REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Transcription

1 Original Date Issued: 21 Sep 2018 Closing Date: 10 Oct 2018 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Request for Proposals Number: Contracting Entity: Funded by: Name of Procurement: GUAT CEO Palladium International, LLC. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Subcontractor and Grantee Capacity Development Training Palladium International, LLC., ( The Company ) is seeking proposals from eligible contractors to provide CONSULTANCY SERVICES for the Company s Programs in Guatemala. The Company anticipates awarding one (1) firm fixed price contract as a result of this Solicitation. The Company reserves the right to award more or fewer awards than anticipated above. Offerors should submit all questions relating to this RFP, with reference to the Request for Proposals number to: us.gtceoapplications@thepalladiumgroup.com. This RFP in no way obligates the Company to award a contract; nor does it commit the Company to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. The Company bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. Sincerely, Dennis Hall Project Director 1 / 7

2 PURPOSE The purpose of the present Terms of Reference (ToRs) is to contract an eligible international organization with a recognized track record to design and deliver capacity development trainings on USAID compliance and implementation best practices for subcontractors and grant recipients. Project USAID/Creating Economic Opportunities Guatemala (CEO) has two types of partners: subcontractors and grantees. Through the training and mentorship provided per these terms of reference, we anticipate that these partners will understand the following topics: USAID project procurement processes and timelines for grants/subcontracts Approval requirements and processes Rules and regulations included in subcontracts (subcontracts only) Rules and regulations included in sub-awards (grantees only) Types of subcontracts, characteristics and application of each (subcontracts only) Types of grants, characteristics and application of each (grantees only) Procurement principles and processes under USAID-funded work Personnel and HR management and requirements Budget and pipeline management Cost-share documentation and reporting Communications, branding, and marking requirements File retention, audits, and avoiding common audit findings TYPE OF CONTRACT TO BE AWARDED AS A RESULT OF THIS SOLICITATION FIRM FIXED PRICE CONTRACT FUNDING RANGE The Company will issue one (1) award up to USD$150,000. Offerors are reminded that cost will be an important criterion in the evaluation of proposals. CONTRACT TERM October 2018 TBD COMPANY & PROJECT INFORMATION The Company has been awarded a five-year Contract to implement Project CEO with special attention to the country s Western Highlands and its capital city. Project CEO supports economic growth, private sector development, competition and job creation in Guatemala. It also strengthens the promotion of investment and trade, serves as a catalyst for the development of productive infrastructure, facilitates the growth of the work force in Guatemala, and fosters a positive business environment. A core objective of Project CEO is to strengthen the private sector as an engine of growth to reduce poverty, improve living conditions, and create sustainable economic opportunities for Guatemalans in Guatemala. By focusing on the country s secondary cities as natural platforms for investment and growth, cultivating alliances between stakeholders in the public, private, and civil society sectors, and placing emphasis on an ecosystem conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship, Project CEO plays a central role in job creation, facilitating investment, and promoting prosperity in the country. 2 / 7

3 TIMELINE Applicants may submit questions up until ONE WEEK before the Submissions Deadline. All questions and answers will be made available to all applicants. Submissions Deadline: Final proposals must be submitted by 10 October 2018 by to Guarantee prices for 90 calendar days after submission The Company will award within 30 days Start services late October 2018 ELIGIBILITY OF APPLICANTS Any contract resulting from this solicitation will be financed by USAID and will be subject to U.S. Government and USAID regulations. All services and goods offered in response to this RFP or supplied under any award must meet USAID Geographic Code 937. The cooperating country for this RFP is Guatemala. Offerors must be fluent in Spanish. SCOPE OF WORK / TERMS OF REFERENCE AND STANDARDS To provide capacity building to local partners to support complete understanding of the rules, regulations, processes, and documentation required to implement a subcontract for a USAID-funded contract so that these partners can thrive. 1 Background The Project USAID/Guatemala Creating Economic Opportunities (Project CEO) supports economic growth, private sector development, competition, and job creation in Guatemala. It also strengthens investment and trade promotion, serves as a catalyst for productive infrastructure, increases the work force in Guatemala and fosters a positive business environment. A core objective of Project CEO is to strengthen the private sector as an engine of growth to reduce poverty, improve living conditions, and create sustainable economic opportunities for Guatemalans in Guatemala. By focusing on the country s secondary cities as natural platforms for investment and growth, cultivating alliances between stakeholders in the public, private, and civil society sectors, and placing emphasis on an ecosystem conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship, Project CEO plays a central role in job creation, facilitating investment, and promoting prosperity in the country. The CEO implementation team is a consortium with multiple Guatemalan partners that each have significant technical scope and budget. These partners have a range of experience working with donors and have implemented a number of grant awards with USAID. In all cases, however, the CEO project is the first opportunity that each of these partners has had to participate as a subcontractor. The project also has a $10 million grant fund that will be awarded to a variety of recipients including NGOs, financial institutions, companies, and associations. The majority of these recipients will be first time Grant Under Contract recipients, and first time working within the context of USAID rules and regulations. As such, Palladium seeks to provide an orientation training and Implementation Manual to Grant recipients that will build their capacity and confidence in working with USAID. 2 Tasks The organization that is awarded this technical assistance will complete the following tasks: a) Training for Subcontractors (Within a month of award): Review the subcontract templates and applicable prime contract flow down requirements 3 / 7

4 Customize training course curriculum for approval by Palladium. Curriculum must address priority areas identified above. Group training: Training conducted with representatives from each of the local subcontractors (no more than people) according to approved curriculum above. We anticipate that training will be no less than 2 full days of training. Individual Subcontractor coaching: meet with the subcontract management teams from each subcontractor privately at their offices to review any specific questions or concerns. b) Training for Grant recipients (TBD) Review the grant templates and applicable prime contract flow down requirements Customize training course curriculum for approval by Palladium. Curriculum must address priority areas identified above in the PURSPOSE section above. Implement Training: The CEO team will coordinate training cohorts, we anticipate two cohorts of 30 people each. We anticipate that training will be no less than one full day per cohort. c) Grant Implementation Manual for Grant Recipients The manual should clearly present CEO sub-granting process, rules, and regulations, and recap the topics covered in the approved curriculum. The manual must be submitted in Spanish and approved by Palladium. 3 Deliverables No. Name Description Est. Delivery Date 01 Subcontractors Training Curriculum Draft training curriculum for subcontractors for approval by Palladium. Within 1 month of award 02 Grantees Training Curriculum Draft training curriculum for grant recipients for approval by Palladium. TBD 03 Training Report Training reports for each training delivered that highlights strengths and weaknesses of training recipients and potential areas for follow up training. Within 1 month after training completion 04 Training 1 Delivery of Training for CEO Guatemala personnel TBD 05 Training 2 Delivery of Training for Subcontractors TBD 06 Training 3 Delivery of Training for Grantees TBD All deliverables to be in writing, prepared in English, and transmitted electronically. All deliverables must be prepared in line with CEO Project marking and branding policy. 4 Level of Effort and Consultancy Period The anticipated work execution period is from October 2018 to the earliest feasible date determined by offeror. The level of effort budgeted for the work is 30 business days, including at least 15 days in Guatemala City. 4 / 7

5 It is anticipated that the subcontractor training of this scope of work will take place in the fall of 2018 between October and November The assignment will require travel to Guatemala including Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango, and it is anticipated that the Senior Compliance Trainer will make 2-3 trips to Guatemala. Desired Profile of Applicant Firm The CEO Project anticipates that the training team should be comprised of one Senior Compliance Trainer who may be international and one local Training Consultant. The Senior Compliance Trainer must have at least 5 years of experience working in the context of USAID-funded development programs, at least 3 years of experience as a trainer, and be fluent in Spanish. This person should have demonstrated knowledge of USAID rules and regulations related to subcontract and grants management. The Training Consultant should have at least 4 years of experience working in the context of USAID-funded development programs, and at least 2 years of experience coordinating trainings and providing administrative support. This person should be fluent in Spanish and ideally a Guatemalan National. CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS Annex A Firm-Fixed Price Contract outlines all proposed contractual terms and conditions between the Company and the selected Organization. The selected offeror must: Complete the Company s Due Diligence Questionnaire, if selected for Award, within 5 days. Have a DUNS number or obtain one within 5 days of being notified of selection. Comply with USAID Branding and Marking guidelines The contract resulting from this solicitation must be signed by both parties in order to be considered valid and in force (See Firm-Fixed Price Contract). All costs associated with, but not limited to, production, preparation and/or delivery of goods or services, including deliveries, accepted by the Company s staff, without a fully executed (signed by both parties) contract, are at the vendor s risk only. The Company shall not pay for any costs, without limitation, associated with production, preparation or delivery of goods and/or services under this or any other contract, which has not been signed by both parties. 5 / 7

6 EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria and scoring matrix: Methodology and Approach 25% Proposed Personnel 35% Academic background of proposed trainers (at least 2) within the Organization Relevant training experience of proposed personnel Spanish fluency of trainers required Past Performance/Experience 20% Organization s overall experience in developing and delivering similar training programs Experience delivering technical assistance and capacity development programs in Latin America. Value-Based Price 20% Total Possible 100% The Company reserves the right to award under this solicitation without further negotiations. The offerors are encouraged to offer their best terms and prices with the original submission. PROCUREMENT INTEGRITY AND ETHICS It is the Company s Policy that no gifts of any kind and of any value be exchanged between vendors/contractors and the Company s personnel. Discovery of the same will be grounds for disqualification of the vendor/contractor from participation in any Company s procurements and may result in disciplinary actions against Company s personnel involved in such discovered transactions. INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS The following items are required to be submitted as part of the proposal: Organizational Capacity and Past Experience (4 pages max): Please provide relevant organizational capacity related to provision of high level compliance training to local organizations, training in the Central American and or Guatemalan context, organizational training resources and approaches, and other areas. Please highlight a minimum of 3 contracts and include contact information. Key Personnel and Management Plan (1-page max plus CVs): Please provide a description of the management approach and resources (including LOE of key personnel) that will be utilized to ensure high quality and timely implementation of the Scope of Work described above. Proposed personnel should achieve the criteria described in the Desired Profile section. Work Plan (1-page max): Please provide a Gantt chart that outlines the specific activities and timeline for implementation. Budget: Please provide a detailed budget that includes the following categories: labor, travel, Other Direct Costs, and other categories as needed. All materials should be submitted on 8 by 11 paper using Times New Roman / 7

7 ANNEXES Please review the additional documentation and proposed contract terms and conditions which should be given consideration when preparing your proposal. By submitting your proposal, you will certify that that you are in agreement with the contract terms and conditions as included in this RFP and that all prices include all aspects of the required compliance with the terms and conditions of the proposed contract. Annex A: Proposed Firm-Fixed Price Contract Annex B: Policies and Procedures o Business Partner Code of Conduct o Due Diligence Policy and Questionnaire o Whistle-blower Protection Policy o Child Protection Policy 7 / 7