Request For Proposal At Heifer International

	Name of Signature Program:		Naija Unlock
	Agresso Work order:		NG1001
	Country:		Nigeria
	RFP No.
		REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
			Funded by:
			Heifer International
	RFP Release Date:			January 17th 2025
	Question/ Inquiry Submission Deadline:			February 7th 2025
	Proposal Submission Deadline:			February 13th 2025
	Performance Period:			1 Month (17th March to 16th April 2025)
	Electronic submission to the attention of:			procurement-ng@heifer.org
	Contact information for inquiries about this RFP:			procurement-ng@heifer.org
Terms of Reference

1. General Information

This document is being issued to solicit applications from Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) service providers with key technical staff who have substantial experience in conducting Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) to conduct Training-of-Trainers (ToT) to Heifer Community Facilitators (CFs) and Implementation to farmers’ Cooperative Groups. The VSLA training is designed to build Heifers’ Community Facilitators capacity to step down such trainings to the farmers and also coordinate and support the setting up of the VSLA in their various communities, and establishment of VSLA Management Information System (MIS) to track implementation for evidence-based reporting.

The bidder is free to seek any clarification on the methodology or expected deliverables prior to preparation and submission of the proposal. While Heifer understands that completing this assignment will require the experience of a firm with all the requisite expertise, the successful firm can sub-contract components of the assignment to appropriate qualified firms. However, Heifer Nigeria should be duly informed of the plan from the onset, and this should be clearly stated in the bid as appropriate. It should also be noted that Heifer Nigeria will make payments to the contractor based on submission and Heifer’s approval of deliverables. The award agreement will include a payment schedule with specific deliverables; all payments require 15 business days for processing after approval of deliverables.

1. Background

About Heifer International

Heifer International is a global non-profit organization on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. Since 1944, Heifer International through its work in 19 countries (in Africa, Asia, and the Americas) has supported more than 46 million people around the world to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way, and 10 million more now on a pathway to sustainable living incomes. Working with rural communities across Africa for 50 years, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to strengthen local economies and build secure livelihoods that provide a living income. Heifer’s foundation was built on the belief that ending hunger begins with giving people the means to feed themselves, generate income and achieve sustainable livelihoods for their households. Heifer’s global vision for 2020 – 2030 is to close the living income gap for additional 10 million families. This vision is a focused approach for the African continent to support at least 6 million smallholder farmers in Africa reach sustainable living income. As a part of this commitment, Heifer has expanded its presence in Africa to include Nigeria, with a goal of supporting at least two million households to achieve sustainable living income, through (a) strategic private and public sector partnerships, (b) unlocking demand and market opportunities, (c) investing in priority value chains, and (d) leveraging innovation and emerging agricultural technologies to reach transformational scale. More information about Heifer is available at: www.heifer.org

Heifer Nigeria Country Program

Heifer International established its Nigeria Country Program in 2021, and its Signature Program for Nigeria, named “Naija Unlock”, was designed, and launched. Naija Unlock program’s aim is to support the unlocking of the potentials in Nigeria’s agricultural sector to achieve food self-sufficiency by working with smallholder farmers and local value chain actors to increase their productivity to meet local demand for food and raw material, while closing the living income gap for families in the rice, tomato, and poultry value chains, with plans to add cattle, and small ruminant value chains. Naija Unlock, is an evidence-based Signature Program designed to close the living income gap of smallholder farmers at scale with a permanence of impact. The goal is to assist more than one million households achieve sustainable living income by 2025, and scale to two million households by 2030, through strategic private and public sector partnerships to (a) build social capital of smallholder farmers, (b) unlock farmers access to innovative financing, (c) unlock demand and market opportunities, (d) increase farmers access to mechanization and emerging agricultural innovations, and (e) increase farmers knowledge and adoption of climate smart agricultural practices. Naija Unlock program activities are being implemented currently in five (5) states in Nigeria (Ogun, Edo, Nasarawa, Benue, and Lagos States) with plans to scale to other states with potentials to make impact at transformational scale.

Village Savings and Loan (VSL) System

Heifer Nigeria is implementing the Values-Based Holistic Community Development (VBHCD) by working in collaboration with farmer groups across Benue, Nasarawa, Edo, Ogun and Lagos States in the rice, tomato and poultry value chains. One of the key components of the VBHCD is the development of savings and loans associations, financial literacy and social capital development of these groups. The basic principle of the Village Savings and Loan (VSL) system is that members of a self-selected group voluntarily form a VSLA and save money, through purchasing shares. The savings are invested in a loan fund from which members can borrow, repaying with a service charge added. VSLAs are a form of accumulating savings and credit association (ASCA), a generic term that describes this type of small-scale community-managed financial institution.

1. Description of Expected Professional Services
2. Purpose

The purpose of this request is to support the setting of Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) into the VBHCD methodology, by supporting Community Facilitators (CFs) and some selected farmers’ cooperative group to improve simple savings and loan facilities across 2 target communities each in Benue, Nasarawa, Edo, Ogun and Lagos States, thereby enhancing access to formal financial services. Loans can also provide a form of self-insurance to members, supplemented by a social fund which provides small but important grants to members in distress. Associations are autonomous and self-managing. This is fundamental because a VSLA’s goal is institutional and financial independence.

• Objectives:

The key objective is to provide Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) Training to Community Facilitators across target locations. The specific objectives are;

1. Providing access to savings and credit, VSLAs help members build assets, increase income, and lift themselves out of poverty
2. VSLAs are particularly beneficial for women, who often face greater barriers to accessing formal financial services. Through their participation, women gain economic independence, decision-making power, and a stronger voice in their communities.
3. In times of crisis or emergencies, VSLA serves as a safety net, providing members with access to funds for essential needs or recovery efforts.
4. To foster a sense of community solidarity among members. They provide a platform for networking, sharing knowledge, and supporting each other’s endeavors.
5. Improve financial literacy, budgeting, saving, and managing debt. This knowledge equips individuals with the skills to make informed financial decisions and build a better future for themselves and their families.

•  Scope:

In terms of scope, the VSL will cover key domains of savings, loans, social capital and financial education.

1. Savings – Group members contribute regular savings to a group fund, which is then used to provide loans to members in need. These savings are typically kept in a secure location, such as a lockbox or a bank account.
2. Loans – Members can borrow from the pooled savings to invest in income-generating activities, such as small businesses, farming, or education. Loans are typically provided at low interest rates and with flexible repayment terms.
3. Social Capital – Beyond financial benefits, this solution fosters a sense of community and solidarity among members. They provide a platform for networking, sharing knowledge, and supporting each other’s endeavors.
4. Financial Education – The VSLA model also often includes financial literacy training, teaching members about budgeting, saving, and managing debt. This knowledge equips individuals with the skills to make informed financial decisions and build a better future for themselves and their families.

The scope of work above is broken down to key activities and timeline set against them, with the total number of days required to deliver each:

S/N	Description of activities	No of days	Associated Deliverables
1	Orientation of community leaders and administration officials	2	Pictures and attendance sheets
2	Introducing VSL to the community	2	Pictures and attendance sheets
3	Preliminary meetings with clustered groups of potential participants	1	Pictures and attendance sheets
4	Submission of Milestone 1 report to Heifer	2	Soft copy of milestone 1 report
5	Training on Group dynamics, leadership and elections	2	Training slides, pictures and attendance sheet of training
6	Development of policies and rules for social fund, share-purchase/savings and credit activities	2	Soft copy/hard copies of policy documents
7	Development/Review of Association Constitution	2	Soft copy/hard copies of Association Constitution
8	Training on Record-keeping and how to manage a share-purchase/savings meeting	2	Copies of training manual and attendance sheets
9	Submission of Milestone 2 report to Heifer	2	Soft copy of milestone 2 report
10	Training and Simulation of First share-purchase/savings meeting	2	Copies of training manual and attendance sheets
11	Training and Simulation of First loan disbursement meeting	2	Copies of training manual and attendance sheets
12	Training and Simulation of First loan repayment meeting	2	Copies of training manual and attendance sheets
13	Training and Simulation of Daily slot savings	2	Copies of training manual and attendance sheets
14	Training and Simulation of Share-out/action-audit and graduation activities	2	Copies of training manual and attendance sheets
15	Submission of Milestone 3 and Final report to Heifer team	3	Soft copy of milestone 3 report and copy of Final report
		30

IV.       Documents for Assessment

Registration documents: certificate of registration, memorandum and articles of association,	Accounting Books and Records-general ledger, income and expenditure ledger, cashbook, petty cash book, payment voucher, receipt booklets etc
Minutes of management meetings	Annual budgets and plans
Minutes of weekly, monthly or annual general meetings	Strategic Plan/Business Plans
Other documents requested by the VSLA consultants	Standard Operating Policies and ProceduresConstitutions and bye-laws
	Fixed asset register
	Production/Marketing and Sales Plan
	Loan and/or grant agreements

 (Note, all information received will be treated as proprietary and will always remain confidential.)

• Deliverables:

The expected deliverables of this task are as follows:

• An Inception Report with clear proposed methodology, detailed activity work plan, time scale, and validation plan for the delivery of VSL System to Heifers’ Community Facilitators, evidence of Capacity building trainings and submission of invoices and milestones reports.
• Detailed cost breakdown for deployment of recommended VSLA kits (Boxes, membership cards, ledgers, and calculators)
• Slide Deck version of findings and final report.
• Presentation of findings to Heifer team.

Notable: All deliverables shall be submitted in softcopy in editable format.

V.           Expected Roles of Heifer Nigeria

• Finalize and sign the contract with the consultant.
• Participate in project inception meeting with consultant.
• Review and validate all the deliverables and tools that will be proposed by the consultant,
• Ensure that all payments are made as stated in the contract.
• Expertise

 Heifer Nigeria is looking for either an individual consultant or a consulting firm with key technical staff who have substantial experience in conducting Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) Training for Heifers’ Community Facilitators (CFs) and implementation to farmers’ cooperative groups. More specifically, the consultant or lead consultant should have a proven track record in conducting similar services in Nigeria. The consultant should have expertise in analytical skills and report writing skills in English.

(a) Academic Qualifications of key consultant(s)

At least a master’s degree in a relevant field in, Cooperative studies, Entrepreneurship studies, Sociology, Business Administration, Management studies or any other equivalent qualifications from a recognized university.

• Experience
• Have a proven professional experience of at least ten (10) years (with at least five years professional experience in working with cooperative associations). Experience in implementing VSLA to smallholder farmers’ cooperative will be an advantage.
• Have a good knowledge of the institutional environment in Nigeria, as well as a good understanding of the challenges of farmer cooperatives/groups in Nigeria.
• Application/use of innovative and effective tools for organisational capacity assessment.
• Strong presentation skills
• Knowledge and experience on conducting trainings and impacting knowledge.
• Good communication and facilitation.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Excellent analytical, facilitation and communication skills for effective stakeholder engagements/workshops.
• Evidence of having undertaken similar assignments.
• Ability to work efficiently and deliver on committed outputs under the assignment within agreed timelines and deadlines.
• Eligible to work in Nigeria.

VII.        Application Process

Individual or Consulting Firm Submission Requirements: All interested individuals or firms will submit their organization’s profile with the following information:

Technical Proposal (not to exceed 10 pages)

• General information (not to exceed 2 pages)
• Organization or highly experienced individuals overview highlighting related assignments.

completed with client name, contact person and mobile number.

• Capacity statement
• Legal registration to work within Nigeria.
• Technical Approach (not exceeding 8 pages)
• A detailed methodology on how the assignment will be conducted, training and coaching methodologies, data assessment tools and collection methods and systems/technology to use, field procedures, quality control practices, risk analysis, and data analysis.
• List and briefly describe the team and its proposed personnel, indicating what role each proposed individual will have; CVs of team members to be provided in an attachment. Lead Consultant’s (who will lead the assignment) Maximum 3-page CV highlighting related assignment completed, role in the completed assignment. Other Team members’ (who will be involved in the assignment) 2 paragraph short CV highlighting related assignment completed and role.
• A clear and comprehensive work plan (draft), outlining the major activities, people responsible and time schedule.

o     Organizational or individual capacity statement, including past experiences and activities related to the theme of the study. Reference information must include the location, award numbers, and brief description of work performed.

• At least three references of other clients for which similar assignments were undertaken with contact information for each.
• Financial Proposal (in Naira)
• Itemized budget
• Narrative explanations of line items
• Annexes
• Documents in favour of the previous relevant studies.
• Organization’s/Firm’s Certificate, PIN and VAT registration
• A summary of previous similar assignments undertaken within the last 3 years.

Interested individuals or firms legally eligible to implement this assignment in the Nigeria are requested to submit a proposal. Please include the name of the person in your organization who will be involved in negotiating the contract as well as your telephone and email contact information. Submissions must be in English and typed single-spaced using Times New Roman font size 12, with a complete set of appendices/attachments as applicable. All pages must be numbered and include the SOW reference number in the cover page, and name of the organization at the bottom of each page.

The successful consulting firm will be required to produce the following documents before entering into an

Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA) with Heifer:

• Certificate of Incorporation or Business Registration Certificate.
• A Partnership Deed if you are running a partnership business.
• Audited financial statements for the last 3 years.
• Tax Compliance Certificate.
• Physical location including town, building, room number and postal address.
• Trade reference and clientele list of similar work done, including their respective contacts.

Proposals (both technical and financial) must be submitted by email to procurement-ng@heifer.org.  with clear subject line: Consultancy Services – Village Savings and Loan System (VSL) Training to Heifer Community Facilitators (CFs)” in the subject line and include the State(s) of interest (Benue, Nasarawa, Edo, Ogun and Lagos States). and submitted by Thursday, February 13^th, 2025, at 5:00pm WAT.

Heifer retains the right to terminate this RFP or modify the requirements upon notification to the Offerors.

VIII.      Selection Criteria

Submitted proposals must clearly demonstrate alignment with the SoW outlined above and with the appropriate level of details. Heifer’s goal is to ultimately sign on with the Offeror whose proposal best follows the instructions in this RFP, includes the strong evaluation team, and is most cost effective. Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Proposal evaluation focus	Percentage
Accuracy and relevance of the proposed technical approach and methodology	20%
Completeness of proposal according to the RFP (general information, activity plan, risk assessment and mitigation plan,	20%
budget, team expertise, etc.)
Proposed team: expertise and competencies to address project components	20%
Relevance and capability/skill to implement/manage the assignment	20%
Budget justification and costs realism	20%

The selection committee will evaluate the technical proposal based upon the criteria listed above and they will evaluate the financial proposal based on cost reasonableness and cost-effectiveness in the budget.

IX. Validity of Proposals

Proposals submitted shall remain open for acceptance for 14 days from the last date specified for receipt of the proposal. This includes, but is not limited to, pricing, terms and conditions, service levels, and all other information. If your organization is selected, all information in this document and the negotiation process are contractually binding.

Award Process and Contract Mechanism  

No.	Activity	Due date
1.	Proposal reception	February 13th 2025
2.	Selection Committee review	February 17th 2025
3.	Notification of award	February 24th 2025
4.	Award agreement negotiation	February 27th 2025
5.	Signing award	March 13th 2025

Heifer will issue a fixed award agreement based on the submission and Heifer’s acceptance of deliverables.

Once an award is issued, it will include the payment schedule with the deliverables specified above.

•           Limitations

This Request for Proposal does not represent a commitment to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this RFP, or to procure or contract for services or supplies. Heifer reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted and reserves the right to accept or reject in its entirety and absolute discretion any proposal received in response to the RFP.

XII.      Intellectual Property

1. Ownership Generally.

Any intellectual property (including but not limited to copyrights, trademarks, service marks, and patents), intellectual property rights, deliverables, manuals, works, ideas, discoveries, inventions, products, writings, photographs, videos, drawings, lists, data, strategies, materials, processes, procedures, systems, programs, devices, operations, or information developed in whole or in part by or on behalf of Contractor or its employees or agents in connection with the Services and/or Goods (collectively, the “Work Product”) shall be the exclusive property of Heifer International. Upon request, the Contractor shall sign all documents and take all actions necessary to confirm or perfect Heifer’s exclusive ownership of the Work Product.

• Prior-Owned Intellectual Property.

Any intellectual property owned by a Party prior to the Effective Date (“Prior-Owned IP”) shall remain that Party’s sole and exclusive property. Regarding any of Contractor’s Prior-Owned IP included in the Work Product, the Contractor shall retain ownership, and hereby grants Heifer a permanent, nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, irrevocable right and license to use, copy, reproduce, publicly display, edit, revise, perform, and distribute said intellectual property, in any format or any medium, as part of the Work Product.