RFP Digital Product Design & Development of the MarketFit Nutrition Data Hub

At ATNi (Acess to Nutrition initiative) we're looking for a Digital Product Design & Development Partner to support with the design, testing, deployment and development of the MarketFit Nutrition Data Hub.

About Access to Nutrition initiative (ATNi)

ATNi (Access to Nutrition initiative) is a global nonprofit actively challenging the food industry, investors and policymakers to shape healthier food systems. We analyze and translate data into actionable insights, driving partnerships and innovations for market transformation so that all people have access to nutritious and sustainable food. ATNi is registered in the Netherlands with approximately 22 staff and consultants around the world.

ATNi stimulates dialogue and action to transform markets in various ways including by producing high-quality research and corporate accountability tools. ATNi publishes global and country specific indexes, research projects on a range of nutrition topics and monitoring and accountability tools for third parties. ATNi wants to see at least half of all food & beverage sales derived from healthy products by 2030, contributing to healthy diets for all.

For more information on ATNi, please visit our website www.accesstonutrition.org.

Background and Objectives

Objective: ATNi is seeking a Digital Product Design and Development Partner to support with the design, development, testing and deployment of a web-based MarketFit Nutrition Data Hub for Kenya and Tanzania.

Background: The MarketFit Nutrition Data Hub brings together a range of practical tools, assessments, calculators, reports, and decision-support resources aimed at supporting stakeholders to improve nutrition-related practices and outcomes. Key intended end-users of the Hub are companies, policymakers, and investors. The Hub initially focuses on Kenya and Tanzania but should be designed for scaling across contexts.

The MarketFit Nutrition Data Hub will initially include:

• Nutrition Business Monitor (NBM) Self-Assessment Tool

• Nutrition Score Calculator

• Investor Insights Hub

• Policy Insights Hub

• Impact Investment Tool

ATNi is responsible for the development and provision of the underlying methodologies, assessment frameworks, scoring approaches, recommendation libraries, tools, and content resources. In addition, ATNi is responsible for organizing co-design workshops for the different intended end-user groups.

The selected agency will be responsible for translating the design input and resources provided into a user-friendly, multilingual, scalable and maintainable digital platform.

Scope of Work

The selected agency will be responsible for:

• Inception: Reviewing ATNi provided methodologies, assessment frameworks, scoring approaches, tools (e.g., see our dashboards, NutriCheck tool, and Nutrition Business Monitoring toolkit), recommendation libraries, and content resources, as well as stakeholder requirements, co-design outputs and technical assets, and validating proposed functionality, timeline, and implementation approach.

• Comprehensive planning: Providing a detailed project plan, including clearly defined approval milestones. ATNi's project manager will be the main point of contact and will liaise internally in order to make decisions on deliverables, therefore ensuring a smooth process. Time for internal approval needs to be considered in the planning, as well as presentations on the ground in our office in Utrecht.

• Product design and functional specification: Translating ATNi's methodologies, stakeholder requirements, and design considerations into a detailed functional and technical blueprint for the MarketFit Nutrition Data Hub, which explicitly details UI/UX considerations. The platform should be user-centered, multilingual (English, Swahili), mobile-responsive, scalable to other countries and languages, maintainable (for routine content management, user management, and configuration updates without requiring software development expertise), and aligned with the needs of different stakeholder groups (considering three stakeholder groups: companies, policymakers, investors). Likely it will contain both login-protected and public-facing areas.

• Platform development: Developing a secure, cloud-hosted digital platform that serves as the central entry point for users to access ATNi's nutrition-related tools, assessments, resources, and decision-support functionalities. The platform must comply with applicable GDPR requirements and industry-standard security practices for the collection, transmission, storage and processing of personal and assessment data. The platform should provide seamless user experience, support future expansion, and enable efficient management and oversight by ATNi administrators, including tracking user engagement analytics.

• Tool development and integration: Transforming and integrating ATNi provided methodologies, assessment frameworks, scoring approaches, tools, recommendation libraries, and content resources into intuitive, interactive and user-friendly applications hosted on the platform. NB: All data submitted through the applications should be saved and stored securely (in the EU).

• Roadmap generation functionality: The current Nutrition Business Monitoring tool provides recommendations based on survey responses. The selected agency will be responsible for translating the ‘recommendations library’ into a phased roadmap. The exact approach is yet to be determined but may likely consist of rules and LLM-based templated generation. Please refer to ATNi's AI Policy for compliance requirement.

• Roles and Authorisation: Configuring a role-based user management system for internal staff with secure permissions.

• SEO and Analytics Setup: Configuring Analytics, installing basic SEO tools, and other analytics as needed.

• WCAG 2.1./2.2 level AA: The platform must comply with the (technical) requirements. Changes needed because of an external audit should be included in the cost estimation provided.

• Testing, debugging, and deployment: Ensuring the platform is secure, responsive, and performs optimally across browsers and devices.

• Training and Documentation: Providing training for internal teams on managing user roles, content updates, adding new elements/product updates, and any other ongoing platform updates.

Project Deliverables

• Inception Report

• Functional Requirements and Technical Design Document

• Platform Prototype

• Beta Version of Nutrition Data Hub

• Fully Functional Nutrition Data Hub (incl. Multilingual User Interface)

• Technical Documentation

• Admin guide about content and user management

• Access to admin panels, hosting information, and all source files

Ownership and intellectual property

All custom-developed source code, designs, documentation, configurations, technical specifications, and other deliverables produced under this contract shall become the property of ATNi upon final payment. The selected agency shall provide ATNi with full access to source code repositories, hosting environments, administrative accounts, documentation, and any other assets required for ongoing management and maintenance of the platform.

The agency shall not use, commercialize, reproduce, or repackage ATNi methodologies, content, data, tools, or platform components developed specifically for this assignment without prior written permission from ATNi.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

Proposals must include the following:

• Company Background: Provide an overview of your company.

• Portfolio: Showcase a portfolio of similar projects that highlight your expertise and capabilities.

• References: Include contact information for three references from past clients with similar projects.

• Detailed Project Approach: Clear description of the agency's project management methodology (e.g., Agile or Waterfall) and rationale for its suitability.

• Proposed Project Timeline: Include a detailed timeline with key milestones, starting from 4 January 2027.

• Itemized Cost Breakdown: Provide a clear breakdown of all costs, ensuring alignment with the maximum budget and detailing each budget line. Include both implementation costs as well as annual hosting/maintenance costs. Please indicate any assumptions underpinning the cost estimate and identify any elements believed may require additional budget or phased implementation.

• Team Structure and Roles: Describe the team that will be working on the project, including their roles and relevant experience.

• Declaration of Honor: Proposals must include a signed Declaration of Honor (see Annex for template) confirming that:

• The agency is not involved in any ongoing legal disputes that could impact the delivery of this project.

• All information provided in the proposal is accurate and truthful.

• The agency agrees to comply with the terms and conditions outlined in this RFP.

The selected agency will be asked to adhere to and sign our Conflict of Interest, Code of Conduct & Ethics, and Data Privacy policies (all can be found on our website).

Evaluation Criteria

To be considered for evaluation, agencies must meet the following mandatory requirements:

Knockout criteria

• Experience and Expertise: Demonstrated experience in Digital Product Design and Development with a strong portfolio of similar projects.

• References: Provision of at least three references from past clients with similar projects.

• Budget Compliance: A detailed proposal that stays within the allocated budget of €75,000 (including VAT), with transparent cost breakdowns.

• Timeline Feasibility: Commitment to the proposed timeline, including clear milestones, starting from 4 January 2027.

• Complete Proposal Submission: Inclusion of all required elements.

• Security Measures: Explanation of how the agency will address security requirements, particularly in relation to API integration (e.g., REST API or GraphQL).

• Service Level Agreement (SLA): Proposal of a comprehensive SLA, including hosting, proactive/reactive maintenance, and rates for optional requests.

Agencies meeting the knockout criteria will be further evaluated on:

Evaluation criteria

• Experience and Expertise: Depth and breadth of relevant experience.

• Alignment with Project Goals: Demonstration of understanding and alignment with the Scope of Work and organizational objectives.

• Team fit: Provide short introductions on who is going to work on this project.

• Creativity and Innovation: Originality and effectiveness of the proposed solution.

• Cost-Effectiveness: Value offered relative to the budget, with transparency in pricing.

• Post-Launch Support: Quality of post-launch support and ability to provide on-the-ground training if required.

• Security Measures: Robustness of proposed security measures for protecting data and ensuring compliance.

• Timeline and Milestones: Feasibility of the proposed timeline and adherence to key milestones.

Budget

We have a budget of €75,000 (including VAT) for this project. The agency awarded the project is expected to provide at least 90 days of warranty after the final delivery to fix bugs, implement version updates if needed and monitor performance. We also request agencies to:

• Detail their proposals within the maximum budget, providing clear one-time costs following the scope of work above;

• Mandatory: provide a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that includes:

• Monthly hosting services and associated costs.

• Monthly costs for proactive and reactive maintenance and support.

• Separate rates for optional or additional requests outside the scope of the standard SLA.

Timeline

• RFP Issuance date: 8 October 2026

• Questions deadline: 4 November 2026

• Proposals submission deadline: 11 November 2026

• Evaluation period: 12-27 November 2026

• Presentations of max 3 shortlisted agencies: 30 November – 4 December

• Decision and contracting: 7-18 December

• Project kick-off: 4 January 2027

• Target completion: 31 August 2027

Apply for the job

Please submit your proposal electronically on or before 11 November 2026.

For any questions or clarifications, please contact Eaindra Aye at [email protected] before 4 November 2026. Before sending a question, please check whether it has already been answered in the FAQ below. Responses to questions already covered in FAQ may be delayed.

Disclaimer

The decision to award this assignment rests solely with the management of ATNi. We reserve the right to accept or reject any proposal without obligation to provide an explanation. Correspondence regarding the selection process or decision will not be entertained. Please refer to our Conflict of Interest Policy.

Annex: Declaration of Honor

[Agency Name]
[Agency Address]
[Date]

To:
[Your Organization's Name]
[Your Organization's Address]

Subject: Declaration of Honor for the RFP Submission

We, [Agency Name], hereby declare and confirm the following:

• Accuracy and Integrity:
  All information provided in our proposal submitted for the RFP titled Digital Product Design & Development Partner of the MarketFit Nutrition Data Hub is accurate, complete, and truthful to the best of our knowledge.

• Legal Compliance:
  We confirm that our agency is not involved in any ongoing legal disputes, investigations, or proceedings that could impact our ability to successfully complete the project as outlined in the RFP.

• Adherence to Requirements:
  We acknowledge and agree to comply with all terms, conditions, and requirements specified in the RFP, including but not limited to the project timeline, deliverables, and budget constraints.

• Ethical Standards:
  We affirm that our agency adheres to the highest ethical standards and will operate transparently and professionally throughout the project lifecycle.

This Declaration of Honor is made in good faith and with full knowledge and understanding of its implications.

Authorised Representative:

Name: _____________________________
Position: __________________________
Signature: _________________________
Date: _____________________________

Contact Information:
Email: ____________________________
Phone: ___________________________

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are international vendors considered for the proposal?

Yes, international vendors are welcome to submit a proposal. While the preference is to have in-person interactions with the winning provider, we also allow remote deliveries.

Are new companies yet to have client references also eligible for application?

Yes, they are also eligible for application. We request the references as part of our due diligence and to help us assess relevant experience and delivery capability. If you’re unable to provide client references, please note this in your proposal and include other evidence of your proposed team’s experience and comparable work team members have delivered, including work completed with previous organizations.

Is the proposal open to independent developers?

Yes, independent developers are also applicable for the proposal. However, given the scope of the project, a team with diverse areas of expertise is encouraged, as the hub requires more than one specialized skill. They may wish to consider partnering with other specialists to cover these areas.

Are there an expected number of in-person sessions in Utrecht and whether travel costs should be included in the proposal?

There is no set number of in-person sessions. Providers should propose the approach and number of sessions they consider appropriate for delivering the work. Where the provider is located within reasonable proximity to Utrecht, we would expect them to attend in-person as needed. However, if unable to attend in-person, we also allow the projects and sessions to be delivered remotely. Any travel costs associated with the proposed approach should be included within the proposal, as these will not be reimbursed separately from the indicated budget.

What is the timezone in which the submission date close?

The submission closes on 11th November at 23:59 CET.

Will ATNi provide the Swahili content and translations, or should the proposal also include translation?

The content in Swahili translations is yet to be confirmed. You may include the translations in the offer; however, the hub design should be accounted for multilingual usages.

Should client references be related to public health or nutrition?

The sectors in which the referenced tools are applied do not need to be specifically related to nutrition/public-health, provided the technical responsibilities and functionality are comparable. Although a decent understanding of the topic within the team would be appreciated.

Is the indicated budget for the one-time implementation only, and should hosting and maintenance SLA be priced separately?

The budget includes the initial implementation and the defined 90-day warranty maintenance period. The annual SLA for hosting and maintenance beyond this period will be evaluated separately.

Is ATNi VAT-registered in the Netherlands and does reverse charge apply? Is €75,000 inclusive of self-assessed VAT?

ATNi is not VAT-registered in the Netherlands and does not have a Dutch VAT number. The normal B2B reverse-charge mechanism should not be assumed to apply. The supplier should determine the VAT treatment applicable to a supply to an organisation without a VAT number. The €75,000 budget should be treated as inclusive of any VAT.

Should the hub build on or integrate the existing tools (NutriCheck, the assessment dashboards, data repositories)? Is there a preferred tech stack?

Some components of the hub need to be built while others are an integration of the existing tools. There is no preference on tech stack, and we welcome the bidders to suggest different options with pros and cons clearly outlined. However, the proposed solution should be compatible with our current tools to allow for integration as the assessment dashboards are built in Power BI while NutriCheck is hosted on Hostinger.

Is a deterministic, rules-based phased recommendation roadmap acceptable as the baseline implementation, with optional LLM-generated narrative for roadmap generation feature?

Roadmap generation is a concept free for interpretation. Based on the scope, if there's a need for LLM, please clearly outline in the budget any recurring costs that may be incurred through the use of the paid LLM services. As a non-profit organization, we want to ensure the platform remains sustainable to maintain. Additionally, any ATNi's data used to generate roadmaps with LLM must be kept secure and must not be used to train the other models. Please refer ATNi's AI Policy and Data Protection Policy for further information.

Does ATNi already have Power BI embedding/licensing arrangements?

ATNi’s current website embeds Power BI dashboards, and the necessary workspace permissions and arrangements are in place. However, the proposal should should account for any updates to the dashboards required for their integration into the hub.