INVITATION TO BID (SBD 1)

YOU ARE HEREBY INVITED TO BID FOR THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIED SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS
BID NUMBER: / NRF/SAASTA 36/2013-14 / CLOSING DATE: / 09 May 2014 / CLOSING TIME / 11:00
BID DESCRIPTION
To appoint service providers in the country (1 per province) to coordinate and run the Astronomy Quiz for grade 7 learners.
Bidders are required to fill in and sign the written offer form (SBD7 Contract Form – Part 1) in this Invitation
Preferential Procurement System Applicable (points for price: points for procurement preference): 80 :20

BID DOCUMENTS ARE TO BE DEPOSITED IN THE BID BOX SITUATED AT:

EITHER PHYSICALLY OR BY COURIER / PLEASE WRITE THE FOLLOWING ON THE ENVELOP
211 Didacta Building / Bid number, closing date and time
Nana Sita Street (Former Skinner Street) / Organisation name.
Pretoria
South Africa
NO ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION WILL BE CONSIDERED

Bidders should timeously deliver bids to the correct address. If the bid is late at the NRF address, it is not considered.
The bid box is open from 08h00 to 16h30 South African times, 5 days a week (Monday to Friday. Electronic bid box is open 24 hours and a date/time audit trail is maintained.

ALL BIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED ON THE OFFICIAL FORMS IN THIS INVITATION (NOT TO BE RE-TYPED) WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ATTACHED SUPPORTING SCHEDULES

THIS BID IS SUBJECT TO THE PREFERENTIAL PROCUREMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK ACT AND THE PREFERENTIACEAL PROCUREMENT REGULATIONS - 2011, THE GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT (NRF WEBSITE) AND SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT AS STIPULATED IN THIS INVITATION.

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THE FOLLOWING PARTICULARS MUST BE FURNISHED AS LEAD PAGE OF THE BID RESPONSE
BID NUMBER: / NRF/SAASTA 36/2013-14 / CLOSING DATE: / 09 MAY 2014 / CLOSING TIME / 11:00
NAME OF BIDDER
REPRESENTED BY
POSTAL ADDRESS
PHYSICAL ADDRESS
TELEPHONE NUMBER / CODE / NUMBER
CELL PHONE NUMBER / CODE / NUMBER
FACSIMILE NUMBER / CODE / NUMBER
E-MAIL ADDRESS
VAT REGISTRATION NUMBER
HAS AN ORIGINAL AND VALID TAX CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE BEEN SUBMITTED? / YES or NO
PREFERENCE CLAIM FORM BEEN SUBMITTED FOR YOUR PREFERENCE POINTS? (SBD 6.1) / YES or NO
(A B-BBEE STATUS LEVEL VERIFICATION CERTIFICATE MUST SUPPORT PREFERENCE POINTS CLAIMED
IF YES, WHO WAS THE B-BBEE CERTIFICATE ISSUED BY
AN ACCOUNTING OFFICER AS CONTEMPLATED IN THE CLOSE CORPORATION ACT (CCA) /
A VERIFICATION AGENCY ACCREDITED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN ACCREDITATION SYSTEM (SANAS); OR /
A REGISTERED AUDITOR /
[Tick Applicable Box]
ARE YOU THE ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE GOODS/SERVICES/WORKS OFFERED? / YES or NO
IF YES ENCLOSE PROOF

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SIGNATURE OF BIDDER
NAME of BIDDER / ------
DATE
CAPACITY UNDER WHICH THIS BID IS SIGNED
ANY ENQUIRIES REGARDING THE BIDDING PROCEDURE TO BE DIRECTED TO:
ROSE MAHLAULE
Tel: 0123929300/58
Email:
ANY ENQUIRIES REGARDING THE TECHNICAL PROCESSES TO BE DIRECTED TO:
BAFEDILE KGWADI/THEMBI MDLALOSE
Tel: 011551 5940
Email: ;

BID RESPONSE SUBMISSION FORMAT / CHECKLIST

No of originals

/ 1 /

Number of bid pack copies

/ 4

Pack split into “Technical” and “Awarding” Sections

/ Yes / No /

Two envelope system required

/ Yes / No
Proposal – Bidder’s B-BBEE Transformation Program / Yes/ No
SUPPLIER ACCREDITATION
(Provide evidence of being an Accredited Supplier registered in the NRF Supplier Database or Provide documentation to be registered in the NRF Supplier Database)
Completed Supplier Accreditation Pack (available at WWW.NRF.AC.ZA\BIDS) / Yes/ No
Certified copies of certificate of incorporation (as per entity type) / Yes/ No

1.  Background to the National Research Foundation and its business units

The National Research Foundation (“NRF”) is a juristic person established in terms of section 2 of the National Research Foundation Act, Act 23 of 1998. The NRF is the government’s national agency responsible for promoting and supporting research and human capital development through funding, the provision of National Research Facilities and science outreach platforms and programs to the broader community in all fields of science and technology, including natural science, engineering, social science and humanities.

2.  Background to the South African Agency for Science and Technology

The South African Agency for Science and Technology (SAASTA) is a business unit of the National Research Foundation (NRF) with the mandate to advance public awareness, appreciation and engagement of science, engineering and technology (SET) in South Africa.

3.  Background of the Astronomy Quiz

Astronomy Quiz for grade 7 learners project has its roots emanating in 2005 when a grant was given to Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. The centre was required to plan, implement and manage the quiz for Gauteng primary schools as part of the national Astronomy Platform Month. The event was held in the form of a knock-out quiz for teams of four Grade 7 learners from 23 schools, with winners in each stage progressing on to the next round.

The project was a success and it drew a lot of interest from other science and related centres. Due to unavailability of funds, few centres from the different provinces were invited to participate whilst others came on board with the financial assistance of their Department of Education. Each year selected centres were invited until we had a good representation in all the nine provinces. For the previous eight years we have successfully worked with 10 centres, one from each province except for Gauteng.

4.  Scope of Work

The contracted service providers are to coordinate and implement the Astronomy Quiz in collaboration with other related centres/institutions/districts within their provinces in accordance to the detailed specifications outlined in the call. Science centres or related centres within a province should collaborate and submit ONLY ONE PROPOSAL PER PROVINCE. The centres are to decide and nominate the representative centre that will coordinate the quiz, receive the funding and send the consolidated reports.

5.  Context

SAASTA has set aside some funds that will be able to be used in the running of the Astronomy Quiz from initiation through to the final stage. Some of these funds will be given to the nominated centres as a grant.

6.  Specification of the call

The contracted service provider will do the following (Please attach your detailed response as a separate schedule to this bid invitation when returned):

The contracted service providers will be expected to:

·  Involve the minimum number (40) of schools expected by SAASTA for participation

·  Conduct astronomy quiz workshops for the teachers (especially new ones in the competition)

·  Administer the quiz examinations from round 1 through to round 4 as per stipulated dates

·  Liaise with their schools on all quiz requirements/issues/needs

·  Coordinate the quiz in their provinces

·  Submit reports as requested by SAASTA

·  In the budget proposal please include travel expenses for 4 learners, 1 teacher, 1 centre representative and 1 Department of Education official . Also to be included is the refreshments on the way to the National Finals in Pretoria – venue to be confirmed).

·  BUDGET PROPOSAL SHOULD NOT EXCEED AN AMOUNT OF R50000.

·  Please note that SAASTA will

o  Pay for the accommodation and venue for the National Finals.

o  Not pay any S&T claims for the National Finals

7.  Performance Level Management

The service provider performance is measured against the levels specified in the Specification section of this document.

8.  Grant Conditions

The Grant Conditions will only be sent and signed by the appointed centre.

9.  Service Delivery Validation

Financial report accompanied by valid proof of payment and proof of expense are submitted to NRF representatives (SAASTA staff) validate that services have been made at the required quality and on time. No invoices for outstanding deliverables or for any unproductive or duplicated time spent by the service provider are validated for payment.

10.  Payment Intervals

The NRF/SAASTA undertakes to pay 80% upon receipt of correctly filled and signed Grant Conditions and remaining 20% on validated PROOF OF EXPENDITURE AND PROOF OF PAYMENT in full within thirty (30) days from receipt of proper documentation. The NRF does not accept predating of invoices.

NOTE / No changes, extensions or additional ad hoc costs will be accepted once the contract has been awarded
The total budget should be inclusive of vat where applicable
OFFER TO BE VALID FOR / 150 days / FROM THE CLOSING DATE OF THE BID.
BID PRICE IN RSA CURRENCY (ALL APPLICABLE TAXES INCLUDED)
ITEM
NO / QUANTITY
(unit of measure) / DESCRIPTION OF WORKS / GOODS / SERVICES / BID/QUOTE PRICE
1 / 2 / NB – SPECIFIERS TO COMPLETE THIS WITH WHAT IS TO APPEAR ON THE QUOTE FROM THE SUPPLIER / SERVICE PROVIDER
2
3
4
5
TOTAL
6
7
ADDITONAL PRICE ITEMS OR DETAILED PRICE SCHEDULES ARE ATTACHED / YES / NO
Brand and model / Attach information as additional schedules
Country of origin
Does the offer comply with the specification(s)? / *YES/NO
If not to specification, indicate deviation(s) in a separate attached schedule
Period required for delivery
*Delivery: / Firm / Not Firm
Delivery basis

1.  Evaluation and Awarding of Contract

This bid is evaluated through a two stage process.

a.  Stage 1 – Evaluation of proposals received

·  Bidders bid response / submission is evaluated against the bid invitation specifications

·  Evaluation is made in accordance to published evaluation criteria and the scoring set for each criterion.

·  For developmental purposes, unsatisfactory proposals will be returned for amendments and resubmission within a week of receipt of the documents.

b.  Stage 2 – Awarding of the Contract

·  Bidders are compared on a fair and equal basis taking into account all aspects of the proposals

·  The award criteria are:

o  Price – price evaluation will be based on the cost effectiveness of the proposal budget

o  Preference – preference points as claimed in the preference claim form will be added to the points obtained on price

·  Administration - Contracts are awarded where bidders have supplied the relevant administrative documentation especially the tax clearance certificate.

c.  Qualifying Thresholds for Selection (Stage 1) Evaluation

Proposals scoring less than the minimum threshold of 60% will be returned for amendments and resubmission.

2.  Selection on Specifications and Technical / Functional Capabilities and Capacities

Evaluation scoring for all criteria is scored on the following basis:

0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
No Information to make assessment / Poor / Average / Meets Requirements / Exceeds Requirements / Exceeds Requirements and value adding

Total Evaluation Score = [Score x weighting x No of Evaluators] / [Maximum Score x 100 x No of Evaluators]
Example Total Score – [(3 x 40x 4)+(4 x 30 x 4)+(5 x 30 x 4)] / [5 x 100 x 4] = [1560 /2000] = 78%

SELECTION CRITERIA
NO. / ELEMENT / WEIGHT
1 / The centre is a science centre or related institution / 5
2 / The centre collaborated with other related centres/districts within their province / 35
3 / Detailed budget proposal is provided / 60

3.  General Conditions of Contract

General Conditions of Contract, as issued by National Treasury, are part of this contractual agreement and are made available on the NRF Website (www.nrf.ac.za\bids).

11.  Explanatory Notes to the Declarations in the SBD Documents

The explanatory notes for the SBD (SBD6.1 – Preference Points Claim form, SBD4 – Declaration of Interest, SBD8 – Past Supply Chain Practices and SBD9 – Competitive Bidding) declarations in this contract are made available on the NRF Website (www.nrf.ac.za\bids) as separate documents as published by National Treasury.

4.  Special Conditions applying to this contract

a)  SAASTA reserves the right to cancel the call

b)  SAASTA reserves the right to return submitted proposals for resubmission to meet our requirements.

c)  COMPLIANCE WITH FULL SCOPE OF THE BID INVITATION

Only bidders who can comply with the full scope of work and specification will be considered.

d)  JOINT PROPOSALS

Service providers are allowed to submit joint proposals to allow different centres to cover other areas under one single proposal.

e)  VALIDATION OF SUBMITTED DOCUMENTATION

The NRF has the right to have any documentation submitted by the bidders inspected by another technical body or organisation.

f)  NOT LIABLE FOR BID RESPONSE PREPARATION COSTS

The NRF will not be liable for any cost incurred by a service provider in the process of responding to this bid, including on-site presentations and the proposal a service provider may make and/or submit.

g)  CANCELLATION PRIOR TO AWARDING

The NRF has the right to withdraw and cancel the bid.

h)  LATE BIDS.

Bids submitted after the stipulated closing date (and time) is not considered.

i)  COLLUSION, FRAUD AND CORRUPTION

Any effort by a bidder to influence bid evaluation, bid comparisons or bid award decisions in any manner, may result in rejection of the bid concerned.

j)  LETTER OF AWARD

Once the delegated bid approver(s) has reached the decision, the successful bidder is informed through a written letter of acceptance, which in conjunction with elements detailed in the Standard Bidding Document 7 forms the contract between the NRF and the Bidder.

k)  CONFIDENTIALITY

The successful bidder signs a general confidentiality agreement with the NRF.

l)  VALIDITY PERIOD

The bid has a validity period of 150 days from date of closure of the call / bid.

m)  INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROVIDED IN THE BID INVITATION

All the information contained in this document is intended solely for the purposes of assisting bidders to prepare their bids. Any use of the information contained herein for other purpose than those stated in this document is prohibited.

The ownership and intellectual property rights of all designs, specifications, programming code and all other documentation provided by the NRF to the bidder, both successful and unsuccessful, remains the property of the NRF

n)  INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CONTAINED IN THE DELIVERABLES

The ownership and intellectual property rights of all designs, specifications, programming code and all other documentation required as part of the delivery to the NRF resides with the NRF.

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5.  SUPPLIER DUE DILIGENCE

a.  DECLARATION OF INTEREST (STANDARD BIDDING DOCUMENT 4)
24.1.1 / Any legal person, including persons employed by the state¹, or persons having a kinship with persons employed by the state, including a blood relationship, may make an offer or offers in terms of this invitation to bid (includes an advertised competitive bid, a limited bid, a proposal or written price quotation). In view of possible allegations of favouritism, should the resulting bid, or part thereof, be awarded to persons employed by the state, or to persons connected with or related to them, it is required that the bidder or his/her authorised representative declare his/her position in relation to the evaluating/adjudicating authority where-