CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES - UNITED STATES CATHOLIC CONFERENCE OF BISHOPS

TENDER FOR HIRING A CONSULTANT/FIRM TO REVISE THE NATIONAL EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
(ECD) POLICY FOR RWANDA

TENDER NOTICE FOR HIRING A CONSULTANT/FIRM TO REVISE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) POLICY FOR RWANDA CRS-Rwanda 006- FY26-TN/2026

1. Background and Context

Early childhood development (ECD) in the first few years of life lays the foundation for a child’s future health, education, labor market productivity, and well-being. According to recent estimates, 250 million (or 43%) of children under five in low- and middle-income countries risk not reaching their development potential because of extreme poverty, malnutrition, and violence. The benefits of investing in ECD are high, for every 1 RWF invested in early childhood is estimated to return 56 RWF to the economy in the form of socio-economic benefits, with potential benefits including better health, improved cognitive development and schooling outcomes, and, eventually, increased wages and productivity; and the potential to stop the inter-generational transmission of poverty and malnutrition. 

The Government of Rwanda has made significant progress in advancing Early Childhood Development (ECD) over the past decade, guided by the 2016 National ECD Policy. Since then, major institutional, demographic, and sectoral changes have taken place, including:

• The establishment and operationalization of the National Child Development Agency (NCDA) as the lead institution for ECD coordination.
• Expansion of ECD service delivery models such as ECD facilities, home visiting programs, and integrated MIYCN–ECD platforms across districts.
• Growing national emphasis on ECD facilities accessibility and quality assurance, nutrition, stunting reduction, child protection, positive parenting, disability inclusion, digital transformation, and strengthened community systems.
• Updates in global frameworks, such as the Nurturing Care Framework (2018), WHO/UNICEF guidance for digital ECD, disability inclusive standards, and improved approaches to early learning and parenting.
• The need for a unified multi-sectoral system linking education/brain stimulation, health, nutrition, WASH, child and social protection, positive parenting, and community development.

In light of these shifts, a new National ECD Policy will provide a coherent, forward-looking, evidence-based foundation for Rwanda’s ECD agenda for the next decade. This ToR outlines the scope and requirements for an experienced consultant (National) to revise National Early Childhood Development Policy for Rwanda. Additionally, the revised ECD Policy will explore emerging opportunities in the IECD sectors and beyond and propose required strategies to improve the IECD services at all levels. To this end, with support from CRS, the NCDA is hiring an individual or a team of consultants to revise the ECD policy aligned to the national strategy for transformation 2 (NST2) and other government goals.

Below are key preliminary works that will be considered in the process of the ECD Policy revision: 

• Desk review of existing national policies, strategies, NST2, vision 2050, surveys, and assessments
• A Mid-Term Review of the NCDA strategic Plan conducted in 2022;
• The final evaluation of the NCDA Operational Plan 2018-2024 finalized in December 2025;
• Expected to build upon the findings from the MTR and explore effective implementation of MTR recommendations;
• Ahead of the revision ECD Policy, thematic, consultative retreats took place in early 2026 that led to the definition of the priorities for the revised policy.
• MIGEPROF and NCDA will do their best to gather and share required and available documents and data with the evaluators during the inception phase.

2. Purpose of the Consultancy 

The purpose of this consultancy is to lead the design, drafting, validation, and finalization of a revised National Early Childhood Development (ECD) Policy that:

1. Responds to emerging national priorities and systems reforms.
2. Aligns with the mandates of NCDA, the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion and the Ministry of Education
3. Provides a comprehensive, multi-sectoral framework for the development of children from conception to 6 years, with linkages to early primary years.
4. Establishes clear governance, financing, coordination, and accountability mechanisms at national and decentralized levels.
5. Integrates digital, inclusive, and evidence-driven approaches to ECD service delivery.

3. Objectives of the Assignment

3.1 Primary Objective

To design and produce a modernized, coherent, and actionable National ECD Policy aligned with Rwanda’s vision for a human-capital-driven, knowledge-based economy.

3.2 Specific Objectives

1. Conduct a situational analysis of Rwanda’s ECD landscape, including assessment of services, systems, financing, workforce, digital readiness, inclusion, and multisector coordination.
2. Review the 2016 ECD Policy and identify gaps in relation to current national priorities and global evidence.
3. Review lessons from the previous policy by integrating findings from the NCDA strategic plan’s Mid-Term Review (MTR) and the evaluation of the Operational Plan 2018-2024.
4. Lead a high-quality participatory consultation process with all key stakeholders.
5. Draft a full National ECD Policy, including vision, mission, guiding principles, policy pillars, service models, governance arrangements, and implementation approach.
6. Propose a policy-level monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework.
7. Ensure alignment with national and global strategies (e.g., SDGs, NST2, National Family and Nutrition Policy, Education Sector Plan, health and Social Protection policies, Integrated Child Rights policy).
8. Draft and validate the strategic plan through stakeholder consultations, validation workshops, and iterative reviews.
9. Finalize and secure approval of the strategic plan by ensuring endorsement from NCDA leadership and relevant authorities

4. Scope of Work

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

4.1 Desk Review

• Review of existing national policies, strategies, assessments, and legal frameworks related to ECD, maternal and child health, nutrition, early learning, WASH, child protection, disability inclusion, positive parenting and social protection.
• Review of district planning tools, Imihigo indicators, and MIGEPROF/ NCDA operational documents.
• Review of global and regional frameworks (Nurturing Care Framework, SDGs, CRC, CEDAW, AU Agenda 2063, WHO & UNICEF ECD guidelines).

4.2 Situational Analysis

• Mapping of current ECD service delivery models, workforce, infrastructure, financing flows, digital systems, and coordination mechanisms.
• Identification of key achievements, challenges, gaps, and opportunities.
• Documentation of best practices and innovations (e.g., Nurturing Care Hubs, digital ECD pilots, clustering model, etc)

4.3 Stakeholder Consultations

Facilitate structured consultations with:

• MIGEPROF, NCDA, MINEDUC, MINISANTE, MINALOC, MINICOFIN, MINAGRI, MININFRA, MINICT, MINIJUST, other their affiliated institutions, 
• Local government authorities (Province, District, Sector)
• Development partners and UN agencies
• Civil society and academia
• Faith-based organizations
• Private sector and ECD service providers
• Children representatives, Parents and caregivers

4.4 Drafting of the New ECD Policy

The policy should include:

1. Vision, mission, and guiding principles
2. Policy goal and specific objectives
3. Policy pillars aligned with Nurturing Care Framework
4. Integrated ECD service delivery models
5. Governance, coordination, and accountability frameworks
6. Workforce development and standards for service quality
7. Digital transformation agenda for integrated ECD services 
8. Equity, gender, and disability inclusion strategy
9. Financing approach and resource mobilization mechanisms
10. Results-based monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework 
11. Risk mitigation and sustainability measures

4.5 Validation and Finalization

• Present the draft to the technical working group (TWG) and senior leadership for review.
• Facilitate validation workshops at national and decentralized levels.
• Incorporate feedback and produce a final version.

5. Expected Deliverables

1. Inception Report with methodology, workplan, and consultation framework.
2. Comprehensive Situational Analysis Report (including evidence synthesis).
3. Draft National ECD Policy (Version 1).
4. Revised Draft (Version 2) incorporating stakeholder inputs.
5. Final National ECD Policy, professionally formatted 
6. Policy Brief (2–4 pages) summarizing key elements for decision-makers.
7. Presentation slides for Ministerial and stakeholder briefings.

6. Duration of the Assignment

The consultancy is expected to take up to 45 days, subject to consultation scheduling and ministerial timelines. A proposed timeline with specific milestones and the detailed work plan will be presented in the inception report for review and approval by NCDA and MIGEPROF.

7. Required Qualifications of the Consultant (National)

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Public Policy, Early Childhood Development, Public Health, Education, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in national policy development, systems design, or strategic planning for government agencies, UN bodies, or major NGOs
• Demonstrated expertise in ECD, child development, multisector coordination, or human capital development.
• Proven experience working with government ministries and development partners.
• Strong analytical, facilitation, writing, and communication skills.
• Rwanda-based stakeholders and Kinyarwanda language capacity are an added advantage.

8. Reporting and Coordination

The consultant will:

• Report directly to NCDA/MIGEPROF with day-to-day coordination through the DGs/Head of Departments.
• NCDA will facilitate access to documents, stakeholders, and required data, and will be in charge of approving the different deliverables and reports.
• Coordinate with CRS (as technical partner) at all stages
• ECD Technical Working Group will review draft outputs and provide guidance

9. Payment Schedule

A standard deliverables-based payment schedule may be applied:

• 20% upon approval of inception report
• 20% upon submission of situational analysis
• 20% upon submission of draft policy
• 40% upon acceptance of final policy by NCDA/MIGEPROF

10. Application Requirements

Interested consultants or firms must submit:

1. Technical Proposal – outlining approach, methodology, understanding of the assignment, and detailed work plan.
2. Financial Proposal – detailing consultancy fees and estimated expenses.
3. CV and Relevant Experience – highlighting past strategy development assignments.
4. At least two examples of similar work are complete
5. Contact information for two professional references, with the following details about the references: (a) name, (b) position, (c) company, (d) phone number, (e) email address

10.1 Submission Details

Interested and qualified consultants are invited to submit their proposals electronically to the Catholic Relief Services as outlined below.

10.2 Submission Email & Subject Line

Proposals should be sent via email to: Email: rwandabids@crs.org with Subject Line:“Consultant to revise the National Early Childhood Development (ECD) Policy for Rwanda” All applications must be submitted no later than March 3, 2026, at 5:00 PM local time.

Late submissions will not be considered.

11. Evaluation Criteria 

11.1. Technical Evaluation

N.B: The minimum technical score for the consultant to pass the technical stage is 70%.

• Tw = % Weight of technical score (70%)
• Fw = % Weight of financial score (30%)
• The financial score for each consultant will be calculated using the following formula: the financial weight is 30%.
• Financial score (FS) = (LF x 100)/ Fi
• LF = The lowest financial proposal.
• Fi = The proposal to be evaluated.

11.2. Financial evaluation

The winning consultant will be determined by combining the technical score and financial score as per the following formula:

• Final score (S): (TS x Tw%) + (FSxFw%) where:
• S= Final score
• TS = Technical score
• FS = Financial score
• Tw = % Weight of technical score (70%)
• Fw = % Weight of financial score (30%)

All bidders are advised that this tender does not constitute in any way commitment on the part of CRS or its agents, for any service requested.

Done at Kigali on February 17, 2026

Batanage Charlotte

Acting Country Manager, CRS Rwanda