(Offre en anglais) The International Republican Institute (IRI) lance un appel à propositions Retour vers les opportunités

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

• Procurement Number: MENA2018T190
• Open Date: November 16, 2018
• Questions Deadline: November 26, 2018
• Closing Deadline: November 30, 2018
• Geographical Area Restrictions: N/A
• Point of Contact: Sierra Smith, Senior Program Associate, ssmith@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, selfgovernment 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.

Qualitative and quantitative public opinion research that tracks important social, economic and political trends and perceptions underpins IRI’s programming in Tunisia. Since March 2011, IRI has conducted 18 nationwide public opinion polls and thousands of interviews investigating Tunisians’ perceptions of government performance, policy, political parties, elections, the economy, violent extremism and other timely issues. The Institute’s polling has been featured in the New York Times, the Economist and many other news outlets and is a valuable resource for Tunisian political leaders and decision makers.

IRI uses these polls to provide Tunisian political parties, government officials, civil society and other important stakeholders an unbiased idea of what Tunisian citizens expect and want from their government. IRI believes that public opinion research plays a crucial role in democratic transitions.

IRI’s polling in Tunisia is trusted and respected for its political neutrality and scientific rigor. It is of the utmost importance to IRI to maintain this reputation.

Signing of the Agreement through March 31, 2019

Statement of Work

OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH

Public opinion data shall be obtained through a survey of Tunisia that is designed to obtain the most accurate possible information about: (a) motivations for and disincentives to participating in municipal council elections specifically and (b) the political process broadly. The research will gather insights into which voter education and outreach approaches most resonate with Tunisians, what factors motivated Tunisians to register to vote and participate in the country’s first democratic local elections, and which techniques are effective in engaging Tunisians.

RESEARCH TASKS

• (1) General Responsibilities of Bidder. The bidder shall be responsible for the project design and execution, including the following specific tasks:
  1. translation, formatting, pretesting, adaptation, and printing of questionnaires (unless using CAPI devices);
  2. development of a Sampling Plan, to be based a multistage stratified plan; list and explain any geographic or other exclusions; the proposed Sampling Plan will be reviewed by IRI Office of Research and any further changes agreed upon by IRI and Bidder will be incorporated;
  3. training supervisors and interviewers;
  4. arranging and supervising all aspects of fieldwork, including back-checks;
  5. entering and processing the survey data, including data cleaning and encoding survey responses;
  6. ascertaining the representativeness of the sample and weighting the data, if necessary;
  7. Statistical analysis of findings and writing of analytic report to place the findings within the local political and other context.
• (2) Questionnaire. IRI will provide a draft questionnaire and the bidder will provide input, such as a need for rephrasing certain terms for local context. IRI requests translation into Tunisian-Arabic and French. Translations will be reviewed and approved by IRI. Full versions should be printed and interviewers should be allowed to code the questionnaire in the interview language. If CAPI devices are used, at least the main interview language must be programmed into CAPI—only programming in English (unless English the main interview language) is not sufficient. The questionnaire may call for show cards, which need to be printed in all translated languages. The interview will include 60-70 questions.
• (3) Sample Design. IRI requires a national sample of 1,200 adults, age 18 or older, that is representative of the population of the survey universe, and potentially oversamples of n=400 each in up to three municipalities in the following regions Tunis 1, Monastir and Gafsa – details in the pricing table. Planned exclusions of the population of the survey universe (e.g. geographic etc.) must be discussed during quotation stage. The sample shall be drawn using recognized probability methods, all the way down to the selection of the individual respondent at the household level. In the event that any departure from probability sampling methods is recommended by the bidder for all or any part of the survey, the sampling methodologies to be employed shall be described in detail and a rationale for their use shall be provided. IRI’s general preferred sampling approach is:

1. Stage 1: PPS Stratification by administrative units as per census (e.g. province, district etc.)
2. Stage 2: PPS Stratification by urban/rural (if census data exists)
3. Stage 3: Random selection of Sampling Point (no more than 10 interviews per Sampling Point) within each Stage 2 stratum
4. Stage 4: Random route household selection within each Sampling Point. Starting point within Sampling Point ideally randomly determined by satellite map or GPS coordinates.
5. Stage 5: Random selection of respondent within each selected household by KISH grid or last/next birthday method. 

Sample Sampling Plan for n=1000 with 10 interviews per Sampling Point (SP)

A detailed sampling plan shall be submitted to the IRI prior to fieldwork, including a description of the survey coverage, allocation of the sample, description of the sampling frame, description of any stratification criteria to be used, description of the stages of selection and the selections methods to be used at each stage, a definition of the Sampling Points and approximate number of interviews to be conducted within each Sampling Point, the method to be used for selection of the respondent at the household level, an explanation for any divergence from use of the KISH grid for respondent selection, and call-back rules to be employed. It is assumed that the sample will be distributed in proportion to the population of each region or other geographic unit to be surveyed; in the event that the bidder wishes to propose a sample design departing from this principle the proposal should describe the allocation to be used and the reasons for doing so.

• (4) Pre-test. The questionnaire shall be pre-tested by the bidder prior to the commencement of any fieldwork. No less than 20 pre-test interviews shall be conducted and in surveys with translations into multiple language, no less than 10 interviews per language. The bidder shall provide IRI with a written report of the results of the pre-test, along with details of any problems encountered and suggested remedies, prior to the commencement of any fieldwork.
• (5) Fieldwork. Interviews shall be conducted by experienced field workers who shall be thoroughly briefed by bidder prior to commencement of any fieldwork. IRI may send a representative to observe training and/or some interviews. The bidder shall ensure that interviewers are thoroughly familiar with household and respondent selection procedures, call back procedures, and the structure of the questionnaire, including routing and filtering. Interviewer training shall include practice sessions in administering the questionnaire. All interviewers must have at least completed secondary education and must be fully fluent (reading and speaking) in the language(s) in which they are to administer the interviews. A minimum of 10% of interviews shall be back checked or accompanied by a team supervisor. The interviews shall be face-to-face and they shall be conducted in the home of the respondent. IRI prefers questionnaire administration via CAPI but is open to paper-and-pencil questionnaire administration if CAPI use is not feasible or advisable. Household and respondent selection must be tracked on a contact tracking sheet or similar—this will be needed to calculate the response rate. Informed consent (oral is acceptable unless country laws require written) must be sought prior to commencing the interview. IRI will provide draft informed consent language to the bidder and this template may be updated by the bidder to conform with the country’s legal requirements.
• (6) Data Processing. The bidder shall be responsible for data entry with a 10% double-punch standard (if using paper and pencil questionnaires), cleaning, and processing, including development and implementation of a coding scheme for all open-ended questions. The bidder shall supply data to IRI as a clean, fully labeled in English SPSS “*.sav” file with a complete data dictionary of variable names and value labels. There shall be one data record for each respondent and records shall be of fixed length. The bidder shall be responsible for deriving and applying any post-stratification weights required to bring the sample into conformity with the demographic profile of the population at the very least for gender and age groups, as well as any additional weighting factors required to correct for disproportionate allocation, if use. If demographic weights were to exceed a factor 1:8, this must be discussed in writing with IRI before the weight is applied. Ideally, IRI would want education groups included in weights, and if available demographic data allows it, those without formal education will be assigned to a separately code from those with a least some primary education. Oversamples will be weighted back down to the national population distribution. Each record shall include a unique respondent ID number, interviewer ID number, interview duration, Sampling Point ID number, and codes for precise location and date of interview. Each record shall include demographic information about the respondent, including: gender, exact age, and education level.
• (7) Technical Report. When delivering data, the bidder shall provide a Technical Report which shall include the following:
  • (a) A complete Sampling Plan, including list of PSUs and individual sampling points and number of interviews conducted at each sampling point.
  • (b) Details of response rates, including tabulation of unsuccessful interview attempts by sampling point, with reasons for non-response (i.e. respondent refusal, proxy refusal, inability to locate selected respondent, etc.).
  • (c) A brief report on survey operations including any practical difficulties encountered in carrying out the survey;
  • (d) Estimated sampling error;
  • (e) A complete explanation of the weighting scheme including details of how weighting factors were developed and applied, as well as the demographic data on which weights were based (i.e., age, gender, and education distributions in the population);
  • (f) any abnormalities encountered during data QC, including but not limited to: suspicious patterns by interviewer ID (e.g. usually fast completion rates), GPS coordinates not matching the selected sampling point, potential contradictions (e.g. respondents who rate a certain politician as highly untrustworthy yet definitely plan on voting for this person), significant data changes of indicators since the previous poll etc.
• (8) Analytical Report. The bidder will provide an analytical report of 3-5 pages highlighting key findings from the data and placing these findings within the local context. Mere description of data is not sufficient; the report must contain analysis.
• (9) PowerPoint Presentation. The bidder will provide a presentation with a chart for every survey question. A template (already completed with historic data for trend charts if applicable) will be provided by IRI.
• (10) Summary of deliverables. The Deliverables to be provided to IRI by the bidder are as follows:
  • (a) Sampling Plan
  • (b) Pretest report
  • (c) Copies of the final questionnaire, as fielded, in English and translations
  • (d) A complete data set formatted as SPSS file
  • (e) A technical report
  • (f) An analytical report
  • (g) PowerPoint Presentation
• (11) Delivery Schedule. Bidder will advise IRI on a feasible timeline for completing work on this project as soon as possible, with the deliverables listened in Section 9 above to be submitted no later than three weeks after the conclusion of fieldwork.

PROPOSAL CONTENT

Proposals should address the following points:

• POLL:
  • List surveys with similar specification previously conducted in this country
  • Explain if planning on using subcontractors for any tasks
  • Is bidder able to comply with all requirements listed on the SOW without alterations? If any proposed alterations, explain.
  • Coverage, if not 100% of non-institutionalized adults aged 18+:
  • Describe sampling methodology, including design and the source the sampling frame is drawn from, household selection, respondent selection, number of call-backs
  • List interview method (F2F Paper and Pencil, CAPI)
  • Describe Interviewer Training (duration, topics etc.)
  • Describe fieldwork quality control (direct observation, personal back checks, phone back checks etc.)
  • Describe data entry and data checks protocol (e.g. checks for duplicate entries, logic checks etc.)
  • Describe anticipated challenges if any
• Price proposal, Offerors should present costs broken down by the following cost categories:
  • Translation and back translation of survey instrument
  • Field test for survey
  • Fieldwork price per number of interviews
  • Data processing and entry per number of interviews
  • Total cost of national public opinion poll
  • Oversampling pricing. Provide pricing based on the following options:

Evaluation and Award Process

1. IRI may contact any Offeror for clarification or additional information, but Offerors 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 Offerors prior to award of a contract, and may at its sole discretion elect to issue contracts to one or more Offerors.
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 Offeror 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 balanceposes an unacceptable risk.

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

• Technical evaluation, (including technical capabilities, proposed technical approach, and personnel qualifications) 20 -percent
• Personnel who will be primarily conducting the work described under the SOW are wellqualified to do so, as evidenced by CVs
• Polling methodology proposed by the bidder is in line with polling best practices, as determined by IRI’s Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR)
• Past performance and experience in performing similar projects 30- percent
• Responsiveness to client
• Attention to detail
• Quality of work
• Experience working with international pollster or international non-profit organization
• Prior experience fielding polls in Tunisia
• Compliance with security and other administrative requirements 20- percent
• Proposal includes a statement confirming firm’s agreement with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and agreement to the services identified in the solicitation, specifically identifying any disagreement with or exceptions to the terms, conditions, and provisions.
• Other factors 20 – percent
• Ability to field polls that adhere to international standards and best practices for survey research
• Ability to ensure polling data integrity and quality
• Ability to complete fieldwork and data processing in a timely fashion
• Ability to use SPSS
• Price – 10 percent

RFP Terms and Conditions

1. Prospective Offerors 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. Proposals must be submitted in English.
4. Payment will be made upon receipt of invoices and deliverables/services.
5. 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.
6. The Offeror’s initial proposal should contain the Offeror’s best offer.
7. IRI reserves the right to make multiple awards or partial awards if, after considering administrative burden, it is in IRI’s best interest to do so.
8. Discussions with Offerors following the receipt of a proposal do not constitute a rejection or counteroffer by IRI.
9. 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.
10. Any samples submitted by Offerors will not be returned to Offerors.
11. 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.
12. For any currency conversion, the exchange rate to US Dollars listed on oanda.com on the closing date of this solicitation shall be used.
13. 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.
14. 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 Offeror or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.
15. Offerors agree to disclose as part of the proposal submission:
    1. Any close, familial, or financial relationships with IRI staff and agents. For example, the Offeror must disclose if an Offeror’s mother conducts volunteer trainings for IRI.
    2. Any family or financial relationship with other Offerors submitting proposals. For example, if the Offeror’s father owns a company that is submitting another proposal, the Offeror 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 subcontractor subject to the clauses of the prime award. This subcontract incorporates 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 subcontractor is appropriate and applicable, references to “USAID/Department of State” shall be interpreted to mean “IRI”, “Recipient” to mean “Contractor”, and “Subrecipient” to mean “lower-tier subrecipients”. Included by reference are 2 CFR 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 quotation.

Required Certifications

The following certificates need to be signed by all Offerors. 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:

• Narcotics offenses and drug trafficking- key individual certification
• Certification regarding debarment, suspension, ineligibility and voluntary exclusion lower tier covered transactions
• Lobbying disclosure
• Authorized Individuals

Please find theme here : MENA2018T19o-Tunisia-Polling-Solicitation !