RFQ Title: Cash Transfers Specialist for Tanzania Assessment RFQ #: 3569001-2012-2 Issued on: April 2, 2012 Proposal Deadline: April 15, 2012 Submission Format: Email
I. THE BIDDING PROCESS AND NATURE OF THE AWARD
Financial Integration, Economic Leveraging, Broad-based Dissemination and Support Project (FIELD-Support) is hereby seeking a proposal from qualified individuals to serve as a technical specialist on cash transfers to address sexual and reproductive behaviors in Aringa Province in Tanzania, fully described in the Scope of Work section of this Request for Quotations (RFQ). This service is being procured for the USAID FIELD-Support program, managed by FHI 360. In issuing this RFQ, FIELD-Support is not acting as an agent or on behalf of USAID, and USAID is not a party to any contract resulting from this RFQ.
II. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND FIELD-Support requires approximately 6 weeks of part-time consulting services from one person to serve on a field assessment, traveling to Dar es Salaam and Aringa Province in late April through Early May, to help design a pilot activity and contribute to the development of Standards of Practice related to cash transfers to address sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of young and adolescent girls.
Background and Scope of Work:
USAID is funding a randomized control trial (RCT) in Iringa Region (which reports one of the country’s highest HIV prevalence rates, especially amongst young girls, and most troubling is one of the few provinces where the rate continues to increase) on the effectiveness of the Combination Prevention approach. The complete enhanced package under this approach provides intensive concurrent activities in 3 areas :
• Biomedical interventions which include medical approaches to block infection, decrease infectiousness, or reduce infection risk. Providers are encouraged to employ the biomedical intervention as an opportunity to engage with clients in broader prevention messaging: for example, PEPFAR recommends that clinics providing male circumcision procedures also provide risk reduction counseling.
• Behavioral interventions include activities to encourage people to reduce behaviors that increase risk of HIV and increase protective behaviors. For example, to delay sexual debut; reduce sexual partnerships; encourage mutual monogamy; and increase HIV counseling and testing. One example is an intervention to promote individual behavior change, while also encouraging families, communities and social networks to adopt and maintain healthy norms and a supportive environment.
• Structural interventions take into account social, political, and economic factors that contribute to individual risk and vulnerability. Such interventions could include efforts to change social norms that contribute to gender violence, which in turn affects women’s vulnerability to HIV, or it might include microloans to reduce dependence on sex work.
For the study in Tanzania, USAID has already identified a range of activities providing Biomedical and behavioral interventions that will be a part of a 3-year study on the effectiveness of the enhanced package. To complete the package, USAID/Tanzania would like to fund a separate pilot activity that falls within the Structural Intervention scope, and has identified partially unconditional cash transfers to young and adolescent girls aged 15-24 who are unmarried living in 12 identified clusters in Iringa Region as the needed intervention.
III. Anticipated Period of Performance:
April 16, 2012 – May 29, 2012.
IV. Tasks: Before the pilot can be launched, FIELD-Support is assembling a team to travel to: 1) Work with USAID to assess the needs and design the pilot activity that is in line with the research design of the RCT; 2) Support a broader team of practitioners in developing a comprehensive set of Standards of Practice around key Combination Prevention interventions, including Cash Transfers for SRH; and 3) Work with USAID to develop the Program Description for a new Associate Award to implement the pilot activity, assess its outcomes, and if USAID so chooses, eventually scale up the intervention on a national scale.
The consultant’s primary responsibility will be to work with the FHI 360 Team Lead and provide technical leadership on Tasks 1 and 2. Under Task 1, the Consultant will spend about one week in Dar es Salaam meeting with USAID and the researchers to understand the scope of the research study, the needs in Iringa, and the expected structure of the pilot intervention. The consultant will then travel with the team to Iringa Region to meet with local stakeholders and design the pilot intervention. The consultant will also take a lead role in developing a set of Standards of Practice around cash transfers to address risky SRH behaviors. The Standards will leverage best practice in the area and reference the limited but existing evidence-based for this approach as a prevention method.
PSC shall accomplish the following milestones and submit the deliverables by the due dates listed below:
Deliverables Due Date Draft Standards of Practice on Cash Transfers May 10 Finalized Standards of Practice on Cash Transfers May 18 Draft Brief on Cash Transfers Standards of Practice May 21 Finalized Brief on Cash Transfers May 29 Contribute inputs for Program Description for Pilot Design May 4
Performance under this Work Order shall be subject to the technical direction of the above named FHI 360 employee(s). Only those individuals named in the Work Order may issue technical directions.
V. Qualifications and Evaluation Criteria:
Candidates for this position must demonstrate the following: • Demonstrated experience with conditional and unconditional cash transfers required. • Familiarity with Tanzanian context, experience in Iringa Region preferred. • Experience drafting Standards of Practice, practitioner guidelines, conceptual frameworks, or theoretical design required. • Experience designing pilots and familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods including RCTs preferred. • Familiarity with issues around sexual & reproductive health and HIV prevention preferred. • KiSwahili preferred.
The evaluation of candidates will be based on relevance of past experience and the criteria above.
VI. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS All interested consultants must provide the following:
- Resume
- Propose a daily rate to perform the work outlined above
- References: Please include three client references and contact information. References should have worked with you within the past two years and specific to countries or regions (and if possible, subject matter) applicable to this work order.
- Availability: to perform the work within/during the anticipated period of performance indicated in the work scope above.
- Biographical data sheet (form 1420)
- Procurement Template & Mandatory Client Flow Down Requirements – Please review the procurement terms and conditions attached in Appendix A.
- Certification of Independent Price Determination – Appendix B.
VII. RESPONSE INFORMATION All responses to this RFQ must be received no later than 5pm EST April 15, 2012. Quotes should be submitted via email to Jeffrey Matu at jmatu@fhi360.org.
VIII. General Terms and Conditions 1. Submission of quote does not guarantee award. 2. FHI 360 may cancel this RFQ without making an award. 3. The attached terms and conditions are illustrative only and do not constitute an award.
IX. Disclaimers and FHI 360 Protection Clauses 1. FHI 360 may cancel solicitation and not award 2. FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received 3. Issuance of solicitation does not constitute award commitment by FHI 360 4. FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on offeror failure to follow solicitation instructions 5. FHI 360 will not compensate offerors for response to solicitation 6. FHI 360 reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion 7. FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities. 8. FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition 9. FHI 360 will be contacting offerors to confirm contact person, address and that bid was submitted for this solicitation
APPENDIX A
CONSULTANT WORK ORDER TERMS AND CONDITIONS
I. PERSONAL SERVICES: It is agreed by both AED and Consultant that this Work Order relies upon the particular skills possessed by Consultant and that the work assigned to Consultant relies upon those specific skills possessed by Consultant. Therefore, unless otherwise approved by AED, any attempt by Consultant to sell, assign or otherwise transfer to a third party any of Consultant’s obligations under this Work Order shall be deemed a termination by Consultant under Section IV of this Work Order, below.
II. RELATIONSHIP OF THE PARTIES a) Independent Contractor. The relationship of AED and Consultant established by this Work Order is that of independent contractor, and nothing contained in this Work Order shall be construed to (a) give either party the power to direct or control the day-to-day activities of the other, or (b) constitute the parties as partners, joint venturers, co-owners or otherwise as participants in a joint understanding. Accordingly, Consultant shall be responsible for the payment of all taxes arising out of Consultant’s activities in accordance with the Work Order, including, by way of illustration but not limitation, federal, state, and local income tax, social security tax, unemployment insurance taxes, and any other taxes or business license fees as required. Consultant represents and warrants that no payment is due or shall become due to any third party (other than as set forth above) in connection with Consultant’s performance of services pursuant to this Work Order. Consultant shall be solely responsible for, and shall indemnify and hold AED free and harmless from any and all claims, damages or causes of actions (including AED’s reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of the acts of Consultant. b) Work Product Presumptive Academy Property. All writings, books, articles, artwork, computer programs, databases, source and object codes, and other material of any nature whatsoever that is subject to copyright protection and reduced to tangible form in whole or in part by Consultant in the course of Consultant’s service to AED shall be considered a work made for hire, or otherwise, and therefore AED's property. During this Work Order and thereafter, Consultant agrees to take all actions and execute any documents that AED may consider necessary to obtain or maintain copyrights, whether during the application for copyright or during the conduct of an interference, infringement, litigation, or other matter (all related expenses to be borne by AED). Consultant shall identify all materials in which Consultant intends to exempt from this provision prior to the use or development of such materials. c) Scope of Agency. Consultant shall have no power to sign AED’s name to any Work Order or otherwise bind AED. Consultant shall identify herself / himself as a consultant of AED when making contact with AED’s clients or others, as may be required in the performance of service under this Work Order. d) Rights, Privileges, or Benefits. Consultant is appointed to serve as an independent contractor, and is not an employee of AED. Accordingly, Consultant expressly agrees for Consultant and Consultant’s successors, assigns and heirs that Consultant is not entitled to receive any rights, privileges, or benefits from AED except as provided herein, and Consultant hereby waives any claims to benefits provided to employees of AED expressly. e) Conflict of Interest. Consultant shall not accept for Consultant’s own benefit any trade commission, discount or similar payment in connection with activities pursuant to this Work Order or the discharge of Consultant’s duties. Consultant shall not engage in any business or professional activities, directly or indirectly, that would conflict with the activities assigned under this Work Order or any expected or anticipated future activities. Consultant shall immediately report any potential or suspected violations of this requirement to AED. f) Nondisclosure and Indemnification. As Consultant’s work may involve access to and use of confidential information, Consultant acknowledges that AED’s Proprietary Information which was developed by AED with considerable effort and expense is unique, confidential, and constitutes the exclusive property of the AED. Consultant also acknowledges that an integral part of AED’s business involves the receipt of confidential Client Information. Consultant further acknowledges that any unauthorized use of the Proprietary Information or the Client Information by Consultant, or any disclosure of the same to any third parties, would be wrongful and would cause irreparable injury to the AED and/or its Clients. Accordingly, Consultant covenants and agrees that, for the period of her/his access to such information and thereafter, she/he will (i) hold the Proprietary Information and the Client Information in strictest confidence, (ii) not disclose such information to any person, firm, corporation or other entity, and (iii) not use such information for any purpose not expressly authorized by AED. Consultant also agrees that upon request she/he shall return all business records and other information in her/his possession or control that in any way relates to AED, AED’s Proprietary Information, or the Client Information. Consultant agrees to indemnify and hold AED harmless from any loss, claim or damages, including attorneys’ fees and costs, arising out of or relating to any willful or grossly negligent unauthorized disclosure or use of AED’s Proprietary Information or the Client Information by Consultant.
III. FEES AND EXPENSES a) Consultant shall be compensated for the services performed and/or materials delivered according to the agreed fee(s) provided in the Work Order. During performance of the work, Consultant shall be entitled to receive payments against the established fee on either i) a daily (“day” is defined as an 8 hour equivalent work period, with less or more than 8 hours paid on a proportionate basis) rate basis for work performed up to a maximum number of days to complete performance or ii) on a fixed fee basis for completion and delivery of specific activities and deliverables. FEE PAYMENT REQUESTS MUST BE SUBMITTED NOT LATER THAN THREE (3) MONTHS AFTER THE MONTH IN WHICH THE WORK WAS PERFORMED. b) Consultant shall be reimbursed for authorized expenses incurred. Reimbursement of expenses shall not exceed the amount stated in the Work Order. Requests for reimbursement for all amounts over fifty dollars ($50.00) must be accompanied by a receipt. EXPENSE REQUESTS SHALL BE SUBMITTED NOT LATER THAN TWO (2) MONTHS AFTER THE MONTH IN WHICH THE EXPENSES WERE INCURRED OR NOT MORE THAN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER RETURN FROM TRAVEL, WHICHEVER IS LATER. c) Consultant may submit requests for fees and/or expenses reimbursement on a semi-monthly basis. Payment of fees and expenses is based on satisfactory performance and subject to AED technical director acceptance of services and/or deliverables provided. Any outstanding travel or other advances will be deducted from fee payment requests. Requests for fees/expenses shall be submitted on the appropriate AED form. d) Federal tax, state tax, and Social Security will not be withheld from your payment. Your income will be reported on a 1099 form.
IV. TERMINATION: This Work Order may be terminated by either party for the following reasons: a) By Consultant. Consultant may, without cause, terminate this Work Order with not less than thirty (30) days written notice delivered or sent to AED. b) By AED. This Work Order, in whole or part, may be terminated at any time prior to the scheduled termination or completion date, upon written notice, by the designated representative(s) of AED for: Termination for Cause. This Work Order may be terminated for cause, which shall be effective upon delivery of notice to Consultant's place of residence or place of business. For the purposes of this subsection, cause shall mean Consultant's misconduct, failure to provide contracted services, commission of any unlawful act, or other reasons within the control of the Consultant. Under termination for reasons stated in this subsection, AED shall determine the amount of Consultant's fee, if any, that is payable for those services; Termination for Convenience. This Work Order may be terminated for convenience, which shall be effective upon Consultant's receipt of notice of termination. For purposes of this subsection, convenience shall mean i) the discontinuance of AED client funding, ii) events causing an impossibility or impracticability of performance, or iii) other changes in AED’s program direction. For termination for reasons stated in this subsection, Consultant shall be reimbursed for time worked prior to the date of termination, travel time back to the Consultant's home immediately following termination of activities as directed, expenses documented in accordance with paragraph IV.b, and for any time approved for the preparation of any reports. V. SPECIAL PROVISIONS:
a) Governing Law. This Work Order shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia. Further, Consultant shall be solely responsible for compliance with all applicable U.S. and, if applicable, foreign country federal, state and local laws and regulations. b) Corrupt Practices and Gratuities. Consultant represents and warrants that she/he will comply with all applicable local, national, foreign laws and regulations pertaining to performance of obligations under this Work Order. In particular and without limitation, Consultant shall not act in any fashion or take any action that will render AED liable for a violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA"), which prohibits the offering, giving or promising to offer or give, directly or indirectly, money or anything of value to any official of a government, political party or instrumentality to assist Consultant or AED in obtaining or retaining business or in carrying out the Services. Additionally, Consultant agrees not to receive or accept any payments or other benefits from any parties associated with the performance of work required under this Work Order. Consultant agrees failure to comply with the FCPA and/or receipt of payment or other benefits could compromise the integrity of the work performed and therefore AED would have the right to terminate this Work Order and request a refund of fees paid for such work. c) Dual Compensation. Consultant hereby certifies and agrees that receipt of compensation for services to be provided under this Work Order shall not constitute dual compensation or compensation from sources other than AED for the same work to be performed by Consultant for AED. d) Terrorism E.O. 13224: Consultant agrees and certifies that Consultant is not in violation of and will take all necessary actions to comply with Executive Order No. 13224 on Terrorist Financing; blocking and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism. (E.O. 13224 text available at: http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/terror/terror.pdf.
Defense Base Act: If applicable, Consultant shall be required to and responsible for securing DBA coverage in accordance with 42 USC § 1651 et seq. Additional information can be found at http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/lsdba.htm
Quotes should be submitted via email to Jeffrey Matu at jmatu@fhi360.org.
No comments: