REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: No. RFP/YEMSA/2023/01 FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF LONG-TERM AGREEMENTS FOR THE PROVISION OF ARMORED VEHICLE RENTAL SERVICES FOR UNHCR IN YEMEN

INTRODUCTION TO UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950, by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It also has a mandate to help stateless people. The agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives in more than five decades. Today, a staff of some 6,600 people in more than 110 countries continues to help about 60 million persons. To help protect some of the world’s most vulnerable people in many places and environments, UNHCR must purchase goods and services worldwide. For further information on UNHCR, its mandate, and operations, please see http://www.unhcr.org. UNHCR, with its Branch Office in Sana'a, and offices in Aden, Hudaydah, Sa’ada, and Ibb, has an international mandate to provide international protection and to seek solutions for persons of concern, including refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen. In addition, the Office assumes the lead responsibility for protection, emergency shelter, and camp coordination and management for internally displaced persons in Yemen. The work of the Office is of an entirely non-political character, and UNHCR engages in partnerships with non-profit organizations and entities that are committed to UNHCR’s core values, including professionalism, integrity, and respect for diversity and its commitment to persons of concern.
1. REQUIREMENTS The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR Yemen invites qualified companies and service providers to make a firm offer for the establishment of a long-term agreement for the PROVISION OF ARMORED VEHICLES RENTAL SERVICES FOR UNHCR IN YEMEN (referred to hereinafter as “services”):
IMPORTANT:
Terms of Reference and scope of works for the PROVISION OF ARMORED VEHICLES RENTAL SERVICES FOR UNHCR-YEMEN are attached as Annex A to this RFP tender document.
The following mandatory requirements should be met to submit a proposal:
• Should be a core business.
• You should have a local structural office for your business.
• You should have a valid registration and work permit from the local authority.
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UNHCR may award a Frame Agreement for a duration of 2 (two) years with the possibility for an extension for an additional period of 1 (one) year. The successful bidders will be requested to maintain their quoted price model for the Frame Agreement (s) duration.
Other United Nations Agencies, Funds, and Programmes shall be entitled to the same prices and terms and conditions as those contained in the offers of the successful bidders and could form the basis for a Frame Agreement with other UN Agencies.
IMPORTANT:
When a Frame Agreement is awarded, either party can terminate the agreement only upon 30 days’ notice, in writing to the other party.
The initiation of conciliation or arbitral proceedings in accordance with article 18, “settlement of disputes” of the UNHCR General Conditions of Contracts for the provision of Goods and Services shall not be deemed to be a “cause” for or otherwise to be in itself a termination clause.
It is strongly recommended that this Request for Proposal and its annexes be read thoroughly. Failure to observe the procedures laid out therein may result in disqualification from the evaluation process.
Sub-Contracting: Please take careful note of Article 5 of the attached General Terms and Conditions (Annex E).
Note: This document is not construed in any way as an offer to contract with your firm.
2. BIDDING INFORMATION:
2.1. RFP DOCUMENTS
The following annexes form an integral part of this Request for Proposal:
Annex A: Terms of Reference (TORs)/SOW
Annex B: Technical Offer Form
Annex C: Financial Offer Form
Annex D: Vendor Registration Form
Annex E: UNHCR General Conditions of Contracts for the Provision of Goods and Services – 2010.
Annex F: UNHCR Code of Conduct
2.2 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would appreciate your informing us of the receipt of this RFP by return e-mail to yemsasu@unhcr.org as to:
- Your confirmation of receipt of this invitation to bid
- Whether or not you will be submitting a bid
- Whether or not you will participate at the supplier conference
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR TENDER SUBMISSION:
Submission of both technical and financial offers should be submitted via E-tenderbox http://etenderbox.unhcr.org, Please carefully read the E-tenderBox user manual attached as Annex-I & I1 for submission of your technical and financial proposals – Offers submitted in any other manner will be disqualified.
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2.3 REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION
Bidders must submit any request for clarification regarding this ITB by sending an e-mail to yemsasu@unhcr.org. The deadline for receipt of questions is 23:59 hrs. local time on 21/09/2023.
Within One day after the deadline for receipt of questions, all questions asked by bidders and their answers will be sent to all those email IDs from where questions will be received as well, and these will be uploaded on the same UNGM link where the tender documents are made available.
IMPORTANT: Please note that Bid Submissions are not to be sent to the e-mail addresses above. Failure to comply with this provision may result in disqualification.
Participation in the pre-tender conference shall be at the bidders’ own expense. There will
be no reimbursement from UNHCR.
2.4 YOUR OFFER
IMPORTANT:
Cancellation of Solicitation: UHCR reserves the right to cancel a Solicitation at any stage of the
procurement process prior to final notice of award of a contract.
Your offer shall be prepared in English.
Please submit your offer using the Annexes provided. Offers not conforming to the requested formats may not be taken into consideration.
IMPORTANT:
Including copies of your offer with any correspondence sent directly to the attention of the responsible buyer or any UNHCR staff other than the submission e-mail address will result in disqualification of the offer. Please send your bid directly through the e-tendering box http://etenderbox.unhcr.org
Your offer shall comprise the following two sets of documents:
- Technical offer
- Financial offer
2.4.1 Content of the TECHNICAL OFFER
IMPORTANT:
No pricing information should be included in the technical offer. Failure to comply may risk disqualification. The technical offer should contain all the information required.
The Terms of Reference (TORs) of the services requested by UNHCR can be found in Annex A. Clearly state and disclose any discrepancies with the specifications given.
Your technical offer should be concisely presented and structured in the following order to include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following information:
- Description of the company and the company’s qualifications
A description of your company with the following documents: company profile, registration certificate, and last audit reports:
• Year founded.
• If a multi-location company, specify the headquarters location.
• Number of similar and successfully completed projects.
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• Number of similar projects currently underway.
• Total number of clients.
Include any information that will facilitate our evaluation of your company’s substantive reliability, and financial and managerial capacity to provide the services.
- Understanding of the requirements for goods, services, proposed approaches, solutions, methodology, and outputs
Any comments or suggestions on the TOR, as well as your detailed description of the manner in which your company would respond to the TOR:
• A description of your organization’s capacity to provide the goods/services.
• A description of your organization’s experience in the supply of these goods/services.
• Compliance with the requirements stated on the TOR.
- Proposed personnel to carry out the assignment
The composition of the team you propose to provide.
• Curriculum Vitae of core staff.
- Vendor Registration Form: If your company is not already registered with UNHCR, you should complete, sign, and submit with your technical proposal the Vendor Registration Form (Annex D).
- UNHCR General Conditions for Provision of Goods and Services: Your technical offer should contain your acknowledgment of the UNHCR General Conditions for Provision of Goods and Services by signing Annex E.
However, please note that submitting an offer is deemed as full acceptance of UNHCR’s General Conditions for Provision of Goods and Services.
2.4.2 Content of the FINANCIAL OFFER
Your separate Financial Offer must contain an overall offer in US Dollars. The financial offer must cover all the goods/services to be provided (price “all-inclusive”).
The Financial Offer is to be submitted as per the Financial Offer Form (Annex C). Bids that have a different price structure may not be accepted.
UNHCR is exempt from all direct taxes and customs duties. With this regard, the price has to be given without VAT.
You are requested to hold your offer valid for [180] days from the deadline for submission. UNHCR will make its best effort to select a company within this period. UNHCR’s standard payment terms are within 30 days after satisfactory implementation and receipt of documents in order.
The cost of preparing a bid and negotiating a contract, including any related travel, is not reimbursable, nor can it be included as a direct cost of the assignment. Any activity undertaken or expenses incurred in preparation of a contract before an actual contract is signed shall be borne by the Bidder. An advance notice or information of award is not to be considered as a contract.
UNHCR will not provide any advance payments or payments by letter of credit. The standard payment terms are by bank transfer net thirty (30) days after acceptance of the contractor’s invoice and delivery of the goods to the and/or acceptance by UNHCR of the services.
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2.5 BID EVALUATION:
Each proposal from a Bidder will be considered separately and independently. Bidders shall submit a complete proposal for each solicitation in which they wish to participate. References to previous or ongoing proposals will not be considered. Award of a previous contract with UNHCR will not be considered in itself as a preference or guarantee for the award of future solicitations on the same subject.
2.5.1 Supplier Registration:
The qualified supplier(s) will be added to the Vendor Database after investigation of suitability based on the submitted Vendor Registration Form and supporting documents. The investigation involves consideration of several factors, such as:
• financial standing.
• Core business.
• Track record.
• Contract capacity.
Failure to provide the abovementioned documentation might lead to disqualification.
2.5.2 Technical and Financial Evaluation:
For the award of this project, UNHCR has established evaluation criteria that govern the selection of offers received. Evaluation is made on a technical and financial basis. The percentage assigned to each component is determined in advance as follows:
The Technical Proposals will be evaluated using, inter alia, the following criteria and percentage distribution: 60% of the total score. The technical evaluation consists of two (2) steps.
At first, compliance with the established mandatory eligibility criteria will be assessed as follows:
Eligibility Criteria (Mandatory) Merit: PASS/FAIL
1. Valid Company registration certificates, valid business registration certificates in the field of the PROVISION OF ARMORED VEHICLES RENTAL SERVICES FOR UNHCR-YEMEN), and tax membership issued by the relevant local authorities.
Non-discretionary “PASS/FAIL”
2. Experience: Bidders must have demonstrated experience in the Armored Vehicles rental field, as proof of presence or ability to operate in Yemen. (Through the presentation of at least two copies of the contracts/purchase orders/work orders as documented evidence) during the past three years.
Non-discretionary “PASS/FAIL”
3. Vendor Registration Form: If your company is not already registered with UNHCR, you must complete, sign, and submit with your technical proposal the Vendor Registration Form (Annex D)
Non-discretionary “PASS/FAIL”
4. UNHCR General Conditions of Contract for the Provision of Goods and Services: Acknowledgement of UNHCR General Conditions of Contract for the Provision of Goods and Services (by signing Annex E attached hereto)
Non-discretionary “PASS/FAIL”
5. UN Supplier Code of Conduct: Acknowledgement of UN Supplier Code of Conduct (by signing Annex F attached hereto)
Non-discretionary “PASS/FAIL”
Only the Technical Proposals that have been assigned “PASS” for all the above-listed eligibility criteria will be considered for further evaluation.
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During the second step of the technical evaluation, offers to pass the first phase (i.e., Eligibility Criteria) will be assessed against the following criteria, maximum and minimum scores against each criterion:
Summary of Technical Proposal Evaluation Forms Merit: Score Weight
Expertise of the firm
12
Methodology and Approach
08
Key Personnel
10
Technical Capacity
30
Total Score Weight
60
Technical Evaluation Criteria
Points obtainable Expertise of the firm/organization
Profile of firm
02
Relevant experience in collaborating with international donor agencies / International Organizations / UN Agencies / International Donor Agency Funded Projects / Multinational Companies/ Others (One score for each Contract/PO).
02
Financial capacity showing minimum turnover of USD 100,000
02
Availability of logistics, including offices and other physical facilities in Sana’a & outside
02
Workshop Setup and repair capacity inside Sanaa and Outside Sanaa
02
Records of spare parts quality and source
02
Sub-total
12 Proposal Methodology/ Work Plan
Proposed work plan, strategy, methodology,
timeline, and approach; Ability of the firm to
respond to an emergency/time-critical urgent.
request
03
Quality assurance mechanisms
03
Risk management Plan
02
Sub-total
08
Qualification and competency of the proposed personnel for the assignment Qualification of the Focal person/supervisor
Educational qualifications of the focal person/contact person for the proposed contract
02
Relevant experience of the focal person/contact person for the proposed contract
02 Qualification of the Driver
Years of AV driving experience minimum two years with a valid license.
02
Driver experience in working with international donor
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agencies / International Organizations / UN Agencies / International Donor Agency Funded Projects / Multinational Companies/ Others.
02
Drivers’ educational qualification (minimum High School)
02 Sub-total 10 Technical Capacity of the firm
The list of vehicles (registered) must not be more than six years old for B6 and four years for B7 or not exceed 120,000 km at any point of maintaining the contract
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Number of persons available in the contractor for service and maintenance job
05
Total no. of vehicles owned by the firm (one score for each AV) – maximum 5 AVs.
05
Comprehensive Insurance Policy for driver and the vehicle, i.e., insurance policy
05
Availability of AV maintenance workshop and spare parts of AVs
05
Vehicle tracking system
05
Sub-total
30 Grand Total 60
The cut-off points for submissions to be considered technically compliant will be 36 points out of 60 points attainable under the technical evaluation.
Clarifications of Proposals:
To assist in the examination, evaluation, and comparison of proposals, UNHCR may, at its discretion, ask the Bidder for clarification about the content of the proposal. The request for clarification and the response shall be in writing, and no change in price or substance of the proposal shall be sought, offered, or accepted.
The Financial offer will use the following percentage distribution: 40% of the total score.
The financial component will be analyzed only for those suppliers that pass the technical evaluation.
The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price offer that is opened and compared among those invited firms. All other price offers will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price, e.g., [total Price Component] x [US$ lowest] \ [US$ other] = points for other supplier’s Price Component.
For evaluation purposes only, the offers submitted in currency other than US Dollars will be converted into US Dollars using the United Nations rate of exchange in effect on the date the submissions are due.
2.6 SUBMISSION OF BID:
Submission of both technical and financial offers should be submitted via E-tenderbox http://etenderbox.unhcr.org, Please carefully read the e-TenderBox user manual attached as Annex-I & I1 for submission of your technical and financial proposals – Offers submitted in any other manner will be disqualified.
The deadline for Technical and financial proposal submission through the e-tender box will be on
25 September,2023 – 23:59 hrs. Yemen Local time
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The proposals must bear your official letterhead, clearly identifying your company name.
Bids should be submitted by file and uploaded to e-TenderBox, the online bid registration tool of UNHCR. The e-TenderBox can be accessed via the following URL:
http://etenderbox.unhcr.org
To use e-TenderBox, registration on the website is required. This registration is exclusively for e-TenderBox and does not replace any other registration with UNHCR.
A supplier should have only one registered email account in the system. The supplier must use only that e-TenderBox account for managing its offers to UNHCR.
If the password is forgotten that account can no longer be used, and new registration is required. The e-TenderBox Registration Guide and Use Manual are available at the above URL and provided as annexes to this RFQ.
The Supplier can amend uploaded files while the tender is open. The selected files for upload are submitted when the ‘Save & Submit’ button is clicked. Therefore, this button must be clicked before the deadline expires. If done so, the selected files will be submitted and uploaded successfully even if the deadline expires during the file upload. The Supplier is responsible for ensuring that all files of the final offer are submitted by the tender expiration deadline.
Once the deadline for submission has expired, the bid will be automatically closed, after which the uploaded files can be reviewed. Still, options for additional upload and deletion of previously uploaded files are not available anymore. To ensure the safe submission of the full and final offer, it is recommended to have all files uploaded well before the tender deadline.
Deadline for submission: 25 September 2023 – 23:59 hrs. Yemen Local time
IMPORTANT:
Any bid received after this date or sent to another UNHCR address will be rejected. UNHCR may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for submitting bids by notifying all prospective bidders simultaneously.
2.7 BID ACCEPTANCE
UNHCR reserves the right to accept the whole or part of your bid.
UNHCR may, at its discretion, increase or decrease the proposed content when awarding the contract and would not expect a significant variation in the rate submitted. Any such increase or decrease in the contract duration would be negotiated with the successful bidder to finalize the Purchase Orders for Services.
UNHCR may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for submitting bids by notifying all prospective suppliers in writing. The extension of the deadline may accompany a modification of the solicitation documents prepared by UNHCR at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by a prospective supplier.
Please note that UNHCR is not bound to select any of the firms submitting bids and does not bind itself in any way to select the firm offering the lowest price. Furthermore, the contract will be awarded to the bid considered most responsive to the needs and conforming to UNHCR’s general principles, including economy, efficiency, and best value for money.
2.8 CURRENCY AND PAYMENT TERMS FOR PURCHASE ORDERS
Any Purchase Order (PO) issued as a result of this RFP will be made in the currency of USD ($) offer. Payment will be made in accordance with the General Conditions for the Purchase of Services and in
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the USD currency in which the PO is issued. Payments shall only be initiated after the UNHCR business owner confirms successful completion.
2.9 BID ACCEPTANCE:
UNHCR reserves the right to accept the whole or part of your bid or allow split or partial awards on this project.
UNHCR may, at its discretion, increase or decrease the proposed content when awarding the contract and would not expect a significant variation in the rate submitted. Any such increase or
decrease in the contract duration would be negotiated with the successful bidder as part of the finalization of the Purchase Orders for Services.
UNHCR may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for submitting bids by notifying all prospective suppliers in writing. The extension of the deadline may accompany a modification of the solicitation documents prepared by UNHCR at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by a prospective supplier.
Please note that UNHCR is not bound to select any of the firms’ submitting bids and does not bind itself in any way to select the firm offering the lowest price. Furthermore, the contract will be awarded to the bid considered most responsive to the needs and conforming to UNHCR’s general principles, including economy, efficiency, and best value for money.
2.10 UNHCR GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CONTRACTS FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES
Please note that the General Conditions of Contracts (Annex E) will be strictly adhered to for the purpose of any future contract. The Bidder must confirm the acceptance of these terms and conditions in writing.
Signature
David Rusinga
Supply Officer
UNHCR-CO Sana’a