USADF Training on Financial Management and Strategic Planning Training Consultancy in Kenya - 2015

USADF in Partnership with CEZAM
 

Turkana Food Security Program

Request for Proposal (RFP): Training on Financial Management and Strategic Planning Training Consultancy

Background information: Unites States African Development Foundation (USADF) provides grants to African organizations and enterprises that increase economic opportunities among the underserved communities in Africa. 

USADF launched the Turkana Food Security Program in March 2011 and has since funded twenty-four organizations involved in agriculture, fishing, livestock and micro-credit. 

The grants provide people with the opportunity to engage in the development process and gain food security, economic, and social benefits.

 

USADF grants respond to applicants’ requests by actively engaging the local community group or enterprise in the design and implementation of the grant activities. This ensures that outcomes will best address the real community needs. 

USADF measures grant success in terms of jobs, increased production and income levels and improved social conditions.
 

CEZAM and Associates Ltd., an accounting and business development consultancy firm, is the local partner for USADF in Kenya, responsible with providing direct technical assistance and support to grassroots groups who are recipients of USADF grants. 

The partnership ensures that grantees have access to the support services they need to successfully plan and implement their development activities at the grassroots level.

Outcome of the assignment: The end result of the training, CEZAM staff should be able to guide and facilitate ADF grantees in developing their own financial management and strategic planning systems that enables grantees to determine their financial position at a given trading period and strategically plan their enterprise by making comparison to their baseline and performance targets.  

To achieve this CEZAM staff will require to be trained on how to:

• Guide grantees to develop finance management tools to collect financial information on pre-determined and determined performance indicators .


• Guide grantees to develop a strategic plan for enterprise sustainability


• Select and train a grantee committee on financial management;


• Train grantees’ management to interpret finance records and use it as a guide in making management decisions important in managing the grantee’s business.

Specific Tasks
 

Role and responsibility of the consultant are outlined below:
 

Task #1: Desk review & Key Informant Interview on Finance Management

• Complete brief desk review of existing financial management information, tools and systems in place.


• Hold meetings with relevant USADF/CEZAM staff and some grantees to better understand their existing financial management

CEZAM will provide samples of the current systems in place for the consultants’ review. 

Task #2: Training

• Train CEZAM staff to understand appropriate financial management and strategic planning mechanisms and tools, based on the projects’ pre-determined performance indicators and work plans.


• Train CEZAM on how to work with grantees to develop each grantee’s financial management and strategic planning systems.

Task #3: Reporting

Within 1 week,

• Provide a training report that outlines and documents all the activities involved in conducting Financial management and strategic planning training of CEZAM staff and recommend any next steps. 


• develop a “How to” guide i.e. Step by Step Guide to Develop financial management and strategic planning systems for ADF Grantees that should not be more than 5 pages with a target audience of CEZAM, current or future staff.

Deliverables and Schedule
 

During the assignment, the consultant will deliver on the outputs described in the table above.  

Apart from the training report that should be submitted in English in electronic format/MS Word, other documents will be shared in English in electronic format/PDF. 

The suggested days for desk review (2 days) training (3 days) and drafting and submission of training report and “How to” guide (7 days) takes a total of 12 days. 

USADF/CEZAM is working on a very short timeline with all deliverables due in August.  

A specific timeline should be submitted by the consultant in the RFP.

Consultant: The consultant should be a specialist in business administration especially in finance and strategic planning and/or micro-finance enterprise sector with the following qualifications:

• Minimum degree in Business, finance and strategic planning , administration, development and or business studies;


• Experience in leading or participating in financial management and strategic planning for donor-funded projects, preferably of enterprise interventions in the food security sector;


• Excellent teaching and coaching skills, experience in knowledge management and learning in business/non-governmental organizations or similar;


• Excellent analytical and writing skills;

Submitting expression of interest
 

USADF/CEZAM invites bids from individual consultants or firms with the experience and skills described above. 

Bids should include:

• A technical offer that includes the basic methodology which will be used and related areas of focus (or topics) in the training as well as the proposed timeframe/time table;


• A financial offer that covers all consultancy related costs (excluding training  logistic costs that will be covered by USADF/CEZAM) in PDF format;


• A CV detailing relevant skills and experience of no more than 3 pages, including contactable referees; and


• One sample of a relevant financial management and strategic planning report.

Bids should be sent by email to: d.mulama@cezam-usadf.org with copy to e.kaniu@cezam-usadf.org no later than June 30th, 2015.

Please address questions about this assignment to d.mulama@cezam-usadf.org.