---
title: "Technical Assistance (TA) Facility to strengthen Rwanda's Social Protection Sector: Exiting Poverty Rwanda Programme"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-059ffc"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-059ffc"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059ffc.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059ffc.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "FOREIGN COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE"
published: "2025-09-23"
---

# Technical Assistance (TA) Facility to strengthen Rwanda's Social Protection Sector: Exiting Poverty Rwanda Programme

Buyer: FOREIGN COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-059ffc

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## Summary

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is proceeding to extend a contract associated with the Technical Assistance (TA) Facility to bolster Rwanda's Social Protection Sector under the Exiting Poverty Rwanda Programme. Categorised under foreign economic-aid-related services, this contract falls within the service procurement category. The procurement stage is currently in the award phase. The location related to this procurement is Rwanda. The extension, facilitated under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, is set to extend the contract duration by 15 months to 30 June 2027, unlocking an additional £15 million in vital donor funding. The service will continue to be provided by Cowater International without materially expanding the original scope.

This extension presents valuable business opportunities, particularly for organisations capable of delivering technical expertise and capacity building services. Businesses in the international development sector, especially those with expertise in social protection and collaboration with governmental projects, would be well-suited to evaluate potential future procurement opportunities. The procurement method used is limited, meaning the extension was awarded without prior publication of a competitive call. Interested suppliers should keep abreast of potential upcoming procurement announcements by FCDO, as this contract exemplifies the governmental focus on social sector development and sustainable poverty alleviation initiatives, both crucial areas in development funding.

## Notice

The TA Facility will provide technical expertise and capacity building to the Government of Rwanda and support the effective implementation of its Social Protection Sector Strategic Plan (SP-SSP) and ultimately a strengthened national social protection system, as well as the delivery of FCDO's Exiting Poverty in Rwanda (EPR) programme which aims to eradicate extreme poverty and reduce overall poverty.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

This is a voluntary ex ante transparency (VEAT) notice. This notice is to indicate that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) proposes to extend the contract with the named supplier for the Technical Assistance (TA) Facility to strengthen Rwanda's Social Protection Sector: Exiting Poverty Rwanda Programme in a manner that is necessary to support a responsible exit from the programme . This contract extension will increase the contractual value by PS1.8m as set out in the original contract and a 15 month time extension. The Technical Assistance facility provides technical expertise and capacity building to the Government of Rwanda and support the effective implementation of its Social Protection Sector Strategic Plan (SP-SSP) and ultimately a strengthened national social protection system, as well as the delivery of FCDO's Exiting Poverty in Rwanda (EPR) programme which aims to eradicate extreme poverty and reduce overall poverty. This extension will enable continued delivery of the technical assistance facility which provides technical expertise and capacity building to the Government of Rwanda. Additional information: This contract was awarded to CowaterSogema International Inc as per contract award notice (https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/f822e7a8-824a-4bc6-a559-606a0ce62366?origin=SearchResults&p=1) External ID: f822e7a8-824a-4bc6-a559-606a0ce62366

Options: The original contract included options to extend the right to extend the programme by up to 1.5 years with a maximum, potential 50% increase to budget of the initial contracted value. This modification will extend the contract by 15 months from 31 March 2026 to 30 June 2027. It will increase the financial limit by PS1.8m. which is within the 50% increase of budget as initially tendered.

### Procurement Information

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) intends to award a 15 month extension to the Technical Assistance (TA) Facility to strengthen Rwanda's Social Protection Sector: Exiting Poverty Rwanda Programme. This amendment is made under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which permits modifications because additional services by the original contractor have become necessary where a change of contractor cannot be made for economic or technical reasons. FCDO considers that the extension can be awarded without prior publication of a notice under Part 2 of the Public using the procedure in regulation 99(3) (VEAT notice). The modification does not exceed 50% of the original contract value. The extension to 30 June 2027 is necessary to allow FCDO unlock PS15m in additional donor funding that is crucial to enable a responsible exit from the programme in a way that minimises harm to its beneficiaries. The nature and scope of the contract remain unchanged. This amendment does not materially expand the contract scope. Cowter International will continue to deliver the same core services. Proceeding with a new procurement would introduce significant risks, including loss of the additional donor funding, the potential for duplication of costs already borne, reputational risk with host government and adverse development impact on the most vulnerable beneficiaries. Additionally, a change of supplier would be impractical due to technical knowledge of the supplier on the Rwanda Social Protection System, trust, and well established relationships with the host government. These attributes are not readily transferable. Before entering the proposed contract amendment, the Authority will observe the standstill period of 10 calendar days from the day after publication on the UK e-notification service required by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 at regulation 99 before executing the amendment allowing all relevant parties adequate time to review and respond.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058840-2025 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Sep 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 3 Mar 2021 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £7,376,925 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | FOREIGN COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE |
| Locality | EAST KILBRIDE |
| Post town | Glasgow |
| Postcode | G75 8EA |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM9 Southern Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM95 South Lanarkshire |
| Local authority | South Lanarkshire |
| Electoral ward | East Kilbride West |
| Westminster constituency | East Kilbride and Strathaven |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | COWATER INTERNATIONAL |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 75 - Administration, defence and social security services

### Codes

- 75211200 - Foreign economic-aid-related services

## Release History

- 23 Sep 2025 at 10:52 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058840-2025

## Notice URLs

- http://www.fcdo.bravosolution.co.uk
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/f822e7a8-824a-4bc6-a559-606a0ce62366?origin=SearchResults&p=1
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office/about/procurement

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-059ffc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059ffc.json.