Sustainable Growers is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that specializes in innovative coffee cultivation training techniques for smallholder women coffee farmers, with the goal of increasing their visibility in the coffee supply chain. Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported Sustainable Growers since its inception. This partnership along with the commitment of the governments of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania to women's economic empowerment has transformed the lives of over 56,000 women farmers, creating a secondary impact on 235,132 family members.

In this perspective, Sustainable Growers is looking for potential qualified and reputable supplier to provide conference translation and similtaneous interpretation services under framework agreement.

II.GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

The objective of this tender is to identify a professional and experienced company to provide comprehensive conference translation and similtaneous interpretation services for Sustainable Growers Rwanda. The selected company will be responsible for providing translation services of documents and similtaneous interpretation during conference and field visits in Kinyarwanda, English, French, Swahili and Spanish.

1.The bidder shall send the following documents:

• Detailed supplier profile highlighting experience in providing translation services and conference/field activities similtaneous interpretation and rapporteur services
• Example of past work (portoflio) including list of clients and types of events covered (especially international or high-profile events)

• Team composition (list of key personnel and technical support staff, their roles, and CVs)
• Equipment list (ISO- compliants interpreter booths, consoles, microphones, transmitter and receiver units, etc.)

• Financial proposal

2.The following administrative documents should also be provided along with the requirements above mentioned:

1. Registration certificate from RDB
2. Valid tax clearance certificate from Rwanda Revenue Authority [RRA]
3. Valid Social Security clearance certificate from RSSB, if applicable
4. Must have an experience of not less than five years, at least (3) original or notarized references required
5. A confirmation that the bidder has Electronic Billing Machine [EBM]
6. A summary of the company profile and any standard certifications

 3.Other Requirements:

• Detailed breakdown of prices must be provided in Rwandan Francs (RWF) and must include all taxes
• Prices shall not change for the duration of the contract
• The fee structure must be clear and transparent. Pricing must include the following:

Interpretation services

• • Cost per interpreter per day/hour (by language, if applicable)
  • On-site vs. remote interpretation rates
  • Simultaneous vs. consecutive interpretation pricing

Translation services

• Cost per page/word for document translation
• Language pair pricing (e.g., English to French vs. Kinyarwanda to Spanish)
• Urgent/express translation rates (if applicable)

Equipment rental

• Interpreter booths (per unit/day)
• Headsets and receivers (per unit/day)
• Consoles, microphones, transmitters
• Technical setup and dismantling fees

Technical support

• Daily rates for technicians/support
• On-site support staff costs

Contingency or optional costs (optional)

• Costs for additional interpretation languages, extra headsets, or extended hours

Rapporteur services

• Costs of daily and hourly rates

III.    STANDARD PROVISIONS

5.1. Guidelines, policies and ethics

All bidders must commit to the guidelines in the SGR Procurement Procedures Manual. The procedures followed by Sustainable Growers Rwanda in making any award and contract resulting from this tender, will be in accordance with the:

• SGR Procurement Manual,
• SGR Anti-terrorism and Anti-money laundering Policy
• SGR Anti-fraud, bribery and corruption Policy

5.2. Conflict of Interest and Disqualification Provisions

Bidders shall not have a conflict of interest, such as submission of more than one bid in the same process, except as alternative offers permitted under the rules; association with a staff member involved in the awarding of the bids and also a bidder must disclose any relation with a staff member.

Sustainable Growers Rwanda encourages all bidders to conduct themselves with integrity.

Sustainable Growers Rwanda will automatically disqualify the bidder that attempts to:

• Change or omit any information related to this RFQ
• Inappropriately influence this Procurement Process;
• Enter into an arrangement with any other party that such party shall refrain from submitting a tender response;
• Enter into any arrangement with any other party (other than another party that forms part of your consortium bid or is your proposed sub-contractor) as to the prices submitted
• Engage in direct or indirect bribery, corruption or canvassing by you or your appointed advisers in relation to this Procurement Process
• Obtain information from any of the employees, agents or advisors of the Sustainable Growers Rwanda concerning this Procurement Process (other than as set out in these RFQ Conditions) or from another potential supplier or another tender response,

Additionally, Sustainable Growers Rwanda will automatically disqualify the bidder that:

• Are currently blacklisted by the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority or Sustainable Growers Rwanda itself
• Have received corruption-related convictons in Rwanda or elsewhere
• Have unresolved disputes with previous service contracts
• Are in bankruptcy proceedings
• Are excluded under applicable regional or international conventions
• Is received after the submission deadline
• Contains omissions, gaps, misrepresentations, errors and/or uncompleted sections
• Contains handwritten amendments with no initial of the authorized signatory
• Contains ambiguous information that might mislead the tender evaluators
• Is not submitted in a manner consistent with the provisions set out in this RFQ

5.3. Evaluation Criteria and award

The agreement will be signed between Sustainable Growers Rwanda and the bidder whose offer follows the RFQ instructions, meets eligibility requirements, and receives the highest score out of a determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria. If required, the bidder will also present the samples of tools for evaluating that are complying with specification required. 

The best bidder will be chosen through a quality acost-based selection method in accordance with SGR procedures. Sustainable Growers may conduct negotiations with and/or request clarifications from any offer prior to award.

Please note that if there are significant deficiencies regarding responsiveness to the requirements of this RFQ, an offer may be deemed “non-responsive” and thereby disqualified from consideration. It is anticipated that award will be made solely on the basis of the original proposals.

5.4. Withdrawal

Sustainable Growers Rwanda reserves the right to withdraw this tender at any time and without notice and liability. Sustainable Growers Rwanda, reserves the right to accept or reject any quotation without being obliged to give any reasons in this respect.

5.5. Tender costs

You are responsible for obtaining all information necessary for preparation of your tender response and for all costs and expenses incurred in preparation of the tender response. Sustainable Growers Rwanda will not be responsible of any cost you incurred during the preparation of this procurement, irrespective of whether or not your tender response is successful.

5.6. Confidentiality and Information Governance

All documents related to this RFQ shall remain the property of Sustainable Growers Rwanda. Sustainable Growers Rwanda reserves the right to disclose all documents relating to this Procurement Process, including without limitation your tender response, to any employee, third party agent, adviser, or other third party involved in the procurement in support of, and/or in collaboration with Sustainable Growers.

5.7.Notification of tender award

In accordance with the evaluation criteria in this RFQ, all bidders shall receive formal notification of bidding outcomes. Successful bidders shall receive detailed award documentation.

5.8. RFQ Validity period

The bid validity period shall be 60 days.

IV. GUIDELINE FOR BID SUBMISSION

Interested and qualified companies must submit their bid documents electronically via: recruitment@sustainablegrowers.org not later than 21st July 2025 at 5:00 PM (17h00) local time. Late bids will be automatically rejected. 

Questions regarding the technical or administrative requirements of this RFQ may be submitted by email to: recruitment@sustainablegrowers.org  by 14^th  July 05:00pm.

Only the written answers issued by Sustainable Growers Rwanda will be considered official and carry weight in the RFQ process and subsequent evaluation. Any verbal information received from employees of Sustainable Growers Rwanda or any other entity should not be considered as an official response to any questions regarding this RFQ.

Sustainable Growers Rwanda may at any time request further information from potential suppliers to verify or clarify any aspects of their tender response or other information they may have provided. In case you do not provide supplementary information or clarifications to Sustainable Growers Rwanda by any deadline notified to you, your tender response may be rejected in full and you may be disqualified from this Procurement Process.