Request for quotations: Consultancy to develop a learner-centered onboarding strategy for AI-based phenotyping tools

About the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Its solutions address global challenges such as malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation.

The Alliance is leading the development of the user interface for Ona Labs. It works with local, national and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, as well as public- and private-sector organizations.

The Alliance is part of the CGIAR consortium, a global research partnership working towards a food-secure future. CGIAR is dedicated to reducing poverty, improving food and nutrition security, and strengthening natural resources and ecosystem services.

Through innovative partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and promotes innovations that transform food systems and landscapes, sustain the planet, drive prosperity and nourish people amid the climate crisis.

• Alliance website: https://alliancebioversityciat.org/
• CGIAR website: https://www.cgiar.org/

Consultancy overview

Through the Google.org project, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is deploying AI-assisted phenotyping tools to support breeding programmes.

A user-friendly, easy-to-understand and scalable interface is required to reduce the onboarding effort for breeding teams and increase adoption of the tool.

The consultancy covers three related workstreams:

• Design iteration, testing and handover of the Ona Labs onboarding interface.
• Exploratory research and recommendations on guiding users through data collection in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Ongoing user-interface maintenance support following the initial handover.

Objectives

The consultancy will:

• Translate Ona Labs user research into a build-ready design package comprising MVP-aligned wireframes and a visual prototype ready for handover to the programming team.
• Deliver a tested and refined design for Ona Labs, validated against testing results from participating breeding centres.
• Explore and recommend approaches for guiding users through data collection in line with SOPs.
• Provide ongoing UI maintenance support, including further design iterations and handover to the development team, for an agreed number of days per month following the initial handover.

Scope of work

Ona Labs UI/UX

The consultant or consultancy team will undertake the following activities:

• Participate in a kick-off and briefing meeting to review previous user research.
• Align with the Ona team on the input MVP, which is the first draft of the in-app or portal experience, whether tested during the September Demo in Nairobi or untested.
• Complete further design iterations and prepare mock-ups for each new iteration, including:
  • One iteration based on feedback from the Demo or the consultant’s own testing.
  • One iteration based on testing results.
  • An additional iteration incorporating structured team feedback.
• Conduct on-demand one-to-one refinement sessions with the Ona programming team.
• Develop testing plans.
• Conduct remote testing and on-site interviews or testing with participating breeding teams.
• Facilitate a structured team-feedback session leading to the final design iteration.
• Complete the final handover through a deployment-ready ticket presented during a series of meetings with the developer team and defining the implementation.

Exploring ways to guide users on data collection following SOPs

The consultant will:

• Participate in a kick-off and briefing meeting with the Ona team.
• Conduct an exploratory study to understand the internal team’s current capacity and resources.
• Prepare a research report containing recommendations on approaches for guiding users through data collection in accordance with SOPs.
• Produce low-fidelity mock-ups in Figma Make to illustrate the proposed approaches.

UI maintenance support

The maintenance component will include:

• Ongoing design support for an agreed number of days per month, to be confirmed with the consultant.
• Further design iterations as required, with handover to the development team.

Deliverables

The overall output will be a tested and refined onboarding design for Ona Labs, a research report and recommendations on SOP-aligned data-collection guidance, and ongoing maintenance support with periodic design handovers.

Specific deliverables include:

1. A working plan.
2. Remote and on-site testing plans.
3. A first design draft based on feedback from the Demo or the consultant’s own testing.
4. A second design draft based on testing results, together with an additional team-feedback iteration.
5. An in-field testing report.
6. Final wireframes and a visual prototype in Figma.
7. A deployment-ready ticket presented through handover meeting or meetings with the developer team.
8. A research report and recommendations on SOP-based data-collection guidance, accompanied by low-fidelity mock-ups produced in Figma Make.
9. Monthly maintenance-support logs and any resulting design iterations or handovers.

Contract period and timeline

The contract will run for five months, from 1 October 2026 to 28 February 2027.

Indicative milestones

• Month 1: Inception, kick-off meetings, preparation of the working plan and review of previous research.
• Months 1–2: Preparation of testing plans, remote and on-site testing or interviews, and completion of the first design iteration.
• Months 2–4: Completion of the second design iteration based on testing results, preparation of the SOP research report and recommendations, and completion of the team-feedback iteration.
• Month 5: Completion of the final wireframes and prototype, deployment-ready ticket and handover meetings.
• Throughout the contract: UI maintenance support according to the agreed monthly schedule.

Payments will be made monthly against the deliverables agreed for each period.

Important: Travel expenses will be covered separately and should not be included under this call.

Proposal requirements

Interested consultancies or teams must submit proposals covering:

• Relevant experience in applying design-thinking approaches, user research and interface development.
• The proposed approach and methodology, aligned with the objectives and scope of work.
• A detailed work plan and schedule.
• A budget and resource plan.
• Qualifications of the proposed key personnel.

Company statutory documents required

Company registration and identification

Applicants must provide:

• Certificate of Incorporation or Certificate of Registration.
• Business Name Registration Certificate, where applicable.
• Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Certificate.
• VAT Registration Certificate, if the company is registered for VAT.

Tax compliance documents

Applicants must submit:

• A valid Tax Clearance Certificate issued by the Tanzania Revenue Authority.
• A valid TIN Certificate.
• A VAT Certificate, where applicable.

Business operating licences

Applicants must provide:

• A valid Business Licence.
• Any applicable sector-specific licence, registration or permit.

How to submit a proposal

Both local and foreign companies are invited to submit their proposals by email to the Procurement Office of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.

• Submission email: [email protected]
• Submission deadline: 9 September 2026
• Closing time: 5:00 p.m. East Africa Time (GMT+3)
• Required email subject: PROVISION OF CONSULTANCY SERVICE TO DEVELOP ONA LABS IU.

Fees must:

• Include all applicable costs.
• Be expressed in United States dollars (USD).

Correspondence

All communications from bidders concerning this request must be made in writing and addressed to:

[email protected]

Award criteria

The contract will be awarded based on fulfilment of the qualification criteria.

Anti-bribery and corruption

All bidders must comply fully with the applicable Anti-Bribery and Corruption Act.

Exclusion criteria

Each bidder must provide written confirmation that:

• Neither the bidder nor any related company to which it regularly subcontracts is insolvent or being wound up, has its affairs administered by the courts, has entered into an arrangement with creditors, has suspended its business activities, is subject to proceedings concerning such matters, or is in an analogous situation arising from a similar procedure under national legislation or regulations.
• Neither the bidder nor a company to which it regularly subcontracts has been convicted of fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering, offences concerning professional conduct, breaches of applicable labour law or labour tax legislation, or any other illegal activity by a national or international court.
• Neither the bidder nor a company to which it regularly subcontracts has failed to meet its obligations relating to social-security contributions or taxes under the laws of the country in which the bidder operates.
• The bidder has not been barred from participating in any tender conducted by a CGIAR organization.

A bidder will automatically be excluded or disqualified if found guilty of misrepresentation when supplying information in its tender bid or if it fails to provide the required information.

Conflict of interest and non-collusion

Each bidder must confirm in writing:

• That it is not aware of any connection between the bidder, its directors or senior managers and CIAT directors or staff that could affect the outcome of the selection process.
• That any connection that could create a conflict of interest has been fully disclosed.
• That it has not communicated the amount or approximate amount of the award to anyone other than CIAT.
• That it has not offered and will not offer, pay or provide any money, commission, gift, inducement or other financial benefit, directly or indirectly, to any person for doing or omitting to do anything relating to the tender process.

CIAT reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, annul the tendering process, or reject all tenders before awarding the contract. It may do so without incurring liability to affected tenderers or being obliged to provide the grounds for its decision.

RFQ/Tender Information and Attachments

For comprehensive information regarding this RFQ/tender, we invite you to download the attachments provided below. These documents contain all the necessary details, including specifications, requirements, and submission guidelines. Please review them carefully to ensure you have all the pertinent information needed to participate.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL TENDER NOTICE HERE

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