Call for National Tender to Conduct Weather Forecast Advisory Services at Nuru Nigeria

Nuru Nigeria is a local NGO with affiliates in the US, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana and Burkina Faso. Our mission is to build resilience corridors of farmer-owned and farmer-led agribusinesses and profitable rural livelihoods in 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of northeast Nigeria proximate to conflict-vulnerable areas by 2030. Nuru Nigeria prioritises the smallholder farmers it serves and works to cultivate lasting, meaningful choices through a community-led, community-driven and community-sustained livelihood program across the agriculture value chain.

Applications are invited for:

Title: National Tender to Conduct Weather Forecast Advisory Services

Locations: Biu and Kwaya Kusar LGA, Borno, & Toungo LGA, Adamawa
Employment Type: Contract (Consultancy Service)

Background

• Nuru Nigeria is a local Nigerian NGO with affiliates in the US, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Benin and Togo.
• Our mission is to build resilience corridors of farmer-owned and farmer-led agribusinesses and profitable rural livelihoods in proximity to conflict-vulnerable areas in Northern Nigeria.
• Nuru Nigeria prioritises smallholder farmers and is committed to cultivating lasting, meaningful choices through community-led, community-driven, and community-sustained livelihood projects across the agricultural value chain.
• Smallholder farmers in northeastern Nigeria continue to face increasing climate-related risks, including unpredictable rainfall patterns, delayed onset of rains, prolonged dry spells, and extreme weather events.
• These challenges significantly affect agricultural planning, crop yields, and household food security.
• The SUSTAIN Project, implemented by Nuru Nigeria, aims to improve agricultural productivity, climate resilience, and livelihoods through integrated, market-oriented, and digitally enabled interventions.
• As part of its climate-smart agriculture and digital inclusion strategy, the project seeks to provide Weather Forecast Advisory Services to smallholder farmers in Biu, Kwaya Kusar, and Toungo LGAs.
• To ensure timely, accurate, and reliable delivery of weather information, Nuru Nigeria will engage a qualified Weather Forecast Advisory Service Provider to deliver SMS-based weather forecast advisories directly to farmers’ private mobile phone lines.
• This service will support informed decision-making throughout the 2026 cropping season and contribute to improved farm outcomes and food security.

Terms of Reference (ToR )
Purpose / Objective:
Overall Objective:

• To provide timely, accurate, and actionable weather forecast advisory services to smallholder farmers in selected communities of Biu, Kwaya Kusar, and Toungo LGAs under the SUSTAIN Project during the 2026 cropping season.

Specific Objectives:

• Disseminate daily, location-specific weather forecasts via SMS.
• Reduce climate-related risks through early warning and weather advisories.
• Support informed decision-making on land preparation, planting windows, fertilizer application, pest and disease management, and harvesting.
• Strengthen farmers’ resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change.

Scope of Work / Methodology
The selected Service Provider shall deliver SMS-based advisory services to approximately 2,300 smallholder farmers across the project’s selected communities of Biu, Kwaya Kusar, and Toungo LGAs.
The scope of services shall include:

• Daily weather forecast advisories are delivered via SMS to farmers’ private mobile phone lines.
• Weekly E-Extension (technical) advisories provided at critical stages of the cropping season, including but not limited to:
  • Recommended planting windows
  • Timing of fertilizer and agro-input application
  • Pest and disease risk management
  • Optimal harvesting periods
• Integration of weather forecasts with agronomic advisories to support timely and informed farm-level decision-making.
• The Service Provider shall ensure the timely and accurate dissemination of the information via SMS, subject to the informed consent of participating farmers.
• The Service Provider shall comply with all applicable data protection, privacy, and confidentiality laws and best practices, ensuring secure handling and use of farmers’ personal information.
• Nuru Nigeria will provide the technical information (E - extension service), with the consent of the users.
• Services will be expected to commence by 1st April, 2026, and shall conclude at the end of November, 2026.

Deliverables / Expected Outputs:
The selected Service Provider shall deliver the following outputs over the duration of the contract:
SMS-based Weather Forecast Delivery:

• Daily weather forecast advisory SMS delivered to approximately 2,500 registered users throughout the service period.
• Weather information is provided in a timely and consistent manner across all selected Local Government Areas.

E-Extension Advisory Dissemination:

• Weekly E-Extension (technical) advisory messages are disseminated via SMS at critical stages of the cropping season.
• Technical advisories aligned with crop calendars and key farm decision points, including planting, fertiliser application, pest management, and harvesting.

Farmer Coverage and Continuity:

• Continuous and uninterrupted advisory services delivered for the full duration of the cropping season (April – November 2026).
• High message delivery success rate across the targeted farmer population.

Data Protection and Compliance:

• Secure handling of farmer data in compliance with applicable data protection and privacy regulations.
• Delivery of services based on the informed consent of participating farmers.

Service Completion Report:
Submission of an end-of-service report summarising:

• Number of farmers reached
• Volume and frequency of messages delivered
• Service coverage period.

Key observations and implementation highlights:
Duration and Timing:

• The service would last for eight months (April 2026 - November, 2026).

Eligibility / Qualifications (RA, Vendor, Consultant, etc)

• A qualified consultant, research institute, or firm with expertise in weather forecasting or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in weather forecasting, extension advisory services, and reporting in Nigeria or similar agroecological contexts.

Opening, Evaluation of Tenders and Selection Criteria:

• The opening and examination of tenders is for the purpose of checking whether the tenders are complete and whether the tenders are generally in order.

Tender Process:
The following processes will be applied to this Tender:

• Tender Period
• Tender Closing
• Tender Opening
• Administrative Evaluation
• Technical Evaluation
• Financial Evaluation
• Contract Award
• Notification of Contract Award.

The subsequent evaluation of the tenders shall be carried out in Yola by an Evaluation Committee made up of representatives of Nuru Nigeria.
Tenders will be evaluated on the criteria listed below:

• Compliance with Nuru Nigeria Procurement terms and conditions. (Administrative)
• Prices are based on the best value for money of the items requested. (Financials)
• Financials must be on the company letterhead
• Registered general supplier companies in furniture (Preferably)
• Adherence to technical specifications is requested. (Technical)
• Quality of the product. (Technical)
• Delivery Lead-time. (Technical)
• Similar past experiences with NGO/UN agencies. (Administrative)
• Availability of physical presence (Operational Office/shop). (Technical)
• Payment Terms and Conditions. (Technical)
• Validity of the offer. (Administrative).

Additional Information:

• In the interests of transparency and equal treatment and without being able to modify their tenders, bidders may be required, at the sole written request of the evaluation committee, to provide clarifications within forty-eight (48) hours.
• Any such request for clarification must not seek the correction of formal errors or of major restrictions affecting the performance of the contract or distorting competition.
• Any attempt by a bidder to influence the evaluation committee in the process of examination, clarification, evaluation and comparison of tenders, to obtain information on how the procedure is progressing or to influence Nuru Nigeria in its decision concerning the award of the contract will result in the immediate rejection of the tender.
• No liability can be accepted for the late delivery of tenders. Late tenders will be rejected and will not be considered.

Application Closing Date
6th February, 2026 at 5:00 PM.