Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Recruitment of a Consultancy to Conduct a Digital Market and Digital Skills Gap Assessment Across the Sama Countries.
Job Description
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Recruitment of a Consultancy to Conduct a Digital Market and Digital Skills Gap Assessment across the SAMA Countries (Under the Smart Africa Markets for All (SAMA) Programme, Across the six SAMA countries: Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia)
| Client / Contracting entity | Smart Africa Secretariat10th Floor, Career Centre BuildingKG 541 ST, Kigali, Rwanda, P.O. Box: 4913Tel: +250 788 300 581/+250788822155Email: tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org | www.smartafrica.org |
| RFP # | 157/S.A/SAMA/RFP/10/2026 |
| Programme | Smart Africa Markets for All (SAMA) |
| Assignment title | Digital Market Gap and Opportunity Analysis and Digital Skills Gap Assessment for the Digital Market, SAMA Interventions 1 and 2 |
| Assignment structure | One consultancy awarded as a single package comprising two coordinated components. Bidders must demonstrate distinct technical expertise for each Component and may propose a consortium or specialist team arrangements to ensure adequate depth across both components. A single contract will be awarded for the full assignment. |
| Geographic coverage | Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia |
| Languages | English and French, with local-language data collection where required |
| Release date | 08/10/2026 |
| Closing date | 09/11/2026 at 17:00 Kigali time (CAT / UTC+2) |
| Contact | Enquiries: tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org |Submissions: procurement@smartafrica.org |
Introduction and General Background
1.1 About the Smart Africa Alliance
The Smart Africa Alliance is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Government to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, with the vision of transforming Africa into a Single Digital Market by 2030. Established through its Manifesto, a collaborative effort among African nations, the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Telecommunication Union, the private sector, and academic and research institutions, the Alliance was endorsed by African leaders in 2014 and has since garnered the support of 42 African countries representing over one billion people.
The Smart Africa Secretariat, headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, coordinates continental programmes that support digital market integration, policy harmonization, institutional strengthening, and innovation-ecosystem development across Member States, placing information and communications technologies at the core of national and continental socio-economic development.
More information: https://smartafrica.org
1.2 About Smart Africa Markets for All (SAMA) Programme
Smart Africa Alliance curated the Smart Africa Markets for All (SAMA), an initiative that brings in nexus between digital innovation – entrepreneurship, digital skills and knowledge, and strengthening policy and regulatory environment for digitization of markets while impacting youth with a particular focus on young women.
SAMA Programme is a four-year, multi-country initiative supported by the Mastercard Foundation, running from 2026 through 2029. The Program aims to unlock dignified and fulfilling work opportunities for 35,584 young people, with a target of 70% young women, 5% persons with disabilities, and 5% refugees/internally displaced persons, by improving access to digital markets for economically disadvantaged youth, particularly young women small traders. The Programme is implemented across six countries: Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.
The program responds to systemic challenges in Africa’s informal economy, where approximately 90% of workers are informal and youth, who make up 75% of the population, face interlinked barriers such as limited digital connectivity, financial exclusion, inadequate market access, and digital skills gaps. SAMA builds on Smart Africa’s existing digital initiatives such as SANIA, SADA, SATA, SWG etc and aligns with the organisation’s vision for Africa’s Single Digital Market by 2030 as well as the African Union’s vision, ensuring that program efforts complement broader continental strategies for inclusive digital transformation.
1.2.1 SAMA Strategic Pillars
SAMA is built around three interconnected strategic pillars to drive inclusive growth: a) Entrepreneurship and digital innovation, b) Youth Digital Skills, and c) Institutional Capacity Building. In practice, this translates to:
- Accelerating Inclusive Digital Innovation by supporting youth-led tech solutions that reduce market barriers for informal traders.
- Youth Digital Skills Development by providing digital, financial and entrepreneurial skills training to young persons, especially young women, to improve their employability and enterprise growth.
- Strengthening Institutions and Policy by working with governments and regional bodies to harmonize policies, improve regulatory environments, and build institutional capacity for a unified digital market.
1.2.2 SAMA Target Personas
The Programme’s human-centred design is built around and targets three distinct groups of young persons in Africa:
- Small market trader or “Aisha”: As a young woman and small market trader who struggles to make ends meet selling from a tabletop in her local market. She represents the millions of economically disadvantaged youths in informal trade who need access to markets, financial inclusion, and digital tools to improve their livelihood. To benefit from the digitalization happening around her, Aisha needs training to effectively and safely use digital tools, and she needs digital products and services tailored to her realities as a young woman small trader, so that she can move from the periphery to the center of the digital economy.
- Social techpreneurs or “Chebet”: A recent university graduate or young social digital entrepreneur who develops inclusive digital solutions responsive to Aisha’s realities. She embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of university educated youth eager to leverage digital innovation for social impact but needs support to succeed. While she may not be as economically disadvantaged as Aisha, she has limited financial, technical, and business support to pursue social entrepreneurship. Chebet’s success is directly connected to Aisha because her enterprise is intended, first and foremost, to develop inclusive digital solutions tailored to the needs and realities of small traders such as Aisha.
- Unemployed disadvantaged youth or “Nala”: Nala is a young person from a low-income household who faces difficulty accessing meaningful employment and seeks ICT training to improve her work prospects. She represents the youth seeking to acquire digital skills to improve their employability and access opportunities in the growing digital economy. While she may not be as economically disadvantaged as Aisha, she is from a low-income community and not able to find a job easily. With access to relevant training, certification and employment pathways, she could find better work as tech worker or even upskill her current tech skills to obtain industry-related certification and employment pathways in the emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data science and coding etc.
Duration of the Assignment
The assignment is expected to be completed within four (4) months, approximately sixteen (16) weeks, from the date of contract signature, covering both components. The consultant shall propose a detailed workplan, staffing schedule and level of effort that demonstrate the feasibility of completing both components across all six countries within this period. Any extension must be agreed in writing by Smart Africa. The firm will work in close collaboration with the Smart Africa Secretariat and the SAMA programme team using a virtual coordination model, supplemented by in-country fieldwork.
Reporting and Coordination
The consultant shall report to the interventions leads and to the SAMA Programme Management Unit at the Smart Africa Secretariat. Smart Africa will designate technical focal points for Interventions 1 and 2. The consultant shall coordinate with GrowthAfrica Foundation for Intervention 1, with the Intervention 2 implementing partners (NetOne and PIGIER Benin), and with relevant country stakeholders and other SAMA teams as directed by the Programme Management Unit.
The consultant shall participate in regular coordination meetings and provide at least bi-weekly written progress updates covering activities completed, emerging findings, fieldwork quality, risks, mitigation measures, decisions required and upcoming milestones. The Programme Management Unit will consolidate comments and provide formal written approval of deliverables. Approval is required before associated payment milestones are triggered.
Profile of the Consultancy Firm and Team
Smart Africa seeks to engage a qualified consultancy firm, or consortium with demonstrated expertise in digital-market research, digital skills and competency assessments, MSME/informal-sector research, baseline measurement and multi-country studies in Africa.
The selected firm must demonstrate the technical, institutional and operational capacity to undertake the Digital Market Gap and Opportunity Analysis and Digital Skills Gap Assessment across the six SAMA countries, including generation of relevant baseline reference values aligned with the SAMA Results Framework and MEL system. The firm shall also demonstrate capacity to assess employer demand and post-training employment pathways for disadvantaged youth.
8.1 Institutional Qualifications
The firm must:
a. Be a legally registered entity with authority to operate in its country of registration.
b. Have a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience undertaking research, assessments, diagnostics, baseline studies or advisory assignments in digital transformation, digital markets, MSME development, digital skills, workforce development or related areas.
c. Demonstrate experience conducting mixed-methods of research, including quantitative surveys, qualitative research, stakeholder consultations and secondary data analysis.
d. Demonstrate experience delivering multi-country or multi-context assignments in Africa, preferably involving informal enterprises, small traders, women, youth or other underserved populations.
e. Demonstrate relevant experience in digital-market assessments, digital skills/competency assessments, MSME or informal-sector research, digital financial inclusion, digital entrepreneurship or related areas.
f. Demonstrate experience in baseline measurement and MEL-aligned research, including development of indicators and measurement frameworks, generation of baseline reference values, disaggregation, data analysis and preparation of datasets for subsequent programme monitoring.
g. Demonstrate adequate institutional systems for fieldwork management, data-quality assurance, safeguarding, research ethics, data protection and secure data management.
h. Demonstrate capacity to undertake research in English and French, with access to appropriate local-language research capacity across the six countries.
i. Provide evidence of at least two (2) similar assignments completed within the last three (3) years, preferably including a baseline, digital-market, digital-skills or multi-country research component.
j. Provide at least two client references or recommendation letters from assignments of a similar nature.
8.2 Key Experts
The bidder shall propose a lean multidisciplinary team with the relevant technical, research, MEL, coordination and inclusion of expertise required for successful delivery of the assignment.
At minimum, the team shall include:
- Team Leader / Principal Investigator
- Component 1 Lead – Digital Markets and Inclusive Innovation Expert
- Component 2 Lead – Digital Skills, Competency and Curriculum Expert
- MEL and Results Measurement Expert
- Quantitative Research, Sampling and Data-Analysis Lead
- Qualitative and User-Research Specialist
- Gender, Disability Inclusion and Safeguarding Expert
- Country Research Leads (6 leads)
Additionally, the bidder should demonstrate the ability to mobilise Trained enumerators for each country for data collection across the six countries.
8.3 Minimum Requirements — Key Experts
The bidder shall propose a team with the technical, research, coordination and inclusion of expertise required to deliver both components. Each proposed expert should demonstrate strong practical experience, the relevant qualifications set out below, and the ability to deliver rigorous, inclusive, multi-country research. The minimum team comprises the following key experts. The same person shall not be proposed for more than one key-expert role.
8.3.1 Team Leader / Principal Investigator
Role in the Assignment
The Team Leader shall provide overall leadership of the assignment, including technical direction, methodological rigour, quality assurance, stakeholder engagement, coordination across both components and the six countries, reporting, and liaison with the Smart Africa Programme Management Unit.
The expert shall:
- Lead the design and integration of the methodology across both components and the baseline.
- Oversee sampling, fieldwork quality, analysis, synthesis, and the validation process.
- Ensure coherence between the Component1 and Component2 outputs and the SAMA programme needs.
- Serve as the primary point of contact with Smart Africa and implementing partners.
Minimum Experience and Qualifications
- Advanced degree (master’s or higher) in economics, development studies, ICT for development, education, social sciences, statistics or related fields.
- At least ten (10) years of experience leading applied research, market assessments, digital-inclusion or digital-skills studies, of which at least five (5) years leading multi-country or multi-partner assignments.
- Proven experience leading mixed-methods research and integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence into actionable recommendations.
- Demonstrated experience managing research in Sub-Saharan Africa, including French- and English-speaking contexts.
- Experience with gender-responsive and inclusion-oriented research.
Core Competencies
- Research leadership and methodological rigour
- Multi-country programme coordination and quality assurance
- Synthesis of evidence into strategic, usable recommendations
- Stakeholder engagement and high-quality reporting
8.3.2 Component 1 Lead — Digital Markets and Inclusive Innovation Expert
Role in the Assignment
This expert shall lead the Digital Market Gap and Opportunity Analysis (Component 1), ensuring the evidence is rigorous and directly usable by GrowthAfrica and the Chebet innovation cohorts.
The expert shall:
- Lead the mapping of digital-market adoption and the barrier-and-opportunity analysis for informal micro and small entrepreneurs.
- Lead the design-ready synthesis: thematic challenge areas, prioritized problem statements, personas and user journeys.
- Ensure findings translate into hackathon themes, briefs and incubation design considerations.
Minimum Experience and Qualifications
- Advanced degree in economics, digital economy, business, innovation, human-centred design, development studies or related field.
- At least seven (7) years of experience in digital markets, digital financial services, e-commerce/social commerce, informal-sector or MSME research.
- Demonstrated experience producing design-ready research outputs (problem statements, personas, user journeys, opportunity framing) for innovation, product or entrepreneurship programmes.
- Experience researching young women traders or underserved user groups is an added advantage.
Core Competencies
- Digital-market and informal-sector expertise
- User research and human-centred design synthesis
- Translation of evidence into innovation-ready inputs
- Analytical prioritization of barriers and opportunities
8.3.3 Component 2 Lead — Digital Skills, Competency and Curriculum Expert
Role in the Assignment
This expert shall lead the Digital Skills Gap Assessment for the Digital Market (Component 2), ensuring the assessment produces a usable competency framework, actionable skilling recommendations for Aisha-aligned sellers and an evidenced analysis of Nala’s post-training job pathways.
The expert shall:
- Lead the assessment of current digital skills levels and required competencies for formal and informal sellers.
- Lead the benchmarking of existing skilling provision and the ecosystem/provider mapping.
- Develop the competency framework, learning pathways and prioritised curriculum and delivery recommendations, including alignment of Nala’s training with employer requirements and validated job pathways.
Minimum Experience and Qualifications
- Advanced degree in education, instructional design, ICT, digital skills, development studies or related fields.
- At least seven (7) years of experience in digital skills or competency assessment, curriculum design, TVET or workforce-readiness programmes.
- Demonstrated experience developing competency frameworks and learning pathways for diverse or underserved learner groups.
- Experience designing gender-responsive and accessible skilling approaches is an added advantage.
Core Competencies
- Digital-skills and competency assessment
- Competency-framework and curriculum design
- Learner segmentation and pathway design
- Practical, context-sensitive skilling recommendations
8.3.4 MEL and Results Measurement Expert
Role :
Minimum master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Statistics, Economics, Research Methods or related field;
Minimum 7 years’ relevant experience in MEL, evaluation or quantitative research;
Experience in leading at least 2 baseline, indicator-measurement or MEL-system assignments;
Demonstrated experience in sampling, indicator definition, baseline reference values, disaggregation, and quantitative data analysis.
8.3.5 Quantitative Research, Sampling and Data-Analysis Lead
Role in the Assignment
This expert shall lead the quantitative design, sampling, data management and disaggregated analysis for both components and the baseline.
The expert shall:
- Design the survey instruments, sampling frames and sample-size calculations for each country.
- Oversee data quality, cleaning, weighting and disaggregated analysis.
- Produce the baseline indicator tables, calculation sheets and dashboard-ready datasets.
Minimum Experience and Qualifications
- Advanced degree in statistics, economics, data science, demography or a related quantitative field.
- At least five (5) years of experience designing and analysing multi-country household, enterprise or beneficiary surveys.
- Demonstrated expertise in sampling design, disaggregation and baseline/indicator measurement.
- Proficiency with standard statistical software and data-management practice.
Core Competencies
- Survey and sampling design
- Disaggregated quantitative analysis
- Baseline and indicator measurement
- Data quality assurance and management
8.3.6 Qualitative and User-Research Specialist
Role in the Assignment
This expert shall lead the qualitative research across both components, ensuring that trader and seller voices are captured rigorously and translated into usable insight.
The expert shall:
- Design and oversee key informant interviews and focus group discussions, including dedicated engagement with young women traders.
- Lead qualitative coding, thematic analysis and triangulation with the quantitative findings.
- Support the development of personas, user journeys and anonymised trader stories.
Minimum Experience and Qualifications
- Advanced degree in social sciences, anthropology, development studies, human-centred design or a related field.
- At least five (5) years of experience leading qualitative or user research, preferably with informal-sector or underserved populations.
- Demonstrated experience translating qualitative evidence into design- or programme-ready outputs.
- Experience conducting research in African markets and in both English and French contexts.
Core Competencies
- Qualitative research design and facilitation
- Thematic analysis and triangulation
- User-insight and persona development
- Ethical, participant-centred fieldwork
8.3.7 Gender, Disability Inclusion and Safeguarding Expert
Role in the Assignment
This expert shall ensure the assignment is gender-responsive, disability-inclusive and safeguarding-compliant throughout design, fieldwork, analysis and recommendations.
The expert shall:
- Advise on gender-responsive and disability-inclusive instruments, sampling and field protocols.
- Lead the safeguarding, informed-consent and ethical-research arrangements.
- Ensure disaggregation and inclusion analysis are applied consistently across both components.
Minimum Experience and Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Development Studies, Social Sciences or related field;
- Minimum 7 years’ relevant experience in integrating gender into research or assessments;
- Experience in at least 2 research/assessment assignments integrating gender and inclusion;
- Demonstrated experience in gender-responsive research, disability inclusion, safeguarding and ethical data collection.
- Familiarity with safeguarding standards and ethical research protocols.
Core Competencies
- Gender-responsive and inclusive research methods
- Safeguarding and research ethics
- Young-women-centered development approach
- Gender sensitive analysis and disaggregation
8.3.8 Country Research Leads (6 leads)
Role in the Assignment
The bidder shall propose country research leads in each of the six SAMA countries — Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia — to conduct fieldwork under the direction of the key experts.
Minimum Requirements
- Demonstrated field-research presence, credible local networks or partner arrangements in each of the six countries.
- Country leads with at least three (3) years of relevant fieldwork or research-coordination experience.
- French–English capability as relevant to each country, and local-language enumerators or translators where required.
Evaluation Method and Criteria
The evaluation method is Quality- and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS). Each proposal is evaluated as a single package covering both components. The technical proposal is scored out of 100 against the criteria below; the financial proposal of only those applicants securing a minimum technical score 70/100 will be opened.
| Item / Evaluation criterion | Points |
| A. Approach, Methodology and Work Plan | /28 |
| Clarity and alignment of the proposed approach with both components and the intended SAMA Intervention 1 and 2 outcomes | 8 |
| Quality and coherence of the integrated methodology, including research design, sampling, quantitative and qualitative methods, validation of Nala job pathways, baseline measurement, data analysis and validation | 10 |
| Realism, clarity and completeness of the work plan, staffing schedule and deliverable timeline | 5 |
| Demonstrate the ability to mobilize Trained enumerators for each country | 5 |
| B. Qualifications and Relevant Experience of the Firm and Proposed Experts | /48 |
| Consultancy Firm (10) | 10 |
| Legal registration and at least seven (7) years of relevant institutional experience | 1 |
| Experience conducting mixed-methods research, including quantitative, qualitative and secondary-data analysis | 1 |
| Experience delivering multi-country or multi-context assignments in Africa | 2 |
| Relevant institutional experience in digital markets, MSMEs, informal-sector research, digital skills or competency assessments | 2 |
| Experience in baseline measurement, indicator development, disaggregation and MEL-aligned research | 1 |
| Institutional systems for fieldwork management, quality assurance, safeguarding, research ethics, data protection and secure data management | 1 |
| English–French research capacity and access to appropriate local-language capacity in the six countries | 1 |
| Evidence of at least two (2) similar assignments completed within the last three (3) years | 1 |
| Team Leader / Principal Investigator (7) | 7 |
| Relevant advanced degree — master’s degree or higher | 1 |
| At least ten (10) years of relevant experience, including at least five (5) years leading multi-country or multi-partner assignments | 2 |
| Proven experience leading mixed-methods research and integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence | 1 |
| Experience managing research in Sub-Saharan African, French-speaking and English-speaking contexts | 1 |
| Experience coordinating multidisciplinary and multi-country research teams and stakeholder processes | 1 |
| Experience applying gender-responsive and inclusion-oriented research approaches | 1 |
| Component 1 Lead — Digital Markets and Inclusive Innovation Expert (6) | 6 |
| Relevant advanced degree | 1 |
| At least seven (7) years of relevant professional experience | 1 |
| Experience in at least two (2) assignments involving digital markets, MSMEs, informal enterprises, digital financial services or digital entrepreneurship | 1 |
| Experience conducting market, opportunity, user-needs or digital-adoption assessments | 1 |
| Experience producing design-ready outputs, including problem statements, personas, user journeys and opportunity framing | 1 |
| Experience in African digital/MSME ecosystems, including research involving young women traders or underserved groups | 1 |
| Component 2 Lead — Digital Skills, Competency and Curriculum Expert (6) | 6 |
| Relevant advanced degree | 1 |
| At least seven (7) years of experience in digital-skills assessment, competency assessment, curriculum design, TVET or workforce-readiness programmes | 2 |
| Experience developing competency frameworks and employer-informed pathways from training into work for diverse or underserved learner groups | 2 |
| Experience designing gender-responsive and accessible skilling approaches | 1 |
| MEL and Results Measurement Expert (6) | 6 |
| Master’s degree in monitoring and evaluation, statistics, economics, research methods or a related field | 1 |
| At least seven (7) years of relevant experience in MEL, evaluation or quantitative research | 1 |
| Experience leading at least two (2) baseline, indicator-measurement or MEL-system assignments | 2 |
| Demonstrated experience in indicator definition, baseline reference values, sampling, disaggregation and quantitative analysis | 2 |
| Quantitative Research, Sampling and Data-Analysis Lead (4) | 4 |
| Relevant advanced degree | 1 |
| At least five (5) years of experience designing and analysing multi-country household, enterprise or beneficiary surveys | 1 |
| Demonstrated expertise in sampling design, weighting and disaggregated analysis | 1 |
| Baseline measurement, statistical software, data management and data-quality assurance capability | 1 |
| Qualitative and User-Research Specialist (4) | 4 |
| Relevant advanced degree | 1 |
| At least five (5) years of experience leading qualitative or user research with informal-sector or underserved populations | 1 |
| Experience translating qualitative evidence into design-ready or programme-ready outputs | 1 |
| Experience conducting research in African markets and French-speaking and English-speaking contexts | 1 |
| Gender, Disability Inclusion and Safeguarding Expert (5) | 5 |
| Relevant master’s degree | 1 |
| At least seven (7) years of experience integrating gender and inclusion into research or assessments | 1 |
| Experience in at least two (2) assignments integrating gender and inclusion | 1 |
| Experience in disability inclusion, safeguarding, ethical research and informed-consent protocols | 1 |
| Experience working with young women and marginalized, displaced or otherwise underserved populations | 1 |
| Country Research Leads six countries (2 for each expert) | /12 |
| Country leads with at least three (3) years of relevant research or fieldwork-coordination experience | 6 |
| Field presence, credible country networks, English–French capacity, local-language enumerators and adequate field supervision arrangements across all six countries | 6 |
| C. Samples and Client References | /12 |
| Two relevant work samples demonstrating quality and relevance (4 each) | 8 |
| Two recommendation letters or verifiable client references from similar assignments (2 each) | 4 |
| TOTAL TECHNICAL SCORE (St) | 100 |
The financial proposal of only those firms which secure a minimum score of 70/100 in the technical evaluation will be opened.
St= Score for the Technical Evaluation
Minimum technical score: only firms scoring at least 70 out of 100 will proceed to financial evaluation.
B) Financial Criteria
Once the technical criteria have been evaluated, the costs of all bids will be listed from low to high. Computing the cost criteria score will be accomplished by use of the following formula:
= Sf
The Applicant getting maximum marks on 80-20 weightage (80% for technical and 20% for financial) will be considered for the assignment. The weights given to the Technical (T) and Financial Proposals (F) are: T = 0.80 and F = 0.20
The Final Score (S) is calculated as follows: S = St*T + Sf*F
Indicative Payment Schedule
Payments are made against approved milestones for the assignment as a whole:
| Milestone | % of Contract Value |
| Approval of the Inception Report and data-collection toolkits | 10% |
| Approval of both draft Component reports with baseline values and completion of the validation workshop | 50% |
| Approval of the complete final assignment package | 40% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Submission Requirements
Proposals shall be submitted electronically to Smart Africa with the assignment reference clearly marked in the subject line, by the deadline specified in the procurement notice.
11.1 Administrative Documents
- Company profile and evidence of legal registration.
- Duly signed submission letter confirming the firm’s interest to provide the services required for the full assignment (both components); and also declaring the non-conflict of interest.
- The list/names of Board directors, Key management personnel and Owners/shareholders
- Valid tax and statutory documentation as applicable.
11.2 Technical Proposal
- The firm’s understanding of the integrated assignment; methodology for both components, including employer-informed assessment and validation of Nala’s post-training job pathways; sampling and fieldwork strategy for all six countries; quality assurance, ethics, safeguarding and data-management approach; and workplan.
- Two relevant work samples demonstrating quality and relevance
- Team composition with CVs of key personnel and relevant certifications. (for all proposed key experts)
- At least two (2) similar assignments completed within the last three (3) years
- A clear statement of field presence, partner arrangements or mobilisation capacity in each of the six countries.
11.3 Financial Proposal
- Summarized Total Cost Taxes Inclusive
- Breakdown of a remuneration package
- Breakdown of reimbursable expenses
A financial proposal in USD, presented as a detailed lump-sum budget for the full assignment covering all professional fees, local research partners, supervisors, enumerators, translation, fieldwork, travel, accessibility arrangements, workshops and other assignment costs. No fieldwork costs shall be assumed to be borne by Implementing Partners.
- Notes:
- Financial proposals should be password-protected; Smart Africa will request the password from bidders who qualify in the technical evaluation.
- Only consulting companies are eligible to apply to this assignment; no individuals will be accepted
- All financial offers shall be quoted and submitted in USD.
- A withholding tax of 15% will be deducted from payments for consultants not VAT-registered with the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) and 18% VAT will be applicable for registered firms in Rwanda
- Conflict-of-Interest Declaration: The bidder shall disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest that could affect, or reasonably be perceived to affect, its independence or impartiality in carrying out the assignment. This requirement applies to the firm, its affiliates, proposed Key Experts and subcontractors/consortium members, where applicable. Any conflict arising during the procurement or implementation period shall be disclosed promptly to Smart Africa.
11.4 Submission process
Smart Africa is an equal-opportunity institution. Firms owned or led by women, and firms with strong female representation in the proposed team, are strongly encouraged to apply.
Soft copies of both Technical and Financial Offers in PDF format must be submitted via email to: procurement@smartafrica.org showing each the nature of the offer concerned (technical or financial offer) with mention: RFP 157/S.A/RFP/10/2026 “Recruitment of Consultancy to Conduct a Digital Market and Digital Skills Gap Assessment across the SAMA Countries” not later than 09th of November 2026 at, 05:00 pm local time (Kigali).
Late proposals will be rejected.
VALIDITY
Proposals and quotes must remain valid for 180 days after the date of closing noted above. After the closing date and time, all proposals received by the Smart Africa Secretariat become its property.
RIGHTS RESERVED
- This RFP does not obligate the Smart Africa Secretariat (SAS) to complete the RFP process.
- SAS reserves the right to amend any segment of the RFP prior to the announcement of a selected firm.
- SAS also reserves the right to remove one or more of the services from consideration for this contract should the evaluation show that it is in SAS’s best interest to do so.
- SAS also may, at its discretion, issue a separate contract for any service or groups of services included in this RFP. SAS may negotiate a compensation package and additional provisions to the contract awarded under this RFP.
- The Smart Africa reserves the right to debrief the applicants after the completion of the process due to expected high volume of applications and avoiding the compromise of the process.
ENQUIRIES
Any enquiries will only be received and addressed three (3) days or more prior to the bid submission deadline. Prospective respondents who may have questions regarding this RFP may submit their enquiries to tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org
ANTI-CORRUPTION
Smart Africa is committed to preventing and not tolerating any act of corruption and other malpractices and expects that all bidders will adhere to the same ethical principles.
Annex 1. Proposed baseline indicator matrix
Purpose: This annex identifies which programme indicators should be established through the Integrated Baseline, Digital Market Gap Analysis and Digital Skills Assessment, and distinguishes them from implementation indicators whose baseline is expected to be zero because programme delivery has not yet commenced.
| Programme Indicator | Current Status | Baseline Required? | Primary Source | Recommendation |
| Digital market adoption among informal traders | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey[1] | Establish % currently using digital markets |
| Mobile money usage | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Establish baseline adoption rate |
| Digital payment usage | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Measure current usage |
| Social commerce participation | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Measure current participation |
| E-commerce participation | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Measure current participation |
| Digital financial literacy | Unknown | Yes | Component 2 Assessment[2] | Develop baseline competency score |
| Digital literacy | Unknown | Yes | Component 2 Assessment | Develop baseline competency score |
| Digital skills competency | Unknown | Yes | Component 2 Assessment | Develop competency index by domain |
| Entrepreneurial competency | Unknown | Yes | Component 2 Assessment | Measure baseline competencies |
| Digital readiness index | Unknown | Yes | Component 2 Assessment | Develop composite readiness index |
| Enterprise digital maturity | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Develop enterprise maturity index |
| Digital market barrier severity | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Develop barrier severity index |
| Trust in digital markets | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Measure perception |
| Cybersecurity awareness | Unknown | Yes | Component 2 Assessment | Measure knowledge level |
| Use of existing digital solutions | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Measure current utilisation |
| Training provider coverage | Unknown | Yes | Desk review + Component 2 | Map providers and coverage |
| Women’s participation in digital markets | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Establish sex-disaggregated baseline |
| Participation of persons with disabilities | Unknown | Yes | Component 1/ Component 2 | Establish inclusion baseline |
| Participation of refugees/displaced youth | Unknown | Yes | Component 1/Component 2 | Establish inclusion baseline |
| Preferred learning modality | Unknown | Yes | Component 2 Assessment | Document learner preferences |
| Preferred learning language | Unknown | Yes | Component 2 Assessment | Document language preferences |
| Enterprise revenue bands | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Establish baseline revenue |
| Enterprise employment size | Unknown | Yes | Component 1 Survey | Establish employment baseline |
| Dignified and Fulfilling Work among Youth-in-Work – SM6.1 | Unknown | Yes | Integrated baseline survey of prospective/selected participants; beneficiary intake survey; qualitative interviews/FGDs | Establish the percentage and number of youth already meeting the agreed Dignified and Fulfilling Work criteria before receiving SAMA support. Apply a standard DFW score covering earnings adequacy, income stability, working conditions, safety, social protection, voice/agency, fairness, work–life balance and job satisfaction. Report the overall baseline and disaggregate it by sex, age, rural/urban location, disability status and Youth-in-Work type. |
| Change in Dignified and Fulfilling Work among Youth-in-Work – SM6.2 | No programme-attributable change at inception | Yes—pre-programme reference required | Participant-level baseline survey linked to follow-up or tracer surveys; qualitative outcome interviews | Record the programme-attributable change baseline as 0 percentage points. At participant level, establish each youth’s pre-intervention DFW score and employment conditions. Reassess the same youth at follow-up and calculate the percentage-point change, mean score change and movement into or out of the DFW threshold. Supplement quantitative results with participant narratives explaining the quality and significance of the changes. |
| Youth reporting improvement in livelihoods – SM7.1 | No programme-attributable improvement at inception | Yes—pre-programme livelihood reference required | Integrated participant and household baseline survey; beneficiary intake records; follow-up/tracer survey | Record the programme-attributable improvement baseline as 0 youth and 0%. Before programme support, measure individual earnings, income sources, income regularity, employment or enterprise status, productive assets, savings, debt, financial resilience and ability to meet essential needs. At follow-up, report the number and percentage showing a predefined meaningful improvement relative to their own baseline. Disaggregate by sex, age, household profile, disability and displacement status. |
| Youth reporting household-level improvement – SM7.2 | No programme-attributable improvement at inception | Yes—pre-programme household reference required | Participant household baseline module; follow-up household survey; case studies and outcome stories | Record the programme-attributable improvement baseline as 0 households and 0%. Establish pre-programme household conditions using indicators such as household income, food security, housing conditions, access to education and healthcare, assets, savings, debt, dependency ratio and resilience to economic shocks. Apply the same questions at follow-up to determine the number and percentage of households showing meaningful improvement. Collect verified outcome stories to explain how youth employment or enterprise outcomes contributed to household changes. |
[1] The baseline value for this indicator will be generated from the survey conducted under Work Package 1 of the consultancy.
[2] The baseline information for this indicator will be collected through the Digital Skills Assessment conducted under Work Package 2 of the consultancy.
Implementation indicators expected to have a zero baseline
| Indicators | Baseline |
| Work-Enabling Outreach (SM1.1) | 0 |
| Youth trained | 0 |
| Innovation Café participants | 0 |
| Start-ups incubated | 0 |
| Solutions accelerated | 0 |
| Certification vouchers issued | 0 |
| Enterprises supported | 0 |
| Policymakers trained | 0 |
| Youth-in-Work (SM5.1) | 0 |
| Dignified & Fulfilling Work attributable to SAMA | 0 |
| Digital platforms developed by SAMA | 0 |
| Policy frameworks developed | 0 |
| Regulatory sandboxes established | 0 |
Recommendation: The consultant should be contractually required to establish all measurable context and outcome baselines in this annex, while documenting implementation indicators as zero at programme inception. This will ensure that the study serves as both the programme baseline and the evidence base for programme design, monitoring, adaptive management, mid-term review and endline evaluation.
