DEADLINE: 28TH AUGUST, 2923
GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR IMPROVED NUTRITION (GAIN)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUN BUSINESS NETWORK (SBN) NIGERIA STRATEGY, IMPLEMENTATION PLAN and SUB-REGIONAL HUB ENGAGEMENT PLAN
All deadlines are described in detail under section 9 – Timelines.
As part of the selection process, GAIN reserves the right to request clarifications regarding bids that substantially qualify. Questions in the technical review are at GAIN’S discretion and will only be directed to bidders who have submitted substantially responsive bids.
The final award is subject to other terms and conditions included in this solicitation, as well as the successful final negotiation of all applicable terms and conditions related to the awarded contract.
PROJECT BACKGROUND AND SCOPE OF WORK ABOUT GAIN AND THE SUN BUSINESS NETWORK (SBN)
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. In addition, we have country offices in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Benin, Uganda, and Tanzania. Programmes and projects are carried out in a variety of other countries, particularly in Africa and Asia.
In 2010, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement was launched to support national leadership and collective action to scale up nutrition through a multi-sectoral and stakeholder approach. The SUN Business Network (SBN) is one of the four global networks that support SUN countries (along with UN, Civil Society and Donor Networks). SBN is co-convened by GAIN and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and further supported by an Advisory Group comprised of senior business leaders.
The SBN aims to reduce malnutrition in all its forms through mobilizing business to invest and innovate in responsible and sustainable actions and operations. To do this SBN provides a neutral platform to broker partnerships and collaboration between business and all actors on nutrition at national, regional and global level to support SUN Country plans. We believe that when consumers demand improved nutrition, business will act, and national economies will grow. The SBN currently has presence in 44 countries and convenes more than 1,400 members at global and national level.
Launched in April 2016, SBN Nigeria has been inspiring actors in the private sector, including but not limited to Small and Medium Scale enterprises, to invest in nutrition by making commitments that eventually result in improving demand for and access to nutritious food in the country, we have also established partnerships and collaborations that have provided an enabling environment for businesses in the food and nutrition space while strengthening Public-Private Partnership towards improving Nutrition in Nigeria.
Through this initiative, GAIN Nigeria will contribute to growing a sustainable market for nutritious, affordable foods for consumers as part of a strategy led by the Government of Nigeria to reduce malnutrition in its population. It will create opportunities for wider participation of the private sector to engage and make commitments in nutrition through the development of the SBN platform, as well as providing advice and services to private sector companies wanting to improve nutrition in Nigeria.
Over the past 7 years, SBN Nigeria has focused on the following:
- Increasing private sector participation and contribution towards improving nutrition by using the platform to support businesses to develop Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely (SMART) nutrition commitments.
- Sensitizing private sector companies/employers on the specific role they can play in improving nutrition, examples include workforce nutrition, nutrition clinics and product fortification etc.
- Engaging the private sector in identifying, formulating and reformulating nutrition-related products and services
Advocating to multi-sectoral stakeholders on the need to increase the consumption of nutritious foods and focusing on support for business with huge potentials to increase access healthier diets for Low- and Middle-Income Consumers (LMIC).
Assignment Background
The food chain in Nigeria comprises various businesses, ranging from micro to large-scale enterprises, including Multi-national Companies (MNCs). Each of these businesses plays a crucial role in the food system by producing, processing, distributing, and trading the food consumed across different income levels. Market actors, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), have the potential to lower food costs and increase the availability of nutritious options, effectively addressing various forms of malnutrition, such as underweight and stunting, through effective programs and partnerships.
When businesses are presented with a clear business case, they are willing to invest in national programmatic areas, such as school feeding, employee nutrition, the production of complementary foods for young children, and promoting foods that support a healthy diet and good nutrition. This approach contributes to a holistic national effort to combat malnutrition.
Despite the significant opportunity for Nigerian businesses to strengthen markets and contribute to improved nutrition, they face challenges in accessing capital, technical support, and a conducive business environment, which limits the potential for market-based solutions to promote the consumption of safe and nutritious food.
SBN Nigeria, since its inception, has grown in reach and capacity, adapting its programs to meet the evolving needs of businesses. Membership has become more diverse, embracing cultural, geographical, value chain, and business model parameters to promote inclusivity, particularly for women and youth.
To address the barriers faced by women, young people, and entrepreneurs in the informal sector, SBN Nigeria aims to incorporate gender, youth, and Base of the Pyramid (BOP) perspectives into its country operations. Discriminatory societal norms, cultural biases, and unfair institutional structures often hinder women and young people from achieving their entrepreneurial goals.
In 2023, SBN Nigeria took a step towards supporting businesses at the sub-national level by inaugurating sub-regional leads in five regions: North-West, North-Central, South-West, South-South, and South-East. These business executives volunteered their time and efforts to strengthen SBN’s impact in Nigeria.
To ensure effective support and engagement with businesses at the sub-national levels, capturing their diverse needs, regardless of location, size, or cultural background, is crucial. Therefore, SBN Nigeria intends to develop an engagement strategy plan that will provide clear direction and actionable steps to achieve the network’s goals. This strategy plan will also extend to guiding SBN’s Regional Hub-leads in their efforts to drive meaningful changes within their respective regions.
To achieve this, SBN seeks to engage the services of a consultant who will update the current SBN Nigeria strategy and develop a comprehensive engagement plan that aligns with the network’s mission and vision, empowering businesses to contribute significantly to improved nutrition outcomes in Nigeria.
Objectives and outputs of this consultancy
Based on the above background, GAIN is looking to engage a short-term consultant to lead the following activities that are crucial in developing and launching the SBN Nigeria Strategy:
Specific objectives
(1) In line with relevant national nutrition priorities, consult relevant national stakeholders including the Government of Nigeria to develop the SBN Nigeria Strategy (2023 – 2027)
(2) Develop a 5-year implementation plan (2023 – 2027) that supports the operationalization of the SBN Nigeria strategy and includes an action plan that outlines how the SBN can engage women and youth.
(3) Develop a results framework for the recommended action plans for SBN Nigeria
(4) Harmonize and synthesize key inputs from GAIN Nigeria, SUN movement Nigeria and the global SBN strategy documents for integration into the draft SBN Nigeria strategy document.
(5) Develop an engagement and governance model structure and terms of reference for SBN Nigeria regional hub-leads.
(6) Validate the draft SBN Nigeria strategy and implementation plan with government, potential SBN members, SUN networks, and other stakeholders.
Deliverables:
- Deliverable 1: Provide a timeline (detailing all activities) and the revised methodology after the kick-off meeting.
- Deliverable 2: Conduct an extensive desk review of pertinent documents to enhance comprehension and facilitate the execution of the task.
- Deliverable 3: Develop an inception report containing the finalized action plan, list of stakeholders to be consulted, and overview of the SUN network and her global and national mandates, an executive summary as well as other information that are deemed vital and agreed upon during the kickoff meeting.
- Deliverable 4: Develop 5-year strategic plan for SBN Nigeria.
- Deliverable 5: Develop engagement strategy plan for the governance model for SBN subregional leads.
- Deliverable 6: Create a sustainable plan for SBN Nigeria
Scope of Work and Deliverables
Consulting several source documentations such as the Global SBN Strategy, Nigeria’s National MultiSectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition, the Nigeria SUN movement strategy, GAIN Nigeria strategy, the global SBN “How to Guide” as well as the Global SBN Youth and Women strategy documents, the consultant will develop an all-inclusive network strategy document that will guide the full implementation and operations of SBN Nigeria.
This will also involve creating implementation guidelines to guide the network. The consultant will work closely with GAIN/SBN Global Secretariat, SUN Movement Secretariat and the SBN Nigeria team while consulting with a diverse group of other external stakeholders.
The lead consultant for this project will be expected to travel for the strategy validation workshop.
To support the creation of the country strategy the consultant will undertake the following tasks:
- Conduct a desk review of all relevant literature that will serve as input into the final strategy. Some of the literature comprises internal documents that will be made available upon signing the contract.
- Identify opportunities for strengthening SBN Nigeria programmes through strategic partnerships with pertinent international organizations that can contribute to the success of the network in Nigeria.
- Include examples and suggestions of opportunities for support that are appropriate for micro to large scale nutrition enterprises in Nigeria.
- Examine governmental nutrition strategies and action plans, pinpointing possible avenues for involvement by national and subnational SBN networks to contribute to the fulfillment of the national framework and action plans concerning nutrition.
- Identify deficiencies in the supportive ecosystem for nutrition businesses, highlighting potential areas where the SBN can assume a leading role in addressing those gaps.
- Evaluate the current worldwide SUN frameworks and tools, including suggested country strategies, and propose methods to harmonize them with GAIN and the national SUN movement priorities. This analysis will also consider the practical resource constraints of the SUN Business network.
- Examine available literature on subnational SBN structures and develop a preliminary governance model for them.
- Carry out an overview of nutrition-specific donor interests as well as alternative fundraising sources and recommend action plans for SBN.
- Carry out all necessary stakeholder interviews that are critical to the achievement of this assignment.
- Create a sustainable plan for SBN Nigeria, taking into account its current partnerships, the size of businesses in the network, and other important factors that could either support or hinder SBN’s progress towards becoming an independent network
To develop the engagement strategy and the governance model for the regional hub-leads the consultant will undertake the following tasks.
- Engage with the hub-leads to understand their operations and initial draft strategy:
Collaborate with the hub-leads to gain insights into their scope of operations and their existing draft strategy. Help them align their strategy with SBN’s overarching strategy and desired outcomes.
- Suggest periodic activities for fostering dialogue, partnerships, and positive outcomes:
- Propose specific activities that will facilitate ongoing dialogue and collaboration among the sub-regional hubs.
- Identify opportunities for fostering partnerships with relevant stakeholders to achieve positive
Budget outcomes aligned with SBN’s goals.
- Develop the terms of reference for the regional hub leads:
- Define the roles and responsibilities of the regional hub leads, clearly outlining their engagement with businesses at the sub-national level.
- Provide a comprehensive understanding of the level of voluntary engagement, emphasizing that it is not an affiliation to SBN or GAIN as a brand name.
The amount for this consultancy will not exceed NGN4,000,000
Please note that bids exceeding the budget limits defined by the standards of GAIN’S procurement policy will not be taken into consideration.
