Call for Expression of Interest
Consultancy for Research on Strengthening Markets and Value Chains for Women's Economic Empowerment
Title and brief description of the assignment
Research on Strengthening Markets and Value Chains for Women's Economic Empowerment in Matobo District
Assignment location:Matobo District, Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe
Contract start date: 23 November to 31 December 2026
How to apply
Interested candidates are invited to submit:
1) A proposal describing how the annual survey will be conducted (including a budget in a separate file)
2) CV (s) demonstrating experience and suitability for the assignment
3) A written example of a survey already carried out
See section ‘8. Application Process’ for further details
Application deadline: 7 November 2026, 17:00hrs
Contracting organisation: Oxfam in Zimbabwe
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Background
Oxfam, in partnership with Hope for a Child in Christ (HOCIC), is implementing women's economic empowerment initiative in Matobo District through market systems and value chain development approaches. Building on experiences from the WE-LEAP programme, the project seeks to better understand how women's engagement in agricultural and craft value chains contributes to economic empowerment and improved livelihoods.
To inform future programming and investment decisions, Oxfam is seeking a qualified consultant or consultancy firm to conduct a research study that will generate evidence on women's participation, benefits, constraints, and opportunities within selected value chains in Matobo District.
Scope of work
The consultant will undertake a mixed-methods study to:
• Map selected value chains and market systems within Matobo District.
• Assess women's participation and benefits across different value chain functions.
• Examine the contribution of value chain participation to women's income, savings, asset ownership, and decision-making power.
• Identify institutional, structural, market, and gender-related barriers affecting women's economic returns.
• Generate evidence-based recommendations to strengthen women's economic empowerment through market systems and value chain programming.
Duties and Responsibilities
Deliverables
The successful consultant will be expected to deliver:
• Value chain and market maps for selected products and sectors.
• A comprehensive research report presenting findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• A concise programmatic brief highlighting practical actions for future programming.
• Facilitation of a stakeholder validation workshop.
• An anonymised dataset for future monitoring, evaluation, and learning purposes.
Qualifications and Experience
Profile and experience of the consultant
To ensure that the annual survey is carried out in the most effective manner possible, the consultant must possess the following attributes:
Essential
The company/ individual(s) should have the following competencies:
• A postgraduate qualification in Development Studies, Gender Studies, Agricultural Economics, Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Affiliation with a university in Zimbabwe.
• At least ten (10) years' experience conducting research, assessments, evaluations, or studies in livelihoods, agriculture, market systems, gender equality, or economic empowerment.
• Strong expertise in gender analysis and mixed-methods research.
• Demonstrated experience in value chain and market systems analysis.
• Excellent analytical, facilitation, and report-writing skills.
• Fluency in English; proficiency in local languages will be an added advantage.
• Strong understanding of the Zimbabwean development and market systems context.
Desired
The successful candidate(s) will be selected based on the following criteria
• Sound technical proposal
• Financial proposal
• Experience and educational background
How to Apply
The consultant should also have key personnel that are aligned to the project themes.
While evaluating the proposal the qualifications and experience of the personnel will be considered.
Application procedure
Interested applicants should read TORs BY CLICKING THE APPLY BUTTON BELOW and submit a technical and financial proposal to: Zimtenders@oxfam.org.uk. The expression of interest should among other things, demonstrate the consultants’ understanding of these terms of reference, proposed approaches, methodologies or techniques and timelines/schedule. A minimum of two samples of previous work related to the assignment as well as resume/s of the lead consultant will also be accepted as addendums to the expression of interest. The deadline for submission of expressions of interest is 7 November 2026.
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