The Asia Foundation - Afghanistan TAF-INL-Oct-2016-028 Program Office: INL Project-TAF/AG Funding Opportunity Title: Legal Aid Term Service Contract Announcement Type: Request for Proposal Funding Opportunity Number: TAF-INL-Oct-2016-028 Deadline for Application: November 15, 2016 (04:00 p.m., Kabul time) CONTACT INFORMATION For all queries Contact Procurement Department (country.afghanistan.procurement@asiafoundation.org). No personal Visits or Telephone calls shall be entertained. THE PROCUREMENT UNIT The Asia Foundation House # 861, Street # 1 Shirpour, District-10, (Sub Street of Shirpour Project) Kabul, Afghanistan. The Foundation will not be responsible for proposals left at the main gate, reception, guard offices, or handed over to any Foundation employee other than the procurement unit staff. CHECKLIST OF DOCUMENTS INCLUDED IN PROPOSAL Documents / Content to be included in the Yes No RFP Technical proposal CVs of key staff and core personnel Summary table of similar projects Letters of recommendation Implementation plan Risk assessment plan Budget and budget narrative M&E strategy/manual distinct from M&E Plan in body of technical Gender equity policy Copies of last two years of annual audit reports Bidder s declaration 1 Please explain if No has been checked.
I. BACKGROUND SUMMARY The Asia Foundation (the Foundation) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. Drawing on 60 years of experience, the Foundation supports initiatives to improve governance, law, and civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; sustainable development and the environment; and international relations. With a network of 18 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In Afghanistan, the Foundation supports four main priority program areas: governance and law, women s empowerment, education, and survey and knowledge development. In addition, the Foundation works in three exploratory areas: regional cooperation, economic growth and development, and conflict management and peacebuilding. Legal Aid through Legal Education The Legal Aid through Legal Education (LALE) is a five-year project focused on delivering legal aid to indigent populations while supplementing legal educational opportunities for Afghan Law and Sharia students. The Foundation will work closely with partner organizations and university faculties to provide courses on practical legal skills at six universities, and clinical courses and programs at four universities (Kabul, Nangarhar, Kandahar, and Balkh). Legal Aid Clinics (LACs) will be supported to provide free legal advice and representation to vulnerable and indigent Afghans and also be an integral part of providing practical legal education to students of Law and Sharia Faculties. In addition, the Foundation will support legal aid provision by sponsoring legal fellows to provide advice and representation to indigent and vulnerable populations through government and non-government legal aid organizations. Project Objectives: 1. Increasing access to justice for the most vulnerable segments of society, particularly women; 2. Supplementing the quality and content of curriculum at Law and Shariah Faculties in six partner universities with an emphasis on developing the practical skills needed to increase the effectiveness of advocates; and 3. Bolstering sustainability for the outcomes in objectives one and two. NOTE: This RFP only concerns Objective 1 of the project and is limited to the specific activities listed in the Statement of Work. While this is a five-year project, this RFP is limited to 12 months, however with the possibility of extension. The performance of the selected implementing partner will be reviewed at the end of 12 months with a view to extend or cease activities. Methodology and Approach: The LACs can bolster much needed legal aid delivery, train a new generation of young layers, and expose young lawyers to service delivery as a noble cause that can be professionally rewarding. The clinic can assist indignant Afghans, particularly the most vulnerable, by providing initial advice on family and civil legal matters, filling out forms, providing references, and assisting in writing letters or other correspondence with the courts. The clinics and support referral processes to defense services on criminal matters. Local media in Afghanistan offers a valuable and effective platform for improving the public s general understanding of the dynamics and the complexities of the country s rule of law system. The Foundation will work with selected media partners on creating public awareness about legal aid provision and create a 2
demand for legal services and increase access to justice. The awareness campaigns aim to increase the total number of clients visiting LACs in Kabul and Kandahar provinces. II. STATEMENT OF WORK This RFP is seeking proposals for the development, production, and implementation of a public education and legal awareness campaigns through local media organizations (including radio and TV) in Kabul and Kandahar. The Foundation is planning a legal education and awareness campaign aimed at reaching vulnerable individuals and indigent populations who are in need of legal advice in Kabul and Kandahar in order to increase their access to justice. The Foundation seeks proposals from qualified media organizations capable of designing interactive public outreach messages in local languages and the production of effective drama and round table discussion through radio and televisions. The media organization will strategically communicate the importance of supporting and accessing legal services in Kabul and Kandahar and focus on encouraging the local population, both in urban and rural locations, to use the LACs, particularly in the afternoons. The Foundation will work with selected partner to plan and carry out public legal awareness (PLA) campaigns that brings greater public awareness on: The role of advocates and how they can be of service to the general population; The availability of LACs and their timings; The benefits of using the formal justice system and legal aid services; and Why payment for legal services can be a good investment as opposed to corruption, which can often backfire or lead to a path of unending payments to corrupt officials. Specific attention will be paid to increasing awareness among women of their rights to a lawyer and the benefits of availing themselves to legal assistance during criminal and civil matters. Sample messages for this SOW are encouraged. Proposers must be capable of working in close collaboration with Advocacy and PLA staff of the LALE project to carry out contract deliverables within the established timeframe and to a high quality. Recommendations/adjustments to the expected deliverables below are welcome. However, to ensure compliance with the below, please do respond in full to the expected deliverables listed out in this RFP, and then include a separate section with your recommendations/adjustments. III. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES 1. Produce technical proposal and budget, a work plan, and an implementation plan on how activities will be implemented over 12 months for the PLA campaign through local media (radio and TV) in Kabul and Kandahar; 2. Production of 10 different radio spots, presenting different scenarios of legal aid, five in Dari and five in Pashto languages. Each spot will be for 2 minutes, and must be produced within two months from the beginning of contract. 3. The developed spots must be broadcasted through local radios in Kabul and Kandahar provinces within the remaining months of the contract for total of 131 broadcasts during the peak hours. 4. The radio spots must be broadcasted through a credible and popular local radio stations in Kabul and Kandahar provinces. The selection of the radio stations must be justified by the granted partner. 3
5. Development of 4 different TV spots, from which two spots need to be in Dari language and two other in Pashto language. All four TV spots must be produced within three months from the beginning of the contract. Each spot should be for 1 minute. 6. The produced TV spots should be broadcasted for total of 24 times in one year. The TV spots should be aired 2 times per month from top national television channels during the peak hours in Kabul and Kandahar provinces. 7. The messages should be developed in coordination with the Foundation, to make sure the messages are comprehensive, persuasive and effective; 8. Obtain approval on all draft scripts and/or synopsis of messages/stories before production and ensure messaging meets the Statement of Work; 9. Provide detailed information about the geographical reach of the campaign and peak times of the broadcasting via radio and TV; 10. Keep track of the broadcasting in term of its contents, quality and timing; 11. Submit monthly and annual narrative reports to the Foundation; and 12. Submit quarterly and annual financial reports to the Foundation. IV. INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL: Rule of this call for proposal: These guidelines set out the rules for submission, selection, and implementation of actions financed under the program. Eligibility of applicants: Who may apply? In order to be eligible for a grant, applicants must be: Organizations registered with the government of Afghanistan and can present a valid certification of registration National organisations with proven experience operating and managing similar projects for international organisations or the government of Afghanistan Demonstrate a strong knowledge of the legal context in Afghanistan as well as the way the legal educational institutions operate in the country Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action (not acting as intermediary) Applicants are excluded from participation in calls for proposals or the award of contract if, at the time of the call for proposals, they: Are subject to a conflict of interest Are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the contracting authority as a condition of participation in the call for proposals or fail to supply this information Have attempted to obtain confidential information or influence the evaluation committee or the contracting authority during the evaluation process of current or previous calls for proposals Number of proposals and grants per applicant: Applicants may submit only one proposal for this particular action. 4
How to apply and procedures to follow: A separate cover letter including the name, address, and telephone number of the applicant organization, and signed by the person or persons authorized to represent the agency should accompany the proposal submission. Financial Proposal and Technical Proposal Envelopes MUST BE COMPLETELY SEPARATE and each must be clearly marked on the outside as either TECHNICAL PROPOSAL or FINANCIAL PROPOSAL when submitted. Applications must be in English and accompanied by the following documents: 1. Technical proposal (not to exceed 20 pages). Please use 12-point times new roman font, singlespaced, with appropriate margins; 2. CVs of key staff and core personnel. Please limit individual CVs to three pages; 3. A summary table explaining when, where, and how the applicant has implemented similar projects; 4. Letters of recommendation from previous projects from donors and international organizations; 5. Detailed implementation plan showing major activities and how they will be implemented over 12 months. Please include start up activities. A narrative will not be accepted 6. Detailed Budget along with budget narrative. Please use the budget format provided. Do not use your own format 7. Bidder s Declaration: Potential bidders must disclose any relationships e.g. friends, family, business etc. with Foundation staff Applicants are to submit: One (1) hard copy of the technical proposal in a sealed envelope and one (1) original hard copy of the Financial Proposal in separate sealed envelope marked in the upper left-hand corner with the name and address of the Applicant, the RFP title and number. The supporting documents requested must be supplied in the form of originals or photocopies. Where such documents are in a language other than English, a faithful translation into English must be attached and will be used to evaluate the proposal. All proposals should be signed only by an authorized representative of the applicant. The deadline for the receipt of applications is Nov 15, 2016 (04:00 PM Kabul time) All proposals should be directed to the attention of: THE PROCUREMENT UNIT The Asia Foundation House # 861, Street # 1 Shirpour, District-10, (Sub Street of Shirpour Project) Kabul, Afghanistan. The Foundation will not be responsible for proposals left at the main gate, reception, guard offices, or handed over to any Foundation employee other than the procurement unit staff. 5
For further queries regarding the project please contact [munirahmad.aziz@asiafoundation.org and mohammaddaud.rezayee@asiafoundation.org]. No personal visits or telephone calls shall be entertained. V. TIME FRAME Announcement of RFP October 20, 2016 Pre-Bid Conference October 30, 2016 (10:00AM) The Asia Foundation Office. Responses to pre-bid Conference Questions published October 31, 2016 Last date for submission of application November 15, 2016 (04:00 pm) Evaluation of application and short listing November 24, 2016 Interviews and selection of the service provider November 28, 2016 Contract award December 14, 2016 Late bids/proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances. Any Proposal received by the Foundation after the deadline for submission of proposals shall be declared late, rejected, and returned unopened to the proposer. Any correction or resubmission done by the Proposer will not extend the submittal due date. Once submitted, proposals cannot be altered without the prior written consent of the Foundation s proposal review committee. All short-listed bidders will be informed following the selection process their status with regard to selection and shortlisting. Important Note: This announcement does not obligate the Foundation to award a contract nor does it commit the Foundation to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of an application/ proposal. Award of a contract under this announcement is subject to availability of funds and other internal Foundation approvals. VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA How proposals will be evaluated and selected: All applications/proposals will be examined and evaluated by a committee constituted by the contracting authority comprising of members from the program team and Grants, who will evaluate proposals from both a technical and financial standpoint. Applications/proposals submitted by applicants will be assessed according to the following criteria: 6
VII. TYPE OF AWARD INSTRUMENT Area Comments Score Technical Approach Clarity and appropriateness of scope in the proposed technical approach with demonstrated understanding of project goals and component tasks. Simple and clear approach to project implementation and delivery of services. 25 Organizational Capacity Personnel/ Key Staff Interview Project serves beneficiaries and engages relevant stakeholders. Institutional profile, background, expertise, clientage, experience with similar projects, and operational and financial capacity. The Foundation reserves the right to visit organizations for due diligence purposes. Relevant experience and technical knowledge of team leader and proposed staff, including CVs and professional references. Top candidates will be given the opportunity to provide additional information through interviews at the Foundation. An overall assessment of strengths and weaknesses and institutional suitability will be made at this time. Cost/Budget Reasonableness and appropriateness of cost. Clear budget alignment 25 between level of effort, technical approach, and deliverables. The Foundation will issue a Service Agreement to the selected agency, which will be as per the Foundation s internal policies and will be governed by the Foundation s Rules, Regulations and Guidelines. Payments to the NGO will be made as per the payment schedule, which will be negotiable and finalized while signing the agreement. 15 10 15 VIII. OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS The Foundation s project-specific marking and branding regulations may apply to all deliverables produced from this assignment. The Foundation is not bound to select any of the agencies submitting proposals. As quality is the principal selection criterion, the Foundation also does not bind itself in any way to select the agency offering the lowest price. The cost for preparing a proposal and of negotiating an award including visits to the he Foundation s office, if any is not reimbursable as a direct cost of the assignment. Both for-profit and not for-profit agencies may apply for this RFP; interested not-for-profit agencies should provide a copy of their registration certificate as a not-for-profit agency. Important Note: The Foundation encourages proposals from both new implementing partners (IPs) and those with existing projects, but partners currently implementing two projects with the Foundation will be considered only if their current project completion date precedes the starting date specified in the current RFP. Finally, this RFP does not obligate the Foundation to award a contract nor does it commit the Foundation to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Award of a Contract under this RFP is subject to availability of funds and other internal Foundation approvals. ANNEXES: ANNEX I - Budget Template ANNEX II - CV Template ANNEX III - Office Address Direction 7