Consultant or Consultancy Firm to conduct a Baseline Survey for Brewing the Future
Request for Proposals (RFP)
Baseline Survey for the Brewing the Future - Coffee to Stay Project, Kenya
BREWING THE FUTURE – COFFEE TO STAY PROJECT (2025-2028)
Summary Information
RA Department: Impact programs
Location(s): Central Kenya (Kirinyaga county)
Commitment: At least 30 days
Desired start date and duration: 22nd September 2025
Under direction of: Country Director
About the Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance (RA) is an international nonprofit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. We are building an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. We envision a world where people and nature thrive in harmony.
The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.
For more information, please visit http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/about.
Project Background and Objective (Overview)
The project, Brewing the Future – Coffee to Stay, is funded by Tchibo GmbH (a coffee roaster) and implemented by Rainforest Alliance, in collaboration with Ibero Kenya (a coffee trading company under the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe) and Inoi Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd. (Inoi FCS). The project seeks to transition 5,000 smallholder coffee farmers affiliated with Inoi FCS in Kirinyaga County, located in the Mt. Kenya region, to regenerative agricultural practices that enhance environmental stewardship, market access, and sustainable livelihoods.
The overarching goal of the project is to contribute to sustainable livelihoods, climate resilience, and inclusive economic growth for smallholder coffee farmers in Mount Kenya, with a specific focus on Kirinyaga County.
Project objectives
Promoting regenerative and climate-smart agricultural practices
The aim is to enhance the capacity of coffee farmers to adopt regenerative and climate-smart agricultural practices, women & youth inclusion in coffee farming, with the overarching goal of improving soil health and increasing resilience to climate change.
Strengthening Coffee Business
The focus is to enhance the capacity of coffee farmers, board of management, wet mill managers, and staff on post-harvest processing techniques, produce premium quality coffee, create market linkages and resilient supply chains, and improve the income and livelihoods of coffee farmers.
Livelihoods Diversification
The project aims to support coffee farmers, diversifying their income sources, set up profitable enterprises, enhance access to financial solutions, strengthen the capacity of selected Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), and support women and youth groups' access to financial solutions.
The baseline survey will provide critical data to inform implementation, track progress, and assess the project's long-term impact across its environmental, social, and economic objectives.
Consultancy Scope of Work
Purpose of the baseline study
Rainforest Alliance (RA) is seeking a qualified consultant or consultancy firm to conduct a baseline survey for the project.
The selected consultant or consulting firm will be responsible for designing a robust and context-appropriate methodology aligned with the objectives of the baseline survey and the indicators outlined in the project’s logframe. The proposed approach must ensure rigor, accuracy, and reliability in both data collection and analysis, and should be sensitive to the socio-economic and cultural context of the target communities.
The primary objective of the baseline survey is to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data to establish the initial status of the project’s outcome and impact indicators, as outlined in the project logframe. Means of Verification specified for each indicator in the project logframe will be respected and applied for the study. See specific objectives as below:
Establish baseline values for all indicators listed in the logframe (IM1–IM4, OM1–OM3, OP1–OP9), disaggregated by sex (women/men), age (youth/adult), cooperative, sub-location, and other relevant strata.
Document current practices and capacities related to regenerative/CSA coffee production, post-harvest handling, market engagement, enterprise diversification, and access to finance.
Determine starting levels for soil organic matter (SOM) (subset of farms/hectares), post-harvest losses, premium grade shares, cupping scores, and household net income.
Map institutional readiness of target cooperative for inclusion strategies; document initial status of feedback mechanisms with buyers (incl. Tchibo).
Provide actionable baseline report, datasets, and tools to facilitate future measurement and learning.
Identify barriers and enablers for the adoption of project interventions.
Provide recommendations for refining project implementation and M&E.
The findings will inform project implementation, provide a basis for future monitoring and evaluation, and serve as a reference point for assessing progress and impact over time.
The consultant will be expected to deliver a comprehensive final baseline report, presenting key findings, analysis, and actionable recommendations aligned with the project’s results framework. This report will guide the project team and partners in decision-making and adaptive management.
At the onset of the assignment, the consultant will prepare and submit an Inception Report, which will include:
A detailed updated work plan and timeline for the baseline survey activities
A clearly updated description of the methodological approach, including sampling strategy, data collection tools, and quality assurance measures
A breakdown of quantitative and qualitative techniques to be employed (e.g., household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, field observations)
A plan for data analysis, disaggregated by key variables such as gender, age, and farmer group status
Any proposed adjustments to this Request for Proposal, subject to approval by the project team
The updated methodology and work plan will be reviewed and validated by the project team prior to the commencement of fieldwork. All tools and processes must ensure ethical standards, informed consent, and data confidentiality.
Activities
The consultant or consulting firm will be expected to carry out the following key activities as part of the baseline survey assignment:
1. Conduct Primary Data Collection
Design and administer household surveys and other relevant tools targeting coffee farmers affiliated with Inoi Farmers’ Cooperative Society in Kirinyaga County.
Facilitate key informant interviews and focus group discussions with project stakeholders, including cooperative leadership, extension agents, local authorities, and implementing partners.
Ensure data is disaggregated by relevant variables such as gender, age, and farm size.
2. Conduct Secondary Data Review
Undertake a comprehensive review of relevant literature, project documents, government reports, and existing datasets to contextualize findings and complement primary data.
Identify trends and gaps in existing information related to coffee production, regenerative agriculture, soil health, and rural livelihoods.
3. Facilitate Stakeholder Validation Workshop
Organize and lead a validation workshop to present preliminary findings to the Rainforest Alliance, project partners, and key stakeholders.
Gather feedback to refine analysis and ensure alignment with stakeholder perspectives and expectations.
4. Deliver Key Project Outputs
Develop and submit the inception report, complete with methodology, tools, and a detailed work plan.
Provide clean and validated datasets with accompanying documentation.
Submit a draft baseline report for review, followed by a final comprehensive baseline report incorporating feedback.
Present final findings and recommendations to the project team and stakeholders.
Deliverables
Rainforest Alliance will provide the consultant with all relevant project documentation and background materials related to the Brewing the Future – Coffee to Stay project during the inception phase. In addition, RA will issue official letters of introduction to facilitate access to key stakeholders, project beneficiaries, and other respondents in the field.
To support data validation and stakeholder engagement, Rainforest Alliance will organize a one-day validation workshop in Kirinyaga County. RA will cover the associated costs for venue hire, participant travel, and refreshments.
Logistical Support
Rainforest Alliance will not be responsible for the consultant’s transportation, accommodation, or field-related logistics. These costs must be fully accounted for in the consultant’s financial proposal and managed independently. Rainforest Alliance will provide support in introducing consultants to identified stakeholders during interviews.
Supervision
The consultancy will be overseen by the Project Coordinator for the Brewing the Future – Coffee to Stay project. He will serve as the primary point of contact and provide overall coordination, technical guidance, and quality assurance throughout the consultancy period.
General Terms and Conditions for Request for Proposal
Applicants must provide all requisite information under this RFP and clearly and concisely respond to all points set out in this RFP. Any proposal which does not fully and comprehensively address this RFP may be rejected.
Proposals and/or any additional information received after the submission time and date are subject to rejection by RA.
Incomplete proposals may be rejected by RA at its discretion.
RA reserves the right to request additional information at any time during the procurement process.
RA is at liberty to make multiple or no selections as part of the proposal process. RA also reserves the right to cancel the procurement.
All proposal costs shall be borne by the applicant and will not be reimbursed by RA.
It is the responsibility of every bidder to identify any information of a confidential or proprietary nature contained in its proposal so that it may be handled accordingly. However, RA cannot guarantee confidentiality.
Selection Criteria and qualifications
The consultant or consultant firm should comply with the following minimum qualifications:
A master’s degree in Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability, Research and Learning (MEARL), statistics, environmental science, agriculture, or a related field.
Proven experience in MEARL, particularly conducting baseline and endline surveys, data analysis, impact assessments, and donor reporting in climate-smart agriculture, regenerative agriculture, and livelihood diversification
Experience in data analysis, including social and environmental data. The consultant must be able to identify data sources, assess data quality, and calculate metrics based on secondary and primary data.
Good understanding and knowledge of Kirinyaga County landscape, ability to speak the local language and fluency (written and oral) in English and Swahili.
Extensive experience of the team/individual in the implementation of similar projects with strong skills in M&E and proven record of accomplishment of developing and working with TOC (Theory of Change) in similar contexts.
Be committed to an objective and inclusive assessment, including willingness to engage separately with marginalised or vulnerable groups to the extent necessary to understand their perspectives properly.
Proven experience in delivering similar assignments, respecting budgets and deadlines.
Selection of the consultant will be based on the following criteria:
Proposal Process and Format
Interested consultants or consultant firms should submit their proposal including the following:
Statutory Requirements: Upon request, the consultant should supply all required legal documents as may be required by RA and/or local law, e.g. work permit, bank details, registration details, tax documents etc.
2. A cover letter or company profile
Technical proposal requirements: The consultant should provide proposals that contain:
Project team profile and their current CVs
Work plan and timeline for deliverables, technical proposal and methodology
List of previous engagements that address the above experience desired
Three references with contact details of similar assignments conducted in Kenya.
Financial proposal requirements: Submit a financial proposal including a detailed budget in Kenya Shillings (KES) and relevant taxes as applicable.
All proposals must be submitted through this platform by Friday, 12th September 2025, as an integrated PDF document (only one file). If you experience problems loading information on the platform, try opening it with different browsers. Proposals received after the deadline stated above will not be evaluated.
Finalists will be notified of their selection by 17th September 2025.
Contact person for questions: Daniel Mwangi - dmwangi@ra.org
Deadline for submission of proposals: 12th September 2025
Thank you for your interest in working with the Rainforest Alliance