US Institute of Peace
Request for Proposals
United States Institute of Peace
Trainers on Peacebuilding and Nonviolent Action
(Open for National and International)
Relevant locations: Tunis, Tabarka, Siliana, Ben Guerdane, Sfax
Release Date: November 15, 2023
RFP Due Date: 23:00pm Tunis Time on November 30, 2023
Refer Questions to:
Submit Response to:
Ms Sabrine Laribi
Ms Sabrine Laribi
7Ms Amal Al-Hakimi
Ms. Amal Al-Hakimi
Pertinent responses will be made available to all offerors by e-mail. No inquiries will be accepted after specified time and date.
The response must be submitted by time and date listed above to be considered.
Introduction and Background
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflicts. For more information, please visit http://www.usip.org.
In Tunisia, USIP works with the government, civil society, and other relevant actors to address pressing challenges threatening the country’s stability, prosperity, and peace. This includes work on security sector reform, community dialogue and conflict resolution, education and training, civil society development, and responsive governance.
USIP has recently launched a new project with support from U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on local environmental governance. The project seeks to foster collaboration between local communities, government, and other relevant stakeholders to solve priority local environmental issues in four locales across Tunisia: Tabarka, Siliana, Ben Guerdane, and Sfax.
Purpose of the RFP
USIP’s Tunisia program will engage four trainers to work with USIP to develop and deliver curriculum to civil society that prepares them to use inclusive, constructive, and strategic nonviolent action and peacebuilding approaches and tools to engage subnational government on environmental crises. This opportunity is open to Tunisian national and international offerors. This opportunity is open to individuals as well as organizations or companies with the relevant expertise and personnel.
The trainers will co-develop the training curriculum for civil society organizations (CSOs) and activists and deliver tailored content to groups of local organizations and activists in four (4) locales: Tabarka, Siliana, Ben Guerdane and Sfax. Competitive offerors will have at least ten (10) years of demonstrated experience in community mobilization, facilitation, peacebuilding, conflict resolution/transformation, strategic planning, governance, and advocacy. A master’s degree in international development, peacebuilding, conflict resolution or any other related field is preferred. Given that the objective of this consultancy is to prepare CSOs and activists to engage with state and private sector actors to address environmental issues, offerors should highlight any previous experiences working on environment and climate issues or other complex governance issues.
Proficiency in Arabic and English for national trainers is essential. For international trainers, proficiency in English is essential. Arabic or French are preferred.
Background and Scope of Work
Under the project’s objective to foster trust between the government and the community to address pressing environmental issues in the four selected locales, USIP will support and mobilize local organizations and activists active in these communities, by providing them with a safe and constructive space for collaboration, acquiring knowledge, approaches and skills for community mobilization and constructive engagement with government to resolve or mitigate environmental degradation challenges exacerbated byclimate change. These trainings should provide Tunisian CSOs with the necessary skills to engage with state and private sector actors to address environmental issues in their communities.
USIP anticipates selecting up to four trainers with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Upon selection, these trainers are expected to work collaboratively to co-develop and co-design a training curriculum for Tunisian civil society in four locales, and implement series of trainings as the following:
• Training on peacebuilding approaches and skills for 20 participants in each locale.
• Training on nonviolent action and inclusive community mobilization for 20 participants in each locale.
• Training and workshops on strategic planning for 20 participants in each locale.
• Two-day training (based on needs) to improve dialogue, negotiation, mediation, and non-violent action skills throughout project implementation in four locales.
To achieve these objectives, the trainers will work with USIP to update, expand, and further tailor existing curriculum and pedagogical approaches and deliver this series of training. The selected contractors are expected to work with the USIP Tunisia program and USIP’s environmental governance experts to tailor the curriculum to the projects and target identifiedneeds. The curriculum will need to include an adapted selection of peacebuilding approaches and skills for civil society (such as but not limited to conflict analysis, conflict resolution, dialogue, mediation, facilitation, and negotiation), Non-violent action approaches and techniques (such as creative non-violent action, community mobilization, coalition building, awareness raising, advocacy etc), and strategic planning.
After jointly developing the curriculum, USIP envisions forming two training teams of two individuals. The four selected trainers are expected to deliver the trainings in duo as the following:
– Two trainers responsible for delivering the trainings mentioned above for civil society in Tabarka and Siliana.
– In parallel, two trainers will be responsible for delivering the same trainings for civil society in Sfax and Ben Guerdane.
USIP will be responsible for the coordination between all trainers and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of each trainer, once selected. USIP expects to meet regularly with the trainers to monitor and evaluate curriculum development, provide feedback on initial drafts, approve the final version and monitor the implementation and the quality of training delivery.
Also, USIP is responsible for the logistical operations in relation to implementing the trainings. This includes the accommodation and transportation of the trainers.
Tentative Timeline
A tentative timeline for the completion of deliverables is provided below. USIP will work with the selected offeror to finalize deliverables and deliverable due dates upon selection.
Deliverable
Estimated Due Date
D1
Co-develop the training curriculum for three (3) workshops (
January 5, 2024
D2
Co-deliver a three-day training on peacebuilding approaches and skills for 20 participants in each locale (40 participants in total considering two locales)
February 15, 2024
D3
Co-deliver a two-day training on nonviolent action and community mobilization for 20 participants in each locale (40 participants in total considering two locales)
March 15, 2024
D4
Co-deliver a three-day training and workshop on strategic planning for 20 participants in each locale (40 participants in total considering two locales)
April 15, 2024
D5
Co-develop and co-deliver a two-day training (based on needs) to improve dialogue, negotiation, mediation, and non-violent action skills throughout project implementation (40 participants in total considering two locales)
July 30, 2024
Level of Effort
Working days should not exceed Thirty-six (36) working days per trainer, and one hundred and Forty-five (145)working days for a team of four in total. This is an estimation, USIP will work with selected offerors to agree on a final calculation of working days.
Expected Type of Contract: Firm fixed price
Submission Requirements
Any proposal that does not contain all items listed below may be considered nonresponsive. Please read attentively the terms and conditions attached to this request before submitting your application. For more detail on the selection process, including corresponding evaluation criteria, please see Evaluation Criteria in Section V below. To be considered under this RFP, please submit the following:
Technical Narrative
The technical narrative proposal should be no more than 5pages and include the following sections:
Prior Experience:
Describe at least two projects of similar scope and complexity you have worked on previously that highlight your experience and knowledge in curriculum development, in training and coaching communities and activists in peacebuilding, advocacy, community mobilization, strategic planning, conflict transformation, coalition building, and facilitating workshops with CSOs. Also include details on your previous experiences in co-facilitating training and ability to collaborate. Provide a point of contact with telephone number and email address for each of the described projects.
Overall Approach and Methodology:
Based on the information provided, describe the proposed approach to curriculum development, training, and facilitation. As noted above, the final approach and methodology will be developed in consultation with USIP.
Key Personnel, Staffing, and Specific Expertise
Describe the key personnel, their role, their level of knowledge, and how their experience is related and beneficial. For organizations or consultancy agencies, describe the overall staffing plan for the work.
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Please provide a CV of no more than 5 pages for allessential personnel. CVs will not count towards technicalnarrative proposal page limit.
Cost Proposal
Provide a detailed budget specifying hourly or daily rate and any other costs and a budget narrative. Budget must be in US dollars. Detailed budgets should be in USIP’s spreadsheet template, attached to this RFP. (e.g., Excel). USIP will cover all travel and logistical operations needed to implement the deliverables described above. Offerors do not need to include any travel or logistical costs in their offer.
Financial Management Assessment Form
Organizations must complete the Financial Management Assessment Form unless they have received Federal grants, contracts or cooperative agreements in the past two years and can provide their audited financial statement from their most recent fiscal year. This form is not required for applicants applying as individuals.
Certification Page
Complete and sign the Certification Page below and submit with the proposal.
Selection Process
Schedule
Date
Schedule
November 15, 2023
RFP issued
November 24, 2023
Questions concerning RFP and project emailed to [email protected] and [email protected] no later than 23:00 Tunis Time.
November 28, 2023
Answers to questions will be made available to all offerors.
November 30, 2023
Proposals are due no later than 23:00 Tunis Time. Late submissions may not be accepted.
December 5, 2024
Notification to selected offeror(s)
December 10, 2024
Estimated project commencement date
USIP may adjust dates in the schedule or cancel this RFP at any time prior to contract award.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria below. For more detail on each submission requirement, see Section IV of this RFP. USIP’s Selection Committee will review all proposals received on time using the evaluation criteria established below based on the bestoverall value offered to USIP. The Selection Committee reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to award multiple contracts, and/or to enternegotiations with any party, in the best interests of the Institute.
Evaluation Criteria
Weight
Technical narrative:
• Prior experience
• Overall approach and methodology
• Key Personnel, Staffing, and Specific Expertise
40%
CVs
20%
Cost Proposal
30%
References
10%
C.General Instructions and Terms
1. Complete proposals must be submitted by email to [email protected] and [email protected] by 23:00pm Tunis time on November 24, 2023.
2. The Institute is not liable for any costs incurred by offerors prior to issuance of an executed contract with the Institute.
3. Submissions must be typed and submitted electronically and must include all submission requirements outlined in the Submission of Requirements section of this RFP. No changes or corrections to a response will be allowed after the deadline.
4. All submissions should be in English and US dollars.
5. Any questions concerning this RFP should be directed to Sabrine Laribi at [email protected] or Amal Al-Hakimi [email protected]. . Pertinent responses will be made available to all offerors by email. No inquiries will be accepted after the specified time and date.
6. Any proposal not addressing all RFP requirements may be considered non-responsive. Late proposals may be rejected as non-responsive.
7. This RFP is not an offer to enter into an agreement with any party, but rather a request to receive proposals from offerors (organizations or persons) interested in providing the services outlined herein. Such proposals shall be considered and treated by USIP as offers to enter into a contract.
8. USIP shall not be obligated for the payment of any sums whatsoever to any recipient of this RFP until and unless a written contract between the parties is executed.
9. Unless stated otherwise within this RFP, the selected Contractor shall be responsible for providing all equipment and/or supplies required to perform the services.
10. The selected Contractor shall not discriminate against any person in accordance with Federal, state, or local law.
11. The submission of any materials to USIP in response to this RFP will constitute (i) a representation that the Offeror owns or has unrestricted license to use and license such materials and all intellectual property expressed therein; and (ii) the grant of a non-exclusive license to USIP to use such materials and intellectual property for any purpose, including specifically the evaluation, negotiation, and documentation of a contract with any party.
12. The offeror will commit to adhering to the attached USIP Terms & Conditions, else risk removal from consideration. Exceptions to these terms must be clearly outlined in an annex to the Technical Proposal.
13.
Certification Page
(Please submit with the proposal)
A. The Offeror certifies that: (1) Prices in the offer have been arrived at independently without consultation, communication, or agreement with any other competitor; (2) Prices in the offer have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed by the offeror, directly or indirectly, to any other competitor before bid opening or contract award unless otherwise required by law; and (3) No attempt has been made or will be made by the offeror to induce any other competitor to/not to submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition.
B. Has the offeror received funding from USIP? Yes/NO
If yes, provide the grant or contract number and the offeror’s main point of contact at USIP:___________________________________________________________________________________
On Behalf of Offeror:
Name of Organization or Independent Contractor
Signature of Authorized Official
Printed Name of Authorized Official
Title
Date
How to apply
To apply for this position, please use the following URL:
https://ars2.equest.com/?response_id=6a3bf8d12240fa026dc16871ed6aa55a