REACT Technical Assistance and Knowledge Management Facility Team Leader

The AECF is a US$250m challenge fund for agribusiness in Africa. .

AECF provides investment support to the private sector for their new and innovative business ideas in agribusiness, rural financial services and renewable energy/adaptation to climate change that will benefit Africa’s small farmers and rural households. AECF finance is in the form of grants or 0% loans up to a maximum of $1.5 million. AECF recipients are expected to at least match the funds provided by AECF.

The Fund is hosted by the AGRA, based in Nairobi, and is supported by the governments of Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada and the UK as well as the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Fund Management activities are outsourced to KPMG Africa Development Advisory Services and partners. Seehttp://www.aecfafrica.org/

Sahara. A significant number of these companies fall into the Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Change Technologies (REACT) portfolio. The AECF has recently decided to establish a REACT Technical Assistance and Knowledge Management Facility which will:

• Strengthen the expertise, commercial success and development impact of REACT grantees through provision of targeted technical assistance and networking opportunities;
• Improve the robustness and validity of results monitoring through the implementation of the DCED standard, including conduct of verification studies on selected projects;
• Document experience from the portfolio of REACT business projects through conducting learning studies and other learning activities so as to better understand the reasons behind successes of selected AECF grantees and improve the processes of the AECF.
• The REACT Technical Assistance and Knowledge Management Facility

The objective of the proposed REACT Technical Assistance and Knowledge Management Facility is to establish a central unit within AECF to provide added-value services that:

• increase the impact of REACT grantees’ projects, in terms of both commercial sustainability and development impact;
• strengthen networks between grantee businesses, investors and other partners, including ultimately to helpleverage further investment in the sector;
• provide greater robustness to the measurement of development results and the credibility of these results;
• strengthen the knowledge base in the REACT field, including helping AECF, its partners and other stakeholdersto learn from the experience of AECF’s portfolio of businesses.

The services delivered through this REACT facility comprise the following three components:

1. REACT Learning Lab,
2. Enhanced Monitoring and Results Measurement,
3. Technical Assistance facility and business linkages.
4. Objectives of this assignment

month probationary period. Upon the satisfactory completion of the probationary period the contract may be extended for the remainder of the implementation period. The total implementation period for this assignment is envisaged to be no more than 20 months and should run between November 2016 and June 2018.

1. Scope of work
2. Learning Lab
   Objective: The overarching objective of the REACT Learning Lablooking perspective. The insights captured through this facility will help to better understand sectors) and which elements are required in the future design of AECF competitions as well as other programmes elsewhere. It is proposed to incorporate a gender lens element into some, or all, of the learning studies. Analysis will include how women are contributing to and benefiting from REACT projects, and how they could benefit more.
   Learning activities: In consultation with grantees and other stakeholders, learning topics will be defined and addressed in studies and other activities which will vary in terms of their target audience, scope and purpose. Approximately nine such learning areas are expected to be addressed.

driven dialogue and learning agenda which is responsive to shared grantee needs. Change will be triggered by surfacing and developing new solutions, through gathering intelligence or evidence to support and inform practice, and exploring ways of influencing regulatory or policy players. They will also focus on the essential elements which are needed to attain sustainable social impact and business development in the space which is covered by REACT. depth and published research paper.

In all cases, the aim will be to propagate innovation that tackles climate change and has a positive social impact among a much broader audience, including impact investors, generalist policy makers and the business community. Dissemination, will include participation in various workshops and other events where findings and conclusions of the learnings are used to help policy makers in shaping and formulating relevant policies. We will also work with key partners on the dissemination of learnings.

1. Enhanced monitoring and results measurement (MRM)

Objective: The REACT Team Leader will be responsible for the overall quality assurance and oversight of the activities related to this component and carried out by pre-selected consultants. The overall objective of this component will be to enhance confidence in the results being reported from REACT. A central pillar of this will be through the modified implementation of the DCED standard across window, which will bring it into alignment with the rest of the active AECF portfolio. Further to this, and together with the rest of the portfolio, AECF will review its experience with results measurement to date, and its alignment with emerging best practice this field.

1. Technical Assistance and Business Linkages

Objective: The objective of providing TA support services is to strengthen the capability of REACT businesses to undertake their projects, achieve commercial sustainability and generate impact.

The purpose is to deliver a limited but relevant technical support and business linkages programme, with regional scope across the EAC, to support REACT businesses to overcome the challenges that are typically encountered by start-up companies in the region (see Box 1). The outcomes expected from this component include:

• Enhanced business development skills of grantee companies
• Stronger business-to-business and business-to-investor networks, including leveraged investment[1].

Business Development Skills

component will support the capacity of companies to plan, market and distribute their products and solutions for renewable energy and adaptation to climate change, and flexibly address other capacity needs as required.

Two main activities are envisaged:

• Entrepreneurship Learning Programme (ELP)
• Flexible TA facility

a) Entrepreneurship learning programme (ELP)

This will be an externally provided (outsourced) programme on SME entrepreneurship tailored to the needs of the REACT portfolio. The Team Leader will develop a detailed ToR for the delivery of this component and subsequently structure it with the selected provider. The objective is to ensure that REACT grantee companies maximise their chances of survival by providing entrepreneur training, mentoring and coaching through a common and shared platform to the grantees.

1. Flexible TA Facility

The Team Leader will be responsible for the overall management of this component, which includes assessment of technical assistance requests. This component will be a flexible TA fund available for grantees to apply to if they wish to procure any specialised technical expertise specific to their needs from a service provider of their choice. This will be a purely demand driven component: companies will be made aware that they can request for this support if they wish. The companies themselves will: specify what they require the support for (i.e. required scope of work); who they would prefer to work with; identify the required expertise; apply to a programme if applicable; or procure and manage a service provider. The companies will be expected to match the funds requested – but this will depend upon the type of the company and the level of support requested.

3.2 Business-to-business networking and brokering relationships

The Team Leader will assume overall responsibility for the activities within this component. This component will facilitate business to business relationships between REACT grantees, and between these businesses and the wider marketplace. The component would seek to mine the rich experiences of these companies, and promote experiential learning.

This element will be supported by a part time network facilitator and other AECF and FM staff. Examples of potential features of this component could include:

• Active facilitation of the network of REACT grantees to promote B2B learning and collaboration, co-ordination, communications, grantee liaison and quality assurance,
• Organisation of network events and meetings or case study site visits,
• Specific-issue master classes led by grantees (e.g. building a rural network of agents (SolarNow); organising an efficient supply chain (M-KOPA); training, motivating and developing a skilled workforce (Mobisol); working with NGO and CBO partners (Cummins),
• Introduction of successful grantees to external consultants or service providers who will increase the company capacity to negotiate and secure follow on commercial financing into their businesses increased,
• Organisation of speed-dating meetings with potential investors,
• Establishing and managing an e-learning portal, within the AECF’s grantee network platform, open to all REACT grantees.
• Time frame

Action

Time Line

Commencement of the assignment.

15 November 2016

Submission of a draft inception report.

15 December 2016

Commencement of the implementation of the remaining REACT facility components.

15 December 2016

1. Budget

The probationary period will take three months or no more than 65 working days.

1. Formal requirements

The Team Leader is expected to possess the following experience and formal qualifications:

Experience:

• 5+ years of international, preferably emerging markets experience in engaging and assisting SMEs in capacity building,
• 5+ years of international experience in establishing
• Experience in delivering TA to SMEs, or developing TA programmes, targeted at SMEs in emerging economies,
• Experience in developing and managing knowledge management projects,
• Experience in establishing and managing knowledge-sharing networks/ platforms between SMEs,
• Experience in creating business acumen strengthening programmes for SMEs.
• Experience in the field of renewable energy or climate change adaptation/ mitigation.

Qualifications:

• At least a master’s degree, preferably a PhD, in strategy or business management or a similar field related to the requirements of this assignment,
• A formal project management qualification/ certificate.
• Clarifications

Questions and/or clarifications may be submitted to bstawicki@agra.org by 7 October 2016 Responses will be shared with all those who will have shared their e-mail addresses with us by 12 October 2016.

[1] s responsibilities.

HOW TO APPLY:

All interested consultants are asked to submit their CVs and financial proposals, as two separate documents, by 14 October 2016 at 17:00 Hours East Africa Time (GMT +3) to the following email address:procurement@agra.org

1. Disclaimer
   AGRA reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, 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 reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party.