Recruitment Of a Firm To Conduct a Study On The Results And Interventions Carried Out Within The Framework Of The Project At International Labour Organization

1. Context

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched a project funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), entitled “An ka Baara, Decent Work and Increased Incomes in Modern Horticulture Sectors.” This project aims to support Mali’s economic development and structural transformation by creating decent jobs and increasing the incomes of young people and women, focusing on modern horticulture.

The project, implemented in southern Mali and covering the regions of Sikasso, Koulikoro, and Bamako, adopts the ILO’s systemic approach to value chain development (VCD), also known as the market systems development (MSD) approach. These methods aim to create sustainable, large-scale change by working closely with local stakeholders and using adaptive management methods.

In 2024, the project, in collaboration with its local partners, carried out several interventions with its beneficiaries to facilitate their access to inputs and equipment, as well as to improve their agricultural and entrepreneurial practices. In particular:

1. Improving access to information

Through this project, the ILO in Mali supports the development of a digital information ecosystem in horticulture (especially market gardening and mango), with a particular focus on women and young people through various channels, including telephone, radio as well as through suppliers of agricultural inputs and equipment:

• Telephone : The project collaborated with the company Viamo, which developed audio recordings containing agricultural, entrepreneurial, and financial advice related to horticulture via an Interactive Voice Server (IVR), which mobile phone owners can call, select, and listen to for free. Prior to this, the project worked with a service provider in collaboration with the technical services to develop the themes and content of the various audio messages.
• Radio: The project partnered with the RRI organization to support the development of high-quality content on good agricultural practices (market gardening and mango), entrepreneurial and financial practices targeting women and young people, both through technical programs and innovative formats such as dramas that were broadcast by the Radio and its partners on their channels.
• Agricultural input and equipment suppliers : The project strengthened the capacity of input and equipment suppliers to provide their customers with integrated advice on good production and post-harvest practices, as well as irrigation techniques.

1. Improving access to inputs and equipment

The use of poor-quality agricultural inputs and unsuitable irrigation equipment by smallholder market gardeners poses several challenges in southern Mali, affecting both individual farmers and the agricultural sector as a whole. Many smallholder market gardeners could achieve higher yields and higher-quality products through the adoption of better-quality agricultural inputs and quality irrigation equipment (hereinafter collectively referred to as “focal goods” for simplicity). However, the use of these quality focal goods is limited by, among other things, long travel distances to sellers/dealers, financial constraints, and a lack of knowledge about quality inputs and solar-powered irrigation pumps and their economic benefits.

It is within this framework that the project provided financial and technical support (through coaching/technical advice) to two suppliers of horticultural inputs and two suppliers of high-quality solar water pumps in order to strengthen their targeting of small-scale horticultural producers and develop new business models better suited to their needs. Among the actions carried out by the companies were: the development of adapted marketing strategies, the creation of demonstration sites, the opening of new points of sale, and integrated advice on good production practices, post-harvest and irrigation techniques.

These interventions aim to improve the productivity of small producers, strengthen their technical capacities and promote the use of improved seeds, organic fertilizers and efficient irrigation systems.

1. Objectives of the study

The project has already conducted fieldwork in February and March 2025, and collected results through reporting by project partners. The results collected have been invaluable to the project and its understanding of the impact of the interventions carried out so far.

General objectives:

However, it is necessary to conduct a new collection (which these ToRs are the subject of) to complete and strengthen the validity of the results collected so far. The sample of the previous collection was too small to allow conclusions to be drawn that could be extrapolated to the level of all beneficiaries affected (beyond those who were directly surveyed). In addition, some interventions carried out by the project had not yet “come to fruition” at the time of the collection, which prevented the collection of certain results and the understanding of the real impact of the interventions.

For the project, it is therefore essential to conduct a new results collection (reusing to a certain extent the collection tools used during the previous collection) in order to be able to evaluate the impact of the implemented interventions. In this context, the project will recruit a firm which, in close collaboration with the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation specialist, will ensure the data collection exercises among the sample of beneficiaries defined in the different intervention areas of the project (i.e. the regions, according to the old administrative division, of Sikasso, the southern part of Koulikoro, and the district of Bamako). The results collected will be used for reporting purposes but also to inform future strategies and/or partnerships over the remaining duration of the project’s implementation.

Specific objectives:

• Collect data (by telephone and in person) on the impact of the project interventions from a sample of at least 480 users of the goods and/or services promoted by the project (hereinafter also referred to as the “beneficiary sample”), including 360 by telephone survey and 120 in person. This will include:
  • 50 market gardeners who used inputs marketed by partner input companies (mainly through face-to-face surveys);
  • 20 market gardeners who used the equipment marketed by partner equipment companies (mainly through face-to-face surveys);
  • 240 market gardeners having used Viamo’s 37 321 service (mainly through telephone surveys);
  • 170 market gardeners who listened to programs on good agricultural practices broadcast by RRI and its partner radio stations (mainly through telephone surveys);
• Collect information on the changes induced by the interventions at the level of at least 6 suppliers of these goods and services (i.e. from the project partners) and their distributors, through face-to-face interviews
• Identify, based on the data collected, at least 5 success cases for each intervention (4*5=20 in total) and document, according to a framework pre-established by the ILO, at least 10 success cases (min. 2 per intervention), chosen in consultation with the ILO

It should be noted that the survey tools have already been developed by the project but will be revised with the firm based on the need for additional information and the final versions will have to be configured on Kobocollect to ensure digital data collection. To this end, the firm will have to ensure the availability of smartphones that will be used for this purpose by the investigators.

Regarding the composition of the sample, it should be noted that the contact information of the beneficiaries included in the sample will be largely provided by the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist to the selected firm, in coordination with the implementing partner companies. In the case of input beneficiaries, the firm may, if necessary, contact partner resellers/distributors in order to identify and contact producers who have used the marketed inputs and/or equipment. Finally, to a certain extent, “snowball” sampling will be incorporated into the research methodology, in particular to facilitate the efficiency of research in a given area. The sampling modalities will be discussed in more detail during the preparatory phase.

1. Activities and deliverables

In order to achieve the above objectives, in close collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the service provider will conduct several activities according to a pre-established sequencing of three phases, which could be reviewed if deemed relevant and necessary by the ILO. The activities and corresponding deliverables are presented below.

1. Preparatory phase

During the preparatory phase, the firm will have to carry out various activities in order to prepare for the actual results collection phase, which will allow them to better understand the issues and objectives of the collection, the context, the collection methodology and the collection tools already developed by the project, to finalize the methodology and the tools, and to test the tools.

Activities :

• Participate in scoping/planning meetings
• Conduct semi-structured face-to-face interviews with at least 10 targets identified in consultation with the project and at least 2 suppliers/distributors of focal goods and services, in the Bamako area and surrounding areas, in order to better understand the context of the interventions
• Participate in a 2-day training workshop (with ILO staff and, if deemed necessary, certain project partners), led by the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, in particular to:
  • Report the results of the semi-structured interviews,
  • Contribute to the finalization of the design of collection tools for the following collection phases [1]
  • Ensure that the investigation team has a good understanding of the collection tools
  • Test the administration of collection tools in real “conditions” (administration by telephone), under the supervision of the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist.
  • Plan the data collection (first and second phase) to ensure efficiency (especially logistical) and effectiveness of the collection, which will then be written and form the main content of the inception report

Deliverables:

• Deliverable 1 – Inception report (max 5 pages + annexes with finalized tools and collection plan)

1. First phase of data collection

The first phase of data collection will be used to collect data, in line with the collection plan established during the previous phase, on a limited sample in order to test the data collection and compilation methodology, and adjust them, if deemed necessary. This collection will apply to a portion of the beneficiary sample estimated at 20% of the total (a priori distributed equally between the different interventions, i.e. 20% of the sample planned for each intervention). [2] In order to facilitate the planning and implementation of this first phase of collection, the administration of survey tools by telephone will be favored, and the administration of face-to-face tools will be focused on the Bamako area and surrounding areas.

[1] As previously indicated, it should be emphasized that the tools have already been developed by the project and that it will therefore mainly be a question of improving them, if deemed necessary, and making them our own.

[2] It should be noted that the size of this sample and its composition (i.e. the distribution between interventions) could be reviewed according to the collection plan developed during the preparatory phase in consultation with the ILO.

Following this collection, the results and the progress of the collection will be presented and discussed during a one-day restitution workshop, which will also serve to revise the collection plan for the second phase of collection.

Activities :

• Collect data, in accordance with the collection plan, from 20% of the beneficiary sample.
• Participate in a one-day workshop to present the first phase of data collection (with ILO staff and, if deemed necessary, certain project partners)
  • Presentation of the results collected and the progress of the collection by the firm
  • Discussions on the collected results and the progress of the collection
  • Possible adjustments to the collection plan for the second collection phase

Deliverables:

• Deliverable 2 – Report of the 1st phase of the study (max. 5 pages + annexes with databases of the results collected), describing the progress of the collection and any adjustments to the collection plan for the second phase.

1. Phase two of data collection and final reporting

In line with the revised collection plan, the second phase of data collection will be used to collect all remaining data from the beneficiary sample (a priori 80% of the entire beneficiary sample) as well as to meet other information needs as specified in the specific objectives. The collection will notably take place in person in the project areas outside Bamako.

Activities :

• Collect data, in accordance with the collection plan, from users of the goods and/or services promoted by the project in its interventions
• Collect data, in accordance with the collection plan, from the suppliers of these goods and services (i.e. from the project partners) and their distributors
• Identify and document success stories among the sample of beneficiaries, in consultation with the ILO and in line with a framework developed by the ILO
• Compile the collected data and synthesize the results in an appropriate format (e.g. Excel table/graph)
• Participate in a one-day results restitution workshop (with ILO staff and, if deemed necessary, some project partners)
  • Presentation of the collection process and results (including summary using relevant graphs/tables relating to the results collected from the sample of beneficiaries) by the firm
  • Collective interpretation of the results collected and any additional “processing” to be done on the data
  • Discussions on finalizing deliverable 3

Deliverables:

• Deliverable 3 – Report of the second phase of the study (max 5 pages + annexes with databases of the results collected, and documented success cases in accordance with the framework approved by the ILO), describing the progress of the collection covering the second phase, and transcribing the interpretations of the results made during the workshop.
• Payment terms provided
• Payment to the service provider will be staggered, with payment at the end of each phase, based on the submission of deliverables as indicated in the table below:Deliverables Payments Provisional DatesDeliverable 1 – Inception report (max 5 pages + annexes with finalized tools) and study collection plan (max 5 pages) 20% September 15, 2025Deliverable 2 – Report of the 1st phase of the study (max. 5 pages + annexes with databases of the results collected), describing the progress of the collection and possible adjustments to the collection plan for the second phase 30% September 6, 2025Deliverable 3 – Report of the second phase of the study (max 5 pages + annexes with databases of the results collected, and documented success cases in accordance with the framework approved by the ILO), describing the progress of the collection covering the second phase, and transcribing the interpretations of the results made during the workshop. 15% October 15
• Technical and financial offer
• Based on the information detailed above, service providers must submit a separate technical and financial proposal (technical offer separate from the financial offer) to enable the activity to run smoothly.
• The candidates’ technical proposal will be evaluated based on the requested elements and the evaluation grid (see more information below).
• Technical proposal
• Given that the data collection methodology is largely predefined in this project, and will be discussed with the ILO during the preparatory phase, providers are not invited to submit a technical proposal in the form of a proposed research methodology. However, interested providers should still submit a technical proposal. This should not exceed a maximum of 5 pages in total (excluding annexes) and should include:
• Preliminary work plan, specifying the key stages, the distribution of tasks within the team and the availability of the team to carry out the activities mentioned in the ToRs (the members’ CVs must be attached in an annex, and an indicative timetable/schedule can also be attached in an annex) – max 2 pages excluding annexes
• Cover letter indicating the team members’ abilities and motivations to carry out the activities in these terms of reference, highlighting relevant prior experience for each team member and demonstrating knowledge of the challenges of collecting this type of data – max 2 pages excluding annexes
• Brief presentation of a report related to agriculture in Mali (ideally in the market gardening sector in southern Mali) written by the team leader and dated less than 5 years ago. This presentation should summarize the context of the mission, the data used, the results and recommendations (the full report must be attached as an appendix) – max 1 page excluding appendices
• In preparing their technical proposal, applicants are encouraged to consider the evaluation criteria, i.e., to ensure that they include information relevant to the evaluation of the evaluation criteria listed below.
• Financial proposal
• As for the financial offer, the detailed budget of the costs of the study must be presented, distinguishing in particular:
• The man-day costs and the number of working days expected for each of the different members of the research team during each phase of activity
• Estimated travel and mission expenses (including transport, per diem, accommodation, etc.)
• The financial proposal must be submitted in XOF and must be inclusive of all taxes. It will be evaluated separately from the technical proposal, as indicated below (although the two proposals must be in line with each other).
• Evaluation criteria
• To be eligible for this mission, the team leader must:
• Have a university degree in economics, social sciences or another field deemed relevant
• Have at least 5 years of experience in the field of development in Mali
• The technical proposals of the applicant firms will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria (taking into account the content of their technical proposal and the CVs of the team members provided in the appendix):Criteria NotesExperience in collecting monitoring and evaluation data from agricultural producers in rural areas in Mali (in person and by telephone) / (30)a- At least 2 relevant data collection missions carried out (in person and/or telephone) -5b-Qualitative assessment of the diversity of relevant data collection missions carried out (in person and by telephone) – 10c-Good knowledge of the project intervention areas with at least one collection experience in the areas concerned -10d-Work experience in market gardening (rural area, South of Mali, market gardening) – 5Knowledge of the agricultural sector in Mali and market development approaches (30)a**-** Previous experience related to agricultural projects (ideally market gardening in southern Mali):
• Experience in the agricultural field only is worth 5 points
• Two or more experiences in the agricultural field correspond to 10 points

Two or more experiences in the agricultural field including market gardening specifically correspond to the total number of points – 15

b- Participation in projects or studies integrating market development approaches or market systems:

• At least once is worth half the points

Two or more times equals full points – 15

Organization, roles and complementarity of the proposed team – 20

a- Suitability of profiles with the roles proposed in the team (clarity of responsibilities) – 10

b- Complementarity between members: diversity of skills and experiences consistent with the needs of the mission – 10

Proficiency in Kobo and Excel tools for data collection and processing – 20

a- Concrete experiences of using Kobo in similar projects (design, deployment, questionnaire management)

• At least one server usage experience is worth 5 points

Two or more server usage experiences equals 10 points – 10

Assessment of the level of mastery of Excel for data processing (illustrated by examples or responsibilities in projects) – 10

Total technique – 100

Financial Proposal – 30

Total – 130

1. Selection criteria

• The technical offers received will be evaluated using a combined scoring method, in which the qualifications and proposed methodology will be weighted 70% and combined with the price offer, which will be weighted 30%.
• Bids that do not obtain the minimum score of 70% in the technical evaluation will not be qualified for the financial evaluation.
• Only applications that have achieved a score of 70% of the points allocated to the technical criteria (total 100 points) will have the possibility of having their financial offer evaluated.
• Evaluation of the financial proposal (max 30 points): Regarding the financial offer, after establishing whether the proposals are complete and free from calculation errors, the lowest financial proposal will obtain the maximum score of thirty (30) points. All other financial proposals are scored according to the following formula:
• P=y(x/z)
• P = the score of the financial proposal evaluated
• Y = the maximum score of the financial proposal (30 points)
• X = price of the lowest bid
• Z = price of the evaluated financial proposal
• Final ranking

Finally, the proposals will be ranked according to their combined technical (Nt) and financial (Nf) scores, with the following weightings applied to arrive at an overall score (NG):

• T = weight given to the technical proposal, i.e. 0.70.
• F = weight given to the financial proposal, i.e. 0.30.
• T + F = 1,
• NG = (Nt x T %) + (Nf x F %)

The proposal that obtains the highest overall score, after adding the scores of the technical and financial proposals, will be considered to be the one that offers the best value for money and will therefore be awarded the contract.

1. Required qualifications

The qualifications sought for this service are as follows:

• Good experience in carrying out rural surveys in the Sikasso and Koulikoro regions and telephone surveys among defined targets;
• Good command of data collection and processing software (Kobo Collect and Excel)
• Good knowledge of the market gardening sector in southern Mali and the related market dynamics

Good knowledge of the market systems development approach used by the project

How to apply

1. Submission

Interested providers are invited to submit their technical and financial proposals by [15/08/2025]. Proposals should be sent to [ bamakoprocurement@ilo.org ] with the subject line “Proposal for the recruitment of a firm to conduct a study on the results and interventions carried out within the framework of the An Ka Baara project”.

For clarification requests, providers can write to the above-mentioned email address until August 10 and responses will be provided by the ILO team no later than August 12.