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Request for Proposals

Development of agriculture value chain indicators
and corresponding MLE tools at Digital Green
Background
Digital Green is an independent non-government organisation that works in partnership with the National
Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) within the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, and other
partners in African countries. Digital Green uses an innovative digital platform for engagement of rural
communities across South Asia and Sub- Saharan Africa to help them to produce more high-quality foods
and improve their incomes.

Digital Green is requesting funds from the Sentinel Grants initiative for technical assistance to improve the
quality of their Monitoring Learning and Evaluation (MLE) system. ALINe at Firetail manages this program on
behalf of the Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

Digital Green has a robust Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation (MLE) system in place that supports
planning, programming and decision-making. The Digital Greens Theory of Change shows the intended
pathway of change and determines the interventions. This is clearly articulated in the corresponding MLE
framework with defined indicators.

Purpose
Digital Green is specifically interested in incorporating agriculture value chain indicators and corresponding
MLE tools into their existing MLE system.

Objective& Audience
The proposed activities will support Digital Greens development of new indicators and MLE tools for near
real time data collection and tracking outcomes across agriculture value chains.

Methodology
The process of modifying the existing MLE framework will begin with a one-day workshop. This workshop
will include senior program staff from Digital Green (DG), an external value chain expert, and an M&E expert
from ALINe. The workshop will bring relevant stakeholders to a common understanding and agreement on a
value chain inclusive MLE framework for DG, indicators, data collection and tools for data collection. The
value chain expert will be responsible for the overall design of new MLE tools, and a pilot process to test and
develop final tools. Technical expert activities are expected to include:

Initial design indicator and tool design 1st round and feedback
Indicator and tool refinement
Pre-pilot pre-test of tools and adjustments
Running the pilot, provide training and field support during pilot, and data entry and analysis
Final deliverables (tools and indicators & report)
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Firetail Limited, 6 Motley Avenue, London, EC2A 4SU
+44 207 148 0910 www.firetail.co.uk Registered in England & Wales 05428065


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This work will include desk-based research, inception meeting with Digital Green, field visits to define Digital
Green operational sites in India, a report, and a presentation of the final indicators and tools for approval.

Expected Deliverables
Written reports are to be submitted in English. The main body of all reports should be written in simple,
non-technical language with technical material presented in the Annexes. All data collected by a prospective
supplier of the service will remain the property of Digital Green, and must be submitted in a clear and
comprehensible format.

A prospective supplier will provide the following deliverables to Digital Green within the timeframe stated:

A draft report to be presented 7 days before the planned completion of the work. It will outline
preliminary findings, outputs, and recommendations to be presented for discussion with Digital
Green and ALINe.

A final report - to be presented within two days following the completion of the work. It will outline
final design specifications, including recommendations. The report should be no more than 20 pages
and the main body of the report will contain:

o Table of Content
o Acknowledgements
o Glossary/Acronyms and Abbreviations
o Executive summary (no more than 3 pages)
o Initial design of indicators and tools
o Pre-pilot testing of tools and adjustments
o Pilot of tools - running the pilot, provide training and field support, undertake data entry and
analysis
o Final deliverables (indicators and tools with clear methodology for data collection)
o Lessons learned
o Conclusions and recommendations
o Annexes

Timeline
This work is expected to start no later than January 2015 and be completed no later than April 2015.

Qualifications and required competencies

Demonstrated expertise and experience in the areas of value chains and M&E in agriculture related
programmes in developing countries.
Willingness to engage with Digital Green and field staff through face-to-face interaction.
Competitive pricing.
Assurance of high-quality delivery to time and budget.

Management
A prospective supplier will report directly to ALINe who will work closely with Digital Green on this initiative.
ALINe & Digital Green must approve any proposed changes to the personnel listed in the proposal in
advance of the work commencing.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Firetail Limited, 6 Motley Avenue, London, EC2A 4SU
+44 207 148 0910 www.firetail.co.uk Registered in England & Wales 05428065


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Digital Green will provide the following documentation
Theory of Change-Matrix, Visual
Indicator descriptions

The supplier will be responsible for:

Developing the Agenda for the workshop, the methodology for the pilot, and development of the
final tools for data collection.
Implementing the activities within specified timelines and to budget.
Informing ALINe and Digital Green in a timely manner of the progress being made and any problems
encountered and proposed solutions.
Regular progress reporting to ALINe and Digital Green.

Submissions of proposals
Prospective suppliers of the services are invited to submit their proposals by e-mail with the subject line:
Proposal for development of agriculture value chain indicators and corresponding tools for MLE System
at Digital Green. The main body of the proposal should be no more than 2000 words (estimated 5-6 pages)
and should include the following:
A cover letter expressing interest.
Background and context that demonstrates an understanding of Digital Greens Theory of Change
and M&E System.
Experience with similar types of work in agriculture related programs in developing countries
including examples (max two examples).
Outline of the proposal.
List of activities and deliverables (with detail where needed).
Proposed timeline with suggested number of days for specific activities.
Estimated daily fees (including VAT) and total budget, including travel, accommodation.

Criteria for selection

The following weighting and points will be assigned to the proposal:
No
1


2




3



4
5

Item Description
Expertise of Organisation
Management structure
Organisational capability/resources and experience
Proposed methodology
Own interpretation of the Terms of Reference (ToR)
Project Approach & Quality of work proposed
Project deliverables
Project timeline
Key personnel to be engaged in the assignment
Staff Qualifications
Experience
Roles and responsibilities
Budget
Total (Technical & Budget)

Weights
20
5
15
40
10
10
15
5
20
5
10

20
100

Note: ALINe & Digital Green reserve the right to award the contract to the organisation whose proposal is
deemed to be in the best interest of the Sentinel Grant programme and the grantee. An individual expert or
an organisation with the winning proposal will be notified in writing.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Firetail Limited, 6 Motley Avenue, London, EC2A 4SU
+44 207 148 0910 www.firetail.co.uk Registered in England & Wales 05428065


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Terms and Conditions

The request for proposals is not and shall not be considered an offer made by ALINe1 & Digital
Green.
All responses must be received by the 2nd January 2015. Late responses will be rejected.
All proposals will be considered binding offers and proposed budgets must be valid for the entire
period provided by a respondent.
All awards will be subject to ALINes contractual terms and conditions and contingent on the
approval and availability of Sentinel Grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
(BMGF).
ALINe and Digital Green reserve the right to accept or reject any proposal or cancel the solicitation
process at any time and shall have no liability to the proposing organisations submitting proposals
for such rejection or cancellation of the request for proposal.
ALINe and Digital Green reserve the right to require respondents to enter into a non-disclosure
agreement.
The respondents are solely obligated to pay for any costs, of any kind whatsoever, which may be
incurred by respondents or any third party in connection with the response.
All responses shall become the property of Firetail & Digital Green, subject to claims of
confidentiality with respect of the response and supporting documentation.
All responses will be clearly marked as CONFIDENTIAL by the respondent.

Form/Content of Response
All proposals will be:
In English.
Contain detailed cost in US Dollar, with applicable Tax/Charges clearly identified.
Provide requested payment terms and conditions.
Describe the qualifications, experience and capabilities of the firm providing the type of services
being requested. A short CV shall be submitted as an attachment.
Include a contact name, email address, and telephone number to facilitate communication with
ALINe and Digital Green.
As appropriate, a brief outline of the organization and services offered, including:
o Full legal name, jurisdiction of incorporation and address of the company.

Schedule of Events

All proposals shall be submitted by the 2nd January 2015 to:

Ms Swati Gaur (swati@digitalgreen.org)
Dr Mirzet Sabirovic (Mirzet@firetail.co.uk)
Mr Andre Ling (andre@firetail.co.uk)

The Agricultural Learning and Impacts Network (ALINe) is a practice stream at Firetail Limited

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Firetail Limited, 6 Motley Avenue, London, EC2A 4SU
+44 207 148 0910 www.firetail.co.uk Registered in England & Wales 05428065