ME&A – USAID/Rwanda Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting Activity (CLAA)

Request for Proposals (RFP) For

Endline Evaluation of USAID Ingobyi Activity 

Requester for Proposal name: Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Activity. 

Request for Proposal Number CLAA-RW-RFP-2023-03 

USAID/Rwanda Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Activity is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Contract No. 72062320D00005/72069622F00001. CLA is a Task Order under USAID Kenya and East Africa Evaluation, Assessments, and Analyses (EAA) IDIQ. USAID Terms and Conditions of Kenya and East Africa EAA IDIQ and the CLA Task Order are applicable to the anticipated subcontract. Excerpts from the IDIQ and the Task Order are included in Annex B.

The objective of the CLA Activity is to improve USAID/Rwanda’s performance monitoring, evaluation, collaboration, learning, and adapting processes to ensure the Mission effectively utilizes data in all decision-making processes. The services provided under this Activity will enable USAID/Rwanda to better deliver the sustainable development outcomes articulated in its new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2020–2025 and enhance the United States (U.S.) Rwanda partnership. CLA is implemented by ME&A, Inc. (ME&A), a small businesswoman-owned international development firm based in the Washington, D.C., area, providing innovative solutions for economic development and social progress in more than 80 countries.

CLA is soliciting Offers to conduct an Endline Evaluation of USAID Ingobyi Activity from local Rwandan Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) firms that demonstrate that they are technically qualified, possess the relevant experience in conducting evaluations, especially for Reproductive, Maternal, and Neonatal, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and malaria, have a good record of performance and meet all the request for proposal requirements.

The MEL firm described here will collect data to answer the evaluation questions, make conclusions based on the findings, and identify opportunities and challenges.

Ingobyi Activity

The Ingobyi Activity is a five-year grant (July 2018 - July 2023) being implemented by IntraHealth International. Working with sub-partners World Vision, Society for Family Health, Akros, Urunana Development Communication, Ingenuity LTD, and Digital Square, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), the Activity works to bring measurable and sustainable improvements to 350 health facilities in 20 districts.

Purpose

The purpose of this endline evaluation is to inform the follow-on activity for Ingobyi, and therefore, the intended audience is the USAID Health Office and the yet-to-be-selected implementing partner for the upcoming Integrated Service Delivery Activity (ISDA). It will be used as a primary document to inform the work plans and specific interventions of the new Activity to identify new solutions to better address any areas in which Ingobyi was not fully successful. This evaluation is in line with the Mission’s goal of being a “Learning Mission,” and to better incorporate and utilize CLA in its activities.

This will be the second evaluation of the activity, as a thorough internal midterm evaluation was conducted in 2021. With this final evaluation, the USAID/Rwanda Mission intends to capture learnings about specific focus areas to inform decisions regarding the design of the follow-on activity and the development of the work plans.

Offerors are invited to submit their proposals in accordance with the Instructions to Offerors provided below.

Issuance of this RFP does not in any way obligate ME&A to award a subcontract or a purchase order, nor does it commit ME&A to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of the Offer.

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Instructions to Offerors

Offer Deadline, Submission Instructions, and Offering Procedures:  Offers must be submitted no later than 2:00 pm, June 16, 2023. Each Offeror must submit an electronic copy to the ME&A email address clarwanda@engl.com, and place in the subject line of the email the name of the Offering company and the words “Endline Evaluation of USAID Ingobyi Activity”. Proposals received after the closing time will be rejected.

Offers shall include the Offer Price and the information indicated in Clauses 3 and 5 of this section. Each Offeror may submit only one Offer. Offerors submitting more than one Offer will be disqualified, and their Offers will be rejected.

1. Signature of Offers:  The Offer shall be signed by the Offer’s authorized representative. The first page of the Offer shall indicate the Request for Proposal number CLAA-RW-RFP-2023-03.

2. Eligibility: Local MEL Rwandan companies that demonstrate that they are technically qualified, possess the relevant experience in conducting evaluations, especially for RMNCAH and malaria. have a good record of performance, meet all the request for proposal requirements, and are not included in the USAID list of companies that are debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment are eligible for submitting Bids in response to this RFP.
3. Offer Contents: The offer will include the following information:
4. Offeror’s Technical Qualifications and Experience: Interested Offerors shall submit the following:
   1. Technical qualifications and past experiences of the Offeror relevant to this assignment (not to exceed 3 pages).
   2. Offeror’s contact information (telephone number, e-mail address, and work address).
   3. Copies of all licenses and permits required under the Rwanda legislation for the performance of the work.
   4. Evidence and description of either/or at least two projects about conducting evaluations especially for RMNCAH and malaria during the last five years.
   5. Contacts (telephone number, E-mail address, and address) of at least three previous clients to provide references related to the quality of services and goods delivered by the Offeror.
   6. Firm Fixed Offer Price: The Offeror Firm Fixed Price must be expressed in Rwandan Francs (RWF). Offerors must ensure that all elements of the Offer Price are accurate and reasonable. The CLAA Project is USAID-funded, and as such is exempt from VAT.

All firms must submit only one Offer Price. Offerors to submit more than one Offer Price will be rejected.

The Offer Price shall be the cost proposal to be submitted in a separate email from the technical proposal.

Key Personnel and Qualifications: This assignment requires the following Key Personnel: Subject Matter Expert and Senior Evaluation Specialist. The offer should include the CVs of key personnel with the following qualifications and experience.

The Senior Evaluation/Public Health Expert will be a Local expert and should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• A postgraduate degree in Public Health.
• S/he will have at least 15 years of experience, 5 of which should be working in a Rwanda context in the field of public health or a similar nature.
• S/he will have demonstrated experience in designing, conducting, and managing evaluations and/or managing public health programs.
• S/he must have demonstrated experience in undertaking both quantitative and qualitative research.
• The candidate will have strong analytical (quantitative and qualitative) and report-writing skills.
• S/he must have experience leading large-scale studies.
• Sound knowledge and understanding of USAID programming approaches and methodologies will be an added advantage.

Qualifications and Experience: The Lead Senior Evaluation/Research Specialists will possess the following qualifications and experience:

• The Lead Senior Evaluation Specialist will be a national expert,
• A postgraduate degree in Public Health, international development, evaluation, statistics, economics, or a related social science field.
• S/he will have at least 10 years of experience, 8 of which should be working in a developing country context in the field of public health or a similar nature.
• S/he will have demonstrated experience in designing, conducting, and managing evaluations and/or managing public health programs.
• The candidate will have strong analytical and report-writing skills.
• S/he must have experience leading large-scale studies.

Sound knowledge and understanding of USAID programming approaches and methodologies will be an added advantage.

Selection Criteria and Corresponding Points: Proposals will be evaluated using a 100-point system allocated as follows:

1. a) Technical proposal (30 points)
2. b) Qualifications of key personnel performing the assignment (20 Points)
3. c) Experience of the firm/team (20 points)
4. d) Financial Proposal (30 points)

Additional information required:

A description of the understanding of RMNCAH and malaria programming and evaluations is a requirement.

6. Questions/Clarifications: All additional questions and/or requests for clarifications regarding this procurement must be made via email and submitted to ME&A at clarwanda@engl.com before June 14, 2023. No phone calls, oral questions, or requests for meetings will be accepted in response to this request for proposals.
7. Specifications: All the minimum technical specifications of the requested products and services are provided in the Endline Evaluation of USAID Ingobyi Activity SOW Annex A of this request for proposals.
8. Time for Performance: The period of performance shall be two months starting from June 20, 2023, to August 20, 2023.
9. Contract Type: ME&A will issue a Firm Fixed Price subcontract to the successful Offeror. The subcontract format will follow USAID requirements and will include USAID mandatory contract clauses.
10. Payment Schedule: The Offer price will be paid as follows:

Payment(s) for invoices will be made to the Subcontractor within five (5) business days of ME&A receipt of payment from the Client for Subcontractor’s services accepted by the Client.

CLAA reserves the right to refuse acceptance of the work if the quality or specifications of implemented work does not correspond to the requirements of the Subcontract.

11. Offer Validity Period: Offers must remain valid for a period of 30 (thirty) calendar days from the date of Offer submission.
12. Evaluation and Award: It is anticipated that one award will be made to the Offer who demonstrates that it is technically qualified, possesses the relevant experience, has a good record of performance, meets all requests for proposal requirements, and provides the best value. However, ME&A reserves the right to request clarifications prior to awarding a subcontract and to reject any or all Offers.
13. Unique Entity ID: There is a mandatory requirement for your organization to provide a Unique Entity ID to ME&A. (https://sam.gov/content/home). Without a Unique Entity ID number, ME&A cannot deem an Offer "responsible" to conduct business with, and therefore, ME&A will not enter into a subcontract/purchase order or monetary agreement with any organization that does not meet this requirement. The determination of a Successful Offer resulting from this request for proposal is contingent upon the winner providing a Unique Entity ID number to ME&A. Offers who fail to provide a Unique Entity ID number will not receive an award and ME&A will select an alternate Offer.

All U.S. and foreign organizations that receive first-tier subcontracts/ purchase orders with a value of $25,000 and above are required to obtain a Unique Entity ID number prior to the signing of the agreement. Organizations are exempt from this requirement if the gross income received from all sources in the previous tax year was under $300,000. ME&A requires that Offers sign the self-certification statement if the Offer claims an exemption for this reason.

Information on how to register an international entity in SAM.gov and obtain a Unique Entity ID number is provided in the following link:

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration