Consultancy to Develop Food Systems Monitoring & Evaluation Dashboard

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward.

Africa is rising, with signs of prosperity and progress in the lives of millions of individuals and entire economies. But for all of the signs of progress, Africa still needs to move from food shortage to surplus, drive beneficial continental trade, and create millions of jobs and opportunities, particularly for women and youth. This is even more important in the face of climate change and growing populations across the continent. Business and progress, as usual, is not enough for Africa’s aspirations. We must do more and do it more successfully.

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https://www.agra.org

CONSULTANCY TO DEVELOP FOOD SYSTEMS MONITORING & EVALUATION DASHBOARD

Disclaimer |AGRA reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of short-listed participants, the right to withdraw from the proposal process, the right to change this timetable at any time without notice and reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time, without prior notice and without liability to compensate and/or reimburse any party.

Section 1: Synopsis of the Request for Proposal

a) Solicitation Reference No.	RFP AGRA-RW-1086
b) Title of Consultancy	Consultancy to develop food systems monitoring & evaluation dashboard
c) Eligibility	Open to all eligible Firms.
d) Issuing Office & Address	AGRA Nairobi
e) Point of contact for clarifications and questions	AGRA, General Procurement Email: Procurement@agra.org
f) Location of the assignment	Rwanda
g) Bid Submission	Electronically via the AGRA Oracle SCM System. Refer to the Advertisement on our Website
h) Solicitation Issue Date	As per *Open Date* in AGRA’s Oracle SCM system
i) Deadline for submission of questions and clarifications	10th June,2025
j) Deadline for Answering questions and clarifications	12th June,2025
k) Deadline for Submission of Proposals	As per *Close Date* in AGRA’s Oracle SCM system
l) Type of Consultant	Consultancy Firm
m) Selection method	Quality and Cost Based Selection method.

Introduction

AGRA invites qualified consulting firms to submit proposals to bid for a Consultancy to develop a food systems monitoring & evaluation dashboard. This document outlines the requirements and guidelines for the submission of proposals.

Background

AGRA is a not-for-profit organization working with African governments, other donors, NGOs, the private sector, and farmers to improve the productivity and incomes of resource-poor smallholder farmers in Africa. AGRA aims to catalyze an inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa by increasing incomes and improving food security for millions of smallholder farmers in Africa. For more information about AGRA, please visit www.agra.org.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), together with its affiliated institutions including the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) and the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture Phase 5 (PSTA-5).

PSTA-5 includes a wide range of indicators covering agricultural productivity, food systems performance, nutrition, trade, resilience, and sustainability. Monitoring these indicators requires coordination across multiple institutions contributing to Rwanda’s food system, including government agencies, statistical bodies, research institutions, and development partners.

To strengthen monitoring and performance management, MINAGRI intends to develop an interactive digital dashboard and monitoring platform to consolidate, analyze, and visualize PSTA-5 indicators and broader food system performance.

In line with AGRA's strategic focus on leveraging digital systems for last-mile delivery and strengthening the agricultural digital ecosystem, this initiative will prioritize interoperability and integration. The goal is to ensure that the new dashboard does not function as a standalone, siloed tool, but rather as a harmonized component within the existing digital landscape, including AGRA's other platforms and Government of Rwanda systems.

This approach will maximize the utility of existing data sources, reduce duplication of effort, and enhance the sustainability of digital investment. The system will integrate data from multiple sources including existing databases, administrative systems, surveys, and structured manual reporting mechanisms where digital data sources are not available.

The Ministry also recognizes the importance of minimizing reporting burdens on data providers, particularly district-level staff and field implementers. Several information systems already exist in the agriculture sector, including the Agriculture Management Information System (AMIS). The consulting firm will therefore assess how existing systems can contribute data to the monitoring framework to avoid duplication of data entry and reduce the risk of system fatigue, where users are required to report similar information across multiple platforms.

The Government of Rwanda has also prioritized youth employment and entrepreneurship within the agri-food systems as a key driver of economic transformation and inclusive growth. PSTA-5 and related national strategies emphasize the importance of creating economic opportunities for young people across agricultural value chains, including production, aggregation, processing, service provision, and market access. Strengthening monitoring systems to capture youth participation and outcomes within the food system is therefore essential to inform evidence-based policy decisions and track progress on youth employment and inclusion within Rwanda’s agricultural transformation agenda.

Objectives

The objective of this assignment is to design and implement a robust, user-friendly, and secure Food Systems Monitoring and Evaluation Dashboard that supports consolidated monitoring and reporting of PSTA-5 indicators across institutions contributing to the food system. The platform will be strategically designed to enhance last-mile delivery by providing decision makers at all levels from national to district with timely, actionable data. A core principle of this development is to achieve seamless interoperability with existing AGRA digital platforms and government systems, ensuring that the dashboard acts as a unifying layer that leverages and strengthens the current digital ecosystem rather than creating new data silos. The platform should enable:

Centralized monitoring of indicators
Integration of multiple data sources
Automated data exchange where possible
Structured manual data entry where necessary
Real-time or periodic reporting
Advanced visualization and analytical capabilities

Monitoring of youth participation and employment within the food system, including youth engagement in agricultural value chains, youth-led agribusiness enterprises, and youth access to agricultural services and financing.

The development of the dashboard will follow a phased, data-driven approach. The consulting firm will first assess data availability, indicator definitions, institutional ownership, and reporting workflows before proceeding with system development. Dashboard development will therefore be guided by the validation of feasible data sources and reporting mechanisms to ensure that indicators can be measured reliably and updated consistently.

The final system architecture including the balance between automated integrations, file uploads, and manual reporting workflows will therefore be determined following the data ecosystem assessment conducted during the inception phase.

Scope of Work

The consulting firm will undertake the following activities.

4.1 Inception Phase

The consulting firm shall initiate the assignment by conducting an inception phase to refine the methodology and implementation approach.

Activities include:

Review of the PSTA-5 Results Framework and indicator documentation
Review of existing reporting templates and monitoring processes
Consultations with key stakeholders including: MINAGRI M&E Unit, MINAGRI Digital Office, RAB, NAEB, AGRA’s Digital Team and other relevant institutions contributing to food system indicators.

The consulting firm will produce an Inception Report including:

Refined methodology
Implementation approach
Stakeholder engagement plan
Work plan and timeline
Preliminary system design considerations

4.2 Food System Data Ecosystem Assessment

The consulting firm shall conduct a comprehensive mapping and diagnostic assessment of existing data sources relevant to PSTA-5 and food systems indicators. A critical component of this assessment will be to identify and map AGRA's existing digital platforms and data assets including other institutions in food systems ecosystem. The goal is to determine how these platforms can contribute data to, or be leveraged by, the new dashboard, ensuring that AGRA's investments are synergistic and that the resulting system is interoperable, avoiding the creation of duplicative or siloed tools.

The assessment shall identify and document data sources across institutions involved in the food system, including but not limited to:-

MINAGRI
Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB)
National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB)
National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR)
Ministry of Health (nutrition indicators)
Ministry of Trade and Industry
District-level administrative systems
National surveys and research institutions
Relevant programs and development partner initiatives
Youth-focused initiatives and programs supporting youth employment, entrepreneurship, and participation in agri- food systems.

The assessment will identify:

Responsible institutions for each indicator
Data ownership and custodianship
Data formats (Excel, databases, APIs, reports)
Reporting frequency
Accessibility of datasets
Data quality and completeness
Existing digital systems producing relevant data
Bottlenecks in current reporting mechanisms
Reasons why existing reporting approaches are not functioning optimally • Availability of age-disaggregated datasets, particularly those capturing youth participation in agricultural production, agribusiness development, and food system employment.

The consulting firm shall also review each indicator in the PSTA-5 results framework to assess its measurability, including:

Availability of reliable data sources
Feasibility of collecting the indicator at defined intervals
Clarity of indicator definitions and methodologies
Identification of responsible reporting institutions

Special attention shall be given to assessing how data generated through the Agriculture Management Information System (AMIS), AGRA's platforms, and other sector systems can support monitoring of PSTA-5 indicators.

The consulting firm shall also assess the reporting burden placed on data providers, particularly district and field-level staff, to avoid creating duplicate reporting requirements across multiple systems.

The output of this phase will be a Data Source Mapping and Diagnostic Assessment Report

4.3 Stakeholder Needs Assessment and Functional Requirements

The consulting firm shall conduct structured consultations and workshops with stakeholders to capture system requirements beyond the existing reporting templates.

Stakeholders will include:

MINAGRI Directorate of Directorate of Planning
MINAGRI Food Systems and Delivery Unit
RAB M&E Unit
NAEB M&E Unit
MINAGRI Digital Office
Youth organizations and youth-led agribusiness networks
AGRA-supported digital platforms and programs
Programs supporting youth employment and entrepreneurship in agriculture • Other institutions contributing to food system indicators

The consultations should identify:

Reporting workflows
Validation processes
Approval of hierarchies
Analytical needs for decision-making
Desired visualizations and reporting outputs
Institutional responsibilities for indicator reporting
Specific needs for last-mile data access and use at district and field levels

Based on these consultations, the consulting firm shall develop a Functional Requirements Specification.

4.4 System Architecture and Data Integration Design

Based on data ecosystem assessment and stakeholder consultations, the consulting firm shall design the architecture of the monitoring platform. Dashboard development shall be informed by the outcomes of the data ecosystem assessment and the validation of feasible data pipelines for priority indicators. The architecture must be designed to prioritize interoperability. It shall clearly define how the new dashboard will connect with, pull data from, or push data to existing government platforms and AGRA's digital tools. The goal is to create a unified ecosystem where data flows seamlessly between systems, eliminating silos and enabling a holistic view of food system performance.

The architecture shall define:

i. Mechanisms for integrating data from multiple sources including:

APIs
Database connections
Excel/CSV uploads
Manual data entry interfaces where required

ii. Workflow for data submission, validation, and approval

iii. Database architecture and storage structures

iv. System interoperability with government platforms

v. Dashboard visualization layers

vi. Security and access control mechanisms

The architecture should prioritize the use of existing Government of Rwanda digital platforms. In principle:

Joget should be used as the primary platform for manual data entry, reporting workflows, and approval processes where automated data sources are not available.
GBIS should be used as the primary platform for dashboard visualization and analytics where feasible.

However, the final architecture may be refined based on the findings of the data ecosystem assessment and must be validated with MINAGRI prior to system development. The final architecture must be validated with MINAGRI and AGRA to ensure it aligns with the strategic objective of creating an interoperable digital ecosystem that avoids duplication and enhances last-mile delivery.

4.5 Data Engineering

The consulting firm shall design and implement the data infrastructure required for the monitoring platform.

Activities include:

Cleaning and structuring indicator datasets
Designing and implementing a scalable database
Developing data pipelines for importing data from multiple sources • Developing and documenting APIs or data exchange mechanisms to ensure seamless interoperability with other systems.
Implementing validation rules for indicator reporting
Documenting indicator calculation methodologies

The consulting firm shall produce a Data Dictionary including:

Indicator definitions
Formulas and calculation methodologies
Data sources
Reporting frequency
Responsible institutions
Indicator disaggregation requirements including age (youth) and gender

4.6 Dashboard Development

The consulting firm shall develop an interactive dashboard for monitoring PSTA-5 indicators.

The dashboard should include at minimum the following modules. The dashboard will be designed to serve as a strategic tool for enhancing last-mile delivery, with features that allow district-level and field-level users to access and utilize data for local decision-making.

Functional Modules

Results Framework Overview
Indicator Tracking (baseline, targets, progress)
Geographic Visualization including district-level mapping
Agency Performance Monitoring
Traffic-Light Performance Status Indicators
Historical Trend Analysis
Data Quality Monitoring and Validation Screens
Exportable Reporting Outputs (PDF, PowerPoint, Excel)
Youth Participation in Food Systems

The system should allow users to access indicator metadata including: • Indicator definition

Calculation methodology
Data source
Responsible institution
Update frequency

4.7 UI/UX Design

The consulting firm shall design a user-friendly and intuitive interface.

Activities include:

Development of wireframes and prototypes
User-centric interface design
Usability testing with stakeholders
Conducting usability testing with a diverse group of users, including district-level staff and field officers, to ensure the design is practical for last-mile use.
Refinement based on feedback
Ensuring responsive design and accessibility
Ensuring dashboards and reporting features allow users to easily visualize youth-related indicators and youth participation trends across the food system.

4.8 Interoperability with Government Platforms

Beyond compliance, the system will be designed for active interoperability. The consulting firm shall develop and implement the necessary APIs and data exchange protocols to enable the new dashboard to function as an integrated component within the broader digital ecosystem, which includes both Government of Rwanda platforms and AGRA's existing digital assets. This will be a key success factor for the assignment.

Where applicable, the system shall ensure interoperability with existing government platforms including:-

Joget workflow platform
GBIS
Other MINAGRI ICT infrastructure

Integration should be implemented through secure APIs or structured data exchange mechanisms.

4.9 Data Governance and Reporting Workflow

The consulting firm shall develop a data governance framework for the system. The framework shall define:

Roles and responsibilities for indicator reporting
Data submission procedures
Protocols for data sharing and interoperability between systems, including clear guidelines on data ownership and access rights across the ecosystem.
Validation and approval processes
Update frequency
Data quality assurance mechanisms
Procedures for resolving discrepancies in reported data

4.10 Testing and Validation

The consulting firm shall conduct system testing to ensure reliability and performance. Testing will include:

Functional testing
Performance testing
Interoperability testing to confirm seamless data exchange with designated government and AGRA platforms.
Security testing
User acceptance testing with representatives from MINAGRI, RAB, and NAEB

4.11 Deployment and Capacity Building

The consulting firm shall deploy the system within MINAGRI’s ICT infrastructure. Activities include:

Deployment on government servers or secure cloud infrastructure
System configuration and setup
Building the capacity of MINAGRI teams to manage and maintain the system's interoperability features, ensuring that the digital ecosystem remains connected and functional beyond the life of the project.
Training of staff from MINAGRI, RAB, NAEB, and other reporting institutions Training shall cover:
Dashboard usage
Data entry and validation procedures
System administration
Troubleshooting
Managing and utilizing the interoperability APIs and data exchange mechanisms Training materials shall include:
User manuals
Administrator manuals
Technical documentation for interoperability (API specifications, data schemas, etc.)
Training videos

4.12 Maintenance and Handover

The consulting firm shall provide technical support for 6 -12 months after deployment. At the completion of the assignment, the firm shall hand over:

Source code
Database structure
System architecture documentation
Full documentation of all interoperability components, including API endpoints, authentication methods, and data flow diagrams.
System credentials
All documentation and training materials

5. Deliverables

Inception Report
Data Source Mapping and Diagnostic Assessment Report
Functional Requirements Specification
System Architecture Design Document
Data Dictionary and Database Schema
Dashboard Prototype (Wireframes)
Beta Version of the Dashboard
User Acceptance Testing Report
Final Deployed Dashboard
Training Materials and Training Sessions
System Documentation and Handover Package
Maintenance and Closure Report

6. Location and nature of the assignment

The assignment will be carried out in Rwanda.

7. Duration

The assignment is expected to take approximately six (6) months, reflecting the need to conduct a comprehensive data ecosystem assessment, stakeholder consultations, system architecture design, dashboard development, testing, and capacity building.

8. Institutional Arrangement and Reporting

The consulting firm will report to the AGRA and MINAGRI Planning Department with technical oversight from:

MINAGRI Digital Office
MINAGRI Food System and Delivery Unit
RAB focal points
NAEB focal points

9. Copyright

All materials/documents arising out of this consultancy work shall remain the property of AGRA.

10. Qualifications and Experience

a) Firm Experience

The RFP emphasizes interoperability, data ecosystem assessment, and government system integration. The firm must demonstrate:

Area	Required Experience
Dashboard and M&E Systems	At least 3 similar projects in the last 5 years developing agricultural or food systems M&E dashboards for government or development partners
System Interoperability	Proven work integrating with existing government platforms (e.g., Joget, GBIS, AMIS, or similar workflow/BI tools) via APIs, structured data exchange, or middleware
Data Ecosystem Assessment	Experience conducting data source mapping, indicator measurability assessments, and reporting workflow diagnostics
Last-Mile Usability	Demonstrated experience designing dashboards for district-level and field-level users (not just national-level reporting)

Area	Required Experience
Youth and Gender Disaggregation	Past work incorporating age-disaggregated (youth) and gender indicators into monitoring systems
African / Rwandan Context	Prior projects with MINAGRI, RAB, NAEB, NISR, or similar African agricultural ministries

Provide a client portfolio with at least 2–3 relevant contracts, including references and outcomes.

b) Lead Data Engineer / System Architect (Team Lead)

Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems or related field • Minimum 8 years of professional experience in data engineering or system architecture
Expertise in API-led integration, ETL pipelines, SQL, database design
Proven experience designing and implementing interoperable systems, with a strong focus on API-led integration and connecting diverse digital platforms.
Experience designing multi-source data integration architectures
Strong expertise in SQL, ETL pipelines, and database design
Experience developing large data platforms or monitoring systems

c) Dashboard Developer / Data Visualization Specialist

Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field
Minimum 5 years of experience in dashboard development
Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or similar BI tools
Strong skills in data modelling and visualization

d) UI/UX Designer

Degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction or related field
Minimum 5 years of experience in digital interface design, wireframes, prototyping, usability testing
Demonstrated experience in designing user interfaces for field-level and district level users, with a focus on simplicity and practicality for last-mile contexts. • Experience developing wireframes, prototypes, and conducting usability testing

e) Data Integration / Software Developer (Optional)

Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering

Minimum 5 years of experience in system integration or software development • Experience with APIs and backend systems
Experience with Joget or similar workflow platforms is an asset.

11. Evaluation Criteria

a) Mandatory Requirements if firms are targeted:-

i) Company profile.

ii) Trading license or Certificate of incorporation or Certificate of Registration iii) Valid Tax Compliance certificate (Applicable to firms originating from Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania, and Mozambique).

iv) CVs of Key personnel.

b) Technical Evaluation Criteria Summary

Interested firms shall be evaluated against the following technical evaluation criteria: -

a. Organizational Experience in Similar Services (30%)

i) Company profile, background, size, mission, and history.

ii) Company accreditations, certifications, industry standards, or formal recognitions relevant to the services.

iii) Company experience and client portfolio relevant to the assignment (as per the requirements indicated in section 10 above)

b. Proposed Methodology, Work Plan, and Approach Criteria (30%)

i) Demonstrated Understanding of the ToR

ii) Proposed Methodology/Concept and Approach

iii) Proposed workplan

c. Key Personnel Criteria (40%)

i) Proposed team for the assignment

ii) Team leader Relevant Qualifications and experience

iii) Key Personnel Qualifications and Competence for the Assignment

NB: Only Firms with the best technical proposal equal or above 75% shall be considered for financial negotiations.

Weightage: Technical – 80%; Financial – 20%

12. Proposal Submission Requirements for firms

To be considered for this consultancy, consultants must include the following in their proposal:

Technical Proposal

Technical Proposal submission letter
Approach and methodology to deliver on the scope of work
CVs of key personnel
Staffing schedule
Proposed work plan
Past performance on similar projects

Financial Proposal

Financial submission letter
Detailed cost breakdown (including fees, taxes, etc.)1
Payment schedule based on deliverables or milestones

13. Payments

a. Invoices

The successful firm shall submit invoices to AGRA as per guidance provided in the contract. Payments are made upon AGRA’s approval of deliverables, which must incorporate AGRA's comments.

b. Reimbursable costs

Reimbursable expenses must be incurred and invoiced with valid receipts. They will be paid upon submission of all support documentation (Receipts).

14. Proposal Submission Instructions

Proposals shall be submitted electronically through our oracle system by the deadline indicated in the system.

Bidders shall use the bid submission forms that have been provided under Annex 1 & 2.
The proposals SHALL be submitted via oracle system by the deadline indicated on the oracle system.
The Proposals shall be prepared in English.
Late submissions will not be accepted, as the system is configured to automatically reject proposals after the deadline. To avoid any issues, especially for new users, bidders are strongly encouraged to submit proposals at least one day before the deadline.
AGRA assures bidders that we can’t access proposals before the deadline provided by the system.
VALIDITY of the proposal shall be for a period of 90 days from the date of bid closure.
The detailed financial proposal shall be uploaded under the lines section in oracle.
The financial proposal shall include all taxes. If the financial proposal is silent on taxes, AGRA shall assume that these are inclusive.
Prices must be quoted in USD. Contracting will be in USD and bidders are encouraged to have a USD bank account.
Please note that the oracle system will seal the financial proposals until the technical evaluation is completed.
All communications regarding the RFP should be directed to procurement@agra.org.