Germania - Servizi di consulenza per lo sviluppo aziendale - 10013553-Pool di esperti per l'attuazione di schemi di agricoltura contrattuale inclusiva (iCF)

The BMZ commissioned project "Strengthening Rural Value Chains" has received a co-financing from the Gates Foundation to develop a robust, competitive and inclusive horticulture sector in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, in alignment with the implementation of the Ethiopia National Horticulture Strategy (ENHS) and the CEHA National Chapters in Kenya and Uganda. By strengthening fruit and vegetable value chains (in particular avocado, onion and potato), the project seeks to drive sustainable job creation, income growth, improved nutrition, and enhanced regional trade integration across the COMESA and EAC regions. The primary target group consists of small-scale producers (SSPs), with particular emphasis on women and youth aged 18-35, as well as agribusinesses engaged in production, aggregation, value addition, exports, and domestic market supply. The project focuses on enterprises with strong growth potential in structured domestic, regional, and international markets, while addressing systemic constraints faced by women and youth, including limited access to finance, technical skills, productive resources, and market opportunities. In addition, the project works closely with producer organizations, cooperatives, industry associations, and private-sector service providers in areas such as finance, insurance, climate-resilient inputs, innovation, and sustainable farming solutions. The project is built around two complementary intervention areas. The first focuses on strengthening inclusive business models through inclusive Contract Farming (iCF) schemes and investor readiness support. Small-scale producers will be professionalized and integrated into sustainable markets through partnerships with aggregators, exporters, and other off takers. The project promotes improved access to quality inputs, advisory services, finance, and reliable markets, while supporting contracting enterprises to strengthen governance systems, operational efficiencies, and internal controls. Depending on the maturity of the enterprise, investor readiness support may include business model strengthening, financial management improvements, governance support, and access-to-finance facilitation. This approach enables agribusinesses to become more creditworthy, scalable, and resilient, while simultaneously improving market access and income opportunities for SSPs. The project also supports the development of domestic, regional, and export markets to diversify market opportunities and reduce vulnerability to market shocks. The second intervention area focuses on strengthening key market institutions and the enabling environment for the horticulture sector. The project supports the implementation capacities of the ENHS and the CEHA National Chapters in Kenya and Uganda, as well as their member associations. Horticulture sector associations will be strengthened to improve governance, service delivery, market information provision, collective marketing, and advocacy for conducive policy and regulatory frameworks. Enhanced institutional capacity will enable these organizations to better represent sector interests, influence policy reforms, and provide more effective services to their members. Addressing constraints simultaneously at micro, meso, and macro levels will improve sector competitiveness and create sustainable economic opportunities. By combining inclusive contract farming, investor readiness, market systems development, and institutional strengthening, the project is expected to increase the integration of small-scale producers into formal markets, improve access to finance and services for agribusinesses, strengthen sector coordination, and enhance the resilience and competitiveness of the horticulture sector. The tender supports the implementation of Primary Outcome 1 of the project through the provision of specialized technical assistance for the design and implementation of inclusive Contract Farming (iCF) schemes in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. The contractor will work in close coordination with GIZ project teams and relevant public and private sector actors to strengthen agribusinesses operating in selected fruit and vegetable value chains and support the achievement of the Ethiopia National Horticulture Strategy (ENHS) and the CEHA National Chapters in Kenya and Uganda. The overall objective of the tender is to support the piloting and scaling of inclusive business models that improve market integration, competitiveness, and investor readiness of agribusinesses while enhancing opportunities for small-scale producers (SSPs), particularly women and youth. Through the implementation of iCF schemes, participating agribusinesses will improve access for SSPs to quality inputs, advisory services, innovative technologies, finance, and structured domestic and export markets. Using a pool of experts steered by team leads in each country, the tender foresees the provision of one-on-one advisory and business development support to 10 agribusinesses across the three countries (5 in Kenya, 3 in Ethiopia, and 2 in Uganda). Support will cover several business growth dimensions, including technical business development, investor readiness, digital transformation, climate adaptation, and access to finance. Key interventions include enterprise diagnostics, market analysis, business process optimization, governance and compliance strengthening, financial management improvements, climate-smart and digital business solutions, market linkage facilitation, and investment matchmaking. The contractor will also support agribusinesses in strengthening inclusive contract farming arrangements with smallholder farmers. This includes improving enterprises" capacities to sustainably implement iCF schemes, increasing awareness among farmers and enterprises on the opportunities and requirements of iCF, and applying the GIZ methodology for inclusive contract farming. Additional support will include facilitating business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) linkages, strengthening partnerships with export promotion organizations such as the Import Promotion Desk (IPD), and supporting enterprises to better meet domestic and export market requirements related to quality, traceability, and compliance. The tender is structured around three interlinked work packages: Work Package 1: Agribusiness Onboarding and Strategy Development This work package focuses on the identification, onboarding, diagnostic assessment, and strategic planning support for participating agribusinesses. The contractor will develop comprehensive enterprise selection criteria to identify suitable enterprises for participation in the programme based on sector and market assessments. Following selection, the contractor will organize onboarding and kick-off sessions to align expectations, provide programme information, and formalize participation through commitments and non-disclosure agreements. The contractor will then conduct detailed enterprise diagnostic assessments covering areas such as statutory compliance, operational processes, stakeholder relations, market access, procurement systems, financial management, and infrastructure needs. Using these findings, enterprise-specific diagnostic reports and tailored business reform strategies will be developed. These strategies will identify key bottlenecks and define implementation roadmaps to strengthen enterprise competitiveness, internal systems, inclusivity, sustainability, and scalability. Work Package 2: Implementation Based on the approved business reform strategies, the contractor will provide bundled business development support tailored to the needs of each enterprise. This includes strategic-level support such as strengthening procurement systems, business process re-engineering and digitalization, product development, market access, and access to finance. Operational-level support will address day-to-day management issues, including accounting and bookkeeping, compliance with taxation, labour and environmental regulations, and human resource development. The contractor will strengthen the technical capacities of participating enterprises to sustainably implement iCF schemes, facilitate awareness raising among farmers and enterprises, and apply the GIZ iCF methodology and relevant country experiences. The contractor will also support enterprises in developing innovative services, technologies, and production methods that improve productivity, traceability, quality assurance, and climate resilience. In addition, the contractor will facilitate business exchange and exposure activities, including B2B and B2C roundtables, linkages with export promotion organizations such as the Import Promotion Desk (IPD), and participation in targeted market platforms. These interventions aim to strengthen commercial partnerships, improve understanding of buyer requirements and standards, and support enterprises in accessing high-value domestic and export markets. Work Package 3: Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting The contractor will establish a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system aligned with the overall project M&E framework in close coordination with GIZ. The system will support monitoring of implementation progress, assessment of enterprise performance, and tracking of project indicators and outcomes. The contractor will also document impact stories, case studies, and lessons learned from participating enterprises to support knowledge exchange and replication across the three countries.