Expression of Interest (EOI)

Consultancy Services for the Training of tour guides and tour operators on health and safety 

Cosoft: 83412068

Background

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. GIZ has worked in Rwanda for over 30 years. The primary objectives between the Government of Rwanda and the Federal Republic of Germany are poverty reduction and promotion of sustainable development. To achieve these objectives, GIZ Rwanda is active in the sectors of Decentralization and Good Governance, Economic Development and Employment Promotion, Energy, and ICT (Information and Communications Technology).

General Context of Eco-Emploi 2020 – 2022

Over the last decade, Rwanda has experienced robust economic growth. However, the rate of unemployment and underemployment is still high. With strategies like the National Strategy for Transformation (NST 1) and the Private Sector Development and Youth Employment Strategy (PSDYES), the Government of Rwanda is promoting skills development and the creation of off-farm jobs. The bilateral programme for the “Promotion of Economy and Employment (Eco-Emploi)”, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ as part of the priority area “Sustainable Economic Development” of the Rwandan-German Development Cooperation, is supporting these efforts.

Eco-Emploi incorporates an integrated approach of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Labour Market Interventions (LMI), and Private Sector Development (PSD) and is being implemented by GIZ between January 2020 and December 2022. The programme aims at employment-intensive growth in selected economic sectors, namely the wood industry, tourism & hospitality, and film industry, with a special focus on digitalization. The economic empowerment of women, youth, and people with disabilities are a crosscutting effort in all activities of the programme. Eco-Emploi works towards achieving SDG 1 “No poverty”, SDG 4 “High-quality education”, SDG 5 “Gender equality” and SDG 8 “Decent work and economic growth”.

Rationale of the Assignment

Not least due to the Covid-19 pandemic, tourists are increasingly aware of the risks associated with their travel abroad and therefore safety is a very important criterion in the choice a destination. For this reason, international tour operators are increasingly asking local service providers to better manage the risks associated with tourism activities. As a result, tourism operators are encouraged to demonstrate that they have operational risk management procedures in place (e.g. emergency plans, fire and safety plans, certified guides in first aid trainings). And although policies and guidelines regarding workplace safety and health are in place in Rwanda, there are challenges in implementation and enforcement. Most tourism providers in Rwanda are Micro, Small or Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the informal sector and are often not able to invest in necessary equipment or trainings for their staff. Also, as in many developing and emerging countries, many tour operators and their local service providers (guides, drivers, accommodation managers) in Rwanda still face difficulties in applying international safety standards.

Objective of the assignment

The general objective of this assignment is to increase the capacity of tour guides and tour operators in Rwanda in occupational health and safety measures and risk assessment. The specific objectives of this assignment are to develop and implement a five-day training in “risk assessment and risk management training in tour guiding/adventure tourism” and to organise and implement two two-day first-aid trainings for tour guides and tour operators.

Tasks and deliverables

Organise an inception meeting and present strategy, workplan and methodology 

Development and implementation of a five-day training in in “risk assessment and risk management training in tour guiding/adventure tourism”

Step 1: Desk Review

In this step, the aim is to identify the basic training needs from the target groups and agree on the ways of work such as timelines, availing participants and collaboration. This review will show the gaps to fill in, in terms of Health and Safety.

Step 2: Development of Training Modules

At this step, based on the recommendations from the desk review, and based on the “Adventure Tourism Handbook” (which will be provided during the inception phase) a training outline and training materials will be developed. The outline and materials should be contextualized

in line with the given qualification framework and standards in Rwandan. Hence, stakeholder consultants with relevant institutions are required.

Step 3: Training preparation

This step will involve organising the training in terms of logistics needed to cover the whole target group for which the contractor will be responsible: venue, transportation, accommodation, catering, covid-19 testing and other prevention measures etc.

Step 4: Training of 20 participants

Training participants include not only direct beneficiaries (tour operators and guides), but also potential multipliers (such as teachers or focal persons in their respective enterprise) to support the roll-out of the training in the future and to reach more beneficiaries indirectly. The participants will be selected together with GIZ Eco-Emploi.

Step 5: Hand-over training materials and ensure sustainability of the intervention

After all materials will be handed over to the chamber of tourism and the Rwanda TVET Board for future use and roll-out of the training.

Organisation and implementation of 2-day first aid trainings

The contractor is expected to identify a suitable training provider and implement 2 two-day first aid trainings for tour guides and tour operators. 30 Participants will be selected together with GIZ Eco-Emploi.

Final report

Timeframe of the assignment  

The timeframe of this assignment will be three months after signing of the contract.

Reporting, monitoring and evaluation

The contractor will report to GIZ Eco-Emploi. The monitoring and evaluation of the training will be conducted by GIZ Eco-Emploi and supported by the contractor.

Assignment of experts

The tenderer is required to present a human resources concept that covers the areas of tasks and deliverables (from section 4) in their entirety.

In addition, the tenderer must show how the team members will interact in dealing with the following themes:

• Theme 1 “Risk assessment and risk management training”
• Theme 2 “First-aid training”

The human resources concept must specify the positions, tasks and required qualifications for each proposed expert and also describe the composition of the team and the interaction of all the team members (in other words, the proposed positions) for the completion of the tasks as a whole.

The tenderer must offer staff for the positions it has described and provide corresponding CVs (see section 9).

Information for tenderers: A summary assessment of the team proposed by the tenderer in this section is carried out to determine whether the staff with the specified qualifications, taking into consideration the assignment periods (given in section 5), are able to take on the areas of tasks and deliverables (from section 4) (section 2.8.1 of the assessment grid) and deal with Theme 1 and Theme 2 (section 2.8.2 and 2.8.3 of the assessment grid).

Costing Requirements 

The total price should cover all the contractor’s expenses that are required in order to fulfil the contract in accordance with these ToRs.

The contractor must break the total price down into individual prices in the price sheet and enter them in the corresponding budget lines.

Requirements on the format of the tender

The tender must be legible (font size 11 or larger) and clearly formulated. The language of the tender is English. The technical-methodological concept of the tender is not to exceed 10 pages (not including the cover page, list of abbreviations, table of contents and brief introduction). The technical-methodological concept must correspond with the following structure (also set out in the assessment grid):

• Strategy (section 1.1 of the assessment grid)

1. Interpretation of the objectives, critical examination of tasks
2. Description of the contractor’s strategy for delivering the services put out to tender

• Processes (section 1.4 of the assessment grid)

1. Implementation plan: work steps, milestones, schedule
2. Integration of partner (RP, GIZ) and main stakeholders

• Learning and Innovation (section 1.5 of the assessment grid)

1. Contribution to knowledge management and capacity development of RP
2. Measures and plans to promote scaling-up effects

• Human Ressources concept (section 2.8 of the assessment grid)

The human resources concept (section 8 of the ToRs) of the tender is not to exceed 5 pages. In Addition, the CVs of the staff proposed in accordance with section 8 of the ToRs must not be more than four pages in length each. The CVs must clearly show what position the proposed person held, which tasks they performed and how many expert days they worked during which period in the specified references. The CVs must be submitted in English.

We strongly request that you do not exceed the number of pages specified.

Submission of the EoI

EoI will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

•  Individual profile,
•  Relevant experience,
•  Your strategies to assure agility, flexibility and responsiveness,
•  Personnel offer
•  Financial offer.

The EoI should contain the following:

For Technical Proposal:

• A Cover letter expressing interest in this assignment;
• Technical Proposal with a brief description of why you would be considered as the most suitable for the assignment, relevant expertise, and a detailed clear methodology,
• Business /company registration certificate
• Tax clearance certificate (if available)
• VAT certificate (if available)
• Recommendation letters/certificates of similar services concluded

For the Financial Proposal:

The Financial Proposal indicates the all-inclusive total contract price, supported by a breakdown of all costs. The cost must be in Rwandan Francs and VAT excluded.

Please submit electronically your EoI (technical & Financial offer) in 2 separated emails and should be in PDF files to this email: RW_Quotation@giz.de until latest 29th June 2022 

Please you must write in your email subject this sentence:

EOI number 83412068 – submission of technical& financial offer,

without this sentence, your offer may not be considered

Hard copies are not allowed this time 

GIZ reserves all rights

Expression of Interest (EoI)

Consultancy Services for the GAP Analysis on the use ICT in the infrastructure sector

Cosoft: 83411939

Background and Context

Background

The Mission of the Ministry of infrastructure (MININFRA) is to ensure sustainable infrastructure development covering transport, energy, water supply and sanitation, housing and human settlement sectors aiming to drive Rwanda’s economic growth and enhance quality of life of the citizen. Vision To provide modern infrastructures for sustainable economic growth and socio-economic development.

Among some of the key major roles under the mandate of the Ministry include but are not limited to:

1. Ensuring that the development of policies and strategies concerning national infrastructure are in line with regional integration and harmonization policies with the East African Community.
2. To supervise the implementation of quality standards and norms, cost effectiveness, response to environmental sustainability, safety, and cross-cutting issues in infrastructure development.

With the ever-changing global economy and the rise of the 4th industrial revolution, the Government of Rwanda is well positioned to establish a digital economy driven by innovation and digital leadership in the region and across the globe. Putting innovation at the forefront of economic development and social transformation has never been more important to ensure a sustainable development towards a self-sufficient and globally competitive economy, and ICT is at the epicentre of it all.

Following the objectives set by the national strategy for transformation (NST1) and Vision 2050, specifically regarding the infrastructure sector, the sector strives to establish operational excellence that drives an impeccable execution of infrastructure development projects, while maintaining and continuously improving an unparalleled customer service throughout transportation, urban and housing development, and utilities services.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. GIZ has worked in Rwanda for over 30 years. The primary objectives between the Government of Rwanda and the Federal Republic of Germany are poverty reduction and promotion of sustainable development. To achieve these objectives, GIZ Rwanda is active in the sectors of Decentralization and Good Governance, Economic Development and Employment Promotion, Energy, and ICT (Information and Communications Technology).

GIZ through its program Digital Solutions for Sustainable Development (DSSD) has a purpose to support digital transformation in Rwanda through developing digital solutions for Citizens and these could be scaled for all of Africa. This process is accompanied by efforts to strengthen the tech-ecosystem through ICT trainings and the support to communities of practice. More and more people need to be included to reach Rwanda’s ambitious goal to become a digital and knowledge-based economy. Therefore, the DSSD, with its key implementing partner the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) are working together with the Ministry of infrastructure (MININFRA) to carry out this GAP analysis respectively.

Some of the Key Challenges of the infrastructure sector include. 

1. The GoR infrastructure sector consists of 12 implementing agencies, each focusing on a unique area of development. The Ministry of Infrastructure has great digital ambitions for the sector, and the level of work required to come up with a granularly detailed strategic plan that cuts across all 12 agencies.
2. The level of complexity and diversity in nature of business of the 12 implementing agencies under the ministry such as Road Maintenance Fund (RMF), Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA), Rwanda Energy Group (Energy Development Company Ltd and Energy Utility Company Ltd), Water and Sanitation Corporation Ltd, Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA), RwandAir  and other agencies to be formed under its sub-sectors call for very updated and robust ICTs to increase efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery across all these institutions to the citizens and residents of Rwanda.

Specific Context: 

To achieve the aforementioned objectives, and to navigate some of these key challenges MININFRA needs to carry out a gap assessment as a precursor for creation of an ICT strategic plan for the infrastructure sector, which will guide the implementation of strategic interventions through the journey of digital transformation.

Rationale/Objective

Key Sector Objectives include

1.3.1. Short-Term Objectives

1. To map out and identify gaps in the usage of ICT in the day today business of the ministry’s implementing agencies. These include but not limited to.
   • Rwanda Energy Group (REG) (EUCL and EDCL)
   • Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC)
   • Rwanda Airports Company (RAC)
   • Akagera Aviation
   • Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA)
   • Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) (Public transportation)
2. Piggybacking on these gaps to also identify areas where some digital solutions can be used to solve the challenges (gaps) identified.
3. To assess the sectors achievements in the use of ICTs in relation to NST1, SRMP objectives (Midterm review)
4. Use the resulting framework by the Policy lab at MINICT to further implement this exercise in other ministries and government parastatals

1.3.2. Long-Term Sector Objectives

Operational Excellence: 

Equipping the sector with digital tools to help them make informed decisions in an efficient manner.

Customer Experience Leadership:

Equipping the implementing agencies with the tools to serve customers more efficiently and effectively.

Tasks to be performed by the contractor

MININFRA, RISA and GIZ are therefore looking for an experienced Consulting Firm that will plan, organise, and perform a GAP analysis on the use of ICTs in the infrastructure sector.

Specific tasks to be performed include: 

1. Identification of use cases and gaps in the infrastructure sector that require proper use of ICTs.
2. Sector assessment towards achievement of short-term objectives.

The assignment will require conducting a detailed assessment of current digital systems and infrastructure in the sector, then propose a digital architecture design that allows the identified sectors to achieve short-term objectives, in accordance with SRMP.

1. Sector Assessment Towards Achievement of Long-Term Objectives.

Operational excellence: there will be a need to conduct a detailed business process mapping against each agency in the sector, understand their unique challenges to exceptional service delivery, map their digitization levels, and identify efficiency gaps then derive needed interventions to bridge the gaps.

1. Action plan

This will contain recommendations from the identified gaps to inform pilot initiatives, change management and policy change among others.

Milestones: 

The contractor is requested to provide an implementation plan for the project including the following milestones.

Duration of the assignment

Period of assignment: From July until November 2022.

Concept 

In the bid, the bidder is required to show how the objectives defined in (Sections to 1.3 to section 2) are to be achieved, if applicable under consideration of further specific method-related requirements (technical-methodological concept). In addition, the bidder must describe the project management system for service provision for this development, it is preferable that in the technical offer the bidder stipulates the number of sprints required for the development, testing and deployment. This should also include a contingency concept if the development work to have to be transferred into a virtual format due to any Pandemics (such as Covid-19).

Technical-methodological concept

Strategy: The bidder is required to consider the tasks to be performed with reference to the objectives of the services put out to tender (see Section 1.3 to 2). Following this, the bidder presents and justifies the strategy with which they intend to provide the services for which they are responsible.

The bidder is required to present the actors relevant for the services for which they are responsible and describe the cooperation with them.

The bidder is required to present and explain their approach to steering the measures with the project partners MININFRA, GIZ and RISA.

The bidder is required to describe the key processes for the services for which they are responsible and create a schedule (project plan) that describes how the services according to Section 2 to are to be provided. In particular, the bidder is required to describe the necessary work steps and, if applicable, take account of the milestones and contributions of other actors in accordance with Section 3.

The bidder is required to draw up a personnel assignment plan with explanatory notes that lists all the experts proposed in the bid; the plan includes information on assignment dates (duration and expert days) and locations of the individual members of the team complete with the allocation of work steps as set out in the schedule.

Expected Deliverables

The following deliverables shall be delivered to the Client:

Expected Deliverables

After a successful assessment of the sector, the consultant will be expected to deliver a report with the following components:

1. Gap Assessment report on the use of ICTs in the infrastructure sector towards achieving digital transformation goals.
2. Gap assessment in the use of ICTs for implementation of high-level objectives of each of the chosen agencies under the ministry of infrastructure.
3. List of proposed recommendations for each of identified gaps if any
4. Priority matrix for the proposed recommendations
5. Validation Workshops: Organize, attend, and present the draft findings at validation workshops or meetings. The presentation should highlight the main findings and recommendations:

Organization and Supervision Arrangements

The Consulting Firm/Consultants will work on daily basis with MINIFRA, RISA and GIZ Technical Team under the direct supervision of the Chief Digital Officer at the Ministry of Infrastructure. They will be guided by the project Technical Steering committee.

Reporting Requirements

The Consulting Firm/Consultant is required to report directly to the Chief Digital Officer at MININFRA and provide briefing to other stakeholders at RISA and GIZ.

The following reports shall be submitted in English:

Inception Report

This report shall be given two (2) weeks after the commencement of the assignment detailing but not limited to the approach and methodology, proposed work plan for undertaking the assignment, and implementation timeline scheduling of the assignment. It should be submitted in three (2) copies to the assigned Project Manager at GIZ.

The Phases Completion Reports

This report shall constitute a summary of the accomplished work for each phase/iteration and shall reveal in detail achieved milestone and the work plan for the coming phase/iteration. The report shall also identify the problems encountered during the implementation of previous phases and the suggested measures and needed help from Client to facilitate the next Phase work. This report should be submitted after each phase.

The Draft Final Report

This report will elaborate all activities undertaken during assignment execution including all project documentation.

The Final Report

The final report shall incorporate comments/ feedback from MININFRA, RISA and GIZ on the draft report.

Personnel concept

The bidder is required to provide personnel who are suited to filling the positions described, based on their CVs, the range of tasks involved and the required qualifications.

The below specified qualifications represent the requirements to reach the maximum number of points.

Team leader/Project manager 

Tasks of the team leader

• Overall responsibility for the advisory packages of the contractor (quality and deadlines) of this project.
• Ensure timely and quality delivery of key deliverables of work packages.
• Coordinating and ensuring communication with GIZ, partners and others involved in the project
• Personnel management, identifying the need for short-term assignments within the available budget, as well as planning and steering assignments and supporting local and international short-term experts
• Regular reporting in accordance with deadlines

Qualifications of the team leader

• Education/training (2.1.1): Master’s Degree university degree in IT, Computer Science/Information Technology, Economics, Business Computing, or related field.
• Language (2.1.2): Excellent business language skills in English; Language skills in Kinyarwanda would be an additional asset
• General professional experience (2.1.3): 5 years of professional experience in a role with a Must have implemented a country level government project for performance measurements and should have hands on experience in implementing IT projects, managing teams, and delivering projects on schedule.
• Specific professional experience (2.1.4): 10 years’ experience in conducting evaluations/studies/ developing strategies related to the development of national ICT/Innovation strategies.
• At least ten years combined experience of working with leaders from the public and private sectors to facilitate national economic development
• Extensive knowledge of and contacts in the technology and innovation global ecosystem
• Should demonstrate thorough knowledge of the infrastructure sector in Rwanda
• Knowledge of KPI designing, data modelling, determining dimensions
• Extensive knowledge and experience of current issues relating to private sector development.
• Demonstrate availability to a wide reach of networks relevant to the assignment.
• Knowledge and experience in formulation of Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks.
• Experience with working with local counterparts including skills and knowledge transfer, coaching and mentoring.
• Proven experience in business process modelling.
• Leadership/management experience (2.1.5): 5 years of hands-on experience in implementing IT projects, managing teams, and delivering IT projects on schedule.

Expert 1: Innovation Expert

Tasks of expert 1: Innovation Expert

• Act as the lead innovation expert on this assignment to advise on various gap analysis and research into the ICT innovations for each of the chosen implementing agencies
• Set the pace for gap analysis and structure the mode of operation in measuring the gaps in the sector
• Qualifications of Innovation Expert

• Education/training (2.2.1): Master’s Degree university degree in IT, Computer Science/Information Technology, Engineering, Digital Transformation, or related field
• Language (2.2.2): Excellent business language skills in English
• General professional experience (2.2.3): 5 years’ experience in designing national innovation plans and strategies
• Specific professional experience (2.2.4): 5 years’ experience in
• Experience in project management as lead or main contributor for at least two large scale national innovation projects
• Key participation during the last 5 years in development of projects geared towards strengthening national innovation ecosystems
• Extensive experience in designing fund raising initiatives to strengthen national innovation ecosystems
• Proven experience in business process modelling.

Expert 2: Development Expert

Tasks of expert 2:  Development Expert

• Act as the Development assessment expert on this assignment to advise on various gap analysis and research into the ICT innovations for each of the chosen implementing agencies
• Set the pace for gap analysis and structure the mode of operation in measuring the gaps in the sector
• Qualifications of the Development Expert

• Education/training (2.3.1): A relevant Postgraduate degree in either Business administration (MBA), Economics, Management, Trade, or related field
• Language (2.3.2): Excellent business language skills in English
• General professional experience (2.3.3): 5 years’ experience in policy and strategy formulation and evaluation
• Strong knowledge of Rwandan economy.
• Specific professional experience (2.3.4): 5 years’ experience in
• Experience in project management as lead or main contributor for at least two large scale national innovation projects
• Key participation during the last 5 years in development of projects geared towards strengthening national innovation ecosystems
• Extensive experience in designing fund raising initiatives to strengthen national innovation ecosystems
• Proven experience in business process modelling.

Expert 3: Analyst

Tasks of expert 3: Analyst

• Gathering and analysing data.
• Interpreting gathered data.
• Submitting reports to the relevant stakeholders on this assignment.
• Finding patterns and trends in the analysed data.
• Helping the management and other teams draw business goals and needs

Qualifications of Analyst

• Education/training (2.4.1): Master’s Degree or university degree in statistics/data science and research analysis or related field

• Language (2.4.2): Excellent business language skills in English
• General professional experience (2.4.3): 5 years’ experience in designing national innovation plans and strategies
• Specific professional experience (2.4.4): 3 years’ experience in project management as lead or main contributor for at least two large scale national innovation projects
• Key participation during the last 5 years in development of projects geared towards strengthening national innovation ecosystems
• Extensive experience in designing fund raising initiatives to strengthen national innovation ecosystems

The bidder must provide a clear overview of all proposed short-term experts and their individual qualifications.

• Costing requirements
• Assignment of personnel expert days 

Total number of expert days: 280 Expert Days 

Team leader: On-site assignment for 85 expert days

Expert 1: Assignment in country of assignment for 65 expert days

Expert 2: Assignment in country of assignment for 65 expert days

Expert 3: Assignment in country of assignment for 65 expert days

Travel

N/A

Workshops, training

The contractor will facilitate the organization of the different workshops/studies described, but the expenditures related to those activities will be fully covered by the DSSD program.

Inputs of GIZ or other actors

N/A

Requirements on the format of the bid

The structure of the bid must correspond to the structure of the ToRs. In particular, the detailed structure of the concept (Section 3) is to be organized in accordance with the positively weighted criteria in the assessment grid (not with zero). It must be legible (font size 11 or larger) and clearly formulated. The bid is drawn up in English (language).

The CVs of the personnel proposed in accordance with Chapter 4 of the ToRs must be submitted using the format specified in the terms and conditions for application. The CVs shall not exceed 8 pages. The CVs must clearly show the position and job the proposed person held in the reference project and for how long. The CVs should also be submitted in English (language). If one of the maximum page lengths is exceeded, the content appearing after the cut-off point will not be included in the assessment. Please ensure that CVS are accompanied with copies of qualification certificates (Do not provide originals).

Please calculate your price bid based exactly on the costing requirements. In the contract the contractor has no claim to fully exhaust the days/travel/workshops/ budgets. The number of days/travel/workshops and the budget amount shall be agreed in the contract as ‘up to’ amounts. The specifications for pricing are defined in the price schedule.

Submission and Evaluation of Expression of Interests 

EoI will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Company or individual profile,
• Relevant experience,
• Company strategies to assure agility, flexibility, and responsiveness,
• Personnel and,
• Financial offer

The consulting firm shall submit written technical and financial proposals. The technical proposal must include but not be limited to:

• A detailed technical approach
• The CVs of relevant consultants
• References to similar assignments
• Company registration certificate
• Tax clearance certificate (if available)
• VAT registration certificate (if available)

The Financial Proposal indicates the contract price, supported by a breakdown of consultancy fee per day + all other costs such us (if needed) daily allowance, accommodation expenses. The cost must be in RWF and VAT excluded.

Please submit electronically your EoI (technical & Financial offer) in 2 separated emails and should be in PDF files to this email: RW_Quotation@giz.de until latest 29th June 2022 

Please you must write in your email subject this sentence:

EOI number 83411939 – submission of technical/financial offer,

without this sentence, your offer may not be considered

Hard copies are not allowed this time 

List of abbreviations

BMZ German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

DSSD Digital Solutions for Sustainable Development

GBIS Government Business Intelligence Solution

GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

GoR Government of Rwanda

MININFRA GoR Ministry of infrastructure

MIS Management Information System

NST1 GoR National Strategy for Transformation

RISA Rwanda Information Society Authority

SDG Sustainable Development Goals

SRMP The Smart Rwanda 2020 Master Plan

ToR Terms of Reference

ACCESS TO FINANCE RWANDA

Request for Proposals for Consultancy to Provide Quality Assurance Services for the Upgrade of AFR’s ERP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

13th June 2022

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROCUREMENT REFERENCE NUMBER: AFR/RFP- QUALITY ASSURANCE – ERP /JUNE/2022.

Dear Prospective bidder:

Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) is a Rwandan not for Profit organization, established in March 2010 by the governments of the United Kingdom (UK) and Rwanda and with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Existing funders of AFR include FCDO, the MasterCard Foundation, Sweden and Jersey Overseas Aid (JoA).

AFR’s strategic focus is stimulating the financial sector development by partnering with financial institutions and other stakeholders to increase access to and use of quality financial services. We identify and address constraints that prevent the financial market from reaching Rwanda’s low-income population and support Rwanda’s economic growth and promote innovations and learning that result in sustainable change in the financial sector. Improving access to financial services for the rural poor, women, youth and MSMEs is a particular focus.

AFR is guided by the Market System’s Development (MSD) approach recognising that efforts to increase financial inclusion and financial sector development have to be market led and profitable for sustainability. AFR supports the Government of Rwanda’s development objectives by aligning all its interventions to the national policy frameworks including the Financial Sector Development Strategic Plan 2018-2024, and the National Strategy for Transformation (NST) 2017-2024.

AFR is continuously working to improve her operational effectiveness and efficiency to provide a better working experience for her team of 25 staff.  As part of this process, AFR is seeking to upgrade the current ERP to a better version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The core modules in the new ERP shall include project management, procurement, financial management, asset management, human resources management, payroll, Grants management, contracts management, documents. The new ERP is expected to provide a seamless end to end automation and integration of processes and activities in all the modules. The process flows in each module and the integration thereof shall incorporate AFR operational needs, best practice, and latest system capabilities.

The detailed specifications and functional requirements of the ERP and individual modules shall seek to have a system that is implementable within a reasonable timeline, provides operational efficiency, is cost effective, integrated and is user friendly.

Objective of the assignment

To recruit a consultancy firm with demonstratable expertise and hands on experience in providing quality assurance resulting in successful implementation of projects of similar size, scope and complexity project. The consultant shall review the ERP SOPs and the BRD and provide expert input. The consultant will also provide expert advice on decisions relating to ERP infrastructure, software, security, hosting, and other critical elements of the implementation.

Proposals should be directly responsive to all items, terms, conditions, specifications, and other documents referred to in this RFP.

• Requests for clarifications to the contract may be submitted until Friday,  17 June 2022.

• Interested parties should submit their proposals no later than Monday, 27 June 2022.

Responding bidders are advised that this solicitation does not in any way obligate AFR to make a contract award or compensate the responding firms for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of their proposals. Additionally, AFR may award a contract without conducting negotiations; all proposals should be submitted initially using your most favourable terms. AFR reserves the right to award any resultant contract to other than the offeror submitting the lowest price proposal based on technical excellence, schedule superiority or client request.

All communications regarding this RFP should be addressed via email:procurement02@afr.rw

Below is the planned procurement schedule (subject to changes):

Cordially,

Jean Bosco Iyacu

Chief Executive Officer

Attachment:rfp-provide-quality-assurer-erpdocxa2c7a1d73a89bc947a1ace02903528d7

INTRODUCTION 

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. GIZ has worked in Rwanda for over 30 years. The primary objectives between the Government of Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region and the Federal Republic of Germany are poverty reduction and promotion of sustainable development. To achieve these objectives, GIZ Rwanda is active in the sectors of Decentralization and Good Governance, Economic Development and Employment Promotion, Energy and ICT (Information and Communications Technology), Natural Resources, Peace and Security and Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Brief information on the project

Since December 2018, GIZ, through the regional project co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has supported the efforts of the ICGLR Secretariat to consolidate the peace and stability in the Great Lakes region, by implementing the ICGLR Pact on Security, Stability and its protocols. GIZ intends to support ICGLR in strengthening its policies, processes and systems to further improve its performance.

Information about ICGLR 

The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) is an inter-governmental organization of the countries in the African Great Lakes Region. Its establishment was based on the recognition that political instability and conflicts in these countries have a considerable regional dimension and thus require a concerted effort to promote sustainable peace and development. The most notable among the conflicts that have had cross-border impacts or origins are the 1994 Rwandan genocide that led to the loss of more than 800,000 lives, and the political instability in DRC. These conflicts constituted a major threat to international peace and security.

The ICGLR is composed of twelve member states, namely: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.

The ICGLR was formed through a PACT signed by the Heads of State and Government in 2006 with the key mandate of putting in place mechanisms for enhancing peace, security, political stability, and development in the Great Lakes Region. The ICGLR Executive Secretariat was inaugurated in May 2007 at its headquarters in Bujumbura, Burundi. Its responsibility is to coordinate, facilitate, monitor, and thereby ensure the implementation of the ICGLR Pact to attain peace, security, political stability, and development in the Great Lakes Region.

The ICGLR Secretariat which is based in Bujumbura (Burundi) is headed by the Executive Secretary and assisted by the Deputy Executive Secretary with the following divisions;

1. Peace and Security
2. Democracy and Good Governance
3. Economic Development and Regional Integration
4. Humanitarian and Social Issues
5. Gender, Women and Children Affairs
6. Cross-cutting Issues
7. Finance and Administration

In addition to the above directorates, the ICGLR has Regional Centers namely;

1. The Levy Mwanawasa Centre for Democracy and Good Governance based in Lusaka. Zambia);
2. The Regional Training Facility (RTF) based in Kampala, Uganda;
3. The Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre (JIFC) based in Goma, DRC
4. The Extended Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) in Goma, DRC

The above institutions are required to report to the ICGLR Secretariat to have a consolidated picture of overall performance of ICGLR. The system should be able to serve the above institutions of ICGLR.

Current Situation

The ICGLR is governed by a PACT on Peace, Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region which serves as a legal framework, a supreme law (constitution) and an agenda of the ICGLR with the aim of creating the conditions for security, stability and development between the member states.

This PACT was adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the ICGLR member states in Nairobi in December 2006 and entered into force in June 2008. It was further amended in 2012 to admit South Sudan as a new member of the ICGLR Community.

The Pact includes 10 Protocols and 4 Programmes of action with 33 priority projects. The following are legally binding protocols which are part and parcel of the PACT:

1. Protocol on Non-aggression and Mutual Defense in the Great Lakes Region
2. Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance
3. Protocol on Judicial Cooperation
4. Protocol for the Prevention and the Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity and all forms of Discrimination
5. Protocol Against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources
6. Protocol on the Specific Reconstruction and Development Zone
7. Protocol on the Prevention and Suppression of Sexual Violence Against Women and Children
8. Protocol on the Protection and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons
9. Protocol on the Property Rights of Returning Persons
10. Protocol on the Management of Information and Communication

The ICGLR is in the process of reviewing its PACT to match the modern changes and needs of the region. The review process will be managed by the ICGLR Secretariat in consultation with the Member States and ICGLR governance bodies.  ICGLR recognizes that strong partnership among its member states, as guided by an enabling PACT is an important driver for maintaining and sustaining peace, security, stability and development in the region.

The successful consultant will therefore guide the ICGLR in the review process by proposing and compiling the amendments to the PACT in consultation with the member states, under the supervision of the ICGLR Secretariat.

THE PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT 

The main purpose of this assignment will be to review and amend the PACT in order to adequately ease the achievement core mandates, Mission, vision, and Objectives of ICGLR. The PACT in its current state needs to be reviewed/amended to reflect and serve the changing needs of the ICGLR member states. It has never been reviewed since its initial promulgation in 2006 except in 2012 when it was amended to admit South Sudan into the ICGLR Community.  There are a number of essential components that need to be amended to provide for changing governance and management needs including but not limited to;

1. Creation of technical committees and sector ministerial committees to support the Regional Inter-Ministerial Committee (RIMC) and the Summit,
2. Provisions for new strategic financial management matters,
3. Provide for authority to making subsidiary legislation to operationalize it
4.  Provide for elaborate procedure for its review and amendment.
5. Any other matters that will come on board during the review process.

The amended PACT shall continue to form standard mechanisms for constant inculcation of effectiveness and uniformity in the ICGLR Institutions. There shall also be a provision of revising and reviewing this document and endorsing a new document from time to time.

THE SCOPE OF WORK 

The following activities will constitute the scope of work;

1. To develop and submit an inception report indicating how the consultant will go about the work and how the final product will look like.
2. To collect and analyze the necessary data and information from member states, regional and international organizations in order to identify the best practices for input into the process of the PACT amendment.
3. To make proposals for revision, update and finalization the draft amendments of the PACT and submit them to management for discussion.
4. To propose best legal processes and practices for better management of the ICGLR and its affiliated Institutions in the PACT.
5. To identify and propose for streamlining any provisions that seem contradictory      in the PACT and make proposals for their rectification.
6. To present and discuss with ICGLR Management, a committee of legal experts from member states, National Coordinators, Ministers of Justice from Member States, the Regional inter-ministerial Committee and the Summit of the Heads of States and Government.

THE DELIVERABLES 

The consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs;

• Produce a review report on the existing ICGLR PACT 2006, the enshrined protocols and programs to ensure that they are consistent with each other and well-designed to serve the real needs of ICGLR.
• Read the PACT to comprehend its legal provisions  and to guide the ICGLR on the process for its amendment
• Make a survey of other PACTs or equivalent legal instruments for regional and international organizations in order to adopt good practices and benchmarks from them to assist in the amendment process.
• Seek and receive comments from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence/Security/ Finance, Justice, Gender and Natural Resources/Ministries of the 12 member states to enrich the amendments.
• Internalize the provisions of the PACT relating to its amendment to ensure that the amendment process complies with those provisions.
• Draft and present PACT amendments to ICGLR Management, Legal Experts from the Member States, National Coordinators, the RIMC and the Summit for procedural approvals.
• Produce hard and soft copies of the finally agreed upon amended PACT in a modern print (in 100 copies in English, 100 copies in French and 30 copies in Portuguese and 30 copies in Arabic) and submit them to the Executive Secretary.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS 

The ICGLR shall provide;

•  And make available to the Consultant (free of charge) the needed facilities, services, documents, and information required by the Consultant to carry out the work specified in these Terms of Reference.
• The consultant with internal documents required for desktop review in either hard or soft copy.
• Provide the list of relevant stakeholders to meet and shall facilitate their meetings & appointments.

The Consultant shall;

• Look for and avail to himself/herself the external documents required for his/her review and benchmarking,
• Report on an agreed periodic basis to the Executive Secretary or his authorized representative for assessment of the progress of the assignment in respect to the Terms of Reference.
• Carry out any other activity, duty or responsibility that is pertinent to the successful completion of this assignment.

DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The duration of the assignment is two months from the date of signing the agreement. This duration shall include all the activities involved in the completion of assignment including surveys /benchmarking   conducted by the consultant, consultation with the relevant stakeholders and final compilation, completion, and the final print of the of the hard document. However, this duration may be extended at no cost by the client to cater for obligatory delays or any other factors.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The consultant should

• Hold a minimum of a degree in Law and a professional qualification in legal practice.

•  Should be a practicing advocate of the High Court in his/her country.
• Exhibit demonstrated skills in legal reviews, legal drafting and development and/or various legislation or regulations relating to governance of not less than 5 years.
•  Have proven knowledge and experiences in developing legislative policies for international or regional organizations or national governments will have additional advantage.
• Have the capacity to produce and translate the amended PACT into English, French, Portuguese and Arabic.

EVALUATION OR ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 

Objective criteria will be used to objectively assess the design during the evaluation process for the technical part of the proposal and report them to point of this scheme.

1. Relevant and minimum qualifications in law and legal practice
2. Experience the field of legislative drafting in national, regional and international organizations.
3. Impressive concept of the whole process of review and drafting of PACT Amendments.

9. SCHEDULE OF WORK

(b) Activity Casting/ Budget 

Note :
In the event of restrictions due to measures to combat the coronavirus / Covid-19 (restrictions on flights and transport, entry restrictions, quarantine measures, etc.), the ICGLR and the consultant are required to adapt their contractual services in good faith to new circumstances, for example as regards the period of service, the content of the service and, if necessary, the remuneration.

Submission and Evaluation of Expression of Interests 

EoI will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Company or individual profile,
• Relevant experience,
• Company strategies to assure agility, flexibility, and responsiveness,
• Personnel and,
• Financial offer

The consulting firm shall submit written technical and financial proposals. The technical proposal must include but not be limited to:

• A detailed technical approach
• The CVs of relevant consultants
• References to similar assignments
• Company registration certificate
• Tax clearance & VAT certificate

The Financial Proposal should indicate the contract price, supported by a breakdown of consultancy fee per day + all other costs such us (if needed) daily allowance, accommodation expenses. The cost must be in RWF and VAT excluded.

Please submit electronically your EoI (technical & Financial offer) in 2 separated emails (PDF files) to this email: RW_Quotation@giz.de until latest 29^th June 2022

Please you must write in your email subject this sentence:

EOI number 83410195 – submission of technical& financial offer,

without this sentence, your offer may not be considered

Hard copies are not allowed this time 

GIZ reserves all rights

Click here to apply

BACKGROUND 

Caritas Rwanda is a non-profit organization officially registered, with the mission to assist people in needs and foster for the whole human being. Caritas Rwanda has more than 60 years of working experience in building poor families’ resiliency through development, social welfare, and health interventions.

Caritas Rwanda has signed a framework agreement with Rwanda Biomedical Centre through Maternal Child and Community Health Division to implement family planning interventions aiming at increasing uptake of family planning in Catholic co-managed health facilities and catchment communities.

RATIONALE

As described in the signed agreement between Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) and CARITAS Rwanda, before the actual implementation of project interventions, there should be two main studies: One was a needs assessment to be commissioned by CARITAS Rwanda to deeply understand the factors that either inhibit or those which could motivate the increase of uptake of Family Planning methods and utilization of related services in Catholic co-managed health facilities and their catchment communities. Therefore, the assessment findings will inform on strategic interventions and baseline information for results framework of the project. The second was to carry out knowledges, attitudes, and practices of communities among population aged of 15- 49 years regarding the utilization family planning services in 10 Caritas Diocesan HFs and their catchment communities.

Based on the two mentioned studies, it is in this regard that CARITAS Rwanda wishes to hire an individual consultant with the required capacity to develop the Family Planning SBCC Communication Strategy with main objective of better orient communication and awareness strategies for the increase of uptake of family planning in co-managed Catholic health facilities and community’s catchment areas.    

MAIN OBJECTIVE AND PURPOSE OF THE CONSULTANCY 

The main objective of the development of the Family Planning SBCC Communication Strategy is to better orient communication and awareness strategies for the increase of uptake of family planning in co-managed Catholic health facilities and community’s catchment areas.    

The consultant is expected to develop an SBCC Communication Strategy and Action plan for its implementation, proposed indicators and methods to assess the impact of the communication effort on the targeted audiences and A Draft Budget.

SCOPE OF THE CONSULTANCY AND TERMS OF REFERENCE

The local Consultant is expected to:

1. Identify and review all available strategic documents and materials on Family Planning;
2. Prepare and organize consultative meetings, workshops and field visits;
3. Develop the Family Planning SBCC Strategy (3-5 Years) which should include:

• Brief summary of the situation analysis;
• Audience analysis including identification of priority audiences, their characteristics, barriers and facilitators, segmentation and influencing audiences;
•  Communication objectives;
• Approaches for achieving objectives;
• Identification of communication channels to disseminate messages- proposal for key messages, tailored for each of the proposed channels, to drive the desired change in line with the proposed communication objectives, and different formats, taking into account the possibility of using various formats as appropriate such as text, graphics, imageries, infographics, video, printed materials, etc. for targeting the different audiences identified in the analysis;

1. Prepare and organize a workshop with the Health Promotion and Social Determinant of Health Technical Working group to review the draft Family Planning Strategy;
2. Update/develop appropriate Family Planning SBCC messages and recommend materials to be used in the Family Planning SBCC Strategy;
3. Produce a final report.

KEY DELIVERABLES

1. A Desk Review report;
2. Family Planning SBCC Strategy;
3. Final technical report.

TIMELINES

This assignment is expected to be implemented within a timeline of thirty (30) days starting from the date contract signature. The Consultant will be required to work closely with CARITAS Rwanda, Health Department for the guidance and approval of the final report of the development of the FP SBCC Communication Strategy.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CONSULTANCY

The local Consultant should meet the following:

• Having a Bachelor’s degree in communication with a minimum of 15 years of experience in Communication, Health Promotion and/or Social Behavior Change Communication;
• Having proven previous experience in developing health related communication strategies in Rwanda health sector;
• Having proven previous experience in the process of review and approval of health related messages and materials;
• Having previous experience in managing awareness campaigns preferably in the health sector;
• Excellent interpersonal skills required, including strong professional communication ability;
• Being familiar with the health promotion structure and;
• Strong written and spoken English and Kinyarwanda ability;
• A brief proposal written in English describing the background, methodology and timeline (Maximum 4 pages);

MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING 

The Consultancy shall be managed by Caritas Rwanda. The Consultant will report to the Caritas Rwanda /Health Department and to the Maternal, Child and Community Health Division Manager at Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) and Caritas Rwanda.

SUBMISSION

The application document should include:

• Letter expressing interest to carry out the consultancy service required;
• Detailed CV (Maximum 4 pages) of the Individual Consultant;
• Notarized Bachelor’s degree in communication;
• Technical proposal including the understanding of intended scope of work;
• Provide a copy of the company registration certificate (Issued by RDB);
• Provide the copy of RRA VAT registration certificate;
• Provide the copy of Proof of EBM Possession;
• RSSB clearance Certificate;
• RRA Tax Clearance certificate;
• Good completion certificates from the previous similar service conducted (at least 3 certificates of successful similar work in the last 5 years);
• Financial proposal for the Consultancy service;

N.B: Submission of all administrative documents listed above is mandatory and non-submission of one of said documents will cause the rejection of the offer.

SELECTION CRITERIA 

Applications will be assessed on cost reasonableness (30%) and technical competence (70%). Only those who successfully passed the technical evaluation (70% of the 70%) will be assessed for financial step.

PAYMENT MODALITIES

The successful Consultant will be awarded a contract by Caritas Rwanda that will be directly supervising the assignment as well as paying the Consultant. The first payment of 40% will be paid upon the receipt of the inception report, Draft report (20%) and final payment (40%) will be paid upon the receipt of the final FP SBCC Communication Strategy report approved by Caritas Rwanda.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested companies are requested to submit their technical and Financial proposals in sealed envelopes (1 original and 2 copies) to the Caritas Rwanda Secretariat no later than Wednesday, 8th June 2022 by 3:00Pm. The public opening will be the same day at 3:30Pm at the conference room of Caritas Rwanda located at KN 16 Av 30.

Done at Kigali on 1st June 2022

Prepared by:                                                    

Doctor Prince Bosco KANANI, MHCDS

Director, Health Department

Approved by:

Father TWAGIRAYEZU Jean Marie Vianney

Secretary General Caritas Rwanda

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