Request for Proposal: Development of media and communications products for the Expanding Probation System in Tunisia Project – ABA Retour vers les opportunités

Request for Proposal: 

Development of media and communications products for the Expanding Probation System in Tunisia Project 

Request for Proposal: 

Expanding the Probation System in Tunisia 

Bid Timetable 

The ABA will make every effort to adhere to the following schedule: 

1.0 General Information 

1.1 Purpose. The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative Tunisia (ABA ROLI) is a non-profit program, under the ABA’s Fund for Justice and Education, that implements legal reform programs in roughly 43 countries around the world. ABA ROLI has nearly 350 professional staff working abroad and in its Washington, D.C. office. With a mission of promoting justice, economic opportunity, and human dignity through the rule of law, ABA ROLI has unique needs. 

The purpose of this request for proposal (RFP) is to establish a service provider to develop and design 360 degree digital media, public relations, and print communications products. The goal is to provide to those companies interested in submitting proposals (“Bidders”) sufficient information to answer the RFP questions. 

Some batches mentioned in this RFP depend on the context and the relative need. Bidders should show some flexibility in response to emerging needs depending on the context of the organization. Also bidders undertake to deliver all the batches confirmed by the organisation. Please see Appendix D: Media Products Deliverables Matrix for detailed information. 

1.2 Issuing Department. The Rule of Law Initiative has issued this RFP on behalf of the American Bar Association. The sole point of contact in the ABA for this RFP shall be: 

Name: Rihab Attafi 

Address: 3 rue de la Livre, Berge du Lac 2 

Email: MC.RFP21@gmail.com 

Please refer all inquiries to Rihab Attafi. 

1.3 Problem Statement or Type of Goods Required. 

Tunisia’s prison system is overcrowded, with many detainees either in pre-trial detention or serving short sentences for minor offenses. Recidivism rates are high, nationally about 40%. Alternatives to incarceration (ATI) address overcrowding by taking convicted prisoners who commit minor crimes out of the prison population and into supervised probation programs, including community service. 

ABA ROLI is supporting the expansion of the probation system in Tunisia by implementing the Expanding the Probation System in Tunisia (EPST) project in seven Governorates: Ariana, Ben Arous, Gafsa, Sfax, Mahdia, Medenine, and Beja. The project goal is to increase the use of ATI in Tunisia. Whether probation becomes a trusted, mainstream option as an alternative to incarceration and pre-trial detention depends upon the active, informed involvement and buy-in of a variety of stakeholders, including justice sector professionals and ministries, civil society organizations (CSOs), and public and private community stakeholders, among others. 

ABA ROLI is seeking an electronic and print media service provider to develop and design 360 degree digital media, public relations, and print communications products to increase awareness of Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) amongst the justice sector and citizens in Tunisia. Bidders should contemplate undertaking some activities in the Governorates of Ariana, Ben Arous, Gafsa, Sfax, Mahdia, Medenine, and Beja. Please see Appendix D: Media Products Deliverables Matrix for detailed information. 

1.4 Type of Contract. The contract needs to comply with the ABA Contract Policy and will be reviewed by the ABA’s General Counsel’s Office. ABA entities do not have separate legal standing to enter into oral or written contracts in their own names. All contracts are entered into on behalf of the American Bar Association. ABA ROLI, in its sole discretion, may undertake negotiations with Bidders whose proposal, in its’ judgment, show them to be qualified, responsible and capable of performing the project or providing the goods. ABA ROLI has the right to select the number of final bidders and the right to use one or more companies to meet its requirements. Only staff authorized by the ABA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer has authority to execute contractual agreements on behalf of the ABA. 

1.5 Rejection of Proposals. The American Bar Association reserves the right, in their sole and complete discretion, to reject any proposal received because of this RFP. ABA reserves the right to reject all offers, to waive technicalities, and to pursue procurement in a manner that is in the best interests of the organization. 

1.6 Incurring Costs. The ABA is not liable for any costs the Bidder incurs in preparation and submission of its proposal, in participating in the RFP process or in anticipation of the award of the contract. 

1.7 Pre-proposal Conference. There will be no pre-proposal conference. 

1.8 Questions & Answers. If a Bidder has any questions regarding this RFP, the Bidder must submit the questions in English by email to the issuing employee named in Section 1.2 of the RFP. Questions should be submitted no later than the date indicated on the Bid Timetable. The Bidder shall not attempt to contact the issuing employee by any other means. 

1.9 Response Date. To be considered for selection, electronic submissions must arrive to the issuing employee on the date specified in the RFP Bid Timetable. Bidders who send proposals by mail or other delivery service should allow sufficient delivery time to ensure timely receipt of their proposals. 

1.10 Proposals. To be considered, Bidders should submit a complete electronic response to this RFP, using the format provided in Section 2.0. In addition to any paper copies of the proposal, Bidders must submit one complete and exact electronic copy of the proposal via email. The Bidder shall make no other distribution of its proposal to any other Bidder or ABA employee or ABA consultant. An official authorized to bind the Bidder to its provisions must sign the proposal in Appendix A. For this RFP, the proposal must remain valid for 120 days taking into consideration time required for evaluation of proposals and processing of the contract or until a contract is fully executed. If the Issuing employee selects the Bidder’s proposal for award, the contents of the selected Bidder’s proposal will become, except to the extent the contents are changed through Best and Final Offers or negotiations, contractual obligations. 

1.11 Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Information: The ABA encourages participation by minority, women, and small disadvantaged and disabled veteran businesses as prime contractors, joint ventures, and subcontractors/suppliers. MWBE Businesses are businesses that are owned or controlled by a Minority and Women owned business that have a 51% ownership. The Bidder must provide documentation from a certifying agency, state and federal certification that they are a certified minority or women owned business. 

1.12 Discussions for Clarification. Bidders may be required to make an oral or written clarification of their proposals to the issuing employee to ensure thorough mutual understanding and Bidder responsiveness to the solicitation requirements. The issuing employee will initiate requests for clarification. 

1.13 Prime Contractor Responsibilities. The contract will require the selected Bidder to assume responsibility for all services offered in its proposal whether it produces them itself or by subcontract. The issuing employee will consider the selected Bidder to be the sole point of contact with regard to contractual matters. 

1.14 Proposal Contents. Bidders should not label proposal submissions as confidential or proprietary. The issuing employee will hold all proposals in confidence and will not reveal or discuss any proposal with competitors for the contract, unless disclosure is required: 

1. Under the provisions of any State or United States statute or regulation; or 
2. By rule or order of any court of competent jurisdiction. 

All material submitted with the proposal becomes the property of the ABA and may be returned only at the issuing employee’s option. The issuing employee, in its sole discretion, may include any person other than competing Bidders on its proposal evaluation committee. The issuing employee has the 

right to use any or all ideas presented in any proposal regardless of whether the proposal becomes part of a contract. 

1.15 Best and Final Offers. The issuing employee reserves the right to conduct discussions with Bidders for obtaining “best and final offers.” To obtain best and final offers from Bidders, the issuing department may do one or more of the following: enter into pre-selection negotiations, including schedule oral presentations and request revised proposals. 

1.16 Term of Contract. The term of the contract will be for up to five months. The final contract will contain language with the possibility of extending the agreement by up to one year with mutual agreement of the parties. The issuing employee will fix the effective date after the contract has been fully executed by the selected Bidder and by the ABA. The selected Bidder shall not start the performance of any work prior to the effective date of the executed contract and the ABA shall not be liable to pay the selected Bidder for any service or work performed or expenses incurred before the effective date of the contract. 

The contract is not considered approved until the terms have been reviewed and approved by the Office of General Counsel. An “American Bar Association Office of General Counsel” approval seal will appear on the contract with the signature of the attorney approving the terms of the contract. 

1.17 Use of Electronic Versions of this RFP. This RFP is being made available by electronic means. If a Bidder electronically accepts the RFP, the Bidder acknowledges and accepts full responsibility to insure that no changes are made to the RFP. 

2.0 Proposal Requirements 

Bidders must submit their proposals in English in the format outlined below in Appendixes A – C. To be considered, the proposal must respond to every requirement in this part of the RFP. Bidders should provide any extraneous information only as a separate attachment to their proposal. 

2.1 Statement of the Problem or Goods Required. Briefly state your understanding of the problem presented, services required by this RFP and any unique capabilities that your company has to deliver these services 

2.2 Proposed Solution and Approach. Describe your solution in detail for accomplishing the work as specified in Section 4.0 of this document. 

2.3 Evaluative Questionnaire (See Appendix B). Bidders must fully answer all questions listed in Appendix B. 

2.4 Price Submittal (See Appendix C). Bidders must not include any assumptions in their price submittals. If the Bidder includes assumptions in its price submittal, the Issuing employee may reject the proposal. All direct pricing information must be submitted in C. 

1. Lodging and travel 
2. Communications 
3. Technical Equipment (rental, purchase) 
4. Printing, supplies, materials 
5. Software and / or hardware 

3.0 Criteria for Selection 

3.1 Mandatory Responsiveness Requirements. To be eligible for selection, a proposal must: 

1. Be received according to dates set in the Bid Timetable; 
2. Be properly signed by a representative of the Bidder who is eligible to bind them in contract with the ABA; 
3. Be in accordance with all instructions as set forth in Sections 1 and 2. 

3.2 Technical Nonconforming Proposals. The Issuing employee reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive technical or immaterial nonconformities in a Bidder’s proposal. 

3.3 Evaluative Questionnaire, See Appendix B. 

The Evaluative questionnaire consists of seven questions – bidders should complete all questions. 

3.4 Criteria for Selection. The following criteria will be used, in no particular order, in evaluating each proposal: 

1. Bidder qualifications, qualifications of project team; 
2. Methodology; 
3. Level of innovation, automation and expertise shown in media services; 
4. Similar experience on international development and institutional projects in coordination with Tunisian ministries and public organizations; 
5. General level of expertise provided in English, Arabic, and French languages f. Overall costs to the American Bar Association; 
6. Competitiveness in pricing, including any timelines and guarantees; 

The technical proposal (criteria a-e) will be weighed as 70% of the total score and the financial proposal (criteria f-g) as 30% of the total. 

4.0 Specifications and Work Statement 

4.1 Objectives. 

ABA ROLI is seeking a multichannel (online, offline, and print) service provider to develop and design 360 degree digital media, public relations, and print communications products to increase awareness of Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) amongst the justice sector and citizens in Tunisia. Bidders should contemplate undertaking some activities in the Governorates of Ariana, Ben Arous, Gafsa, Sfax, Mahdia, Medenine, and Beja. Please see Appendix D: Media Products Deliverables Matrix for detailed information. 

4.2 Nature and Scope of the Work needed by the ABA. The ABA requests bidders to describe their process for requirements collection, design, pre-production, production, and post-production work. 

4.3 Requirements. As described in Section 3.4 Criteria for Selection, the Association is focused on the following characteristics of the successful Bidder: 

• Proven expertise and experience in developing and deploying print, layout and digital media products. 
• Portfolio / References of the multichannel communication agency. 
• Portfolio / Resumes of the dedicated team to the project. 
• Similar links to institutional 2D motion design videos, storytelling, success stories and best of event materials. 
• Methodology and forecasted production calendar. 
• List of video / audio technical material dedicated to the project. 

4.4 Reports and Project Control. The ABA seeks bidders with a demonstrated ability to maintain timelines and regular contact with the Expanding the Probation System (EPST) project and Procurement teams at ABA ROLI who handles the service you are procuring. 

Thank you for your interest in working with the American Bar Association. 

Appendix B – Evaluative Questionnaire 

Statement of the Problem or Goods Required. Briefly state your understanding of the problem presented, services required by this RFP and any unique capabilities that your company has to deliver these services. 

Proposed Solution and Approach. Describe your solution in detail for accomplishing the work as specified in Section 4.0 of this document. 

Please respond to each question below. 

1. How many years have you been in operation? Where is your major center of operation? 2. Are you a certified Minority, Women or Disadvantaged Business? 
2. The media products and/or work language will be in English, Arabic, and French. Are there any languages listed that you would not be able to fulfill? 
3. What are your standard hours of operation? Is there a project team assigned to this ABA ROLI account? Will the project team be available after normal business hours and / or on weekends? 
4. What is your company’s methodology for developing, designing, and producing digital and print media products? ? 
5. Please describe your process for receiving orders, proofing orders, processing orders, and invoicing orders. 
6. What is your company’s customer service philosophy? How will your project team interact with ABA ROLI and the EPST project stakeholders? 

Appendix C – Price Submittal 

Include all costs related to the service. Please refer to the full list as shown in section 2.4 of this RFP. Price per deliverable must be submitted in the form provided in Appendix D, below. 

Appendix D – Media Products Deliverables Matrix 

TOTAL W/ VAT TND – 

TAX TND – 

TOTAL (tax included TND) – 

*For “day of event” activities, the selected bidder will receive event information such as agendas, dates, locations, etc. at least seven days prior to the event. 

**For Batch 4, ABA ROLI has allocated 7,000 TND for the Like Ads Campaign and 1,500 TND per month for Facebook Ads content promotion. The bidder is responsible for providing the strategy for the campaign and content promotion. Please refer to Batch 1 to determine graphic design content requirements. 

***For Batch 7, the logo has been chosen by the EPST project team (see below). The chosen service provider will be responsible for technically redesigning the logo with all possible variations and color / graphic charter.