Introduction and Background:

Qima Coffee is seeking a nutritious crops expert to provide advisory services and lead a project focused on designing resources and documents for the cultivation and maintenance of nutritious crops. The project aims to enhance food security for farmers and improve soil health. The consultant will guide plantation and farm activities to enhance the health and yield of crops on coffee demo plots, supported by a trained team for on-ground activities. Additionally, the consultant will help develop a chapter on nutritious crop production in a farmer-friendly booklet on GNAAP protocols and best practices in cultivation. The chapter will be incorporated with other contributions from experts in nutrition, agronomy, and agriculture. 

Qima Coffee, an international company headquartered in the UK, operates by sourcing coffee from smallholder farmers in three distinct coffee origins globally and has established presence in all three origins. Established in 2016, Qima Coffee's sourcing journey began in Yemen and expanded later to include Colombia and Ecuador. Qima coffee was founded with the vision of using coffee as a vehicle to sustainably improve lives and livelihoods. 

Qima Coffee Yemen is a sister company to the Qima Coffee Corp. Qima Coffee Yemen dedicates a large amount of time, energy and resources towards developing the coffee sector  in Yemen. Qima Coffee focuses on sustainability and social responsibility. It aims to improve the livelihoods of small farmers and support the development of Yemen's coffee industry in a challenging environment.

Good Nutrition and Agriculture Practices Programme (GNAAP) is a programme within a larger project with the duration of 1 year. The project outlines a comprehensive initiative to revolutionize coffee cultivation in Yemen, integrating innovative strategies to enhance productivity, farmer nutrition, and community empowerment. The GNAAP programme serves as a foundation of the larger project, employing a dual approach focusing on improving nutritional aspects and crop yield. 

Scope of Work:

• Advise on nutritious seasonal crop selection and necessary land preparation in the context of coffee farms, preferably in Yemen.

• Draft a comprehensive plantation protocol for crops planted within the coffee harvest cycle.

• Remotely manage the harvest and post-harvest handling

• Provide training for farmers and Qima workers on best practices in nutritious crop production and post-harvest handling.

• Collaborate with another expert in the OFE field to integrate the results from nutritious crop production activities into the OFE report.

• Assist in developing a farmer-friendly booklet on GNAAP protocols and best practices in cultivating.

Deliverables:

• Prepare a comprehensive plantation protocol on nutritious seasonal crop plantation: by 17/07/2024

• Develop a training for the on-ground team on the plantation and nourishing of crops: by 25/07/2024

• Prepare Production Nutritious Crops in collaboration with OFE report: by November 2024 to January 2025 (To be confirmed by OFE design)

• Prepare a chapter on nutritious crop production in the GNAAP protocol booklet: by 15/12/2024

Qualifications and Experience:

To be considered, advisory firms/ individual consultant must demonstrate:

• 5 years of experience in agricultural and crops-related research and assessment

• Previous successful projects in production of nutritious crops similar to the context of Yemen

• Previous work with similar context to the target group 

• Postgraduate degree in agronomy, agricultural sciences or a similar area is preferred 

Proposal Requirements:

Proposal Components 

Proposals should include the following sections:

• Company/individual Background

• Previous Experience: 

• Relevant Work Experience: relevant projects carried out within the last 3 years with a description covering the following elements: [Project Name, Period, Client Name, Project Description including main activities and deliverables, Contract Value].

• Samples of work

• Certificate of Satisfactory Performance of at least three projects of the projects outlined within the relevant experience section. Would be required by contract awarding.

• Methodology

• Timeline

• Pricing

Proposals must be submitted electronically to MANAL@QIMACOFFEE.COM by 10/06/2024.

Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Qualifications and expertise (40%)

• Methodology and approach (15%)

• Fit with company culture (10%)

• Timeliness and responsiveness (10%)

• Cost-effectiveness (25%)

Timeline:

• RFP issued: 23/05/2024

• Questions closing: 31/05/2024

• Proposal submission deadline: 10/06/2024 

• Response to all applicants: 13/06/2024

• Contract awarding date: 13/06/2024

• Task kick-off meeting date: 14/06/2024

Confirmation of Interest, Questions and Clarifications:

• All those interested must confirm their interest by sending an email by 31/05/2024.

• All questions must be submitted in writing to MANAL@QIMACOFFEE.COM by 31/05/2024.

• Responses to questions will be provided to all candidates by 04/06/2024.

Submission Instructions

• Electronic submissions should be sent to MANAL@QIMACOFFEE.COM

• Confirm receipt of proposals will be sent within 48 hours.

Notes

Qima Coffee is publishing an RFP for OFE Advisory Service. The RFPs are being published in parallel with the Nutritious Crops Advisory Service RFP. Please visit related RFPs to the project in the link HERE. Candidates with relevant experience are welcome to apply to more than one advisory position.