Terms of References for the procurement of VSLA Training Facilitator for a project in Moyamba Region, Sierra Leone

Job Description

Procurement: 6000239-2026-001-CHASL-BMZ 

Negotiation procedure without a call for competition 

Timeline 

Subject of the procurement: 

Procurement of a consultancy service for the development of basic entrepreneurial skills training for  community structures in Village Savings and Loan under BMZ/action medeor project 6000239. The contact person for this tender is: 

The contact person for this tender is: Alex Ted Menjor, amenjor@chasl.sl 

Table of content 

Terms of References for the procurement of VSLA Training Facilitator for a project in
Moyamba Region, Sierra Leone …………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
1. About action medeor e.V. and CHASL………………………………………………………………………. 2
2. Background information…………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
3. Description of the services ………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
4. Application process, formal and technical requirements………………………………………… 3
a. Instructions for the bidder…………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
b. Formal requirements…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
c. Technical requirements………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
5. Bidder Eligibility………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
6. Incomplete offers……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
7. Evaluation and award criteria…………………………………………………………………………………… 7
8. Contracting conditions …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
a. The contract………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
b. Defects………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
c. Payment conditions………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
d. Cancellation or modification of the procedure …………………………………………………….. 8
e. Extraordinary termination of the contract…………………………………………………………….. 9
Annexes …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9

 About action medeor e.V. and CHASL

action medeor e.V.: action medeor e.V. is a non-profit organization based in Germany that fo cuses on providing medical aid and improving health care systems in developing countries.  Founded in 1964, the organization aims to enhance access to essential medicines and health  services, particularly in regions affected by poverty, conflict, or natural disasters. action medeor  operates through partnerships with local organizations and communities, emphasizing sustain 

able development and capacity building. Their initiatives often include training healthcare profes sionals, supplying medical equipment, and facilitating health education programs to empower  communities.  

Christian Health Association Sierra Leone (CHASL) 

The Christian Health Association Sierra Leone (CHASL) is a national faith-based network of health  institutions established in 1975 and registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation. CHASL  complements the Government of Sierra Leone’s efforts to ensure equitable access to quality  health services, particularly in underserved and hard-to-reach rural communities where public  health facilities are limited or absent. CHASL currently provides approximately 35% of health ser vices nationwide through its 43 active member institutions across 13 districts. 

2. Background information 

The BMZ funded project “Improving mother-child health care through midwifery education, train ing, networking and community-based engagement” is aimed at enhancing maternal and child  health outcomes in Sierra Leone. The component implemented by CHASL is located in 15 se lected communities in Moyamba.  

1. The target group of the project 

The training will target the following categories: 

• 15 groups of Community Health Workers (CHWs) with 15 members each (total: 225 CHW) 
• 15 Mother Support Groups with a total of 75 members (MSGs) 
• 15 Facility Management Committees (FMCs) with 10 members each 

The intervention will be implemented in 15 communities in Moyamba District, in  phases of five (5) communities per quarter, attached to Peripheral Health Units  (PHUs) supported by CHASL. 

1. The intended total duration of the project 

The intended total duration of the project is four years (October 2024-September  2028). This timeframe allows for adequate implementation of training programs, es tablishment of networks among healthcare providers, ongoing community engage ment activities, and evaluation of health outcomes to assess the effectiveness of in terventions. 

1. Description of the need for the services 

Despite the critical role played by Community Health Workers (CHWs), Mother Sup port Groups (MSGs), Facility Management Committees (FMCs), and other commu nity-based actors in maternal, newborn, and child health, these volunteers face per-

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sistent economic challenges due to irregular and inadequate remuneration. This situ ation undermines motivation, retention, and performance, particularly for women  who already face structural and socio-economic constraints. To address this gap,  CHASL is implementing a community-based livelihood and financial resilience in tervention through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). The VSLA ap proach promotes savings, access to credit, financial literacy, and income generation  while strengthening social cohesion and enabling women and CHWs to sustainably  support their health and household needs. The VSLA model is self-managed, self-cap italised, and operates over a 9–12-month cycle, aligned with internationally recog nised best practices. 

Within this framework, CHASL seeks to engage a qualified VSLA Trainer/Facilitator to build the entrepreneurial business capacity of targeted community groups in se lected communities. 

3. Description of the services 

Type: Provision of services 

The purpose of this service is to train, mentor, and support 15 selected community groups in Mo yamba region to establish and effectively manage Village Savings and Loan Associations, thereby  improving household income, financial inclusion, and sustained participation in community  health service delivery. 

Details on deliverables and scope can be found in Paragraph 4.c. below. 

Alternative offers are not accepted. 

4. Application process, formal and technical requirements 

This procedure is a negotiation procedure without a call for competition. 

1. Instructions for the bidder 

• All correspondence and documents related to the quotation procedure, contracts and re porting must be made in English.  
• All bids must be submitted per e-mail to gmassaquoi@chasl.sl and copy the following: mkanu@chasl.sl, hturay@chasl.sl, amenjor@chasl.sl
• Please send all further questions and inquiries to the following address amen jor@chasl.sl

To maintain equal treatment among the bidders, all questions and answers asked before  the submission deadline will be transferred to all applicants.  

• All communication and bids handed in via e-mail shall clearly indicate the following  title: “6000239-2026-001-CHASL-BMZ- VSLA TRAINING” 
• The price of the offer must be indicated in Sierra Leone Currency (SLL) • Offers must include all taxes and transportation costs as well as any other fees that may  be incurred. 
• Contract performance by subcontractors is excluded. 
• The bidder can withdraw and change its offer at any time until the deadline for the sub mission. All offers sent at the moment of the submission deadline are final and binding.

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1. Formal requirements 

The bid must contain the following documents 

– The technical and financial offer, signed by the person in charge and with the  date of validity of the offer, insofar as the binding period is longer than required.  – Submission in the required format, language and transmission form (e-mail in PDF  formats) 

– The Anticorruption codex (annex A), filled and signed 

– The Code of conduct of action medeor (annex B), filled and signed 

– The Sworn Statement (annex C), filled and signed 

– At least 2 reference letters for similar engagements  

– CV of the Trainer  

1. Technical requirements 

The services tendered are: In total 15- one day training for VSLA Groups in 2026 split up into 5  trainings per quarter  

All trainings will take place in remote Moyamba Communities. Exact location and details will be  provided after successful award of contract.  

Scope of Work 

The VSLA Trainer/Facilitator shall be responsible for the following: 

1. Pre-Training Preparation 

o Review project documents and VSLA background materials provided by CHASL. 

o Develop and submit an inception report incl. a detailed training plan and module  outline to CHASL Secretariat for approval. 

o Adapt training content to local literacy levels and cultural context. 

o The consultant is expected to suggest an appropriate training methodology such  as participatory approach, practical demonstrations (“mock VSLA meeting “) and  use of flipcharts, role plays, real savings books 

2. Training Delivery – Initial Training for 15 Groups in 2026 

o Facilitate VSLA training sessions for targeted groups in assigned communities. 

o One day per community for 15 community’s each targeting CHWs (15 members)  and MSGs (5 members) and FMC (10 members) 

o Train participants on: 

▪ VSLA group formation and governance 

▪ Development of constitutions and by-laws 

▪ Savings methodology and share acquisition 

▪ Loan management, interest setting, and repayment 

▪ Basic record-keeping and accounting 

▪ Share-out procedures and sustainability planning 

o Promote linkages between VSLA activities, income-generating initiatives, and  health-seeking behaviour.

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3. Monitoring and Evaluation 

o Develop and administer training evaluation and feedback tools. 

o Support groups to demonstrate practical application of VSLA principles. o Document lessons learned, challenges, and best practices. 

4. Reporting 

o Produce and submit a comprehensive training report within one (1) week after  completion of each training phase. 

o Include participant lists, training outcomes, challenges, and recommendations. 

Additional Responsibilities of the Consultant:  

The consultant is expected to work closely with the CHASL implementation team. He/she  will be accompanied to the field by CHASL project manager and CHASL will be providing ve hicle for traveling.  

The consultant is expected to deliver his/her services within the timeframe as specified below: 

CHASL will be responsible for:  

– Venue & Seating 

– Refreshments 

– Provision of training materials and VSLA-kits (box, padlock,pens,ruler…) – Transport  

Bids must comply with requirements a. to c. 

According to legal stipulations, we must exclude at this stage of formal and technical review: 

– offers received after the submission deadline 

– offers where the changes made by the bidder are doubtful 

– offers without prices

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– not authorized alternative offers 

– offers that do not meet specifications outlined in this ToR 

5. Bidder Eligibility 

This tender addresses VSLA-trainers or consultants in Sierra Leone. Bidders must meet the fol lowing eligibility criteria to be considered for the award: 

Under applicable law, bidders that do not meet these criteria must be excluded from the tender ing process at this stage. 

In addition, bidders must be excluded if the contracting authority/buyer becomes aware that a  person whose conduct is attributable to the bidder’s company has been convicted of a criminal  offence by a court or if a fine has been imposed on the company for a criminal offence or if pro ceedings are currently pending.

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6. Incomplete offers 

If offers are incomplete:  

☐ the bid will be excluded from the evaluation process. 

☒ the tenderer will ask the bidder to complete their offer within 24 hours after this request is  made. If the offer is still incomplete after this deadline, the offer will be excluded from the evalu ation process.  

CHASL is entitled to exclude a bidder from the award procedure if the bidder has intentionally or  negligently provided false, incomplete or misleading information in the tender or the application  to participate which could significantly influence the award decision. This applies in particular to  information regarding the bidder’s eligibility and the non-existence of grounds for exclusion. This  provision also applies if the false information was provided by a third party acting on behalf of the  bidder (e.g. subcontractors or representatives). 

7. Evaluation and award criteria 

☐ The contract is awarded to the offer with the lowest price.  

☒ The award will be made according to the best price-performance-ratio considering the follow ing criteria:

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The successful bidder will be informed by written award notification. Through this notification, the contract is concluded and becomes legally effective. 

8. Contracting conditions 
9. The contract 

The contract is included in the annex D. By submitting your offer, you agree to its terms. Divergent  contractual conditions such as delivery periods, payment modalities, etc. are inadmissible and  cause the exclusion of the bidder. The conclusion of the contract occurs at the award of the bid.  The signing of the contract, done after the award of the tender, is only a mere formality. 

1. Defects 

In the event of delivery of defective or inadequate products or services, the tenderer shall be  obliged to replace them within a maximum of two weeks from the date of detection of the defect  and the tenderer shall be obliged to bear all costs of analysis and destruction of the defective  products. The customer/organization, in turn, undertakes to report any defects to the contractor  without delay after becoming aware of them. 

1. Payment conditions 

Payment will be made in 4 instalments in new Leones (SLE) incl. of taxes after fulfillment of the  contractual obligations within 14 Days after presentation of the invoice, and after completion of  all the agreed upon services. 

• 40% upon submission and acceptance of the inception report, following the signing of the  contract 
• 20% upon submission and acceptance of training report for 10 communities  • 20% upon submission and acceptance of training report for the remaining 5 communities • 20% upon submission and acceptance of the final report 

Further information on the payment conditions can be found in the contract in the annex D.  d. Cancellation or modification of the procedure 

Changes to deadlines or the ToRs, as well as a transfer back to a previous state of the procedure  are possible at any time. 

A cancellation, transfer back or modification to the procedure is possible at any time and may occur for example if:  

– the bidding procedure has been unsuccessful, for example if no qualitatively or financially  worthwhile quotations have been received or there has been no response at all, – the economic or technical parameters of the project have been fundamentally altered, – exceptional circumstances or force majeure render normal performance of the project im possible or all technically compliant quotations exceed the financial resources available, 

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– there have been irregularities in the procedure, in particular if these irregularities have pre vented a fair competition 

– modifications to the requirements of the German public grant authorities require an adjust ment or cancellation of the tender procedure 

In the event of the procedure’s cancellation, CHASL will notify the contractors. If the quotation  procedure is cancelled before any bid has been opened, all data will be deleted. 

In no circumstances is CHASL liable for damages, whatever their nature (in particular damages  for loss of profits) due to the modification of the procedure or the cancellation of a bid, even if  CHASL] has been advised of the possibility of damages. The publication of a procurement notice  does not commit CHASL to implement the program or project announced.  

1. Extraordinary termination of the contract 

(1) CHASL has the right to terminate the contract extraordinarily if it becomes aware that the con tractor has intentionally or negligently provided false, incomplete or misleading information in its  offer, in particular regarding eligibility and the absence of grounds for exclusion, which were es sential for the client’s decision to award the contract. This provision shall also apply if the afore mentioned false information was provided by a third party acting on behalf of the bidder (e.g. sub contractors or representatives). In the event of termination, the contractor shall not be entitled to  

payment for services rendered to date. 

(2) The right to claim damages shall not be excluded by the termination. 

(3) In the event that CHASL terminates the contract in accordance with paragraph (1) above, the  CHASL reserves the right to offer the contract to one of the other bidders in the tendering proce dure in the ranking order of the results of the award procedure on the terms and conditions of the  bid submitted in the award procedure. 

Annexes 

Annex A – Anti Corruption Guidelines 

Annex B- Code of Conduct 

Annex C – Sworn Statement 

Annex D- Draft Contract

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        CLICK THE DOCUMENT BELOW TO SEE THE THE COMPLETE TOR

ANNEX A Anti Corruption action medeor