Expression of Interest (EOI)

Establishing Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management Systems in Companies.

Reference Number: 83487008

Publication date: 15.04.2025

Introduction

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. The GIZ Office in Kigali covers GIZ’s portfolio in Rwanda and Burundi. GIZ Rwanda/Burundi implements projects on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Union and other commissioning authorities in the following priority areas: Sustainable Economic Development; Good Governance; Climate, Energy and Sustainable Urban Development; Digitalization and Digital Economy; and regional projects in the Great Lakes Region.

Contents

General information. 1

Skills Development for Economic Transformation (SD4T) 1

Context 2

Objective of this assignment: 3

Duration of the assignment: 3

Tasks to be completed by the consultant: 3

III.     Tender requirements. 5

Qualifications of proposed staff 5

1.1  Lead expert: 5

1.1.1  General qualifications. 5

1.1.2  Experience in the region/knowledge of the country. 5

1.1.3  Language skills: 5

1.2  Quantitative requirements. 5

Conceptual 6

Requirements on the format of the tender 6

I.General information

A federally owned enterprise, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit supports the German Federal Government in achieving its objectives in international cooperation for sustainable development. In Rwanda, GIZ has been operating for over 40 years. GIZ Rwanda is active in the areas of sustainable economic development and employment promotion, good governance and decentralization, information and communications technology and energy.

Skills Development for Economic Transformation (SD4T) 

Rwanda’s economic growth has been remarkable, annual growth rates averaged at eight per cent over the past two decades. Yet, unemployment and underemployment remain high. The majority of the population works in the agriculture sector, where incomes are low. Moreover, the number of young people entering the labour market is increasing. A large proportion of local companies are unregistered micro-enterprises which are not very competitive and cannot harness the long-term potential for growth. Most of them are only creating a handful of jobs at present. Domestic value creation, specifically in the light industrial sector is low and meets international standards only to a limited extent. At the same time, the professional skills of many job seekers do not match the requirements of the labour market.

With strategies like the National Strategy for Transformation (NST 2) and Made in Rwanda Policy, the Government of Rwanda is promoting skills development, the creation of off-farm jobs and domestic value creation. To contribute to the Rwandan Government’s strategy, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) commissioned GIZ to implement the programme “Skills Development for Economic Transformation (SD4T)” from 2023 to 2026, as part of the priority area “Sustainable Economic Development” of the Rwandan-German Development Cooperation. The programme is co-funded by the European Union (EU). The programme’s main political partners are the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) and the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC). As a specific focus, SD4T supports the Government of Rwanda in stepping up its efforts for local inclusion and graduation of refugees out of humanitarian aid, which is reflected in the Joint Strategy on Economic Inclusion of Refugees and Host Communities in Rwanda (2021-2024) by MINEMA and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The programme aims to create jobs and strengthen the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and cooperatives in the light manufacturing industry (e.g. furniture production, metal processing etc.) according to the principles of inclusivity, productivity and environmental sustainability. This will be achieved by following an integrated approach to employment promotion, consisting of 1) the promotion of technical and vocational education and training to enhance the quality of labour supply, 2) private sector development to raise labour demand, and 3) economic policy advice to improve the matching of labour supply and demand. A specific focus is placed on the economic empowerment of women, refugees and host communities.

Context 

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management Systems are integral to ensuring the safety of workers and compliance with national and international standards in an increasingly industrialized and climate sensitive competitive economy. Despite the Government of Rwanda’s efforts, particularly through the OSH National Policy (2014) and the National Strategy for Occupational Safety and Health (2019-2024), key gaps persist in the effective implementation of Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS) across industries. The National Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Profile (2019) by MIFOTRA points to a "very insufficient number of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) service providers" and limited involvement of the private sector in providing Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) services. This shortage of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) expertise is further compounded by the lack of sufficient training opportunities for labour inspectors and the absence of specialized OSH inspectors, despite policy recommendations to address these gaps. 

The RSSB Report (2024) highlights the insufficient training capacity for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) education, pointing to the limited involvement of private sector actors in building Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) expertise and a gap in training employees and establishing functional Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) committees within enterprises. In addition to this, the National Strategy for Occupational Safety and Health (2019-2024) also highlights the need to capacitate Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practitioners (institutions and specialists providing OSH education trainings) through educational trainings.  These challenges underline the need to develop a sustainable framework for improving Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) capacity at the enterprise level, through the establishment of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management Systems and the training of both company staff and external service providers.

To address these gaps, the Ministry of Labour and Public Service (MIFOTRA) in close collaboration with the GIZ-SD4T programme will be working with selected companies with the aim of establishing strong Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management Systems. The approach and work that will be implemented within these pilot companies as models of best practice in OSHMS implementation. The successes of this pilot phase will later be scaled up and implemented within different local companies and sectors as deemed necessary by the different stakeholders and MIFOTRA.

Objective of this assignment:

This assignment aims at establishing Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS) in fifteen (15) selected companies within five priority economic sectors i.e. the wood sector, tourism, manufacturing, construction and the mining sectors with the purpose of ensuring that they align with national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) regulations and best practices. This assignment will also aim at building the capacity of OSH committees within companies and external coaches/experts to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS) over time.  

To achieve this objective, the GIZ-SD4T programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Public Service (MIFOTRA) are hiring a consultant with expertise in the Occupational Safety and Health field to deliver among others; trainings for the representatives from OSH Committees and external coaches/experts to be selected by GIZ and MIFOTRA and establish Occupational Safety and Management Systems within the selected companies in close collaboration with the selected external coaches/experts.

Duration of the assignment:  

GIZ shall hire the contractor for the anticipated contract term, from 27.05.202 to 30.11.2025.

II.  Tasks to be completed by the consultant:

The contractor shall provide the following services:

Training of OSH Committees, Labour Inspectors, and External OSH Coaches

The consultant will organize and conduct a 2-day training session in Kigali aimed at building the capacity of OSH committees from selected companies, labour inspectors from secondary/satellite cities and Kigali, and external OSH service providers/coaches. This training will focus on equipping participants with the necessary skills to implement and evaluate Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS).

Note: The trained external service providers/coaches will be assigned to specific sectors and will work alongside the consultant to implement OSHMS in the selected companies. The contractor will provide continuous guidance and support to ensure that coaches are well-prepared to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

Implementation of OSHMS in Companies

The consultant will support the implementation of OSHMS in selected companies, working alongside the trained external coaches to ensure practical and sustainable adoption of safety practices. The intervention will focus on selected companies from five economic sectors i.e. Wood, tourism, manufacturing, construction and mining sectors. For the purposes of this assignment, focus will also be put on companies within Kigali, Huye and Musanze districts and below are some of the tasks that the consultant(s) and external coaches/experts will be expected to implement for the success of this assignment.

• Assess the current OSH practices in the selected companies and identify gaps in existing procedures.
• Conduct risk assessments for each company’s specific needs, ensuring alignment with their operations and industry standards as well as tailoring internal procedures based on guidelines in existing OSH national policies.
• Develop a comprehensive roadmap for the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS), outlining the steps and key milestones.
• Conduct training sessions for employees and management to ensure understanding of the OSHMS
• Implement the Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS) and integrate it into the company’s existing operations.
• Assess the effectiveness of the Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS) implementation.
• Monitor progress and provide feedback to companies and coaches on improvements needed.
• Document best practices and lessons learned throughout the implementation process.

In addition to the above-mentioned tasks, the milestones laid out in the table below, are to be achieved during the contract term:

Milestones/process steps/partial services	Deadline
Debriefing meeting with GIZ-SD4T and MIFOTRA Staff responsible for this assignment	29th May 2025
Inception report: with clear methodological framework and reflecting the understanding of the assignment	5 days after signing the contract
Training Report: Detailing the training sessions for OSH committees, labour inspectors, and external coaches.	7 days after the training has been completed
Together with the external coaches/experts, facilitate the 1st monitoring visit to the companies that will be conducted by selected labour inspectors and incorporate their recommendations within the planned works with the companies for the remaining implementation of the assignment	11th – 19th August 2025
Assessment of OSHMS Implementation: Evaluating the establishment and application of OSHMS in the selected companies.	24th October 2025
A final report of this assignment submitted to GIZ-SD4T and MIFOTRA	20th November 2025

 III. Tender requirements

Qualifications of proposed staff

The specified qualifications below represent the requirements to reach the maximum number of points in the technical assessment.1.1 Lead expert (Senior consultant):

1.1.1  General qualifications

Education: University degree (Master) in a field relevant to occupational safety and health, environmental health/sciences, social sciences, management or a related discipline.

Professional experience: 7 years of experience (with references) in implementing Occupational Safety and Health systems in companies (proven by certificates of good completion)

Three (3) comparable assignments working with different companies within Rwanda and or the region. Experience in organizational management and project coordination (proven by certificates of good completion).

1.1.2  Experience in the region/knowledge of the country

10 years of proven experience (with references) in Rwanda and or the region and knowledge of the Rwandan private sector ecosystem is an added advantage. 

1.1.3  Language skills:

Business fluency in English and Kinyarwanda is commended. Knowledge in French is an added advantage.

1.2  Quantitative requirements

Fee days	Number of experts	Number of days per expert	Comments
Lead expert (Senior consultant)	1	80
Travel expenses	Number of experts	Number of days/nights per experts	Comments
Lumpsum/Per-diem allowance in country of assignment	1	20	According to GIZ Rates: 25,000 Rwf per full day spent outside Kigali
Overnight allowance in country of assignment	1	19	According to GIZ Rates: 34,000 Rwf per night
Travel costs	1	9	For car rental when traveling outside Kigali   Up to 70,000 Rwf per route. Please note: An EBM invoice will be required for this budgetline to be settled
Other costs	Number of experts	Amount per experts	Comments
Communication and Internet costs	1	50,000 RWF	The consultant will be provided a lumpsum amount to cover communication and internet fees, enabling effective coordination of the activity with the selected external coaches and selected companies. This is essential to facilitate regular calls and virtual meetings throughout the implementation of the assignment, ensuring smooth communication, timely updates, and alignment with project objectives.
Flexible remuneration			A budget of RWF 2,583,500 is foreseen for flexible remuneration. Please take this budget into account in your price schedule. Use of the flexible remuneration item requires prior written approval from GIZ.

Calculate your financial bid exactly in line with the quantitative requirements of the specification of inputs above. There is no contractual right to use up the full days/travel or workshops or budgets. The number of days/travel/workshops and the budgets will be contractually agreed as maximum amounts. The regulations on pricing are contained in the price schedule.

IV.  Conceptual

The consultant should indicate how the services outlined in Chapter II (Tasks to be completed by the consultant) are to be provided. Reference should be made to the following criteria:

• 1 Strategy: The consultant is required to consider the tasks to be performed with reference to the objectives of the services put out to. Following this, the consultant presents and justifies the explicit strategy with which it intends to provide the services for which it is responsible.
• 2 Cooperation: The consultant is required to present the actors relevant for the services for which it is responsible and describe the cooperation with them
• 3 Processes: The consultant is required to describe the key processes for the services for which he/she is responsible and create an operational plan or schedule that describes how the services according to (Tasks to be performed by the contractor) are to be provided. In particular, the consultant is required to describe the necessary work steps
• 4 Project management of the contractor: The consultant must explain his/her approach to coordinating with the GIZ project and external coaches, ensuring alignment with (services to be provided by the consultant). This includes communication, progress monitoring, and integrating expertise while managing timelines and deliverables effectively

V. Requirements on the format of the tender

The technical proposal or concept detailing the consultant’s intended approach towards achieving the deliverables of this assignment. The technical proposal/ concept should not exceed five pages. If one of the maximum page lengths is exceeded, the content appearing after the cut-off point will not be included in the assessment. External content (e.g. links to websites) will also not be considered). In addition to this, a CV of the proposed consultant not exceeding four pages should be attached to the technical proposal/ concept.

A detailed financial proposal exactly in line with the quantitative requirements of the specification of inputs mentioned in above.

Submission of offer: The Expression of Interest should contain the following:

Technical Proposal:

• A cover letter expressing your interest in this assignment
• Technical Proposal (attached template for technical proposal MUST be used)
• Company registration certificate (RDB)
• VAT-Registration Certificate
• Latest tax clearance certificate
• Up to date CV of proposed expert 
• Self-declaration of eligibility

Financial Proposal: Financial offer indicates the all-inclusive total contract price, supported by a breakdown of all costs as described in the specification of inputs.

Your EoI has to be submitted in 2 separated emails to RW_Quotation@giz.de until 30/04/2025 

1.The technical offer has to be submitted in PDF format and as attachment to the email with the subject: Technical offer 83487008

2.The financial offer has to be submitted in PDF format and the price must be in Rwandan Francs and VAT excluded (if applicable) and as attachment to the email with the subject: Financial offer 83487008

If the emails exceed the default email size of 30MB, offers can be exceptionally submitted through https://filetransfer.giz.de/

Offers submitted through any other sharing platform, as google documents or similar will not be considered.

Offers submitted in hard copy will not be considered.

GIZ reserves all rights.

Annex:

• Technical Proposal template
• Technical assessment grid
• Self-declaration of eligibility