Appel à consultant – IRI Retour vers les opportunités

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

• Procurement Number: MENA2023T05o
• Open Date: November 27, 2023
• Questions Deadline: December 04, 2023
• Closing Deadline: December 08, 2023
• Geographical Area Restrictions: 937
• Point of Contact: Bilel Ayari, bayari@iri.org

Background

The International Republican Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization dedicated to advancing freedom and democracy worldwide. Since 1983, IRI has worked to develop democratic institutions and ideals, carrying out a variety of international programs to promote freedom, self-government and the rule of law worldwide. IRI provides technical assistance in the areas of political party strengthening, developing civic institutions and open elections, promoting democratic governance and advancing the rule of law.
IRI’s civil society work in Tunisia focuses on improving organizations’ ability to independently operate, advocate on behalf of marginalized groups, and create strong internal project management processes to ensure sustainability and success.

To achieve this, IRI-Tunisia provides tailored assistance plans and trainings on a range of subjects, and is seeking to contract with local, regional and international experts to serve as trainers, facilitators, and consultants for our various activities and events. All contractors will report to and work in close collaboration with IRI-Tunisia program staff who oversee our various programs.

Period of Performance

From the date of signature- August 31, 2024 with the option to extend for one additional year till August 31, 2025.

Statement of Work

Capacity Building Curriculum Design: The contractor will serve as a trainer, facilitator, and consultant on various programming activities and events. The contractor, in collaboration with IRI local staff, will provide specialized community organizing and advocacy training to IRI’s civil society partners through joint workshops and individual training for civil society organizations. The primary goal is to equip these organizations with skills to successfully engage citizens and local officials to advocate on behalf of the communities that they represent.

The contractor will develop a capacity building curriculum focused on community organizing and advocacy, with input and review by IRI. The curriculum will be presented as a roughly 50-page handbook that will function as a comprehensive guide for IRI’s civil society partners to train their organizations on conducting “telling the story of civil society campaigns.” The curriculum will include modules on: developing core messages and narratives about civil society, identifying target audiences and outreach tactics, and defining what change looks like. Further inputs will be provided by IRI at the curriculum development stage, and the curriculum will be subject to up to two rounds of IRI review and edits. Deliverables for the curriculum will include: the finalized, approximately 50-page handbook and a curriculum implementation schedule.

Training Sessions:

The contractor will then provide training on this curriculum through multi-day workshops, individual training sessions, and planning meetings with IRI’s civil society partners. The contractor will be responsible for adapting the curriculum into other training materials (agenda, presentations, reference materials, etc) to provide tailored capacity building assistance to IRI civil society partners. Training sessions may include multi-day joint training sessions with all IRI partners focusing on broad themes related to advocacy and community organizing work, day-long individual training sessions focused on the unique needs of each civil society organization, and half-day training workshops for each partner when needed. IRI program staff will work with the contractor to develop the capacity building curriculum based on programmatic needs and set up meetings between civil society partners and the contractor. For each training session, deliverables will include: a post-training report, using an IRI-provided template, to summarize results and discussions from trainings within ten (10) days of the end of each activity.

Contractors must have relevant experience working with civil society or other political actors and training on a minimum of one of the following topics:
a) Promoting civic participation of marginalized groups;
b) Defining community needs and developing relevant policy proposals and design;
c) Developing plans for engaging with decision-makers on priority community issues;
d) Public speaking skills and techniques;
e) Creative methods for working with the media as a key element of political and civic communication;
f) Engaging citizens and communities in the government’s decision-making processes;
g) Facilitation and dialogue skills;
h) Interpersonal Conflict Resolution
i) Developing messaging and narrative strategies for civil society;

Technical Proposals

All proposals submitted to IRI must include:

1. Information addressing Bidder’s experience in providing each of the services identified in the above Statement of Work and Bidder’s proposed specific approach for providing those services to IRI under this contract, including sufficient information to determine a clear definition of services as it relates to other providers that may be involved.
2. The name, address, and telephone and facsimile numbers of the Bidder (and electronic address if available). If the Bidder is a firm, name(s) should be provided for individuals authorized to conduct business on behalf of the firm.
3. Bidders may provide a list of up to three references for work performed of a similar nature during the last three years, along with contact details. IRI may contact the references to evaluate past performance.
4. If the Bidder is a U.S. organization/resident, or a foreign organization/resident which has income effectively connected with the conduct of activities in the U.S. or has an office or a place of business or a fiscal paying agent in the U.S., the information submitted must contain Bidder’s Taxpayer Identification Number.
5. Proposals will not exceed 6 pages (not including cover page) using Times New Roman font, 1” margins and may be submitted in English, French, or Arabic.
6. Bids must include the following attachment:
   1. Legal ID for individuals, Legal Registration for Organizations
   2. Cover Letter highlighting previous experience training and supporting organizations on advocacy and community organizing, should not exceed two pages.
   3. Sample training plan and methodology, not to exceed two pages.
7. Bidder must have:
   1. At least three years’ experience consulting with political actors on one or more of the topics listed above.
   2. Professional fluency in French and Arabic
   3. Ability to work in Tunisia
8. Proposals submitted by individuals must contain the attached Expert Service Rate Form and a CV/resume.

Price Proposals

Bidders must propose a firm-fixed Unit Price for each of the deliverables identified below and in the format of the table below. The Bidder’s pricing must be valid for at least 60 (sixty) calendar days after the due date for proposal submission. The proposed Unit Price should be fixed and inclusive of all costs to perform, including inspection services, transportation, taxes, import duties (if any), and other levies. To the extent that a Bidder proposed to include any pricing not reflected in the table below, such pricing must be fully described in the proposal. Proposals must be submitted in TND currency, payments under any resulting contract will be made in this currency.

All expenses, including transportation, lodging, meals, and incidentals should be included within the submitted deliverable rates, as no other expenses will be covered or reimbursed by IRI. Deliverable rates submitted should include an assumption of costs incurred by the contractor for travel-related expenses. IRI anticipates that training will take place in Hammamet, Sousse, Grand Tunis, Bizerte, Zaghouan, Gabes, Sidi Bouzid, Medenine, Tatouine, Kebili, Sousse. Bids must be submitted in TND. Payments under any resulting contract will be made in this currency by wire transfer upon acceptance of the contractor’s invoice and training deliverables.

Evaluation and Award Process

1. IRI may contact any Bidder for clarification or additional information, but Bidders are advised that IRI intends to evaluate the offers based on the written proposals, without discussions, and reserves the right to make decisions based solely on the information provided with the initial proposals. IRI may but is not obligated to conduct additional negotiations with the most highly rated Bidders prior to award of a contract, and may at its sole discretion elect to issue contracts to one or more Bidders.
2. Mathematical errors will be corrected in the following manner: If a discrepancy exists between the total price proposed and the total price resulting from multiplying the unit price by the corresponding amounts, then the unit price will prevail and the total price will be corrected. If there is a discrepancy between the numbers written out in words and the amounts in numbers, then the amount expressed in words will prevail. If the Bidder does not accept the correction, the offer will be rejected.
3. IRI may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the prices proposed are materially unbalanced between line items or sub-line items. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is significantly overstated or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. A proposal may be rejected if IRI determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk.
4. IRI will conduct a source selection based as follows:

IRI intends to make an award to the responsible Bidder based on the following evaluation factors:

IRI intends to evaluate Bidders’ proposals in accordance with these factors and make an award to the responsible Bidder whose proposal is most advantageous to the program.

If a cost realism analysis is performed, cost realism may be considered in evaluating performance or price.

RFP Terms and Conditions

1. Prospective Bidders are requested to review clauses incorporated by reference in the section “Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference”.
2. IRI may reject any or all proposals if such is within IRI’s interest.
3. Proof of costs incurred, such as but not limited to receipts, pictures and financial documents, may be requested during and for up to three years after the end of the contract period.
4. The Bidder’s initial proposal should contain the Bidder’s best offer.
5. Payment will be made upon receipt of invoices and deliverables/services.
6. Discussions with Bidders following the receipt of a proposal do not constitute a rejection or counteroffer by IRI.
7. IRI will hold all submissions as confidential and submissions shall not be disclosed to third parties. IRI reserves the right to share proposals internally, across divisions, for the purposes of evaluating the proposals.
8. For any currency conversion, the exchange rate to US Dollars listed on oanda.com on the closing date of this solicitation shall be used.
9. Every contract will contain provisions governing termination for cause and termination for convenience.
10. By submitting a proposal, offeror agrees to comply with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and agreement to the services identified above, and will specifically identify any disagreement with or exceptions to the terms, conditions, and provisions.
11. Offerors confirm that the prices in the proposal/proposal/application/quote have been arrived at independently, without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Bidder or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.
12. If IRI continues to require the goods and services and the price remains reasonable and within market norms, resulting contract may be renewed each year for up to 5 years with 30 days’ notice to the Contractor. Bidder must establish any price increase for each renewal year in the initial bid.
13. By applying to this RFP, applicant is certifying that if it is awarded a contract, none of funds payable under the resulting contract will be used to (1) procure or obtain, extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain; (2) enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) to procure; or (3) obtain the equipment, services, or systems that uses covered telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system in compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act. Covered telecommunications equipment and services mean any of the following:
    1. Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).
    2. For the purpose of public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes, video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities).
    3. Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such entities or using such equipment.
    4. Telecommunications or video surveillance equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of the National Intelligence or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by, or otherwise connected to, the government of a covered foreign country. (2 CFR 200.216).
14. Bidders agree to disclose as part of the proposal submission:
    1. Any close, familial, or financial relationships with IRI staff and agents. For example, the Bidder must disclose if a Bidder’s mother conducts volunteer trainings for IRI.
    2. Any family or financial relationship with other Bidders submitting proposals. For example, if the Bidder’s father owns a company that is submitting another proposal, the Bidder must state this.
    3. Any other action that might be interpreted as potential conflict of interest.

Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference

IRI is required to make the contractor subject to certain flowdown clauses of the prime award. This awarded contract will incorporate one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Where “flow-down” to the contractor is applicable, references to “USAID/Department of State” shall be interpreted to mean “IRI”, “Recipient” to mean “Contractor”, and “Subrecipient” to mean “lower-tier subcontractor.” Included by reference are the applicable provisions contained in Appendix II to 2 CFR Part 200 and USAID Standard Provisions for Non-US Non-governmental Organizations/US Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions.

IRI Obligations

Issuance of this RFP does not constitute an award commitment on the part of IRI, nor does it commit IRI to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal or quotation.

Required Certifications

The following certificates need to be signed by all Bidders. These certifications are an integral part of the quotation/proposal. Please print them off and send back to us with your proposal after signature on each certificate.

They are:

• Certification regarding debarment, suspension, ineligibility and voluntary exclusion lower tier covered transactions (Organizations)
• Authorized Individuals (Organizations)
• Certification Regarding Lobbying (Organizations)
• Expert Rate Form (Individuals)

For more details, please download the TDR : Civil Society Trainers RFP