Request for proposals

Table of contents

I.Project Background And Scope Of Work

Ii.Instructions For Responding

Iii.Terms And Conditions Of This Solicitation

project background and scope of work 

About GAIN

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, Benin, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Programmes and projects are carried out in a variety of other countries, particularly in Africa and Asia.

BACKGROUND

Rwanda is striving to develop economically and increase its standard of living. There is a strong growing body of evidence that improved health contributes to rapid growth of GDP per capita; healthier workers are physically and mentally more energetic, and less likely to be absent from work because of personal illness or illness in their family, leading to increased productivity and higher earnings. Hence, Rwanda is adopting diverse strategies to enhance the nutrition profile of all segments of the population belonging to different social strata and geographic entity. School feeding program is one of the entry points to provide concrete nutritional outcomes to the future citizens of the nation that will cause good performances while preventing morbidity among school children.

Hence, GAIN Rwanda will be implementing its new project of combating malnutrition through sustainable food systems in selected districts (Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Karongi, Rutsiro, and Nyabihu), in the Western province of Rwanda. Hence, GAIN is seeking proposals from qualified consultants / firm to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the School Feeding Program in the Western Province of Rwanda. One of the identified channels to increase consumption of nutritious foods is the School Feeding Programme. School Feeding Program has been an integral part of the Governments strategy to address children’s hunger during the school days. This supports Rwanda’s human capital creation and provides access to educational opportunities to the less privileged. Poor health and malnutrition are key underlying factors for low school enrolment, attendance, poor performance and non-completion since a hungry child cannot grow nor learn, Additionally, the School Feeding Program provides several benefits, for school children, for their households, and for local communities. They include Education, Nutrition & Health, Social protection & Gender Equality and Agriculture that leads to derived multiplier effects for local economies. The successful candidate will customise the information in the national school feeding programme literature and analysed findings into a detailed report tailored to the 5 districts (Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Karongi, Rutsiro, and Nyabihu).

OBJECTIVES

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is issuing this Request for Proposal (RFP) and will be the administrative lead organization for this RFP.

The purpose of the assignment is to comprehensively assess the effective implementation of providing high quality safe and nutritious school meals to students in the 5 selected districts (Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Karongi, Rutsiro, and Nyabihu), in the Western Province by leveraging food produced from local farmers / cooperatives, especially the inclusion of Biofortified beans / High iron Beans while promoting the local economy. This will include identifying challenges and barriers to effectively integrate Biofortified beans / High Iron Beans in the School meals. The goal is to provide actionable recommendations and strategic guidance to enhance nutritional quality of the diets.

The objective of the consultancy is to:

1. Assess nutritional adequacy, quality and safety of school meals.
2. Evaluate the operational efficiency of the supply chain, procurement, and distribution.
3. Identify challenges and opportunities for sustainability with the introduction of biofortified beans in the menu.
4. Review alignment of the national school feeding program with school feeding operational guidelines in meeting the intended goals of the school feeding program.
5. Provide actionable recommendations for improvement of the School Feeding Program, including how Biofortified beans / High Iron Beans [HIB] can be integrated into school meals.

SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

Timeframe All deliverables are required to take 40 to 45 days from the time the work commences.

The successful consultants / firm shall conduct a comprehensive desk review of existing literature, reports, and data on School Feeding Program in the 5 selected Districts (Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Karongi, Rutsiro, and Nyabihu), dietary habits, and nutritional status of the population as well as the challenges in accessing nutritious diets to obtain optimum health for productive life of citizens in Rwanda. The successful applicant/s will provide a district wise report:

• Review existing school feeding program policies, guidelines, and operations, including nutritional content of meals, their procurement and storage/warehousing system
• Assess the current status of the school feeding program in the 5 selected districts: mapping the industries and suppliers supporting the school feeding program and its potential to integrate biofortified beans.
• Conduct Stakeholder Engagement and Consultations to gather insights into the integration of biofortified beans in the school meals.
• Analyze the cost-effectiveness of integrating biofortified beans into the menu comparing it to the current food options in school feeding programs.
• Design indicators on a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework for tracking the success of biofortified beans in the school feeding program on student nutrition & health outcomes.
• Provide evidence-based policy recommendations and Action Plan for scaling up biofortified beans in school feeding programs.

Expected Deliverables:

The expected deliverables at the end of the assignment are:

• Inception reportwith detailed work plan with timelines, methodology, and stakeholder engagement plan.
• Program assessment reportindicating comprehensive analysis of the current school feeding program, nutrition profile of meals, school menu, mapping the industries and suppliers supporting the school feeding program and feasibility of integrating biofortified beans.
• Stakeholder consultation reportincluding challenges, opportunities, and insights on the inclusion of biofortified beans.
• Cost-benefit and feasibility reportwith detailed financial analysis of integrating biofortified beans / HIB, including recommendations on logistics, cost-saving measures, and sustainability.
• Monitoring and evaluation frameworkwith a set of indicators and tools for monitoring the implementation and impact of biofortified beans /HIB in schools.
• Provision of evidence-based policy recommendationsfor scaling the use of biofortified beans / HIB in the national school feeding program.
• Presentation of key findings and recommendationsto government bodies, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders.
• An integrated final reportindicating all the findings indicating stakeholder input, feasibility analysis, and recommendations for future actions.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The consultant should possess the following:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING:

This section addresses the process for responding to this solicitation. Applicants are encouraged to review this prior to completing their responses.

The timeline for completion of all aspects of the scope of work and submission of deliverables is outlined in the following table. 

Contact 

Dr. Hilda Vasanthakaalam hvasanthakaalam@gainhealth.org is part of the selection team of the organization and will review the proposals. She will be available via email to respond to clarifications on this solicitation. Please direct all inquiries and other communications to rwanda@gainhealth.org and rfp@gainhealth.org with the subject line with the subject line: Question: Landscape Assessment of School Feeding in Rwanda Queries sent by 13^th March 2025 will be responded to via an online post on the GAIN RFP website. Responses will not be confidential except in cases where proprietary information is involved

Budget 

Applicants are required to provide GAIN with a detailed fee proposal, including the number of days of work projected and the daily rate in US Dollars. The final budget amount will have to be approved by GAIN prior to starting the project.  

Format for proposal 

Interested applicants should prepare a proposal that consists of the following:  

• An expression of interest including reasons for interest in the task, qualifications conducting similar assessments, experience working, and estimated days for each specific task listed in the scope or work and daily rate (1 page)  
• A brief (<3 pages) CV highlighting recent relevant experience and two professional references (if a team is being proposed to carry out the work, include CVs (each <3 pages) of all team members)  
• A relevant writing sample (from similar work)  

Submission 

Proposals should be in English and submitted in electronic copy to rfp@gainhealth.org or hvasanthakaalam@gainhealth.org , with the subject line: Landscape Assessment of School Feeding in Western Province, Rwanda

Deadline 

Completed proposals should be submitted to GAIN by 21 March 2025

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.

Terms and conditions of this solicitation 

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 
• Past experience undertaking similar work 
• Rate 

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. 

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. 

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

Offer submitted by:

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(Print or type business, corporate name and address)

 I (We) the undersigned hereby offer to GAIN, to furnish all necessary expertise, supervision, materials, and other things necessary to complete to the entire satisfaction of the Executive Director or authorised representative, the work as described in the Request for Proposal according to the terms and conditions of GAIN for the following prices:

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• I (We) agree that the Offer of Services will remain valid for a period of sixty days (60) calendar days after the date of its receipt by GAIN.

I (We) herewith submit the following:

• A Proposal to undertake the work, in accordance with GAIN’s requirements specified.
• A duly completed offer of services, subject to the terms herein.

OFFERS WHICH DO NOT CONTAIN THE ABOVE-MENTIONED DOCUMENTATION OR DEVIATE FROM THE PRESCRIBED COSTING FORMAT MAY BE CONSIDERED INCOMPLETE AND NON-RESPONSIVE.

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Signature (applicant)

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