Tender Description

Title: Creating a network of standard fish retail outlets (Kiosks) for improved food safety in Kismayo.

 Issuance Date : 2nd October,2024

Questions : By October 7th , 2024, 11:59 p.m. EAT

Virtual pre-application conference date : October 8th  , 2024, 9:00 a.m. to 10:30a.m

Closing Date /Time for submission of the Applications : By October 16th, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EAT

NOFO Opportunity Number : IRiS-NOFO-004-2024

Estimated Grant Period of Performance (PoP) : One-Year 

The Inclusive Resilience in Somalia (IRiS) program funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) seeks to accelerate economic development for marginalized groups in the target areas of Somalia by increasing individual, household, business, and community, and system-wide resilience through rural and urban livelihood diversification and promoting inclusive economic market systems to combat real perceived grievances that contribute to violent extremism and conflict.  

The project will pursue two main objectives:                            

1)       Strengthen and diversity in rural and urban livelihoods for marginalized groups; and   

2)      Promote economic agency of marginalized groups.   

 Implemented by a consortium partners Mercy Corps (MC), Save the Children (SC), Somali Agriculture Technical Group (SATG), and Itad and led by DT Global, an international development contractor, IRiS is seeking applications from cooperatives involved in fish retail businesses that are legally registered in Jubaland for grant applications to support IRiS’s activity of creating a network of standard fish retail outlets (kiosks) for improved food safety in Kismayo. The purpose of this NOFO is to solicit applications from cooperatives interested in improving their fish retail practices through a new business model through opening standard fish retail outlet Kiosk. The new model is to establish a network of standard hygienic fish retail outlets across Kismayo, ensuring better quality fish products and fostering increased domestic consumption among the local population. The estimated budget to set up one shop: is $5,000, and the total estimated grant for all grantees for this NOFO is up to $50,000 for 10 shops *$5,000 = $50,000. Cooperatives can apply to open for more than one branch.  

Grant Contextual Background:

Somalia’s vast coastline presents a wealth of marine resources like tuna, albacore, lobster, swordfish, shark, and countless other species. This abundance translates to significant job creation opportunities for Somalia's unemployed youth and women, including marginalized groups in Urban areas, if the underlying cause of the fish market system malfunction is addressed. There is a long way to go to address challenges hindering fish export, increasing location consumption and benefiting 45% of the Somali population residing in Urban areas of Somalia.

The consumption of domestically caught fish is on the rise in Somalia, yet Somali per capita fish consumption remains the lowest in Africa. In 2014, per capita fish consumption in Somalia was recorded at 3.3 kilograms, compared to the African average of 8.9 Kilograms , as reported by the FAO. This disparity can be attributed to societal, cultural, economic, and market infrastructure and preferences.

One of the major hurdles hindering the development of both domestic and export fish markets is the inadequate market infrastructure. Approximately 40% of harvested fish is lost due to substandard transportation, insufficient cooling facilities, ineffective management practices, and poor-quality control. Retailers in the fish trade typically procure their fish from the seashore and transport it using three-wheel drives or donkey carts to fileting and retail sites. However, due to high temperatures and the absence of proper cooling facilities and standardized retail outlets, the quality of fish deteriorates over time. Consequently, this leads to significant price fluctuations in the fish market, with prices dropping by half in the afternoon compared to morning prices. Such fluctuations discourage retailers from continuing in the business, as they diminish their returns on fish retail. Moreover, the unhygienic conditions prevalent in retail spaces and during fish fileting further dissuade local inhabitants from consuming fish.

To tackle the challenges posed by unhygienic retail outlets and poor fish fileting practices in Mogadishu and Kismayo, IRiS aims to collaborate with cooperatives  and private companies engaged in fish retail within the city to help contribute to improved retail practices through the new business model. The vision is to establish a network of standard hygienic fish retail outlets across Mogadishu and Kismayo, ensuring better quality fish products and fostering increased consumption among the local population.

Program Description:

This activity targets cooperatives whose members are engaged in fishing, fish processing, aggregation, retail of fresh or cooked fish. Cooperatives (including FAO cooperatives in Kismayo) interested in engaging in fish retail or expanding their branches to different districts of Kismayo are eligible to apply. The cooperatives are allowed to develop their branding, but all the branches of one cooperative should be the same in branding to keep uniformity between the branches of the same cooperative. The space of the sales outlet should also match the minimum standard set by the Kismayo city administration.

The activity intends to support the project in establishing standard hygienic fish retail outlets through cooperatives to improve domestic fish consumption through improving hygiene, accessibility, affordability, and post-harvest loss. This grant aims to support the establishment of a standard last-mile fresh and fried fish sales outlets where domestic consumers can access fresh and fried fish throughout the day and year—addressing the challenge of lack of cold chain, hygiene, accessibility, price volatility, and seasonality. In doing so, IRiS will subsidize the establishment of 10 standard fish retail outlets, promotional activities, quality certification, and youth training engaged in fish filleting, cooking, and marketing. are expected to serve an average of 200 customers daily and create 20 permanent and 60 temporary employment opportunities across all kiosks/ grantees.

Grant Activity Objective:

The grant is to enhance domestic fish consumption, minimize post-harvest losses, generate employment opportunities, and boost the income of women and youth involved in fish retail by establishing standardized fish outlets in Mogadishu.

The proposed intervention contributes to IRiS program results one and two. PR1 Expand climate resilient agriculture system and Facilitate integration of IDPS and migrants into the urban economy.

Grant activity output and outcome 

•        10 standard retail outlets established and operationalized by selected cooperative. 
• Up to 5 cooperatives will be onboarded to set up standard retail kiosks.
•        At least 20 new FTE jobs (sales agents, cleaners) and 60 temporary jobs (painters, transport service providers, daily laborers, marketers, etc)
•        A total of USD 50,000 private sector investment leveraged.
•        At least 10 marketing events/campaigns undertaken.
•        Improved domestic consumption.
•        50% reduction in post-harvest loss
•         Improved hygiene and sanitation practices
•       Improved sales and income for the targeted retail outlets.

Eligible cooperatives

• Only cooperatives  based in Jubaland engaged in fishing, fish aggregation and trade, fish transportation, and fresh and fried fish retail are eligible to apply.  Eligible applicants shall be able to comply with and achieve the proposed outputs, outcomes, and results and have a satisfactory performance record and record of integrity and business ethics. These applicants must have the ability to operate a in Somalia.
• Applicants must have registration issued by the Jubaland State authority - (attach a copy of the Applicant’s valid registration. Cooperatives without valid registration will be disqualified at the initial review stage and will not have their proposal evaluated.
• Applicants must demonstrate that the organization has the human resources and capacity to manage and implement the proposed project.
• Co-investment of 40% of the cost of setting up and working capital for running the fish retail outlet.
• Must have been operationalfor at least six months.
• Must be willing to work in Kismayo.
• Not be identified in the System for Award Management (SAM) as ineligible to receive U.S. government funds. 
• Not appear on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List maintained by the U.S. Treasury for the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or “OFAC List.” 
• Not listed in the United Nations Security designation list. 
• Be willing to sign and submit required certifications before awarding the grant.
• Applicants must display sound management in the form of financial, administrative, and technical policies and procedures and present a system of internal controls that safeguard assets; protect against fraud, waste, and abuse; and support the achievement of program goals and objectives. IRiS will assess this capability prior to awarding a grant. Any falsification of proposal information may result in rejection/cancellation of the award.
•  Submit application for opening new and / or renovating existing fish retail outlets.

Grant mechanism, size and period of performance:

Subject to the availability of funds, the IRiS Program intends to provide approximately $5,000 per kiosk, and maximum of three kiosks ($5,000 x 3) per grantee totaling $15,000, over a 12-month period. The award amount per grantee depends on the number of grantees selected for this intervention and the number of branches they are applying for. IRiS anticipates awarding Fixed Amount Award (FAA) grants to successful applicants. Under the FAA all payments will be a fixed sum payable upon completion of milestones, which will be defined in detail during grant agreement negotiations.  

 Section 2 – Application Questions and pre-application conference

To be deemed complete, all applicants must submit all materials listed in the Applicant Checklist, found in Annex C of the NOFO. Materials should be submitted in one submission prior to the application deadline. 

IRiS will engage virtually in public discussions to answer questions from potential applicants and to provide an overview of the overall grant process from application to award. The virtual pre-conference is scheduled on October 8th, 2024, from 9:00-10 a.m. EAT.

Therefore, if an applicant is interested in attending such a session, they should send their intention to participate and questions that they would like addressed in writing to: iris.grants@dt-global.com  not later than October  7th, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EAT.

The IRiS activity and DT Global reserve the right to not respond to or post questions that are duplicates of other questions or questions that are deemed not relevant.

Section 3 – Application and Submission Information:

The following provides instructions for the format of application.

a a) Applications must be submitted in the templates and format provided. Printed hard copy submissions are not permitted.

1.      B) Budget Proposal and Budget Narrative: The budget should be submitted in Annex B, using the template provided in Microsoft Excel format, showing formulas, and recorded in USD. Please also submit a corresponding budget narrative that explains in detail the proposed costs of the grant activity. Printed hard copy submissions are not permitted.
2.    C) Incomplete submission may mean non-processing, significant delay in processing of the application, or rejection.
3.     D) All applicants should retain, for their records, a copy of their application and all accompanying enclosures.

e   E) Applicants are kindly requested to only submit one application per organization. If a single organization submits multiple applications, the last application submitted by the organization will be evaluated.

1. F) All applications must be in English, single-spaced, Gill Sans MT 11 font, sized to print on A4 size bond paper, with each page numbered consecutively. All application documents must be submitted in Microsoft Word and PDF format. Applicants should strictly observe the maximum number of pages allowed

Skills Required

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