Creative
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
Gender Integration and Inclusion Advisor – Consultant
To: Offerors
From: Creative Associates International, Inc.
Subject: Request for Proposal (RFP)- RFP-JTAP-003
Performance Period: March 04, 2022 – April 30, 2023 / 90 Days
RFP Issue Date: 17 February 2022
RFP Closing Date: 27 February 2022
Reference: USAID Contract No. 72027821C00005
Enclosed is a Request for Proposals (RFP). Creative invites qualified Individuals to submit a best-value proposal for Gender Integration and Inclusion Advisor. The issuance of a contract is subject to availability of funds and successful negotiation of the contract budget and terms. The Contracts resulting from this Request for Proposal will be a Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA)**.
The requirements for this activity are described in the “Statement of Work” in Attachment A. Creative encourages your Individual to indicate its interest in this procurement by submitting a proposal according to the instructions in Attachment B “Instructions to Offerors.” Proposals will be evaluated based on the “Evaluation Criteria” in Attachment C. Creative will make an award to the responsible Offeror submitting an offer that provides best value to the project: technical merit and price will be both considered.
To be considered, Offerors should submit a complete proposal no later than the closing date and time indicated above. Offerors should ensure that the proposals are well-written in English, easy to read, follow the instructions provided and contain only requested information.
Any questions should be submitted in writing and emailed to [email protected] no later than February 13, 2022. No questions will be entertained if they are received by means other than the specified email address, and any communications to alternate e-mail addresses will result in the disqualification of the bidder. The solicitation number (listed above) should be stated in the subject line. Answers will be compiled and distributed within three days from the closing date of questions.
Proposals must be comprised of one electronic copy of the Technical Proposal and one electronic copy of the Cost/Business proposal, sent in separate files, and labeled with the above-stated subject, subproject number and title. Submissions shall be delivered to:
Creative Procurement Department at
Sincerely,
Creative Procurement Department
Attachments:
ATTACHMENT A: Statement of Work
ATTACHMENT B: Instructions to Offerors
ATTACHMENT C: Evaluation Criteria
ATTACHMENT D: Proposal Cover Letter
ATTACHMENT A:
STATEMENT OF WORK FOR
Gender Integration and Inclusion Advisor – Consultant
1- Introduction
Creative Associates International is a dynamic and fast-growing professional service firm that specializes in international development in the areas of education, democratic transitions, and stabilization in post-conflict environments. Based in Washington, DC, the firm has a field presence in 30 plus countries worldwide with a strong and diverse portfolio that includes global contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other clients including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense. The firm has earned a solid reputation among its clients and missions worldwide and is well- regarded by competitors and partners alike.
2- Background
USAID/ Technical Assistance Program (TAP), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is a five-year education and youth project that seeks to transform the organizational culture and improve the abilities within the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth to ensure officials can implement desired reforms. Creative and its partners will provide technical assistance in the development, roll-out, and tracking of policies and procedures to incorporate international best practices for public education and youth programming. Among the many activities in the USAID/ Technical Assistance Program, it will support curriculum development, promote inclusive learning techniques, improve the skills of teachers and school managers, and other tangible activities that ultimately support changing the organizational culture within the two ministries and relevant agencies. The program will further support Jordan’s outreach and behavioral change communications initiatives that are aimed at creating a culture of reading, the inclusion of vulnerable children, and increased youth engagement.
3- Objective:
The Gender Integration and Inclusion Advisor will work with and advise TAP teams to ensure that activities are designed, implemented, monitored, and evaluated with a gender and inclusive lens and take advantage of gender integration and inclusion opportunities. The Gender Integration and Inclusion Advisor will guide interventions that improve gender integration and inclusion within GOJ culture, systems, and processes and enhance counterparts’ capacity to design and manage education and youth programs that are gender sensitive and inclusive of marginalized populations.
4- Primary Role and Responsibilities:
· Support TAP team’s deep and evolving understanding of the gender norms and their impact on the GOJ Organizational Culture, stakeholders’ existing gender integration and inclusion strategies and organizational structure to ensure technical assistance is in alignment with partner needs.
· Provide informed, high quality, technical assistance, training, and, coaching including gender and inclusion analysis and development of action plans, to support stakeholders in gender and inclusion-intentional and/or transformative initiatives.
· Serve as an adviser to team on gender integration and inclusion, and work with teams to design activities with a gender and inclusion lens.
· Facilitate gender integration and inclusion planning workshops and co-develop gender integration action plan with TAP teams.
· Guide the processes of cocreating an organizational culture that is inclusive, promotes equity, and supports positive gender dynamics
· Collaborate with TAP teams on designing the Program Response for Organizational Culture Integrate evidenced-based interventions to transform gender norms into behavior change activities. Guide TAP team on ensuring that activities are not unintentionally reinforcing unequal gender norms.
· Provide guidance on adaptation of training and technical materials for the target audiences and testing them within select GOJ divisions.
· Guide TAP’s Technical and Institutional Capacity efforts to Deliver Gender Equitable Outcomes and Promote Gender Equality
· Lead the design and delivery of face-to-face and virtual training on gender integration and inclusion using participatory and adult learning approaches.
5- Required Qualifications:
· Masters’ Degree is required in a related field.
· Minimum of 10+ years of general work experience, and 6+ years’ experience in integrating gender and inclusion in projects in developing countries, preferably USAID-funded and in Jordan and the Middle East region.
· Experience in integrating gender equity, women’s economic empowerment and inclusion with government ministries and their counterparts.
· In-depth knowledge of gender and social inclusion considerations (constraints and opportunities) in Jordan.
· Experience with USAID gender and inclusion frameworks and analytical tools.
· Demonstrated experience advising on gender-sensitive and inclusive monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities
· Proven ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment.
· Fluency in Spoken and Written English.
· Fluency in English and Arabic (spoken and written)
6- Key Working Relationships:
This position will administratively and technically report to TAP chief of Party in TAP
7- Level of Effort (LOE) of the Gender Integration and Inclusion Advisor is 90 workdays
8- List of Tasks, Performance benchmark, LOE (days) and Timeline
Tasks
1:_TAP Gender integration and inclusion strategy:
TAP strategy for gender integration and inclusion towards promoting equity and supports positive gender dynamics.
· TAP programmatic Response for Organizational Culture that integrate evidenced-based interventions to transform gender norms into behavior change activities.
Design and delivery training program on gender integration and inclusion for GOJ leaders
Ongoing advisory support to TAP team and counterparts:
· Technical assistance, and coaching
· Review of strategy / policy document
· Facilitate gender integration and inclusion planning workshops
· Adaptation of training and technical materials
2:Design and delivery training program on gender integration and inclusion for GOJ leaders
3:Ongoing advisory support to TAP team and counterparts:
· Technical assistance, and coaching
· Review of strategy / policy document
· Facilitate gender integration and inclusion planning workshops
Adaptation of training and technical materials **
Performance Benchmarks
1: Gender integration and inclusion strategy – 20 LOE -Estimated timeline 30 May-2022
2: Several training reports – 20 LOE -Estimated timeline upon completion of each training
3: Several monthly progress reports – 50 LOE – Estimated timeline – End of each month
The above LOE is tentative and subject to increase or decrease depending on program needs
Project Location:** Wadi Saqra, Arrar Street, Bldg. # 201, 1st Floor, Amman, Jordan
Period of Performance:
Creative anticipates issuing a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) valid for a Period of Performance of approximately one year base up to three -years options that will be exercised in writing by Creative.
Ordering Procedure:
Purchases may only be made by Creative via written FP Level of Effort (LOE) Work Orders and executed by the authorized individuals listed in the BPA.
Daily rates are based on an 8-hour working day. Any hours worked in excess of 8 hours will not be paid. Working days consisting of less than 8 hours shall be prorated accordingly.
How to apply
Attachment B
INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS
A. General Instructions
These Instructions to Offerors will not form part of the offer or of the Contract. They are intended solely to aid Offerors in the preparation of their proposals. Read and follow these instructions carefully.
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The proposal and all corresponding documents related to the proposal must be written in the English language, unless otherwise explicitly allowed. Additionally, all proposals should be single-spaced with clear section headings, and be presented in the order specified in Attachment C – Evaluation Criteria.
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Proposals must include only the Offeror’s own work. No text should be copied from sources outside of, unless those sources are adequately cited and credited. If Creative determines that any part of the proposal is plagiarized from outside sources, the Offeror will be automatically disqualified.
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Proposals and all cost and price figures must be presented in JOD. All prices should be tax Exempted. professional services agreement will be issued to the successful offeror in local currency and subject for 5 % service tax deduction as per in accordance with enacted Jordanian legislations
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The Offeror must state in their Proposal the validity period of their offer. The minimum offer acceptance period for this RFP is 90 days after closing date of the RFP. If an Offeror has provided a validity period of less than 90 days, they will be asked to revise this. If the Offeror does not extend the validity period, their proposal will be rejected. Creative reserves the right not to make an award.
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The Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal must be kept separate from each other. Technical Proposals must not make reference to cost or pricing information at any point. This will enable the technical evaluation to be made strictly on the basis of technical merit.
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No costs incurred by the Offerors in preparing and submitting the proposal are reimbursable by Creative. All such costs will be at the Offeror’s expense.
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Responsibility Determination: Award shall only be made to “responsive” Offerors. To enable Creative to make this determination, the Offeror must provide a cover letter, as provided in Attachment D.
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Late Offers: Offerors are wholly responsible for ensuring that their Offers are received in accordance with the instructions stated herein. A late Offer will be recommended for rejection, even if it was late as a result of circumstances beyond the Offeror’s control. Late offers will only be considered at the procurement department’s discretion.
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Modification/Withdrawal of Offers: Offerors have the right to withdraw, modify or correct their offer after it has been delivered to Creative at the e-mail address stated above, and provided that the request is made before the RFP closing date.
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Disposition of Proposals: Proposals submitted in response to this RFP will not be returned. Reasonable effort will be made to ensure confidentiality of proposals received from all Offerors. This RFP does not seek information of a highly proprietary nature, but if such information is included in the Offeror’s proposal, the Offeror must alert Creative and must annotate the material by marking it “Confidential and Proprietary” so that these sections can be treated appropriately.
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Clarifications and Amendments to the RFP: Any questions regarding this solicitation must be emailed to [email protected] . No questions/clarifications will be entertained if they are received by another means. The solicitation number should be stated in the subject. Responses will be compiled and posted on Creative’s procurement
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Creative anticipates that discussions with Offerors will be conducted; however, Creative reserves the right to make an award without discussions. It is strongly recommended that Offerors present their best offer.
Failure to agree and comply with any of the above instructions will result in the Offeror being considered unresponsive and the proposal may be rejected.
B. Submission of Proposal:
Proposals must be submitted in two separate files via the email address below:
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E-mail 1 – Technical Proposal
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E-mail 2 – Cost proposal
Each e-mail should be clearly labeled with the RFP number and position title.
Proposals must be delivered no later than the specified date/time to the address below.
And who do not submit their technical and cost proposals separately will be automatically disqualified.
C. Content of Proposal:
The proposal shall be comprised of Three sections: **
i. Cover Letter (Attachment D)
ii. Technical Proposal
iii. Cost Proposal
1) The Cover Letter: should be on the Offeror’s and MUST contain the information requested in Attachment D.
2) Technical Proposal:
a. The Technical Proposal is the opportunity for the Offeror to demonstrate that the Individual is “technically capable” of implementing the activity, and should demonstrate the Offeror’s understanding of and capabilities to carry out the work, and address the key issues described in the Evaluation Criteria in Attachment III.
b. The Technical Proposal should be divided into clearly separate sections following the same order of the Evaluation Criteria in Attachment III. A mis-ordered proposal that makes information hard to find will result in lower scores.
c. If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.
3) The Cost Proposal**:** must be submitted separately from the technical proposal and will primarily indicate the cost for performing the work.
Failure to comply with any of the above points will result in the Offeror being considered “unresponsive” and the proposal may be rejected.
If an Offeror provides insufficient information in their technical and/or cost proposal, Creative reserves the right to request additional information, or to request a revised proposal from the Offeror, if necessary. Creative reserves the right to make no award, or multiple awards, under this RFP.
A**ttachment C**
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Basis of Award: The award will be made to the offeror whose offer presents the Best Value: the optimal combination of technical merits and reasonable cost. Proposals will be scored on technical factors first. Only the Cost proposals of those offers that surpass the minimum qualifying score of 70 points in the technical evaluation will have their Cost Proposal reviewed. Those that do not reach this qualifying score in the Technical Evaluation will be considered non-competitive EVALUATION CRITERIA
1. Technical Competence – presented in the Technical Proposal (70 points)
The award will be given to the person who achieves the highest score within the following competitive criteria
A. Qualifications and education: 70 marks (allocated to them, and a minimum of 10 must be obtained to pass, Submit in CV)
B. Past Performance (30 Marks)
As described in below: The evaluation will be done according to the criteria shown
Item
Requirement
Points Available
Qualifications and education
The applicant must attach the academic qualifications and any evidence of experience, success stories and other recommendations that he/she deems appropriate to support his file along with resume
70 points
Past Performance and experience
Document and summarize your proven track record of successfully implementing similar activities to include a description of similar services provided in the past and any lessons learned that will be incorporated into the activity described in this RFP.
Offerors with past performance with similar activity, in the same geographic area and/or of similar scale to the activity described in this RFP will be scored more favorably than offerors that do not meet these criteria.
Please note that Offerors cannot be evaluated on information that they do not provide. For example, if an Offeror has current/past performance working with Creative, they cannot be positively evaluated on this experience unless it is provided in the Offeror’s proposal.
30 points
Total
100
If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.
B. Past Performance and Experience
Document and summarize your proven track record of successfully performing similar services. Using the exact table format provided below, please list only services you have performed within the past three years including specific projects worked on by consultants within the firm, a brief description of how each is relevant to this RFP, and the contact details for each previous client or donor. You may also include recommendation/appreciation letters and certificates as attachments.
Offerors with past performance with similar services, in the same geographic area and/or of similar scale to the activity described in this RFP will be scored more favorably than offerors that do not meet these criteria. Please note that Offerors cannot be evaluated on information that they do not provide. For example, if an Offeror has current/past performance working with Creative, they cannot be positively evaluated on this experience unless it is provided in the Offeror’s proposal.
C. Attachments (Not Scored)
You may include recommendation/appreciation letters and certificates as attachments, or any other documentation you wish to further support your proposal, stapled/bound separately from the rest of the technical proposal. Content presented here will not be scored.
1. Cost Reasonableness & Financial Capability – presented in Cost Proposal. Not Scored.
Submit fully burdened rates for each category, including illustrative consultant rates Creative’s review of the Cost Proposal shall determine if the overall costs proposed are realistic for the work to be performed, reflect a correct understanding of the project requirements, and are consistent with the Offeror’s Technical Proposal. Creative will also review individual line items and determine if they are allowable, allocable, and reasonable.
Creative reserves the right to request additional supporting documentation or a revised proposal from an Offeror if insufficient information has been provided in the Offeror’s technical and/or cost proposal. If the requested information is not provided, Creative has the right to disqualify the firm from further consideration.
ATTACHMENT D
FORMAT FOR PROPOSAL COVER LETTER – TO BE PRINTED ON ORGANIZATIONAL LETTERHEAD
City, Country
To: Creative Procurement Team
Dear Sir / Madam:
We, the undersigned, offer to undertake the [Insert RFP No], [Insert project title], in accordance with your Request for Proposal dated [Insert MM/DD/YYYY] and our Technical and Cost Proposal submitted herein.
Offeror personal details are as follows:
i. Offeror Name
ii. Offeror Address
iii. Telephone #/Cellular Phone #, Email address:
iv. Validity Period of Proposal
v. Copy of the Offeror ID
Our proposal shall be binding upon us, subject to any modifications resulting from negotiation, up to expiration of the validity period of the proposal. We understand you are not bound to accept this or any Proposal you receive.
The Offeror also certify that:
a) The ability to comply with the described delivery or performance schedule, taking into consideration all existing commitments and constraints;
b) have a satisfactory performance record;
c) have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics;
d) have the necessary technical capacity,
e) otherwise, qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations.
Sincerely,
Authorized Signature:
Name of Signatory:
Date: