VeraSol is the new quality assurance program serving the entire off-grid sector. The program aims to make safe, affordable, and durable products the default option in the market. An evolution of Lighting Global Quality Assurance (LGQA), the program extends quality assurance services beyond lighting to include home appliances, productive uses, and component-based solar home systems (SHS). VeraSol is managed by CLASP in collaboration with the Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University.

VeraSol is seeking a consultant (firm/consortium) to work closely with the team to carry out a consumer study in Kenya that will i) assess the state of the quality verified (QV) and non-quality verified (non-QV) solar product market and ii) characterize the market for off-grid appliances.

This project seeks to understand the prevalence (ownership) of QV and non-QV products in Kenya, establish whether QV products deliver the expected services and document customer experiences with these products related to price, durability, warranty and after-sale services and others. The proposed assignment will fill this knowledge gap through a study on key off-grid markets in Kenya and establish a baseline for targeted government and stakeholder interventions. 

The consultant should have the demonstrable experience in the objectives and activities of the project and at a minimum shall have the following qualifications:

• Good understanding of Kenya’s off-grid solar sector
• Experience in implementing consumer facing market studies in Kenya or beyond
• Experience implementing large scale surveys
• Good understanding of off-grid solar standards and quality assurance for off-grid appliances.
• Working experience in statistics and/or econometrics

Consultants are encouraged to submit joint bids to strengthen their application. The deadline for application is August 28, 2020.

Find out more here.