Inclusive Business Consultant - Nairobi, Kenya

TechnoServe Public Solicitation: Inclusive Business Consultant - Nairobi, Kenya Reference Number: RQ11249 Region: USA & Global | Performance Location: USA & Global Published Date: Nov 10, 2026 | Due Date: Nov 18, 2026 Notice Type: Request for Proposals Project Background: TechnoServe invites qualified and eligible professionals to participate in this competitive solicitation for qualifications related to the position of Inclusive Business Consultant to support a Kenyan agribusiness that sources, trades and processes macadamia in assessing which commercial opportunities to pursue and translating the recommended strategy into a business plan, financial model and phased investment roadmap. About TechnoServe Founded in 1968, TechnoServe (www.technoserve.org) is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty for good. A non-profit organisation working in 30 countries, we work with people to build a better future through regenerative farms, businesses and markets that increase incomes.

Our vision is a sustainable world where all people in low-income communities have the opportunity to prosper. Between 2024 and 2026, TechnoServe implemented the CASA Kenya Technical Assistance Facility (TAF), a £4m UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funded programme. CASA Kenya worked alongside impact investors to deliver high-quality technical assistance (TA) to agribusinesses, primarily aimed at catalysing additional investment in green and inclusive agriculture.

To date, CASA has provided TA to 29 agribusinesses and catalysed over USD 2m in additional investment. TechnoServe has received a programme extension until March 2027 to continue the TA facility, now known as the TechnoServe Technical Assistance Facility(TTAF). This next phase focuses on: Deepening Impact: Continuing implementation support for existing portfolio agribusinesses to fully embed inclusive strategies, de-risk upcoming fundraising rounds, and contribute to long-term smallholder farmer (SHF) and climate impact.

Monitoring Sustained Adoption: Monitoring the previous CASA Kenya portfolio to understand continued uptake, adoption and impact of CASA-supported practices, technologies, systems or business models beyond the life of the programme. Pipeline Generation: Building a broader pipeline for a FCDO programme focused on catalysing investment in African manufacturing and agricultural SMEs looking to raise debt financing of between USD 1–5M. Background TTAF is working with a Kenyan agribusiness (the Company) that buys macadamia, sesame and castor from farmers and aggregators and sells these crops in bulk to processors and other buyers.

The Company also sells agricultural inputs and provides support to farmers. Management wants to expand value addition and bring more processing in-house. Existing analysis has identified gaps in commercial prioritisation, buyer evidence, activity-level economics, investment planning and management capacity.

Macadamia price volatility and investor concerns about the sector also require explicit assessment. This assignment will constitute the expanded Inclusive Growth Assessment for the Company, building on existing records and analysis while testing material assumptions with primary evidence. Objective The primary objective of this assignment is to determine which macadamia opportunities the Company should pursue and to translate the recommended strategy into a business plan, financial model and phased investment roadmap.

The assignment will compare the returns and risks of existing in-shell trading, outsourced and in-house kernel processing, and relevant crude-oil and food-grade oil opportunities, and must establish whether further value addition is commercially attractive before recommending material investment. The high-level activities will focus on: Recommending which macadamia activities the Company should prioritise, maintain, pilot or defer, including the option of continuing to trade or outsource. Establishing accessible demand, likely returns, funding needs and downside risks for the preferred activities.

Defining justified processing improvements, equipment requirements and the team needed to execute the strategy. Producing an agreed business plan, usable financial model and sequenced investment roadmap, including implications for farmer sourcing and incomes. The Inclusive Business Consultant will report to TechnoServe and work closely with the Company’s management.

Targeted technical advice will be delivered during the assignment and incorporated into its recommendations. Scope of Work: Duties and Responsibilities Activities and emphasis may be refined at inception, but are expected to include: Business Baseline Use existing financial statements, sales and purchase records, stock records and processing information to establish a baseline for comparing the options, combining management interviews and technical observations in one planned site visit. Distinguish nuts sourced from farmers from oil feedstock purchased from processors.

Check the reported revenue mix and growth against available records, reconciling differences that affect the comparison through sample checks and documented assumptions where records are incomplete. Estimate the volumes, selling prices, direct costs and cash requirements needed to compare the options, using consistent units for fresh nuts, dried nuts-in-shell, kernels, oil and by-products. Identify the bottlenecks and evidence gaps that could change the commercial recommendation.

Market and Commercial Options Assessment Assess the Kenyan macadamia sourcing and processing market, including recent price movements, supply seasonality, competition, buyer demand and the sector outlook. Consult relevant investor partners introduced by TechnoServe to understand their concerns about macadamia exposure and whether the proposed products materially address those concerns. Engage relevant buyers and processors to establish specifications, indicative prices, realistic volumes, payment terms, delivery requirements and qualification steps, separating product listings and expressions of interest from actual offers or orders.

Assess accessible feedstock by type, season, quality and price, including competition for rejected or lower-grade kernels, and test whether material classified as rejects has alternative uses or higher-value outlets. Compare buyer offtake opportunities across in-shell sales, kernel processing, and industrial crude-oil and food-grade oil routes, including by-product income where a credible outlet exists. Assess domestic and international markets for processed macadamia, including how export- linked demand affects Kenyan processors and procurement prices.

The initial commercial focus is domestic sales; any recommended expansion of geographic scope should be raised with TechnoServe at inception. Distinguish between crude oil, food-grade oil and feedstock for fuel production, verifying the requirements of each relevant buyer route. Filtration alone should not be treated as proof of food suitability, nor feedstock sales as conversion into finished biofuel.

Profitability and Investment Returns Develop comparable economics for each shortlisted route, including feedstock acquisition, drying losses, recovery, kernel grade mix, outsourced fees or internal processing costs, labour, utilities, packaging, delivery, testing, maintenance, waste and evidenced by-product income, as well as the opportunity cost of selling the same material through another route. Assess which processing stages should be brought in-house and which should remain outsourced. Compare contribution, operating profit, cash conversion, break-even volumes and prices, capital requirements and indicative investment returns, distinguishing commercial trading income from grants and financing.

Test the results against lower selling prices, higher feedstock costs, weaker recovery, slower sales, delayed payments and underused capacity. Opportunity Diagnostic and Initial Recommendations Prepare an opportunity diagnostic outlining findings from the market and profitability assessment and shortlisting 1–3 viable commercial opportunities for macadamia value addition. Define the additional technical support needed to supplement the recommendations (e.g., equipment specialist, agronomist).

The specialist may be part of the consulting team or contracted separately by TechnoServe. Present the diagnostic at a Week 5 stage-gate review, at which TechnoServe and the Company will agree which opportunities and technical recommendations to carry into the business plan and financial model. Financial Model and Business Plan Build one editable model linking the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow for the current business and the preferred strategy, with monthly cash needs for the first year, annual projections for years two and three, and a downside case for the preferred strategy.

Include sales, recovery and capacity assumptions, staffing, capital expenditure, working capital, financing and cash shortfalls, keeping assumptions and checks visible so the Company can update the model. Prepare a concise business plan and investment roadmap for the preferred strategy, setting out target buyers, operating changes, financing needs, responsibilities and the decisions that must precede investment. Execution Capacity and Farmer Implications Identify the key roles and responsibilities needed to implement the preferred strategy, cost essential staffing in the model, and coordinate relevant recommendations with investor partners through TechnoServe.

Use the site visit and available production records to identify the main bottlenecks in drying, storage, kernel processing and oil production, verifying throughput and recovery where evidence permits. For the preferred route, identify the process changes, capacity and product-quality requirements relevant to the commercial case. Use existing sourcing data and targeted conversations with suppliers, including farmers or their representatives, to test assumptions on volumes, quality, prices and payment timing, and explain the likely implications for farmer participation and earnings.

Required Deliverables: Deliverables Inception note and workplan (Week 1): Confirmation of priority decisions, evidence gaps, contacts, site visit plan, specialist inputs and review dates. Business and market assessment (Week 3): Summary of the business baseline, price and sector risks, investor perspectives, buyer evidence and an initial ranking of the main commercial routes. Opportunity diagnostic (Week 5): A shortlist of 1–3 commercial opportunities for the stage- gate review, with comparable unit economics, key technical requirements and indicative cost ranges.

Draft business plan and financial model (Week 8): Draft business plan, integrated financial model and investment roadmap, including funding, staffing and farmer implications, for consolidated review in Week 9. Final inclusive business plan and handover (Week 10): Final business plan, investment roadmap and editable financial model incorporating Week 9 comments, handed over to the Company in one session. Before kick-off, the Consultant will confirm access to priority records, the facility, the Company’s decision-makers and the technical specialist, and agree review dates around December availability and programme closeout.

Expected Impact Through this assignment, the Company will have a clear, evidence-based view of which macadamia activities to prioritise, maintain, pilot or defer, together with a business plan, financial model and phased investment roadmap for its preferred strategy. Testing buyer demand, unit economics and downside risks before committing capital should help the Company avoid investing in value addition that is not commercially viable, and strengthen its case to investors concerned about macadamia exposure. The assignment will also clarify the team, processing improvements and equipment needed to execute the strategy, and the likely implications for farmer participation and earnings, enabling management to make sequenced investment decisions that support both business growth and smallholder farmer incomes.