Call for Consultancy - Information Technology (IT) Services for Nile Fresh Produce, Uganda

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner, rooted in the contexts and societies where we work. Inspired by the transformational principles and objectives set out by the SDGs, we are committed to building resilient agri-food systems that deliver food security and adequate nutrition; to increasing the reliability and availability of water and sanitation at an acceptable quantity and quality; and to improving access to affordable and sustainable energy for all. In doing so, we aim to strengthen institutions, markets and effective governance within and across the agri-food, energy, and water sectors, reducing gender inequalities and barriers to social inclusion, and enabling adaptation and mitigation to the climate and biodiversity crises.

We are one team of over 1,600 people, the vast majority of whom come from the contexts where we work, in more than 20 countries in Africa and Asia. In Uganda SNV operates through a decentralised approach with a country office in Kampala and regional offices in Fort Portal, Lira, Jinja and Mbarara. SNV implements donor-funded activities across more than 100 districts in Uganda, ensuring broad and diverse impact.

Our core values of people-centeredness and respect, equity and equality, and diversity and inclusion, are fundamental to who we are, and what we do. This is reflected in our vision and mission, and strategy, which sets out our aspirations and commitments as our compass towards 2030. For more information on our operations in Uganda and SNV visit our website: www.snv.org.

About The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD)

The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) is a €400 million fund (up from Euro 160m in DFCD 1.0) managed by a pioneering consortium led by the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO), Climate Fund Managers (CFM), World Wide Fund for Nature Netherlands (WWF-NL) and SNV Netherlands Development Organization (SNV). The fund is aimed at increasing the resilience of communities and ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change, by enabling private sector investment in projects aimed at climate adaptation in developing countries.

SNV takes upon a crucial role as a partner in the management of the Origination Facility (OF) under the DFCD. The primary objective within this facility is to source and develop projects until they reach the level of ‘bankability’. This phase is crucial as it paves the way for FMO and CFM to secure private sector funding necessary for the implementation of impactful, climate-resilient projects. The OF is uniquely dedicated to identifying promising business ideas or projects and conducting preliminary feasibility studies, all with a specific focus on various thematic subsectors encompassed by the DFCD. The DFCD is currently supporting Nile Fresh Produce, a company in Uganda, to become bankable by undertaking various targeted origination activities.

About Nile Fresh Produce International Limited (NFP)

NFP is a private limited liability company incorporated in December 2010 and headquartered in Kampala, Uganda. The company specializes in the agricultural value chain, engaging in large-scale farming, aggregation, agro-processing, and trading of crops such as maize, rice, soybeans, sesame, and sunflower, with medium-to-long term plans to expand into wheat and avocado production.

NFP operates through a network of regional offices in Gulu (Northern Uganda) and Mbale (Eastern Uganda), overseeing 40 districts. The company collaborates with over 600,000 smallholder farmers under an out-grower scheme, providing seed loans, tractor hire services, and extension support to enhance productivity

With a vision to alleviate rural poverty through market-driven agriculture, NFP emphasizes ethical business practices, environmental conservation, and gender inclusivity, targeting 50% female participation in its programs. The company’s growth strategy aligns with Uganda’s national development goals, focusing on food security, export promotion, and import substitution.

Objective of the Consultancy

NFP seeks the services of an information technology consultant or firm (“a Consultant”) to assist in upgrading the existing technology platforms and software being used in the company. This initial phase will ensure that the final IT system is well-designed, aligned with NFP’s operational needs, and compliant with DFCD requirements for transitioning from the Origination Facility to the Land Use Facility.

Description of the Project

NFP currently relies on QuickBooks for accounting, excel-based files for farmer database management, and manual record-keeping for loan tracking among smallholder farmers. While these systems have been functional, they present significant inefficiencies, including data fragmentation (multiple unconnected systems), high risk of human error due to manual entries, limited scalability as NFP expands its operations, and lack of real-time reporting, affecting decision-making.

To enhance operational efficiency, transparency, and accountability, NFP aspires to transition from its current fragmented systems to integrated digital solutions across all its operations, but more so within its accounting, loan management, and farmer/supply chain management departments.

This digital transformation will eliminate redundancies, minimize human error, and provide NFP with actionable insights for data-driven decision-making.

Objective

The primary objectives of this engagement are:

• Assess current IT systems and identify gaps in financial management, farmer database management, and loan tracking.
• Develop functional prototypes for key systems (farmer database, loan management, and accounting) to validate technical feasibility and user requirements.
• Create a detailed roadmap for full-scale IT system development, including recommended platforms, integration strategy, and phased implementation plan.
• Develop and formalise ICT Policy and data protection systems.
• Train staff responsible for managing the new IT systems.

Team

The assignment must be carried out by a suitably qualified and certified Information Technology (IT) expert or firm, with appropriate background and experience working with agriculture enterprises in the sector and region.

The ideal consultant should demonstrate having:

• Proven experience in agricultural tech solutions, financial systems, and database management.
• Expertise in mobile and web-based software development.
• Prior work with farmers, cooperatives, or agribusinesses in Uganda.
• Strong cybersecurity and data protection measures.
• Ability to provide ongoing technical support

The Selected IT Consultant will conduct the following Tasks.

IT systems assessment & gaps analysis

• Review NFP’s existing systems (QuickBooks, Excel-based farmer databases, manual loan tracking).
• Identify inefficiencies, data fragmentation risks, scalability constraints, and reporting limitations.
• Assess cybersecurity, data protection, and compliance requirements.
• Engage key stakeholders (management, field staff, finance team) to gather user requirements 

Prototype development

• Develop minimum viable prototypes (MVPs) for:
• Farmer Database System (cloud-based/offline-capable, with farmer profiles, production tracking, and mobile data collection).
• Loan Management System (digital loan application, repayment tracking, SMS/USSD notifications, profit & losses tracking, Loan disbursements, Loan aging, system generated weekly and monthly reports etc).
• Accounting System Enhancements (automated invoicing, expense tracking, financial dashboards).

• Conduct user testing with NFP staff to refine prototypes before full-scale development.

Roadmap for full IT system development

• Recommend scalable software/hardware solutions (custom-built vs. off-the-shelf).
• Define a phased implementation plan with timelines, budget estimates, and risk mitigation.
• Outline training, ideal finance management structure, and post-deployment support needs.
• Oversee new software installation procured by the Client within the Consultancy tenure, test running and NFP data migration / onboarding trials. In event of absence of new software procurement, provide a conceptual design with a High-Level Design (HLD) / Conceptual Design defining the ideal future systems options and functionality aligned to the Client’s recommended digital solutions.

Develop and formalise ICT Policy and data protection systems.

• Develop and formalise a new ICT policy for NFP.
• Establish clear guidelines for data privacy, cybersecurity, and compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR, local laws).

Train staff responsible for managing the new IT systems.

• Conduct hands-on training sessions on system operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance.

Qualifications of staff should include relevant technical capabilities, specific previous project experience similar to this Project, specific in-country experience and knowledge, etc.

Reporting and Deliverables

The Consultant will provide:

• Assessment report: Analysis of current IT gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Functional prototypes: Demo versions of farmer database, loan management, and accounting modules.
• Implementation roadmap: Prioritized action plan for full system development, including recommended technology stack, integration strategy, training and support requirements.
• Stakeholder Workshop: Presentation of findings and prototype feedback session.

Timeline

Below is an indicative timeline for delivery of the consultancy assignment between August-September 2025.

Task                                                                                                   Timeline

a) Negotiations / Kick - off Meetings                                                  Within week 1 of contract signing

b) IT documentation review/gaps assessment                                   Week 1

c) Site/s Visit and consultations                                                         Week 2 & 3

d) Assessment Report/s                                                                     Week 4

e) Designs recommendation and or creation of prototypes               Week 5 & 6  

f) Implementation road maps and stakeholder workshop                  Week 7 & 8

g) Completion and handover                                                              week 9 & 10

Proposal (Technical and Financial)

The proposal for the IT systems should contain the sections listed below:

Scope of Work:

The scope of work should include the task implementation methodology, that is; a description and method of the specific activities that will be performed to accomplish the required tasks identified in Section 4. This should include any proposed site visits/reconnaissance, documents to be reviewed, interviews, etc.  If the consultant feels that additional tasks or components within a required task are suggested or warranted, these should be stated and delineated as “Optional Tasks”.

Please note that technical proposal shall score a maximum of 80 % and the financial proposal a maximum of 20 %.

Project team and qualifications:

This should include the name of the principal staff members and any sub-contractors and a brief description of their role within the project team. Qualifications of staff should include relevant technical capabilities, specific previous project experience similar to this Project, specific in-country experience and knowledge, etc.

Budget and Payment Schedule:

The total cost of the contract should include all chargeable fees, expenses for travel and logistics, and any applicable taxes. Payments will be made to the consultant based on satisfactory completion of deliverables; (to be confirmed at the contract negotiation stage):

• Payment 1: 20 % on contract signing

• Payment 2: 30 % on completion of first set of activities/deliverables (e.g., Preliminary findings)

• Payment 3: 50 % on completion of final deliverables (i.e., stakeholder workshop, implementation roadmap, LMS onboarding trial/s for installed software if any etc.)

Submission Guidelines

The deadline for submission of proposals is 8th August 2025. Submissions should upload to the following website:

Please note that the upload should happen in the CV column, clearing marking the documents as technical proposal, and financial proposal.

The proposals should be emailed to:  info@nilefreshproduce.com: including all relevant support information in two pdf documents (technical proposal and financial proposals, with the Financial Proposal in Uganda Shillings), these mainly being Certificate of Incorporation, Tax Clearance Certificate, Trading License, Company Beneficial owners form 1, Audited financials for 2023 and 2024, Articles and Memorandum of association.

Disclaimer. 
SNV reserves the right to accept or reject any or all applications submitted. SNV can stop this procurement at any time without the need to explain or extend the deadline for submission once it sees fit. In case you do not hear from SNV within three weeks of the closure of the application process, consider yourself unsuccessful. SNV also reserves the right to reject and cancel this call-in in case any illegal, corrupt, coercive, or collusive practices are noticed. Late applications will be rejected. Please note that viewing, downloading or otherwise using the TOR constitutes acceptance on your part of all the above-noted statements and conditions.

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