NGO JOBS

Organization: UN Children's Fund
Country: United Arab Emirates
Closing date: 20 Sep 2013

1. Background

UNICEF Somalia Support Centre is the agency of the United Nations mandated to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. For UNICEF to effectively expand its procurement activities in Somalia, a more substantial supplier base must be established to ensure fair competition. This market survey is to locate those manufacturers/suppliers that are able, willing and financially capable in supplying those commodities to Somalia according to the requested specifications from UNICEF Somalia Office. These potential manufacturers/suppliers should be capable, both technically and financially and have useful production facilities, warehousing including well established quality control system. UNICEF therefore seeks the services of a consultancy firm to conduct a comprehensive market survey for sourcing and identification of potential manufacturers/suppliers in Dubai. UNICEF’s preference is to procure directly from manufacturers and authorized representative and/or dealers.

1.0 PROCEDURES AND RULES

1.1 ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND

UNICEF is the agency of the United Nations mandated to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child UNICEF strives to establish children’s rights as international standards of behaviour towards children. UNICEF’s role is to mobilise political will and material resources to help countries ensure a “first call for children". UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children.

UNICEF carries out its work through its headquarters in New York, 8 regional offices and more than 190 countries and territories world-wide. UNICEF also has a research centre in Florence, a supply operation based in Copenhagen and offices in Tokyo and Brussels. UNICEF’s 37 committees raise funds and spread awareness about the organisations mission and work.

1.2 PURPOSE OF THE RFP

The purpose of this RFP is to invite proposals for a Comprehensive Market Survey in Dubai to Identify suppliers in U.A.E – Dubai and evaluate current UNICEF Suppliers.

1.3 FORECAST SCHEDULE
The schedule of the contractual process is as follows:
a) Closing date and time for submission of full proposal: 20/09/2013 at 10.00 a.m Nairobi Time Sealed proposals (Technical and Financial) in separate envelopes.
b) Award Notice: 2013
c) Signature of contract: 2013

1.4 RFP CHANGE POLICY’RFP Response Format and CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

1.5 RFP CHANGE POLICY
All requests for formal clarification or queries on this RFP must be submitted in writing to Amna El Mamoun aelmamoun@unicef.org via e-mail. Please make sure that the e-mail mentions the Bid reference number.
Only written inquiries will be entertained. Please be informed that if the question is of common interest, the answer will be shared with all potential bidders.
Erasures or other corrections in the proposal must be explained and the signature of the applicant shown alongside. All changes to a proposal must be received prior to the closing time and date. It must be clearly indicated that it is a modification and supersedes the earlier proposal, or state the changes from the original proposal. Proposals may be withdrawn on written request received from bidders prior to the opening time and date. Bidders are expected to examine all instructions pertaining to the work. Failure to do so will be at bidder’s own risk and disadvantage.

1.6 RESPONSE FORMAT
Bidders are requested to confirm no later than 06/09/2013 their intention to submit their proposal, by sending an e-mail to cmasheti@unicef.org
Bidders must submit sealed original copies of the Bid duly signed and dated, with envelopes clearly marked with the ITB Number and addressed to UNICEF Somalia Support Centre, P.O. Box 44145-00100, NAIROBI. Sealed proposals (Technical and Financial) in separate envelopes should be delivered to UNICEF Somalia Office located at the UN Gigiri Complex Nairobi, Block Q, First Floor.The bids must be received not later than 20/09/2013 by 10.00 am Nairobi Time at UNICEF SOMALIA SUPPORT CENTRE OFFICE, UN GIGIRI, COMPLEX, NAIROBI, BLOCK Q, 1st FLOOR. Proposals received after the stipulated date and time will be invalidated.
Sealed Bids received prior to the stated closing time and date will be kept unopened. UNICEF will accept no responsibility for the premature opening of a bid not properly addressed or identified. Due to the nature of this Bid, there will be no public opening of proposals and responsible officers will open the bids when the specified time has arrived.

Information, which the bidder considers proprietary, should be clearly marked "proprietary", if any, next to the relevant part of the text, and UNICEF will treat such information accordingly.

1.7 RIGHTS OF UNICEF

UNICEF reserves the right to accept any proposal, in whole or in part; or, to reject any or all proposals. UNICEF reserves the right to invalidate any Proposal received from a Bidder who has previously failed to perform properly or complete contracts on time, or a Proposal received from a Bidder who, in the opinion of UNICEF, is not in a position to perform the contract. UNICEF shall not be held responsible for any cost incurred by the Bidder in preparing the response to this Request for Proposal. The Bidder agrees to be bound by the decision of UNICEF as to whether her/his proposal meets the requirements stated in this Request for Proposal. Specifically, UNICEF reserves the right to:

• contact any or all references supplied by the bidder(s);
• request additional supporting or supplementary data (from the bidder(s));
• arrange interviews with the bidder(s);
• reject any or all proposals submitted;
• accept any proposals in whole or in part;
• negotiate with the service provider(s) who has/have attained the best rating/ranking, i.e. the one(s) providing the overall best value proposal(s);
• contract any number of candidates as required to achieve the overall evaluation objectives.

1.8 Price Proposal

The price proposal should be done as per the Rate sheet below also attached as PDF.

VALIDITY
Proposal must be valid for a minimum of ninety (90) days from the date of opening of this ITB and must be signed by all candidates included in the submission. Bidders are requested to indicate the validity period of their proposal in the Proposal Form. UNICEF may also request for an extension of the validity of the proposal.

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)
COMPREHENSIVE MARKET SURVEY
UNICEF Somalia

Summary
Title Comprehensive Market Survey – Dubai
Purpose Identify suppliers in UA.E – Dubai and evaluate current UNICEF Suppliers
Expected Fee Based on the Cost-Effective Proposal
Location U.A.E - Dubai
Duration Based on the most competitive proposal
Start date As per the delivery plan of the competitive RFP
Reporting Chief – Supply and Logistics
Budget code

1. Background

UNICEF Somalia Support Centre is the agency of the United Nations mandated to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. For UNICEF to effectively expand its procurement activities in Somalia, a more substantial supplier base must be established to ensure fair competition. This market survey is to locate those manufacturers/suppliers that are able, willing and financially capable in supplying those commodities to Somalia according to the requested specifications from UNICEF Somalia Office. These potential manufacturers/suppliers should be capable, both technically and financially and have useful production facilities, warehousing including well established quality control system. UNICEF therefore seeks the services of a consultancy firm to conduct a comprehensive market survey for sourcing and identification of potential manufacturers/suppliers in Dubai. UNICEF’s preference is to procure directly from manufacturers and authorized representative and/or dealers. Therefore, to the greatest extent possible, UNICEF shall endeavour to obtain competitive bids from suppliers as follows:

(a) As first preference, from manufacturers of goods required or, in the case of services, the service provider;

(b) As second preference, and in recognition of the fact that manufacturers may not always be at liberty to deal directly with UNICEF due to the existence of legally binding geographic distribution agreements with third parties, from authorized distributors of a manufacturers goods/services.

(c) As a third preference, wholesalers or traders, in case of:

Neither the manufacturer nor authorized distributors are interested in selling to UNICEF;The requirement involves a wide range of products/service, which no manufacturer can provide; orRequirement includes set packing of a wide range of products.

1. UNICEF Requirements

2.1 For the contractor to be able to effectively evaluate suppliers, these must submit the following documents:

• Completed UNICEF Supplier Profile Form
• Company Profile which should include:
• company structure
• number and type of employees
• if manufacturer, site of factory
• monthly and annual production capacity (for manufacturers only).
• description of quality control systems applied
• copy of ISO certification if available.
• Audited Financial Statement, if available.
• Certificate of Incorporation (if applicable)
• Any other licenses or authorizations issued by the appropriate government authority to operate a business in Dubai and locations of Somalia
• At least three references of major customers/clients
• Contractor must accept UNICEF’s general terms and conditions
• Contractor must have sufficient financial resources to maintain its business between Dubai and Somalia

1. Justification

Dubai being the ‘Trading Hub’ and with its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, makes it in a to service Somalia and access a diverse range of markets spanning the Middle East, North and South Africa, the Asia Pacific. The market survey in Dubai will help sourcing and identification of suppliers, how they run their business, warehousing facilities, etc. It will also help to know the source of commodities and whether it will have impact on the timely clearance of the commodities or delays in delivery of final manufactured product to UNICEF in emergency situations where speedy delivery is a crucial factor. Some suppliers use others as sub-contractors and sometimes some form a group of companies complementing each other. The process of assessing the suppliers should help to determine whether it is a weakness or it supports expediting the local procurement process. However the overall process is required in order to minimize the risk of financial losses, and at the same time ensure stable delivery of supplies by the suppliers.

1. Main Tasks

The purpose of this comprehensive market survey is to:

4.1 Identify new and potential suppliers in Dubai to increase competition for its procurement business to Somalia for the following, but not limited to, commodities and services:

Commodities:
Education Supplies: Classroom supplies, educational kits and equipment (blackboards, chalk, stationary, exercise books, ball point pens, etc.), education furniture, etc.

IT Supplies: IT equipment, computer accessories and related peripherals (computers, LCD projectors, VCD/VCR/DVD, cameras etc.), communication equipment, etc.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): generator sets and spare parts, hand pumps and submersible pumps and spare parts, centrifugal pumps with pipes, solar submersible pumps and accessories, electric motors, UPVC pipes, casings and fittings; steel pipes, GI Pipes, water storage tanks, water treatment chemicals, collapsible jerry cans (10lt & 20lt), Plastic buckets(20lt) capacity, hygiene and cleaning supplies such as bar soaps, water treatment chemicals such as Aquatabs, Chlor Flocs and Chlorine powder; Ceramic filters etc.

Non Food Items (NFI): Tents, tarpaulins, blankets, plastic sheets sleeping mats, emergency relief shelter and household supplies (cooking sets, plastic sheets, tents, etc.); clothing materials, laundry soap, buckets and rigid jerry cans, textiles blankets (fleece and wool), etc.

Printing Materials and Services: printing of publication materials, brochures, posters, banners, stickers, folders, billboards, reports, registration books, booklets, T-shirts, caps, wrist brands, etc.

Office Supplies: office furniture, office stationery, electrical supplies, etc.

Transport Supplies: vehicles and vehicles spare parts, tyres and batteries, etc.

Misc Supplies: sports and indoor recreation materials/equipment, Electrical supplies, Security enhancement, Metal detectors, X-ray machines, CCTV cameras.

Institutional Services:
• Logistical Services: heavy and light transport, customs, clearing and forwarding services, warehousing/storage facilities and management, vehicle maintenance
• Graphic design services
• Video, Audio and Photography services
• Website development and maintenance
• Production/Printing services
• Institutional service providers for different types of researches, feasibility studies, capacity assessments, development programme, studies, monitoring, etc.
• Ancillary services: cleaning, messengers, security guards, labours, catering services, etc.
• Third Part inspection
• Interpretation and translation services (Somali/English/Somali)
• Financial auditing services
• Sustainable Vehicle service parts and maintenance (Toyota and Armoured vehicles)
• Sustainable generator service parts and maintenance.

4.2 Conduct a thorough evaluation of the supplier’s capabilities (financial and production) and reliability through review of documentation submitted, physical visits, interview and verification with references.

1. Methodology

UNICEF Supply Section will issue a Request for Proposal in accordance with established procedures. All proposals shall be opened at UNICEF Somalia Support Center - Supply Section at the date and time specified in the Request for Proposal. The methodology to be followed will be decided by the consultancy firm and should be stated in the offer, however, the areas expected to be covered will be, but not limited to, the following:

(a) Determine the criteria for selecting the manufactures/suppliers to be visited and the criteria of assessing them such as availability of products, production capacity, solid financial status, good quality of commodities, warehousing and transportation facilities, availability of quality and control measures, after service warranty, maintenance facilities, reliability of meeting agreed upon delivery schedule, etc.

(b) To look into whether the registered suppliers are in the market and in the same line of business registered for, and to fill-in the supplier’s profile forms for the existing companies, their full contact address, telephone numbers and their contact person (s), etc.

(c) Determine the schedule of visits to the manufacturers/suppliers to validate the information provided by them, inspect the premises (office, warehouse, etc), assess their capacity whether to include or exclude them in the suppliers’ database for all those who expressed their interest to do work with UNICEF.

1. Expected Output

At the end of the assignment the consultancy firm is expected to have achieved the following:

6.1 Conduct a comprehensive market survey and establish a list of qualified manufacturers/suppliers with all the relevant information which should include, but not limited to, the following:

• Business idea,
• Company profile (including all supporting documents such as register certificate, brief history of the company, major customers, etc)
• Management capacity,
• Production and operational capacity
• Product mix,
• Delivery times,
• Inventory levels (what items are stocked and where),
• Manufacturer, trader or distributor,
• If distributor, authorised dealer for which manufacturer, exclusivity to market areas,
• If manufacturer, distributors in the region,
• Process flow for receiving orders and executing deliveries,
• Marketing capacity, sufficient resources for customer contacts and capable to serve UNICEF Country Office in Somalia and Kenya,
• Financial profile (turnover, operating profit),
• Web site, technical information available in web page,
• Technical documentation (Arabic, English),
• After sales service, capacity and possible service representations in the neighbouring countries
• Shipping arrangements,
• Premises (office, warehouse),
• Logistic and export experience
• Recent contracts completed (full address i.e. location, contacts, e-mail, etc)
• Delivery period to the client based on the type of commodity

6.2 Write a comprehensive report including the methodology carried out for the market survey and the main conclusions and recommendations of the comprehensive market survey which should include the following:

6.2.1. The report should mention about the types of suppliers i.e are the majority traders, manufacturers, sole agents, distributors, dealers, etc.

6.2.2. The report should indicate from where suppliers import the goods and the raw materials to give an idea on the delivery of the final manufactured product.

6.2.3.A complete physical addresses and contacts details for the suppliers’

6.2.4 Each supplier should provide a copy of their financial statements and/or any legal proof of their financial capability.

6.2.5. An assessment sheet should include the summary of the visit conducted by the consultancy stating: i) whether the documents submitted by each supplier were reviewed or not, ii) whether interviews had been conducted with representatives, iii) whether the references obtained were verified or not, iv) no review on the scope of abilities and skills for each supplier and vi) no review/analysis on identifying the origin of each supplier’s stock / goods and services, as well as the availability of these items.

6.2.6 A database of the recommended suppliers’ categorized by line of business or commodity and classified by reliability/acceptability and capacity, should be provided for use by UNICEF when selecting suppliers for bidding process. A separate list should also be provided for non-recommended suppliers’ with reasons for not recommending.

1. Information required in the Proposal from the Consultancy bidding Firm

• Complete company profile
• Name similar market surveys undertaken
• Proposed approach and methodology and duration of survey
• CV’s of key personnel
• Price

1. Financial Proposal

It is essential that a breakdown of the cost for conducting the comprehensive market survey is divided into the following categories:

Cost of manpower/day (including employment and external services or expertise which should be separate),
Cost of travel, miscellaneous charges, Number of man-days required for the survey.

1. Proposal Evaluation

After the public opening, each proposal will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price. The proposal with the best overall value, composed of technical merit and price, will be recommended for approval. UNICEF will set up an evaluation panel composed of technical UNICEF staff and their conclusions will be forwarded to the internal UNICEF Contracts Review Committee.

The evaluation panel will first evaluate each response for compliance with the requirements of this RFP. Responses deemed not to meet all of the mandatory requirements will be considered non-compliant and rejected at this stage without further consideration. Failure to comply with any of the terms and conditions contained in this RFP, including provision of all required information, may result in a response or proposal being disqualified from further consideration.

The proposals will be evaluated against the following:

1. Category POINTS

2. Technical Evaluation Criteria

1.1 Overall Response 10
Completeness of response
Overall concord between RFP requirements and proposal.

1.2 Company and Key Personnel 20
Including company profile and staff C.Vs)

1.3 Proposed Methodology and Approach 30 -----Total Technical 70

Only proposals which receive a minimum of 50 points will be considered further.

1. Financial Proposal 30

The total amount of points allocated for the price component is 40. The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened and compared among those invited firms/institutions which obtain the threshold points in the evaluation of the technical component. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price; e.g.:

Max. score for price proposal (30) * Price of lowest priced proposal

 Price of proposal X

Total Technical and Price 100 Pts

A detailed break-down of costs should be provided along with the financial proposal.

UNICEF will award the contract to the company, whose response is of high quality, clear and meets the projects goals, including:

The price/cost of each of the technically compliant proposals shall be considered only upon evaluation of the above technical criteria. The bidders should ensure that all pricing information is provided in accordance with the following:

1. Duration and Termination of Contract

2. Duration of the contract with clear work plan and timing of final deliverables should be stated in the proposal.

3. The contract will be commenced from the date when the selected company/institute should start obligation signs on the contract.

4. If the performance of services rendered by the company is considered unsatisfactory or unacceptable, UNICEF may terminate the contract within two weeks prior notice and no compensation shall be paid to the company.

5. Payment Schedule

UNICEF Payment terms: after satisfactory completion of assignment; however under special conditions UNICEF can make payment as per schedule below:

20% upon provision of inception report which shall the detailed methodology, approved formats, workplan for the market survey, etc.
20% upon receipt of UNICEF acceptable first draft report
60% upon receipt of UNICEF acceptable Final Report

Liquidation Damages: Strict penalties imposed due to delays from the contractor, without written justification and UNICEF’s approval, for failure in performance without the need for any previous notice or failure to meet requirements/expected deliverables, UNICEF may without prejudice to any other method of recovery, deduct the amount of 0.5% percent of the value of contract per day from the date of such failure until it is cured, up to a maximum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the value thereof

1. General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

Travel: Cost of travel, DSA and own living arrangement in the states shall be responsibility of the contractor and therefore cost, if any, to be included in the RFP.

Facilities: The consultancy will be expected to arrange for provision of laptops and other accessories/facilities that will be required during the consultancy period to complete the work efficiently and effectively.

The contracted company is expected to source for, recruit and manage all the human resources (subject to UNICEF review and approval), supplies, logistics and other functions necessary for the successful implementation of the market survey.

UNICEF may request at any time the replacement of any personnel assigned by the company under the contract. Any such a request by UNICEF shall not be deemed a termination of the contract. The company shall, at its own expense, replace such person forthwith.

How to apply:

RFP CHANGE POLICY

All requests for formal clarification or queries on this RFP must be submitted in writing to Amna El Mamoun aelmamoun@unicef.org via e-mail. Please make sure that the e-mail mentions the Bid reference number.

Only written inquiries will be entertained. Please be informed that if the question is of common interest, the answer will be shared with all potential bidders.Erasures or other corrections in the proposal must be explained and the signature of the applicant shown alongside. All changes to a proposal must be received prior to the closing time and date. It must be clearly indicated that it is a modification and supersedes the earlier proposal, or state the changes from the original proposal. Proposals may be withdrawn on written request received from bidders prior to the opening time and date. Bidders are expected to examine all instructions pertaining to the work. Failure to do so will be at bidder’s own risk and disadvantage.

1.6 RESPONSE FORMAT

Bidders are requested to confirm no later than 06/09/2013 their intention to submit their proposal, by sending an e-mail to cmasheti@unicef.org

Bidders must submit sealed original copies of the Bid duly signed and dated, with envelopes clearly marked with the ITB Number and addressed to UNICEF Somalia Support Centre, P.O. Box 44145-00100, NAIROBI. Sealed proposals (Technical and Financial) in separate envelopes should be delivered to UNICEF Somalia Office located at the UN Gigiri Complex Nairobi, Block Q, First Floor.The bids must be received not later than 20/09/2013 by 10.00 am Nairobi Time at UNICEF SOMALIA SUPPORT CENTRE OFFICE, UN GIGIRI, COMPLEX, NAIROBI, BLOCK Q, 1st FLOOR. Proposals received after the stipulated date and time will be invalidated.

Sealed Bids received prior to the stated closing time and date will be kept unopened. UNICEF will accept no responsibility for the premature opening of a bid not properly addressed or identified. Due to the nature of this Bid, there will be no public opening of proposals and responsible officers will open the bids when the specified time has arrived.

Information, which the bidder considers proprietary, should be clearly marked "proprietary", if any, next to the relevant part of the text, and UNICEF will treat such information accordingly.