Call for Proposals for specialized Arab or African consulting forms of consortia to design, develop and implement an E-Learning and Knowledge Platform, Washington

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Design, Development and Implementation of an E-Learning and Knowledge Platform

Project: Capacity Building to Support the Implementation of the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2035)

Executing Agency: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Financing Partner: Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA)

Reference No.: [To be inserted] | Issue Date: [To be inserted] | Closing Date: [To be inserted]

1. Background

IFPRI, with financing from BADEA, is implementing the above project in Kenya and Nigeria. The project includes an e-learning and knowledge platform to complement face-to-face capacity development, expand access to training resources, support Training-of-Trainers, and provide a structured repository for CAADP-related learning and knowledge products.

IFPRI invites proposals through an open and competitive process from specialized Arab or African consulting firms, or consortia of Arab and African consulting firms, with demonstrated experience in digital learning and knowledge-platform solutions. The procurement will follow IFPRI procedures. Following technical and financial evaluation, the top three qualified candidates will be submitted to BADEA for review and non-objection before final selection and contracting.

2. Objective of the Assignment

The objective is to design, configure/develop, deploy and support a secure, user-friendly, scalable and maintainable e-learning and knowledge platform that enables delivery and management of project learning content and facilitates access to relevant knowledge resources by project beneficiaries and partners.

3. Geographic and User Scope

The platform will initially support project activities and users in Kenya and Nigeria while being designed, to the extent feasible within the approved scope and budget, for future replication or wider use. The solution should be web-based, mobile-responsive and appropriate for users operating under varying bandwidth conditions.

4. Scope of Services

• Conduct an inception and user-needs assessment with IFPRI and designated project partners and translate requirements into functional and technical specifications.
• Recommend the most appropriate platform architecture and software approach, including use of proven open-source or licensed solutions where justified, while avoiding unnecessary custom development.
• Design and configure/develop the learning management and knowledge-repository environment, including user registration, role-based access, course management, resource organization and administration.
• Provide functionality for self-paced and facilitator-led learning, multimedia resources, downloadable materials, quizzes/assessments, learner progress tracking and completion reporting.
• Develop a searchable knowledge-resource area for approved manuals, toolkits, presentations, case studies and other project knowledge products.
• Ensure responsive design, usability on common mobile devices and reasonable performance in low-bandwidth settings.
• Provide appropriate security controls, data protection, backup/recovery, administrator controls and audit/logging functions consistent with agreed requirements.
• Support migration/upload and organization of approved electronic content supplied by IFPRI, RUFORUM and other authorized content providers.
• Provide administrator and user documentation and train designated IFPRI/partner administrators.
• Conduct testing, user acceptance, deployment and post-launch technical support; correct defects identified during the agreed warranty/support period.
• Prepare a sustainability and handover plan covering hosting, maintenance, updates, licenses where applicable, administrative access, data portability/export, technical documentation, backup/recovery, configuration information, and continuity arrangements after the assignment.

5. Minimum Functional Requirements

• Secure user registration/authentication and role-based permissions.
• Course creation, enrolment and management.
• Support for text, documents, presentations, video/audio links or files, and interactive learning resources.
• Quizzes/assessments and learner progress/completion tracking.
• Administrative dashboards and exportable usage/completion reports.
• Searchable knowledge repository with categories, tags or metadata.
• Mobile-responsive interface and optimization for low-bandwidth use.
• Downloadable/offline-accessible resources where technically appropriate.
• Content-management capability for authorized non-developer administrators.
• Backup, recovery, security and privacy controls.
• Documentation, training and handover to designated administrators.

6. Expected Deliverables

7. Required Qualifications and Experience

• Specialized Arab or African consulting firm, or eligible consortium of Arab and African consulting firms, legally established and able to contract for the assignment.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing and supporting learning management systems, e-learning platforms, knowledge portals or comparable digital solutions.
• Evidence of successful deployment of secure, scalable web platforms for public, development, education, research or international organizations.
• Strong expertise in UX/UI, software/platform configuration or development, cloud/hosting environments, cybersecurity, database/system administration and technical support.
• Experience with low-bandwidth/mobile-first digital solutions and capacity building in African and/or Arab contexts is highly desirable.
• Qualified team including a project manager, solution architect/technical lead, LMS/e-learning specialist, UX/UI expertise, and security/system administration capacity.
• Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge and provide clear technical/user documentation.

8. Proposal Requirements

• Technical proposal demonstrating understanding of the assignment and proposed solution architecture/methodology.
• Description of proposed platform/software stack, hosting model, security approach, scalability, licensing implications and maintenance requirements.
• Implementation workplan, milestones, quality-assurance and risk-management approach.
• Firm/consortium profile, legal status and, for consortia, clear lead-firm and responsibility arrangements.
• Evidence of at least three comparable assignments where available, including links/screenshots or client references.
• CVs and roles of key personnel.
• Financial proposal with itemized development/configuration, hosting, licensing, training, support and other costs, with applicable taxes clearly identified.
• Disclosure of actual or potential conflicts of interest and any subcontracting proposed.

9. Evaluation and Selection

Proposals will be evaluated competitively. The final solicitation may refine the weights below while retaining the same core criteria.

Only proposals meeting the required technical threshold will proceed in the selection process. Following IFPRI's evaluation, the top three qualified firms/consortia will be submitted to BADEA for review and non-objection before award.

10. Intellectual Property, Data and Handover

The selected provider will be required to support the long-term sustainability and transferability of the platform. IFPRI and/or its designated partners should receive the administrative access, technical and user documentation, configuration information, data export capabilities, backup and recovery information, and other agreed materials needed to operate, maintain, update, or transition the platform following completion of the assignment. Where custom development is undertaken, the contract will specify the applicable ownership, licensing and access arrangements for source code and customization materials. These requirements will be applied in a manner consistent with the agreed software, hosting and licensing model.

11. Duration

The assignment will be implemented within the project's 24-month implementation period. The precise implementation, launch, warranty/support and handover schedule will be confirmed in the final solicitation and contract.

12. Submission Instructions

Proposals should be submitted electronically to [procurement email/portal] by [date and time], quoting reference [reference number]. Technical and financial proposals should be submitted in the format specified by IFPRI. Late or incomplete submissions may be rejected in accordance with IFPRI procurement procedures.

13. Reservations

IFPRI reserves the right to amend or cancel the call, request clarifications or demonstrations, verify references, negotiate within applicable procedures, or decide not to award a contract. Issuance of this call does not constitute a commitment to contract or reimburse proposal-preparation costs. Any award is subject to completion of IFPRI's procurement process and BADEA review/non-objection as applicable.