CARE INTERNATIONAL IN RWANDA

P.O Box 550 Kigali, KG 541 ST  

Career Center Building, 8th floor

Tel: +250 788 306 241, 0788 304 454

E mail:  care.rw@care.org

www.care.org   

Terms of Reference for Data Management Platform for the Supporting and Enhancing Resilient and Viable Employment Opportunities (SERVE) Project 

1. Background  

CARE is a leading humanitarian and development organization fighting global poverty. CARE seeks a world of hope, tolerance, and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. We work around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice. CARE International aims to be a global force and a partner of choice within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. Globally, CARE and partners through its vision of overcoming poverty by 2030, intends to support 200 million people from the most vulnerable and excluded communities to overcome poverty and social injustice. This is through 6 impact areas of promoting Gender Equality, Climate Justice, Humanitarian, Right to Health, Right to Food Water and Nutrition and Women Economic Justice.  

2. SERVE Project Context 

Early 2023, CARE International in Rwanda, along with consortium partners Duharanire Amajyambere Y'Icyaro (DUHAMIC-ADRI),Pro-femme Twese Hamwe (PFTH), Association of Micro Finance Institutions Rwanda (AMIR), and Urwego Bank secured funding to implement a project named  Supporting and Enhancing Resilient and Viable Employment Opportunities (SERVE),  to be delivered over five years, with the overall objective of building a resilient, sustainable, gender equitable and inclusive entrepreneurial environment that increases dignified and  fulfilling work opportunities for predominantly female youth (PFY) in agricultural value chains (poultry, green beans, chilli  pepper and tomatoes)  in 10 districts across Rwanda. This project aligns with the entrepreneurship and agriculture sector outcomes in Mastercard Foundation's Young Africa Works in Rwanda Strategy 2022 –2030 which recognizes that productivity, market linkages, and finance are three interconnected factors in sustainable income growth and puts MSE and entrepreneurship as key drivers for employment creation. SERVE targets 100,000 predominantly female youth (PFY) (at least 70% female) engaged in or with the potential to engage in agricultural businesses and smallholder farming, also known as Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)[1]. PFY in this project are those aged 18 to 35. Of these, SERVE will strengthen existing g MSEs and generate new work opportunities through the creation and/or growth of 30,000 PFY target MSEs. In total the project expects to directly support the creation of 80,000 dignified and fulfilling employment opportunities for youth in the selected agri-business value chains.   

3. Justification/Rationale

As part of the project’s monitoring and evaluation, data will be collected quarterly and annually plus baseline, midline and endline. The project aims to identify and support 30,000 agricultural Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) across ten focus districts in Rwanda. Upon identification, profiling, and validation of the MSEs, a database of project participants has been created. An initial MSE profiling exercise of about 16,000 MSEs has been carried out and data is available in a.csv file. In addition to the identification and profiling of MSEs, other data to be tracked across the project life cycle include Loan distribution to MSEs (MSEs could be a farmer group, VSLA, individual farmer, or cooperative)

CARE is seeking a firm to provide/design a data management system that supports case management and follow-up of 30,000 individual enterprises also known as Micro and Small Enterprise (MSEs) involved over the life of the project (5 years). Linked to this will be the tracking of dignified and fulfilling employment creation for 80,000 youth. The system requirements include data collection, storage, analytics, and visualization. The aim is to establish an efficient and comprehensive system that saves time for the MEAL team and enables easy access to data for regular monitoring. The project will require quarterly monitoring and reporting against key indicators. The storage system will encompass various types of data, including but not limited to: 

• Identification and Profiling of MSEs 
• Data on MSEs
• Agricultural loan distribution and tracking (MSEs)
• Trainings/capacity building of MSEs
  • Number and type of existing employment and new ones created by the MSEs across the lifetime of the project
• Other output level indicators in the results framework 

4. Functional Requirements

CARE Rwanda is seeking a system that will support the following functional requirements:

• Data collection and entry. The platform should support data entry from various sources and should provide an intuitive and user-friendly interface for data entry.
• The system should allow comprehensive case management. This includes dedicated functionalities for case management which are essential for tracking and following up on individual MSEs( sole proprietors, VSLAs and farmer groups, etc). Case management should also be possible offline.
• Ease of data accessibility. The system should provide an intuitive interface and user-friendly features that make it easy to access and retrieval of relevant data for custom reporting for quarterly monitoring. The system should be accessible online with different levels of access (e.g. administrator, data entry, user).
• The platform should have an offline feature to allow remote data collection.
• Data input. The platform should allow for integration/input of data in other formats/ datasets (formats include CSV, MS Excel)
• Data export. The system should allow data export in various formats, mainly CSV and Excel.
• The system should provide real time data insights following data entry.
• Built-in data analytics and visualization. The platform should have integrated data analytics and visualization tools with platforms such as PowerBI that would facilitate easier analysis and decision-making. 
• A system with a mobile app is required. The platform’s mobile application should allow data to be collected from mobile app and synchronised with the server. Furthermore for security reason the system should allow data to be erased from the phone after submission to the server.
• Data validation and skip logic options. The platform should have robust data validation and skip logic functionalities to support data quality and integrity.
• The platform should ensure absolute data confidentiality and security and meet the Rwanda data protection law relating to the protection of personal data and privacy.

5. Expected Tasks and roles.

Responsibility of the firm providing the platform 

The firm will be responsible for setting up procedures and guidelines to:   

1. Provide/design the Data Management platform.

• Review the SERVE project implement model, collect experiences from project staff and develop and agree with CARE a list of issues the platform will address.  
• Review the existing documentations on data management.
• Conduct interviews with CARE partners, beneficiaries, and CARE staff to identify the real needs for data management.
• Define the platform/system requirements.
• Design/adapt the platform using user friendly technologies. The platform should be designed with data privacy and security features in mind.
• Submit to CARE a weekly progress report explaining the progress vis-à-vis set deliverables.
• Present the platform to CARE senior management team for inputs and validation.
• Finalize the platform. 

2. Train CARE & partners staff

• Inform CARE about all the requirements for this training to be successful.
• Training CARE and partner staff on how to use the platform.
• Onboard key staff on the platform
• Provide specific training to project focal point staff who will be responsible for managing information that comes from the platform and the overall management of the platform; clarifying different access (general and restricted) and specific roles different people will play.
• Avail the platform user guide 

3. Pilot the platform

• Work with project staff to pilot the system.
• Analyze the pilot phase and fix any pending technological issues. This includes being available for six additional months to provide any technical assistance/troubleshooting, and/or make system adjustments as
• Calculate annual platform running costs.
• Refine the platform.
• Provide any support, as may be required, in linking/uploading the existing dataset (csv, Excel) to the platform. 

4. Should comply with Law No 058/2021 of 13/10/2021 relating to the protection of personal data and privacy.

• Must be registered as a data processor,
• Must consider the principles of data protection which are; Right to Privacy, Transparency, Legitimate Purpose, Data Minimization, Accuracy, Storage Limitation.

Responsibility of CARE  

• Provide all the required information to the firm providing the platform.
• Ensure key staff availability for system onboarding and training.
• Tailoring any required sections of the platform for the project.
• Overall data quality control and technical review report) 
• The training of CARE and Partner’s staff will be covered by CARE. Other costs will be covered by the consultant. 

6. Supervision 

The Task Manager for this work will be the CARE Rwanda Quality Assurance Specialist supported by CARE Canada MEAL Specialist. The Consultant is also expected to liaise closely with other key personnel in CARE and Implementing Partners.  

7. Timeline

The design including training and pilot should be completed within 3 months starting April 2024 and six additional months to provide any (remote) technical assistance/troubleshoot, and/or make system adjustments as needed. 

8. Key Deliverables  

The firm is expected to provide the platform and carry out training for MEAL staff/platform users.

• The design/adapt the platform.
• Provide the platform user guide.
• Presentation of the platform to the CARE Rwanda senior management team for inputs and validation
• Training of CARE and partner staff
• Train super users of the platform 

Firm qualifications

The ideal firm for this assignment would have the following qualifications/expertise:

• The Team leader should have a bachelor’s degree in information technology, database management or web-design.
• At least 5-6 years of experience in building IT applications, experience in database management with front-end and back-end applications
• Strong experience in designing cost-efficient technology/web-based platforms that handle information.
• 5 years’ experience in professional design of web-based platforms, using Microsoft CRM or another recent user-friendly technology.
• Previous experience in working with INGOs-especially in designing similar technology/web-based
• Proven ability to meet deadlines with quality results.
• Excellent presentation skills—using updated technology.
• Very good facilitation and interpersonal skills is required.
• Excellent writing skills in English 

9. Application procedures 

The application file should contain the following documents: 

• A technical proposal, with a clear timeframe and a description of the proposed methodology detailing how the deliverables will be achieved, and the team credentials for similar assignments. The technical proposal should include:
• Overview of the firm
• The Data Management Platform. Include all available features such as case management, case sharing, custom reporting, data validation, and organizational hierarchy.
  • Number of mobile users and any limitations
  • Data storage capacity
  • Integration capabilities with platforms such as Power BI/Tableau
  • Any limitations to application creation and form submission
• Workplan for the assignment including an onboarding and training plan.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae of the proposed team to carry out the assignment with clear roles and functions.
• A financial offer detailing the various costs associated with the delivery of the above services, in PDF format and must be a separate document from the technical offer.
• Evidence of the consultant’s experience in doing similar assignments: Copies of similar assignments (with evidence for good completion of the previous similar assignments);
• Submit at least 3 references with their contact information.
• Bank account information including the scanned copy of blank check or document from the bank confirming bank account information (name, account number, swift code, …)
• Consultant firm profile; VAT registration certificate; RRA tax clearance certificate; RSSB tax clearance certificate (when applicable). For applicants without registration in Rwanda, submit the above requirements from the country of registration as applicable.
• The consultant/ firms Data privacy and Security arrangements of the platform and how it would meet the Rwanda Data protection law relating to the protection of personal data and privacy.
• Samples/certificates of work done.
• Registration/certificate as data processor/control from the competent authority.
• Consultant/ firm profile; VAT registration certificate; RRA tax clearance certificate; RSSB tax clearance certificate (when applicable). For applicants without registration in Rwanda, submit the above requirements from the country of registration as applicable.

Interested firms are requested to submit their offers not later than March 29^th , 2024 at 5:30 pm (CAT)  local time to the following e-mail address: rwa.procurement@care.org with mention of “Data Management Platform for SERVE Project” in the subject line 

10. Proposals scoring criteria. 

Kigali, March 18^th ,2024 

Procurement Unit

[1] MSEs encampus VSLAs, farmer group, cooperative, and individual farmers. The Rwanda SMEs Business Guide defines a Micro Enterprise as employing up to three people, with an annual turnover of up to 300,000 Rwandan Francs (RWF). A Small Enterprise employs four to 30 people, with an annual turnover of 300,000 to 12 million RWF. SERVE therefore uses the term ‘MSE’ to encompass the smallholder farmers, VSLAs, cooperatives, and individuals working at these two levels.