A consultant to conduct a training on how to develop a Mobile Learning App for Entrepreneurship Consultancy NEW

REQUEST FOR CONSULTANTS

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) are a global humanitarian organization with a mission to work with people in poverty and distress to create just and positive changes. ADRA Somalia belongs to the worldwide network, comprised of more than 130 supporting and implementing country offices. ADRA Somalia is seeking for a consultant to conduct a training on how to develop a Mobile Learning App for Entrepreneurship

Background

In the modern globalized world, knowledge, innovations, and entrepreneurship remain critical for the development of both the economy and society. The declining employment opportunities and a trend towards making education more creative has pushed the demand for entrepreneurship education. Those who have entrepreneurial skills and therefore can identify challenges and take prompt measures to promote social and economic welfare are proved to make the modern world better. Entrepreneurship education is seen as the main driving force for entrepreneurial competence development. Initially, the main goal of entrepreneurship education was to stimulate participants to launch a startup, but more recently, the focus has been shifted to a broader concept that denotes entrepreneurship as a way of thinking and behaving. The pros of specialized entrepreneurship training are not limited to startups, innovative business activity, and new employment opportunities, but rather the person’s ability to turn bright ideas into actions. To achieve sustainable growth and additional jobs, one should be ready to invest in entrepreneurship education and inspire others to think outside the box. Participation of women in business activities transforms the quality and the structure of the workforce and the society as a whole. It boosts female career development, self-realization and job creation. It can also benefit their households and communities, affecting the entrepreneurial mindset of future generations who may come to consider self-employment as a natural career option following the example of their parents.

The e-WINS Project is funded by the European Union (EU) to contribute to economic empowerment of women and girls in Somalia through gender inclusive and transformative approaches and actions. The project targets 10,000 women to benefit from enhanced participation in productive economic activities and decision-making processes. Through tailored capacity building initiatives, negotiation skills, inclusivity, entrepreneurship and business management, alongside the establishment of knowledge-sharing platforms among women-led organizations, the action seeks to strengthen the social capital of women in leadership, socio-cultural and economic spheres of life. Furthermore, by implementing digital platforms and strengthening women’s engagement in formal business associations, the action directly contributes to improving access to financial services for women entrepreneurs. The action will conduct research to identify gaps in the regulatory framework and organize policy dialogues to advocate for gender-inclusive policies supporting women entrepreneurship and access to finance.

The EU has long championed gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Somalia. The e-WINS Project is about more than just economic growth. It is about hope, resilience, and the promise of a better future. It is about ensuring that every woman with the ambition to lead a business, innovate, and contribute to her community has the opportunity to do so. The e-WINS Project is driven by the commitment to equip women with businesses in addition to a range of financing instruments, complemented by technical assistance to enhance their stability, drive job creation, and foster economic growth. The action’s commitment to leaving-no-one-behind, especially groups in vulnerable situations such as women, minorities, and those with disabilities, resonates with the emphasis on ensuring inclusivity in development initiatives. This is to be achieved through tailored interventions to local needs and ensure a contextually relevant approach that promotes local ownership and sustainability. By implementing initiatives that increase women’s access to financial resources, entrepreneurship opportunities, small- and large-scale investments either directly or through micro and macro financing opportunities, women are bound to become economically independent and contribute to the growth of the economy.

Rationale

Technology-based pedagogy takes considerable advantage of technological solutions to deliver high-quality education. Mobile applications (apps) have been progressively employed as business gadget innovations in different economies. To maximize accessibility and convenience for women entrepreneurship training, developing a comprehensive mobile learning application is fundamental. This application will provide women with a robust platform to access a wide range of training modules, resources, and tools at any time and from any location. The app will feature advanced progress tracking to monitor learning achievements, interactive elements to enhance user engagement, and timely notifications to keep participants motivated and informed. Additionally, the application will incorporate user-friendly design principles to ensure an intuitive and effective learning experience, accommodating various levels of technological proficiency and ensuring that the training is both accessible and impactful for users. Mobile learning (mLearning), as a convenient way of accessing learning content through mobile devices, stands to empower women’s learning at the point of need, enabling users to access content whenever and wherever suits them. This platform also promotes sustainable and eco-friendly practices, supports a transparent selection process for economic inclusion and fosters market linkages for women entrepreneurs. Financial literacy is a key enabler of financial inclusion, particularly for women entrepreneurs who face significant barriers in accessing and using financial services. While traditional financial literacy programs have made some progress, digital channels provide an opportunity to scale these efforts, making them more accessible to marginalized populations.

1. Objectives

The overall objective of this assignment is to develop a mobile application (for Android and iOS platforms) for digitized entrepreneurship curriculum to enable women to undertake personalized learning paths on entrepreneurship and the 21st century skills.

The specific objectives are:

1. To digitize entrepreneurship curriculum into user-friendly content that is suitable for delivery via Android and iOS mobile platforms.
2. To provide a fully functional digital training platform with accessible, bite-sized lessons on business, financial literacy and 21st century skills via online and offline access, and networking features for women entrepreneurs.
3. To provide ongoing technical support, maintenance and system diagnostic and debugging for effective functionality of the app.
4. Scope of Work

The scope of work for this assignment shall be categorized into the following tasks:

1. riculum Digitization:
2. Review and Adaptation:

Review the literacy, numeracy and entrepreneurship and financial literacy curriculum and adapt it for delivery through the digital platform, ensuring it is concise, interactive, and relevant for women entrepreneurs.

1. Localization:

Ensure the content is tailored to the specific socio-economic and cultural context of women entrepreneurs in Somalia.

1. Digital Platform Development/Integration:
2. Digital Content Integration:

Design, develop, integrate and maintain a fast and user-friendly mobile application compatible with Android and iOS platforms. Work with a service provider to develop and implement an interactive platform that delivers the business curriculum.

1. User-Friendly Design:

Ensure the platform is easy to navigate, with clear instructions and prompts for the user. Upload the Mobile App on Google play store and Apple store and bear all fees and cost of uploading.

1. Testing:

Develop test case design to conduct testing of the platform to ensure it functions properly, is user-friendly, and meets the needs of the target audience.

1. Support for Operation and Maintenance:

The vendor shall:

1. Prepare operational and technical documentation, which shall include source code (customizable and executable source code) for ADRA.
2. Provide fully-fledged support and maintenance for a duration of 12 months after deployment. This includes developing software requirements specification (SRS) and documenting the development procedures, data flow diagram, and others as may be necessary.
3. Shall update the app based on selected feedback received from users. This shall be done within a period of 6 months. The vendor shall submit all documentation and source code.
4. If any bug or error is found in the running app, the vendor must attend to the issue immediately and resolve the problem ensuring the smooth and uninterrupted running condition of the implemented app. The vendor shall also provide all the necessary guidance and support for resolving technical difficulties and any further requirement analysis based on user feedback. All the support and maintenance work procedures must be tracked by the Help Desk Management System and maintain the service log report.
   1. System Setup and Hosting:
5. The vendor shall install and host the developed system on ADRA’s server. The vendor will perform all standard test methods before final implementation.
6. Deliverables

The vendor is expected to provide the following deliverables:

1. Inception Report: A detailed report outlining the methodology, approach, timeline, and work plan for the digitization and training. This should be captured in the technical proposal that shall detail: – A process map for content development. Master reference training modules will be provided by the ADRA.
2. Digitized Entrepreneurship Curriculum: A fully digitized curriculum ready for delivery through the appropriate digital platform, including localized and translated versions if necessary.
3. Digital Training Platform: A fully functioning digital platform with the entrepreneurship and financial literacy curriculum integrated.
4. Mid-Term Progress Report: A report on the initial stages of the training, including participant reach, feedback, and any technical challenges encountered.
5. Final Report: A comprehensive report detailing the outcomes of the training, including monitoring and evaluation results, impact on participants, and recommendations for scaling or improving the program.
6. Intellectual Property Rights

The copyright of the delivered application will be owned by eWINS Project, Somalia. The vendor must provide all source codes with relevant documentation. The vendor should properly document all such codes and deliver them to ADRA and cannot claim any royalty or authority of any sort in case of replicating the source code or any other deliverables under this ToR for any future use. Furthermore, the vendor shall not use any library or code that has any other copyright claim associated with it, which will prevent or restrict the smooth transfer of ownership in any way.

1. Duration

The vendor is expected to propose timelines for delivery of the outputs below: –

1. Content Digitization and digital Platform Integration.
2. Training Delivery and Monitoring
3. Final Evaluation and Reporting
4. Methodology

The vendor is expected to propose the most efficient and effective methodology for this assignment, including a reasonable timeline for delivery of the various milestones.

1. Reporting

The vendor will report to the Project Manager and MEAL Coordinator on a regular basis, providing updates on the progress of the deliverables in accordance with the agreed-upon timeline.

1. Eligibility criteria

The vendor must prove that they have a solid technical background and operational strength to undertake this assignment without any hindrances. The vendor must also have adequate technical ability, resources and processes. As such, the following are defined as minimum eligibility criteria:

1. Proven Experience: Demonstrated experience in curriculum digitization and platform development, particularly for entrepreneurship across multiple user media/content/communication access channels. Must have proven track record in the field of Mobile Application and Web-based IT Solution development and deployment under the structured framework that works on cloud. Experience working with mobile operators to deliver digital literacy content on a scale.
2. Technical Capacity: Competent full-time manpower/consultants in the team that includes Project Manager, System Analyst, Business Analyst, Solution Architect, Mobile Apps Developer (iOS and Android), Web System Development Expert, Security Expert, Database Expert, UX Expert, Infrastructure Expert, Data visualization Expert, Technical Writer and dedicated Support Engineers having individual experience in the relevant ICT area.
3. Business/Financial Literacy Expertise: Strong background in business/financial literacy programs, preferably with a focus on women and underserved communities.
4. Understanding of Local Context: Familiarity with the Somalia business and cultural context, including the needs and challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.
5. MEAL Skills: Expertise in designing and implementing monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning frameworks for digital literacy programs.
6. Sample work: In response to this RFP, the vendor should provide sample of digital content that may have previously been developed or envisioned under this ToR.

Application Requirements:

All expressions of interest should include:

Technical Proposal:

• Clear and well demonstrated approach and methodology.
• Profile of the vendor and executive brief of similar projects undertaken.
• Detailed work plan with clear timelines and deliverables.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the lead consultant and other consultants as necessary.

Financial Proposal:

• Detailed financial proposal with a clear breakdown of costs for each component of the work (content digitization, digital platform integration, training delivery, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting).

Provide cost estimates for services rendered including daily consultancy fees excluding accommodation and living costs; transport cost; stationery, and supplies needed for the training as well as costs to be incurred by trainees

Tagged as: Adventist Development and Relief Agency International, Somalia