Appel d’offres – FHI 360 عودة إلى الفرص

Recruitment of a Travel Agency/Professional

Association Specialized in Eco-tourism

COLLABORATIVE ACTION FOR THE EXPORT OF HANDICRAFT PRODUCTS

(ACEA) PROJECT

• Period of Performance: May 3, 2021 – June 30, 2021
• Place of Performance: Tunis, Beja, Jendouba, Seliana or Kef

1. Program Background

ACEA Tunisia (Action Collaborative pour les Exportations Artisanales, or “Collaborative Action for the Export of Handicraft Products”) is a 4-year project funded by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by FHI 360. The goal of Wiki PAM is to export Tunisian artisanal products and to build sustainable economic development. The northwest region was chosen due to its abundance of aromatic and medicinal plants such as rosemary, thyme, pistachio mastic, and eucalyptus. The cluster methodology on creating linkages within the essential oils and aromatic plants ecosystem in the northwest of Tunisia is what has allowed for its success.

The main goal of this ecotourism component is to link handicraft artisans from Wiki PAM cluster to an eco-tourism network/product which is in line with the ACEA scope of work. The scope of work includes two specific outcomes for ACEA’s ecotourism activity, which are the coordination with regional entities to integrate ecotourism as a complementary sector to benefit participating artisans and handicraft artisans linked to eco-tourism opportunities in multiple regions of Tunisia. ACEA works in partnership with the Office National de l’Artisanat Tunisien (ONAT) and the Ministry of Tourism to realize its vision.

ACEA is hiring a travel agency, a tourism services company or a professional association specialized in sustainable and durable eco-tourism to assist with the design and implementation of the pilot tour circuits in the North-west.

2.  Contractor’s role

The contractor will be responsible of the design and implementation of pilot eco-touristic circuits in north west tunisia (regions of project beneficiaries activities (GDA and SMSA). These circuits will include stages designed around these GDAs and SMSAs.

This will include reviewing the circuits prepared internally, gathering additional data from the field and providing recommendations for the proposed circuits. The contractor will organize the transportation and eventually lodging for the participants of at least one pilot tour. Participants will be mainly composed of journalists, tour operators, travel agencies, public authorities’ representatives while ensuring the highest safety measures. The Contractor will be responsible for coordinating activities of the ACEA team including: planning, organizing and implementing pilot circuits, preparing and implementing a communication campaign.

3. Detailed Tasks and Deliverables

Under the supervision of the Senior Program Officer, the contractor will carry out the following tasks:

• Review current pilot project. Contractor will review all documents, data and analysis of the Northwest region background information collected by the ACEA team and suggest/recommend any changes necessary.
• Identify and organize appropriate circuit operation. Organize pilot circuit in conjunction with ACEA project and government partners.
• Engagewith travel and tour agency operators and local and international media.
• Coordinate transportation, tour guides, guest house reservations, security measures etc.
• Develop and file the necessary paperwork according to state requirements, including initial government approval.

DELIVERABLES

The contractor will be responsible for preparing and implementing the pilot project according to the following schedule. ACEA team will work with the contractor to finalize the structure of the key deliverables during the contract duration, and the Senior Program Officer will review the contractor’s delivery and provide feedback accordingly.

Criteria/Qualification for Evaluation

Contractor  will be evaluated and ranked by an evaluation committee according to the conditions described in the evaluation criteria below, with a total overall maximum point value of 100. Contractor will first be evaluated and scored from a technical standpoint.  Consultants that are technically qualified shall then be evaluated in terms of cost reasonableness of their daily rate. The contract shall be issued to the consultant with the highest combined technical and cost score.

4. Remuneration

The contractor will be paid the agreed amount after submitting an invoice.

5. Location

This work will be organized in the four governorates Kef, Siliana, Jendouba, and Beja.

6. Disclaimers and FHI 360 Protection Clauses

• FHI 360 may cancel the solicitation and not award.
• FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received.
• Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by FHI 360.
• FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on offeror failure to follow solicitation instructions.
• FHI 360 will not compensate offers for response to solicitation.
• FHI 360 reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion.
• FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities.
• FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition.
• FHI 360 will be contacting offers to confirm contact person, address and that bid was submitted for this solicitation.