Provision for the Design, Development, Delivery and Certification of Capacity-Building Training Modules

New clarification added: Dear Sir/MadamPlease note that the qualifications stated in the TOR prevail. The necessary amendment is made on the document and is attached for your reference. ref# 2. RFP_2026_64052_Section_II_Evaluation Criteria_V2 Best regards,  

New amendment added #2: Important Notice: Dear bidders,Kindly note that a discrepancy has been detected in the qualifications for Module 7.  The updated version of the 2. RFP_2026_64052_Section_II_Evaluation Criteria_V2 is attached for reference (The amendment is highlighted in Yellow).The Amendment1-2. RFP_2026_64052_Section_II_Evaluation Criteria  is replaced by 2. RFP_2026_64052_Section_II_Evaluation Criteria_V2. Regards

New clarification added: Dear bidders, Kindly find below the answers to your questions: 1.The requirement for “experience in accredited and certified training delivery” is intended to demonstrate the bidders' capacity to design and deliver structured training programmes that incorporate appropriate assessment and certification arrangements.a) Prior delivery of professional training programmes that included formal assessments and participant certification may be considered as evidence of relevant experience. The bidder is not necessarily required to be an accredited training institution itself, provided that it can demonstrate relevant experience and has appropriate arrangements in place for accreditation and/or certification where required for the proposed modules.b) Yes. Where accreditation or certification is required, the bidder may satisfy this requirement through an accredited JV/consortium partner or an appropriately qualified and accredited specialised training or certification partner, provided that the proposed arrangement is clearly identified in the technical proposal and the partners role in the delivery, assessment and/or certification of the relevant modules is clearly demonstrated.The bidder should provide documentary evidence of the proposed partners accreditation or certification status and the nature of the partnership/arrangement.c) The requirement for “evidence of accreditation” should be understood as requiring bidders to provide documentary evidence of accreditation where accreditation is applicable to the proposed training or certification arrangement. This may include evidence of the bidders own accreditation or, where applicable, evidence of accreditation held by the proposed JV/consortium or specialised training/certification partner.Bidders should clearly identify the accreditation body, scope and validity of the accreditation and explain how it relates to the proposed training and certification arrangements.In summary, UNOPS will assess the bidders demonstrated experience in accredited and certified training delivery together with the credibility and suitability of the proposedaccreditation/certification arrangements. The requirement does not, by itself, mean that the lead bidder must be an accredited training institution, provided that the required accreditation and certification arrangements are appropriately demonstrated and available for the relevant modules.2. In the case of joint ventures, consortia or groups, the qualifications of all members are assessed collectively to verify their compliance with the tender’s qualification criteria. However, designated subcontractors may not be used to demonstrate compliance with the qualification criteria.The existence of the joint venture, consortium or association must be formally demonstrated, and all members must be deemed eligible within the meaning of Article 4 of the Instructions to Tenderers, including each member of the joint venture, consortium or association and/or each subcontractor (where applicable).3.The qualifications specified in the ToR take precedence. The revised document (RFP_2026_64052_Section_II_Evaluation Criteria_V2) has been attached to replace the prior version, featuring the highlighted correction.Best regards,

New amendment added #1: Important Notice: Dear bidders,Kindly note the following:The tender is extended to Monday 7th of September COB. The clarification deadline is extended to Thursday 3rd of September at 12PM.The qualifications for Module 4 and 7 as per TOR are also amended . The updated version of the Amendment1-2. RFP_2026_64052_Section_II_Evaluation Criteria is also attached for reference (The amendment is highlighted in Yellow).Best regards

New clarification added: Dear Sir or Madam,Please find below the responses to the requests for clarification1. The qualification requirement specified in the current Terms of Reference for Module 7 shall apply for the purposes of evaluating the proposed key personnel.For Module 7, the minimum qualification is a Master's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Natural Resource Management, Climate Change, Environmental Policy, or a related field, with a minimum of three (3) years of relevant professional experience. A Bachelor's degree in a relevant field with at least six (6) years of relevant professional experience may be accepted as an equivalent qualification.The qualification disciplines of Monitoring and Evaluation, Statistics, Economics, Development Studies and Data Analytics relate to Module 6: MEL, KPI Harmonization & Reporting Systems and do not apply to Module 7.Accordingly, bidders should propose the lead trainer for Module 7 based on the environmental qualification and relevant experience requirements specified in the Terms of Reference.2.Yes. An Engineering degree is acceptable for Module 4.The current Terms of Reference expressly identifies Energy Economics, Regulatory Studies, Engineering, Finance, Economics, or a related field as acceptable minimum qualifications for the Module 4 lead trainer.Accordingly, a proposed lead trainer holding an Engineering degree, together with the required relevant professional experience, will be considered responsive to the minimum qualification requirement for Module 4.The solicitation documents will be updated accordingly.3. a) Correct. The bidder's understanding is correct.Under Option B, the logistics responsibilities specified in the Terms of Reference include venue hire, meeting-room setup, audio-visual equipment, refreshments and lunch, printing and reproduction of training materials, training stationery, facilitator travel and accommodation, and administrative support services.Participant per diem, accommodation and transportation are not included in the service provider's logistics responsibilities under Option B and will remain the responsibility of the project, where applicable.Bidders should therefore exclude participant per diem, accommodation and transportation from their Option B pricing.b) The participant figures included in the Terms of Reference are indicative ceilings for planning and value-for-money assessment. The current ToR provides for an indicative total of 132 participant-slots across the nine training modules, with final participant allocations to be confirmed by UNOPS and the PMU.Bidders should provide clear unit prices and/or pricing assumptions for variable, participant-dependent cost items, particularly catering, training materials, printing and other similar costs.The applicable unit prices shall remain fixed in accordance with the tender provisions. Where the final number of participants differs from the indicative quantities, the agreed unit price will be applied to the actual quantity authorized by UNOPS, subject to the terms and conditions of the resulting contract.Accordingly, a change in quantity will not constitute a change or adjustment to the agreed unit price. For example, where catering is priced on a per-participant basis, the fixed per-participant rate will be multiplied by the number of participants actually authorized for the relevant training session.Participant-dependent training materials should similarly be priced on a clearly identifiable unit basis where appropriate.Any material variation in quantities will remain subject to the applicable provisions of the solicitation documents and the resulting contract, including UNOPS' rights regarding quantity variations at award or during contract implementation.

New clarification added: 11. Bidders shall clearly identify the accreditation arrangements proposed for each applicable module.Where accreditation is required, bidders shall demonstrate either that they hold the relevant accreditation or that they have a formal arrangement with an appropriately accredited institution or professional body.Any proposed accreditation partner should be identified in the proposal, including the nature and validity of the accreditation.12.Participants who successfully complete the applicable training requirements shall receive a recognized certificate of completion., Bidders shall clearly describe: Type of certificate proposed; Certification requirements; Assessment requirements; Issuing organisation; Accreditation status, where applicable; andCertificate verification arrangements.The proposed certification arrangements shall be subject to UNOPS approval.13. For modules requiring e-learning or hybrid delivery, bidders shall provide an appropriate Learning Management System (LMS), unless UNOPS subsequently confirms that an existing platform will be used.The LMS shall support, as appropriate: Participant registration and management; Hosting of learning materials; Online assessments; Progress tracking; Certificate management; Reporting; Mobile access; andTechnical support.The e-learning platform and relevant learning content shall remain accessible to participants for a minimum period of twelve (12) months.The twelve-month access period shall commence from the date on which the relevant e-learning content is made available to participants, unless otherwise agreed in the contract.Bidders shall clearly identify any costs associated with LMS hosting, licensing, maintenance, user support, and continued access.14.Recording shall be provided for virtual and hybrid components where technically appropriate and subject to applicable consent, privacy, and data-protection requirements.Bidders may also propose recording selected in-person sessions where this provides clear learning value.The proposed approach should be described in the technical proposal.15.Bidders are encouraged to propose appropriate post-training support mechanisms to reinforce learning and promote application of acquired skills.These may Include:Coaching; Mentoring; Technical support; Follow-up virtual sessions; Practical assignments; Communities of practice; Helpdesk support; or Training-of-Trainer’s interventions.Any substantial additional support requiring additional resources should be clearly identified and costed.16.UNOPS and the PMU will coordinate arrangements concerning training venues and facilities.To enable UNOPS to determine the most cost-effective implementation arrangement, bidders shall provide separate pricing for training delivery and logistics, as required in the ToR.Where bidders propose to provide venues, internet connectivity, audio-visual equipment, catering, or other logistics, these costs shall be clearly identified and separately priced.17. Facilitator travel, accommodation, visas, local transportation, and related costs shall be clearly separated from professional training fees in the financial proposal.Bidders shall indicate their assumptions regarding these costs and identify whether they are included under the proposed logistics option.UNOPS reserves the right to arrange some or all logistics separately.18.The participant figures in the ToR are indicative ceilings for planning and value-for-money assessment, with a combined indicative total of 132 participant-slots.Final participant allocations and cohort arrangements will be confirmed by UNOPS and the PMU.Bidders should provide clear unit costs or pricing assumptions that allow UNOPS to assess the financial implications of reasonable changes in participant numbers or cohorts.Any material changes to the scope or volume of services will be managed in accordance with the resulting contract and subject to UNOPS approval.19.UNOPS does not prescribe a specific balance between international, Sierra Leonean, and other ECOWAS-based trainers.Bidders are encouraged to propose the most appropriate combination of international, national, and regional expertise based on the requirements of each module.Experience in Sierra Leone, West Africa, ECOWAS, and comparable energy-sector environments will be considered an advantage.20.The intellectual-property provisions of the ToR apply to materials and outputs developed specifically under this assignment.The service provider may retain ownership of legitimate pre-existing proprietary curricula, methodologies, templates, assessment tools, software, and LMS assets developed independently of this assignment.Where such pre-existing materials are incorporated into project deliverables, the service provider shall grant UNOPS an appropriate license to use, reproduce, retain, and make reasonable institutional use of those materials for purposes of the SOGREA Project.Any third-party materials shall only be used where the bidder has the appropriate rights or licenses.Bidders should clearly identify any proprietary components included in their proposal.21. Unless otherwise specified in the tender particulars, no overall or module-specific budget ceiling or fixed number of expert-days is prescribed in the ToR.Bidders shall submit a detailed and transparent financial proposal based on their proposed methodology, staffing, duration, participant assumptions, LMS arrangements, certification requirements, and logistics.22. The tender particulars indicate that performance security is not required for this procurement.Accordingly, bidders should not include performance security costs in their financial proposals.Any reference to performance security in relation to liquidated damages or contract execution should be read in conjunction with the tender particulars.In the event of any inconsistency, the formally issued tender documents, amendments, and official clarifications issued by UNOPS shall prevail. 

New clarification added: Please find below the answers to the questions:1. The Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA) was undertaken under the SOGREA Project and informed the identification and prioritisation of institutional and technical capacity-building needs across the participating energy sector institutions.The initial training package developed following the CNA and stakeholder validation comprised a broader list which was subsequently consolidated into ten (10) priority training modules.Following further review of the training package by the SOGREA technical team, including consideration of institutional priorities, relevance, sequencing, resource requirements, and the need to maintain a focused procurement package, the training list was further refined to nine (9) modules for the current procurement.2. The initial consolidated training package recommended ten (10) modules.Following further technical review and prioritisation, the technical team recommended nine (9) modules for procurement.As part of this review, the module on Community Engagement, Consumer Protection & Social Inclusion was removed from the procurement package.Accordingly, the current procurement requirement is for nine (9) training modules, as presented in Section 5 of the current ToR. Bidders should base their technical and financial proposals on these nine modules.The removal of the Community Engagement, Consumer Protection & Social Inclusion module does not imply that these themes are outside the broader objectives of the SOGREA Project; rather, they are not included as a standalone training module under this particular procurement.3. Bidders may recommend refinements to the content, sequencing, methodology, learning approach, or delivery arrangements based on their professional expertise and the identified capacity needs.However, the core objectives and thematic scope of the nine approved modules should be maintained.Any additional topics or significant modifications should be clearly identified, justified, and separately costed where they have financial implications. Additional scope should not be assumed to form part of the contract unless approved by UNOPS.4. Participants will comprise professional, technical, managerial, and relevant operational staff from the beneficiary institutions, with varying levels of responsibility and competency.The participant numbers included in the ToR are indicative ceilings for planning and value-for-money assessment.The service provider shall use appropriate pre-training assessments and consultations during the inception phase to establish or refine participant competency baselines and tailor training delivery accordingly.5. The service provider shall review relevant CNA findings, SOGREA documentation, national energy-sector policies and regulatory frameworks, and other relevant materials made available by UNOPS and the beneficiary institutions.Bidders may adapt existing training resources where they have the legal right to do so and where the resources are relevant to the assignment.All materials should be appropriately contextualised to Sierra Leone's energy sector and the specific learning needs of the participating institutions.6. The preferred approach is the development of common module-level curricula and learning resources, appropriately contextualised to the Sierra Leone energy sector.Where institutional mandates, responsibilities, or competency requirements differ significantly, bidders may propose appropriate contextualisation or institution-specific elements.Any substantial institution-specific customisation should be clearly described and costed separately where applicable.7.Practical and applied learning approaches are encouraged where appropriate to the objectives of each module.These may include case studies, simulations, scenario-based exercises, practical assignments, demonstrations, regulatory and PPP case exercises, GIS/digital-system exercises, or field visits where technically justified.Bidders should identify any proposed field visits, specialised facilities, laboratory requirements, or other practical activities and clearly state the associated costs and logistical assumptions.8.The ToR does not prescribe a fixed number of training days or contact hours for each module.Bidders should propose an appropriate duration and learning structure based on the complexity and objectives of each module.The proposal should clearly distinguish between:Face-to-face learning;Live virtual sessions;Facilitated workshops;Self-paced e-learning;Practical assignments; andAssessments.The proposed duration and contact hours should be justified against the learning objectives and content of each module.The final delivery schedule will be agreed with the selected service provider during the inception phase and will be subject to UNOPS approval.9.The assignment will be implemented within the overall period specified in the ToR and in accordance with the prioritization of the training modules.The current ToR identifies the following indicative prioritization:Short-TermModule 1: Leadership, Coordination & Institutional CohesionModule 2: Results-Based Project Management & Adaptive ImplementationModule 3: PPP Design, Negotiation & Investment CoordinationModule 4: Tariff Modelling, Regulation & Compliance OversightModule 8: Integration of RBF Mini-Grids within PPP, Regulatory Oversight & Contract Management TrackingModule 9: Integration of Health & SafetyMedium-TermModule 5: Digital Energy Systems, GIS & Real-Time MonitoringModule 6: MEL, KPI Harmonization & Reporting SystemsLong-TermModule 7: Environmental Safeguards, EIA & Solar Waste ManagementThe final sequencing, participant allocation, number of cohorts, and detailed training calendar will be agreed between UNOPS, the PMU, beneficiary institutions, and the selected service provider.10. All in-person training under this procurement will be conducted in Freetown, Sierra Leone, as specified in the ToR.Bidders may propose appropriate hybrid elements where these are consistent with the specified delivery modality and learning objectives. However, an in-person requirement should not be assumed to be replaceable entirely by virtual delivery.