Request for Proposal (RFP)

Provision of Transportation Services

Background and Purpose

In December 2022, USAID awarded AbtGlobal the PMI Evolve Project. The purpose of this contract is to support PMI, as well as U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Missions and Bureaus, with planning, implementing, and monitoring malaria vector control programs, including entomological monitoring, indoor residual spraying (IRS), insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) distribution, and larval source management (LSM). PMI Evolve will strengthen the capacity of local institutions, including national malaria programs (NMPs), district health offices, and research institutions to independently conduct vector control programs. In Burundi, the project collaborates with NMCP (National Malaria Control Program) to conduct entomological monitoring in 8 sentinels sites.

Over the 2023-2024 period, the PMI Evolve project is supporting the NMCP to conduct entomological monitoring, insecticide resistance monitoring, and provide IRS technical assistance in the country. The project’s primary objective is to strengthen the national capacity in vector surveillance. The support includes technical assistance, collection of data on vector species composition, behavior, and susceptibility to the main classes of insecticides used in vector control; the operationalization of nine sentinel sites; and development of national human resources for entomological surveillance and molecular analysis.

The Purpose of this RFP is to obtain quotes and eventually enter into a Master Service Agreement with one or more firms for the “Provision of Transportation Services” for the PMI Evolve Project for (1) one year and (2) two option years (automatically renewed annually) to a maximum of 3 years from initial effective date. Proposal to be shared using the bid sheet attached.

Instructions to bidders

1. All documents submitted in response to this RFP, as well as all related correspondence, will be in English or French and PDF format.
2. Offerors must fully review all instructions and specifications in this RFP. Failure to do so will be at the offeror’s risk.
3. At any time prior to award of the contract, should Abt deem it necessary to change the RFP provisions, it will provide such amendment(s) in writing. No oral instructions by any person will in any way be considered to limit, exclude, modify, or otherwise affect any terms or conditions of this solicitation, and no supplier shall rely on any such instructions.
4. Responses to technical questions will be distributed to all bidders.
5. All responses to this RFP shall be submitted via email to PMI_EvolveBurundi@abtassoc.com On or before May 10, 2024. 5:00 PM GMT
6. Quotes from Offeror(s) on US government debarred list will not be considered.
7. At a minimum, offered vehicles must meet the following minimum requirements (except where otherwise provided/explained, these requirements are absolute):
8. Manufactured no earlier than 2014. While this is not an absolute requirement, all things being equal, vehicles manufactured in 2014 or newer will be given priority over older vehicles due to risk to mechanical issues with older vehicles.
9. Wholly owned by the offeror (include certified copy of vehicle registration and road worth certificate). If offeror is not the legal owner, a legally binding agreement authorizing the offeror to commit the offered vehicle(s) and associated terms is required.
10. Include certified copy of vehicle registration certificates and road worthy certificate.
11. Include certified copy of valid insurance certificate or passenger liability for the time period indicated in the bid sheets.
12. The vendor’s offer shall be inclusive of all costs, including driver, driver Per Diem.
13. As you may be aware, the US government transitioned from using DUNS number to a new Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) on April 4, 2022. This is a 12-character unique number assigned to all entities (public and private companies, individuals, institutions, or organizations) who must register to do business with the US federal government in SAM.GOV. To request a Unique Entity Identifier here is the link: https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration   Note that there are 2 options available – Please choose the option that says: Get Unique Entity ID (SAM)  and follow the steps. You can view a step-by-step video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uv1YNAsINk

Tip to ensure smooth process:

Make sure the legal company name you enter in SAM as well as the Address match your registration record in your state/country. Also know the exact date of incorporation (as recorded in you registration in your respective city/state/country

10. No advance payment is expected after winning the contract and successful bidder/s shall be paid net 30 days of service upon presentation of invoice and vehicle log sheets. Abt Global receives a complete and correct invoice from supplier based solely on Services actually performed by Supplier and/or Goods actually supplied by supplier pursuant to a Purchase or Deliver Order.
11. To be considered for award, offeror must sign a guarantee to replace any defective vehicle during the transport services period within 24 hours at no extra cost. If no replacement is guaranteed, the vendor will accept cancelation of the contract with Abt Global with no penalty.
12. While the period of performance is estimated to cover the number of days in table above, the winning bidder/s shall be responsible for providing the full scope of services as described herein until the requirement is accomplished without a revision to its initially proposed fixed price. Likewise, should the operation require less days than specified in the tables below the winning bidder will be entitled for the exact number of days worked at a firm fixed price as per the terms of the contract Bidders should account for this variance and the corresponding cost implications in their proposed firm fixed price for the scope of services as described herein.
13. Notwithstanding any prior agreement in place between Abt and the vendor, by signing and returning this RFP and/or submitting an offer, offeror:
14. Acknowledges receipt and acceptance of all terms and conditions contained in this RFP.
15. Confirms that all information contained in the offeror’s Proposal (including all applicable supporting documentation) is complete (i.e., no material omission), accurate, current.
16. Owns the vehicles contained in their quote or proposal and/or has the requisite full legal right to commit these vehicles as proposed.
17. Guarantees to replace any defective vehicle during the transport services period within 24 hours at no extra cost. If no replacement is guaranteed, the vendor will accept cancelation of the contract with Abt Global with no penalty.
18. Bidder shall submit offer(s) with the following naming convention:
    1. Email subject line (no space before/after dashes “-“):
       EVBDI-TS APRIL 2024-Your company name
19. Attachments:g. Quote/Letter of Guarantee/registration certificates etc
    EVBDI-TS APRIL 2024-Your company name- Proposal
    EVBDI-TS APRIL 2024-Your company name- Letter of Guarantee
    EVBDI-TS APRIL 2024-Your company name- Registration certificate etc
20. The Proposal must include the price in Burundian Francs with all associated cost using a bid sheet format provided in Appendix A.
21. Bids must be signed by a duly authorized representative of the bidder and must contain the bidder’s full physical and digital address (no P. O. Box), and contact details.
22. Abt Global Inc reserves the right to reject bids submitted without all requested information as non-responsive.

Quote Validity/Performance Period:

Submitted offers/Bids shall be valid for at least a period of 120 days from RFP closing date

Preparation of Bids:

Bidders/Offerors are expected to examine the technical specifications and all instructions contained in this RFP. Failure to do so will be at the offeror’s risk

Offers shall provide unit and total price per line. In case of discrepancy between unit and extended/total price, the unit price shall prevail.

Descriptive literature, quality standard supporting documentation, full technical specification per quoted item must be submitted with the bid. Submitted literature will be used to demonstrate compliance with the stated technical specification but shall in no way be considered to amend the Proposal and the applicable RFP requirement.

Any deviation from the RFP stated specification must be identified, explanation provided in the attached List of Exceptions document (attachment C). In case of conflict between the RFP technical specifications and the supplier offered descriptive literature, the RFP specifications shall be the standard.

If it becomes necessary to modify this RFP, an amendment will be issued and be binding to all bidders. Amendment(s) will be sent return receipt requested, and will be numbered consecutively commencing with Amendment-01, 02 etc. Bidders are required to reference such amendments in their subsequent response and/or communication.

Clarifications:

All questions about this RFP shall be addressed to PMI_EvolveBurundi@abtassoc.com. The deadline for submitting questions is 23:59hrs GMT on May 10, 2024. Abt will communicate the questions and its responses to all bidders, and may at its sole discretion extent the Proposal deadline.  Oral communication concerning this RFP will not be accepted except for administrative clarification regarding submission format or location of the office, etc.

Exceptions:

To ensure clarity on the bids and their conformity to the RFP technical specifications and requirements, bidder shall furnish a list of all exceptions to any of the terms/conditions/technical specification/Quality standards contained in this RFP and shall include an explanation or justification for the exception taken.

Delivery Location:

Awarded Bidder(s) shall be expected to do delivery to the address below on or before estimated date as stated in tables below, in 2024.

Awarded bidder/s will be expected to do delivery per the Estimated Performance period is as indicated on RFP above, or as stated on an official Purchase Order, or as otherwise agreed in writing to the following address:

PMI Evolve Project, Burundi

ROHERO II, Avenue des Cocotiers, No 8

Invoices and Payments:

1. All payment under this agreement shall be made in Burundian Francs
2. Payments will be made net thirty (30) days after Abt Global receives a complete and correct invoice from supplier based solely on Services actually performed by Supplier and/or Goods actually supplied by supplier pursuant to a Purchase or Deliver order.

Required documents:

1. Completed Proposal form (bid sheet(s) as in Appendix A)
2. Valid Business Registration Certificate(s)
3. VAT Registration Certificate (if applicable)
4. Valid Tax Clearance Certificate
5. Tax Compliance Certificate
6. Bank account details
7. Signed guaranteed letter to replace defective vehicles within 24 hours of reporting on your organization’s letterhead.
8. All relevant vehicle documentation from point 7 under instructions to vendors:
   1. Copy of vehicle registration and road worth certificate.
   2. If offeror is not the legal owner, a legally binding agreement authorizing the offeror to commit the offered vehicle(s) and associated terms is required.
   3. Copy of vehicle registration certificates and road worthy certificate.
   4. Copy of valid insurance certificate or passenger liability for the time period indicated in the bid sheets.

Table 1. Entomology Activities – Various Times and Frequency

Table 2 – Routine & Insectary – Daily Activities

Evaluation Criteria:

AbtGlobal, intends to award a PO/Contract (in whole or in part) to the most advantageous technically compliant offer(s), the following factors considered:

1. Compliance with RFP specifications and bid submission requirement/instructions.
2. Price and price related factors.
3. Delivery lead time.
4. Delivery terms and/or cost.
5. Payment terms (agreement to Abt payment terms or otherwise)
6. Past Performance (used to disqualify previous non-performing vendors)

A responsive proposal is one that comes from a responsible supplier[1] and complies with all the terms and conditions stated in the RFP without material modification. A material modification is any modification that affects price, quantity, quality, delivery or installation date of equipment or materials, or which limits in any way the responsibilities, duties or liabilities of the bidder or any rights of Abt or its clients.

Abt reserves the right to waiver any minor informalities in the Proposal/proposal received if it is in Abt’s best interest to do so, or to reject the Proposal of any firm if, in Abt’s judgement, the firm is not fully qualified to provide the goods or services as specified in the technical specifications.

If awarded, the following requirements shall apply:

1. All vehicles must be delivered to the Abt/PMI Evolve Burundi Project Office at

ROHERO Avenue des Cocotiers no 8, Bujumbura, Burundi as follows:

1. Vehicles in Table 1&2 – 4×4 Sport Utility Vehicle must be delivered 24 hours prior to the trip
2. Vehicles are subject to inspection upon delivery to the Abt/PMI Evolve Project Office,
3. No rate shall be charged to Abt Global or the PMI Evolve Project for vehicle inspection day(s).
4. All vehicles shall be delivered with full tanks of gas/fuel to Abt/PMI Evolve Project Office. If vehicle arrives with less than full take, the level of fuel will be noted and documented, and driver or supplier designated representative will countersign the document. Vehicles will be released back to the supplier with full tank or same level recorded at time of arrival.
5. Vehicles that fail the inspection must be replaced within 24 hours. Abt reserves the right to cancel the order and demand punitive measures for failure to replace vehicles within the above timeframe.
6. Provision of a driver and all associated expenses such as per diem, accommodation, meals etc. shall be the responsibility of the vendor for offers in Table 3&4. It is the responsibility of the vendor to pay lodging fees to its driver.
7. All drivers MUST have valid driving licenses, appropriate for the type of vehicle driven.
8. All vehicles assigned to work on this contract must be equipped with
9. A fire extinguisher,
10. An international reflecting emergency-warning triangle, and
11. A set of tools appropriate to deal with standard vehicular emergencies.
12. All vehicles supplied under the contract will have properly installed and functioning seatbelts for every passenger seat to the extent possible.
13. All vehicles supplied under the contract will have a functioning spare tire and all required jacks and tools allowing a tire to be replaced by a driver in the field.
14. The vendor understands and acknowledges that if both drivers and vehicles supplied under the contract do not meet the above stated requirements or corrections are not immediately addressed, it will be grounds for termination of contract.
15. Finally, selected bidder shall bear full safety responsibility and risks for its staff and property while deployed to provide the services contracted in response to this bid; whether on site(s) or en-route to and from the site(s); and shall in no way hold Abt Global or its affiliates liable for any adverse incidents while performing the contracted duties.

NOTES: 

1. Abt Global is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages female entrepreneurs to apply for this tender.
2. Abt Global can award multiple contracts for multiple suppliers under this RFP.
3. Items delivered upon award will be inspected and matched against the accepted sample. Any deviation from the accepted sample will be rejected.
4. Abt reserves the right to waiver any minor informalities in the proposal received if it is in Abt’s best interest to do so, or to reject the proposal of any firm if, in Abt’s judgement, the firm is not fully qualified to provide the goods or services as specified in the technical specifications.
5. Following the evaluation of bids, Abt Global’s decision to hire from a particular vendor/service provider is not open for challenge from any bidder.
6. Vendors are to note that the project will take mandatory withholding tax from all amounts as per Burundi tax laws.
7. Vendors should note that the PMI Evolve Project in Burundi is exempted from the payment of VAT under the bilateral agreement signed between the Government of Burundi and the Government of United States of America. USAID office in Burundi will issue a VAT Relief Purchase Order to cover this component upon the submission of a VAT invoice.
8. This RFP shall not be misconstrued to be a commitment on the part of Abt Global to award any form of contract to any respondent nor shall it entitle any organization or individual to be reimbursed the costs preparing or delivering bids to Abt Global.