RFP: CONSULTANCY FOR INCUBATION OF SMALL NUTRITION SENSITIVE BUSINESS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY

Background and context

People living in informal urban settlements often face a range of challenges to their economic stability. The lack of infrastructure, poor delivery of basic services, overcrowding, and general political neglect seen within Nairobi’s informal settlements greatly impedes economic and social opportunities for individuals and families. Without access to markets, assets, and/or social capital to establish and sustain income generating activities, many people experience unemployment, poor health, and low levels of education and productive skills and abilities. Inside informal settlements, unemployment rates are as high as 36%, revealing the heightened vulnerability of these residents in comparison to the rest of Kenyan society, which can be attributable to the need to rely on inconsistent wage labour as a primary source of income to buy food.

Women in these areas often face additional challenges such as limited access to education and employment opportunities, gender-based violence, and discrimination, which can further exacerbate their economic instability. For example, women may have limited access to financial resources and assets, which can make it more difficult for them to start their own businesses or invest in income-generating activities. Additionally, women may have limited access to healthcare and other social services, which can negatively impact their overall well-being and productivity.

Over the past several years, the presence of street food vendors has increased substantially, particularly in lower-income informal settlements. Concern’s assessments have demonstrated that for families in settlements, the frequency of their street food consumption is directly influenced by the following four factors: level of household income; regularity of income; household size; and time available to prepare meals. Due to their low price and accessibility, street foods have begun to play an important role in the diet of poor households, especially when it comes to breakfast and snacks. These foods are not only nutrient poor, but also frequently prepared in unhygienic conditions by sellers who are unregulated, unmonitored, and often only possess informal training on food preparation. While the regular consumption of street food poses a health risk to all, the use of street food to supplement diets is especially harmful to young children as studies show it is linked to chronic malnutrition and high stunting rates.

Malnutrition is one of the leading contributors to preventable child morbidity and mortality. The effects of malnutrition, including stunting of both psychological and physical development, contribute to poor productivity and low economic growth ultimately leading to a cycle of intergenerational poverty. Across low-income families, stunting rates have been recorded as high as 18.9% with an estimated 42,061 children and 2,244 pregnant and lactating women currently in need of treatment for acute malnutrition in Nairobi’s informal settlements.

Only 39% of children between six months and two years of age living in the informal settlements of Nairobi receive an adequate diet, both in terms of quantity and diversity. Diets fed to children aged 6-23 months lack important micronutrients, especially iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, and proteins. Meanwhile, children aged 6-9 months are not fed the recommended number of times during and after an illness.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of the consultancy is to support the Concern to develop a contextualized gender responsive accelerator platform for small businesses in Nairobi City county informal settlements (Mukuru Njenga, Mukuru Reuben, Viwandani and Mathare). Specifically, the consultancy will; review the ecosystem within which small business operate in Nairobi city County; determine a suitable gender transformative business incubation approach based on the practical and strategic needs of women for viable and sustainable business enterprises contributing to improved food and nutrition security; and identify and recommend appropriate policy gaps at National and County level that need to be addressed to support the growth and equal gender participation of small businesses in Nairobi City County informal settlements.

Objectives and Specific Tasks to be undertaken by the Consultant(s)

1. Review the ecosystem within which small business operate in Nairobi City County:

• Review food value chains and estimated market value and undertake a thorough mapping of business chains, including production, cold chain, distribution channels, and markets, with a focus on reaching beneficiaries at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP). Employ the Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) and Value Chain Analysis approaches to gain insights into the dynamics of existing markets.
• Identify Social demographic characteristics of small business owners, particularly in relation to gender and intersectionality
• Assess financial facilities available to small businesses
• Identify Enablers and barriers of operating small businesses in the urban informal settlements

II. Determine a suitable gender transformative business incubation approach based on the practical and strategic needs of women for viable and sustainable business enterprises contributing to improved food and nutrition security:

• Identify and recommend suitable options and approaches for the business incubator that enables viable sustainable gender transformative business enterprises.
• Develop quality improvement criteria for graduation of small businesses.
• Identify and recommend suitable financial options for scale up of small business. (financial and support mechanisms)

III. Identify and recommend appropriate policy gaps at National and County level:

• Review existing legislative and regulatory frameworks within which small business in urban informal settlements operate including trade, sourcing of raw materials, food production, processing, food safety, marketing and food consumption.
• Recommend key policy gaps, which if addressed will create an enabling business environment for small enterprises.
• Provide evidence based recommendations on policy foundations for understanding the complex issues related to gender, entrepreneurship, and informal urbanism in the context of Nairobi City County informal settlements.

Expected deliverables from the consultant:

The required outputs of this consultancy will be as follows:

1. An inception report (maximum five pages) outlining the approach/methodology and execution programme/timetable.
2. Data collection tools shall be submitted with the inception report
3. Preliminary report.
4. The final report

Final payment is dependent on the submission of a good quality, well-written final report or completion of agreed outputs (as detailed in the TOR). In addition to methodology, findings and discussion, the report should include a comprehensive executive summary and a section outlining clear and concise conclusions and recommendations.

A digital copy of all reports will be required by Concern at the end of the piece of work.

Lines of Communication

The consultant will work closely with the Programme Director and Health and Nutrition coordinator.

Timeframe

Time Frame for the consultancy is 30 days.

Essential and Desirable Experience/Qualifications

The Consultancy team must be multidisciplinary (one of the key consultant should have Agribusiness background). At the minimum, the consultant(s) must possess the following:

1. At least Master’s Degree in Agriculture, Economics, and Business related disciplines, Development Studies, with a minimum of five (5) years demonstrated experience in agribusiness research and/or practice with good understanding of food industry, with a focus on its dynamics within low-income urban communities.
2. Demonstrate a good understanding of Kenya urban context especially with regards to the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP), with practical working experience or research/surveys in such environments.
3. Experience of effective interaction with local and national institutions, government departments, and business service providers.
4. Be conversant with current business models and practice around the agricultural sub-sector.
5. Practical application of cross cutting themes like gender mainstreaming, and gender competence, M&E, advocacy.
6. Proven experience of using participatory tools and methodology.
7. Past experiences working on crop value chain development will be key in this assignment.

Required documentation with your proposal:

• Certificate of Incorporation (firms) or National ID card (individual)
• Valid Tax Compliance Certificate
• PIN Certificate
• Company / Consultant’s Profile
• CVs of key staff
• Certificate/reference information of previous undertakings of similar contracts with NGOs/UN agencies
• Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct etc. or what are the necessary provisions have you put in place to keep everyone safe in the course of your engagement.
• Attach copy of Certificate of Good Conduct or proof that you have applied for the same
• Confirm the gender ratio for the team that you will be engaging in this exercise
• A detailed work plan with milestones