Reporter Wednesday October
22, 2025
ASSOCIATION
OF ETHIOPIAN MICRO FINANCE INSTITUTIONS (AEMFI)
REQUEST
FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Country: Ethiopia
Program: Rural Financial Intermediation Program III
Abstract: Revision of various Types of Training Modules of
MFIS
Sector: Consultancy Service
Grant No. 2000003210
Reference No. IFAD/RUFIPIII/AEMFI/NCB/CS/14/2025/26
1. The Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia has received financing from the International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the Rural Financial
Intermediation Program III (RUFIP-III), and of which a portion of the
funding will be utilized towards qualified payments on assignments for
consultancy services in order to prepare and revise different types
of training modules for training of MFls professionals serving in
different levels.
2. The main purpose/objective
of this consultancy is to revise various types of training modules
that are going to be used for training of MFIs professionals at various
levels. In line with this general purpose, the expected output is reviewing
of training modules that are going to be used as training materials
for the enhancement of the capacity of human resource in the micro
finance sector involved in this program. The main activities include:
- Revising 10 existing training manuals/ modules
- Compiling final training
completion report to be submitted to AEMFI.
- The assignment is expected to be completed within
two (2) months' time
after signing of the contract.
3. AEMFI now invites qualified
Consulting Firms to indicate their interest in
providing the above mentioned services. Consulting Firms
must provide information demonstrating that they
are qualified to perform the assignments (promotional
materials, description of similar assignments undertaken
in Ethiopia and/or other developing countries for at least a period of two years, experience in similar conditions,
general qualification and experience and number
of key staff available for the tasks, renewed appropriate
licenses for the fiscal year, etc).
4. Consulting Firm(s) may
associate to enhance their qualifications, but should mention whether their association is in the form
of either "Joint-Venture" or "Sub-Consultancy".
In the case of an association, all members of such
'association' should have real and well-defined inputs
to the assignment and the same should be detailed in the EOI submitted.
5. The consultant firm shall
not have any actual, potential or reasonably perceived conflict of interest. A consultant firm with an actual,
potential or reasonably perceived conflict of interest
shall be disqualified unless otherwise explicitly
approved by the Fund. A consultant firm including
their respective personnel and affiliates are considered to have a conflict of interest if they a) have a relationship
that provides them with undue or undisclosed information
about or influence over the selection
process and the execution of the contract, b) participate in more than one EOI under this procurement action,
c) have a business or family
relationship with a member of the client's board of directors or its personnel, the Fund or its personnel, or any other individual
that was, has been or might reasonably be directly
or indirectly involved in any part of (i) the preparation
of this expression of interest, (ii) the selection
process for this procurement, or (iii) execution of the contract. The consultant has an ongoing obligation to disclose any situation
of actual, potential or reasonably perceived conflict
of interest during preparation of the EOI, the
selection process or the contract execution. Failure
to properly disclose any of said situations may lead to appropriate actions, including the disqualification of the
consultant, the termination of the contract and
any other as appropriate under the IFAD Policy
on Preventing Fraud and Corruption in its Projects
and Operations1.
6. All consultant firms are
required to comply with the Revised IFAD Policy
on Preventing Fraud and Corruption in its Activities and
Operations (hereinafter, "IFAD's Anticorruption
Policy") in competing for, or in executing,
the contract.
a) If determined that a consultant
or any of its personnel or agents, or its sub-consultants, sub-contractors, service providers,
suppliers, sub-suppliers and/or any of their personnel
or agents, has, directly or indirectly, engaged
in any of the prohibited practices defined in IFAD's
Anticorruption Policy or integrity violations such
as sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse as
established in IFAD's Policy to Preventing and Responding to Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in competing
for, or in executing, the contract, the EOI may be rejected
or the contract may be terminated by the client.
b) In accordance with IFAD's
Anticorruption Policy, the Fund has the right to sanction firms and individuals, including by declaring
them ineligible, either indefinitely or for a stated period
of time, to participate in any IFAD-financed and/or
IFAD- managed activity or operation. A debarment
includes, inter alia, ineligibility to: (i) be
awarded or otherwise benefit from any IFAD-financed
contract, financially or in any other manner; (ii)
be a nominated sub-contractor, consultant, manufacturer, supplier, sub-supplier, agent or service provider of an otherwise
eligible firm being awarded an IFAD-financed contract;
and (ii) receive the proceeds of any loan or grant
provided by the Fund. The Fund also has the right
to recognize debarments issued by other international
financial institutions in accordance with its Anticorruption
Policy.
c) Consultants and any of
their personnel and agents, and their sub-consultants, sub-contractors, service providers, suppliers,
sub-suppliers and any of their personnel and agents are
required to fully cooperate with any investigation conducted
by the Fund, including by making personnel available for
interviews and by providing full access to any and all
accounts, premises, documents and records (including
electronic records) relating to this selection
process or the execution of the contract and to
have such accounts, premises, records and documents audited and/or inspected by auditors and/or investigators
appointed by the Fund.
d) Consultants have the ongoing
obligation to disclose in their EOI and later in writing as may become relevant: (i) any administrative
sanctions, criminal convictions or temporary suspensions
of themselves or any of their key personnel or
agents for fraud and corruption, and (ii) any commissions
or fees paid or to be paid to agents or other parties
in connection with this selection process or the
execution of the contract. As a minimum, consultants must disclose the name and contact details of the agent or other
party and the reason, amount and currency of the commissioner fee paid or to be paid. Failure to comply with these
disclosure
obligations may lead to rejection of
the EOI or termination of the contract.
e) Consultants are required
to keep all records and documents, including electronic records, relating to this selection process
available for a minimum of three (3) years after notification
of completion of the process or, in case the consultant
is awarded the contract, execution of the contract.
7. The Fund requires that all beneficiaries
of IFAD funding or funds administered by IFAD,
including the client, any consultants, implementing partners, service providers and suppliers, observe the highest
standards of integrity during the procurement and
execution of such contracts, and commit to combat
money laundering and terrorism financing consistent
with IFAD's Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Policy.3
8. Interested consultant
firms shall not have any actual, potential or
reasonably perceived conflict of interest. Consultants
with an actual, potential or reasonably perceived
conflict of interest shall be disqualified unless
otherwise explicitly approved by the Fund. Consultants are considered to have a conflict of interest if they
i. Have a relationship that
provides them with undue or undisclosed information about or influence over the selection process and
the execution of the contract, or
ii. Have a business or family
relationship with a member of the. client's board of directors or its personnel, the Fund or its
personnel, or any other individual that was, has been
or might reasonably be directly or indirectly involved
in any part of (i) the preparation of the REOI,
(ii) the selection process for this procurement,
or (iii) execution of the contract. Consultants have
an ongoing obligation to disclose any situation of actual, potential or reasonably perceived conflict of interest during
preparation of the EOI, the selection process or the contract
execution. Failure to properly disclose any of said situations
may lead to appropriate actions, including the
disqualification of the consultant, the termination
of the contract and any other as appropriate under
the IFAD Policy on Preventing Fraud and Corruption in its Projects and Operations.
9. Consulting Firms will be selected
in accordance with IFAD's Project Procurement Handbook.
Short listing firms will be conducted on the basis
of an assessment of the firm's profile, specific
and general experience of the firm, experience and competencies of proposed resource persons assigned to the
assignment in general. The detail is presented on Table
1 below at the end of this document.
Table 1: Details of REOI
evaluation criteria
|
No
|
Description
|
Weight (100%)
|
|
1
|
Specific experience
|
40
|
|
|
The Consultancy firm should
have successfully completed similar assignments or contracts over the last two
(2) years on financial sector of which at least ten
Training modules must be
on micro finance area.
The firm must submit successfully
completion of certificate for such training. The breakdown is:
|
|
|
1.1
|
More than 25 training modules
|
40
|
|
1.2
|
15-25 training modules
|
30
|
|
1.3
|
10-14 Training Modules
|
20
|
|
2.
|
General experience of the
firm in the financial sector (Research, training, consultancy etc.)
|
20
|
|
2.1
|
> 10 Years experience
|
20
|
|
2.2
|
5-10 years experience
|
15
|
|
2.3
|
2-4 years experience
|
10
|
|
2.4
|
<2 years experience
|
5
|
|
3
|
Availability of qualified
and experienced staff within the organization particularly in the field of banking/
MFIS/SACCOS sector professionals, organizational structure and systems of the
consultants,
|
30
|
|
4
|
Financial Capacity of the
firm-must provide at least most recent year's independently audited statement
(past fiscal year or the most nearest year)
|
10
|
10. The final selection of
the organization to perform the assignment shall be based on a Quality-and Cost-Based
Selection (QCBS) method through Request for Proposals.
11. Applicants shall submit
EOIs as per the Eol format. They can download from AEMFI website or can take the application
format /Eol submission form (EOI-1) from AEMFI office
and the Expression of Interest document should
not exceed 35 pages excluding other credentials
and legal documents.
12. All pages of the Eols
document should be numbered, dated, signed, stamped and the stamp of the organization should
be sealed near the authorized signatory on all pages.
The application should be signed by authorized
person. Additional sheets to be attached by the
applicant should also be numbered and submitted
as a package with signed letter. All costs associated
with the preparation and submission of Eol shall be covered by the applicant. Bidder firms could
attach more evidential
documents.
13. Legal documents required
from the applicant includes: Certified copy of valid registered VAT, Certified copy of valid
Tax Identification Number (TIN) and Renewed Trade license
for fiscal year or equivalent in their respective countries.
Past
work experience related to the
assignment and supporting documents
like completion of certificates, contract copies or client testimony etc. Moreover, their details of organizational
structure, including details of credentials of experts
available for the assignment etc.
14. Consulting Firms may
obtain further information, if required at the address below during working days (Monday to Friday)
from 8:30 am - 12:30 p.m and 1:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m.
15. Submission of EOI must
be in sealed envelopes, clearly marked "Expression of interest for Revision of various Types of
Training Modules of MFIs with AEMFI under RUFIP
III (IFAD financing) for PY6" and delivered
to the address given below by 5:00 P.M (11 local
time), 21 consecutive days after the EOI is publicly
advertised in newspaper (i.e. 10 Nov 2025).
16. The EOIs and all documents
shall be submitted in English, one original and one copy. Late submission shall be rejected.
Expression of Interests (EOIs) shall be submitted into
the tender box prepared for this purpose or deliver
on hand to the office on or before the delivery date stated above.
The address of the association
is:
Association of Ethiopian
Micro Finance Institutions (AEMFI)
Africa Avenue, Bole Road,
In front of Bole Printing Press, Near
Peacock Park, P.O. Box 338
Code 1110, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel +251 115 572202/0115-572175
Fax: +251 115 572198, email:
info@aemfi-ethiopia.org:
aemfiet@gmail.com: www.aemfi- ethiopia.org,
AEMFI reserves the right
to accept or reject bid before signing of contract.