"Employment promotion for women for the green transformation in Africa" (WE4D) is a regional programme commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and designed as a multi-donor initiative that can receive funds from other commissioning parties through combined financing and thereby scale approaches and results. To date, the WE4D programme is also financed by the IKEA Foundation, Norway through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the European Union (EU). WE4D is implemented in nine countries: Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda.

The overall objective (outome) of WE4D is that the employment and economic situation of women, especially in companies driving the green transformation, has improved. Key outputs are: 1.) Labour market-oriented education and training, 2.) transition to the labour market, 3.) employment in value chains, 4.) competitiveness of start-ups and MSMEs and 5.) regional scaling of the approaches. WE4D"s strategy is to establish partnerships with stakeholders from the public and private sector and civil society that will improve the employment opportunities of women in companies and value chains that are driving the economic transition to an ecologically sustainable and climate-friendly business model. Opportunity-driven and demand-oriented measures will be conducted with individual partner organisation and multi-actor partnerships in the implementation countries with the aim of achieving quantitative employment effects and qualitative, transformative results.

The WE4D Kenya Project, collaborates with and is co-financed by the IKEA Foundation. The joined project aims to address the limited presence and slow growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in Kenya´s waste management (WM) and circular economy (CE) sectors, with a focus on improving the economic situation and employment opportunities for women. Despite the potential of the waste management sector to generate employment and sustainability, MSMEs - particularly women-led businesses - face significant barriers, including limited access to capital, technical expertise, and market opportunities. These challenges hinder the competitiveness of MSMEs, leading to low recycling rates and high waste production.
The joint project therefore strives to improve the employment and economic situation of women in the WM and CE sector, and to reduce waste production (outcome). Furthermore, the project is committed to addressing gender-specific challenges and breaking down barriers to ensure that women-led enterprises thrive and contribute significantly to the value chains. In addition, the project will promote and showcase positive role models and successful businesses to strengthen and inspire women and women-led companies.

The services described in the present tender are to support the WE4D Kenya / IKEA Foundation project in promoting the integration of women-led micro- and small-sized enterprises (MSEs) into selected waste management value chains in Kenya, supporting the integration of circular solutions and gender strategies in high waste consuming SMEs and to showcase successful examples and best practices. Within all activities gender-responsive or transformative aspects need to be considered.

Therefore, the tender comprises the following services:

1) Promote the integration of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) along selected waste management and recycling value chains
- Technical capacity support and gender responsive training for MSEs
- Support Integration of MSEs into Waste Management Value Chains
- Provision of modern basic equipment and infrastructure
- Collaborate with lead companies to create awareness, sensitise and promote behaviour change for increased collection of quality waste at community level
2) Support the integration of circular solutions and gender-inclusive strategies in waste producing and high waste consuming small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Provide refresher training (SME Loop) and adapt training materials
- Develop a circularity and waste management capacity training SME Loop tool
3) Promote selected key stakeholders as change agents in the WM and CE sectors and to upscale and showcase successful examples and good practices.
- Conduct exchange forums between women managers in MSMEs and successful industry women leaders for learning and business linkages
- Conduct international industry visit exchange targeting practical learning for women leaders and managers
- Document and disseminate success stories

GIZ may optionally commission contract amendments and/or increases based on the criteria in the tender documents to the successful bidder of this tender. For details, please see the terms of reference.

According to Article 160, Section 3 of the German Act Against Restraint of Competition (GWB), application for review is not permissible insofar as
1. the applicant has identified the claimed infringement of the procurement rules before submitting the application for review and has not submitted a complaint to the contracting authority within a period of 10 calendar days; the expiry of the period pursuant to Article 134, Section 2 remains unaffected,
2. complaints of infringements of procurement rules that are evident in the tender notice are not submitted to the contracting authority at the latest by the expiry of the deadline for the application or by the deadline for the submission of bids, specified in the tender notice.
3. complaints of infringements of procurement rules that first become evident in the tender documents are not submitted to the contracting authority at the latest by the expiry of the deadline for application or by the deadline for the submission of bids,
4. more than 15 calendar days have expired since receipt of notification from the contracting authority that it is unwilling to redress the complaint.
Sentence 1 does not apply in the case of an application to determine the invalidity of the contract in accordance with Article 135, Section 1 (2). Article 134, Section 1, Sentence 2 remains unaffected.

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