Appel d’offres – DRC Retour vers les opportunités

Terms of Reference

Provision of TRAVEL AGENCY SERVICES

• RFP published : 29^th August 2023
• Closing date for clarifications : 10^th September 2023
• Closing date and time for receipt of Tenders  : 18^th September 2023 01:00 PM (GMT+1)
• Tender Opening Location : DRC office in Tunis
• Tender Opening Date and time  : 18^th September 2023 02:00 PM. (GMT+1)

1 – Background

DRC international humanitarian response organization is hereby soliciting bid proposals from travel agencies interested in providing various services related to travel regularly required by the DRC Algeria, Libya and Tunisia Office based in Tunis.

DRC also reserves the right to establish a trial period with several travel agencies.

Flight Booking services:

Flight booking shall be providing prompt and accurate international and domestic travel products and services. The services to be provided are:

• Provide travel information and flight schedules.
• Reservation and ticketing services for domestic and international flights.
• Airfares and pricing.
• Flight cancellations/rebooking and refunds.

2 – Minimum Products and Services Required by DRC

Travel Services to be Provided.

The successful Travel Agency contractor shall provide full, prompt, accurate and expert international and domestic travel products, and services to the staff of DRC, the products and services required by DRC include, but not to be limited to, the following:

• Reservations and Ticketing
  1. For every duly approved DRC Travel Request Form/e-mail confirmation, Travel Agency shall immediately make reservations on the three (3) main airlines operating the route and prepare appropriate itineraries and formal quotations based on the lowest fare and the most direct and convenient routing. Orders for quotations must be sent by email and provided in a maximum of 2 hours.
  2. In the event that required travel arrangements cannot be confirmed, the Travel Agency shall notify the requesting party of the problem and present three (3) alternative routes/ quotations for consideration.
  3. For wait-listed bookings, the Travel Agency shall provide regular hourly/ daily feedback on the status of that specific flight.
  4. Travel Agency shall promptly issue and deliver accurately printed tickets/ provide electronic tickets over e-mail, and detailed itineraries (in printed and electronic format) showing the accurate status of the airline and hotel reservations on all segments of the journey; and
  5. Travel Agency shall accurately advise DRC of ticketing deadlines and other relevant information every time reservations are made, to avoid booking cancellations.
• Travel Documentation

Travel Agency shall:

1. 1. Provide services for the timely application for visa affairs such as confirmation for hotel and flight reservations.
   2. Immediately replace tickets and other travel documents in the event of their loss.
   3. Provide voucher for hotel accommodation.
   4. Provide signed stamped Purchase Orders (PO)s and invoices per PO and Terms and Conditions for each hotel flight service requested by DRC.
   5. Providing flight tickets via email.

• Airfares and Airline Routings/ Itineraries

Travel Agency shall:

Propose fares/ airline routings and guarantee that it shall obtain the lowest available airfare for the journey concerned.  For all flights, the most direct and economical fare in economy class is to be offered.  The only exception from the above-mentioned rule is if the accumulative outbound and/ or inbound flying time per direction exceeds 9 hours in duration when the lowest cost business class fare is to be offered unless otherwise requested by DRC;

ensure that tickets issued are in accordance with entitlements prescribed in the Travel Authorization (e-mail information);

negotiate with airlines preferred fare conditions for DRC such as ticketing deadlines to be as flexible as possible (i.e. until the date of commencement of particular travel), and advise market practices and trends that could result in further savings for DRC including the use of corporate travel booking tools with automated travel policy compliance and enforcement, and travel management reporting.

• Travel Information / Advisories

Travel Agency shall:

1. 1. Inform DRC travel staff, upon booking confirmation, of flight/ ticket restrictions, involuntary stopovers, hidden stops, and other possible inconveniences of the itinerary and provide required documentation for travels;
   2. Provide DRC travel staff with online and offline relevant information on official destinations, i.e., visa requirements, security advisories, airport transfers/ land transportation facilities, local points of interest, currency restrictions/ regulations, health advisories, weather conditions, etc.;
   3. Endeavor to notify DRC travel staff of airport closures delayed or cancelled flights, security procedures, health precautions, as well as other changes that will affect or will require preparations from the travelers, sufficiently before departure time; and Quick reference for requested destination.

• Billing and Invoicing

Travel Agency shall:

1. 1. Process duly authorized flight changes/ cancellations when and as required and take care that in such cases cancellation fees imposed by the airlines are avoided,
   2. Immediately process airline refunds for changed/ cancelled travel requirements and credit these to DRC as expeditiously as possible,
   3. Refund tickets within three (3) months only (a shorter period than 3 months offered will be an advantage),
   4. Limit refund charges at airline rates only, i.e. no additional charges will accrue to the Travel Agency,
   5. Absorb all cancellation and/or change reservation date charges which are due to no fault of DRC or the person travelling, and Report regularly back to DRC on the status of ticket refunds.
   6. Inform DRC by email to the “Admin” department in Tunisia for any update or cancellation of the service regarding flights. Traveler is also to receive info. by his/her shared contact number.

• Flight Cancellations / Rebooking and Refunds
  Travel Agency shall:
  6. Process duly authorized flight changes/ cancellations when and as required and take care that in such cases cancellation fees imposed by the airlines are avoided,
  7. Immediately process airline refunds for changed/ cancelled travel requirements and credit these to DRC as expeditiously as possible,
  8. Refund tickets within three (3) months only (a shorter period than 3 months offered will be an advantage),
  9. Limit refund charges at airline rates only, i.e. no additional charges will accrue to the Travel Agency,
  10. Absorb all cancellation and/or change reservation date charges which are due to no fault of DRC or the Traveler, and Report regularly back to DRC on the status of ticket refunds.
  11. Inform DRC by email to the “Admin” department in Tunisia for any update or cancellation of the service regarding flights. Traveler is also to receive info. by his/her shared contact number.

3 – Payment schedule

• Payment will be processed by DRC every month and paid no later than 30 days from receipt of the invoice and supporting documents from the supplier.
• The supplier must attach a copy of all e-tickets issued for that month to the invoice.

4 – Timeframe

The duration of the purchase agreement will be 24 months with the possibility of an extension of 12 months upon mutual agreement of both parties.

5 – Administrative evaluation

The supplier must complete and submit the following documents as part of the Bid:

6 – Technical Evaluation

Selection is based on the following weighted criteria. Suppliers must ensure that all requested information and documentation is submitted with the bid:

7 – Financial Evaluation

Suppliers who pass the technical evaluation will be asked to submit prices for the services offered in the financial evaluation.

• The financial evaluation scoring will be based on service fees and lead times for delivery of service.
• The financial bid must be completed on Annex A.2 – Financial Bid Form and priced in TND
• Please do not include any airline fees in the Financial Bid, only those fees to be added by the supplier.
• Fees can be added as a lump sum, or as a percentage amount of the flight ticket.

Annex

1. Annex A – Financial Bid Form
2. Annex B – Invitation Letter
3. Annex C-General Conditions of Contract (Standard)
4. Annex D_Supplier Code of Conduct (Standard)
5. Annex E-Supplier Profile and Registration Form
6. Annex F – Terms of Reference

Questions & Answers

Danish Refugee Council has in reference to above tender period received the following questions
to the Tender, and hereby provides responsive answers by best endeavour to all relevant Vendors & Suppliers.