Request For Proposal: Terms of Reference for a consultant to enhance operational efficiency, marketing and customer engagement for AECF investees in the Tanzania Clean Cooking Project – October 2024

1.0   The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)

The AECF, LLC (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is a leading non-profit development organisation that supports innovative enterprises in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors with the aim of reducing rural poverty, promoting climate resilient communities, and creating jobs.

We catalyze the private sector by surfacing and commercializing new ideas, business models and technologies designed to increase agricultural productivity, improve farmer incomes, expand clean energy access, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve resilience to the effects of climate change. We finance high risk businesses that struggle to access commercial funding; we are committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financing institutions dare to go.

To date, we have supported over 510 businesses in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 33million lives and created over 35,000 direct jobs.

AECF is headquartered in Kenya and has offices in Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Sudan, Benin, and Somalia.

2.0   About the Tanzania Clean Cooking Project (TCCP)

The Tanzania Clean Cooking Project, (TCCP) is a three-year project, funded by the Government of Sweden, that aims to catalyze the clean cooking sector through enhanced private sector participation. The project will provide matching grant financing and technical assistance to small and growing businesses working in clean cooking.

The project seeks to reduce energy poverty through a transformational increase in the use of clean cooking solutions in rural, marginalized and underserved communities. Its outcome will be increased private sector investment, innovation in affordable clean cooking solutions and accelerated access to clean cooking solutions in Tanzania.

The financing also aims to de-risk companies to venture into underserved markets and enhance the affordability and accessibility of clean cooking solutions for at least 60,000 beneficiary households.

The objectives of TCCP are to:

• Support transformational business models adapt to target markets to accelerate access to affordable clean cooking solutions in rural and marginalized communities in urban and peri-urban areas.
• Support commercially viable small and growing clean cooking companies in the country, out of which at least 20% will be women-owned and/or managed.
• Support innovative ideas that stimulate new approaches to increase affordability and access to clean and efficient cooking solutions.
• Capture and disseminate lessons on how increased access to clean cooking solutions can deliver a positive impact on the poor, especially women and youth.
• Stimulate stakeholder engagements for an improved policy, legal and regulatory environment for clean cooking businesses within the country.

3.0   Purpose of the Assignment

The AECF is seeking the services of short-term consultant(s) to support AECF’s clean cooking investees in Tanzania to;

• Enhance the efficiency of production and operational processes for investees.
• Develop and implement strong marketing and customer engagement strategies for investees.
• Assess the needs and gaps in data recording, data storage and

4.0   Scope of Work

The consultant will work with The AECF and the investees’ leadership team to deliver interventions across the functions below:

4.1   Efficiency and Operational Management

The primary goal is to assist the investee companies in understanding and optimizing production costs by identifying inefficiencies in the production and sales processes and implementing systems that streamline accounting, data reporting, and analysis.

For each investee, the consultant will:

• Conduct a detailed analysis of the production and sales processes to identify areas of inefficiency and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop a cost breakdown structure that allows the investee to understand the unit cost of production and associated costs.
• Recommend and assist in implementing appropriate systems that support efficient accounting, data reporting, and analysis.
• Provide training to staff on the use of these systems for cost management and efficiency tracking.
• Provide a framework for continuous process improvement.

4.2   Marketing and Customer Engagement

The primary goal is to assist the investees in developing robust marketing and customer engagement strategies as well as training for sales and credit department teams. The assignment will commence with a market assessment and end with the execution of the strategies developed.

For each investee, the consultant will:

• Assess the current marketing strategies.
• Assess the current sales & credit management training needs
• Review company goals and objectives to ensure they are in line with the current marketing strategies, sales, and credit management needs.
• Conduct marketing strategy analysis to determine competitive advantage.
• Refine the marketing strategy (based on the market analysis exercise) with benchmarked milestones.
• Develop a comprehensive and robust marketing strategy plan.
• Plan and execute team training on sales and credit management to the staff.

5.0     Deliverables

5.1   Key Deliverables

The key deliverables for the consultant will include:

5.1.1         Efficiency and Operational Management

• A comprehensive assessment report detailing the inefficiencies in the production and sales processes.
• A cost breakdown structure and unit cost analysis.
• A roadmap for efficiency improvements and a system implementation plan.
• Training sessions for staff on the new processes and systems.
• A final report summarizing the outcomes of the consultancy, including key insights and recommendations.

5.1.2         Marketing and Customer Engagement

• Inception report showing.
  1. The current marketing strategies and analysis findings.
  2. Company goals and objectives alignment with the current marketing strategies
• A profile of current and potential customers, competitors & market mapping, and marketing channels
• A marketing strategy pivoted to the ever-changing operational environment and industry trends, with a clear competitive advantage.
• A comprehensive sales and credit management training plan
• Training report and materials for use by the companies for onward refresher training
• An Insights report from the technical assistance provided

6.0     Duration of Service

The assignment will be conducted over three (3) months in Tanzania and is expected to commence in November 2024.

7.0     Reporting

The consultant will report to the Senior Advisory Specialist at the AECF.

8.0     Eligible Experience

The successful consultant should have.

• Demonstrated experience in efficiency management, cost analysis or process optimization marketing and communication, specifically in Tanzania;
• Professional certification in areas like sales & marketing and/or strategy will be an added advantage.
• More than 5 years of strategy development experience for renewable energy and clean cooking companies.
• Previous experience in similar assignment(s) with renewable energy companies. Engagements with clean cooking companies is an added advantage.
• Good understanding of the Clean Cooking Landscape in Tanzania is an added advantage.

9.0   Proposal Submission

Interested consultants should submit a comprehensive proposal that includes the following:

• Detailed understanding of the RFP.
• Technical approach and methodology for conducting the assignment.
• The technical and financial proposals will need to be submitted as separate documents.
• Proposed timeline, work plan, and deliverables.
• Updated curriculum vitae for the whole team
• Cost breakdown, including fees, expenses, and any other relevant costs (in USD)
• Examples of previous similar projects and client references.
• As per the evaluation criteria below

10.0 Evaluation Criteria

The AECF will form an evaluation committee.  All members will be bound by the same standards of confidentiality. The consultant should ensure that they fully respond to all criteria to be comprehensively evaluated.

The AECF may request and receive clarification from any consultant when evaluating a proposal. The evaluation committee may invite some or all the consultants to appear before the committee to clarify their proposals. In such an event, the evaluation committee may consider such clarifications in evaluating the proposals.

In deciding the final selection of a qualified bidder, the technical proposal will be given a weighting of 70% based on the evaluation criteria. Only the financial proposal of those bidders who qualify technically will be opened. The financial proposal will be allocated a weighting of 30% and the proposals will be ranked according to the total points scored.

The mandatory and desirable criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are identified in the table below.

11.0  Pricing 

The financial proposals shall include all applicable taxes quoted separately. The AECF is obliged by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold taxes on service contract fees as well as ensure 16% (VAT) is charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position with regards to provisions of Kenya tax legislation when developing their proposals.

12.0 Application details

The AECF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AECF considers all interested candidates based on merit without regard to race, sex, colour, national origin, religion, age, marital status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

• All clarifications and/or questions should be sent to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 14^th October 2024, 5.00pm (EAT)
• The AECF invites qualified consultants/firms to send a proposal to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org clearly marked read ‘’TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A CONSULTANT TO ENHANCE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY, MARKETING AND CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT FOR AECF INVESTEES IN THE TANZANIA CLEAN COOKING PROJECT to receive no later than 24^th October 2024, 5.00pm (EAT) time. addressed to: AECF, Procurement Department.

13.0 Disclaimer

AECF reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, the number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice, and the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party.

The AECF does not charge an application fee for participation in the tender process and has not appointed any agents or intermediaries to facilitate applications. Applicants are advised to reach out directly to the AECF.