- Who is the Danish Refugee Council?
Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international NGO and one of the few with specific expertise in forced displacement. Active in 40 countries with 9,000 employees and supported by 7,500 volunteers, DRC protects, advocates, and builds sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement-affected people and communities. DRC works during displacement at all stages: In the acute crisis, in displacement, when settling and integrating into a new place, or upon return. DRC provides protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance; supports displaced persons in becoming self-reliant and included in hosting societies; and works with civil society and responsible authorities to promote the protection of rights and peaceful coexistence.
DRC Kenya is the largest protection actor, actively coordinating and advocating for improving the protective environment for refugees and host communities. DRC Kenya implements Protection monitoring, Child Protection and GBV prevention and response programmes in its areas of operation to address protection issues faced by displaced and non-displaced at-risk groups and individuals. The programme also aims to identify and build synergies with DRC´s Economic Recovery sector to facilitate durable solutions and Humanitarian Disarmament & Peace Building activities to enhance response to the needs of communities affected by acute crisis as well as those in protracted displacement situations.
- Purpose of the consultancy
Danish Refugee Council (DRC) invites qualified law firms to bid for the provision of legal services for a period of one year, with the option to extend, subject to satisfactory performance, for up to one further year year. The specification of services to be provided is set out in section 4 and the criteria by which bids will be evaluated is at Section 12 of this document.
- Background
Bids are sought for the provision of legal advice for DRC EAGL Regional Office. We are looking to establish a strong relationship with a legal adviser, who will support the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Office in providing guidance and ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements. The legal adviser will also provide updates on frequent legislative changes and compliance expectations for businesses in this evolving environment. The Legal Adviser will also offer training sessions for relevant groups of staff, where needed, on key legal developments that impact the workplace practices from time to time.
The legal firm must have a diverse team who have the knowledge and experience in different legal aspects. The firm must also assign one designated lawyer that would have the necessary experience in most of the areas of expertise mentioned further below to handle the DRC account. The legal firm is considered as a service provider and is expected to assign an account manager to DRC who will coordinate all the legal requests from DRC. The contract, including its terms and scope, shall be subject to the DRC General Conditions of Contract and governed by the laws of the Republic of Kenya
- The objective of the consultancy
Bids are sought for the provision of Legal advice for DRC Office. The specific scope of work is contained below.
Scope of Work
Specific areas of work shall include but not limited to the following:
- Review & advice on DRC’s current Employment, Tenancy, Supplier and other existing contracts;
- Drafting and/or preparation of new agreements for DRC regarding its businesses;
- Provision of legal advice on staffing and employment law matters, including employer obligations and employment-related disputes;
- Advice on issues arising from commercial contracts and/or lease terms, if required;
- Provision of timely updates on relevant and latest legal & regulatory developments and explore practical strategies to optimize costs, ensure compliance, and mitigate risk effectively.
- Legal advice and representation in relation to any actual or prospective litigation;
- Liaising with auditors and evaluators, and other relevant stakeholders if required;
- Support with audit-related correspondence and legal queries
- Advice and support in relation to applications of work permits and other relevant statutory documents;
- Providing general legal advice on any other issues that might arise affecting DRC’s work;
- Legal support in procurement matters, including advising on and assisting with the preparation of terms of reference for competitive bids; in accordance with DRC’s internal procurement and compliance frameworks.
- Assistance and representation in relation to criminal proceedings relating to DRC and/or DRC staff in the course of employment;
- Provide advice on frequent legislative changes and compliance expectations applicable to DRC’s operations.
- Advice on legal issues involving refugees, Internal Displacement Persons (IDPs) and other persons of concern;
- Provide support with registration, licensing, and regulatory filings, including the registration of new offices across different regions of the country, registration with data handling authorities as required, and registration related to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), among others
- Legal advice on matters arising from imposition of taxes, fines, penalties and other statutory charges by the revenue authorities;
- Attestation of documents, witnessing, commissioning and notarizing of documents;
- Delivery of training/sensitization sessions for relevant groups of staff, where needed, on key legal developments that impact workplace practices from time to time.
- Any other legal support service that may be required.
- Deliverables
The legal firm will commit to the following outputs: –
- Timely, accurate, and professional provision of legal advice and guidance to support informed decision-making by DRC.
- Timely drafting, review, and finalization of legal documents in accordance with DRC requirements and agreed timelines;
- Submission of quarterly advisory reports to the Senior Management Team outlining work undertaken, key legal issues, and emerging risks;
- Provision of written reports on legal research requested by DRC, including analysis of applicable laws and regulations impacting DRC’s operations;
- Legal representation in case of litigation.
- Duration, timeline, and payment
The contract is for one year from the date of contract signing and subject to satisfactory performance, may be extended by agreement for up to one further year. The award of the contract does not guarantee any work and DRC reserves the right to procure legal support from other firms during the contract term if deemed necessary by the Senior Management Team.
The Law firm shall quote its monthly retainer fees for the provision of the above services mentioned in Section 4. Bidders are asked to provide cost-effective monthly rates for delivering the services specified in this document. As an INGO, DRC’s focus is on value for money, ensuring that donor funds are utilized efficiently and economically.
Without prejudice to the retainer fees, DRC will in addition agree on commensurate fees with the lawyer on a pre-agreed client-lawyer scale for the following services: –
- For acting in any proceedings before any Court of Law, Arbitration Panel, Tribunal or Legal Body, such reasonable fees as are consistent with the continuing relationship.
- For the recovery of debt on behalf of DRC.
The Law firm shall quote the hourly rates for the above listed services (which are not included in the retainer fee)
Payment
DRC will pay the monthly retainer fee within 30 days of invoice receipt in accordance with the contract. For the abovementioned 1 & 2 service items, DRC will pay all invoices within 30 days of receipt, provided that the services to which the invoice relates to have been performed fully.
- Proposed composition of team
Firms must demonstrate that they have the staff capacity to provide the range of services required, and that we will have regular access to a key contact person, details of whom should be provided. The proposed team shall be maintained throughout the contract term. In case of any changes, these shall be clearly communicated to DRC in writing.
Eligible legal firms should have staff team(s) that comprise of but not limited to: Team Leader/Lead Legal Counsel & Supporting legal staff (Account manager), with the following qualifications and experience: –
Team Lead/Lead Legal Counsel
- Law degree with specialization in contract law, employment law, tax law or related field;
- Relevant current legal practicing certificate;
- Post graduate diploma in Law from Kenya School of Law
- Qualification as a Notary Public and Commissioner for Oaths;
- Advocate of the high court of Kenya with X no. of litigation experience.
- At least seven (7) years relevant experience in providing legal services with at least five (5) years being in the area of contract employment law, tax laws advisory services.
- Familiarity with, as well as experience in providing legal services to, international non-governmental organizations;
- Excellent communication and presentation skills; and
- Experience providing legal services in Kenya and other East African countries.
Account Manager/Supporting Legal Staff
- Law degree with specialization in contract law, employment law, tax law or related field;
- Relevant current legal practicing certificate;
- Post graduate diploma in Law from Kenya School of Law
- Qualification as a Notary Public and Commissioner for Oaths;
- At least five (5) years relevant experience in providing legal services, with at least three (3) years being in the area of contract employment law, tax laws advisory services.
- Familiarity with, as well as experience in providing legal services to, international non-governmental organizations;
- Excellent communication and presentation skills; and
- Experience providing legal services in Kenya and other East African countries.
Bidders must be fully accredited full-service law firms, with an appropriate level of professional indemnity insurance, details of which should be provided.
- Eligibility, qualification, and experience required
Eligible legal firms and teams therein should have the following qualifications and experience: –
- The firm should have at least 7 years’ collective experience in providing legal advice in employment law, tax law and any litigation issues in this regard in Kenya and/or East Africa.
- The firm should have experience with a minimum of 5 clients (previous or ongoing), in providing legal advice to non-profit, INGO or humanitarian/development organizations that have global presence and international operations.
- The firm should have at least 5 years’ collective experience in providing support with audit correspondences, advising on commercial contracts and leases, and tax laws advisory services.
- Eligibility of the team comprising staff with Degree in Law, and combined specializations in the fields of employment law, contract law, tax law and criminal law as detailed in Section 7 above.
- The team – Lead Counsel should have at least 7 years’ collective experience in providing legal advice in employment law, employment and any litigation issues in this regard in Kenya and/or East Africa and at least 5 years for the Account Manager
- The team should demonstrate flexibility and availability in service provision.
- Technical supervision
The selected consultant will work under the supervision of:
- DRC Kenya, Head of Support Services
- DRC Kenya, Human Resources and Administration Manager
- Location and support
Danish Refugee Council Country Office in Nairobi
- Travel
The Consultant is expected to work remotely or in the abovementioned location, if required. Transport to and from the DRC Office, Nairobi, will be catered by the Consultant.
- Evaluation of bids
Firms must demonstrate that they have the capacity to provide the range of services required, and that we will have regular access to a key contact person, details of whom should be provided.
Bids will be evaluated using the award criteria and scoring principles set out in the Request for Proposal (RFP) attached.
- Submission of bids
Bid documents should be submitted in electronic format to:[email protected] as stipulated in the RFP Invitation Letter Submission instructions
How to apply
Tender documents can be accessed through the following link; RFP-KEN-01072026 Legal Services on Retainer
Bids to be submitted by email to the email address: [email protected] by 27th February 2026 at 1700hrs EAT
More Information
- Job City Kenya
