Support the Development of Agro-Dealership Program Tender, Rwanda - 32036948

Procurement Summary

Country : Rwanda

Summary : Support the Development of Agro-Dealership Program

Deadline : 10 May 2019

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 32036948

Document Ref. No. : 2019/04/026

Competition : ICB

Financier : United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : CULTIVATING NEW FRONTIERS IN AGRICULTURE (CNFA)
Hinga Weze Kigali office, located at No. 7, KG 28, Kigali
Rwanda
Email :grants@cnfarwanda.org
URL :http://www.cnfa.org

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Support the Development of Agro-dealership Program in Rwanda.

CNFA is a not-for-profit international agricultural development organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. and dedicated to increasing rural incomes by empowering farmers and rural entrepreneurs. CNFA assists smallholders in increasing household-level food security and nutrition through improved agricultural practices, introduction of new varieties, diversification of crop production, food preservation and storage, development of farmer-based organizations, and strengthened linkages to markets. CNFA has a successful track record of implementing agricultural development programs in 43 countries.

Website:

http://www.cnfa.org

USAID/Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity

Request for Applications (RFA) No. 2019/04/026

to

SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRODEALERSHIP PROGRAM IN RWANDA

Issuance Date: April 01, 2019

Applicant Workshop Date: April 17, 2019

Deadline for Applications: May 10, 2019

Dear Applicant,

The USAID/Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity (Hinga Weze, or “HW”) is hereby releasing a Request for Applications (RFA) to award grants to develop profitable service-providing businesses, expand availability of agricultural input services, and increase the productivity and incomes of smallholder farmers in Hinga Weze districts. Through this RFA, HW will achieve these goals by providing two different types of matching grant opportunities: 1) grants to private entrepreneurs and Farmers’ Cooperative Unions to establish Farm Service Centers (FSCs) and 2) grants to agro-dealers through other models (such as mobile inputs supply scheme, model shop with diversified agro-inputs, promotion of other income generation services to farmers, etc. . Grantees will be required to implement their projects in one or more of the 10 districts targeted by Hinga Weze: Nyamagabe, Nyabihu, Gatsibo, Ngororero, Nyamasheke, Rutsiro, Karongi, Kayonza, Ngoma and Bugesera districts.

The grants will be awarded and implemented in accordance with the USAID and US Government regulations governing grants and Hinga Weze internal grants management policies. The RFA is organized as follows:

Request for Application
Section I: Program Description
Section II: Eligibility
Section III: Application Submission Information
Section IV: Evaluation, Selection, and Award Information
Section V: Terms and Conditions
Attachment 1: Grant Application
Attachment 2: Applicant Cover Letter
Applicants Workshop – Hinga Weze will host one free applicant workshops on April 17 2019, from 8:30am – 12pm at the Hinga Weze Kigali office, located at No. 7, KG 28, Kigali, Rwanda. The workshop will allow potential applicants the opportunity to learn more about the RFA requirements, and to ask any questions. Hinga Weze highly recommends that any serious candidates attend relevant questions/answers from the workshop will also be available upon request by emailing the Hinga Weze grants team at grants@cnfarwanda.org, if you are unable to attend.

For any questions during the grant application process, please contact grants@cnfarwanda.org.

Section I. Program Description

IA. ABOUT HINGA WEZE

Hinga Weze is a five- year activity of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by CNFA. The primary objective of Hinga Weze is to sustainably increase smallholder farmers’ income, improve the nutritional status of Rwandan women and children, and increase the resilience of the agriculture and food systems to the changing climate. This is envisioned to be achieved through sustainable increase of agriculture productivity, improving farmers’ access to market and improving nutrition outcomes of agriculture interventions.

IB. GRANT PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

To achieve its target of increasing agricultural productivity and yield of 200, 000 farmers by at least 50%, grants under Hinga Weze will be used to competitively support innovative proposals offering solutions in the domain of agro-retailing. The matching grants facility will represent a partnership between CNFA and grant recipients to introduce new business models and technologies such as Farm Service Centers (FSCs). Applicants will be required to match investments from their own businesses, or own funding source, to ensure ownership and sustainability of new activities or innovations introduced through the grant mechanism.

More information on eligibility is outlined in “Section II – Eligible Recipients” below.

(1) Objectives:

In ten districts targeted by Hinga Weze, the agro-inputs market is oftentimes low in quality and quantity since agro-dealers have limited financial capacity to purchase and to sell diversified inputs in sufficient quantity. Many agro-dealers sell agro-inputs only during the agriculture seasons and thereafter stop that business to wait again the following season. They also provide extension services but some of them are not well-equipped with knowledge about the agro-products and how to apply them. . In addition, some farmers walk long distance; others do not obtain agro-inputs on time at an affordable price.

Under this RFA, Hinga Weze is soliciting applications from Rwandan small/medium enterprises (SMEs), such as agro-dealers, aggregators and other investors in agribusiness, as well as youth and agro-dealer cooperatives, who are committed and motivated to establish or expand innovative business models that will bring climate smart inputs and/or seeds for nutrient-rich crops including iron-fortified seed beans, orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), vegetable seeds as nutrition response in Hinga Weze target districts.

(2) Key Activities (KA):

KA 1: Establish Farm Service Center (FSC)

Hinga Weze will provide grants to successful entrepreneurs or agricultural SMEs, with the intention of establishing Farm Service Center (FSC). In general, a Farm Service Center (FSC) is a market-oriented, private sector driven model based on a “One-Stop-Shop” concept that increases access to agricultural inputs, service and output marketing by small- and medium-sized farmers with an emphasis on boosting smallholder farmers’ productivity and income.

Through FSCs, farmers will have better access to quality and affordable agricultural inputs, services, and technical assistance compared with traditional retail systems that emphasize products for larger commercial farms, lack consistency in product quality, and provide limited and poor advisory services. In addition to addressing inputs and service needs of farmers, FSCs will serve as a platform to disseminate new techniques, technologies and practices; to provide training in a state-of-the-art training room and through an adjacent demonstration plot, and to provide aggregation services for small- and medium-sized farmers.

Successful applicants will have:

Successfully established business (es) previously;
Have proven management skills and business-oriented mindset;
Established client lists, with proven innovative services to the clients;
Sound financial track records; and
Be willing and able to provide a 1:1 matching contribution.
FSCs must have qualified and paid personnel (veterinarian, agronomist) and sell quality inputs. The inputs sold through FSCs help establish farmers’ trust in quality and help guard against the risks of counterfeit or substandard products.

Anticipated Award Amount: 40, 000, 000 – 60, 000, 000 RWF

Anticipated Period of Performance: 2 years (starting in August 2019)

KA 2: Establish or Expand Agro-Inputs Shop (or mini-FSCs)

In 10 districts targeted by Hinga Weze, agro-dealers lack the financial capacity to purchase agro-inputs in sufficient quantity and are oftentimes obliged to purchase agro-inputs through multiple transactions, based on immediate farmer needs. Therefore, prices are not favorable for them, nor the farmer. In order to resolve this problem, Hinga Weze will award grants to agro-dealer cooperatives with viable business models focused on establishing or expanding small agro-inputs shop(s) that would provide year-round supplies by purchasing agro-inputs through a joint venture approach. Through this approach, agro-dealer cooperatives will be able to negotiate better prices with companies supplying improved seeds, fertilizers, lime, veterinary products and agriculture equipment. Successful applicants will provide evidence that established shops comply with agrochemical regulations (warehouse management). If certification has not been achieved by the time of submission of this grant application, successful applicants will provide a clear plan, with timeline, on how certification will be achieved. Hinga Weze grant will support the establishment of a suitable store and materials for the record keeping; Hinga Weze grant will NOT purchase agro-inputs to be sold in the agro-inputs shop.

Anticipated Award Amount: 10, 000, 000 – 25, 000, 000 RWF

Anticipated Period of Performance: 1 year (starting in July 2019)

(3) Expected Outcomes:

Selected applicants will be granted with the following: (1) either an in-kind grants or fixed amount award; and (2) technical support from CNFA/Hinga Weze.

The results expected are to improve the access on agriculture inputs and help agro-dealers to increase sales and farmers to increase the yield. The grants of agro-dealers based on providing services, working on good environment, promoting the new technologies or innovations will help HW to achieve the following indicators:

Indicator #2 (EG.3.2-26): Value of annual sales of farms and firms receiving USG assistance
Indicator #3 (Eg.3-2): Number of individuals participating in USG food security programs
Indicator #6 (EG.3.2-24): Number of individuals in the agriculture system who have applied improved management practices or technologies with USG ass

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