Provision of Business Development Services for refugees.

MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES AUTHORITY

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES- FIRMS SELECTION)

COUNTRY: KENYA

NAME OF PROJECT: NATIONAL YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES TOWARDS ADVANCEMENT (NYOTA)

Loan No./Credit No./ Grant No .: IDA-7355-KE

Assignment Title: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (BDS) PROVIDERS FOR REFUGEES

Reference No: MSEA/NYOTA/NCB/11/2026-207

The Government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) places significant focus on the Micro, Small, and Enterprises (MSE) Sector by prioritizing financial inclusion for MSEs, adopting a value chain approach to MSE products, and promoting sustainable job creation through the sector.

In line with this agenda, the Government of Kenya (GoK) has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The Consulting services (“the Services”) include Business Development Services (BDS) to establish a foundation and systems for the sustained creation of opportunities for employment, earnings, and savings to improve economic empowerment among youth in refugee counties, Garissa and Turkana, in the Republic of Kenya. The Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (“Authority”) is seeking the services of a qualified Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to design, pilot and deliver a comprehensive Business Development Services (BDS) package targeted at refugee youth in Kenya. The targeted beneficiaries of the project are Kenyan youth aged 18 to 29 who are unemployed, have experienced extended periods of unemployment, or are currently engaged in vulnerable jobs. For persons living with disabilities (PWDs), the upper age limit is extended to 35 years.The educational level of the targeted beneficiaries ranges from Form 4 and below. The role of the Business Development Services Providers is to deliver a practical BDS package with clearly defined modules, duration, number of sessions, and expected outputs as specified in the Deliverables tailored to refugee community youth in Dadaab and Kakuma with a particular focus on social emotional and business skills training, as well as mentorship. This package may include a face-to-face training program that builds entrepreneurial mindset, resilience and core business competencies as a prerequisite input to BDS and financing pathways. The services will include one-to-one and small-group coaching to identify viable opportunities.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found on the following website: www.msea.go.ke

The Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (“Authority”) now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are

Core business and years in business: The firm shall be registered/incorporated as non-governmental organization with the core business in Business Development Services (BDS), entrepreneurship development, livelihoods support, youth economic empowerment, or related interventions/fields for at least five (5) years. Relevant experience: (i)The firm must have successfully undertaken at least two (2) assignments of a similar nature within the last five (5) years, including experience in refugee, humanitarian, displacement-affected, or other low-resource settings. Experience in Kenya, particularly in refugee settings, from 2018 to date. (ii) The firm must demonstrate experience in developing, adapting, or customizing BDS, entrepreneurship, livelihoods, or related training curricula to meet the contextual, cultural, socioeconomic, and methodological needs of refugee beneficiary communities. (iii) The firm must demonstrate experience in implementing ongoing programmes in the refugee camps, (Kakuma/Kalobeyei and/or Dadaab) including the delivery of Business Development Services (BDS), entrepreneurship, livelihoods, or youth economic empowerment interventions. Technical and managerial capability of the firm: (i) The firm must demonstrate ownership, access to, or the technical capacity to develop and deploy a digital platform that is accessible to beneficiaries and can facilitate the registration, attendance, participation, progress monitoring, and reporting of youth beneficiaries. (ii) The firm must demonstrate the capacity to deliver gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, safeguarding-sensitive, and trauma-informed programming, including appropriate referral pathways and accessible and confidential grievance redress mechanisms. (iii) The firm must demonstrate on-the-ground presence, qualified staffing, established networks, and adequate logistical and operational capacity in Kakuma/Kalobeyei and/or Dadaab, including demonstrated ability to mobilize, engage, train, mentor, and provide ongoing support to refugee youth. K ey Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 3.14, 3.16 and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “ Procurement Regulation for IPF Borrowers” dated July 2016 and Revised Fifth Edition September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”) setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or a sub-consultancy. In the case of a joint venture, all the partners in the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected.

Consultants will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0900 to 1700 hours East African Time (EAT).

Expressions of interest must be delivered i