Request for Proposal (RFP) At Helen Keller International

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PF No. and Title: (24/09/463) Call for proposal for the implementation of post event coverage survey for vitamin A Supplementation campaigns through a blanket purchase agreement.

RFP Issue Date: 22^nd August 2024
Submission of Questions Due Date: 6^th September 2024
Proposal Submission Deadline: 11^th September 2024
Contracting Entity: Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl)
Place of Performance: Nigeria (Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Taraba)

Contents of this Document

Bidders are encouraged to read this RFP and all attachments in its entirety paying specific attention to the instructions and requirements. Issuance of this RFP does not in any way obligate Helen Keller International to award a contract, nor does it commit Helen Keller International to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. All recipients of this RFP shall treat all information and details included herein as private and confidential. SECTION 1: Introduction, Eligibility of Bidders, and Definitions

Introduction

Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and improving the sight and lives of the world’s vulnerable by combatting the causes and consequences of blindness, poor health and malnutrition. Helen Keller Intl invites all eligible Bidders to submit proposals to support Helen Keller to implement one round of post event coverage surveys in January 2025 to measure the coverage of the VAS distribution campaigns.

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to select a vendor that will provide best value to Helen Keller Intl, when both technical and cost factors are combined.

Eligibility of Bidders

This RFP is open to non-governmental organizations and private companies’ entities that are deemed capable of implementing the scope of work, with a solid record of integrity and business ethics, and that meet the eligibility requirements stated in this Section.

Bidders that submit proposals in response to this RFP must meet the following requirements:

Be a non-government entity (for-profit and non-profit companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), etc.) that are legally registered under the laws of the country where it is operating
Have demonstrated capacity and expertise to successfully implement the Scope of Work
Have completed the required disclosures and information/documentation requests incorporated in this RFP 4) Be willing to comply with relevant donor rules and regulations and Helen Keller Intl requirements.

Note: Helen Keller Intl will not award a contract to any firm that is debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment by the U.S. Government, or who proposes to do business with firms or firms’ principals who are debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment, in the performance of the requirement of this activity.

SECTION 2: Scope of Work

Helen Keller Intl will evaluate all eligible proposals received in response to this RFP in accordance with the evaluation criteria described in this document.

This RFP contains the following Annexes:

Annex A: Conflict of Interest Disclosure
Annex B: Format of CV to be used for Key Personnel (one document per person)
Annex C: Financial Offer template (separate Excel spreadsheets)
Annex D: Form of Contract

Helen Keller Intl supports the supplementation with high dose of Vitamin A of up to 40 million children every year in 14 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. When delivered twice a year to at least 80% of children aged 6 to 59 months in countries with high under five mortality and high rates of vitamin A deficiency, Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) can contribute to a reduction of child mortality by up to 24%.

VAS is delivered to children twice a year through multiple delivery mechanisms. Some countries are organizing mass distribution campaigns where teams of distributors visit every household to give vitamin A to children. Others have integrated VAS into their facility-based delivery systems alongside routine immunization or growth monitoring. A third group of countries are using a hybrid system that combines campaigns and facility-based delivery.

In 2024, Helen Keller Intl supports the delivery of VAS in the five states (Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Taraba) of Nigeria through door-to-door campaigns and facility-based delivery model. These campaigns are organized twice a year, around May/June and November/December every year and are implemented by the State Primary Health Care Development Agency/ Board with financial and technical support from Helen Keller Intl teams.

To assess the number of children reached through these campaigns (coverage), Helen Keller Intl conducts cross-sectional household surveys following the methodology developed by the WHO for measuring the coverage of immunization campaigns.

We are seeking a consultancy agency to assist Helen Keller teams in the country in conducting one round of these surveys in December 2024 _January 2025 to validate vitamin A supplementation for the second round of the campaign in 2024.

The consultancy firm will be responsible for preparing the post-campaign vitamin A supplementation coverage survey, including drafting the protocol, developing the quantitative and qualitative data collection tools, the training tools, drawing up the enumeration areas (clusters) in the target regions with the national statistics institute, submitting the protocol and tools to the ethics committee, recruiting, training and supervising the interviewers in the field, quality control of the data collected, listening to the audio recordings of the enumeration and household survey forms in order to compare them with the data entered, daily monitoring of the data collection with the establishment of a management chart of the quality indicators of the data collection, both quantitative and qualitative, analysis of the data (qualitative and quantitative) and production of the training report, the data collection report and the final report of the survey with a summary of the report. Survey description

The surveys, known as Post-Event Coverage Surveys (PECS), must be carried out no later than four weeks after the end of the VAS campaigns to avoid any memory bias.

The sampling for this survey includes approximately 120 clusters that must be fully enumerated, listing eligible and ineligible households, and 13 households that must be interviewed in each country.

The survey must cover all Helen Keller Intl supported regions considered as a single stratum to provide a reliable estimate of coverage of vitamin A supplementation for children aged 6-59 months, de-worming for children aged 12-59 months (where applicable), and malnutrition screening for children aged 6-59 months (where applicable) in these regions.

Clusters are randomly selected using a systematic sampling method with a probability proportional to the size of the population living in urban and rural areas by the Institut National de la Statistique (INS).

In each selected cluster, the data collection team first conducts an exhaustive enumeration of all households, listing all households (eligible and ineligible) and indicating the number of people and children in each household. From this list, using the enumeration form, the team randomly selects 12 to 16 eligible households^[1] to administer the questionnaire.

These surveys are also being carried out with managers in the (target) regions and health districts to assess the main stages in implementing the vitamin A supplementation campaign, including the supply chain, beneficiary satisfaction, coordination, the information system, etc.

The other part of the survey will involve sampling one health facility and one community distributor in each of the selected clusters to assess the process of implementing VAS activities, the supply chain, campaign performance, health worker and community health worker satisfaction and identify challenges that may have affected coverage.

Helen Keller Intl has adapted the WHO guides and tools to the specific needs of the PECS and has developed a comprehensive toolkit that includes the protocol, data collection and training tools, analysis frameworks and report templates that the consultancy will adapt and use to conduct the campaign coverage survey.

The household questionnaires focus mainly on the receipt of VAS, deworming, malnutrition screening and reasons for non-receipt of interventions, caregiver satisfaction, but may also incorporate additional modules to assess the coverage of other health and nutrition services or to investigate the knowledge and practices of household members in areas relevant to the country.

The questionnaires are digitized using SurveyCTO, a mobile data collection platform. The selected consultancy firm must have its own account and access to SurveyCTO to test the data collection tools. Once the tools have been finalised and validated, they should be sent to Helen Keller to be uploaded onto the organization’s centralized server, which will be used for both the pilot survey and the survey itself.

The consultant will be granted access to Helen Keller’s SurveyCTO server during data collection as an “External viewer.” This access will allow the firm to download the databases daily and monitor their quality. The firm will have to take all the necessary steps to master the server, download the data, and use the labelling tools to analyse the databases with the STATA software.

The consultancy is also responsible for providing each data collection team with smartphones and tablets, equipped to capture respondents’ answers efficiently in the field. These devices must be suitable for intensive use and able to function optimally in various field environments, thus guaranteeing the reliability and quality of the data collected.

During data collection, the consultancy is required to monitor a set of key indicators daily to track the quality of the data collected. This rigorous monitoring should enable any anomalies or inconsistencies in the data to be identified quickly. The firm is also responsible for communicating this information to the Helen Keller International team daily, ensuring full transparency throughout the data collection process.

In addition, regular debrief meetings should be held between the firm and the Helen Keller International team. These meetings will allow progress to be discussed, challenges to be resolved, and data collection strategies to be adjusted, if necessary, to ensure that data quality and accuracy objectives are fully met.

The consultancy firm will conduct a quality control of the data at various stages of the collection process:

During census,

The supervisors will carry out quality control by returning to 10% (i.e., approximately 25 households per cluster) of the households enumerated to repeat the count and compare their data with that of the interviewers.

The firm will have to plan systematic recordings of the enumeration interview sequences via the SurveyCTO platform. A dedicated team of supervisors should listen to 10% of these recordings and compare the audio data with that entered by the interviewers on the forms. A detailed report will have to be produced, indicating the shortcomings noted and the solutions implemented during the collection to guarantee the quality of the data.

A tracking file of households enumerated by cluster should be created to compare the number of households enumerated with the National Statistics Institute’s forecasts. This file will allow us to identify underestimates and overestimates of the number of households per cluster, raise the awareness of interviewers and supervisors, and guarantee the correct delimitation of clusters and an exhaustive enumeration.

The firm will need to use the GPS coordinates of the clusters to produce accurate maps that can be compared with the maps provided by the National Statistics Institute.

During household survey data collection:

Supervisors will conduct quality control by revisiting 10% (i.e. 2 households/cluster) of the surveyed households to conduct interviews using a shortened questionnaire and compare the data with that collected by the interviewers.

Using the SurveyCTO platform, systematic recordings of the sequence of household data collection interviews will be planned. A dedicated team (supervisor) will review 10% of these audio recordings and compare them with the data entered in the forms by the interviewers.

The consultancy firm is required to monitor the number of data quality indicators daily during data collection and communicate this information to Helen Keller’s team and the survey steering team.

The consultancy must set up a daily monitoring dashboard of the leading indicators for each data collection activity, including enumeration, household surveys, regional and district surveys, health worker and community health worker surveys, and supervision.

The consultancy firm is required to submit a daily report detailing the data collection process, any discrepancies between the data provided by interviewers and that of the supervisors during quality control, as well as the actions taken to address any variations.

Helen Keller uses STATA for data analysis, and the consultancy firm is expected to utilize the same software. Additionally, all the do files used for data collection monitoring, data collection quality control, data reconciliation, data weighting, and data analysis must be provided.

The survey analysis and report should be completed within a maximum of 2 months after the campaign’s conclusion to aid in preparing the next campaign cycle.

Please note that campaign dates may vary, and Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to make changes to the survey schedule

Activities and deliverables

This number of days is considered for one country only, so agencies applying for

²Eligible households are defined as households containing children aged 6 to 59 months during the latest vitamin A distribution campaign, while non-eligible households are those without children aged 6 to 59 months during the campaign implementation

multiple country surveys should budget for each country.

Activities and deliverables for each country

Activities and deliverables	When	Estimated no. Working days
1. Survey preparation Coordinate with Helen Keller Intl and the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Statistics to prepare the survey at national, regional, district, and community levels. Write the protocol and develop the training tools for quantitative and qualitative data collection Develop and validate the survey implementation schedule with all stakeholders Initiate the random cluster selection with Institut National de la Statistique (INS) Request digital maps and shapefiles of sampled clusters, pilot surveys, and replacement clusters from the National Statistics Institute. Submit the protocol to the ethics review committee, present it to the ethics committee, consider observations, and ensure the ethics committee validates the protocol. Recruit and train teams (ennumerators and supervisors) to collect quantitative and qualitative data Deliverables : Final protocol validated by the Ethics Committee Quantitative data collection tools on Word and SuveyCTO platform versions Qualitative data collection tools in Word format Calendar of all survey activities implementation List of selected clusters by rural and urban area, with probability of selection, total population and number of households in each cluster and cluster shapefiles Letter of approval from the Ethics Committee Detailed interviewer training report, including pilot survey	November 2024	10

2. Collecting data Ensure that data collection teams rigorously follow the methodology of cluster enumeration, household selection, and questionnaire administration. During the census, ensure quality control of the collection: Quality control by supervisors who return to 10% (i.e. around 25 households) of the households enumerated to repeat the census and compare their data with the enumerators Listen to 10% of the audio sequences of the census forms recorded and sent online via the SurveyCTO platform and compare them with the enumerator’s data entered in the forms. – During the household survey, ensure quality control of data collection: Quality control by supervisors who revisit 10% (i.e. two surveyed households per cluster) of surveyed households to repeat the interview with a shorter form and compare their data with the enumerators. Listen to 10% of the audio sequences of the household surveys recorded via the SurveyCTO platform sent online and compare them with the data entered in the forms by the enumerators. Elaborate a dashboard for daily monitoring of key enumeration indicators, data collection at the household level, supervision, regions, and districts, health workers, and community health workers. Draw up a dashboard for monitoring qualitative data collection and interview transcriptions Monitor the quality of data collection, including the number of indicators to be tracked daily, and provide feedback to the Helen Keller team. Ensure that teams of supervisors are deployed to support data collection teams and meet any challenges encountered. Draw up a daily report on interviewers’ data collection and quality control, including differences observed during comparisons and adjustments made to improve quality. – Deliverables Raw quantitative data set in Excel format from/to : Census Household and children o Region and district

December 2024 –

	Health Facilities o Community Quality control Supervision
–	Transcribed qualitative data (interviews, focus groups, etc.)
–	The detailed quantitative and qualitative data collection report includes a follow-up report on quality control of enumeration, household, regional and district data collection, health worker and community health worker data collection and team supervision.
–	Analysis plan for all quantitative and qualitative databases

3. Analysis and report Qualitative databases cleaned in STATA format in accordance with protocol recommendations and rules Weighting of the household database according to recommendations Transcribed qualitative databases Perform analysis of all datasets according to the recommended analysis basis Prepare the report according to the recommended template. Deliverables Qualitative clean database in STATA format of : Census Household and children o Region and District o Health agent o Supervision o Community health worker Quality audit of enumeration and collection at household level Transcribed qualitative database Dofiles for monitoring data quality, reconciliation and analysis of all databases Analysis plan for all databases with tables to be filled in Final survey report including the report on the supervisors’ review of a random selection of 10% of households (quality audit) and the report on the audio audits of the forms. A summary of the report	January 2025	15
Dissemination Prepare a presentation to disseminate results to local stakeholders. Participate in meetings and present survey results. Deliverables Power Point presentation of survey results Report on the dissemination forum with concrete recommendations Final report including the recommendation of the dissemination meeting. A summary of the report	January 2025	5

The number of days proposed may be subject to adjustments and only consists in an initial estimation to guide bidders in pricing. It represents the number of days for one person.

Anticipated Contracting Period and Award Mechanism

The anticipated period of the resulting award is expected to be 5 months beginning on or about November 2024 until March 2025. Bidders must clearly identify “start-up” support costs for each survey, if any, required to commence services.

Helen Keller Intl intends to award a not to exceed Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to the winning offer. The BPA represents the anticipation of work but does in no way guarantee work until a firm fixed price work order has been issued. Firm fixed price Work orders will be awarded for the survey at the discretion of Helen Keller International. No profit, fees, taxes, or additional costs can be added after the award. This RFP is subject to all the terms and conditions of the resulting contract. Any resultant award will be governed by these terms and conditions.

SECTION 3: Proposal Instructions

The Bidder’s proposal will consist of two separate documents:

Part 1 – Technical Offer Part 2 – Financial Offer

The Technical Offer and the Financial Offer (altogether “proposal”) must be submitted separately. The Bidder should not include any cost data in the Technical Offer.

The proposal should be concisely presented and structured, and should explain in detail the Bidder’s availability, experience and resources to provide the requested services.

Proposals that are incomplete or do not address these criteria may not be considered in the review process. All proposals can be submitted in French or in English.

Both the Technical Offer and Financial Offer must be submitted with a Cover Letter which must include the following information and must be signed and stamped by an authorized representative of the Bidder organization:

i. Date of Submission of the Proposal ii. Term of proposal validity (minimum {90} days) iii. Name of the company/organization iv. Name and title of authorized representative of organization v. Type of company/organization vi. Address vii. Telephone viii. E-mail ix. Taxpayer Identification Number

x. Other required documents that shall be included as attachments to the cover letter:

Copy of registration or incorporation in the public registry, or equivalent document from the government office where the bidder is registered.
Copy of company tax registration, or equivalent document.
Copy of trade license, or equivalent document.
Corporate account details and audited financial statements for the last 2 years

Bidders must also submit a signed Conflict of Interest Declaration Form. This form will be assessed to establish whether the Bidder has any present or potential future conflict of interest according to the definition in Annex A. If the conclusion is reached that any conflict of interest declared by the Bidder could have a negative impact on the Bidder’s ability to perform the Service, Helen Keller Intl may decide to reject the submitted proposal. Failure to accurately complete the Conflict-of-Interest Declaration Form may also lead to the rejection of the submitted proposal.

Part 1: TECHNICAL OFFER

The Technical Offer should be in the English or French language, typed in Microsoft Word, singlespaced, with each page numbered consecutively. A maximum number of pages for each component of the Technical Offer is given below.

The Technical Offer should include the following:

Bidder past performance record/relevant experience– {2} pages maximum

Information related to Bidder’s past performance/prior experience in conducting work in the country/state similar in nature and volume to the services requested (brief description, deliverables, date, client etc.).

Bidders must also provide contacts for at least three (3) professional references for previous work and/or experience under similar SOWs. Contact information should include, at a minimum: name of individual, name of company, brief information on relationship to Bidder, address, email, and phone number. Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to contact any and all references provided. Contact information for references is not subject to the page limitation for this section.

Technical approach – {7} pages maximum

The technical approach for both surveys (1 & 2) must describe the proposed approach to achieving the program objectives and must address the following:

Information as to whether the Bidder currently has a presence in the country/state, and the nature of this presence.
1. A brief description of the Bidder’s understanding of the objectives and scope of work for the professional services.
1. A brief description of the methodology to be used for the implementation of the survey(s) and the Bidder capacities in term of teams, logistics,
1. A description of how the bidder will collect information with Helen Keller global, regional and country teams
1. An overview as to how the Bidder would propose to complete the requested services indicated in this RFP.
  1. How will the Bidder identify the gaps and the needs of the global, regional and country teams in terms of knowledge products, guides and tools
  1. What methodology will be used to develop the guides and tools?
  1. How will the products be transformed into online learning solutions and how will the platform be developed?

Team Structure requirements – {3} pages maximum, excluding CVs
- Team structure: Bidders must describe the structure of the team that will deliver against the objectives and scope of work described in this RFP. Team structures must identify the project manager (or Team Leader) and other team members and the roles and responsibilities that each will have over the duration of the professional services.
- If any members of the proposed team do not currently reside in the Helen Keller country where the survey(s) will take place, the Bidder must state how the personnel would travel to the country to perform such Services, and the estimated travel time.

At a minimum, the Bidder should provide the following information:

A current CV for the proposed key personnel in a format provided in Annex C. The CV must not exceed three pages in length and shall be in chronological order starting with the most recent experience and summarizing relevant experience and qualifications.
- The country of residence for all persons proposed for the provision of this Service (meaning the country in which the person or persons resides and from which they would be flying from in order to reach the Place of Performance to undertake the services).
- If any of the Bidder’s personnel do not reside in the country in which they are assigned to perform the required Services, the Bidder must state how these personnel would travel to perform such Services, and the estimated travel time. The Bidder should specify how many trips might be required, and which team members would join these trips.

The Bidder must notify Helen Keller Intl if it intends to replace a key member of the Bidder’s team (with an explanation for doing so) prior to the award date and provide Helen Keller Intl with the information required for the approval of a replacement proposal. Any replacement shall be subject to the approval of Helen Keller Intl. This is also valid for any replacement taking place during the contract’s duration.

Helen Keller Intl may choose to contact the Bidder prior to making a final decision. Please confirm whether this would be possible, ensuring that full contact details are also included in the resume (email, telephone number).

Part 2: FINANCIAL OFFER

This contract will be issued as a Blanket Purchase Agreement with one or more firm fixed price work orders, with payment made against deliverables against services/products. Helen Keller Intl will only issue payment via electronic payment methods and all bank accounts must be in the name of the company/organization only.

As part of the Financial Offer, Bidders must include a detailed budget, submitted in Microsoft Excel, expressed in usd and local currency, with an accompanying budget narrative, submitted in Microsoft Word, describing the basis for the listed cost elements. Supporting information should be provided in sufficient detail to allow a complete analysis and determination of the reasonableness of each cost element. Bidders are required to include and clearly label all costs for both survey 1 and survey 2 deemed necessary to complete the work called for hereunder.

The Financial Offer template can be found in Annex C and must include the following:

Labor Cost: The Bidder must provide information related to team structure, daily rates and Level of Effort (LoE) (measured in days) for the deliverables listed. Please state assumptions made when submitting the cost information including any additional options, and stating all conditions.

Other Direct Costs: The Bidder should provide a breakdown estimate of other main direct costs which are considered necessary for completion of the work. Other direct costs will cover transportation costs, visa, and per diem. Any other direct costs shall be agreed prior to with Helen Keller Intl.

Indirect Rates and Fixed Fee: If it is a Bidder’s regular practice to budget indirect rates, e.g. overhead, fringe, G&A, administrative, or other rate, Bidders must explain the rates and the rates’ base of application in the budget narrative. Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to request additional information to substantiate a Bidder’s indirect rates. The proposed fixed fee must also be explained in the budget narrative and represented as a separate line item in the budget.

SECTION 4: Evaluation Criteria and Basis for Award

Helen Keller Intl will follow a Best Value Trade-Off selection methodology. Helen Keller Intl may award to an eligible, responsible firm whose proposal is most advantageous to the program, with price and other factors considered proposal, including but not limited to compliance with the requirements of the RFP without material deviation. Bidders may not modify non-responsive offers after the proposal deadline in order to make them responsive. However, Helen Keller Intl may request a Bidder to clarify its offer as long as no material deviation exists.

The criteria below will serve as the basis upon which proposals will be evaluated. Selection will be based principally on the technical merits of the proposals, but price and other factors will be considered, and award will be made only if the proposal is determined to be technically acceptable and cost reasonable.

Evaluation Criteria for the Call for Tenders	Points Maximum Totals
Past track record or previous relevant experience	30
Consider the following criteria for scoring (5 points each): Experience in at least 5 cross sectional surveys, including survey design, data collection and processing, statistical analysis, structured interviews, reporting. Experience in both quantitative and qualitative surveys. Experience in surveys including the public health and nutrition domains. Experience in working with International NGOs, UN agencies or local institutions	30
to conduct surveys. Experience including surveys on the health system. Provision of high-quality survey reports conducted by the vendor.
Operational Capability	10
Proposal demonstrates clearly that the vendor has the operational capacity to: Extensively worked in the proposed country and has proven ability and understanding of country context. Coordinate with all relevant actors at all levels of the health system Deploy sufficient teams of supervisors for data collection in all parts of the country. – Recruit, train and manage large teams of enumerators. Conduct data collection and analysis with adequate tools (tablets, smartphones) and software Experience of using SURVEYCTO for data collection and STATA for data analysis Establish a dashboard connected to the data collection process for monitoring and recording indicators of data collection quality.
Staff Qualifications	15
Consider the following criteria for scoring (5 points each): The bidders should provide resume of all the personnel who will be involved in the study. The proposed team includes a lead person with at least master’s level and at least 10 years’ experience in conducting household surveys. Team resume includes public health diploma with at least 5 years’ experience. Team resume includes statistical analysis diploma with at least 5 years’ experience Team resume includes using of SurveyCTO and STATA with at least 5 years experiences	15
Technical Value	30
Proposal demonstrates a clear understanding of the methodology for the coverage survey based on the WHO methodology for mass campaigns Cluster Survey (2018 version)	10
Proposal demonstrates a clear understanding of the rationale for conducting coverage surveys and the objectives of the survey	10
Proposal follows call for proposal requirements, is well structured and written	10
Total Points	85

Upon completion of the evaluation of Technical Offers, Helen Keller Intl will evaluate Financial Offers for budget presentation, details of the budget narrative, and cost effectiveness (reasonable, realistic, match the Technical Offer and meet requirements of RFP). No points are assigned to Financial Offers, but these criteria will be considered in conjunction with the total score of the Technical Offer. This RFP utilizes the tradeoff process and Helen Keller Intl may award a contract to the offeror whose proposal represents the best value to Helen Keller Intl and the program. Helen Keller Intl may award to a higher priced offeror if a determination is made that the higher technical evaluation of that offeror merits the additional cost/price.

SECTION 6: Proposal Validity, Submission Deadline and Instructions

Proposals should have a 90-day validity period from the proposal submission date, as provided in the Cover Letter.

Proposals must be submitted electronically by the deadline listed on the cover page of this RFP by E-mail to [email protected], indicating in the subject line of the e-mail the company name and the RFP number.

A full proposal submission will include the following documents, all of which must reference the RFP number as stated on the cover page of this document:

Cover Letter
Technical Offer
Financial Offer
Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form
Copies of Bidder business registration documents and Tax Identification certificate
Other pertinent information relevant to the proposal submission
Previous year audited financial report

QUESTIONS: No verbal questions will be entertained, either in person or via telephone. However, Helen Keller Intl will take written questions about this RFP until the date specified on the cover page of this document. Any questions related to this RFP should be addressed to [email protected]

SECTION 7: Negotiations

Best offer proposals are requested. It is anticipated that an award will be made solely based on the original offers received. However, Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to conduct discussions, negotiations and/or request clarifications prior to awarding a contract. Furthermore, Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to conduct a competitive range and to limit the number of bidders in the competitive range to permit an efficient evaluation environment among the most highly rated proposals. Highest-rated bidders, as determined by the technical evaluation committee, may be asked to submit their best prices or technical responses during a competitive range. At the sole discretion of Helen Keller Intl, bidders may be requested to conduct oral presentations. If deemed an opportunity, Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to make separate awards per component or to make no award at all.

SECTION 8: Terms of the Solicitation

Issuance of this RFP does not constitute an award commitment on the part of Helen Keller Intl, nor does it commit Helen Keller Intl to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a bid.

Attached files are an integral part of this RFP.

Helen Keller Intl may contact Bidders to confirm contact person, address, bid amount and to confirm that the proposal was submitted for this solicitation.

False Statements: Bidders must provide full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation and its attachments.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure: In Annex A Bidders must provide disclosure of any past, present or future relationships with any parties associated with the issuance, review or management of this solicitation and anticipated award. Failure to provide full and open disclosure may result in Helen Keller Intl having to re-evaluate selection of a potential Bidders.

Right to Select/Reject: Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to select and negotiate with those firms it determines, in its sole discretion, to be qualified for competitive proposals and to terminate negotiations without incurring any liability. Helen Keller Intl also reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received without explanation.

Reserved rights: All RFP responses become the property of Helen Keller Intl and Helen Keller Intl reserves the right in its sole discretion to:
- To disqualify any offer based on Bidder’s failure to follow solicitation instructions.
- To waive any deviations by Bidders from the requirements of this solicitation that in Helen Keller Intl’s opinion are considered not to be material defects requiring rejection or disqualification or where such a waiver will promote increased competition.
- Extend the time for submission of all RFP responses after notification to all Bidders.
- Terminate or modify the RFP process at any time and re-issue the RFP to whomever Helen Keller Intl deems appropriate.
- Issue an award based on the initial evaluation of offers without discussion.
- Award only part of the activities in the solicitation or issue multiple awards based on solicitation activities.

Bidders and its proposed personnel shall disclose any factors that could limit the organization’s ability to independently perform the services such as relationship with counterpart employees, past employment, etc.

ANNEX A: Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Helen Keller Intl Code of Conduct & Ethics Policy: In accordance with the Helen Keller Intl Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy, Helen Keller Intl requires full and open disclosure when dealing with procurement. As such, Helen Keller Intl employees must avoid any conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. Helen Keller Intl employees must at all times provide full disclosure of their actions or relationships with prospective vendors, contractors, or consultants. Helen Keller Intl employees shall not solicit, request, accept, or agree to accept any gift from a vendor or prospective vendor.

Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to reject any or all quotes when considered to be in the best interest of the organization and/or the people it serves. All parties submitting a proposal in response to this Request for Proposal are obligated to disclose the existence of any actual or possible conflict of interest relating to every country included within their proposal in the attached Conflict of Interest Declaration Form.

Failure to fully disclose such information could lead Helen Keller Intl to reject the proposal. If a party has no conflict to declare for any of the countries covered in their proposal, they may submit one form, listing all the countries covered.

“Conflict of Interest” means a situation in which an Bidder, or an Affiliate (as defined below), or a sub-contractor (if any) of an Bidder, has interests (financial, organizational, personal, reputational or otherwise) that would or may appear to make it difficult for an Bidder to fulfill its obligations to Helen Keller Intl in its role as the vendor in an objective, independent and professional manner, or a situation in which it is reasonable to foresee that such an interest would arise. A Conflict of Interest may arise in the following circumstances, which are not exhaustive:

a Bidder has been, or is involved in the design of a proposal or request for funding that has been, or will be submitted to Helen Keller Intl.
an Bidder has been, or is involved in the provision of advice to an entity that is a Principal

Recipient or a Sub-recipient; iii. a Bidder has been, or is involved in, or has provided advice in relation to the procurement of goods and/or services by a Principal Recipient and/or a Sub-recipient.

a Bidder has been, or is involved in the provision of auditing services to a Principal Recipient and/or a Sub-recipient; or
a Bidder has submitted an expression of interest, tender, bid or otherwise indicated interest in providing services of any nature to a Principal Recipient or a Sub-recipient that remains valid at the time of, and for the duration of the term of this Contract.

“Affiliate” means a business concern, individual or other entity that, directly or indirectly: (i) controls or can control an Bidder; (ii) is controlled by, or can foreseeably be controlled by, an Bidder; or (iii) along with an Bidder, is controlled by, or can foreseeably be controlled by, the same third party.

Bidder Conflict of Interest Declaration Form

Please check one box below, as appropriate:

			The Bidder hereby declares that it has read and understood the Conflict-of-Interest rules set forth in the Request for Proposals (RFP) and warrants that no Conflict of Interest exists on the part of the Bidder or an Affiliate of the Bidder, with regard to the services to be performed under the RFP. The Bidder hereby agrees to comply with the Conflict-of-Interest rules set forth in the Request for Proposals (RFP).

			The Bidder wishes to disclose a real or potential Conflict of Interest situation(s) and propose mitigating action(s). Note: if this box is checked, please describe in an attachment, in detail, the situation and present a proposed mitigation plan / arrangement for consideration by Helen Keller Intl.

Bidder:

Signature:
Printed Name:
Title:
Date:

ANNEX B: Format of CV to Be Used for Key Personnel (One Document Per Person)

Name:
Title:
Nationality:
Home Office Address:
Professional Qualifications:
Language skills: Language: Reading: Speaking: Writing:
Relevant work experience, including the duration and responsibilities:
References: *Name:* *Position:* *Organization:* *E-mail:* *Address:* *Telephone:* *Relationship:*	*Name:* *Position:* *Organization:* *E-mail:* *Address:* *Telephone:* *Relationship:*
Certification: I declare that the information provided in this CV is accurate and hereby authorize Helen Keller Intl to undertake whatever inquiries Helen Keller Intl may consider reasonable and necessary in the course of the assessment process, in relation to the information in this curriculum vita relating to my suitability for the position for which I have been nominated.
Signed:		Date:

	Unit	Quantity
Deliverable 1 – survey preparation
Senior Consultant
Consultant associates
Total
Technical planning work
PECS protocol validation and ethical approval
Development of the sampling frame, printing of cluster maps and acquisition of shapefiles
Ennmerator insurance
Total
Training
Transport for interviewers
Supervisor transport
Training room
Lunch
Coffee break
Teaching aids

Pilot survey
Transport for collection agents
Supervisor transport
Lunch
Coffee break
Car rental
Fuel

Total
Deliverable 2 – Data collection
Collecting data
Perdiem for collection agents
Supervisors’ perdiem
Vehiucle rental
Motorcycle rental
Total
Collection supervision
Vehicle rental
Motorcycle rental
Perdiem
Total
Communication

Total
Data quality control
Data quality control training

Total

Perdiem Data collection
Total
Communication

Total
Deliverable 3 – Analysis and reporting
Consultant

Total
Deliverable 4 – Distribution
Dissemination workshop

Total
TOTAL ACTIVITY

ANNEX C: Financial Offer Format (This is ONLY an example, modify if necessary

PROPOSED BUDGET SURVEY:

ANNEX D Form of Contract

BPA- Blanket Purchase Agreement

[1] Eligible households are defined as households containing children aged 6 to 59 months during the latest vitamin A distribution campaign, while non-eligible households are those without children aged 6 to 59 months during the campaign implementation