Request For Proposal: Terms Of Reference for a Mid-Term Review (MTR) for the Investing In Women in the Blue Economy Kenya Programme (IIW-BEK)- March 2

1. Introduction

The AECF, LLC (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is a leading non-profit development organisation that supports innovative enterprises in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors with the aim of reducing rural poverty, promoting climate resilient communities, and creating jobs.

We catalyze the private sector by surfacing and commercializing 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. We finance high risk businesses that struggle to access commercial funding; we are committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financing institutions dare to go.

To date, we have supported over 510 businesses in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 33million lives and created over 35,000 direct jobs.

AECF is headquartered in Kenya and has offices in Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Sudan, Benin, and Somalia.

2. Investing In Women in the Blue Economy in Kenya

Investing In Women in the Blue Economy in Kenya (IIW-BEK) is a five-year gender equality and economic inclusion programme (February 2022, to February 2027) being implemented by AECF with the generous support of Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The programme contributes to unlocking the potential for positive socio-economic and environmental outcomes in Kenya’s blue economy in Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean regions.

Primarily by providing CAD 5,000,000 in grant funding to eligible women-owned medium, small, and micro enterprises, IIW-BEK will create 1,500 jobs (60% for women). Indirectly, the project focus is to reach 50,000 (60% women) poor and vulnerable people through community awareness programming to rebalance women’s restrictive social norms and through products and services offered by grant recipients. IIW-BEK will leverage CAD 3.99 million from private sector financing in matching contribution. The main goal of IIW-BEK is to contribute to enhanced economic empowerment of women and young women-owned enterprises, their suppliers, and those that produce for them along key supply chains where women are discriminated against in the blue economy in Kenya.

The programme seeks to:

1. Support women’s economic participation in non-traditional sectors of the blue economy.
2. Enhance private sector engagement of women as economic actors across the blue economy value chain.
3. Increase private and public sector investment in women and young women-owned Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
4. Reduce systemic gender inequalities that hinder women’s effective economic participation in the blue economy sectors

About the programme Investing in Women in the Blue Economy.

2.1 Programme Components

The overall project outcome is enhanced economic empowerment of women and their enterprises in key supply chains achieved through increased business performance and climate resilience of women and young women-owned micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and reduced systemic gender inequalities that women entrepreneurs and their smallholder suppliers, including informal women workers face in targeted counties of Kenya’s Blue Economy.

The program breakdown structure includes these themes.

• Affordable finance for climate-smart investments by women and young women-owned MSMEs.
• Access to resilient markets for women and young women-owned MSMEs in Kenya’s Blue Economy
• Access to climate-smart technologies for women and young women-owned MSMEs.
• Awareness among community members, particularly men on promoting equal opportunities and reduced gender barriers against women and young women.
• Private sector engagement of women and young women-owned MSMEs as economic agents in the Blue Economy supply chain.
• Strengthening capacity of government and other actors to refine and implement gender-responsive economic development and legal frameworks in the Blue Economy.

3. Purpose of the Assignment

The mid-term review (MTR) will cover 38 months (February 2022 to-March 2025). This mid-term programme review will focus on this implementation period. The mid-term review is forward looking and will capture effectively lessons learned and provide information on the nature, extent and where possible, the potential impact and sustainability of the IIW-BEK programme. The MTR will assess the programme’ design, scope, implementation status and the capacity to achieve the expected outcomes. They will collate and analyse lessons learned, challenges faced, and best practices obtained during implementation period which will inform the potential scaling pathway. The emphasis on lessons learned speaks to the issue of understanding what has and what has not worked as a guide for future planning. The review will assess the performance of the programme against planned results. They will also assess the preliminary indications of potential impact and sustainability of results including the contribution to capacity development and achievement of sustainable development goals. The findings and recommendations of the evaluations will inform the key stakeholders of IIW-BEK programme.

4. Scope of Works

The scope of this assignment is to review the performance of the IIW-BEK programme. The objective of the mid-term review (MTR) is geared towards promoting performance improvement, accountability, learning, evidence-based decision-making and management of the IIW-BEK programme. In particular, the review will assess the theory of change, assumptions, and the progress made on the project outcomes as outlined in the logic model and performance measurement framework. The MTR will draw lessons, provide recommendations and inform adjustment towards improving effectiveness and achieving the planned results. The MTR will also concentrate on the administrative and operational processes put in place by the AECF to manage the implementation and cover the special funds components designed to catalyze investments for women owned MSMEs, associated training, and technical assistance (TA). The consultant is expected to incorporate a participatory and feminist MTR model that ensures support and empowerment.

The MTR will be conducted in the target counties of the programme namely – Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu, Busia, Siaya, Kisumu, Homabay and Migori.

The specific objectives of the MTR include.

• Program design and relevance: validate the ToC and the project assumptions as implement by the project, alignment between program objectives, targets, and the needs of the women entrepreneurs, suppliers and employees in the blue economy value chains in Kenya.
• Implementation progress: assess the progress toward achieving the program’s key objectives, outcomes, and targets by AECF other implementing partners against the evaluation criteria of; efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, sustainability and impact.
• Effectiveness: to evaluate the potential of the program to address the challenges women face in the blue economy and whether its activities have led to tangible outcomes such as increased women’s economic participation, leadership roles, and sustainable practices.
• Gender integration: assess the effectiveness of the genders and social norms interventions towards achieving transformative gender outcomes and social inclusion in Kenya’s blue economy.
• Stakeholder engagement: review the involvement of key stakeholders (local authorities, businesses, NGOs, etc.), their roles, and the effectiveness of their partnerships.
• Sustainability: assess the sustainability of program impacts, both in terms of continued benefits for women and the long-term viability of blue economy initiatives.
• Value for money: using the FCDO rubric evaluate the economy, efficiency, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the program.
• Challenges & lessons learned: identify challenges encountered and key lessons learned during the program’s implementation and emerging opportunities.

The review will use the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) assessment criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and to the extent possible in a mid-term review, consider the potential impact and sustainability of the programme. A review matrix will be completed by the consultant and included in the MTR inception report. The matrix should include key evaluation questions, evaluation sub-questions, indicators, sources of information and methodology.

4.1 Deliverables/Expected Outputs

The consultant(s) or firm undertaking the mid-term review will provide the following deliverables:

a. Inception report to be produced within 10 days of contract signature detailing the following.

• Confirmation of the methodology and scope of work.
• Validated theory of change, reconstructed intervention logic and evaluation matrix.
• Initial interview lists and interview guides, surveys, and other data collection tools.
• MTR work plan.
• 1st draft MTR report
• Final MTR report template.

b. A draft Mid-Term Review Report- The consultant is expected to generate the first draft report within 45 after the signing of the contract. This draft report will be presented and discussed with AECF. Input from these discussions will be incorporated into the subsequent reports.

c. Final Mid-Term Review Report- The final report shall be submitted within 45 days the signing of the contract. This report will include separate elements for the detailed MTR of the IIW-BEK programme covering items outlined in the scope of this TOR with special attention to the main findings and conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations. Issues requiring management response should be clearly outlined.

d. The final MTR report will be presented in the below format

• Table of Contents
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Description of Evaluation Methodology
• Major Findings
• Lessons Learnt
• Conclusion and recommendations
• Appendices: project facts sheet, charts, terms of reference, field visit, people interviewed, document reviewed, etc.

e. Presentation of Findings- The consultant will be expected to make a virtual or in-person presentation of the report to AECF.

Comments will be provided within two working days on the receipt of each report.

5. Qualifications Experience

The consultant is expected to be a firm including team members with a variety of competencies and a clear matrix on leadership and roles. It is expected that the team should have expertise in the following areas Economic growth, Value chain development/ Blue Economy/Private Sector development, Financial inclusion and financial services, Programme evaluation, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion and Statistician.

The minimum competencies to be provided from across the team members must include:

• Prior experience in managing/implementing at least five concessional finance programmes of a similar nature and scope.
• At least 10 years’ experience in conducting programme evaluations including demonstrated experience in evaluation report writing.
• Significant (at least 10 years) experience in the Blue Economy Sector context, with demonstrable competence in private sector investments directly linked to women’s economic empowerment.
• The Team leader will have expertise in one of the technical areas listed above as well as expertise and demonstrated experience in designing evaluation methodology and data collection tools and demonstrated experience in leading similar reviews/evaluations.
• Experience with gender analyses and data collection.
• Capacity in data entry, processing, analysis, and associated report preparation.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Swahili is an added advantage.
• Kenya Sign language interpretation will be provided by AECF.

6. Duration

The assignment should be executed in 90 days

7. Reporting

The consultant will report to the Programme Manager IIW-BEK.

8. Proposal submission

Interested companies/individuals must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications.

1. A technical proposal, max 15 pages (excluding annexes) including the following:

• A profile of the lead consultant (max. 3 pages) explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
• CVs of the team composition, expertise and their role in the assignment.
• A comprehensive description of the consultant’s understanding of the Terms of Reference and indicating any major inconsistency or deficiency in the Terms of Reference and proposed amendments Proposed methodology and work plan for executing the assignment.
• Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments.
• Letters of references/recommendation from previous companies/assignments
• Relevant services undertaken. Sample of past work: applicants are requested to submit a sample of similar tasks to demonstrate the experiences required by this Terms of Reference
• Registration and other relevant statutory documents (this apply to Institutional consultants).

2. A financial proposal

• Financial proposal in KES clearly showing the proposed team member, roles, and proposed days and the proposed professional fee. The financial proposal shall also include an indication of reimbursables (travel, meals, communication etc.)

9. Pricing

The AECF is obliged by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold taxes on service contract fees as well as ensure that value added tax (VAT), 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.

10. Evaluation Criteria

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.

No.

Criteria for Assessment

Marks

1

Understanding the assignment

10

Description of the service to be provided

5

Understanding of what AECF is expecting from the work

5

2

Methodology and work plan

20

Relevance of the methodology proposed to the needs of the assignment

10

Adequacy of the work plan, including key deliverables and capacity to deliver within a realistic timeline based on the consultancy days designated for the task

10

3

Technical experience of staff offered

40

Relevant tertiary level qualification and years of professional experience of the proposed team; and demonstrated Team Leader’s expertise in one of the technical areas as well as expertise and demonstrated experience in designing evaluation methodology, data collection tools, gender analysis, financial analysis and demonstrated experience in leading similar reviews/evaluations.

5

Prior experience in evaluating programmes of a similar nature and scope; including reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments.

10

Experience in conducting programme evaluations for donor-funded programmes including demonstrated experience in evaluation report writing. (experience with GAC funding evaluation)

10

Evidence of similar previous experience, at least 5 years, in the Blue Economy sectors in Kenya context, with demonstrable competence in private sector investments directly linked to women economic empowerment.

15

4

Financial Proposal

Clarity, relevance, reality to market of value/value for money of cost for the assignment (inclusive of any applicable tax)

30

Total Score

100

How to apply

11. Application details

The AECF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AECF considers all interested candidates based on merit without regard to race, gender, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

• Interested consultants are requested to submit their technical and financial proposal to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 18th March 2025, 5pm (EAT).
• All questions should be directed at the procurement email by 11th March 2025, 5pm (EAT).
• The subject of the email should be MTR FOR THE IIW-BEK PROGRAMME. 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.

Request For Proposal: Terms Of Reference for a Mid-Term Review (MTR) for the Investing In Women in the Blue Economy Kenya Programme (IIW-BEK)- March 2025 – AECF

12. 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.

NB: The AECF does not charge an application fee for participation in the tender process and has not appointed any agents or intermediaries to facilitate applications. Applicants are advised to reach out directly to the AECF PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT.