CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE PROVISION OF MONITORING AND VERIFICATION FIRM FOR NYOTA PROJECT — National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement Project

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION) Country: KENYA Name of Project: NATIONAL YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES TOWARDS ADVANCEMENT (NYOTA) Credit No. IDA-7355-KE/ Grant No: E210-KE Assignment Title: Consultancy Services for the Provision of Monitoring and Verification Firm for NYOTA Project The Government of Kenya, with financing from the World Bank, invites eligible consulting firms to submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the assignment indicated above under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project. The NYOTA Project aims to increase employment and earnings and promote savings for targeted youth at national scale. The Project is expected to reach 820,000 vulnerable youth across all 47 counties of Kenya, including refugees in Garissa and Turkana counties. The Project beneficiaries are youth aged 18-29 years, and up to 35 years for persons with disabilities, with little or no education, who are unemployed or in vulnerable employment. The consulting services (“the Services”) include independent monitoring and verification of results reported by Employer Organizations and other Service Providers under the NYOTA On-the-Job Experience (OJE) results-based financing arrangement. The assignment will cover verification of placement into apprenticeship, retention during apprenticeship, and retention in paid employment after apprenticeship, including review of Project system records, administrative data, remote verification, field verification, spot checks, evidence logs, and payment eligibility summaries. For clarity, the results-based financing milestones to be verified are: Milestone 1: placement into apprenticeship; Milestone 2: retention in apprenticeship for five months; and Milestone 3: retention in paid employment for six months after apprenticeship. These are referred to in the TOR as M1, M2 and M3 verification cycles, respectively. The estimated beneficiary population from which verification claims may arise is 90,000, with geographic coverage across the 47 counties. The initial contract period shall be twelve (12) months. The contract may be renewed in twelve-month periods, subject to satisfactory performance against agreed deliverables, continued need for the services, availability of funds, and compliance with quality and timeliness requirements. The contract shall not extend beyond the Project closing date of 31st December 2028, unless that date is formally extended and the Contract is amended in accordance with the applicable procurement and contract provisions. Interested firms should provide information and proof demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are: a) Demonstrated seven (7) years' experience in independent verification, results-based financing, performance audit, monitoring and evaluation, social protection, labour market, skills development, youth employment, or other large-scale beneficiary programmes, preferably including experience in sub-Saharan Africa; b) Proven track record of having undertaken at least two (2) assignments of a similar nature and complexity in the last five (5) years, including verification of results, payment-linked outputs, or large beneficiary datasets; c) A consultancy profile that includes the organizational structure, clearly stating the duties assigned to each of the personnel identified to support the delivery of verification, measurement and reporting; d) Demonstrated technical and managerial capability to deliver the assignment. Note: Key experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage. The attention of interested consulting firms is drawn to Section III, paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank's "Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers" dated July 2016 and revised in September 2025 (6th Edition) ("Procurement Regulations"), setting forth the World Bank's policy on conflict of interest. In addition, consulting firms shall not be hired for any assignment that would be in conflict with their prior or current obligations to other clients, or that may place them in a position of being unable to carry out the assignment in the best interests of the Borrower. Consultants may submit their REOI as an individual firm or in association in the form of a joint venture or sub-consultancy. All the members of the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire assignment. However, the experience of sub-consultant will not be considered while short-listing. A Consultant/firm will be selected in accordance with Quality Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the World Bank Regulations. Interested firms may obtain further information from the Project Supply Chain Management Office at NYOTA offices, Bruce House, Standard Street, 3rd Floor Northern Wing Room No. 321 during official working hours (8.00 a.m-5.00 p.m.) and days. Complete REOI document (paginated and stamped/signed on each page) and enclosed in plain sealed envelope marked with the tender reference number and addressed to the Principal Secretary, State Department of Youth Affairs and Creative Economy, P. O. Box 34303 –00100, Nairobi, Kenya and should be deposited in the Tender Box at Bruce House 3rd Floor to be received on or before 29th October, 2026, at 10.00 hours The REOIs will be closed/opened immediately thereafter at the NYOTA Boardroom, Bruce House, 3rd Floor Standard Street Nairobi.