Global Alliance For Improved Nutrition (GAIN)- Request For Proposal For Consultancy To Evaluate Applications For The Gain Micro-Grant Award

DEADLINE: 9TH DECEMBER, 2022
GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR IMPROVED NUTRITION (GAIN)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CONSULTANCY TO EVALUATE APPLICATIONS FOR THE GAIN MICRO-GRANT AWARD

(I) PROJECT BACKGROUND AND SCOPE OF WORK

(1) ABOUT GAIN
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-aN” 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 Denmark, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, we have country offices in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Tanzania. Programmes and projects are carried out in a variety of other countries, particularly in Africa and Asia.

GAIN’s Workforce Nutrition programme aims to improve the nutrition of workers and farmers in low and middle- income countries or communities. The programme focuses on improving the access and demand for healthier diets using existing business structures as an entry point (workplaces or supply chains). GAIN began its workforce nutrition programme in 2013 and has reached over 230,000 estate workers, smallholder farmers and their families in the tea, cocoa and garment supply chain across Africa and Asia. We currently work with partners in the tea sector (India, Kenya, and Malawi), cocoa sector (Ghana), garment sector (Bangladesh), and we are running pilots in a variety of industry sectors in Mozambique.

Our work on biofortified crops aims to scale access to and demand for nutrient-dense varieties of commonly consumed staples such as maize, sweet potato and cassava through targeted support to address challenges and constraints to increased production and consumption of these foods. We do this through market development and commercialization, such as in our partnership with Harvest Plus and through non-commercial pathways focused on farming households and public procurement systems.

A key part of our approach is improving the enabling environment for biofortified seeds, crops and food products through advocacy, catalytic financing, and the licensing of technology and related services. GAIN supports businesses, especially micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), through most of our programmatic offerings. This support is coordinated through the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Business Network (SBN), which is convened by GAIN in Nigeria and was launched in 2016 to improve and strengthen the private sector’s contribution to nutrition. The Network has supported businesses with brokering business-to-business linkages, facilitating connections to government and other sectors, including development partners, and capacity building for MSMEs to address critical barriers to start, grow and scale their business. Specific support areas include access to finance, access to markets, quality control and assurance in their production processes, and food safety and nutrition education.

(2) BACKGROUND
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is issuing this Request for Proposal (RFP) and will be the administrative lead organization for this RFP.

The purpose of this RFP is to engage the services of four (4) agribusiness consultants (one per State) to review, assess and evaluate the micro-grant applications from nutrition-focused businesses in the four selected states of implementation (Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Oyo states). This activity is part of the business support workstream to be implemented in the focal states for the next four years.

The Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples project is currently implemented by The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition in partnership with GIZ and the Green Innovation Centre for the Agricultural and Food Sector in Nigeria (GIC), with support from the German Government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Strengthening nutrition project will strengthen the GIC priority value chains and improve food security and safety through improved diets for farmers, farm workers, other workers in businesses in these value chains, and among the wider population in Nigeria. The business support component will empower women and young people and unleash the creativity and energy of youth and women to support their families, succeed in agri-business and attempt to tackle malnutrition, prevent food borne illnesses as well as food and social insecurity. This workstream will increase women and youth involvement in value-added agriculture and entrepreneurship that directly addresses the specific challenges that women and rural youth face in the four focal states for this project. It will respond to opportunities to harness the political will at local, state, and national levels in Nigeria to invest in creating economic opportunities for women and youth in the production, processing, and sale of nutritious and safe foods. This will be achieved by significantly increasing the knowledge and information available to women and young people about nutrition, food safety, increasing their participation in decision-making and targeting business support and investments so they can bring forward innovations, increase livelihood opportunities and build nutrition sensitivity into the GIC value chains.

This will be carried out using three interlinked approaches:

• Improving the nutritional quality of staple foods produced by SMEs and farmers involved in GIC activities.
• Improving the capacity of food safety and value chain actors to adhere to standards and regulations on best practices.
• Supporting technical innovations for supply chains through innovation challenges and innovation clinics.

(2.1) PROJECT STATES, LGAs AND VALUE CHAINS
Under the guidance of, and in consultation with the GAIN team responsible for the SNiPS and SBN project, the Consultant shall carry out this assignment ensuring that the select applications adhere to the project delivery approach as detailed below:

An application cannot be selected if it does not adhere strictly to this project delivery layout.

(3) ABOUT THE GAIN MICROGRANT
Over the past month, the GAIN project team have received a wide variety of applications for microgrants from small and medium-scale enterprises operating in Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue and Oyo states and beyond to scale their businesses and tackle food insecurity.

The microgrant for empowerment is designed to support nutrition focused businesses working on the nutrient- enriched Vitamin A Maize, Vitamin A Cassava and Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato, as well as Rice food products operating in Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue and Oyo States with equity-free grants to scale their businesses and tackle food insecurity in Nigeria.

(3.1) PROJECT STATES
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition seeks proposals from four (4) agribusiness consultants to review, assess and evaluate the micro-grant applications from nutrition-focused businesses in one (1) of the following states outlined below:

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition shall not accept applications from individuals to complete this activity in more than one state or any state not outlined above.

(4) SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES
The consultant will carry out an independent review and evaluation of grant applications submitted by SMEs to determine eligibility for the GAIN micro grant activity. The consultant will carry out this activity in line with the specific eligibility criteria determined by the program team.

The consultant will be expected to identify 10 finalists adhering closely to the project delivery approach whose nutrition focused businesses aligns with the objectives of the micro grant activity. The consultant is not expected to conduct any travel for this work. The review of applications can be done in person or remotely at the convenience of the consultant.

Specific deliverables include:

(a) Develop and submit a rubric for evaluating applications.

(b) Screen out candidates who do not meet minimum requirements and develop a long list of businesses who fit the basic eligibility criteria for the grant award.

(c) Conduct phone or virtual interviews where necessary to elicit and verify information submitted.

(d) Develop a final shortlist of 10 applicants whose businesses fit the eligibility criteria and whose business models impact positively on the objectives of GAIN and the SNiPS project.

(5) DELIVERABLES
As outlined in the table below, the consultant is expected to complete and submit the following deliverables against the indicative time schedule. A detailed time and payment schedule will be agreed upon with the consultant prior to signing the contract and grant agreement.

(6) REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERTISE

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness, Business Management, or any other relevant field.
• Solid technical expertise in Entrepreneurship or Business Advisory (or closely related domains); consulting, business development or enterprise support services provision.
• Experience supporting entrepreneurs, innovators and/or agri-businesses.
• Good understanding of the dynamics of the Nigerian agri-business sector in relation to business model fit.
• Knowledge of business strategy, financial statements, business regulatory requirements, etc.
• Experience working in or with the private sector, especially with SMEs is a plus.

(II) INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING
This section addresses the process for responding to this solicitation. Applicants are encouraged to review this prior to completing their responses.

(7) CONTACT
Please direct all inquiries and other communications to the contact below. Reponses will not be confidential except in cases where proprietary information is involved.

• Subject: GAIN Microgrant Support
• Email: sbnnigeria@gainhealth.org and copy jpilaku@gainhealth.org

(8) BUDGET
The budget shall not exceed NGN 700,000 per state. The budget covers the cost of reviewing 100 applications for a duration of 14days (two weeks). The budget will be inclusive of all expenses and all taxes/VAT and indirect costs.

(9) FORMAT FOR PROPOSAL
The proposal needs to be formatted as follows:

• Suggested allocation of days and cost for each deliverable for this consultancy (maximum 1 page).
• Maximum 3-page concept note describing suggested approach for this consultancy.
• Resume/s.
• Offer of Service

(10) SUBMISSION
An electronic copy containing the documents preferably in PDF along with all the required information including the financial proposal should reach GAIN at the address mentioned below:

Email copy:

• Subject: RFP: GAIN MICROGRANT 2022
• To be sent to sbnnigeria@gainhealth.org .
• and in copy gehiabhi@gainhealth.org and jpilaku@gainhealth.org

(11) DEADLINE
Completed proposals should be submitted to GAIN before 11:59am on 9 December 2022.

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