RFP- Donor Landscape Assessment in Kenya Consultancy NEW

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Issued on: September 25, 2026

Solicitation Number: 51495

For: Donor Landscape Assessment

Quotes Deadline: October 9, 2026

1. Background

For nearly 70 years, Pathfinder International has been a catalyst for systems transformation, inclusive growth, and resilient communities. With a global footprint spanning Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, we invest in women and girls by expanding access to essential health products and services, unlocking leadership pathways, and strengthening economic participation. By partnering with civil society, governments, and the private sector, we scale women-led innovations that deliver sustainable systems of support, while generating measurable impact with the goal to ensure every woman has the agency to shape her future and lead a healthy, fulfilling life.

Pathfinder International Kenya – a registered Non-Governmental Organization under Kenya PBO Act seeks to strengthen its sustainability and diversify its funding base in response to the evolving development financing landscape. While it has extensive experience working with all kinds of donors, , Pathfinder International Kenya aims to expand and diversify its funding portfolio by exploring opportunities within philanthropy, corporate social investment, and foundations in Kenya.

To support this ambition, Pathfinder International Kenya is seeking an external consultant to conduct a market assessment of various donor segments and provide strategic recommendations on engagement, investment requirements, and expected returns.

1. Objectives of the Assignment

• Assess the scope and size of the philanthropic, corporate social investment, and foundations targeting not-for-profit, Non-Governmental Organizations registered and implementing development projects in Kenya.
• Identify high-potential donors and funding mechanisms aligned with Pathfinder International strategic priorities and operational presence.
• Determine the investment (financial, human, operational) required to effectively engage all donor segments and the expected timeline for return on investment.
• Recommend realistic funding targets for the 2027–2033 for these donor segments.
• Assess the feasibility and competitive advantage of operating as a local organization versus an INGO.
• Identify potential opportunities for local NGOs versus INGOs.

3. Scope of Work

The consultant will:

a. Review Pathfinder International Kenya’s historical and current funding trends, with a specific focus on performance and lessons learned within philanthropy, corporate social investment, and foundations

b. Conduct market research to:

• Map the landscape of current donors in Kenya specifically relevant to Pathfinder International Kenya’s work.
• Identify key active bilateral, corporate donors, foundations, and social enterprises with strategic alignment to Pathfinder International and the type of organizations (local Vs International) they currently prefer to fund.
• Understand giving behaviors, motivations, and barriers for philanthropic giving in Kenya (specifically relevant to strategic interventions aligned with Pathfinder’s work in Kenya)

c. Benchmark peer organizations to understand:

• Who is accessing these funds?
• How much funding is being secured?
• What investments were required to achieve success.
• What is their legal status: Local versus International organizations.

d. Analyze investment requirements:

• Financial resources, staffing, systems, partnerships, and leadership support.
• Timeline and risk factors for return on investment.

e. Recommend funding targets for the 2027–2033 for these donor segments.

4. Deliverables

• Inception Report: Detailing methodology, work plan, and stakeholder engagement strategy.
• Market Assessment Report: Comprehensive analysis of donor segments, investment requirements, and strategic recommendations including type of registration recommended for Pathfinder.
• Funding Target Recommendations: Scenario-based projections for CS 2027–2033.
• Presentation to Pathfinder International Management: Summary of findings and recommendations.

5. Duration and Timeline

• Estimated Duration: 15 working days
• Timeline: October-November 2026
• Budget: Proposals should demonstrate a clear value-for-money approach. The total budget will be a key factor in the selection process.

6. Consultant Profile

• Proven experience in resource mobilization, donor landscape analysis, and strategic planning in Kenya and East Africa.
• Very strong understanding of Kenya’s donor landscape, including philanthropic, private sector and corporate giving environment.
• Experience working with NGOs or development organizations in Kenya.
• Excellent analytical, communication, presentation and stakeholder engagement skills.

7. Management and Reporting

The consultant will report to the Business Development Director or his appointee at Pathfinder International, who will be the primary point of contact. Key milestones and findings will be shared with the Country Management Team (CMT) and presented to the Board of Directors at the conclusion of the assignment for strategic approval.

8. Payment Schedule

All payments will be tied to the successful completion and approval of deliverables, ensuring accountability for outputs and quality.

Key Milestones and Deliverables

Milestone / Deliverable(s) / Payment %

Upon approval of Inception Report/ Inception Report (methodology, work plan, stakeholder engagement plan) / 30%

Upon approval of Draft Market Assessment / Draft Market Assessment Report (including donor analysis, investment requirements, operational & supply chain readiness) / 30%

Upon approval of Final Deliverables / Final Report, Annual Funding Target Recommendations for Pathfinder International Kenya, Dataset, and Presentation to Pathfinder International Management / 40%

• The consultant is responsible for managing all expenses within the agreed total budget.
• Payment tranches are fixed percentages of the total contract value and will not be adjusted based on actual spending differences.
• The consultant must arrange their own insurance coverage (including health and travel insurance) and ensure compliance with national tax laws (e.g., VAT or income tax obligations).

Proposal Guidelines and Instructions

Offerors will be required to submit two electronically sealed proposals, one a technical proposal and the other a cost proposal. All proposals must be signed and valid for a minimum of sixty (60) days.

Your proposal should provide basic information about your Company/Individual and relevant service offerings. It should have a section addressing each of the following areas:

Responses should include the following information:

A, Technical Proposal

1. Technical Proposal (offeror will be evaluated based on their responsiveness to the Scope of Work)
   • Overview of the proposed approach and methodology.
   • Description of tools and techniques for data collection and analysis
   • Outline of key activities and timeline.
   • Summary of relevant experience in similar assignments.
2. Consultant/Firm Profile
   • Summary of qualifications and expertise, including experience working with NGOs and the philanthropic/corporate sector in Kenya.
   • Key personnel and roles (include brief bios or CV highlights).
3. References
   • At least two references from previous clients for similar assignments.
   • Contact details and brief description of the work undertaken.

B. Cost/Financial Proposal

Provide detailed and complete information on the cost that will be incurred by Pathfinder International. Such costs must include all items and not limited to the following:

• Detailed budget breakdown including daily rates, number of days, and any anticipated reimbursable expenses.
• Budget must be inclusive of all taxes.

Evaluation Criteria

In evaluating the proposals, Pathfinder International will seek the best value for money

rather than the lowest priced proposal. Pathfinder will use a two-stage selection procedure:

• the first stage will evaluate the Technical Proposal. The technical proposal opening will be attended only by Pathfinders, as no information other than who submitted an offer will be read out at this stage.
• the second stage will evaluate the Cost Proposal for proposals that pass the Technical Proposal evaluation. Only proposals with an average score of 70 and above will be considered eligible for stage 2

Specifically, the selection committee will evaluate each proposal upon the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria / Total Weight 100 points.

Bid Submission – Pass/Fail

1. Bid submitted on time
2. Offeror is eligible to receive funding per background checks
3. Any potential conflict of interest is sufficiently mitigated

Technical Proposal – 40 points

• Overview of the proposed approach and methodology.
• Description of tools and techniques for data collection and analysis
• Outline of key activities and timeline.
• Summary of relevant experience in similar assignments.

Consultant/Firm Profile – 30 points

• Summary of qualifications and expertise, including experience working with NGOs and the philanthropic/corporate sector in Kenya.
• Key personnel and roles (include brief bios or CV highlights).

References – 30 points

• At least two references from previous clients for similar assignments.
• Contact details and brief description of the work undertaken.
• Provide any other information to demonstrate the Contractor’s capability in relation to the Scope of Work.

Pathfinder is not bound to accept the lowest or any proposal and reserves the right to accept any proposal in whole or in part and to reject any or all proposals.

Pathfinder shall not be legally bound by any award notice issued for this RFP until a contract is duly signed and executed with the winning offeror.

The evaluator will tally all the individual scores for each section and calculate the total score. If the total number points meet or exceeds the 70 point threshold, the suppliers cost proposal will be eligible for consideration.

The score for the cost proposal will be calculated in the following manner:

Cost proposal score = 100 x Lowest cost/ cost of the proposal under consideration. The lowest cost proposal will receive the full 100 points.

The total score will be calculated as follows:

Total Score= Technical proposal score of the proposal under consideration multiplied by 70 plus (+) Cost proposal score of the proposal under consideration multiplied by 30.

Inquiries

If you have any questions/inquiries, please e-mail nairobiprocurement@pathfinder.org no later than close of business October 1, 2026. The solicitation number indicated above must be included in the subject line. Responses will be posted to all known offerors.

As part of this RFP process, Pathfinder reserves the right to conduct interviews with bidders.

Proposal Deadline

All written responses to this RFP must be received by Pathfinder no later than 17:00hrs EAT on October 9, 2026. The solicitation number indicated above must be included in the subject line/on the envelope.

Please email the quote and other information directly to: nairobiprocurement@pathfinder.org

Pathfinder International, Kenya.

Please label each proposal attachment. One should be labeled technical proposal and the other

Cost proposal. The solicitation number indicated above must be included in the reference line.

Late submissions will not be considered. Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview or presentation to further discuss their proposed approach. The successful applicant will be selected based on technical expertise, relevant experience, value for money, and demonstrated capacity to comply with Pathfinder Kenya’s ethical and safeguarding standards

Modification

If at any time prior to award Pathfinder deems there to be a need for a significant modification to the terms and conditions of this RFP, Pathfinder will issue such a modification as a written RFP amendment to all competing offerors. No oral statement of any person shall in any manner be deemed to modify or otherwise affect any RFP term or condition, and no offeror shall rely on any such statement. Such amendments are the exclusive method for this purpose.

Resulting Award

Single contract: As a result of this solicitation, Pathfinder anticipates engaging a single independent contractor/company. Pathfinder reserves the right to split the SOW and make multiple awards.

Any resulting contract will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in Annex A. Part A of this annex will only apply to USG-funded assignments.

Payment Terms

Pathfinder anticipates entering into a cost-reimbursable fixed-cost contract with the selected contractor.

Terms

Pathfinder reserves the right to cancel this solicitation at any point and is under no obligation to issue a subcontract as a result of this solicitation.

Pathfinder will not reimburse any expenses related to the preparation of any proposal related materials or delivery.

Confidentiality

All information disclosed by either party regarding this RFP is confidential and shall be treated as such.

Agreement

Any resulting contract will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in the annex. See Annex A

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