Requests for Proposals

Malawi continues to face significant challenges with undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, particularly among children under five and women of reproductive age, leading to poor health outcomes. The EU-funded FOCUS project, led by Self-Help Africa (SHA) in partnership with GAIN, CSONA, and CADECOM, seeks to improve nutrition by strengthening Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and promoting the consumption of fortified and biofortified foods. Biofortification of staple and legume crops offers a sustainable solution, yet many communities lack access to certified seed or planting materials for crops such as high-iron beans, provitamin A maize, and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP). Addressing these gaps requires strong, coordinated seed value chains that connect alliances, seed companies, regulators, policymakers, CSOs, and development partners. This consultancy will provide phased technical assistance to strengthen these networks and enhance the adoption of biofortified crops across Malawi.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this RFP is to engage services of a qualified organisation with strong expertise in evaluative research in the food systems space to: (1) design the methodology for an eventual evaluation of I-CAN progress and achievements, to be used in the future, and (2) undertake a ‘light touch’ interim assessment of I-CAN progress to date.
 

Set out below is the proposed timescale for this procurement. It is a guide and whilst the GAIN does not intend to depart from the timetable, it reserves the right to do so at any stage. For all dates, the deadline is 23:59 CET.

RFP Questions and Answers

The purpose of this RFP is to engage the services of a qualified organisation or individual to strengthen the vegetable value chain by building the capacity of vegetable actors across the value chain that supports the availability, safety, and traceability of nutritious vegetables at points of purchase. 

The model seeks to empower market actors through sustainable, market-driven approaches, ensuring that vegetables are accessible and affordable to households, while building viable businesses across the value chain.

Background

The purpose of this RFP is to engage services of a qualified organisation with strong expertise in qualitative and quantitative data collection in the food systems space to support development and testing of a set of indicators for understanding youth engagement in food systems in Africa.