Summary
Date Posted: Friday, February 09 2024, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation operates in 25 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It applies practical know-how to make a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty. It uses its extensive and long-term in-country presence to apply and adapt its top-notch expertise in agriculture, energy, and water to local contexts. Its over 1,600 staff are spread in more than 20 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It is proud to be a not-for-profit organization that uses project financing to implement its mission.
In its new Strategic Plan period (2022-2030), it will aim to deepen partnerships with financial institutions, governments, and private sector to expand its impact driven finance portfolio. It will continue to position itself as a premium organization and invest in making knowledge flow to and from the frontline and catalyze partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy and water systems which enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all.
For more information on SNV, visit our website: https://snv.org/.
Integrated Smallholder Dairy Program (ISDAP)
SNV has implemented ISDAP in Southwest Uganda, since December 2021 and is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kampala. The project is currently in its first phase (2021–2024) and covers five districts in the Kigezi sub-region (Kisoro, Kabale, Rubanda, Rukiga and Rukungiri), three districts in the central Ankole sub-region (Rubirizi, Buhwejju and Bushenyi) and four in Rwenzori sub-region (Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Bunyangabu, and Fort Portal City).
ISDAP aims to improve livelihoods not by extension of the dairy component that outcompete other crops, but by strengthening complementarity of dairy production within the integrated farm enterprises framework by leveraging mutual benefits among the enterprises and/or their by-products. ISDAP thus looks creatively at how to integrate components such as improved forages for better animal nutrition, manure handling for enhanced fertilization of crops and rainwater harvesting.
SNV and the Royal Netherlands Embassy (EKN), Kampala, are currently discussing a five-year Project named Inclusive Livestock Development for Smallholder Farms (INCLUDE). The project is expected to begin in April 2024. ISDAP will close in March 2024 and all its activities shall be incorporated under the INCLUDE after the formal grant award is signed EKN.
Inclusive Livestock Development for Smallholders (INCLUDE) Project
The INCLUDE project will aim to increase smallholder farmers’ resilient livestock-based livelihoods in 22 districts and two (2) city councils in four regions of Uganda, including: Rwenzori sub-region focusing on five (5) districts and one (1) city council, Greater Ankole in four (4) districts, Kigezi region in six (6) districts, Busoga in five (5) districts and Kampala metropolitan (2 districts and KCCA). The project will target 75,000 Small-Holder Farmers (SHFs) in these four sub-regions. It will adopt a farming systems approach integrating livestock and crops with livestock as an intervention entry point.
INCLUDE will be SHF-led and market-oriented by strengthening linkages between SHF and market actors for input and output markets and (financial) services. This pathway shall also include amplifying the voice of SHF in development, review of SHF livestock policies and establishment/strengthening existing cooperatives and SACCO’s. It is envisaged that ISDAP program will be integrated in the new INCLUDE project.
Job Description
BACKGROUND TO THE ASSIGNMENT
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) has established a dairy sector fund with the support of a Euro 3 million grant. The Euro 3M fund is targeted at improving access to finance especially credit to dairy smallholder farmers in Uganda, with a specific focus on smallholder farmers in western Uganda. Pearl Capital Partners was contracted as a fund manager of the Euro 3M Credit Facility. The credit finance is to be accompanied by pre- & post-investment Technical Assistance (TA) to SACCOs and smallholder dairy farmers. The TA shall be provided by SNV staff under the INCLUDE Project.
SNV will play a key role in the interface between smallholder dairy farmers and Tier 4 Microfinance Institutions especially SACCOs to promote access to credit for the smallholder dairy sector in Rwenzori, Greater Ankole, Kigezi and Busoga Regions. Furthermore, the INCLUDE team will be responsible for formulating/refining investment packages and stimulating smallholder farmers’ demand for credit through financial literacy awareness events well as providing market intelligence to the fund manager.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SCOPING ASSIGNMENT
Purpose
SNV Netherlands Development Organization is seeking qualified service providers to undertake Tier IV Microfinance Institutions (especially SACCOs, VSLAs, and community-based microfinance institutions) scoping study to inform the scale-up of roll-out of the credit facility scheme in the Busoga sub-region. The scoping exercise should focus on the financial institutions in the districts of Jinja, Luuka, Kamuli, Kaliro and Buyende.
SNV/INCLUDE will use the findings and recommendations in the Scoping report to improve and operationalize the strategy for sustainable and inclusive access to finance by smallholder farmers in the project area.

Scope of Work
General concepts and context
What are the current and key general smallholder agriculture lending trends in Uganda? The consultant should provide specific insights about the trends in Busoga subregions specifically, around farmers’ access to finance through Tier-4 Microfinance Institutions including government policies, private sector initiatives, complimentary non-bank issues, donor priorities and legal considerations.
Who are the key government, private sector, and non-profit actors?
What are the broad opportunities around access to smallholder credit finance that have relevance to INCLUDE’s farmer's economic empowerment objectives potentially beyond access to finance?
Review gender-related opportunities to support women, people with disabilities, and youth-led agri-businesses initiatives using credit.
Required Information about Identified Microfinance Institutions.
• Location, legal status, leadership, and management contacts.
• Governance and management structure
• Savings and loan portfolio products
• Gender disaggregated statistical data on membership, share capital, savings, and loan portfolio.
• Loan portfolio quality statistical data 1-30 days and > 30 days.
• Summary statement of comprehensive income
• Summary statement of financial position
• Key financial performance indicators
• Challenges faced by the MFI/SACCO in providing financial services to men, women, and youths in the agriculture sector.
Approach
• The general guideline for this assignment is to be able to refer to the overall INCLUDE approach as defined in the project document. This assignment will be task-based under the guidance of the Project Manager ISDAP/INCLUDE and/ or his delegated officer.
The prospective consultant should define the scoping approach and strategies to respond to the objectives of this assignment, answer the key questions effectively and provide the required information in section 3.3 scope of work.
The principles of the approach are:
• The scoping will be a semi-independent assessment with the ISDAP/INCLUDE technical team’s participation in critical stages.
• There should be close engagement with relevant local government and lower local government officers, especially the district commercial officer, sub-county community development officer and all other relevant microfinance sector key informants.
• The assessment should use both quantitative and qualitative methods including desk reviews to assess secondary data on general concepts and context.
Scoping areas and key informants
• The fieldwork will take place in the Busoga sub-region and should focus on Buyende, Kamuli, Kaliro, Luuka and Jinja Districts)
• Key informants will comprise among others, managers of Tier-4 MFIs/SACCOs and
• applicable District Commercial Officers.
• The scoping will be implemented in close cooperation with the ISDAP/INCLUDE Project.
Deliverables and Timeline
Deliverables need to meet a high standard. The timeline for the assignment is expected not to exceed 45 calendar days from the date of signing the contract. The final report should be well-structured, concise, and easy to read and meet the scoping assignment objectives.
Here below are the key specific deliverables.
Scoping plan presenting proposed methodologies, data collection and specific plan with timelines to conduct the scoping study.
The draft report that presents scoping methodologies, analysis of the national and regional context, opportunities, constraints for men, women, and youth farmers’ access to finance, findings, and recommendations.
Final report covering scoping objectives and presenting scoping methodologies, analysis of the national and regional context, opportunities, constraints for men, women, and youth farmers’ access to finance, findings and recommendations including proposed list and justification for SACCOs/MFIs that can potentially be partners with ISDAP/INCLUDE/Dairy Credit Fund Manager.
Service Provider
The selected service provider will play a lead role in designing and implementing the scoping assignment. The selected firm will have primary accountability to the SNV/INCLUDE team for the identified deliverables.
In collaboration and coordination with the SNV/INCLUDE team, the firm will:
• Develop the scoping design, data collection tools, and a SMART workplan.
• Carry out the scoping assignment activities according to the approved workplan.
• Carry out data collection, analysis, and narrative reports.
• Submit a draft Scoping Assignment report with findings and recommendations

Qualifications
Team Structure and Qualifications of Service Provider
The service provider can propose a team structure to best fulfil the objectives of the assignment. The service provider team members should have a mix of skills including, but not limited to:
• Strong experience in conducting scoping studies in the microfinance sector.
• Track record market research and data analysis.
• Experience in writing narrative and analytical reports.
• An understanding of the Busoga and South-Western Uganda context.
• Excellent communication skills in English.
• Team members with relevant tertiary qualifications.
• Relevant academic and professional track record in finance, business, and
financial analysis.

Additional Information
TIMELINE AND CONTRACTING
• Potential 45 calendar days contract, with days falling within Feb – Mar 2024
• 50% of the contract fee payable upon signing of the contract
• Subsequent payments will be based on invoices, and an approved scoping report detailing findings and other assignment deliverables.

Education Requirement: No Requirements

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months:

Level of Education:

Job application procedure
Interested service providers are requested to submit a technical and financial proposal to ugandatenders@snv.org  before 6 pm Thursday 22nd Feb 2024 with the subject line “Scoping Study of Tier-4 Microfinance Institutions Busoga Sub-Region”.
Tender disclaimer.
SNV reserves the right to either accept or reject any or all bids submitted. SNV reserves the right to either increase or decrease the assignment scope depending on budget availability. SNV can stop this procurement at any time without need to give explanation or can extend the deadline for submission once it sees it fit. In case you do not hear from SNV within 3 weeks of closure of the bid receipt date, consider yourself unsuccessful. SNV also reserves the right to reject and cancel the tender in case any illegal, corrupt, coercive, or collusive practices are noticed. Late bids will be rejected. Please note that viewing, downloading or otherwise using the TOR constitutes acceptance on your part of all the above noted statements and conditions.

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