Tender Detail

Association of Ethiopian Micro Finance Institutions (AEMFI)

Request for Expression of Interest

Country:                                 Ethiopia

Program:                               Rural Financial Intermediation Program III

Abstract:                                Conducting  ToT for MFIs professionals

Sector:                                    Consultancy Service

Grant/Loan No. Reference No.

2000003210/2000003211

IFAD/RUFIP III/AEMFI/NCB/CS/02 /2025/26 (PY6)

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 a portion of the funding will be utilized towards qualified payments on assignments for consultancy services assistance for undertaking  different  titles  of  training  and  training  of  trainers  of  MFIs  professionals serving in different positions.
2. The  main  purpose/objective  of  this  consultancy  is  to  enhance  the  capacity  of  MFIs engaged in RUFIP III program through training to deliver inclusive and sustainable financial services to their targeted clients and other low income rural population in their operating  areas.  In  line  with  this  general  expected  output  of  this  assignment  is enhancement of the capacity of human resource in the micro finance sector involved in this program.

Specific outputs expected by the consultancy firm/consultant include:

 Delivering a one session Training of Trainers (ToT) for MFIs experts/professionals

    Compiling  final  training  completion  report  and  submit  to  AEMFI.  The assignment is expected to be completed within two (2) months’ time after signing of the contract.

3. AEMFI  now   invites   qualified   Training   and   Academic   Institutions   (Resource Organizations) or Consulting Firms to indicate their interest in providing the above mentioned services. Interested Resource Organizations / 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, 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 shall not have any actual, potential or reasonably perceived conflict of interest. A consultant with an actual, potential or reasonably perceived conflict of interest shall be  disqualified  unless  otherwise  explicitly  approved  by  the  Fund.  A  consultant

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 consultants 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.
7. 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 Abuse2 in competing for, or in executing, the contract, the EOI may be rejected or the contract may be terminated by the clien
8. 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 operat 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 (iii) 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.
9. 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

1 The policy is accessible at www.ifad.org/anticorruption_policy.

and  to  have  such  accounts,  premises,  records  and  documents  audited  and/or inspected by auditors and/or investigators appointed by the Fund.

1. 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 commission or 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.
2. 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.
3. 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
4. 8. Interested consultants shall not have any actual, potential or reasonably perceived conflict of  interes  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
5. 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
6. 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.
7. Resource Organizations/ 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

N.B: The Minimum Pass mark is 70%

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 EoI format. They can download from AEMFI website or can take the application format /EoI 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 EoI 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 EoI 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. 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. Interested Resource Organizations or Consulting Firms may obtain further information, if required at the address below during working days (Monday to Friday) from 8:30 a.m –

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 consulting services to conduct Training of Trainers (ToT) for MFIs professionals 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. 14 October 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.