1.0 Background

The AECF is a leading development organization that supports innovative enterprises in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors, aiming to reduce rural poverty, promote climate-resilient communities, and create jobs.

We catalyze the private sector by surfacing and commercializing new ideas, business models, and technologies that increase agricultural productivity, improve farmers’ incomes, expand access to clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance resilience to climate change. We finance high-risk businesses that struggle to access commercial funding; we are committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financing institutions dare to go.

To date, we have supported over 576 businesses in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 36 million lives, and created over 38,000 direct jobs.

AECF is headquartered in Kenya and has offices in Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Sudan, Benin, and Somalia.

2.0 About Investing in Women in South Sudan (IIW-SS) Programme

Investing in Women in South Sudan (IIW-SS) is a five-year gender equality and economic inclusion programme (June 2021 to July 2026) being implemented by AECF with the generous support of Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The programme responds to the ongoing poverty, food insecurity, conflict, and climate vulnerability of female small-scale farmers in South Sudan, who are excluded from opportunities in agricultural value chains that could increase incomes, reduce risk and climate exposure, and transform their livelihoods.

Specifically, IIW-SS works in the sorghum, groundnut, shea, honey, and sesame value chains in the Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria states by investing in women-focused businesses and women entrepreneurs’ associations to create climate-smart, gender-sensitive value chain opportunities for thousands of rural women and youth from poor and food-insecure households.

The programme seeks to:

• Reduced gender-specific barriers for women’s participation in agricultural value chains, including the unpaid care burden, in Eastern and Central Equatoria States in South Sudan.
• Increased adoption of gender-sensitive, climate-smart agricultural practices among women farmers in the Eastern and Central Equatoria States of South Sudan.
• Improved employability and livelihoods for women in agriculture and food systems in Eastern and Central Equatoria States in South Sudan.

The immediate outcomes of the programme are.

• Increased capacity and knowledge provided to farmers to reduce barriers to accessing productive resources, e.g., land, information, capital, and access to human rights.
• Improved enabling environment for women, including the security of their assets.
• Increased capacity and knowledge to conduct climate-smart agricultural practices that are gender- sensitive.
• Increased production and productivity of crops and livestock that are grown and kept by women.
• Farmers reduce their post-harvest losses and increase production, processing, and marketing of their surplus produce and products

The IIW-SS was designed with a specific emphasis on gender equality. The launch of the Feminist International Assistance Policy in 2017 led to an increased focus on the effective inclusion of women in programme outcomes.

3.0 About the assignment

Knowledge Management (KM) is a key component for the IIW-SS project anchored on building a profile of documenting experiences (stories of change, outcome harvesting, and success stories), for the MSMEs reached in the targeted Eastern and Central Equatoria states and making these available to champions and sector actors across in South Sudan interested in women economic empowerment and reducing systemic gender inequalities that women entrepreneurs, their suppliers and women formal workers face in South Sudan.

The goal of the project is to enhance the economic empowerment of women and their enterprises in key value chains across the Eastern and Central Equatoria states. We appreciate that collecting and documenting human-interest stories is essential to reflecting the transformational journey that the target women and businesses have achieved with the project’s support.

Ultimately, the stories will stream into stories of success and lessons learnt. Further, the stories will create visibility, credibility, and clarity around the IIW-SS project interventions and outcomes.

4.0 Scope of work

The assignment involves capturing stories from program participants in Eastern and Central Equatoria states targeted by the project. To accomplish the intended objective, the consultant, under the overall supervision of AECF, will:

Collaborate with IIW-SS to define the scope of stories for each target value chain, identify and develop themes, and agree on the investee end-beneficiaries and project participants to be visited.

The consultant will provide comprehensive documentation, storytelling, and multimedia production services to capture program impact across all investees. The scope includes:

1. In-depth beneficiary stories
   • Develop eight (8) detailed beneficiary stories — one per investee.
   • Conduct interviews with beneficiaries, investees, and relevant stakeholders.
   • Capture high-quality photos to accompany each story.
   • Produce polished narratives highlighting impact, challenges, transformation, and program contribution.
2. Program documentary video
   • Produce one high-quality documentary showcasing the overall program journey and outcomes.
   • Include field footage, interviews, b-roll, voice-over narration, and graphics as needed.
   • Deliver a 5-minute professionally edited film optimized for both events and digital platforms.
3. Short video stories
   • Produce four (4) short-form videos (1–3 minutes each).
   • Each video will highlight a unique success case, thematic insight, or specific impact on investees.
   • Provide optimized outputs for social media channels (horizontal and vertical formats, where needed).
4. Learning articles
   • Develop four (4) learning articles based on program insights, case evidence, and thematic analysis.
   • Engage with program teams to extract lessons learned, innovations, challenges, and recommendations.
   • Produce publish-ready content aligned with donors and the institutional tone of voice.
5. Success story infographics
   • Design four to eight (4–8) visually engaging infographics.
   • Each infographic will summarize key data, impact metrics, and narrative highlights.
   • Deliver in editable and web-friendly formats.
6. Stories compendium report
   • Produce one (1) comprehensive compendium compiling all stories, insights, visuals, and learnings.
   • Ensure structured layout, professional design, and alignment with brand guidelines.
   • Provide a final print-ready and digital version.

5.0 Specific deliverables and expected output

• In-Depth beneficiary stories (8): Eight written beneficiary impact stories (one per investee), each accompanied by high-res photographs.
• Program documentary (1 video): One professionally produced documentary (5 minutes) capturing the program’s overall impact, including interviews, field footage, and supporting visuals.
• Short video stories (4 videos): Four short video stories (1–3 minutes each), optimized for digital platforms and highlighting key successes or thematic areas.
• Learning articles (4 articles): Four well-researched learning articles documenting insights, lessons, and thematic learnings from the program.
• Success story infographics (4–8 graphics): Between four and eight infographics summarizing key impact data and narrative highlights for use in reports, social media, and presentations.
• Stories compendium (1 report): One professionally designed compendium report compiling all stories, visuals, and lessons from the assignment, provided in both print-ready and digital formats.

6.0 Duration

The Assignment will be conducted over three months.

7.0 Reporting

The consultant will work with and report to the IIW-SS project team in conjunction with the communications unit.

8.0 Qualifications and experience

The firm should have:

• The firm must demonstrate that its personnel possess a bachelor’s degree in a related field (development studies, journalism, communications, media studies).
• At least 5 years of experience in writing, editing, and documenting human interest stories for diverse audiences.
• Proven experience in investigative journalism and crafting human impact stories supported by statistics and data, specifically within the agribusiness sector, with a focus on emergency settings and refugee contexts.
• Demonstrated understanding of gender lens investing principles, strategies, and best practices, particularly at the intersection of gender and agribusiness.
• Strong research and analytical skills to gather information, conduct interviews, and derive key insights.
• Experience collaborating with international organizations, especially those involved in development, humanitarian aid, or the private sector.
• Knowledge and familiarity with rural settings and current trends, challenges, and opportunities within the Eastern and Central Equatoria states
• Previous success in documenting similar stories or contributing to gender-focused initiatives; demonstrating the ability to manage complexities and deliver high-quality results.
• Proven ability to manage timelines, prioritize tasks effectively, and ensure deliverables are completed within agreed scopes.

9.0 Evaluation criteria

MANDATORY EVALUATION CRITERIA.

Mandatory Requirements for firms:

1. Company profile.
2. Trading license, Certificate of incorporation, Certificate of Registration, and other statutory documents.
3. Valid Tax Compliance certificate or its equivalent.

N/B: FAILURE TO ATTACH AND ADHERE TO THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATION.

An evaluation committee will be formed by the AECF and may include employees of the businesses to support the process. All members will be bound by the same standards of confidentiality. The consultant should ensure they fully address all criteria for a comprehensive evaluation.

The AECF may request and receive clarification from any consultant during the evaluation of a proposal. The evaluation committee may invite some or all of the consultants to appear before it to clarify their proposals. In such an event, the evaluation committee may consider such clarifications in evaluating proposals.

In selecting the qualified bidder, the technical quality of the proposal will be weighted at 80% under the evaluation criteria. Only the financial proposal of those bidders who qualify technically will be opened. The financial proposal will be given a 20% weighting, and proposals will be ranked by total points scored. The mandatory and desirable criteria for evaluating proposals are listed in the table below.

10.0 Proposal submission

Interested companies/individuals must submit TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL PROPOSALS (as separate documents).

10.1. A technical proposal of a maximum of 15 pages (excluding annexes) with the following:

• A profile of the lead consultant (max. 3 pages) explaining their suitability for the work.
• CVs of the team’s composition, expertise, and their role in the assignment.
• A comprehensive description of the consultant’s understanding of the Terms of Reference, indicating any major inconsistency or deficiency with proposed amendments.
• Proposed methodology and work plan for executing the assignment.
• Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments.
• Letters of reference/recommendation from previous companies/assignments.
• Sample of past work: applicants are requested to submit a sample of three previous projects or links to the projects to demonstrate the experiences required by the Terms of Reference.
• Registration and other relevant statutory documents.

10.2. A financial proposal

Financial proposal in USD clearly showing the proposed team member, roles, proposed days, and the proposed professional fee. The financial proposal shall also indicate reimbursables, if required. (travel, meals, communication, etc.)

11.0 Pricing

AECF is required by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold tax on service contract fees and to ensure that VAT at 16% is charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure they have a clear understanding of their tax position under Kenya tax legislation when developing their proposals.

12.0 Application

The AECF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AECF considers all interested candidates based on merit without regard to race, gender, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

• Interested consultants must submit their technical and financial proposal to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 3^rd March 2026, 5:00 pm (EAT).
• All questions should be directed to the procurement email by 24th February 2026, 5:00 pm (EAT).
• The email’s subject should be: Consultancy to Develop Human Interest Stories on Women’s Empowerment under the Investing in Women South Sudan initiative. The AECF shall not be liable for failing to open proposals submitted under a different subject or for responding to questions that did not meet the indicated deadline.

13.0 Disclaimer

AECF reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, the number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice, and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party.

The AECF does not charge an application fee for participation in the tendering process and has not appointed any agents or intermediaries to facilitate applications. Applicants are advised to contact the AECF Procurement Department directly.