understanding of market analysis, value chain development, supply chain management, and market linkages and nutrition-sensitive agriculture, dietary diversity, food safety, and nutrition interventions. The CV is limited to no more than 5 pages.

The offeror must demonstrate strong Hands-on experience working with NGOs, or government agencies (local authorities), farmers’ cooperatives, agribusinesses on projects in agribusiness, market access, food security, or nutrition improvement.

Total Size of the Submission

In sum, the offeror’s proposal should consist of a document which includes the Cover Letter, a two-page background, a 5-page (max) methodology and work plan, and a 5-page maximum limit each for CVs as an annex, as well as a 1–2-page Cost Proposal, and including corporate references, as described in this section and in section 2 below.

Cost Proposal

Budget

Within the submission, the Offeror is instructed to complete the below financial proposal table. The financial proposal should be presented in RWF for Rwandan nationals. The cost proposal must match the degree of sophistication of the technical proposal. CNFA reserves the right to negotiate the proposed budget or request clarification at its discretion.

CNFA reserves the right to negotiate the proposed budget or request clarification at its discretion.

Cost Category	Quantity	Unit Price [RWF]	Total Price [RWF]	Budget Notes
Propose line-items within each Cost Category; repeat for as many lines as necessary	Offerors must provide the quantity of units here	Offerors must quote the unit price here	Offerors must provide the total price (unit x quantity x unit price) here	Offerors must describe the purpose of the cost and basis for price here
1. [Personnel] Consultancy fees
4. [Transportation]
5. [Communication]
6. [Services]
7. [Other Direct Costs]
8. [Indirect Costs]
Total
VAT (if Applicable)
GRAND TOTAL

Deliverables

Offerors are instructed to complete boxes highlighted in gray:

Deliverable	Deliverable Description	Anticipated Delivery Date	Offered Delivery Date
1.	Inception Report		As per deliverable schedule of TOR
2.	Implementation Phase 1 Report		As per deliverable schedule of TOR
3.	Implementation Phase 2 Report		As per deliverable schedule of TOR
4.	Implementation Phase 3 Report		As per deliverable schedule of TOR
5.	MEL Performance Report		As per deliverable schedule of TOR
6.	Closeout (Final) Report		As per deliverable schedule of TOR

Tax Considerations

Offerors are made aware of CNFA’s tax status in Rwanda. CNFA is VAT tax exempt, but Offerors are required to submit both prices before tax and with taxes.  Offers submitted must comply with these tax considerations.

Bank Account

Offerors are instructed to complete boxes highlighted in gray:

Does the Offeror have an active bank account?	☐ Yes ☐ No
If yes, provide the Offeror name associated with the bank Account if selected for eventual award.	Offerors must provide the name associated with their bank account, if applicable, here
If yes, provide the location and the currency associated with the bank account.	Offerors must provide the location and currency associated with their bank account, if applicable, here   Beneficiary Name: [enter beneficiary name, i.e. Supplier name] Bank Name: [enter bank name, i.e. SunTrust] Bank Address: [enter address] Account number: [enter account number] Currency: [enter account currency i.e. RWF] IBAN Number (required for all international wire transfers in USD) Swift/BIC Number: [enter SWIFT number] Intermediary Bank Name: (required for all international wire transfers in USD) Intermediary Bank Swift Code: (required for all international wire transfers in USD) Intermediary Bank Account Number (optional): (required for all international wire transfers in USD).

References

Offerors are instructed to complete the boxes highlighted in gray:

Reference No.	Reference Name	Contact Information	Affiliation
1	Offerors must provide name of reference (organization or individual) provided here	Name: Phone: Email: Address:	Offerors must describe relationship with reference here
Etc.	Offerors must provide name of reference (organization or individual) provided here	Name: Phone: Email: Address:	Offerors must describe relationship with reference here
Etc.	Offerors must provide name of reference (organization or individual) provided here	Name: Phone: Email: Address:	Offerors must describe relationship with reference here