The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has opened a new call for proposals for the development of a comprehensive Gender Assessment Study under the Regional EELA Window covering the ECOWAS, EAC, and SADC regions. The assessment will build on the gender analysis recently conducted under the EELA Kenya, EELA Zambia and the EELA Zimbabwe Country Windows, consolidating these existing analyses and complementing them where gaps exist.

The contractor will be expected to examine gender gaps, opportunities, systemic barriers, market participation, policy readiness, institutional capacities, social norms, access to and control over technology, financing, and employment and skills ecosystems in the energy efficiency sector. The key findings will support UNIDO and its regional partners to integrate gender considerations across the EELA Program design, policy development, market transformation interventions, capacity development, and monitoring frameworks.

The successful contractor will work under the guidance of UNIDO and in close cooperation with the SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) in Windhoek, Namibia, the East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency (EACREEE) in Kampala, Uganda, and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) in Praia, Cape Verde, as well as relevant national focal institutions, standards bodies (e.g., KEBS), women-led business networks, and civil society gender organizations.

Key Deliverables Include:

• Regional Stakeholder Mapping & Capacity Assessment (Feeding into Training)
• Regional Gender Analysis, Data Consolidation and Market Assessment
• Review, complement and Consolidate Existing Gender Reports of the EELA Country Windows
• Develop Costed Gender Action Plan (GAP)
• Develop a consolidated EELA Program Gender report and a 12-page communication product for publication
• Gender Sensitization Training

Why is This Important?

The Gender Assessment Study will generate the evidence needed to ensure that EELA interventions are inclusive, effective and responsive across the programme's regions of intervention. Through the analysis of barriers and opportunities related to technology access, skills, finance, employment and market participation, the study will help ensure that EELA’s market transformation and capacity-building interventions deliver inclusive and sustainable development outcomes.

Deadline for proposal submission: 17 September 2026, 16:00:00 CET

The contractor will implement the agreed activities over a period of six (06) months, starting from the date of the contract signature.

Interested applicants can access the complete bidding documents through UNIDO's Procurement Portal (RFX No. 7000008774): https://www.unido.org/get-involved/procurement/login-unidos-e-procurement-portal

New to UNIDO procurement? Consult the UNIDO Bidder Access Guide: https://procurement.unido.org/doc/Bidder_Access_Guide_2019.pdf