Somalia: Surveying Markets in Somalia: LRPS-2016-9125871

1.0 PROCEDURES AND RULES

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 125 country offices 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 identify a number of Consultancy Firms or Individuals to establish a contract for services related to surveying the Markets in Somalia.

1.3 FORECAST SCHEDULE

The schedule of the contractual process is as follows:

a) Closing date and time for submission of full proposal: 11/07/2016 at 10.00 a.m. Nairobi Time.

b) Award Notice: To be determined.

c) Signature of contract: To be determined.

1.4 RFP CHANGE POLICY

All requests for formal clarification or queries on this RFP must be submitted in writing via email to somsupply@unicef.org. Please make sure that the e-mail mentions the RFP 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 RFP 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 Proposals may be withdrawn on written request received from bidders prior to the opening time and date.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.

1.5 RFP RESPONSE FORMAT

Full proposals should be submitted in English and must be received not later than 11/07/2016 by 10.30 a.m. Nairobi Time. Proposals received after the stipulated date and time will be invalidated.

The proposals should be submitted as follows:-

a) Sealed Envelope 1: Technical proposal only without mention of the budget – the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Name of Company; Technical Proposal”.

b) Sealed Envelope 2: Financial Proposal - the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Name of Company; Financial Proposal”.

c) Sealed Envelope 3: Outer envelope containing the individual envelopes for Technical & Financial proposals – the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Company Name”.

d) Please remember to sign the “Request for Proposal for Services Form” on Page 3 of the RFP document and return together with the proposal.

Note: Proposals not submitted in this manner will be invalidated.

BIDS may be hand-delivered or sent by Courier to:-

UNICEF SOMALIA SUPPORT CENTRE OFFICE,

UN GIGIRI COMPLEX, BLOCK Q, GROUND FLOOR

P.O. Box 44145-00100

Nairobi

Bidders are requested to provide details (Name/ID No.) of the persons delivering a day in advance by sending an email to somsupply@unicef.org to facilitate clearance to enter the UN complex.

Due to the nature of this RFP, there will be no public opening of proposals and responsible officers will open technical proposals when the specified time has arrived.

1.6 BIDDER RESPONSE

1.6.1 Formal submission requirements

The formal submission requirements as outlined in this Request for Proposal must be followed, e.g. regarding form and timing of submission, marking of the envelopes, no price information in the technical proposal, etc.

1.6.2 Mandatory criteria:

All mandatory (i.e. must/have to/shall/should/will) criteria mentioned throughout this Request for Proposal have to be addressed and met in your proposal.

All references to descriptive materials should be included in the appropriate response paragraph, though the material/documents themselves may be provided as annexes to the proposal/response.

It is important that you read all of the provisions of the request for proposal, to ensure that you understand UNICEF’s requirements and can submit a proposal in compliance with them. The bidder must also provide sufficient information in the proposal to address each area of the Proposal Evaluation to allow the evaluation team to make a fair assessment of the candidates and their proposal. Note that failure to provide compliant proposals may result in invalidation of your proposal.

1.7 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

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.

1.8 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:

a) Contact any or all references supplied by the bidder(s);

b) Request additional supporting or supplementary data (from the bidder(s));

c) Arrange interviews with the bidder(s);

d) Reject any or all proposals submitted;

e) Accept any proposals in whole or in part;

f) 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);

g) Contract any number of candidates as required to achieve the overall evaluation objectives.

VALIDITY

Proposal must be valid for a minimum of ninety (90) days from the date of opening of this RFP and must be signed by all candidates included in the submission. For proposals from institutions, the proposal must also be signed by an authorised representative of the institution. 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.

1.8.1 Technical Proposal

The technical proposal should address all aspects and criteria outlined in this Request for Proposal, especially in its statement of work, terms of reference and paragraph 1.10 of this Request for Proposal. However, all these requirements represent a wish list from UNICEF. The bidders are free to suggest/ propose any other solution. UNICEF welcomes new ideas and innovative approaches. (NOTE: No price information should be contained in the technical proposal).

1.8.2 Price Proposal

The price proposal should be in line with the TOR, indicating overall/total cost of assignment and itemized budget.

1.9 PROPOSAL EVALUTION

After the RFP opening, each proposal will be assessed first on is 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 requirement of the 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.

EVALUATION METHOD

The evaluation method will be the Cumulative Analysis evaluation (point system with weight attribution) which uses a total score from the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes,

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

The technical proposals will be evaluated against specified criteria below. The total amount of points allocated to the technical proposal is 70 points and only technical proposals which receive a minimum of 50 points will be considered further.

1. OVERAL RESPONSE – Total 10 Points

Overall concord between UNICEF requirements and the proposals of the candidate organization / firm

a) Understanding of, and responsiveness to the requirements of the assignment in terms of technical and expert services as per the attached ToR

b) Detail and thoroughness of the proposal in respect of the requirements of the ToR and assignment

2. STRATEGY/METHODOLOGY OF ASSIGNMENT – Total 25 Points

The Technical Offer including Work Plan and Approach, comprising of;

· Proposed design of the process, methodology, preparations and implementation of the analysis and program design process and description of how the consultant/institution or company is intending to carry out the tasks (e.g. how to organize the required staff/experts and support their activities in South Central Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland, schedule of planned activities, proposed implementation of the required work, etc.)

3. TECHNICAL CAPACITY: Organization’s Background, Experience, Expertise and Other Attributes – Total 35 Points

Experience (10 points: 5 each):

a) Proven record and experience (minimum 5 years):

· Progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in procurement, business administration and management and financial analysis. Proven experience in similar assignments required.

b) Familiarity with Somaliland, Puntland or Central South and good knowledge of local Somali social, cultural, political, economic context

Expertise (25 points: 5 each):

a) In depth knowledge of procurement and good concept of analysing financial documents.

b) Proven ability to conceptualize, develop, plan and manage market research and similar projects

c) Good analytical, negotiating and communication skills.

d) Demonstrated ability to work independently in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships both within and outside the organization.

e) Excellent computer skills, including database applications and internet navigation.

Financial Proposal

Bidders should provide an all-inclusive budget as the successful company will be responsible for all project costs including security and insurance for its team members.

The contract will be awarded to the Vendor meeting the minimum threshold for the technical evaluation and offering the Lowest-Priced Technically Compliant evaluation.

2.0 TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background

The local market in Somalia is developing which necessitates an update of the information on local vendors, availability of articles, sources of procurement, etc. The number of local vendors increases continuously and there is a need to update the list of potential suppliers while setting objective criteria for the evaluation and selection of such suppliers. The variety of commodities available to procure locally has also widened.

The goal of the consultancy is to assess availability of locally sourced supplies, pre-qualify vendors for local procurement of supplies and services, and update the vendor master maintained by the Office.

A. Description of Process and Tasks of Consultant

The Consultant ( in liaison with the UNICEF Somalia Supply Section) determines the main commodity categories, analyses the historical data of the past purchase orders 2011-2015 and identify Major categories linked to the following areas

· Water & Sanitation supplies

· Nutrition supplies

· Shelter equipment

· Medical equipment

· Cold chain equipment

· ICT equipment

· Office supplies

· Printing

· Transport & Forwarding

· Vehicles

· Power generation

· Education supplies

· Visibility items

· Service (travel, catering, lodging, construction, maintaining, insurance)

The Somalia UNICEF Country Office places an advertisement (Expression of Interest) in local newspapers to invite suppliers to express their interest to register with UNICEF. UNICEF requests them to complete the Supplier Profile Form and provide original substantiating documents about their company. This will help identifying new vendors and provide to the old vendors an opportunity to update their profile.

The Consultant furthermore assesses the status of the local market by sourcing for suppliers via such institutions as the Ministry of Trade, Chamber of Commerce, Employers organization, etc. The Consultant forwards the Supplier Profile Form to the manufacturers for competition.

The Consultant will analyse the completed Supplier Profile Forms for initial vetting based on the information provided by the vendors, such as: company registration, areas of activity and capabilities, qualifications, source of goods, availability of products and reference checks, etc.

· On the basis of this assessment the Consultant will prepare a short list of suppliers for each category of supplies.

· The Consultant and one staff member of Somalia Country Office will visit the premises of each of the suppliers, and prepare a detailed Supplier Inspection Report to assess the suitability of each supplier.

· Based on the results of the supplier visits and inspection reports (standard format available at UNICEF Country Office) the Consultant will assess each vendor, document results and make recommendations of pre-qualified vendors by category of commodity.

· The consultant will prepare a database and hard copy file of pre-qualified suppliers by category.

· The Consultant will define a methodological framework for the updating of the list of suppliers with precise selection criteria.

· The Consultant will prepare a final report containing the methodology, principal conclusions and recommendations of the market survey.

B. Deliverables

· A list of short-listed suppliers for various categories of suppliers, including a database and hard copy file.

· Completed Supplier Inspection Reports

· Framework of continuous updating up of the suppers database

· Final report containing the methodology, principal conclusions and recommendations of the market survey.

C. Qualifications and competencies

Education:

· Advanced university degree in business administration, procurement, management or a related technical field.

Work Experience:

· Five years progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in procurement, business administration and management and financial analysis. Proven experience in similar assignments required.

Languages:

· Fluency in English, Somali would be an advantage

Competencies:

· In depth knowledge of procurement and good concept of analyzing financial documents.

· Proven ability to conceptualize, develop, plan and manage market research and similar projects

· Good analytical, negotiating and communication skills.

· Demonstrated ability to work independently in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships both within and outside the organization.

· Excellent computer skills, including database applications and internet navigation.

D. Location:

All the three zones in Somalia, with possibility of field visits to suppliers located outside the capital

E. Duration:

The project time is expected to be 3-4 months

F. Proposed time frame:

August –November 2016

G. Proposed Salary/Rates

Equivalent to P4 level

RFP RESPONSE FORMAT

Full proposals should be submitted in English and must be received not later than 11/07/2016 by 10.30 a.m. Nairobi Time. Proposals received after the stipulated date and time will be invalidated.

The proposals should be submitted as follows:-

a) Sealed Envelope 1: Technical proposal only without mention of the budget – the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Name of Company; Technical Proposal”.

b) Sealed Envelope 2: Financial Proposal - the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Name of Company; Financial Proposal”.

c) Sealed Envelope 3: Outer envelope containing the individual envelopes for Technical & Financial proposals – the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Company Name”.

d) Please remember to sign the “Request for Proposal for Services Form” on Page 3 of the RFP document and return together with the proposal.

Note: Proposals not submitted in this manner will be invalidated.

BIDS may be hand-delivered or sent by Courier to:-

UNICEF SOMALIA SUPPORT CENTRE OFFICE,

UN GIGIRI COMPLEX, BLOCK Q, GROUND FLOOR

P.O. Box 44145-00100

Nairobi

Bidders are requested to provide details (Name/ID No.) of the persons delivering a day in advance by sending an email to somsupply@unicef.org to facilitate clearance to enter the UN complex.

Due to the nature of this RFP, there will be no public opening of proposals and responsible officers will open technical proposals when the specified time has arrived. >