Procurement Summary

Who We Are 

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust, and need. From chatbots to chat shows and TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make life choices and changes.

We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl.”

Our reach is 50 million and counting. And we’re using technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning, and her livelihood.

Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community, and country.

That’s the Girl Effect.

In Kenya, Girl Effect’s programs, like WAZZII Chatbot, WAZZII Dadas, and Tukisonga, have reached over 62 million youth worldwide, connecting them to vital health, education, and livelihood opportunities.

Background 

AASHA, the Age-Appropriate Sexual Health Approach, is a government-led initiative co-designed with adolescents and young people. It aims to provide age-specific sexual and reproductive health information for audiences aged 10–14, 15–17 and 18–24 through government-led digital platforms and complementary communication channels.

Girl Effect is supporting Kenya’s Ministry of Health to strengthen Rika, a government-led digital platform for age-appropriate information.

Phase One delivered a web-based minimum viable product with an embedded chatbot. Phase Two will use research and testing with users in Kwale, Narok and Migori to:

• Improve the user journey;
• Design and build priority features;
• Strengthen data and approved AI capabilities;
• Improve platform accessibility, security and performance; and
• Deploy a secure and maintainable MVP2.

Objective

Girl Effect seeks a qualified digital product, UX, and software engineering agency or consortium to research, design, build, test, deploy, and hand over Rika Phase Two.

The supplier will work with the Ministry of Health, Girl Effect, and young people to deliver an accessible, mobile-first, and secure web platform, chatbot, and data dashboard that can be sustainably owned and operated by the Ministry of Health.

Government -Led Digital Platform 

The Government of Kenya has developed guidelines on messaging adolescents but does not have a single platform that provides youth in Kenya with age-appropriate sexual health information tailored to meet the unique demands of AGYW and ABYM. Through the AASHA program, Girl Effect will support the Ministry of Health in creating a centralized repository of all age-appropriate SRH information. 

The Rika - AYP platform 

To deliver the digital platform, Girl Effect has identified the Rika - AYP digital platform, launched as MVP 1 by the Ministry of Health, as a potential foundational platform that could be improved with additional features developed to achieve our goals (See the link to the live site here). 

The Rika -AYP platform has been co-designed by the Ministry of Health RMCAH department and the digital health department, in partnership with a cohort of youth identified by the Ministry of Health working under the Entity Lomogan Solutions. 

Girl Effect is providing technical advice to the Ministry of Health and the young developers, borrowing from Girl Effect’s tech development process to improve the Rika -AYP platform. 

This is being done in two phases:

Rika Phase One: The goal of the first phase was to build on the ongoing government-led platform development process and deliver a simple web-based MVP prototype with an embedded chat function.

Working in collaboration with MOH and tech youth creators supported by MOH, we have designed and launched Rika (https://rika.go.ke/explore ), a web version of the digital platform with a chatbot embedded.

Rika Phase Two: 

With the first version of Rika developed, we want to offer MOH technical support to:

• Conduct additional comprehensive needs analysis among TA to test usability of the Rika website and chatbot  and identify additional needs for features and channels 
• Refine the consumer journey while factoring in insights from the needs assessment exercise 
• Design additional features on Rika 
• Build additional features on Rika 
• Test additional features on Rika
• Deploy an updated version of Rika -  MVP2  

What You will do

Girl Effect seeks to engage the services of an agency to design and develop the second phase of the Rika platform (Web and chatbot). The scope of work will include UX design and engineering support. 

Working alongside the Ministry of Health, Digital Health team, Girl Effect tech UX design and HCD experts, you will conduct a comprehensive needs assessment exercise across Migori, Narok and Kwale counties to identify additional features for MVP 2. You will design a comprehensive updated consumer journey, develop a comprehensive requirements document, design wireframes for new features, build and test all additional MVP 2 (web and chatbot)features to meet the needs of our target audience, and work alongside the GE data team. 

Needs assessment: 

• You will define the approach for conducting an additional needs assessment for Rika Tech, working alongside the MOH, the GE  HCD and UX teams. 
• You will develop tools to conduct a needs assessment to ensure relevant insights to advise on tech considerations are obtained from the exercise.
• You will co-facilitate the needs assessment session in Kwale, Narok, and Migori counties alongside MOH, UX designer, GE, and HCD consultant with a focus on generating tech-related insights 
• You will conduct user testing of the MVP1 during needs assessment workshops to obtain feedback
• You will work alongside the GE UX design team and MOH team to package tech-related insights from the needs assessment into a Rika version two requirements document for the Rika website and Chatbot. 
• You will work alongside the GE UX design team to support the design of updated consumer journeys and wireframes to be handed over to the engineering team for build 
• You will lead the development of additional features for the Rika Web and Chatbot while working alongside the Girl Effect engineering team. This will include creation of chatbot and website copy and any AI-related features 
• After the build of Rika version two, you will conduct user acceptance testing and usability testing of all new features 
• You will also develop a data dashboard

NB: This scope of work covers design for the Rika web platform and the Rika chatbot.

Budget Consumption: All work performed, including time reserved for recurring meetings, will be tracked against the agreed budget. Duration and Working Arrangements

The supplier will report to the designated Girl Effect Programme Manager and work closely with relevant Girl Effect, Ministry of Health and Rika representatives.

Who You Are

Bidders should demonstrate:

• At least five years of relevant experience delivering user-centred web platforms, chatbots and data products.
• Experience in health, youth or public-sector digital products.
• Demonstrated capability in:
• Product discovery;
• UX research and design;
• Accessible and mobile-first design;
• Software architecture;
• Front-end and back-end engineering;
• Chatbot or conversational design;
• Data analytics and dashboards;
• Secure engineering;
• Quality assurance;
• DevOps and deployment; and
• Technical documentation and handover.
• Experience working with government stakeholders and multi-partner approval structures in Kenya, which is highly desirable.
• A strong relevant portfolio.
• At least three recent client references.
• Evidence of successfully taking over, assessing, and improving an existing codebase.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated in the following order:

• Pre-screening
• Technical evaluation
• Financial evaluation.

Evaluation Criterion

• Understanding of the assignment and proposed product approach:15% 
• UX research, design and accessibility methodology: 10%
• Engineering architecture, security, data and quality-assurance approach: 20%
• Relevant experience, portfolio and government or health-sector delivery: 10%
• Team capability, workplan, handover and support model:  15%
• Financial proposal and value for money: 20%

Girl Effect may request:

• Written clarifications;
• Technical presentations;
• Product demonstrations;
• Interviews;
• Reference checks;
• Code, architecture or security evidence;
• Due diligence information; or
• Best-and-final offers.

The lowest-priced proposal will not necessarily be selected.

Proposal Submission

Invited agencies must submit separate technical and financial proposals.

The technical proposal should not exceed 10 pages, including CVs, references, company documents, and supporting evidence.

Technical Proposal

The technical proposal should include:

• Understanding of Rika, AASHA, the target users, and the Phase Two objectives.
• Identification of key delivery risks, assumptions and dependencies.
• Proposed discovery and research methodology.
• UX design and accessibility approach.
• Software-engineering and architecture approach.
• Data and analytics approach.
• Chatbot and approved AI-safety approach.
• Quality-assurance and testing methodology.
• Security, privacy and safeguarding approach.
• Deployment, monitoring and rollback methodology.
• Documentation, handover and training approach.
• Proposed warranty and support model.
• Proposed approach to assessing and working with the existing technology stack.
• Measures for minimising vendor lock-in.
• Detailed workplan showing phases, milestones, dependencies, review points and delivery dates.
• Proposed team, roles, availability and CVs
• Three comparable case studies.
• Relevant work samples.
• Three recent client references.
• All proposed third-party tools, licences, hosting services and recurring costs.
• Assumptions, exclusions and client responsibilities.

Financial Proposal

The financial proposal should include:

• Detailed pricing in Kenyan shillings.
• Costs broken down by phase and deliverable.
• Proposed roles, rates and estimated level of effort.
• Applicable taxes shown separately.
• Reimbursable expenses shown separately.
• A rate card for approved additional work.
• Confirmation that the proposal will remain valid for 90 days.
• All pricing assumptions and exclusions.

Procurement Timelines

• Terms of reference published: 6th November, 2026
• Deadline for proposal submission:  20th November  2026

How to Apply

Email the technical and financial proposals as separate attachments to: [email protected]

Applications must be received by: Use the following email subject: 20th November 2026

Rika Phase Two UX and Engineering Services-Kenya

Late, incomplete, or incorrectly addressed submissions may not be evaluated. Only shortlisted or successful bidders will be contacted.

General and Commercial Terms

• Contracting and Payment: The successful supplier will sign Girl Effect’s applicable agreement. Payments will be linked to the satisfactory delivery and written acceptance of agreed milestones and receipt of a correct invoice.
• Pricing and Scope: Prices must be quoted in Kenyan shillings and include all costs except clearly identified exclusions. No change to the approved scope, asset quantity, format, language, schedule or budget may proceed without Girl Effect’s prior written approval. Supplier errors and the agreed review rounds will not be treated as chargeable changes.
• Taxes and Expenses: Applicable taxes, licences, talent fees and reimbursable costs must be itemised separately. Girl Effect will deduct or account for taxes as required by law. Only reasonable expenses approved in writing in advance will be reimbursable.
• Intellectual Property and Rights: Subject to the final agreement, Girl Effect will own the approved outputs and commissioned project materials paid for under the engagement. The supplier must secure and document all talent, music, stock, location and third-party rights required for government, campaign, web, social-media and digital use.
• Confidentiality and Data Protection: The supplier must protect all confidential, personal and sensitive information accessed or created during the assignment.
• Safeguarding and Conduct: The supplier and all personnel, contributors and subcontractors must comply with Girl Effect’s safeguarding, ethical, anti-fraud, data-protection, information-security and supplier-conduct requirements.
• Conflicts of Interest: Bidders must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest.
• Equal Opportunity: Girl Effect welcomes proposals from qualified organisations and consortiums with diverse professional, cultural and geographic backgrounds.
• Right to Award: Girl Effect may seek clarification, negotiate, amend or cancel the process, reject any or all proposals, award all or part of the requirement or make no award. Girl Effect is not liable for costs incurred in preparing a proposal.
• Proposal Validity: Proposals must remain valid for 90 days from the submission deadline.