RFQ Services - Third Party Monitoring Agent for Local Implementing Partners in South of Yemen

New clarification added: Question :The TOR requires TPM to deploy the site engineers/staff to Marib, Taiz, Shabwah, and Aden.Could UNOPS clarify whether it will support the TPM in obtaining access letters or local authority facilitation in areas where movement restrictions may exist?UNOPS Answer:As indicated in section 4 of the schedule of requirements: The team will be responsible for all administrative support and logistics required to fulfill the requirements of the contract. These will include, but are not limited to, all travel arrangements, security and safety measures, report preparation services, printing, etc. As part of the capacity building of Yemeni experts and ensuring safety, the consultant is advised to recruit qualified staff at the local level and should be fully responsible for the security and safety of their staff.Question :-            Will the random selection of the 6 hospitals be performed by UNOPS, or is the TPM Agent expected to propose a statistically sound, random sampling methodology for UNOPS' approval?UNOPS Answer:Both UNOPS and TPM will jointly select the 6 locations using a statistically sound, random sampling methodologyQuestion :-            If the will TPM do, should the proposed sampling methodology consider stratification by factors like governorate, health facility type (hospital vs. TFC), and if applicable. the CBC machine type, for example (3-part vs. 5-part analyzer)?UNOPS Answer:The sampling should include 3 from 3-part and 3 from 5-parts randomly. Question:The TOR requires photographic evidence could UNOPS confirm whether geo-tagged photos are required?UNOPS Answer:Geo-tagged photos are not required.Question :The ToR states that the following Key Experts must hold an "advanced university degree":Team LeaderMonitoring and Evaluation SpecialistHealth Safety, Social and Environmental Safeguards SpecialistBio-medical EngineerFor the purpose of evaluating candidate qualifications, could UNOPS please clarify its definition of an "advanced university degree" for these roles?UNOPS Answer:Advanced university degree is any degree above bachelors degree and the requirements for each personnel are as indicated in the returnable schedule Section 4: Key personnel proposed. Question :The TOR includes general Health, Safety, Social, and Environmental Safeguards (HSSES) monitoring but does not specify which specific standards/framework TPM must use (i.e., UNOPS ESHS, KfW Environmental Guidelines, IFC EHS, national laws).Could UNOPS confirm the required HSSES compliance framework that can us to consider in the bidding stage?UNOPS Answer:The TOR section for specific requirement section 4 - requires Verification of Safeguards Compliance including verification of conformity with safeguards requirements during implementation of subprojects and compliance check with all environmental and social safeguards requirements per subproject’s relevant documents. So the TPM should follow the projects HSSE framework.Question :Table 2b and Form B-1 “Price Schedule” calculates 88 visits (4 facilities × 22 visits), implying 2 visits/month/facility. However, the payment schedule states that only one visit per subproject per month is mandatory, with additional visits requiring prior approval.This creates significant ambiguity for preparing our financial offer. If the mandatory contractual baseline is strictly one visit per facility per month (totaling 44 visits over 11 months), then pricing for 88 visits would not be valid, as half of those visits are not guaranteed and are subject to a separate approval process.Please confirm the following for the completion of Table 2b/Form B-1:Should the "Number of Visits" for the 4 Health Facilities be based on the mandatory minimum of one visit per facility per month (i.e., 44 visits in total), with any additional visits to be treated as a separate, contingent-line item subject to the approval process?UNOPS Answer:The bidder should provide quotations as per the table 2B. As indicated in Section 10 of the schedule of requirements, Operational costs shall be reimbursed based on the number of active subproject sites and the actual number of verification visits conducted per month during implementation. 

New clarification added: Question:The bank we intend to use for issuing the Performance Security is Islamic Qutaibi Bank.Please let us know if you require any additional documents from the bank to support your assessment.UNOPS Answer:Please adhere to the requirements in the solicitation documents.  The performance security will be required from the awarded bidder upon signing the contract. 

New clarification added: Question:In the Document Checklist in the UNOPS eSourcing system.( the second line is requesting confirmation about point 3.3 from the qualification, can you please articulate what is this requirement or in which docuemnt we can find it?  since we did not find 3.3 in the returnable form nor in the TOR.UNOPS Answer:The bidder should submit a letter of declaration & confirmation that he is not employed by or has any financial or close business relationships with any senior member of the entity under assessment during the period covered by the proposed contract, nor during the undertaking of the monitoring services. (Declaration from the bidder should be provided).Point 3.3 under the Qualification Criteria.  

New clarification added: Question:We would like to clarify the requirement regarding the Performance Security. Banks in Yemen do not hold the international credit ratings mentioned in the tender. Our bank confirmed this, but it provides its Compliance and Risk Assessment Policy with any Bank Guarantee. This is also the bank we use for all our UN and EU-funded projects.Could you please advise whether a Performance Security from this bank, supported by its compliance documents, would be acceptable?UNOPS Answer:It would help if you shared the name of the Bank. It's true that nearly all banks in Yemen are not rated ( credit rating). However, UNOPS assess their stability based on the value of the PG, the bank's past 3 years' financial performance, their branch network, the Bank's shareholding structure ( not Govt controlled) , has a current banking licence and OFAC / other sanctions if applicable.  

New clarification added: Question:Regarding the section “Provision of Equipment to Health Facilities (HFs) and Malnutrition Centres” in the TOR, could you kindly clarify  what specific types of medical equipment and furniture are expected to be delivered under this output?UNOPS Answer:The facilities under rehabilitation will be equipped with a number of medical equipment, waste management equipment and basic hospital furniture. The list is not yet finalised and can’t be shared. 

New clarification added: Question:“Number of relevant health facilities personnel who received Operation and Maintenance Training – 66.”The TOR also requires:“verification on performance and effectiveness with regard to capacity building and training.”We kindly request clarification on the following:Should TPM verify the training process itself, the post-training performance of trainees, or both?UNOPS Answer:As indicated in the TOR,  the TPM should verify the post training performance of trainees, particularly the outputs provided to them are appropriate, practical, and beneficial.Question:Are the 66 trainees exclusively staff of the supported health facilities, or may they include personnel from outside the facilities (e.g., district or governorate-level health offices)?UNOPS Answer:The training will be provided to the staff of the facilities indicated in the TOR.Question:Where will the O&M trainings take place—inside the health facilities or in governorate-level training venues?UNOPS Answer:The training will be conducted in Aden and the governorates.  

New clarification added: Question:The expected number or sampling approach for beneficiary satisfaction surveys at each rehabilitated or constructed health facility.UNOPS Answer:The bidder is expected to design and implement surveys that are representative of the rehabilitated or constructed health facilities. While we do not prescribe a fixed number, your proposed sampling approach should ensure statistically meaningful results and adequately reflect the needed outcomes.Question:Whether the TPM is expected to conduct Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and if so, the anticipated number, target groups, and frequency.UNOPS Answer:The TPM is expected to conduct KIIs and FGDs as appropriate to validate project outcomes, gather qualitative insights, and complement quantitative data. The number, target groups, and frequency should be determined based on the methodology proposed in your technical approach, ensuring sufficient coverage to capture diverse perspectives.Question:Any preferred methodology or minimum sample sizes for gender-disaggregated data, community feedback, GRM verification, and stakeholder engagement validation.UNOPS Answer:Your methodology should include approaches to collect and analyze gender-disaggregated data and verify community feedback and GRM mechanisms. Minimum sample sizes and frequency should be justified in your proposal, in line with best practices and the objectives of the assignment.Question:Whether UNOPS will provide standardized data collection tools or templates, or if the TPM should develop its own instruments based on project requirementsUNOPS Answer:​UNOPS will not provide tools or templates; the TPM should develop tools and instruments as required to meet the objectives and ensure robust data collection.

New clarification added: Question:1.     Key Experts Allocation•     Based on the financial template provided, all key experts (except for the Bio‑medical Engineer) are allocated 11 months.•     Does this mean that all key experts are expected to be full‑time (22 working days per month) for the 11‑month period, while the Bio‑medical Engineer is allocated 5 months (full-time)?UNOPS answer:All experts except biomedical engineers are required for the third-party monitoring for 11 months. However, the number of working days shall be decided by the bidder based on the requirements, assuming the best value for money and a competitive bidding priceQuestion:2.     Hospital Visits for CBC Machines•     The TOR outlines 20 hospitals receiving CBC machines, while the financial template mentions 6 visits.•     Could you please clarify whether we are expected to visit only 6 out of the 20 hospitals, or if the 6 visits refer to a different requirement?•     Additionally, when during the project cycle do you expect these visits to be conducted?UNOPS answer:As indicated in the specific requirement section of the TOR, Verification shall be conducted on only the 6 sampled Complete Blood Count (CBC) machines delivered to 6 hospitals (randomly selected from the total of 20 CBC machines supplied, as detailed in Annex-2). Regarding the timing, it can be done as soon as practicable, as the equipment has already been delivered. 

New amendment added #1: Please note that Amendment 1 consists of one clause as mentioned below. This document is considered an integral part of this RFQ.Clause 1: The deadline for receiving clarifications is extended to 05 Dec 2025 instead of 01 Dec 2025The tender deadline is extended to 09 Dec 2025 instead of 07 Dec 2025All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

New clarification added: Clarification:We kindly request an extension of the clarifications deadline for RFQ/2025/60409. The current timeframe is very limited, and additional time would allow our team to thoroughly review the documents and prepare well-informed questions in case any clarifications are needed.UNOPS Answer:The clarification deadline will be further extended to 05 Dec 2025.

New clarification added: ClarificationI would like to kindly inquire whether a Pre-Bid Meeting will be held for the current tender, as this would help us clarify any points before preparing our technical and financial proposal.UNOPS Answer:As the scope of service is straightforward, with minimal technical complexity or risk, a pre-bid meeting is not required. However, bidders can request clarification and issues of concern through the system.  The clarification deadline will be further extended to 05 Dec 2025.