Humanitarian Mine Action and Peace and Security (HMA and P&S)  Services Global Pre-qualification Process for the Peace and Security Cluster (PSC)

New clarification added: Question 26:With reference to "Form E: DRiVE Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire", there are several questions for which responses within the excel file and uploaded supporting documents are required. Please clarify which part of the "vendor submission document checklist" the excel file and its supporting documents, of which there will be several, should be uploaded to and how they should be organized. Answer 26:A placeholder has been created for the Form E excel file and is labelled "C.4 Completed Form E: Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire". Please upload your completed questionnaire in excel version to this placeholder.A placeholder has been created for the supporting documents for Form E: Supplier Sustainability Questionnaire and is labelled as "FORM E Supporting Docs". Please upload here all relevant documents that validate your response to ALL the questions in Form E. Please label them as A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, etc for easy reference and to facilitate the evaluation of your application. Please ensure that all the questions in Form E have a response and a supporting document to validate them. 

New clarification added: Question 24: In the vendor submission document checklist, the placeholder for requirement “B.1 Audited Financial Statements for the past 3 years” is indicated as an optional document for the submission. However in the most recent amendment posted to the PQ notice on 21 April 2020 which states that applicants must use the revised excel file labelled “Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria_Amdt 1” when making their submission, this seems to imply that requirement B.1 is mandatory and that failure to submit the financial documents would result in disqualification of the application.Please clarify if requirement B.1 is optional or mandatory?Answer 24:If you refer to the text in the ‘vendor submission document checklist’ placeholder for requirement B.1 you will note it states ‘(Applicable only for Organizations established within 3 years or more, otherwise see B.2)’. The placeholder indicates that the documents for requirement B.1 are ‘optional’ so that start-ups or organizations operating for less than 3 years will not be required to upload documents to this section in order to submit their application. Organizations that have been operating for longer than 3 years, however, must upload the required financial documents for B.1 in order to pass this requirement. You will note that the placeholder for requirement B.2 also indicates that the document required is ‘optional’. This is so that organizations older than 3 years will not need to upload documents to this section in order to complete their submission. Start-ups or organizations operating for less than 3 years however must upload the required documents described for requirement B.2 in order to pass.  The excel file, Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria, lists all the evaluation criteria that will apply for this PQ process and is not limited to just requirement B.1. Applicants are required to complete this excel file with information on the supporting documents they have provided which will demonstrate compliance with each requirement. The supporting documents referenced in the excel file (including those needed for requirement B.1) must be uploaded to the placeholders created for them under the ‘vendor submission document checklist’. These documents will be reviewed to verify compliance with the evaluation criteria for which they have been provided. The excel file must also be submitted and can be uploaded either to the placeholder for requirement A.6 or the placeholder for ‘Form A - Application Form’. Applicants must use the latest version of the excel file Annex III to show they are in compliance with the evaluation criteria and any amendments made to them. Failure to submit the most recent version of Annex III will make it difficult to confirm this and may result in disqualification of your application.Question 25:There are several definitions of Liquidity Ratio (including current ratio, acid test ratio, cash ratio and working capital ratio). Can UNOPS please clarify which one they were referring to in the amended Pre-Qualification notice?Answer 25:The Liquidity Ratio which applies to this Pre-Qualification process is the Current Ratio. Requirement B.1 in Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria indicates this but with a slight error in how the ratio will be calculated. This has been corrected to show that the Liquidity Ratio will be calculated as follows: Current Assets/Current Liabilities.Please refer to "Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria_Amdt 2" which has been revised accordingly to reflect this. Applicants must use this revised file when submitting their applications. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of your application.

New clarification added: Question 24: In the vendor submission document checklist, the placeholder for requirement “B.1 Audited Financial Statements for the past 3 years” is indicated as an optional document for the submission. However in the most recent amendment posted to the PQ notice on 21 April 2020 which states that applicants must use the revised excel file labelled “Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria_Amdt 1” when making their submission, this seems to imply that requirement B.1 is mandatory and that failure to submit the financial documents would result in disqualification of the application.Please clarify if requirement B.1 is optional or mandatory?Answer 24:If you refer to the text in the ‘vendor submission document checklist’ placeholder for requirement B.1 you will note it states ‘(Applicable only for Organizations established within 3 years or more, otherwise see B.2)’. The placeholder indicates that the documents for requirement B.1 are ‘optional’ so that start-ups or organizations operating for less than 3 years will not be required to upload documents to this section in order to submit their application. Organizations that have been operating for longer than 3 years, however, must upload the required financial documents for B.1 in order to pass this requirement. You will note that the placeholder for requirement B.2 also indicates that the document required is ‘optional’. This is so that organizations older than 3 years will not need to upload documents to this section in order to complete their submission. Start-ups or organizations operating for less than 3 years however must upload the required documents described for requirement B.2 in order to pass.  The excel file, Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria, lists all the evaluation criteria that will apply for this PQ process and is not limited to just requirement B.1. Applicants are required to complete this excel file with information on the supporting documents they have provided which will demonstrate compliance with each requirement. The supporting documents referenced in the excel file (including those needed for requirement B.1) must be uploaded to the placeholders created for them under the ‘vendor submission document checklist’. These documents will be reviewed to verify compliance with the evaluation criteria for which they have been provided. The excel file must also be submitted and can be uploaded either to the placeholder for requirement A.6 or the placeholder for ‘Form A - Application Form’. Applicants must use the latest version of the excel file Annex III to show they are in compliance with the evaluation criteria and any amendments made to them. Failure to submit the most recent version of Annex III will make it difficult to confirm this and may result in disqualification of your application.Question 25:There are several definitions of Liquidity Ratio (including current ratio, acid test ratio, cash ratio and working capital ratio). Can UNOPS please clarify which one they were referring to in the amended Pre-Qualification notice?Answer 25:The Liquidity Ratio which applies to this Pre-Qualification process is the Current Ratio. Requirement B.1 in Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria indicates this but with a slight error in how the ratio will be calculated. This has been corrected to show that the Liquidity Ratio will be calculated as follows: Current Assets/Current Liabilities.Please refer to "Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria_Amdt 2" which has been revised accordingly to reflect this. Applicants must use this revised file when submitting their applications. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of your application.

New amendment added #7: Dear Applicants,The following articles of this Pre-Qualification Notice have been amended as follows:1) Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria, requirement B.1 has been amended to clarify how the Liquidity Ratio will be calculated: Current Assets/Current Liabilities. Please refer to the revised Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria excel file (labelled “Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria_Amdt 2”). Applicants must use this revised file when submitting their applications. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of your application. Please be guided accordingly.

New amendment added #6: Dear Applicants,The following articles of this Pre-Qualification Notice have been amended as follows:1) Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria, requirement B.1 has been amended to include the requirement for a cover letter prepared and signed by a certified public accountant confirming your organization's Liquidity Ratio for the last 3 years is equal or greater than 1. 2) Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria, requirement B.1 has also been amended to clarify that the last three (3) years for which audited financial statements must be submitted are 2019, 2018, 2017. Where 2019 audited financial statements are not available, audited financial statements for 2018, 2017 and 2016 will be accepted. 3) Under requirement B.1 where audited financial statements for 2018, 2017 and 2016 are submitted and the application is successful, conditional Pre-Qualification will be granted for six (6) months during which audited financial statements for 2019 must be submitted to UNOPS. Should your audited financial statements for 2019 meet the requirements, Pre-Qualification will then be granted for the remainder of the three (3) year duration. Please refer to the revised Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria excel file (labelled “Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria_Amdt 1”). Applicants must use this revised file when submitting their applications. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of your application. Please be guided accordingly.

New clarification added: Question 23:Sections D1 and D2 in the vendor submission tab appear to have incomplete sentences:D.1 Evidence of previous capacity to provide sufficient qualified, competent staff in support of projects in HMA in which they are applying for pre-qualification. This could be at least three contracts with company or at least three successfully compD.2 Evidence of how qualified and competent technical staff are identified for projects and include an outline of how that quality is maintained (via examination of recruitment process, training and development policy and previously completedCould this be rectified on the portal pleaseAnswer 23:Please note that due to limitations on the number of characters, the descriptions for some items in the Vendor Submission checklist may have some text cut off. The eSourcing platform also cannot currently allow us to edit the text in the Vendor Submission checklist. Applicants shall therefore refer to Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria for the full details of each requirement.Criteria D.1 and D.2, for example, are indicated as below in Annex III:D.1 Evidence of previous capacity to source/ provide sufficient qualified, competent staff in support of projects in the area of HMA in which they are applying for pre-qualification.D.2 Evidence of how qualified and competent technical staff are identified for projects and include an outline of how that quality is maintained (via examination of recruitment process, training and development policy and previously completed successful projects with said staff where appropriate).Please be guided accordingly. 

New clarification added: Question 23:Sections D1 and D2 in the vendor submission tab appear to have incomplete sentences:D.1 Evidence of previous capacity to provide sufficient qualified, competent staff in support of projects in HMA in which they are applying for pre-qualification. This could be at least three contracts with company or at least three successfully compD.2 Evidence of how qualified and competent technical staff are identified for projects and include an outline of how that quality is maintained (via examination of recruitment process, training and development policy and previously completedCould this be rectified on the portal pleaseAnswer 23:Please note that due to limitations on the number of characters, the descriptions for some items in the Vendor Submission checklist may have some text cut off. The eSourcing platform also cannot currently allow us to edit the text in the Vendor Submission checklist. Applicants shall therefore refer to Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria for the full details of each requirement.Criteria D.1 and D.2, for example, are indicated as below in Annex III:D.1 Evidence of previous capacity to source/ provide sufficient qualified, competent staff in support of projects in the area of HMA in which they are applying for pre-qualification.D.2 Evidence of how qualified and competent technical staff are identified for projects and include an outline of how that quality is maintained (via examination of recruitment process, training and development policy and previously completed successful projects with said staff where appropriate).Please be guided accordingly. 

New clarification added: Question 22:As clarified in the Pre-Bid Conference held on 26 February 2020, vendors are not required to submit any documentation for Section A.6. However in the Tender Submission section there is a mandatory requirement to upload a document.  Can this be amended accordingly? Answer 22:Please refer to Clarification 13 posted on 4 March 2020 which addresses this question as follows:Requirement A.6 "has been set as mandatory to ensure applicants submit information demonstrating compliance with it. As such eSourcing automatically requires a document upload. For the purpose of this PQ process, applicants may upload either of the following:an official letter confirming your compliance with this requirement the duly completed ‘Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria’ excel sheet"

New clarification added: Question 19:During the pre-bid conference there was mention of another extension to the submission deadline. Please can you confirm if this is to go ahead, given the ever changing circumstances business are dealing with currently?Answer 19:The deadline for submissions has been extended to 30 April 2020. The deadline for clarifications has been extended to 23 April 2020.Question 20:In view of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency crisis, which is currently resulting in total confinement and a significant slowdown in all sectors, we are requesting an extension of the deadline for the submission of the application.Answer 20:The deadline for submissions has been extended to 30 April 2020. The deadline for clarifications has been extended to 23 April 2020.Question 21: Organizations are currently trying to put in place business continuity and contingency plans in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In light of this, would it be possible for UNOPS to extend the submission deadline for this PQ process especially when considering that some vendors' PQ status expires at the end of the year?Answer 21:The deadline for submissions has been extended to 30 April 2020. The deadline for clarifications has been extended to 23 April 2020.

New amendment added #5: Dear Applicants,The following articles of this Pre-Qualification Notice have been amended as follows:1) The deadline for submission of applications has been extended from 7 April 2020, 1200 noon NY time to 30 April 2020, 1200 noon NY time. 2) The deadline for clarifications has been extended from 31 March 2020, 5pm NY time to 23 April 2020, 5pm NY time.Please be guided accordingly.

New amendment added #4: Dear Applicants,The following articles of this Pre-Qualification Notice have been amended as follows:1) The deadline for submission of applications has been extended from 31 March March 2020, 1200 noon NY time to 7 April 2020, 1200 noon NY time. 2) The deadline for clarifications has been extended from 24 March 2020, 5pm NY time to 31 March 2020, 5pm NY time.Please be guided accordingly.

New clarification added: Question 17:It was mentioned during the pre-bid conference that there would be an extension to the deadline for submission. Is this still the case?Answer 17:Prior to the pre-bid conference, the deadline for submissions had already been extended to 31 March 2020 further to the second amendment posted to this PQ notice on 24 February 2020. After review of the posting period for this PQ notice, UNOPS believes the extended advertisement time is believed to be sufficient for vendors to complete their applications. As such no further extension will be made. Question 18:a) For organizations based in francophone countries, can official documents such as financial statements, diplomas, and certifications be submitted in their original language? b) Where an organization deals with francophone clients and donors, the project documents will often be written in French (e.g. project follow-up documents, monthly and final reports etc). These documents will contain relevant information for the application for PQ status. Can these be submitted in their original language?Answer 18:Where documentary evidence is provided in a different language, this must also be included with a version translated into English to support the review process. This is due to limited capacity to review documents in a different language. 

New clarification added: Question 16:In reference to Annex III, Section D1 “previous capacity to source/provide sufficient qualified, competent staff in support of projects in the area of HMA in which they are applying for pre-qualification”, is UNOPS looking for the number of staff provided per previous contract or the requisite experience of the staff who delivered the contract?Answer 16:UNOPS requires information on the qualifications and experience of staff in your previous contracts that is relevant to the specific technical category(ies) you are applying for pre-qualification in.

New clarification added: Question 15:In reference to Annex III, Section D3 which requires staff resumes of "at least four members of senior management with at least 5 years of relevant experience”, does the 5 years of relevant experience relate to each technical category or in their field of expertise, for example, HR or Finance?Answer 15:The relevant experience for the members of senior management whose resumes you will submit must relate to the specific technical category(ies) you are seeking pre-qualification in. 

New clarification added: Question 14:Can you please confirm which section the completed Excel sheet Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria is to be uploaded to as it contains the required evidential documentation listed by category?Answer 14:‘Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria’ excel sheet may be uploaded to the document placeholder for requirement ‘A.6 Confirmation of agreement with the UNOPS General Conditions of Contract and the UN Supplier Code of Conduct.’ Applicants may also upload the excel sheet to the document placeholder for 'Form A - Application Form.'

New clarification added: Question 13:The eSourcing platform requires a mandatory document upload for requirement A6. However the clarification posted on 28 February 2020 indicated that no supporting documents are required and to simply indicate our answer within column E of the spreadsheet. Are you able to change the mandatory requirement of the cell or should vendors simply upload the spreadsheet twice?Answer 13:This requirement has been set as mandatory to ensure applicants submit information demonstrating compliance with it. As such eSourcing automatically requires a document upload. For the purpose of this PQ process, applicants may upload either of the following:an official letter confirming your compliance with this requirement the duly completed ‘Annex III PQ Evaluation Criteria’ excel sheet

New clarification added: Question 10:Would the use of armoured plant in a high threat environment be considered an IEDD Threat Mitigation tool, or should we apply to use armoured plant under one of the three mechanical categories?Answer 10:It is recommended that application is made for pre-qualification in the three (3) Mechanical categories as per IMAS 9.50 where applicants will use machines as part of mechanical demining activities.Question 11:Regarding A.6 Compliance with UNOPS General Conditions of Contract and the UN Supplier Code of Conduct, please confirm what supporting documents the vendor can provide to indicate compliance.Answer 11:No supporting documentation is needed for this requirement. Applicants can indicate ‘Yes’ or other comments in column E to confirm they are compliant.Question 12:Should an application fail this current PQ process and the applicant already has an existing PQ status, would that status remain in place until its expiry date?Answer 12:Yes, the applicant’s PQ status will remain valid until the expiry date stipulated in their PQ certificate.

New amendment added #3: Dear Applicants,The minutes of the pre-bid conference held on 18 February 2020 have been uploaded to the 'Documents' section of the PQ notice.Please be guided accordingly.  

New amendment added #2: Dear Applicants,The following articles of this Pre-Qualification Notice have been amended as follows:1) The deadline for submission of applications has been extended from 10 March March 2020, 1200 noon NY time to 31 March 2020, 1200 noon NY time. 2) The deadline for clarifications has been extended from 3 March 2020, 5pm NY time to 24 March 2020, 5pm NY time.3) A pre-bid conference will be held on 26 February 2020 at 10.00 am NY time. Please refer to the Particulars section for details of the meeting. Please be guided accordingly.

New clarification added: Question 9:As our company is prequalified to 31 December 2020 will there be another opportunity later in the year to renew our PQ status?   Answer 9:Companies whose pre-qualification status will expire on 31 December 2020 must apply for the renewal of their PQ status under this process (PQ/2019/12668). There will be no other opportunity this year to extend your PQ status.Foregoing application to this process will result in your organization no longer holding PQ status until and unless a successful application is made to the new process which will be launched at the beginning of 2021. 

New clarification added: Question 8:Regarding the section "C.7 Evidence of capacity to deal with knowledge management and national capacity building – Any of the following is acceptable: Company Policy, Company Training records, completed Contract Reports and Client Testimonials", does "Training" section include training in only HMA or in all Peace and Security services listed in annex 2?Answer 8:If 'company training records' are submitted as part of your application to demonstrate your capacity in relation to criteria C.7, the documents submitted must be relevant to any of the technical categories (see 'PQ Technical Categories List 2019') listed for this pre-qualification process. Preferably the documents  must be specific to the technical category you are applying for pre-qualification in. However if this is not possible, vendors can submit other relevant information related to the broader PSC pre-qualification technical categories and you will be scored accordingy.This criteria however goes beyond the qualifications of personnel and training records. The purpose is to ascertian your capability in knowledge management and national capacity building and as such your submission must also include relevant documents that allow us to evaluate this. 

New clarification added: Question 6:The only technical category we would be interested in being pre-qualified in is Mine Detection Dog Clearance. As this has now been removed from the Categories List (2020), should we assume that we do not need to respond to this Pre-Qualification Process (PQ/2019/12668)?Answer 6:Yes, as the Mine Detection Dog Clearance category has been removed from the list of Technical Categories new vendors who are only interested in this category do not need to apply to this PQ process. Please note however that a K-9 Pre-Qualification process will be launched in the first quarter of 2020 which interesed vendors can apply to. Question 7:When is the separate K-9 pre-qualification process likely to be released?Answer 7:The new K-9 pre-qualification process will be launched in the first quarter of 2020. 

New clarification added: Question 3:Annex III, Section B.1 asks us to upload our last three years Audited Financial Statements.Even when compressed and in PDF format the size of our file exceeds the maximum file size so that we can not upload to eSourcing.Is there an alternative way of providing this information to UNOPS?Answer 3:Your financial statements must be uploaded to the eSourcing platform. We encourage vendors to submit a set of financial documents that are as complete as possible. You may edit them as you see fit to facilitate uploading them to the system as long as we are able to ascertain that you meet the requirements for financial information. Please note that where clarifications are needed during evaluation of the applications, we will reach out to you. Question 4:Our company is currently pre-qualified in certain areas and would like to apply for one additional category. Do we have to submit the complete package or only the applicable SOP for this category? Answer 4:If your company is currently pre-qualified and your PQ status expires 31 December 2020, you must submit the complete package for all the technical categories you are pre-qualified in as well as for any new categories you wish to be pre-qualified in. Please refer to Annex III for all the required documents needed to be considered for pre-qualification.  If your PQ status expires next year, we still recommend that you submit your application for all the categories you are pre-qualified in as well as for new categories so that the expiry date for all your technical categories are aligned. Your application must also be complete with all the required documents that are stipulated.Question 5:Due to the number of UNOPS tenders that are currently being issued simultaneously, we would like to request extension of the PQ application period. Answer 5:Please note that the deadline will be extended to Tuesday, 10 March 2019. Please refer to Amendment 1 of this PQ notice for details.

New amendment added #1: Dear Applicants,Please note that the deadline for clarifications and submissions will be amended as follows: Deadline for clarifications will be changed from 10 February 2020, 5pm NY time to 3 March 2020, 5pm NY time.Deadline for submissions will be changed from 17 February 2020, 12 noon NY time to 10 March 2020, 12 noon NY time. Please be guided accordingly.

New clarification added: Question 1:Our company currently has pre-qualification (PQ) status. We would like to clarify if we should request PQ extension as part of this global PQ process or if the extension process will be a separate procedure for those who already have pre-qualification?Our PQ certification letter states the following:"Your organization may apply for an extension of your UNOPS Global Pre-qualification status from 6 months prior to the detailed termination date."We are satisfied with the technical categories we have pre-qualification in and do not plan to apply for new areas.Answer 1:Companies that have pre-qualification status and do not wish to add new categories to their pre-qualification do not need to apply to this process.However if you are currently pre-qualified and your PQ status expires 31 December 2020, please apply to this process in order to have your PQ status extended for all the technical categories you are pre-qualified in.If your PQ status expires 1 May 2021, please apply to the process that will be launched at the end of 2020/beginning of 2021.  Question 2:If extension will be part of the global prequalification process, should we participate in this process or the next pre-qualification process?Answer 2:Please refer to Answer 1