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 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 in Ethiopia has been re-registered and accorded legal personality with re-registered and accorded legal personality with registry Number 2896 by Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Agency for Civil Society Organization.
1.2. Background
The EatSafe (Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food) programme aims to generate evidence and knowledge of the potential of increased consumer demand for safe food to substantially improve the safety of nutritious foods in informal market settings in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The five-year programme is funded by USAID and is undertaken by a consortium led by GAIN and containing the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Pierce Mill Education and Media as well as Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics (Busara). In Ethiopia, where GAIN holds a country office, programme activities are centred around ‘Aroge Gebeya’ in Hawassa, Sidama region.
The Market Improvement Initiative (MII) is one of EatSafe’s interventions that aims to boost local stakeholders’ engagement and coordination around food safety in local markets, through the development of a Market Improvement Plan (MIP) for Aroge Gebeya. Led by the Hawassa Mayor’s Office with operational support provided by EatSafe, the MII brings together government officials, key stakeholders, and market operators to work towards a common goal: improving the health and safety of traditional marketplaces. The MII taskforce consists of 25 members from Government offices, Academia, Religious institutions, and the Private sector.
The MII taskforce has finalized a detailed MIP that will be implemented during 2024-2026. The taskforce now needs to obtain funding to finance the plan, from different sources, including community contributions, and national and international funders.
As part of its capacity building plan, GAIN is planning to provide training on grant proposal writing & development for the MII taskforce in Hawassa. This training will support the task force in building their capacity to effectively secure funding through the development of high-quality grant proposals, which meet the funders’ criteria and interest.
1.3. Objective
GAIN is looking to hire the services of a consultant to support the training of 25 MII members on 3 consecutive days in Hawassa. The aim of this consultancy is to equip and strengthen the taskforce with the skills needed to develop, design and write good quality, effective proposals and reports. The medium of instruction for this training will be Amharic and English.
1.4. Scope of work and deliverables
1.4.1. Scope of Work
● Develop comprehensive training modules (based on the context of the Market Improvement Initiative):
○ development of funding narratives and strategic approaches relevant to the MIP that would attract interest from funders (e.g. WASH, economic growth, women/youth skills development);
○ identification of funders & funding opportunities, and guidance on which ones to select.
○ analysis of funding calls based on stated objectives and criteria.
○ proposal design to meet these criteria.
○ and proposal writing and budgeting.
● Prepare and submit an Inception report outlining details/process on how the (3) three-day training will be conducted, and methodologies and tools to be used.
● Develop pre- and post- evaluation assessments.
● Lead the delivery of training lasting not more than 3 days.
● Conduct the evaluation of the training.
● Prepare and submit the outcome report of the training to GAIN.
1.4.2. Deliverables
| Key Deliverable | Indicative timelines |
| Submission of training modules and detailed training plan | 4 March 2024 |
| Submission of final training materials based on feedback from GAIN Submission of Power point deck | 10 March 2024 |
| Deliver the training. Conduct pre and post training evaluation at the beginning and end of training, provide attendance sheets, and other pertinent outputs. | Third weeks of March 2024 |
| Submission of report on training outcomes | Mid-April 2024 |
Job Requirements
· PhD or master’s in project management, Evaluation and Analysis
· Proof of at least five (5) years of experience of providing similar training services and developing grant proposals and implementation
· Track record of timely service delivery including evidence of previous similar work
· Excellent interpersonal communication skills
How to Apply
This section addresses the process for responding to this solicitation. Applicants are encouraged to review this prior to completing their responses.
Please direct all inquiries and other communications to the contact below. Responses will not be confidential except in cases where proprietary information is involved.
· GAIN Ethiopia Office
· E-mail: [email protected]
· Phone: +251 116 610088
· Addis Ababa
Budget
Applicants are required to provide GAIN with a detailed fee on their financial proposal. For the services in accordance with the conditions of this RFP. Please note that all prices are subject to withholding tax.
Format for proposal
The proposal needs to be formatted as follows:
· Technical proposal (max 5 pages):
a) Description of previous relevant work (maximum 1 page)
b) Brief biography & experience of identified consultant (maximum 1 pages)
c) Detailed proposal explaining how the areas of work mentioned in objectives and Scope of Work will be addressed, including risk and mitigation strategy, sustainability, and timeline (maximum 4 pages)
d) References
· Financial proposal:
a) Budget (in Ethiopian Birr)
b) Detailed budget justification & notes.
· 3. Offer of services
Submission
Originals should be submitted as follows:
One hard signed copy of the Proposal and an electronic copy containing the documents preferably in MS Word along with all the required information including the fee proposal should reach GAIN at the address mentioned below:
Hard copy:
Technical and Financial proposals should be presented in a separated and stamped envelopes in person to:
GAIN Ethiopia Office,
Moya Foods Building, 2nd Floor,
Bole, in front of Ethiopian Youth Sports Academy
Addis Ababa-Ethiopia
The envelope needs to be superscripted as:
GAIN Ethiopia Office,
Proposal on Grant proposal writing training
Name of the applicant:
Address:
Phone number:
Deadline
Completed proposals should be inserted in the available box at the GAIN office before 23 February 2024,5:00 PM EAT. Proposals submitted after this time will not be considered.
Unacceptable
The following proposals will automatically not be considered or accepted:
· Proposals that are received after the RFP deadline.
· Proposals received by fax.
· Incomplete proposals.
· Proposals that are not signed.
Revisions
Proposals may be revised by electronic mail and confirmed by hard copy provided such revision(s) are received before the deadline.
Acceptance
GAIN will not necessarily accept the lowest cost or any of the Proposals submitted. Accordingly, eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria and mandatory requirements shall govern.
Completion
· Proposals must be submitted on official letterhead of the lead organisation or firm and must be signed by a principal or authorising signatory of the lead firm or organisation.
· In case of errors in calculating overall costs, the unit costs will govern.
· It is the applicant’s responsibility to understand the requirements and instructions specified by GAIN. In the event that clarification is necessary, applicants are advised to contact the responsible person at GAIN under section II. point 1., prior to making their submission.
· While GAIN has used considerable efforts to ensure an accurate representation in this Request for Proposal (RFP), the information contained in this RFP is supplied solely as a guideline. The information is not warranted to be accurate by GAIN. Nothing in this RFP is intended to relieve applicants from forming their own opinions and conclusions with respect to the matters addressed in this RFP.
· By responding to this RFP, the applicant confirms its understanding that failing to comply with any of the RFP conditions may result in the disqualification of their submission.
Rights of rejection
GAIN reserves the right to reject any or all submissions or to cancel or withdraw this RFP for any reason and at its sole discretion without incurring any cost or liability for costs or damages incurred by any applicant, including, without limitation, any expenses incurred in the preparation of the submission. The applicant acknowledges and agrees that GAIN will not indemnify the applicant for any costs, expenses, payments or damages directly or indirectly linked to the preparation of the submission.
References
GAIN reserves the right, before awarding the Proposal, to require the applicant to submit such evidence of qualifications as it may deem necessary, and will consider evidence concerning the financial, technical and other qualifications and abilities of the applicant.
Release of information
After awarding the Proposal and upon written request to GAIN, only the following information will be released:
· Name of the successful applicant.
· The applicant’s own individual ranking
Notice of non-binding solicitation
GAIN reserves the right to reject any and all bids received in response to this solicitation and is in no way bound to accept any proposal. GAIN additionally reserves the right to negotiate the substance of the successful applicants’ proposals, as well as the option of accepting partial components of a proposal if deemed appropriate.
confidentiality
All information provided as part of this solicitation is considered confidential. In the event that any information is inappropriately released, GAIN will seek appropriate remedies as allowed. Proposals, discussions, and all information received in response to this solicitation will be held as strictly confidential.
Right to final negotiations on the proposal
GAIN reserves the right to negotiate on the final costs, and the final scope of work of the proposal. GAIN reserves the right to limit or include third parties at GAIN’s sole and full discretion in such negotiations.
Evaluation criteria
Proposals will be reviewed by the Selection Team. The following indicate a list of the significant criteria against which proposals will be assessed. This list is not exhaustive or 100% inclusive and is provided to enhance the applicants’ ability to respond with substance.
Applicants are required to submit the following information, conforming to the guidelines given in this section:
· Understanding of the scope of work:
o Proposal shall demonstrate a clear understanding of the project objective and deliverables as outlined in Section I.
· Demonstrate a clear understanding of the technical requirements of this RFP:
o Providing detailed technical documentation of the proposed strategy.
o Evidence of experience delivering solutions using the proposed information technology platform.
· Comprehensiveness of work plan and reasonableness of proposed time frame:
o Proposal shall include a feasible work plan to ensure successful completion of deliverables.
o The work plan details how activities will be coordinated.
· Detailed budget and cost-effectiveness of proposed approach:
o Evidence of cost-effective approaches to undertaking the scope of work within the proposed budget.
o Proposal shall identify possible challenges and include creative approaches to addressing them.
· Management and personnel plan:
o If there are other team members working on this project the consultant shall submit the relevant qualifications and overall experience of the team members to successfully implement the task.
o Roles and responsibilities of each team member shall be clearly defined. GAIN shall have one main contact person clearly identified in the proposal.
· A duly completed offer of services.
GAIN reserves the right to contact the individuals and contractor(s) in order to verify the information provided as part of the Proposal.
Review process
The review process will involve a Review Panel with participants selected by GAIN.
Limitations with regard to third parties
GAIN does not represent, warrant, or act as agent for any third party as a result of this solicitation. This solicitation does not authorise any third party to bind or commit GAIN in any way without GAIN’s express written consent.
Communication
All communication regarding this solicitation shall be directed to appropriate parties at GAIN. Contacting third parties involved in the RFP, the review panel, or any other party may be considered a conflict of interest and could result in disqualification of the proposal.
Final acceptance
Award of a Proposal does not imply acceptance of its terms and conditions. GAIN reserves the right to negotiate on the final terms and conditions including the costs and the scope of work when negotiating the final contract to be agreed between GAIN and the applicant.
Validity period
The offer of services will remain valid for a period of 60 days after the Proposal closing date. In the event of award, the successful applicant will be expected to enter into a contract subject to GAIN’s terms and conditions.
intellectual property
Subject to the terms of the contract to be concluded between GAIN and the applicant, the ownership of the intellectual property related to the scope of work of the contract, including technical information, know-how, processes, copyrights, models, drawings, source code and specifications developed by the applicant in performance of the contract shall vest entirely with GAIN.
Scope of change
Once the contract is signed, no increase in the liability of GAIN or in the fees to be paid by GAIN for the services resulting from any change, modification or interpretation of the documents will be authorised or paid to the applicant unless such change, modification or interpretation has received the express prior written approval of GAIN.
