Southern African Development Community
Request for Proposals
Contract Number: SADC/PPRM/RISDP/1/2012
Re: SADC/PPRM/RISDP/1/2012; Consulting Services for the Mid Term Review of the Regional Indicative Strategy Development Plan (RISDP)
Date of Publication: 1 April 2012
1. The SADC Secretariat is inviting sealed proposals from eligible and qualified Consulting firms for Consulting Services for the Mid Term Review of the Regional Indicative Strategy Development Plan (RISDP).
Background and context
2. The Regional Indicative Strategic Plan (RISDP) is a 15 year strategic roadmap which provides strategic directions for achieving SADC's long-term goals. RISDP was approved by the Summit of SADC Heads of State and Governments in 2003 in Arusha Tanzania. Its ultimate objective is to deepen the integration agenda of SADC with a view to accelerating poverty eradication and the attainment of other economic and non-economic development goals. The development of RISDP was part of measures to support the institutional restructuring process decided by the Heads of State in 2001 to centralise the coordination and implementation of SADC's programmes from 21 Sector Coordination Units, spread across the Region in Member States to the Secretariat with four key directorates and SADC National Committees to coordinate SADC programmes and activities.
The RISDP provides SADC Member States, with a coherent and comprehensive long term development agenda on social and economic policies. It also provides the Secretariat and other SADC institutions with clear guidelines on SADC's approved social and economic priorities and policies, and, therefore, enhances their effectiveness in discharging their facilitating and coordinating role. It covers a range of issues and sectors, from human and social development to statistics and private sector development, and sets targets and timelines for reaching the goals. The RISDP is indicative in nature and outlines the necessary conditions that should be realised towards the attainment of SADC's regional integration and development goals and as such, it is therefore not a prescriptive or command type of Plan.
The effective implementation began in 2005. The implementation framework clusters the RISDP priorities up to 2020 and sets out the detailed plans and milestones according to five year period starting from 2005. The RIDSP five-year plan has subsequently been used to guide the preparation of three-year mid-term expenditure frameworks on an annual rolling basis and the successive annual Corporate Business Plans and Budgets.
In November 2011, Council of Ministers at its Extra-ordinary Meeting, approved the Desk Assessment Report of the RISDP which had been undertaken internally by the SADC Secretariat, Council also approved the "Terms of reference" that will guide the independent external review of the RISDP in accordance with the Directive made in 2003, that RISDP shall be regularly monitored and evaluated.
Estimated budget
3. The maximum budget for this Contract is US $733,570. Proposals exceeding this budget will not be accepted.
Eligibility
4. Ineligible bidders are those prohibited by a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations and those that are involved in supporting violence or aid terrorist or terrorist related activities or conduct money laundering activities.
Bidding procedures
5. Bidding for this Request for Proposals will be conducted using the Regional Restricted Tendering procedures specified in the SADC Procurement Policy, dated August 2011, and participation is restricted to bidders registered in the SADC Region. A post – qualification will be conducted for the received proposals.
Qualification requirements
6. Qualification requirements include:
a). Five (5) years' experience as a Consulting firm, b). Concluded three contracts within the last 5 years, one contract with a value of at least US$250,000 that have been successfully and substantially completed and that are similar to the proposed assignment. The similarity shall be based on the physical size, complexity, methods/technology or other characteristics. c). Minimum average annual turnover of US$250,000, calculated as total certified payments received for contracts in progress or completed, within the last 3 years. d). Access to a dedicated credit line or overdraft facility of at least US$250,000. ). Availability of experts with the following specialization:
- Trade and Economic Liberalization Expert
- Infrastructure Expert
- Social and Human Development Expert
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Development Expert
- Legal and Institutional Expert
- Statistics Expert
- Private Sector Expert
- Information and Communication Technology Expert
- Science and Technology Expert
Access to solicitation documents
7. Interested eligible bidders may obtain further information from the Secretary to the External Tender Committee of the SADC Secretariat, and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 08:00 hours to 16:00 hours during week days only.
8. A complete set of the Solicitation Documents in English may be accessed by interested bidders on the submission of a written Application to the Secretary to the External Tender Committee at the address below. The Bidding Documents can also be couriered by DHL at the bidder's request and cost.
Pre – bid meeting
9. Please take note that a Pre-Bid Meeting will be held on 17th April 2012, at the SADC Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana, at 14.30 hours, for those bidders who wish to attend, at their cost. The Pre-Bid meeting will take place in the Conference Room DGP 48 on the Ground Floor, SADC Secretariat, Western Commercial Road (near Lobatse and Siboni Roads), CBD Plot 54385, Gaborone, Botswana.
Submission
10. Proposals must be delivered to the address below at or before 14.30 hours, 16 May 2012. Electronic bidding will not be permitted. Late proposals will be rejected. Proposals will be opened in the presence of the bidders' representatives who choose to attend in person at the address below at 14.30 hours, 16 May 2012.
11. Your proposal should be submitted as per the following instructions, and in accordance with our Standard Solicitation Documents:
(i) PRICES: The financial proposal shall be inclusive of all expenses deemed necessary by you to the performance of the Contract, be expressed in DDU prices (as per the 2010 Incoterms version) and must include the following taxes in Purchaser country: value added tax and income taxes for resident Personnel's fees and benefits.
(ii) VALIDITY OF THE PROPOSAL: Your proposal should be valid for a period of 90 days from the date for deadline for submission indicated in Paragraph 8 above.
Bid security
12. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security of US$20,000 or an equivalent amount in a freely convertible currency.
Right to reject all proposals and cancel proceedings
13. SADC reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal, to annul the solicitation process and reject all proposals at any time prior to award of Contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected Bidder(s).
14. The addresses referred to above are:
For Tender Submission
The SADC External Tender Committee
SADC Secretariat,
Western Commercial Road (near Lobatse and Siboni Roads)
CBD Plot 54385
City: Gaborone
Country: Botswana
Date: 16 May 2012
Time: 14:30 p.m.
For Clarifications, technical matters and acquisition of bid documents:
Mr. Snowden Mmadi
Secretary to the External Tender Committee
Address: Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat
CBD Plot 54385
Room DGP11 on Ground Floor
City: Gaborone
Country: Botswana
Phone: +2673951863
Fax: +2673972848/3181070
Mobile: +26773693500
Email: smmadi@sadc.int