REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (REOI)
ENGAGEMENT OF A CONSULTANT FOR THE DESIGN, OPERATIONALIZATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING OF THE GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM (GRM) FOR KANO AND OGUN STATES
(INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT SELECTION)
COUNTRY: FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
NAME OF PROJECT: THE DESIGN, OPERATIONALIZATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING OF THE GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM (GRM) FOR KANO AND OGUN STATES
REF NO: NPCO/SAPZ/IFAD/26/1007/530

The Federal Government of Nigeria has received financing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and on – lend to Kano State Government towards the cost of the Special Agro – Processing Zones Program (SAPZ), and intends to apply part of the proceeds for the recruitment of consulting services, for which this REOI is issued.

The use of any IFAD financing shall be subject to IFAD’s approval, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the financing agreement, as well as IFAD’s rules, policies and procedures. IFAD and its officials, agents and employees shall be held harmless from and against all suits, proceedings, claims, demands, losses and liability of any kind or nature brought by any party in connection with Special Agro – Processing Zones Program.

The consulting services (“the services”) shall be in four phase namely:

Phase 1: Inception and Diagnostic Review: This phase shall include:
* Review all relevant SAPZ programme documents, including the GRM Strategy, Programme Operations Manual, ESMF, and applicable donor safeguard policies.
* Conduct stakeholder mapping and institutional assessment of existing GRM and ADR structures, capacities, and gaps in each participating state, covering community, LGA, and SPIU levels.
* Assess the current status of grievance documentation, committee formation, reporting channels, Code of Conduct enforcement, and SEAH referral pathways in each state.
* Identify risks to GRM functionality, including elite capture, confidentiality risks, barriers to access for women and vulnerable groups, and digital infrastructure limitations.
* Prepare and submit a detailed Inception Report, including refined methodology, phased work plan with milestones, stakeholder engagement plan, risk register, and gender and social inclusion strategy.

Phase 2: GRM Design and Tool Development: This phase shall include:
* Finalize GRM Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), including step-by-step process flowcharts covering receipt, acknowledgement, screening, assessment, resolution through ADR or direct action, escalation, appeal, closure, and documentation of grievances.
* Develop or adapt grievance registration forms, tracking logs, escalation and referral pathway protocols, ADR mediation guides, and SEAH-specific case management procedures that ensure survivor-centred handling and confidentiality at all stages.
* Design the structure of a centralized grievance database with role-based access controls, automated reminders for resolution timelines, and dashboard specifications for SPIU and NCO use, accommodating case disaggregation by state, LGA, community, gender, type of grievance, and resolution status.
* Draft IEC materials in local languages (English, Hausa, and Yoruba) in formats accessible to low-literacy users and persons with disabilities (PWD), including posters, flyers, radio scripts, and community notice templates.
* Develop physical GRM logbooks and grievance registration tools for field deployment across all states.
* Prepare a Code of Conduct (CoC) template for contractors and programme staff that incorporates SEAH prevention clauses, consistent with SAPZ Programme requirements.

Phase 3: Capacity Building and System Deployment: This phase shall include:
* Conduct state-level training workshops for Ogun and Kano states for: (i) National and State Safeguards Officers on GRM coordination, data management, and donor reporting; (ii) GRC members and ADR mediators on mediation skills, ethics, confidentiality, GBV and SEAH sensitivity, and case documentation; and (iii) field officers and hotline operators on grievance intake, documentation, referral protocols, and escalation procedures.
* Support the formal inauguration of GRCs at community, LGA, and State PIU levels in all participating states, ensuring a minimum of 40 percent representation of women and youth in each committee, consistent with IFAD SECAP requirements.
* Pilot-test all grievance lodging channels, including the toll-free hotline, SMS/USSD, WhatsApp, grievance boxes, and walk-in procedures, in at least two pilot states, and refine systems based on user and operator feedback.
* Deploy the centralized grievance database and provide hands-on training to NCO and SPIU E&S staff on data entry, case management, dashboard use, and reporting.
* Support the establishment of formal referral partnerships with state GBV response teams, NAPTIP, FIDA, health facilities, legal aid providers, and civil society organizations in each participating state.
* Facilitate the installation of zero-tolerance SEAH signage at all active AIH and ATC construction sites, in coordination with the respective SPIUs.

Phase 4: Launch, Monitoring Framework, and Handover: This phase shall include:
* Support the official launch of the GRM in at least two pilot states, including community sensitization events, dissemination of IEC materials, and briefings for local government authorities and community leaders.
* Develop a GRM Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework with clearly defined KPIs, including: percentage of grievances resolved within 30 days; percentage of SEAH cases handled in compliance with referral protocols; number of GRM channels operational by state; user satisfaction ratings; and disaggregation of cases by gender, age, grievance type, and resolution status.
* Prepare a comprehensive GRM Implementation Manual covering all tools, SOPs, database procedures, and referral pathways, suitable for use by SPIU and NCO staff after handover.
* Prepare a Handover Report documenting all activities undertaken, key lessons learned, outstanding risks, and recommendations for sustainability.
* Conduct a formal knowledge transfer session for NCO and SPIU teams, covering all systems deployed, tools developed, and ongoing monitoring requirements.

More details on this consulting services are contained in the Terms of Reference (TOR) which can be obtained from the address below between 10am – 4pm on working days or obtained from the website: sapz.gov.ng.

It is expected that this consultancy service shall be for a period of 3 months within which the consultant shall accomplish all the tasks including submission of final report to the Client.

This request for expressions of interest (REOI) follows the General Procurement Notice that appeared on the IFAD website on 17th April, 2023, on UNDB on 17th April, 2023.

The attention of interested consultants is drawn to IFAD’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of the Terrorism Policy and the Revised IFAD Policy on Preventing Fraud and Corruption its Activities and Operations. The latter sets forth IFAD’s provisions on prohibited practices. IFAD further strives to ensure a safe working environment free of harassment, including sexual harassment, and free of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in its activities and operations as detailed in its IFAD Policy to Preventing and Responding to Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

Interested consultants 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 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, or b) 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.

The National Program Coordination Office now invites eligible Individual consultants (“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 in the form of a curriculum vitae (CV). A consultant will be selected in accordance with the individual consultant selection (ICS) method set out in IFAD’ Project Procurement Handbook that can be accessed via the IFAD website at www.ifad.org/project-procurement. Interviews will not be conducted as part of the selection process.

The shortlisting criteria are: The criteria for shortlisting consultants will be based 1. General Qualification 2. General Working Experience 3. Adequacy for the assignment 4. Experience in Similar assignment in Donor Funded project.

Any request for clarification on this REOI should be sent via e-mail to the address below no later than 4.00 pm local time on 23rd June, 2026. The client will provide responses to all clarification requests by 4.00 pm local time 24th June, 2026.

Expressions of interest in the form of curriculum vitae (CV) must be delivered in a written form to the address below later than 12.00 Noon local time on 30th June, 2026. Late Submissions will NOT be accepted.

Signed
Dr. Kabir Yusuf
National Program Coordinator, SAPZ
National Program Co-ordination Office (NPCO)
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security,
No. 3, Aguleri Street, off Gimbiya Street, Area 11, Abuja,
admin@sapz.gov.ng; +234 8168088308, +2348035949354