DEADLINE: 10TH FEBRUARY, 2023
CULTIVATING NEW FRONTIERS IN AGRICULTURE (CNFA)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR ZECOOL INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED INTERNAL AUDIT ON GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY INITIATIVE (GFSI) COMPLIANCE
(1.1) Introduction:
CNFA is a US-based nonprofit nongovernmental organization (NGO) that works to stimulate economic growth and improve rural livelihoods by empowering the private sector through five core capabilities:
(1) Productivity, Food Security and Nutrition;
(2) Input Supply and Farm Services;
(3) Economic Resilience and Rapid Recovery;
(4) Value Chain Development; and
(5) Volunteer Technical Assistance. CNFA assists smallholders in increasing household-level food security and nutrition through improved agricultural practices, the introduction of new varieties, diversification of crop production, food preservation and storage, development of farmer-based organizations (FBOs) and strengthened linkages to markets.
The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity (hereafter referred to as “the Activity”), implemented by CNFA with Connexus Corporation and J.E. Austin Associates as sub-contractors, aims to strengthen the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. To achieve this goal, the Activity focuses on four interrelated components: improving the enabling environment for agricultural sector growth; broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; promoting and facilitating investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations; and sustainably enhancing the performance of agribusiness micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). In line with the U.S. and Nigerian governments’ commitment to growing the non-oil-based economy, these efforts will increase the depth, breadth, dynamism, and competitiveness of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
In line with facilitating access to finance, the Activity (Connexus) will provide technical support to Agribusiness lead firms who require assistance that will directly or indirectly impact their ability to secure finance and improve their organization’s capabilities. This will also positively impact certain key performance indicators of the Activity
Zecool Investment Company Ltd (Zecool) is an agribusiness company located in Kudenda, Kaduna. The firm specializes in sourcing, processing, storage, and repackaging of grains (maize, soybean, cowpea, and rice). In a quest for expansion and growth, Zecool has sought to become a registered supplier of maize and soybean to Nestle foods Plc. This will require them to expand their cash outlay to aggregate the required quantity requested by Nestle and be food safety compliant.
Based on this Zecool has requested the Activity to support them in the quest for GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) Certification for Internal Audit Compliance to be able to meet the requirement requested by Nestle and be food safety compliant.
Offerors are responsible for ensuring that their offers are received by CNFA (Connexus) in accordance with the instructions, terms, and conditions described in this RFP. Failure to adhere to instructions described in this RFP may lead to disqualification of an offer from consideration.
CNFA (Connexus) will consider proposals in response to this RFP from eligible local Independent Consultants and Firms. International firms/individuals are not eligible to apply for this assignment.
Application Submission:
Offer Deadline and Protocol: Offers must be received not later than 5:00 PM, WAT on 10 February, 2023. Offers must be submitted by email to operations@ag-invest.org
Please reference the RFP number in any response to this RFP. Offers received after the specified time and date will be considered late and will be considered only at the discretion of CNFA. The cover page of this solicitation summarizes the important dates of the solicitation process. Offerors must strictly follow the provided deadlines to be considered for award.
