DFID (Research and Evidence Division) is seeking a Service Provider, or Consortium, to establish a new research programme on sustainable intensification of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. This programme aims to address one of the most intractable problems facing small-holder farmers in Africa — how to engage in the market economy and to deliver sustainable intensification of agriculture, that is, which avoids negative impacts on the environment. It will generate new evidence to help women and poor African smallholder farmers develop environmentally and financially sustainable enterprises and boost productivity. The research will focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular emphasis on Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana, Malawi, Mali and Zambia, complementing other research efforts in these regions, i.e. Africa Rising, Vital Signs and Humid Tropics. The Service Provider will be required to commission and manage competitive research grants, ensuring close links with stakeholders, decision makers and the complementary research programmes and the uptake and communications of the research outputs generated. They will ensure that research is made available and accessible to decision makers at local, national and regional levels. They will work to ensure that the knowledge and decision making tools generated by the programme are available to all investors who seek to help women and poor smallholder farmers to overcome barriers to participation in the market economy. As a minimum, the Service Provider will be expected to demonstrate extensive expertise in the management of research for development in relevant countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly in relation to research in agriculture. They should have experience in managing competitive research calls and adding value to research programmes. They should be able to provide evidence of success in communicating research outputs to stakeholders (including to policy stakeholders). The Service Provider must have a clear governance and management structure in place for the programme which is viable, feasible and represents value for money. The Service Provider will manage a grant fund of 6 500 000 GBP. The contract is scheduled to commence in March 2015 and will run for a period of 5 years until February 2020. An extension of up to 18 months may be granted subject to resources and need.