Public Sector Procurement Learning for Woman Led Small and Medium Enterprises in Tanzania.

We developed a learning App to help Women-Led Small and Medium Enterprises (WLSMEs) in Tanzania to engage with public sector procurement and compete for contracts.

This project was sponsored by the World Bank, which identified a need to develop a flexible and engaging way to access e-learning programmes targeted at WLSMEs who face disproportionate barriers to entry into public procurement markets.

Whilst many tools and approaches exist to raise awareness in contracting authorities, and to provide training to procurement professionals, comparatively little has been done to address the needs of suppliers, in particular SMEs. There are an estimated 3 million SMEs in Tanzania. 85% of these are micro-or small enterprises, employing fewer than 5 people and approximately half of these are believed to be owned or led by women and tend to be smaller in scale and in more traditional, less high-technology areas of activity, predominantly trade and services.

This project supports Tanzania’s Development Vision 2025 and, in particular, its gender equality and woman empowerment targets.

The App

We worked with a Public Sector Procurement subject matter expert, the Tanzanian Public Procurement Regulatory Authority and end users in Tanzania to design a game which involves the ‘player’ assisting Neema, a small business owner in Tanzania, to complete a tender for a public sector contract.

In recognition of the wide urban/rural mix across Tanzania, the solution had to be easy to download, access and play on mobile and desktop devices and was designed to cope with limited internet speeds in more remote parts of the country.

Through the use of engaging and interactive activities, the training outlines the benefits of public sector procurement, how to prepare and plan for procurement and the steps involved in bidding for public sector procurement contracts in Tanzania.  It also provides advice and guidance on running businesses efficiently, including accessing finance and the importance of record keeping. 

Review questions on completion of each stage serve to reinforce learning. Top tips, a glossary and a resources library for additional reading are accessible throughout and a certificate is presented on completion.

The training is translated into English and Swahili.

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