Background:
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. In Kenya, UN Women's mandate is to lead, promote, and coordinate efforts to advance women's rights and empowerment within the UN system and among various stakeholders.
With support from the government of UAE, UN Women is implementing a gender-responsive procurement programme that seeks to economically empower women by ensuring governments and the private sector institutions adopt and implement gender-responsive procurement laws, legislation and policies and increase procurement spend from women-owned, led and gender-responsive businesses. The programme aims to empower women entrepreneurs by supporting the integration of their businesses into corporate and public sector supply chains in Kenya, regionally and globally.
The programme aims to advance gender-responsive procurement to empower women economically through strengthened global norms, enhanced women's entrepreneurial capacities, stakeholder collaboration, and evidencebased tools. Key programme outputs include:
Output 1: Global norms, standards and frameworks for Gender-Responsive Procurement are strengthened and regional, national and local level uptake and implementation supported
Output 2: Women’s capacities to start and grow their enterprises supported in Kenya
Output 3: Women’s organizations, procurement and supply chain actors and other stakeholders, such as regional economic commissions, convened to build support for gender-responsive procurement
Output 4: Procurement and supply chain actors equipped with the data, evidence and knowledge to practice gender responsive procurement.
Notably, Public and private procurement represents trillions of shillings in spending globally, yet women-owned and women-led businesses continue to receive a disproportionately small share of these opportunities. Globally, womenowned businesses secure just 1% of procurement contracts across both public and private sectors. Only 4% of companies set specific procurement targets for women-owned enterprises, and less than 5% offer training to help women compete in formal bidding processes. Even more concerning, only 9% of companies track procurement spend with women-owned businesses, and a mere 6% publicly report on it (UN Women, 2022).
Across Africa, the African Development Bank estimates that women own one-third of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), yet they face significant challenges in accessing procurement markets, including limited access to capital, information, and networks. In Kenya specifically, women-led and -owned SMEs (WLSMEs) account for 31.4% of all businesses and contribute about 20% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), yet they remain vastly underrepresented in both corporate and government supply chains (IFC, 2021).
In Kenya, the 2010 Constitution outlines procurement principles under Article 227(1), emphasizing fairness, equity, transparency, and cost-effectiveness. The Public Procurement And Asset Disposal Act (2015) mandates 30% of government contracts to be reserved for women, youth, and persons with disabilities via the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) Programme.
Despite significant efforts by the government, private sector, and civil society organizations to advance gender responsive procurement (GRP) in Kenya, challenges persist in fully leveraging these opportunities. For example, the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme, launched in 2013. AGPO reserves 30% of public procurement contracts for women, youth, and persons with disabilities, yet current utilization stands at only 18.1%. These gaps highlights the need for improved policy implementation, enhanced capacity for women-owned businesses, and broader stakeholder collaboration to ensure equitable access to procurement opportunities, fostering economic empowerment for women and inclusive growth in Kenya.
To address these challenges, UN Women is commissioning an ecosystem study to evaluate the impact of GRP initiatives in government (including UN), private sector and civil society organizations, to identify critical policy, implementation gaps and opportunities for improvement, and map GRP stakeholders. The study will establish opportunities to strengthen GRP frameworks, propose actionable recommendations to support governments, private sector and civil society organizations in Kenya and beyond in adopting robust GRP policies and implementation frameworks. By fostering partnerships, developing tools, and generating evidence-based insights, the initiative aims to increase women’s participation in procurement, driving sustainable and equitable economic growth.
Gender-responsive procurement (GRP) is the sustainable solicitation of goods, services, and works from women-owned or women-led businesses, as well as those with gender-responsive practices. It is geared towards providing a transformative opportunity to foster inclusive sourcing strategies that prioritize women-led/owned enterprises. GRP is believed to promote gender equality while delivering significant business outcomes. Organizations implementing GRP experience enhanced supply chain resilience, reduced procurement costs, improved brand reputation, and greater innovation (UN Women, 2022; BSR, 2021).
Key Objective
The ecosystem study seeks to deliver a comprehensive understanding of gender-responsive procurement in Kenya, with a focus on fostering inclusivity and empowering women-led/owned businesses within the public and private procurement ecosystems. By examining the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme and related initiatives within the government, private sector and Civil Society Organizations such as Sorcing2Equal and Women Empowerment Principles (by UN Women and UN Global Compact), the study aims to identify critical policy and implementation gaps, uncover opportunities for enhancement, and propose actionable recommendations to advance equitable economic growth. The research is structured around five integrated objectives, combining policy analysis, impact assessment, and stakeholder engagement and analysis to inform evidence-based reforms in the supply chain space.
Specific Objectives
1. Evaluate the Impact of GRP Initiatives: Assess the effectiveness of the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme and related initiatives (e.g. Sourcing2Equal, Women Empowerment Principles, etc.) in empowering women entrepreneurs, identifying key success factors, policy and implementation gaps, systemic challenges, and economic and social outcomes for women and marginalized groups.
2. Analyze Procurement Policies and Frameworks: Examine national, county-level and private sector procurement policies, including the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act (PPADA) 2015, to identify gaps in design, implementation, and enforcement that hinder women’s participation, and propose recommendations to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive procurement practices.
3. Map Stakeholders and Procurement Opportunities: Conduct stakeholder mapping to profile key actors in GRP across government, private sector, and civil society organizations, and create a comprehensive database of public and private sector procurement opportunities, highlighting sectors and regions with untapped potential for women-owned businesses.
4. Develop Evidence-Based Recommendations and Tools: Formulate actionable, evidence-based recommendations and a practical implementation framework to enhance GRP strategies, simplify procurement processes, build capacity for women-owned businesses, and foster stakeholder collaboration for sustainable economic inclusion.
Expected Outputs
The consultant is expected to deliver the following:
1. A comprehensive GRP impact assessment report-detailing findings from both the public and private sectors
2. Report on Policy Gaps and recommendations- Produce a detailed report synthesizing findings from the key study components, providing clear, evidence-based overview, gaps and opportunities for improvement, of the GRP ecosystem, serving as a foundational resource for policymakers and procuring entities.
3. GRP implementation framework and roadmap-Develop a practical roadmap and implementation framework for implementing GRP strategies across national and county level governments, the UN, private sector and civil society organizations, with clear, phased steps to operationalize recommendations, and prioritize actionable, scalable solutions to ensure sustainable impact.
4. Database of Procurement Opportunities: Develop a comprehensive database, mapping public and private sector institutions with active procurement opportunities and detailing their specific procurement needs. The database should highlight sectors and regions with untapped potential, making it a tool for targeted outreach and economic inclusion.
5. A stakeholder directory and report summarizing their roles, contributions, and potential for collaboration, which can be used to foster partnerships and inform policy recommendations.
6. Evidence-Based Recommendations-Deliver evidence-based recommendations focusing on policy reforms, strategies to simplify procurement processes, simplified implementation framework for GRP strategies, approaches to enhance capacity building, frameworks to foster collaborations, etc
Activities/Scope of Work
Under the direct supervision of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist-Gender-Responsive Procurement, and with technical support from the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, the consultant will conduct the following activities:
1. Impact Assessment of the GRP initiatives across public and private sector Conduct a detailed assessment to trace and evaluate the success of women participating in the AGPO programme, which reserves 30% of government procurement opportunities for women, youth, and persons with disabilities, and other similar initiatives implemented by private sector institutions and civil society organizations such as Sorcing2Equal. The study should help identify key factors contributing to the achievements of women entrepreneurs in the supply chain space, as well as highlight areas requiring further support. More specifically, the study should apply a gender lens to assess GRP outcomes for women and other marginalized groups such as youth and persons with disability, with a focus on, policy gaps, implementation gaps, economic outcomes, social outcomes and Systemic Changes.
2. Policy Analysis at National and County Levels: Examine existing procurement policies at both national and county levels to assess their alignment with gender-responsive and inclusive procurement principles. This includes a review of frameworks governing public procurement to identify gaps in policy design, implementation, and enforcement that may hinder women’s participation, with recommendations provided to strengthen the policies, ensuring they effectively promote gender equity and economic inclusion of women and other marginalized groups.
3. Gap Analysis of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act (PPADA) 2015: Conduct a focused gap analysis of the PPADA 2015 that evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of its gender and inclusive provisions. The study should identify areas where the Act can be enhanced to better support WOBs, such as improving compliance mechanisms, clarifying eligibility criteria, and addressing structural barriers like complex tender requirements and limited access to finance.
4. Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement Analysis: Conduct a stakeholder mapping exercise to identify and profile key actors involved in gender-responsive procurement (GRP) and related initiatives across government, private sector, and civil society organizations. This will involve identifying key players, profiling their activities and roles, assessing collaboration and Influence and highlighting best practices and gaps.
5. Mapping Procurement Opportunities: Map institutions with active procurement opportunities, creating a comprehensive database of public and private sector procuring organizations and their specific procurement needs. This database will serve as a resource for WOBs, enabling them to identify and pursue relevant opportunities. The mapping exercise should also highlight sectors and regions with untapped potential for women entrepreneurs, to foster greater market access and participation.
6. Recommendations: Make recommendations which will result in the development of evidence-based strategies to strengthen GRP and other similar initiatives geared towards enhancing inclusivity and addressing systemic barriers within the supply chain space.
Geographical Scope
The consultant will conduct the study at national and county levels, focusing on the national government and the county governments of West Pokot, Kitui, Tharaka Nithi, Isiolo, Baringo, Samburu, Turkana, Makueni, and Laikipia; as well as the private sector and women entrepreneurs within the supply chain space in the listed counties.
Methodology: The consultant will employ mixed methods, including quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, desk reviews of policies, reports, and existing data and stakeholder consultations with government, private sector, CSOs, and women entrepreneurs.
Timeframe: The study should be completed within eight weeks, falling between 11 th August and 15th October 2025.
Timeline and deliverables
Deliverable
Expected
completion time
Payment Schedule
Inception report with work plan, tools and timelines. The consultant should submit an inception report capturing relevant information such as proposed methods, data
collection procedure, schedule of task matrix, and background
5 working days
1st instalment of the consultancy fee - 20%
information. In addition to the work plan, including questions about the tools used in data gathering
after submission of the inception report1
Draft Report -Submit a draft report capturing synthesized findings from impact assessment, policy analysis, and PPADA gap analysis, providing an evidence-based overview of the GRP ecosystem; practical, phased roadmap and implementation framework for implementing GRP strategies at national and county levels; a stakeholder directory and report summarizing their roles, contributions, and potential for collaboration, which can be used to foster partnerships and inform policy recommendations, and actionable recommendations for policy reforms, simplified procurement
processes, capacity building, and stakeholder collaboration.
End of week6
2nd instalment of the consultancy fee - 30% after submission of the draft report and raw data
Submit raw collected data in machine-readable format such
as Word Document, CSV or Excel
Presentation of findings for internal and external validation of the report- the consultant- Deliver a presentation to UN Women and key stakeholders summarizing findings and
recommendations, for feedback and validation
End of week8
Final Comprehensive Report-The consultant should submit a comprehensive report that integrates feedback from internal and external validation exercises and includes findings from impact assessment, policy analysis, and PPADA gap analysis, providing an evidence-based overview of the GRP ecosystem; practical, phased roadmap and implementation framework for implementing GRP strategies at national and county levels; a stakeholder directory and report summarizing their roles, contributions, and potential for collaboration, which can be used to foster partnerships and inform policy recommendations, and actionable recommendations for policy reforms, simplified procurement processes, capacity
building, and stakeholder collaboration.
End of week10
3rd and final instalment of the consultancy fee- 50% after submission of the final comprehensive report, presentation of findings and submission of procurement opportunities data base
Procurement Opportunities Database-Submit a comprehensive database of public and private sector procuring entities, highlighting their needs and untapped
opportunities for WOBs.
Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This consultancy may take a hybrid approach, with limited number of field trips.
Competencies :
Core Values:
- Integrity;
- Professionalism;
- Respect for Diversity.
Core Competencies:
- Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
- Accountability;
- Creative Problem Solving;
- Effective Communication;
- Inclusive Collaboration;
- Stakeholder Engagement;
- Leading by Example.
Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:
Functional Competencies:
- Very strong background in gender and women’s economic empowerment approaches, including GRP
- Experience in assessing the impact of policies, strategies and measures from a gender perspective.
- Proven analytical and research skills with an understanding of quantitative/qualitative methods and data analysis.
- Ability to manage time and meet tight deadlines.
- Focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to feedback.
- Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.
Education
- A Master’s degree in public policy, economics, gender studies, or a related field is required.
- A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience
- At least 7 years of experience in procurement, gender equality, or economic development research.
- Proven expertise in policy analysis, impact assessment, and stakeholder engagement.
- Knowledge of Kenya’s procurement frameworks (PPADA 2015, AGPO)
- Strong analytical skills and experience with mixed-methods research.
- Excellent writing and presentation skills.
- Familiarity with gender-responsive procurement and inclusivity principles.
Languages:
- Fluency in English and Kiswahili is required.
Statements :
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.
Diversity and inclusion:
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)
Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.
- Fluency in English and Kiswahili is required.