Summary of the assignment:
| Nature of assignment | Short term Individual Consultancy |
| Location | Four EAC Partner States (Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania) |
| Timeframe | 40 Working days |
| Reporting | EABC Executive Director |
1.0 BACKGROUND
The East African Business Council (EABC), in collaboration with GIZ under the Leveraging Integration Frameworks for Trade in Services and Civil Society Organizations in the EAC (LIFTED) program, seeks to promote deeper regional integration by enhancing the capacity of the private sector particularly women and youth-led service enterprises, to participate in regional and continental trade. Anchored in the EAC Common Market Protocol (CMP), the initiative supports Partner States’ commitments to liberalize trade in services across seven key sectors.
Under the EAC Common Market Protocol (CMP), EAC Partner States have committed to progressively liberalize trade in services in accordance with the negotiated commitments made under Annex V of the Protocol. In 2010 all Partner States made commitments to open their market in seven (7) service sectors, namely: business; education; finance; communication; tourism and travel related; and transport. Partner States agreed to progressively remove restrictions and undertake not to introduce any new restrictions on the provisions of services (Art. 16(5) of EAC CMP.
However, in spite of the efforts above, trade barriers and none conforming measures are among the factors which have consistently restricted the movement of services across the region. Among the most affected are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially those owned by women and youth, who face information asymmetries, limited market access, and capacity constraints.
To address such challenges, EABC, in partnership with GIZ through the LIFTED project, is keen on undertaking targeted interventions to raise awareness, build capacity, and foster market linkages for at least 200 export-ready service sector companies in the region from four EAC Partner States.
2.0 PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
To identify, evaluate, and profile at least 200 export-ready companies from four EAC Partner States, to include women and youth-led businesses in priority service sectors, for participation in regional export awareness and capacity-building events under the LIFTED program. The major activities include;
3.0 SCOPE OF WORK
3.1 Identify, evaluate, and profile at least 200 export-ready companies from four EAC Partner States, with a focus on women- and youth-led businesses in priority service sectors, for participation in regional export awareness and capacity-building events.
The Consultant shall;
- Develop a robust methodology for identifying and profiling export-ready service sector companies, with criteria such as:
- Business registration and compliance
- Sector and service specialization
- Operational history and service delivery capacity
- Evidence of regional/international business activities or intent
- Gender and youth ownership or leadership
- Conduct stakeholder engagement and desk research to:
- Map sector-specific dynamics and export potential in each country
- Identify key business associations, regulatory agencies, and relevant trade-support institutions with which such companies are affiliated.
- Identify and profile a minimum of 200 companies (approximately 50 per country), with a minimum of 40% women and youth-led enterprises.
- Capture detailed profiles for each company, including:
- Company name and location
- Sector/sub-sector classification
- Contact details and ownership structure
- Services offered and markets served
- Certifications, licenses, and qualifications
- Export readiness status, including challenges and support needs
- Compile a centralized, searchable database (Excel or cloud-based format) of all profiled companies for use by EABC and partners.
- Prepare a final report summarizing key findings, trends, challenges, and recommendations, particularly:
- Sector-specific export readiness gaps
- Policy and regulatory constraints
- Opportunities for targeted support and follow-up interventions.
3.1.1 Expected Deliverables
- Inception Report (within 5 days of contract signing) outlining the methodology, work plan, tools, and stakeholder engagement strategy.
- Export-Ready Company Database with complete profiles of at least 200 companies from four EAC Partner States.
- Company Profile Dossiers (in PDF or booklet form) highlighting the top 20 most export-ready/promising companies per country.
- Final Report detailing:
- Assessment methodology and coverage
- Sectoral and demographic breakdown
- Observed export potential and key constraints
- Strategic recommendations
- Gender and youth participation insights
- Conduct and facilitate 2 National training/awareness workshops for selected companies in each of the 4 Partner States on the application of rules, regulations and business concepts for export of services.
From the pool of profiled companies, the consultant will conduct national awareness workshops in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and United Republic of
training export-ready service industry companies over two working days per country. The workshops aim to equip participants with essential skills on the application of rules, regulations, and business concepts relevant to the export of services. The scope of work for the training workshops include;
- Training Needs Assessment (TNA)
- Conduct a rapid needs assessment using pre-training questionnaires or brief interviews with selected companies (previously profiled under the LIFTED project).
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- Identify knowledge gaps related to trade regulations, export documentation, market access and compliance, service contract negotiation, digital trade and Export Tools, Institutional Support Organizations and resources, export financing options and intellectual property.
- Curriculum Design and Workshop Planning
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- Develop a training content tailored to the services sector and the EAC context.
- Ensure content includes gender-sensitive and youth-inclusive business practices, as well as sector-specific examples (e.g., ICT, tourism, professional services).
- Design workshop materials, including slide decks, handouts, case studies, and reference guides in a clear and accessible format.
- Facilitate National Workshops
- Facilitate a total of in-person national workshops (two per Partner State) in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, targeting a minimum of 50 companies per country.
- Apply participatory adult learning methods with breakout sessions, Q&A, and group work.
- Ensure at least 40% of women and youth-led enterprises are represented in each session.
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Administer pre-and post-training assessments to measure knowledge gains and training effectiveness.
- Collect participant feedback using evaluation forms and focus group discussions.
- Provide a synthesis of lessons learned and best practices for scaling the intervention.
- Expected Deliverables
- Inception Report Outlining the methodology, work plan, and assessment tools
- Training Curriculum & Materials Modular training content, including PPTs, handouts, and facilitator guide
- 8 National Workshops Delivery of interactive training sessions in 4 EAC Partner States
- Final Report Summary of training activities, participant data, M&E results, challenges, and recommendations
4.0 Expected Outcomes
- At least 240 export-ready service companies trained across 4 Partner States.
- 80% of participants demonstrate increased understanding of export regulations, service standards, and business models post-training.
- Increased capacity of women and youth entrepreneurs to develop and implement export strategies.
5.0 DURATION AND LOCATION
The consultancy will be conducted over a period of 22 working days (5 days per country in four Partner States + 2 reporting days) and additional 16 working days (2 days, twice per Partner State in the 4 Partner States + 2 reporting days) for conducting and facilitating the training workshops, upon signature of the contract, covering four EAC Partner States (to be confirmed by EABC) to conducted between June and August 2025.The profiling of companies is expected to be done in the month of June, and training workshops shall run from July to August 2025.
6.0 QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
The consultant must possess:
- At least 7 years of experience in trade and export development, private sector research, or regional integration with five (5) years of demonstrable experience in training on International Trade and regional integration-related work. The consultant must be able to carry out the training workshops within the determined timeframe.
- Demonstrated knowledge of EAC and AfCFTA trade policy frameworks, particularly the Common Market Protocol and the AfCFTA Protocol on trade in services.
- Proven expertise in enterprise assessment, business profiling and database development.
- Strong gender and youth mainstreaming experience.
- Familiarity with at least three of the following sectors: tourism, financial services, ICT, professional services, and transport.
- Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English; knowledge of Kiswahili or French is an added advantage.
- Access to a multilingual research team and local networks in the EAC will be a strong asset.
- Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), Email, analytical tools/software for data analysis, experience working with internet search engines and data sources, online databases, and data retrieval) are required.
7.0 NATIONALITY
The opportunity is only open to Nationals of any EAC Partner States that fulfil the consultancy requirements.
8.0 REPORTING AND SUPERVISION
The consultant will report to the EABC Executive Director in close collaboration with GIZ, LIFTED Programme. Regular progress meetings will be held throughout the assignment.
9.0 EVALUATION CRITERIA
| Category | Criteria | Weight (%) |
| Technical Proposal (70%) | ||
| Understanding of the Assignment | Clear demonstration of objectives, context, and outcomes; tailored to EAC and AfCFTA | 10% |
| Proposed Methodology & Work Plan | Sound methodology, tools, country-specific approaches, gender/youth integration and timelines for implementing the scope of work | 20% |
| Experience & Qualifications | Relevant qualifications, export development, regional integration, profiling, training.
i. Qualification: A Master’s degree or postgraduate qualification in any of the following fields, Economics, Statistics, Business Administration, International Trade, Trade Policy or any other relevant field is required.
ii. Relevant experience: – At least 7 years of experience in trade and export development, research on regional integration particularly demonstrated knowledge of the EAC Common Market Protocol and the AfCFTA Protocol on trade in services. – Five (5) years of demonstrable experience in training on International Trade and regional integration-related work. |
20% |
| Team Composition & Competence | Skills mix, EAC coverage, language capabilities, access to networks and data sources | 10% |
| Relevant Past Assignments | Previous profiling projects, training workshops, export support with sample shared | 10% |
| Financial Proposal (30%) | ||
| Price Competitiveness | Overall cost and value for money (within budget expectations) | 30% |
- APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Interested consultant must submit:
- Technical Proposal (max. 20 pages) detailing understanding of the assignment, methodology, team composition, and work plan.
- Financial Proposal (Password protected) (in USD), inclusive of all applicable taxes and fees.
- CV and summary of relevant past assignments as Annexes
- Two references and one sample of similar work (e.g., profiling report, market study, and training conducted) as Annexes.
10. Submission Details
All Proposals should be submitted via email to: procurement@eabc-online.com
CC: director@eabc-online.com
Subject Line: “Consultancy to Identify, Profile and Build Capacity of at least 200 Export-Ready Companies in Priority Service Sectors on Application of Rules, Regulations and Business Concepts for Export of Services”
Deadline for submission: 22nd May 2025, no later than 5:00 PM EAT.
Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.
11. DISCLAIMER
The East African Business Council (EABC) reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal, in whole or in part, without providing any justification. All submissions will be handled with the utmost confidentiality.
EABC promotes equal opportunity, inclusivity, gender sensitivity and environmental sustainability in its procurement processes.
Please note that EABC shall not be held liable for any costs, expenses, or losses incurred by applicants in the preparation or submission of proposals. In the event of funding withdrawal, reduction, or delay from the donor or implementing partners, EABC reserves the right to cancel or revise the scope of the assignment at its sole discretion, without incurring any obligation or liability to the applicant.