REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS/QUOTES (RFP) for

ORGANISATION OF BUSINESS LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS

Issued by: USAID’s Women’s Participation Program

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

USAID funded Women’s Participation Program (WPP) has been implemented in the country since 2011 and seeks to improve the status of women in Azerbaijan by raising public awareness on issues that affect women: improving women’s abilities to affect key policies, empowering more women to engage in strengthening the capacity of civic and state organizations to address women’s issues.

Offerors should put forward their qualifications and price quote to support WPP in an organization of Business Leadership Workshops for young women. As a result of this RFP, WPP anticipates issuing an individual consultancy contract.

ScOPE OF WORK

Team of Experts (TOE) will be fully responsible for designing the curriculum and organizing/ holding all of the four workshops. To measure the effectiveness of the training, pre- and post-training evaluations have to be incorporated into design from the beginning.

The curriculum must be developed in English and Azerbaijani languages. It is expected that the curriculum will cover at least the following key topics:

•Leadership and Self-Development;

•Business Planning and Management;

•Marketing skills;

•Effective Communication Skills

The workshops will be in four geographical locations of Azerbaijan. The target audience for each workshop is approximately 25 young women university graduates between the ages of 22-27. TOE will work on the training presentation and content in close consultation with WPP team.

TOE will be required to prepare and submit detailed report on the workshops and its deliverables, specifically the design, development and facilitation processes, level of participation and engagement, key findings and further recommendations, survey analysis and photo/video materials.

TOE will have a responsibility to submit financial report accompanied by original invoices for the actual miscellaneous expenses incurred as stated in their approved budget.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Offerors must show qualifications in the following areas:

  • Experience in designing a training curriculum;
  • Proven record of holding successful workshops as well as established linkages in the regions of Azerbaijan;
  • Fluency in Azerbaijani language;
  • Experience in standard financial and activity report writing to international organizations.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • The offerors should be citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan;
  • The offerors should have and individual Tax ID issued by the Ministry of Taxes;

ANTICIPATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The anticipated period of performance for this scope is approximately 5 months, with possible annual extension, commencing in January 2017.

PROPOSAL PRICING

Quotations in response to this RFP must be priced on a fixed price and all-inclusive basis, including honorarium, traveling, lodging (if applicable) and all other costs. Pricing must be presented in AZN. Offers must remain valid for not less than thirty (30) calendar days after the offer deadline. Offerors are requested to provide proposals/quotations on official letter.

In addition, offerors responding to this RFP are requested to submit the following:

  • A copy of their official Tax ID.
  • A copy of their identification card.

Evaluation Procedures and criTERIA

The award will be made to a responsible offeror whose offer follows the RFP instructions, meets the eligibility and qualifications requirements, and is judged to be the best value based on a lowest price and technically-acceptable basis.

Please note that if there are significant deficiencies regarding responsiveness to the requirements of this RFP, an offer may be deemed “non-responsive” and thereby disqualified from consideration.

It is anticipated that award will be made solely on the basis of these original quotations. However, WPP reserves the right to conduct any of the following:

  • WPP may conduct negotiations with and/or request clarifications from any offeror prior to award.
  • WPP may cancel this RFP at any time.

Instructions on Submission of PROPOSAL

You are requested to submit electronically signed and dated offers to the e-mail address specified in this solicitation at or before the exact time specified in this solicitation. Offerors must provide the following information:

  1. The solicitation/RFP number;
  2. The name, addresses (street, email, other), and telephone number of the offeror;
  3. Proof of eligibility to work in Azerbaijan.
  4. Brief bios or CVs of key consultants/experts/trainers who will actually undertake the work required by WPP. Further interviews with team of experts are likely to ascertain fit.
  5. Past performance information: include recent and relevant contacts for the same or similar performed activities and other references (including points of contact with telephone numbers and email addresses);
  6. Price proposal (Please see Attachment 1 for example)
  7. Cover letter (Please see Attachment 2 for example)

WPP reserves the right to make an award based on initial submission. WPP reserves the right to make no award if it is determined that the offers submitted do not satisfy the needs of the project. Proposals received after the specified time and date will be considered late and will be considered only at the discretion of WPP. All written proposals submitted must be valid for a period of not less than thirty (30) calendar days from the stated closing date.

Questions and Requests for Clarifications

Questions regarding the technical or administrative requirements of this RFP may be submitted no later than 06:00 pm Baku time on December 14, 2017 by email to Questions must be submitted in writing; phone calls will not be accepted.

Only the written answers received by the offeror from WPP will be considered official and carry weight in the RFP process and subsequent evaluation. Any verbal information received from WPP or any other entity or projects should not be considered as an official response to any questions regarding this RFP.

NOTIFICATION OF SELECTION

WPP will notify the offeror who submitted the highest scoring proposal in writing by e-mail. Clarifications and revision of minor errors and omissions may be requested. Upon completion of either, offeror may be required to submit a revised quote.

Attachment 1: Price Offer format

Please, note that office equipment (computers, laptops, printers, fax machines, telephones etc) and furniture cannot be funded under this RFP.

# / Item Description / Unit / Number of units / Unit Price
AZN / Total Price
AZN
1
2
[describe any other general specification notes or comments]
Subtotal:
Other Costs (Describe:______) :
GRAND TOTAL AZN:

Attachment 2: Offer Cover Letter

The following cover letter must be signed by a representative authorized to sign on behalf of the offeror:

To:USAID’s Women’s Participation Program

Reference: RFP no. WPP/001/17

To Whom It May Concern:

We, the undersigned, hereby provide the attached offer to perform all work required to complete the activities and requirements as described in the above-referenced RFP. Please find our offer attached.

We hereby acknowledge and agree to all terms, conditions, special provisions, and instructions included in the above-referenced RFP.

Furthermore, we hereby certify that, to the best of our knowledge and belief:

  • We have no close, familial, or financial relationships with any WPP project staff members;
  • We have no close, familial, or financial relationships with any other offerors submitting proposals in response to the above-referenced RFP; and
  • The prices in our offer have been arrived at independently, without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other offeror or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.
  • All information in our proposal and all supporting documentation is authentic and accurate.
  • We understand and agree to WPP’s prohibitions against fraud, bribery, and kickbacks.

We hereby certify that the enclosed representations, certifications, and other statements are accurate, current, and complete.

Authorized Signature:

Name and Title of Signatory:

Date:

Address:

Telephone:

Taxpayer ID Number:

Does the offerors have an active bank account (Yes/No)?

1