Local Lawyer-International Republican Institute عودة إلى الفرص

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.  

Through the following Request for Proposal, IRI Tunisia seeks to find a lawyer or legal firm  to provide day-to-day legal advice requested in connection with the operations of IRI,  rendering general legal advice under issues of Tunisian law, reviewing contracts,  agreements, documents and instruments from a legal perspective and following-up on issues  to ensure IRI’s good standing. IRI Tunisia is seeking proposals from professional lawyers or  legal firms. 

Period of Performance:  

November 18, 2022 – November 17, 2023, with the option to extend for up to five (5) years  in four (4) 1-year increments. 

Technical Bid:  

Interested bidders must present the technical bids outlining the following information:  Offerors must provide the following:  

– Counsel on all legal matters related to the business operations of IRI in Tunisia, including  all such matters related to labor issues, social security, office rental, etc.    

– Drafting employment contracts and internal regulations governing employee relations – Advising on obtaining work permits, residency, visas, health check and all related issues  for expatriates in Tunisia.   

– Upon request, provide a legal audit of IRI in Tunisia to ensure its legal status and  standing.   

A nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide 

– Provide legal counsel on the management of the intellectual property rights of IRI  in Tunisia and advise on registration and protection of such property.   

– Provide legal counsel on all services that would normally fall within the scope of standard  corporate commercial legal advisory. 

– An ability to properly punctuate, spell, and write legal documents in English 

Price information should be presented as an hourly rate for tasks encompassed by the scope of  work described above and can be billed in half hourly or 15-minute intervals. Invoices must include  a description of the task(s) performed during the period for which time is billed.  

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. If there  are any additional fees, such pricing must be fully described in the bid. Bids must be submitted in  Tunisian Dinars and exclude service tax due to IRI Tunisia tax exemption status; payments under  any resulting contract will be made in this currency. Any other government fees, such as permits,  stamps, or authorizations, will be paid upon delivering a valid government invoice to IRI. 

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 technical bids must contain Bidder’s  Taxpayer Identification Number. 

Price information should be presented as a firm-fixed Unit Price for each of the deliverables  identified below and in the format of the table below. 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. If there are any additional fees  not reflected in the table below, such pricing must be fully described in the bid. Bids must be  submitted in United States Dollars; payments under any resulting contract will be made in  this currency.  

IFB Terms and Conditions: 

1. Prospective Bidders are requested to review clauses incorporated by reference  in the section “Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference”. By  submitting a bid, bidder 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.
2. IRI may reject any or all bids if such is within IRI’s interest. 
3. The Bidder’s initial bid should contain the Bidder’s best offer. 4. 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. 5. Discussions with Bidders following the receipt of a bid do not constitute a  rejection or counteroffer by IRI. 
4. IRI will hold all submissions as confidential and shall not be disclosed to third  parties. IRI reserves the right to share bids internally, across divisions, for the  purposes of evaluating the bids.  
5. 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. 
6. Bidders confirm that the prices in the bid/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. 
7. By applying to this IFB, 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: 
8. Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies  Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such  entities). 
9. 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). 

iii. Telecommunications or video surveillance services provided by such  entities or using such equipment. 

200. 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). 
201. Bidders agree to disclose as part of the bid submission: 
202. 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.
203. Any family or financial relationship with other bidders submitting bids. For  example, if the bidder’s father owns a company that is submitting another  bid, the bidder must state this. 
204. Any other action that might be interpreted as potential conflict of interest. 

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 bids and reserves  the right to make decisions based solely on the information provided with the initial  bids. 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 were 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 bid 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 bid 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: 

“Best value” 

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

IRI intends to evaluate bids in accordance with these factors and make an award to the  responsible bidder whose proposal is most advantageous to the program. 

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

Submission Instructions: 

Bids must be submitted via email to POC, Ghada Ben Gaid Hassine, ghassine@iri.org with the  subject line “MENA2022T09o – Local Lawyer” by the deadline listed above. 

IRI Obligations 

Issuance of this IFB does not constitute and 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.  

Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference  

IRI is required to make the contractor subject to the clauses of the prime award. This contract  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 contractor is appropriate and applicable,  references to “USAID” or” 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 C.F.R. 200 and USAID Standard Provisions for Non-US Non governmental Organizations/US Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions.

IFB MENA2022T09o – Local Lawyer