Request for Proposal (RFP) At Helen Keller

PF No. and Title: PR 2024/03/80 – Call for proposal for the implementation of independent monitoring of Helen Keller supported vitamin A Supplementation campaigns and the quality control of the coverage surveys in Nigeria (Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Taraba)

RFP Issue Date: March 28^th, 2024

Submission of Questions Due Date: April 4^th, 2024

Proposal Submission Deadline: April 8^th, 2024, at 12 PM WAT

Contracting Entity: Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl)

Place of Performance: Nigeria (Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Taraba)

Contents of this Document

SECTION 1: Introduction, Eligibility of Bidders, and Definitions………………………………… 1

SECTION 2: Scope of Work………………………………………………………………………………. 2

SECTION 3: Proposal Instructions……………………………………………………………………… 10

SECTION 4: Evaluation Criteria and Basis for Award…………………………………………….. 13

SECTION 6: Proposal Validity, Submission Deadline and Instructions………………………… 15

SECTION 7: Negotiations………………………………………………………………………………… 15

SECTION 8: Terms of the Solicitation………………………………………………………………… 15

ANNEX A: Conflict of Interest Disclosure…………………………………………………………… 16

ANNEX B: Format of CV to Be Used for Key Personnel (One Document Per Person) …… 18

ANNEX C: Financial Offer Format (This is ONLY an example, modify if necessary)……… 18

ANNEX D Form of Contract …………………………………….. Error! Bookmark not defined.

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

(i) Two rounds of independent monitoring of vitamin A supplementation campaigns, one during the campaign in the first semester of 2024 and a second during the campaign in the second semester of 2024.

-(ii) In the second semester 2024, independent quality control monitoring of the postcampaign VAS coverage survey to ensure data quality control at each stage of the survey.

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.
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 Nigeria, Helen Keller Intl supports the delivery of VAS in the Five states of Nigeria (Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Taraba) …….. through Outreach campaigns and facility-based delivery model. These campaigns are organized twice a year, around May and November every year and are implemented by the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Ministry of Health with financial and technical support from Helen Keller teams.

To ensure high quality campaigns implementation and provide an objective independent source of timely and reliable data for each campaign, the consultant is to engage independent Monitor that will assists with independent monitoring and supervision of MNCHW in assigned LGAs/state and administering standard questionnaires using a programmed smartphone and submit a comprehensive report of activities and intervention at the end of the exercise.

The consultant will be responsible for the recruitment and training of independent monitors who will support pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation activities in assigned States and within specific LGAs, Health facilities, and communities under the supervision of Helen Keller Int’l. He/she will do the following:

Pre-Implementation (2 non-consecutive days);

Support cascaded LGA/Ward level training(s); including monitoring key messages disseminated, monitoring and compiling training attendance and financial documents and submit typed and hardcopy of same after trainings.
Support commodity distribution down to final service delivery points (facilities) and produce documented evidence of same (issue and receipt form) to the Helen Keller M&E/Logistic team immediately after distribution. This distribution to final service delivery points and its accompanying documentation should before implementation/campaign day.
Support the implementation of the MNCHW micro plan.
Ensure compliance with safety measures and security advice in the implementation of all MNCHW activities.

Implementation (5 days);

Ensure that social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) activities is comprehensive/robust in assigned LGA/wards/health facilities.
Participate in monitoring and supervision of the campaign in all service delivery points of assigned LGA, including supplementation/treatments in outreach sites, fixed posts and special/transient sites.
Participate and make meaningful contributions in daily debriefing physical and virtual meetings at the LGA/ward level and with the state Helen Keller team.
Support the daily data collection and validation at the LGA, Ward and Health facility levels.
Compile daily implantation report, containing success stories, challenges, lessons learnt and recommendations.
Validation, collection, typing and submission of both soft copy and hardcopy attendance and financial documentation of campaign service delivery personnel.
Submission of monitoring data using ODK and daily call in data scaled to the facility level using stipulated reporting channels.
In collaboration with the LGA and Helen Keller team, undertake advocacy visit inform and solicit support of traditional rulers during implementation in each community.

Post-Implementation (5 non-consecutive days);

Support final data validation across reporting channels (Health Facility summary – ward summary – call -in-data) consistency across reporting channels will be pegged at 80% and DQA will be done after campaign and 40% payment will be subject to the outcome of the DQA.
Retrieve and submit duplicated copies of summary of summaries forms and other reporting tools for health facilities, wards, and LGAs according to stipulated guidelines.
Submit a comprehensive report of the campaign after the implementation using the approved reporting template to specified reporting channels within one week post implementation.
Any other duty as assigned.

NB: Data validation and submission of adequate report(s) is paramount to Helen Keller Int’l. Any alteration or submission that is false under the supervision of any Consultant or Independent Monitor, will be treated as aiding and abetting data falsification and will attract termination of contract and blacklisting or non-engagement of the said Consultant in subsequent campaigns and/or any other Helen Keller engagement. All Independent Monitors to be recruited by the Consultant are expected to be tech-savvy and possess a functional laptop which will be used during implementation.

Independent monitors are also employed to conduct quality control of the postcampaign/MNCHW event vitamin A supplementation coverage survey.

They will visit 10% of the clusters selected for the vitamin A supplementation postcampaign/MNCHW event coverage survey to conduct the exhaustive census of these clusters and the household survey in the 10-15 households that will be surveyed by the enumerators.

The independent monitoring team will also review 10% of the household interviews in the 90% of clusters that were not visited. It will use the audio recordings from the SurveyCTO application of the interview sequences made by the interviewers for review. The team will listen to these audio recordings and compare them with the data entered on the form. Any discrepancies found will be noted and a daily listening report will be shared with the enumerators via the Helen Keller team to improve the collection and quality of data capture. We are therefore seeking a consultancy agency to assist Helen Keller teams in the country in conducting these independent monitoring activities during the campaigns and during the coverage surveys that follow.

The 2 rounds of campaigns are likely to take place in June and November, and the surveys take place once, in December/January. After the monitoring agency has completed independent monitoring for campaign and coverage survey data collection quality control for the first semester of 2024, based on performance, a second award will be granted to the agency for the second semester.

The agency will be responsible for the preparation of the independent monitoring, including adaptation of protocols and tools, submission of protocols and tools to ethical review boards, recruitment, training and supervision of field monitors, survey data collection quality control for 10% of cluster and 10% of household to be surveyed, analysis of data independent monitoring and survey data collection quality control and reporting on independent monitoring and coverage survey data collection quality control.

Applications should include monitoring of 2 campaigns and 1 independent monitoring for data quality control of the survey.

Scope of Work, Key Objectives and Activities

The purpose of this consultation is to independently monitor Vitamin A distribution activities in all states supported by Helen Keller Intl: Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Taraba states. And conduct the data collection quality control of the coverage survey.

The selected consulting firm(s) will work closely with the Helen Keller international team and the Technical Steering Committee.

Campaign Independent Monitoring

The consultant will be responsible for the recruitment and training independent monitors who will support pre-implementation, implementation, and post implementation activities in assigned States and within specific LGAs, Health facilities and communities under the supervision of Helen Keller Int’l. He/she will do the following:

Pre-Implementation (2 non-consecutive days);

Support cascaded LGA/Ward level training(s); including monitoring key messages disseminated, monitoring and compile training attendance and financial documents and submitting typed and hardcopy of same after trainings.
Support commodity distribution down to final service delivery points (facilities) and produce documented evidence of same (issue and receipt form) to Helen Keller M&E/Logistic team immediately after distribution. This distribution to final service delivery points and its accompanying documentation should prior to implementation/campaign day.
Support the implementation of the MNCHW micro plan.
Ensure compliance to safety measures, and security advice in the implementation of all MNCHW activities.

Implementation (5 days);

Ensure that social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) activities is comprehensive/robust in assigned LGA/wards/health facilities.
Participate in monitoring and supervision of the campaign in all service delivery points of assigned LGA, including supplementation/treatments in outreach sites, fixed posts and special/transient sites.
Participate and make meaningful contributions in daily debriefing physical and virtual meetings at the LGA/ward level and with the state Helen Keller team.
Support the daily data collection and validation at the LGA, Ward and Health facility levels.
Compile daily implantation report, containing success stories, challenges, lessons learnt and recommendations.
Validation, collection, typing and submission of both soft copy and hardcopy attendance and financial documentation of campaign service delivery personnel.
Submission of monitoring data using ODK and daily call in data scaled to the facility level using stipulated reporting channels.
In collaboration with the LGA and Helen Keller team, undertake advocacy visit inform and solicit support of traditional rulers during implementation in each community.

Post-Implementation (5 non-consecutive days);

Support final data validation across reporting channels (Health Facility summary – ward summary – call -in-data) consistency across reporting channels will be pegged at 80% and DQA will be done after campaign and 40% payment will be subject to the outcome of the DQA.
Retrieve and submit duplicated copies of summary of summaries forms and other reporting tools for health facilities, wards, LGAs according to stipulated guidelines.
Submit a comprehensive report of the campaign after the implementation using the approved reporting template to specified reporting channels within one-week postimplementation.
Any other duty as assigned.

NB: Data validation and submission of adequate report(s) is paramount to Helen Keller International. Any alteration or submission that is false under the supervision of any Consultant or Independent Monitor, will be treated as aiding and abetting data falsification and will attract termination of contract and blacklisting or non-engagement of the said Consultant in subsequent campaigns and/or any other Helen Keller engagement. All Independent Monitors to be recruited by the Consultant are expected to be tech-savvy and possess a functional laptop that will be used during implementation.

Coverage survey data collection data quality Monitoring

The surveys, known as Post-Event Coverage Surveys (PECS), should be carried out no later than four weeks after the end of the VAS campaigns to minimize recall bias. Sampling for these surveys consists of 70 to 120 clusters of 10 to 15 eligible households per stratum and must cover all the regions supported by Helen Keller Intl to provide a reliable estimate of VAS coverage in these regions.

The Five states of Nigeria supported by Helen Keller will be considered as strata, i.e. approximately 120 strata. The clusters are randomly selected using a sampling method proportional to the size of the population in collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics. Within each of the selected clusters, the data collection team first carries out an exhaustive household census, listing all households (eligible and non-eligible) and the number of children and people in each household. From this list, the team will randomly select between 10 and 15 eligible households to administer the questionnaire.

There are two essential steps that need to be paid particular attention to during the vitamin A post-campaign coverage surveys (the census and data collection).

Teams of enumerators arriving in a cluster for the vitamin A post-campaign coverage survey must carry out an exhaustive census of all the households in that cluster, listing them and indicating the number of children and the number of people in each household and marking the household. The 10 to 15 households surveyed (depending on the sample) will be selected by simple random sampling from this census list. Experience has shown that enumerator teams often do not follow the protocols correctly and do not enumerate all the households in the cluster, which creates a selection bias in favor of households not listed.

To address this problem, independent monitors are sent to a random selection of 10% of the survey clusters to conduct a new exhaustive census of all households, which is compared with that carried out by the enumerator team. The main data compared includes the number of households, the number of children in each household, the total number of children in the cluster, the total target population in the cluster and the map of the cluster. The daily report of the census for the 10% of the survey clusters will be provided immediately (at the end of each cluster census) to the Helen Keller coordination team. This will allow the data to be compared with that provided by the enumerator.

If the check indicates that the census carried out by the team of enumerators was different, the data from the enumerators and independent monitors will be compared with that provided by the National Institute of Statistics. This will involve comparing the maps provided by the GPS coordinates of the enumerators and independent monitors in order to identify any problems relating to the delimitation of the boundaries of the cluster. Next, compare each of the above figures between the data provided by the enumerators and the independent monitors. Figures that closely match those of the National Statistical Institute will be considered.

The second important stage is the collection of data from households. Depending on how the questions are asked and how the data is entered, the quality of the data collected must be checked to ensure the reliability of the survey results. Independent monitors will assess the quality of the data by visiting the 10 to 15 households surveyed by the enumerator. They will administer part of the questionnaire used by the enumerator. The data collected and reported during the two visits are compared on the same day by Helen Keller’s team. This process enables Helen Keller to identify differences and quickly resolve any problems relating to the collection of data from monitors and enumerators.

Also, the independent monitoring team will review 10% of the household interviews in the

90% of clusters that have not been visited. It will use the audio recordings from the SurveyCTO application. The team will listen to the audio recordings and compare them with the data entered on the form. Any discrepancies found will be noted and a daily listening report will be given to the enumerator via the Helen Keller team to improve the collection and quality of data capture. The independent monitoring team will have dedicated staff who will listen to 10% of the audio audit data and provide a detailed audio listening report every two days.

Scope of work

For the independent monitoring of the campaigns:

Pre-Implementation (2 non-consecutive days);

Support cascaded LGA/Ward level training(s); including monitoring key messages disseminated, monitoring and compiling training attendance and financial documents and submit typed and hardcopy of same after trainings.
Support commodity distribution down to final service delivery points (facilities) and produce documented evidence of same (issue and receipt form) to Helen Keller M&E/Logistic team immediately after distribution. This distribution to final service delivery points and its accompanying documentation should prior to implementation/campaign day.
Support the implementation of the MNCHW micro plan.
Ensure compliance to safety measures and security advice in the implementation of all MNCHW activities.

Implementation (5 days);

Ensure that social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) activities is comprehensive/robust in assigned LGA/wards/health facilities.
Participate in monitoring and supervision of the campaign in all service delivery points of assigned LGA, including supplementation/treatments in outreach sites, fixed posts and special/transient sites.
Participate and make meaningful contributions in daily debriefing physical and virtual meetings at the LGA/ward level and with the state Helen Keller team.
Support the daily data collection and validation at the LGA, Ward and Health facility levels.
Compile daily implantation report, containing success stories, challenges, lessons learnt and recommendations.
Validation, collection, typing and submission of both soft copy and hardcopy attendance and financial documentation of campaign service delivery personnel.
Submission of monitoring data using ODK and daily call in data scaled to the facility level using stipulated reporting channels.
In collaboration with the LGA and Helen Keller team, undertake advocacy visit inform and solicit support of traditional rulers during implementation in each community.

Post-Implementation (5 non-consecutive days);

Support final data validation across reporting channels (Health Facility summary – ward summary – call -in-data) consistency across reporting channels will be pegged at 80% and DQA will be done after campaign and 40% payment will be subject to the outcome of the DQA.
Retrieve and submit duplicated copies of summary of summaries forms and other reporting tools for health facilities, wards, LGAs according to stipulated guidelines.
Submit comprehensive report of the campaign after the implementation using the approved reporting template to specified reporting channels within one-week post implementation.
Any other duty as assigned.

Develop the protocol and data collection tools for the independent monitoring of the two rounds of the SVA 2024 campaigns.

Transcribe the data collection tools to the SurveyCTO collection format.

The questionnaires are digitized using Survey CTO and the consultancy firm must provide each team of independent monitors with smartphones and/or tablets that can be used to capture respondents’ answers in the field.

Prepare the monitoring plan with each region targeted for independent monitoring to identify the communities to be visited for campaign data collection.

Develop a detailed work plan and timeline for the entire monitoring process for each campaign.

Ensure the recruitment, training, deployment and supervision of monitors for the independent monitoring of the campaign

Ensure that the monitors carry out the independent monitoring of the campaign in accordance with the methodology.

To monitor the quality of data collection for independent campaign monitoring.

Drawing up a dashboard of key indicators for independent campaign monitoring, to be updated on a daily basis

Analyse the data on a daily basis and produce a daily report and recommendations.

Follow up daily feedback on the results of the independent monitoring and include the results in the final report.

Produce a report on the training of independent monitors

Ensure the security and confidentiality of all data in electronic format

Produce an overall report on the independent monitoring of each round of the VAS 2024 campaigns, which includes a description of the process: recruitment, training, implementation, supervision, the main results, feedback and specific actions taken, the results of actions taken following feedback and the main recommendations for improving future campaigns.

For the independent monitoring of the coverage survey

Develop the protocol and data collection tools for the independent monitoring of the coverage survey in the second half of 2024.

Transcribe the data collection tools to the SurveyCTO collection format.

The questionnaires are digitized using Survey CTO and the consultancy must provide each team of independent monitors with smartphones and/or tablets that can be used to capture respondents’ answers in the field.

Prepare the monitoring plan with each target region for independent monitoring of the coverage survey

Develop a work plan and detailed timetable for the entire coverage survey monitoring process, including the census of the 10% of clusters (20 clusters), conducting data collection in an average of 240 households, listening to an audio extract of 240 household surveys.

Ensure the recruitment, training, deployment, and supervision of monitors for the independent monitoring of the coverage survey.

Ensure that the monitors carry out the independent monitoring of the coverage survey in accordance with the methodology.

Monitor the quality of data collection for the independent monitoring of the coverage survey.

Draw up a dashboard of key indicators for the independent monitoring of the coverage survey, to be updated daily.

Analyse the data daily and produce a daily report and recommendations. of the independent monitoring of the coverage survey

Produce a report on the training of independent coverage survey monitors

Produce a report on the census and data collection and on the listening of the independent coverage survey monitors.

Ensure the security and confidentiality of all data in electronic format;

Produce a global report on the monitoring of the coverage survey which includes a description of the process: recruitment, training, implementation, supervision, main results, feedback and specific actions taken, results of actions taken after feedback and main recommendations for improving future coverage surveys.

Experiences and knowledge required

A good command of the country’s health system;
- – Experience in conducting independent campaign monitoring according to WHO methodology
- – Experience in conducting coverage surveys according to WHO methodology 2018
- Knowledge of local formalities and customs in the implementation of household surveys (Experience in conducting independent monitoring and coverage surveys);
- Good network of field staff (monitors, interviewers, supervisors, etc.);
- A very good knowledge of STATA, SurveyCTO GIS software for qualitative data analysis and mapping; Powerbi
- An in-depth analytical capacity and a spirit of synthesis;
- Strong writing skills.

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 12 months beginning on or about April 2024 until March 2025. Bidders must clearly identify “start-up” support costs each survey, part of the three main activities, i.e. independent monitoring of the two campaign rounds and independent monitoring to ensure quality control of the coverage survey for the first semester 2024,, 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 first and second surveys at the discretion of Helen Keller International. No profit, fees, taxes, or additional costs can be added after 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.

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, single-spaced, 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/region 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/region, 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 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 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 with Helen Keller Intl.

Indirect Rates and Fixed Fee: If it is an 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. 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 independent monitoring surveys using WHO methodology, 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 to conduct surveys. Experience including surveys on the health system. Provision of high-quality survey reports conducted by the vendor.	30
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 monitors and supervisors for data collection in all parts of the country. Recruit, train and manage large teams of monitors. 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	20
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. 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	20
Technical Value	30
Proposal demonstrates a clear understanding of the methodology for independent monitoring and the coverage survey based on the WHO methodologies for independent monitoring and mass campaigns Cluster Survey (2018 version) and for independent monitoring	10
Proposal demonstrates a clear understanding of the rationale for conducting independent monitoring during VAS campaign, the quality	10
monitoring of the coverage surveys and the objectives of the survey
Proposal follows call for proposal requirements, is well structured and written that describe the workflow on independent monitoring and the coverage survey data quality monitoring	10
Total Points	90

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
Other pertinent information relevant to the proposal submission

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 on the basis of 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 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 a 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 of 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:

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

PROPOSED BUDGET INDEPENDENT MONITORING OF THE FIRST

ROUND OF THE CAMPAIGN 2024

Deliverable 1 – preparation of the survey
Person’s Name / role	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 2 – Monitoring/Data collection
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 3 – analysis and reporting
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 4 – dissemination
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Training
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Travel
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Supplies
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Total

PROPOSED BUDGET INDEPENDENT MONITORING OF THE SECOND

ROUND OF THE CAMPAIGN 2024PROPOSED BUDGET INDEPENDENT MONITORING AND COVERAGE CAMPAIGN DATA COLLECTION

QUALITY CONTROL 1 & 2:

Deliverable 1 – preparation of the survey
Person’s Name / role	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 2 – Data collection
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 3 – analysis and reporting
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 4 – dissemination
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Training
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Travel
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Supplies
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Total

PROPOSED BUDGET INDEPENDENT MONITORING OF THE COVERAGE SUREY DATA QUALITY CONTROLE AFTER THE FIRST ROUND OF THE CAMPAIGN 2024 :

Deliverable 1 – preparation of the survey
Person’s Name / role	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 2 – Data collection
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 3 – analysis and reporting
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Total
Deliverable 4 – dissemination
Person’s Name	Daily Rate	Number of days	Total


Training
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Travel
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Supplies
Cost	Unit Cost	Quantity	Total

Total

ANNEX D Form of Contract

BLANKET PURCHASE AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL (Helen Keller Intl)

AND

[Insert Organization’s Full Legal Name here]

Helen Keller Intl Award Number: [INSERT Award Code and Initiative Number]

This Blanket Purchase Agreement (“Agreement” or “BPA”) is entered into by and between Helen Keller International (“Helen Keller Intl”), a not-for-profit organization with a headquarters location at One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Floor 2, New York, NY 10017 and with a location at [Insert Helen Keller Intl country/regional office address] and [Insert Contractor’s Legal Name] (“Contractor”), with a principal place of business at [Insert Contractor’s Legal Address]. Helen Keller Intl and Contractor may each be referred to herein individually as a “Party,” or collectively as the “Parties.” The Parties hereby agree to the following:

I. SUBJECT OF THE BPA

The purpose of this BPA is to establish rates and work requirements related to the Monitoring of the Campaigns and subsequent Post Event Coverage Survey (PECS) for Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS)under specific Work Orders which may be issued by Helen Keller Intl to the vendor for one or more surveys.

Other details pertinent to this BPA are described in the specifications, attached hereto as Attachment A, which forms an integral part of this BPA and is incorporated herein by this reference (the “Technical Documents”).

Helen Keller Intl hereby engages, and Contractor hereby accepts, such engagement to deliver the service and be available to provide the service as set forth in the Technical Documents.

This Blanket Purchase Agreement is issued with the anticipation of issuance of individual Work Orders. Any Work Orders issued under this award will be firm fixed price (FFP). The Contractor must perform the services or provide the goods set forth in Work Orders at prices and quality consistent with the requirements and prices described in Attachment A. E.

II. PRICE AND PAYMENT TERMS

Helen Keller Intl will compensate Contractor for the total amount of any Work Orders issued under this Blanket Purchase Agreement, according to the rates, as described in the Technical Documents, Attachment A. For the avoidance of doubt, Helen Keller Intl shall have no obligation to compensate Contractor hereunder for any amount, or in any amount in excess of the amount of Fees set forth in this Section

III.

Fees shall be payable by Helen Keller Intl to Contractor according to any Work Order(s) issued by Helen Keller Intl. See Attachment B for a sample Work Order.

All above payments of Fees shall be made to Contractor only upon (1) Helen Keller Intl’s issuance of a fully executed work order(s), and (2) Contractor’s timely and satisfactory completion of its duties and obligations hereunder, as determined by Helen Keller Intl in its sole and absolute discretion.

All payments of Fees shall be made to Contractor by wire transfer to [insert Contractor’s official business name], in [insert currency] to the following bank account:

Account title: Account No: Bank: Branch:

Swift Code:

Under no circumstances, will Helen Keller Intl issue payment to an individual or company other than the Contractor. III. TERM

This BPA is for a period of one year with a not-to-exceed amount of $ ADD VALUE. The effective date is [insert date (Month DD, YYYY)] (the “Effective Date”) until [insert end date], unless terminated earlier in accordance with the provisions of Section V hereof (the “Termination Date”).

IV. CONTRACTOR’S OBLIGATIONS

Contractor is responsible for supplying services per the specifications listed in Attachment A, including, but not limited to, the type, quantity and quality of the services. Contractor shall ensure that any work under this BPA is performed in accordance and in compliance with all applicable legal and technical laws, regulations, and standards.

Contractor cannot deviate from the quantities, type, or quality of the services without Helen Keller Intl’s prior written consent.

Contractor must immediately notify Helen Keller Intl in writing of any problems that result in significant delays or make Contractor’s performance under the BPA impossible.

Services shall be provided only if directed by Helen Keller Intl through a written Work Order. Each Work Order will contain two parts: 1) a brief description of the deliverables required, the period of performance, area/district of utilization, and cost per deliverable and total fixed cost of the survey as a whole; 2) a detailed scope of work outlining the activities supporting the deliverables for that specific survey. The Contractor will provide a confirmation of receipt of the issued Work Order within [ three business days].. The Work Order will be reflective of the terms, activities, deliverables and fixed pricing included in this agreement but will allow for modification in the breadth of scope to fit the needs/requirements of the survey. The final cost amount determined will be entered into the fixed price Work Order.

The Contractor will prepare and submit invoices for deliverables completed to Helen Keller Intl and each invoice shall clearly identify the Work Order number, deliverables, , period of performance and amount due. Under no circumstances will the amount paid exceed the negotiated firm fixed price of the Work Order or the notto-exceed amount stated in Section II.

Following the initial needs requirement and Contractor discussion, Helen Keller Intl reserves the right not to issue a Work Order for anticipated services, or to issue a Work Order for services to another Contractor, without further discussion.

V. TERMINATION

In the case of poor performance of the vendor (low quality, delays in submission of deliverables) as determined by Helen Keller Int’l, Helen Keller Int’t may at its sole discretion elect to not issue any further work orders and thus terminate the contract after the first survey.

This BPA may be terminated by Helen Keller Intl without cause upon thirty (30) days advance written notice to Contractor. Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to terminate this BPA at any time it determines that Contractor is failing to meet its BPA obligations, quality standards, timetables, and in the event of Contractor’s breach of the BPA, bankruptcy, gross negligence, or malfeasance, including any incidence of fraud. Helen Keller Intl’s decision is final in this and any other matters.

In the event of default, or partial default, by Contractor, including, but not limited to, failure or refusal to deliver any of the services] within the time limit specified in this BPA, Helen Keller Intl may procure the services not yet delivered to Helen Keller Intl from other sources and terminate the right of Contractor to proceed with delivering the services. In the event of default, or partial default, by Contractor, Helen Keller Intl will be entitled to a full refund of the cost of the remaining services.

Contractor and Helen Keller Intl are released from any penalty in case of “Force Majeure.” “Force Majeure” is any event that could not be foreseen, avoided or eliminated, including fire, flood, or other natural disaster, changes in the law, industrial disturbances, war, unrest, explosions and any other similar circumstances. If a Force Majeure event results in the suspension of the works by one of the parties for a period exceeding fifteen (15) days, then the other party may terminate this BPA by sending prior written notice of such termination.

The party experiencing the Force Majeure event shall immediately provide written notice to the other party with full details of such Force Majeure Event and its effects on such party’s ability to perform its obligations under this BPA. If such Force Majeure event results in the suspension of activities by one of the parties for a time period exceeding fifteen (15) days, then the other party may terminate this BPA by sending written notice of such termination, which termination shall be effective upon delivery.

VI. LEGAL LIABILITY; INDEMNIFICATION

Helen Keller Intl assumes no liability whatsoever for any activities governed under this BPA.

Helen Keller Intl does not assume any liability whatsoever for any claims of death, bodily injury, mental or emotional trauma, disability, loss or damage to property, or any other hazards, which Contractor’s employees or representatives, or any third parties, may suffer as a result of their participation in activities performed under this BPA, or any of Contractor’s acts or omissions hereunder.

Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless Helen Keller Intl, its owners, directors, officers, employees and agents from and against all damages of any kind, under any legal theory, as a result of any third party claims, liabilities, demands, judgments or causes of action, and all costs and expenses related thereto (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs), arising out of Contractor’s performance of or any failure to perform its duties and obligations under this BPA.

IN NO EVENT SHALL HELEN KELLER INTL, OR ITS ASSOCIATES, AFFILIATES, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS, BE LIABLE, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, TO CONTRACTOR OR ITS AFFILIATES FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, MULTIPLE, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, WHETHER IN AN ACTION THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF A CONTRACT OR IN TORT, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS CONTRACT, WHETHER OR NOT THE CONTRACTOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY SUCH DAMAGES.

Contractor shall obtain and maintain all appropriate insurance necessary to safeguard its employees, agents and representatives, and fully cover its potential liabilities.

VII. DEFECTS; WARRANTY

Helen Keller Intl has the right to inspect and test all supplies, equipment and services, including quantity and quality of delivery called for by the Contract, to the extent practicable, at all places and times, including the period of manufacture, seller’s warehouse and in any event before acceptance. Helen Keller Intl shall perform inspections and tests in a manner that will not unduly delay the work. Helen Keller Intl assumes no contractual obligation to perform any inspection and test for the benefit of the Contractor.

Helen Keller Intl shall not be obliged to buy or pay for, and Helen Keller Intl may at any time after delivery reject, all or any part of a given delivery of services that Helen Keller Intl determines does not conform to the Contract, is defective in material or workmanship, or are otherwise not in conformity with the specifications in Attachment A.

If Contractor fails to promptly replace, or correct rejected services that are required to be replaced or corrected, Helen Keller Intl may either (1) by contract or otherwise, replace, or correct the items and charge the cost to the Contractor or (2) terminate the contract for default. Unless the Contractor corrects or replaces services within the delivery schedule, Helen Keller Intl may require their delivery and make an equitable price reduction, or request reimbursement if funds advanced.

Contractor is exclusively liable for any defects in the services by Contractor, its agents, representatives, or subcontractors. Contractor hereby agrees to indemnify Helen Keller Intl for any losses, damages or claims of any kind arising from such defects.

Helen Keller Intl’s failure to inspect and accept or reject the supplies or services shall not relieve the Contractor from responsibility, nor impose liability on Helen Keller Intl, for nonconforming items or services. Inspections and tests by Helen Keller Intl do not relieve the Contractor of responsibility for defects or other failures to meet Contract requirements discovered before acceptance.

Contractor warrants that any workmanship, contents of the services provided under this Contract shall be free from defects and deficiencies and conform to the specifications in Attachment A. This General Warranty shall apply to the services and contents of the items set forth in Article 1, including, but not limited to, Attachment A.

If any services are not delivered in accordance with the delivery schedule agreed upon by both Helen Keller Intl and the Contractor, and if the delay in delivery is not to unforeseen events (force majeure) the Contractor shall pay to Helen Keller Intl liquidated damages in the amount of 5% of the value of the procurement per month. Liquidated damages shall be paid proportionately for any period of less than one month calculated on the basis of thirty (30) days in the month. Helen Keller Intl will issue a Debit Memo to collect said payment against the Contractor for delinquent items.

In the case of a rejection of defective or non-conforming deliverable, the deliverable is still considered unreceived, and penalties for late submission will be applied.

VIII. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

A. Contractor, its employees, representatives, and agents shall not be considered employees of Helen Keller Intl. Contractor shall be fully responsible for all work and services performed by its employees, representatives, and agents, and for the acts and omissions of its employees, representatives, and agents. Contractor is responsible to provide their own equipment to fulfill the requirements of the work orders. Helen Keller Int’l is not responsible for damage to Contrator’s equipment used in support of the work orders.

IX. GOVERNING LAW; DISPUTE RESOLUTION

This BPA shall be governed by and construed under the laws of the State of New York, United States of America, without regard to any conflict of laws principles.

The Parties agree to try to settle any dispute arising under this BPA by mutual consent and in the spirit of good business relationships. In the event that agreement is not reached, the dispute shall be decided solely by Helen Keller Intl. Contractor shall be given an opportunity to timely submit written evidence in support of its position. A decision by Helen Keller Intl shall be binding and final.

X. NOTICES

Contractor provides the following address as its legal address in respect to any notice that may arise out of or in connection with this BPA.

Contractor’s Authorized Agent
Company Name
Street and Number
City and Governorate
Country
Phone Number
Email Address

Helen Keller Intl provides the following address as its legal address in respect to any notice that may arise out of or in connection with this BPA.

Helen Keller Intl’s Authorized Agent
Helen Keller Intl’s Name	Helen Keller International
Street and Number
City and Governate
Country
Phone Number
Email Address

XI. CERTIFICATIONS

Contractor certifies, by submission of this BPA, to the best of its knowledge and belief that it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any United States Government federal department or agency and that it shall immediately notify Helen Keller Intl should this status change. Contractor further agrees by signing this BPA that it will include this clause entitled Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions without modifications in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions.

By entering into this BPA, Contractor certifies that it will not promote or engage in violence or terrorism and is in full compliance with all U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. laws and regulations that prohibit transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of Contractor to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and all applicable anti-terrorism laws.

In accordance with guidelines issued by the U.S. Treasury Department, Contractor certifies that none of its employees, representatives, sub-grantees or subcontractors appear on the U.S. Government lists of persons or entities associated with terrorist activities or support, or whose assets are otherwise blocked by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. For further information, see http://www.treas.gov/ofac or contact Helen Keller Intl.
Article XI, Certifications, must be included in any and all sub-contracts, sub-awards, lower tier transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier transactions that Contractor may enter into in fulfilling its obligations under this BPA.

A violation of any provision of this Article XI, Certifications, is automatic grounds for immediate termination of this BPA.

XII. ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICES

No employee, officer or agent of Contractor shall participate in the selection, award or administration of any contract supported by Helen Keller Intl funds if a conflict of interest is involved. A conflict of interest will also be deemed to exist if the employee, officer or agent, any member of his or her extended family or immediate family, his or her partner, or an organization which employs or is about to employ any of the parties indicated herein, has a financial or other interest in the firm selected for an award.

The employees, officers or agents of Contractor shall not give, directly or indirectly, any payments to any business partner(s) or members of their immediate families, nor shall any employees, officers or agents of Contractor use any part of the

Contract funds for payments to organizations in which Contractor, its employees,

officers or agents or member(s) of their respective immediate families, have a financial interest.

Contractor warrants that:

No official of Helen Keller Intl or any third party has received or will be offered by Contractor any direct or indirect benefit arising from the BPA or award thereof;

Contractor has not misrepresented or concealed any material facts in the procuring of this BPA; and

Contractor and its employees shall not receive or accept any commission, gift inducement, or any other improper financial benefit related to this BPA.

XIII. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

Contractor warrants that it shall, at its own expense and at all times, comply with all laws, rules, regulations, decrees or official government orders that may be at the time of this BPA or become in the future applicable to Contractor’s business, equipment, and personnel, including without limitation, any registration and other administrative laws requirements. Contractor shall not engage in any activities that would violate any law, rule, regulation or official order.

Contractor shall not take any action on behalf of Helen Keller Intl that would result in inadequate or inaccurate reporting of assets, liabilities, or any other transaction or which would violate any applicable laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and U.K. Bribery Act.

Contractor shall not offer, give or promise any part of such payments, directly or indirectly, to any government official, political party or official thereof, to any candidate for political office or to any religious organization, with the intention of influencing such party’s professional decision.

Contractor must immediately notify Helen Keller Intl in writing, upon discovery of any instance where Contractor fails to comply with any requirement under this Article

XIII.

XIV. AUDIT

Contractor shall maintain records, including supporting documents relating to the conditions of the BPA’s execution, in accordance with sound and generally accepted accounting principles, of all transactions under this BPA. Contractor shall preserve and make available such records for examination and audit by Helen Keller Intl or its authorized representatives, as follows:

Until the expiration of three (3) years from the date of submission of the final financial status report; [Note: adjust the number of years depending on donor requirements.]

For such longer period as may be required to complete an audit to resolve all questions concerning expenditures, unless prior written approval has been obtained from Helen Keller Intl to dispose of such records; or

If any donor request, litigation, claim, or audit is commenced before the expiration of the three (3) year period referenced in Subsection 1 above, such records shall be retained until such donor request, litigation, claim or audit involving the records has been resolved. [Note: adjust the number of years depending on donor requirements.]

XV. INDEPENDENT PRICE DETERMINATION

A. The Contractor certifies that:

1. The prices in the offer and this BPA have been arrived at independently, without, for the purpose of restricting competition, any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other competitor relating to—

Those prices;
The intention to submit an offer; or
The methods or factors used to calculate the prices offered.
The prices in the offer and this BPA have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed by the Contractor, directly or indirectly, to any other competitor before bid opening (in the case of a sealed bid solicitation) or contract award (in the case of a negotiated solicitation) unless otherwise required by law; and
No attempt has been made or will be made by the Contractor to induce any other concern to submit or not to submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition.

XVI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Contractor acknowledges and agrees that Contractor’s performance will be measured for the purpose of mitigating procurement risk, and the nature and extent of performance problems will determine future eligibility status (active, suspended, or ineligible) as a contractor for Helen Keller Intl.

Contractor acknowledges and agrees that that in order to reduce procurement risk, that Helen Keller Intl may discuss, obtain from, or share with other nongovernmental associations, Contractor’s past performance information, pricing and cost information, and information on limitations on output and delivery.

XVII. GENERAL

Nothing in this BPA shall be deemed to create a joint venture, agency or partnership between the Parties, and neither Party shall have the power to obligate or bind the other in any manner whatsoever, except as specifically provided herein.

Neither this BPA, nor any rights or obligations hereunder, may be assigned or subcontracted to any third party, unless such assignment is pursuant to the other Party’s written consent.

This BPA, including all attachments, may be amended only by the written agreement of the Parties.

Failure of Helen Keller Intl to enforce at any time any of the provisions of this BPA, or to exercise any option that is provided herein, shall not be deemed to be a waiver of those provisions, nor to affect in any way the validity of any part of this BPA, or the right of Helen Keller Intl thereafter to enforce each provision.

The expiration or termination of this BPA will not destroy or diminish the binding force and effect of any of the provisions of this BPA that expressly, or by reasonable implication, come into or continue in effect on or after such expiration or termination, including, without limitation, limitation of liability and indemnity.

The Parties agree to execute this BPA in the English language. Either Party may undertake to produce a translation of this BPA in its local language. In such event, the Parties agree that the English version of this BPA shall be considered as the authentic text, and in case of a conflict between the content of the English original and a translation thereof, the English version shall prevail.

XVIII. CONFIDENTIALITY

Contractor will treat as confidential all data, records, accounts and other information regarding Helen Keller Intl and its affiliates that become known to Contractor through its activities under this Contract, including information regarding Helen Keller Intl’s and its affiliates’ operations, policies, procedures, faculty, employees, students, information technology systems and financial information and plans (Helen Keller Intl Confidential Information”).

Contractor will take all reasonable steps to preserve materials and data (including Confidential Information) provided by Helen Keller Intl in connection with this Contract for the benefit of Helen Keller Intl, including, without limitation, maintaining password protections, ensuring that all data is backed up, complying with Helen Keller Intl’s policies and procedures with respect to electronic data and systems, and ensuring that Helen Keller Intl’s representative and other persons designated by Helen Keller Intl have reasonable access to all material prepared or used in connection with this Contract.

XIX. MANDATORY DISCLOSURES

Contractor must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to Helen Keller Intl all violations of criminal law involving trafficking in persons, fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the Contract. Failure to make required disclosures may result in termination, suspension or debarment.

XX. TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

A. Helen Keller Intl is authorized to terminate this Contract, without penalty, if the Contractor or its employees, or any lower-tier subrecipients, vendors or its employees, engage in any of the following conduct:

Trafficking in persons (as defined in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime) during the period of this award;
Procurement of a commercial sex act during the period of this award;
Use of forced labor in the performance of this award;
Acts that directly support or advance trafficking in persons, including the following acts:
Destroying, concealing, confiscating, or otherwise denying an employee access to that employee’s identity or immigration documents;
Failing to provide return transportation or pay for return transportation costs to an employee from a country outside the United States to the country from which the employee was recruited upon the end of employment if requested by the employee, unless:
exempted from the requirement to provide or pay for such return transportation by

USAID under this award; or viii. the employee is a victim of human trafficking seeking victim services or legal redress in the country of employment or a witness in a human trafficking enforcement action;

Soliciting a person for the purpose of employment, or offering employment, by means of materially false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises regarding that employment;
Charging employees for recruitment fees; or
Providing or arranging housing that fails to meet the host country housing and safety standards.

B. If the Contractor receives any credible information from any source that alleges that the contractor, subcontractor, or agent has engaged in any of the prohibited activities identified in this provision, the Contractor must immediately notify Helen Keller Intl; and must fully cooperate with any government agencies responsible for audits, investigations, or corrective actions relating to trafficking in persons. Helen Keller Intl may direct the Contractor to take specific steps to abate an alleged violation or enforce the requirements of a compliance plan. For purposes of this provision, “employee” means an individual who is engaged in the performance of this Contract as a direct employee, consultant, or volunteer of the Contractor.

XXI. CHILD LABOR AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION; NON-DISCRIMINATION

A. Contractor shall ensure that Contractor and Contractor’s personnel, subcontractors and agents engaged under this Contract do not engage in any sexual activity with, exploitation or abuse of minors (person under the age of 18) or beneficiaries when carrying out the Services under this Contract, including but not limited to the following prohibited conduct: (a) any exchange of money, employment, goods or services for sex, including sexual favors or other forms of humiliating, degrading or exploitative behavior; (b) any form of unlawful harassment, discrimination, physical or verbal abuse, intimidation or exploitative sexual relations; or (c) any sexual activity with minors or any physical or suggestive contact regardless of the age of majority or age of consent locally (mistaken belief in the age of a child is not an excuse; the sole exception in applying this provision may be in the instance where Contractor is legally married to a person under the age of 18).

Contractor must not employ minors to carry out any part of the Services under this Contract.
Contractor shall not discriminate against any employee, or applicant for employment or beneficiary involved in the Services because of race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or affectional preference, ancestry, physical or mental handicap or other status protected by law.

XXII. PUBLICITY; PRESS RELEASES

A. Contractor shall not be entitled to (a) use the name, service or trademarks, logos or otherwise identify or refer to Helen Keller Intl (or any Helen Keller Intl donor or funder) in any press releases, publications, reports, studies, publicity, marketing or promotional material or (b) represent, directly or indirectly, that any product or any service provided by Contractor has been used, approved or endorsed by Helen Keller Intl without the prior, express written approval of Helen Keller Intl in each instance.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment A: Technical Documents
Attachment B: Work Order Template

This Agreement and all attachments embody the entire agreement between Helen Keller Intl and the Contractor and supersedes all other agreements either written or oral. Officials signing this Contract certify that they have legal authority to enter into binding agreements on behalf of their organizations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have duly executed this Blanket Purchase Agreement as of the date of signing by their authorized representatives below:

For Insert CONTRACTOR	For HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL
Signature:	Signature:
Date:	Date:
Name:	Name:
Title:	Title:

Request for Proposal (RFP) At Helen Keller

SECTION 1: Introduction, Eligibility of Bidders, and Definitions

Introduction

Eligibility of Bidders

SECTION 2: Scope of Work

Scope of Work, Key Objectives and Activities

Anticipated Contracting Period and Award Mechanism

SECTION 3: Proposal Instructions

Part 1: TECHNICAL OFFER

Part 2: FINANCIAL OFFER

SECTION 4: Evaluation Criteria and Basis for Award

SECTION 6: Proposal Validity, Submission Deadline and Instructions

SECTION 7: Negotiations

SECTION 8: Terms of the Solicitation

ANNEX A: Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Bidder Conflict of Interest Declaration Form

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

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

ANNEX D Form of Contract

I. SUBJECT OF THE BPA

II. PRICE AND PAYMENT TERMS

IV. CONTRACTOR’S OBLIGATIONS

V. TERMINATION

VI. LEGAL LIABILITY; INDEMNIFICATION

VII. DEFECTS; WARRANTY

VIII. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

IX. GOVERNING LAW; DISPUTE RESOLUTION

X. NOTICES

XI. CERTIFICATIONS

XII. ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICES

XIII. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

XIV. AUDIT

XV. INDEPENDENT PRICE DETERMINATION

XVI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

XVII. GENERAL

XVIII. CONFIDENTIALITY

XIX. MANDATORY DISCLOSURES

XX. TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

XXI. CHILD LABOR AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION; NON-DISCRIMINATION

XXII. PUBLICITY; PRESS RELEASES

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