Request for Application /RFA/ of Local Service Providers (LSPs) to establish Agricultural One Stop Shop (AOSS) centers at woreda town level.

Program Description

RTI International (RTI) is implementing the market systems development component of the 5-year USAID-funded Ethiopia, Poverty Reduced Sustainably in an Environment of Resilient and Vibrant Economy (PReSERVE). PReSERVE is an integrated activity to improve food security of vulnerable households in targeted Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) communities in the Amhara Region and contribute to a sustained reduction in rural poverty. The market systems development component of PReSERVE should bring vital market access and growth to livelihoods deepening woredas HHs of South Gondar Zone (Lay Gayint, Tach Gayint, and Simada) and Wag Himra Zone of Sahila district.

Agriculture technology input access and services delivery plays key role in improving agricultural   production, productivity, income, and food security of small holder farmers. In the livelihood deepening four woredas / Lay Gayint, Tach Gayint,

Simada / in South Gondar Zone and Sahila Woreda in wag Himra Zone. PReSERVE project primarily conducted a value chain analysis study and identified four value chains commodities (Shoat, potato, haricot bean and fish). Haricot bean, Potato, Sheep, and goat (Shoat), and fish are the four value chains selected as a major source of livelihood for the target PSNP treatment group communities in livelihood deepening woredas. These value chains study results revealed that, agricultural production and productivity are low input and low output subsistence /traditional farming business. These is because of the following major constraints: limited access to improved agricultural input supply; poor extension service delivery; limited/no market linkage; poor credit access; diseases and pests.

To address some of these major constraints, PRSERVE project support and leverage local service providers/ (LSPs) to establish Agricultural One Stop Shop (AOSS) Centers at woredas town level. AOSS business model has been tested with high level of success and community buy-in and adopted as a replicable working model in major agricultural regions of Ethiopia. It is a legally tested and effective business model to serve smallholder farmers to access all kinds of inputs in one place /hub/, at a competitive price, in quality and in timely manner. Therefore, the expected AOSS center will provide access to improved agricultural inputs (Vet drugs, Agrochemical, farm tools, husbandry equipment, forage seeds, fertilizer etc.); services delivery (extension, demonstration, trainings, mechanization, and animal health); and information (market information and meteorology forecast) to target value chain participants HHs in all LD woredas.

 

Objective

The objective the RFA is to identify local service provider (LSPs) that establishes AOSS centers and create access to input supply, services delivery, and capacity enhancing of the target value chain participants.

 

 Intended Results/Expected Out Put/

The local service providers success will be measured in terms of the outputs listed below.

1. Established a competitive input marketing system through a new AOSS centers in the targeted LD woredas.

1.1 Construct new or renovate the existing building for AOSS centers based on AOSS guideline, and standard.

1.2 Hire at least 5 staff for the AOSS centers operation.

1.3 Procure and facilitate the specified furniture and equipment on AOSS center standard.

1.4 Facilitate the specified AOSS Centers marking and branding items.

1.5 Construct environmental safety mitigation septic tanks both hazardous and non-hazardous chemical disposal.

2. Created an enabling environment for the operation of AOSS centers.

1. Promote and aware the AOSS center activities to the participants HHs/users.
2. Conduct input demand assessments and stoke appropriate inputs into AOSS centers.
3. Create at least 5000 HHs per one AOSS links and facilitate good relation among the key stakeholders and AOSS Centers.

3. Improved the AOSS center owners and the staff technical skills, & business development activities.

3.1. Conduct trainings on business and management skills for shop owners/managers and technical skills for veterinary and agronomy experts.

3.2.  Experience sharing/ visits to previously established AOSS centers to learn the best practices.

4. Established the AOSS Centers internet services to digitalize the system and sustainable operation of the shop business.

4.1. Record all inputs and services with the computer system and promote the participants with the stoked items.

4.2. The experts advise the participants /clients by the updated skills and knowledge through googling from the internet.

4.3. Prepare training materials on the new technologies like demonstration, field days and inputs utilization guides for the training center services.

5. Enhanced value chain participants knowledge and skills on improved agricultural inputs utilization and Good Agricultural Practices/GAP/

5.1 Improve the skills of 502 farmers Learning Groups (FLG), specifically, 233 in Lay Gayint;124 in Tach Gayint; 84 in Simada and 61 FLGs in Sahila on improved input utilization adoption for all VCs.

5.2 Promote an improved technology inputs in four Value chains tailored to the woreda potential (as specified in # 5.1) for least 502 FLGs.

5.3 Provide trainings on market-oriented/commercial production system of respective VC commodities to 502 FLGs and their 7032 fellow farmers (3263 in Lay Gayint; 1737 in Tach Gayint; 1178 in Simada and 854 in Sahila).

5.4 Conduct five field days and 50 method demonstrations (15 in Lay Gayint; 15 in Tach Gayint; 10 in Simada and 10 In Sahila. Five demos per VC) on proper input utilization and best practices

6.  Access agricultural inputs and services to at least 7534 VC participant HHs per AOSS center specifically, 3,396 in Lay Gayint, 1,861 in Tach Gayint; 1,262 in Simada and 915 in Sahila.

Implementation Plan

A standard Implementation Plan should show how the anticipated results would be achieved. What activities, processes, or strategies are essential to achieve the results? Why will the planned work lead to the intended results? What is the anticipated timetable for the achievement of the results?

 

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

A standard Monitoring and Evaluation Plan should contain a set of indicators that would permit continuous measurement of progress toward targeted results. For each result, what is the performance indicator? What is the baseline data? What is the performance target? What is the timetablefor achieving results? Foreach performance indicator, what is the definition and what is the unit of measurement? What are the plans for reporting and using the performance information?

The framework and scope for monitoring, evaluation and assessment of stated results should demonstrate how implementation of activities will contribute to achieve intermediate outcomes of inclusive use of goat out grower model for men, women, and youth.

 

Financial

• Each application must contain a detailed line-item budget accompanied by a budget narrative explaining all costs. An acceptable budget will have all costsbroken out by unit costs and clearly. show the number of units used for each line item. The narrative will describe how the grantee arrived ateach unit cost and the number of units for each line item. See the grant application form for instructions on submitting a detailed budget and narrative to the grant.

Past Performance

All applicants are subject to a past performance reference check.Therefore, they must provide the name, address, and other contact information of atleast three (3) past performance references, as requiredby the grant application form. Similarly past experiences on agricultural input supply are advantageous.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI, or Unique Entity ID)

• All grantees that receive an award from RTI are required to have a UEI before receiving a grant award. See the Grant Application Form for instructions on requesting a UEI.

 

Evaluation and Award process 

• RTI International will provide award/grant to responsible applicants whose proposals conform to the RFA and will be most advantageous to RTI International, price and other factors considered

Activity Title:	Identify local service providers/LSPs/
Type of award:	Grant/Award from RTI international
Term of grant:	March 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026
This grant/Award supports:	To improve the value chain participant households’ access to and utilization of quality agricultural inputs, services, improved technologies, and improved agricultural practices by rolling out environmental sound AOSS Centers model
Term of Subgrant:	1 year
Award Range:	120,000 USD/30,000 USD per each center /
Submit Proposal to:	mseffefe@rti.org
Date of Issue of RFA and closing date	January 03, 2025, to February 2,2025
Date Questions from Applicants Due:	January 15, 2025
Date Proposal Due:	February 2, 2025
Approximate Date for Subgrant issued to successful Applicant (s):	March1, 2025
Request for Application Number	RTI-PReSERVE-G-RFA-2024-005