Pre-qualification of Consultancy services for Provision of Public Opinion Survey to UNAMA (EOI/1 ...

1. Description: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Strategic Communications Unit (SCSU) proposes to engage the services of an external commercial consultancy firm to work closely with UNAMA SCSU to conduct a Public Opinion Survey to enhance the mission’s ability to understand local perceptions and thereby enhance the ability of the mission to implement its mandate as well as communicate more effectively to external audiences. 2. Timeline: The project will commence in June 2015 and conclude December 2015. Two separate large-scale surveys will take place during this period, with final survey reports expected at three-month intervals, with the geographic location limited to the provinces where UNAMA maintains a presence, including Kunduz, Nangarhar, Balkh, Herat, Kandahar, Bamyan, Paktya and Kabul. 3. Standards: The contracted agency will be expected to achieve an industry standard margin of error of +/-5 per cent in the survey results, and will be expected to product reports that tabulate the data in ways directed by the UNAMA SCSU project manager, depending on the particular needs of the mission during any given survey stage. 4. Services: A market research agency, specifically with Kabul offices, will work with UNAMA SCSU project managers on the Public Opinion Survey, meeting weekly and according to the details spelled out completely in the Scope of Work, and as follows: a. The contractor will conduct the survey and determine the specific number of Afghans to be polled in each of the targeted areas, to achieve an industry standard margin of error of +/-5 per cent for appropriate gender/age data disaggregation. b. The contractor will conduct the survey in two stages, and ensure all risks are appropriately mitigated with a formal Quality Assurance Plan and under the guidance of a UNAMA SCSU project manager. c. The contractor will conduct the survey, in each of the two stages, in the provinces of Kunduz, Nangarhar, Balkh, Herat, Kandahar, Bamyan Paktya and Kabul. d. The contractor will work with the UNAMA SCSU project manager to adjust survey requirements, as needed by the mission. e. The UNAMA SCSU project manager will analyse the data sets at each of the two stages, and guide the contractor in preparing all final survey reports, with the results being tabulated and reported in the manner most useful to UNAMA in any given stage (for example, with data disaggregated according to age, or age/gender, or age/gender/language, or age/gender/language/region. 5. Requirements: The consultancy firm will carry out its work under the guidance of a UNAMA SCSU project manager, according to the following requirements: a. The consutant must provide a detailed Action Plan outlining definitive timelines for each of the three survey stages, such as data-collection procedures, data-analysis mechanisms and report-compilation formats and outputs. b. The contractor must provide a Quality Assurance Plan consistent with the risks and mitigation measures outlined in the Scope of Work, and must maintain compliance with that plan for the contract duration to ensure the requirements of the contract are provided, as specified. c. The contractor will be paid on the basis of adherence to the agreed Action Plan and Quality Assurance Plan after each stage of the process, and depending on the acceptability of the survey report and data results. d. At no time during the term of the contract will the contractor perform any services different from those originally agreed to be provided, without receiving written instructions from the UNAMA SCSUproject manager, in which case both parties will formalise additional requests or adjustments in writing. e. All editorial control for the results of the survey will be vested with UNAMA. f. The contractor will designate one project manager, along with one alternate project manager, who will have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters related to the performance of the services required for the contract, and will liaise directly with the UNAMA SCSU project manager. g. The contractor’s project manager, or the designated alternate, will be fully available and reachable Sunday to Thursday (excluding holidays), between the hours of 8:00 and 17:00 to meet any service requirement calls by the UNAMA SCSU project manager or the designated alternate UNAMA SCSU project manager. h. Following the commencement of the contract, the contractor will provide UNAMA SCSU, in writing and within two days, the name and contact details of the project manager, and alternate, who will be available during the times stated above. 6. Qualifications: a. The contractor must have prior experience in the production of large-scale public opinion polls and perception surveys, in addition to possessing research experience, to be able to accommodate the requirement for rendering the data in a usable form for various outputs – not merely narrative. b. The contractor must have demonstrated competence, with evidence of prior work in Afghanistan, to be able to effectively derive survey data through segments/samples designed to achieve the expected margin of error of +/-5 per cent. c. The contractor’s project manager designated to oversee the work must have a minimum requirement of a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years of intensive experience specifically in formal large-scale research surveys. d. The contractor must ensure its key project personnel have at least three years of relevant experience in conducting research surveys. e. The staff members and other operatives employed by the contractor and/or agents of the contractor must be sufficient in number and must have the appropriate qualifications, skills and experience to ensure satisfactory execution of all requirements outlined in the Scope of Work. f. The contractor’s outputs should be able to accommodate different renderings of the acquired quantitative data, whether in database format, in narrative form, or other presentation mechanisms, as required by UNAMA after each stage of the three-stage process. g. The contractor’s project manager and alternate must have fluent English language skills to liaise with the UNAMA SCSU project managers. h. The contractor must provide evidence that it is in a position to secure the necessary movement clearances in the provinces where the survey will be undertaken. i. The contractor must provide evidence of the organisation’s previous experience in conducting research surveys in Afghanistan, a description of prior experience of at least three years of intensive work in the provision of this kind of service, visual evidence of its physical operations centre, and evidence of the qualifications of the organisations with which the vendor intends to work for the purpose of subcontracting parts of the survey (if any). j. The contractor must have the required labour, stationery, transportation, permits and supervision of its personnel; must be able to make all necessary arrangements to ensure the fulfilment of its obligations under the contract for the entire duration of contract; and must be able to ensure that all of its personnel, facilities, material and supplies are in place by the date of mobilisation specified in the contract. 7. Extension: This survey project will be initially budgeted and scheduled for six (6) months, and will be conducted, as specified, in two (2) intervals from June to December 2015. The option of extending the contract for another one (1) year, with an additional four stages of survey data in each of the provinces mentioned above, is retained. 8. Evaluation: For pre-qualification, the following criteria will be applied to all potential contractors: a. Company structure and organization b. Financial capability and staff resources c. Country-wide reach and knowledge of Afghan issues d. Proven experience in conducting mass public opinion surveys e. Academic qualifications for key staff, especially the designated project manager. f. The proven ability to compile and render data in different formats. g. And other criteria, as outlined above. Please note that this notice is issued only to allow companies to express their interest; it does not constitute a solicitation. Submitting an EOI does not automatically guarantee that a company will be considered for receipt of the tender. UNAMA reserves the right to change or cancel its requirement at any time. Details for the requirement will be provided in the solicitation documents to the invited vendors. Please deliver your Expression of Interest and all requested information with supporting documents Either by hand delivery to Chief Procurement Officer, UNAMA, C/O UNOCA Complex, Jalalabad Road, Kabul, Afghanistan, OR by Email to: haider@un.org and copy to unama-procurement@un.org. Closing date for submitting your EOI: 29 April 2015.