REQUEST FOR PROPOSALSUSAID LOCAL ENTERPRISE SUPPORT PROGRAM (USAID LENS)

Chefs for Development – Product Development Expansion

RFP Date of Issuance: April 03, 2017

Due Date for Questions: April 12, 2017 Submission of questions or requests for clarification in writing via email to RFP@jordanlens.org by 17:00 local time

Due Date for Proposals: May 03, 2017Proposals (including technical proposal and budget) are due by 17:00 local time in Jordan via email to RFP@jordanlens.org. Emailed submissions must contain the subject: “Chefs for Development – Product Development Expansion”

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

The USAID Jordan Local Enterprise Support Project (USAID LENS) is a five-year project to encourage the long-term economic growth and development potential of underserved Jordanian communities. The project will help empower local communities to design and implement collaborative local economic development (LED) initiatives and will support the vitality and competitiveness of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) that are often at the heart of individual, family and community livelihood within vulnerable populations. USAID LENS’ core purpose is to support the vitality and competitiveness of micro and small enterprises, through building MSE capacity to enhance their productivity; the project will work directly with MSEs in targeted sectors to identify market-based opportunities for growth and development.

In its inter-related activities, the project will work with public and private sector partners at the municipal, governorate and national levels to develop local environments conducive to investment and MSE growth. USAID Jordan Local Enterprise Support Project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Award No. AID-278-LA-14-00001.

FOOD TOURISM IN JORDAN AS PART OF THE USAID LENS PROJECT

The USAID LENS Project focuses on four primary sectors, food processing, tourism, ICT and transportation. Jordan, a country rich in local food culture and a history of integrating spices and recipes from the spice trade and silk route, has potential to obtain greater national and international recognition. As food tourism continues to grow as an industry worldwide, Jordan has the opportunity to establish itself as a regional leader and as a destination for food-lovers. Following research conducted by USAID LENS, the local economic development impact of increasing the volume and value of transactions within the food processing industry will have significant impact on the local economy. Therefore, by elevating demand and both national and international recognition of the quality of food in Jordan, sales in the food processing and broader value chain will increase, creating new jobs and economic opportunities for stakeholders in the industry.

PURPOSE STATEMENTThe purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit proposals from prospective entities to organize a “familiarization food tasting and culinary development” trip, as part of FHI 360’s implementation of the USAID LENS project.

USAID LENS is soliciting proposals from Jordanian and/or international firms, business associations, organizations or coalitions of these entities, to organize and create a documentary around a food-tasting tour with an internationally-recognized chef and chefs from local restaurants and. The documentary will showcase the quality, diversity and range of recipes in Jordan and promote Jordanian produce and food. The USAID LENS Project anticipates awarding a fixed price contract for the implementation of this activity with an estimated cost not exceeding JD 177,100 ($250,000). Revealing the estimated cost ceiling does not mean Offerors should necessarily strive to meet this maximum amount. Offerors must propose costs they believe are realistic and reasonable for the work.

This RFP is issued as a public notice to ensure that all interested, qualified and eligible organizations have a fair opportunity to submit proposals. The authorized USAID geographic code for this RFP and any resulting award is Code 937 (the United States, Jordan, and developing countries other than advanced developing countries1). Thus, the order of preference for this award is Geo Code 937, and the initial evaluation will only include bids from Geo Code 937 countries. If no firm in Geo Code 937 is deemed to be technically qualified, then offerors from Geo Code 935 (any area or country, but excluding any country that is a prohibited source2) will be considered. To be deemed technically qualified, bids must score 65 or above on the technical evaluation portion. This minimum score applies to all bids regardless 1 For USAID’s list of developing countries, please see http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1876/310maa.pdf2 For USAID’s list of prohibited source countries, please see: ttps://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/310mac

of the Geo Code. Thus, if no bidder scores above 65 on the technical evaluation portion, there will be no awards from this RFP. If the selected offeror is within Geo Code 935, then contract award will be subject to approval by USAID of a Geographical waiver that FHI 360 will request.

OBJECTIVE

The initiative will demonstrate to the broader Jordanian and international audience the range, quality variety and accessibility of local, artisanal Jordanian foods. By leveraging attention generated through a televised Chef’s FAM trip this initiative will increase demand for Jordanian-sourced food. This initiative will increase demand for local food, while also establishing new linkages between rural, local suppliers and major national restaurants, hotels or food franchises. The impact of this will be the increase in revenue for both suppliers and buyers nationwide and a sustained, higher-level of demand. Sub-objectives of this initiative comprise of establishing chefs and restaurants as venues of innovation and viable service-operators within the broader tourism industry; lowering Jordan’s reliance on food imports (“think global, act local”); improving local trade and transactions that lowers social and economic inequality.

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

The initiative will bring an internationally recognized chef to Jordan, create a documentary by touring the country, link the documentary (in English with Arabic subtitles) to a broadcasting network and air the program, all within 6 months. The tour will highlight and showcase qualities of local recipes and produce, display cooking techniques and traditional or historic ways of cooking. The tour will include local based chefs and restaurants, who will learn about techniques, look to innovate traditional recipes and cooking, and establish new linkages with suppliers and food producers in order to incorporate them into their restaurants.

This activity is structured into four phases to be implemented over a period of 6 months, and will target over 30 local enterprises (Home Bases Businesses – HBB’s, Restaurants, food producers, and food retailers) in total. The phases outlined in this RFP are illustrative only, as Applicants are expected to fully design their own technical approach based on the purpose, objectives and statement of work. The Applicant is strongly encouraged to demonstrate an innovative approach, highlighting where its networks, linkages and connections to social media influencers, international chefs or restaurants/hotels, TV networks internationally and reputable film or production houses may maximize the impact of the Project.

Phase One: Conceptual Design As its name suggests, the trip is intended to familiarize the attendees with the host destination. Food tourism industry FAM trips are usually made up of trips of 6 to 12 people to a particular destination. During the tour, the attendees, which are local based chefs and restauranteurs, will visit the destination food producers, stay at select hotels or residences and engage in a myriad of tourism and business-related activities linked to food.

USAID LENS expects the offeror to prepare and organize a properly planned FAM trip, where the aimed local attendees/Chefs are familiar with local cuisine and can talk about its history, origin and are willing to learn new skills or innovate on existing cooking practices. The planned tour is also expected to have scheduled meetings with stakeholders for the attendees and the host organizations to kick start their business relationships; i.e. food retailers, restaurant owners, chef’s associations, TV network stations, film crew and production company, etc. The Concept Design should include the following:

a) Storyboard and Conceptual DesignThe Applicant will design a storyboard and conceptual design, highlighting the approach and theme for the documentary. This will be done in conjunction with USAID LENS and in cooperation with the project’s partners and key stakeholders. The conceptual design of the documentary will create the strategic framework for the implementation of the tour and the filming.

b) Identify Hosts and ExperiencesThe Applicant will also identify potential hosts and experiences for the chefs. The Applicant will submit a criteria list for how the tour will be designed and how producers will be selected, highlighting ‘local’ or ‘authentic’ experiences and acquiring approval of locals to take part in the documentary.

c) Identify Chefs The offeror is expected to reach out and guarantee the attendance of at least one widely recognized, international chef. The nominated chefs must possess the ability to:

Formulate new recipes and improve existing ones Recommend new products and transform food concepts into viable products Liaise with colleagues in the commercial, production departments of the food

industry Conduct consumer testing and taste panels for proposed new products Embrace and evaluate the success of new products in their markets Have a substantial following and presence, with wide international

recognition

The offeror will also coordinate with USAID LENS on contacting local chefs from the major restaurants and hotels in Jordan that will take part, as USAID LENS will make

recommendations but final selection will be based upon the criteria of the Offeror. Between 4 – 8 participants should be identified, with different chefs exploring different parts of the country during filming stages.

d) Operational PlanningThe applicant will acquire all the necessary approvals required to film in Jordan and will ensure that all stakeholders and participants agree to the filming. This will include moving filming equipment and arranging transportation etc. within the country.

Phase Two: Implementation of the FAM Trip Following approval of Phase One by USAID LENS, the Applicant will implement the tour with the chefs and begin touring. This stage should last no more than 14 working days and will include no less than 15 experiences, no more than 40. For documentary purposes, each of the experiences must be described in a story board and justified based on the criteria of the story board.

Chefs will be encouraged to discuss the history of the food, discuss local stories and cooking cultures with local hosts. The Chefs must also explore the villages and the natural beauty of Jordan. As part of the storyboard, the Applicant will highlight the natural beauty of different parts of the country and link to touristic experiences.

Phase Three: Post-Production and EditingThe company will carry out production and editing of the documentary in order to ensure that the final product is a high standard, covers the necessary information, and realizes the vision set out in Phase One (or equivalent stage). The specific tasks should include (but not be limited to) the following:

One ‘Documentary Film (approx. 45 minutes), suitable for broadcast on TV channels

Three small version of the film (approx. 3 minutes each) suitable for (1) conference presentations on large screens and (2) internet use through platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, and other social networks

Submission for approval of one edited draft (with subtitles in English). Submission of all original documentary footage

The consultant and the designated production crews are expected to visit project sites in Jordan and spend approximately a total of 21 (twenty-one) days maximum in the project locations.

Phase Four: Development and execution of a Marketing and Media planThe offeror is expected to identify and link with major international media platforms that would best maximize the impact of the documentary. The Project expects the applicant – throughout the implementation of the activity – to manage media outlets and ensure their buy-in, participation and acquire the necessary licenses and rights to showcase the documentary upon completion. The organization is encouraged to demonstrate existing linkages with major networks, sponsorship deals and/or the capacity to share the video and documentary with a sizeable following online through social media networks and/or channels. The final agreement on the airing of the documentary will be negotiated with the selected bidder and based on the outlets selected.

DELIVERABLES

Due Dates for the below Deliverables are open for negotiations with the winning bidder

# DeliverablesCorresponding

PhaseDue date

1 Delivery of Storyboard and Conceptual Plan, and Implementation and Operational Plans, including:

• GANTT chart on implementation plan for the next 180 days.

Establish the team of technical personnel required to produce the video film

Submission of a preliminary story board and shot list of potential partners (i.e.: Farms, Home based business, restaurants, etc.) for USAID LENS approval

Developing of a script with guidance from USAID LENS Team. Film’s narration will be in English and Arabic.

Phase 1 Within 25 working days of awarding the contract (subject to USAID LENS approval and extenuating circumstances)

Subtitles/captions shall be prepared in both languages relevant to the requirements of each scene.

A Monitoring and Evaluation Plan that will be coordinated with and separately approved by USAID LENS, including a draft pre and post assessment tool which should address how the implementer will measure MSE results in increasing revenue, jobs and linkages with the support of USAID LENS.

2 Submission of Required Approvals and Licenses to Operate and Film

Phase I Within 35 working days of the award of the contract

3 Identification of Guides, Hosts, Experiences, including:

Details FAM Trip itinerary with specifics on locations, dates and venues of proposed trips and meetings.

Specific details on the confirmed chefs to attend the FAM trip, including names of actual stakeholders to participate in the success of the activity. (Invitation letters and confirmation to be attached)

Phase 1 Within 60 working days of the award of the contract

4 Implementation of the FAM Trip

Staged implementation with approval by USAID LENS as to location and order of filming

Weekly Reports and/or memos to USAID updating the Project on experiences and outcomes of the FAM trip

Phase 2 Within 80 working days of the award of the contract

5 Submission of a Marketing & Media Plan

Submission of Public relations plan

Phase 4 Within 80 working days of the award of the contract

Identify channels that will be pitched for the film and estimated costs

Submission of social media plan, press, and journalism, and media coverage (subject to USAID LENS approval)

GANTT chart on Marketing, Media plan for the subsequent 90 days

6 FAM Trip and Marketing & Media Plan execution

All logistics to be planned, along with the required equipment

Offsite Filming Submission for approval of one

edited draft (with subtitles in English).

Submission of all original documentary footage

Submission of 5 DVD copies of the film

Pitching the documentary to international TV channel that have a track record of broadcasting such documentaries (as NBC, MBC, CNN, BBC etc..)

Secure agreement with at least one outlet to air the program, indicating the number of times to be broadcast and the target numbers reached.

Phase 4 Within 80 working days of the award of the contract / ongoing

7 Submission of the Final Documentary to USAID LENS, in high definition

Submission of unused footage and edits to USAID LENS in raw format

Phase 3 Within 120 working days of the award of the contract

8 Submission of a Final FAM trip Report that presents a comprehensive review of the project activities, successes and barriers to success. This must include:

Phase 4 Within 120 working days of signing the award

A summary of the lessons learned in implementation, an overall assessment of impact, success stories and challenges that were encountered,

Summary of all newly developed recipes

Summary of all MSE-related tools/ interventions that were used for or during the FAM trip

M&E final Progress report submitted and approved.

9 Sustainability plan to transition the legacy of the activity and embrace its offering locally and internationally.

Phase 4 Within 120 working days after awarding the contract

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

This section contains general and specific requirements for submitting the technical and cost proposals. Please ensure completed forms, including the Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Determination (Attachment D), along with a copy of your legal registration, are included with the technical proposal otherwise your proposal will be rejected.

1. This solicitation is open to all interested, qualified and eligible organizations. The authorized USAID geographic code for this RFP and any resulting award is Geographic Code 937 (the United States, Jordan, and developing countries other than advanced developing countries3). Thus, the order of preference for this award is Geo Code 937, and the initial evaluation will only include bids from Geo Code 937 countries. If no firm in Geo Code 937 is deemed to be technically qualified, then offerors from Geo Code 935 (any area or country, but excluding any country that is a prohibited source4) will be considered. To be deemed technically qualified, bids must score 65 or above on the technical evaluation portion. This minimum score applies to all bids regardless of the Geo Code. Thus, if no bidder scores above 65 on the technical evaluation portion, there will be no awards from this RFP.  If the selected offeror is within Geo Code 935, then contract award will be subject to approval by USAID of a Geographical waiver that FHI 360 will request.

2. The Offeror is requested to submit a proposal directly responsive to the tasks, terms, conditions, and clauses of this RFP. The overall proposal shall consist

3 For USAID’s list of developing countries, please see http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1876/310maa.pdf4 For USAID’s list of prohibited source countries, please see: ttps://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/310mac

of two (2) physically separated components: Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal. Technical Proposals shall not make reference to pricing.

Alternative proposals will not be considered. Proposals not conforming to this solicitation may becategorized as unacceptable and eliminated from further consideration. Offerors are allowed to submit one proposal. If an Offeror participates in more than one proposal, all proposals involving the Offeror will be rejected.

3. Proposals shall be written in English. Cost proposals shall be presented in Jordanian Dinar or US Dollar. International Offerors shall present cost proposals in US Dollar.

4. Proposals must remain valid for a minimum of ninety (90) days. The Offeror may submit its proposal by the following means:

Electronically - Internet email with up to 2 attachments per email compatible with MS WORD, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat in a MS Windows environment to:

RFP@jordanLENS.org.

5. The person signing the Offeror’s proposal must have the authority to commit the Offeror to all the provisions of the Offeror’s proposal.

6. The Offeror should submit its best proposal initially as FHI 360 intends to evaluate proposals and make an award without discussions. However, FHI 360 reserves the right to conduct discussions should FHI 360 deem it necessary.

7. Proposals must be clearly and concisely written and must describe and define the Offeror’s understanding and compliance with the requirements contained in the STATEMENT OF WORK/TASKS/DELIVERABLES. All pages must be sequentially numbered and identified with the name of the Offeror and the RFP number.

Part A: Technical Proposal The Technical Proposal shall be concise, clearly outlining how the Offeror intends to carry out the four phases outlined in the Scope of Work, including producing the required Deliverables and intended results. No contractual price information is to be included in the Offeror’s technical proposal in order that it will be evaluated strictly on its technical merit.

Technical proposals shall be limited to 25 pages in total, and pages in the Technical Proposal in excess of 25 pages will not be read or evaluated. Items such as graphs, charts, and tables may be used as appropriate but will be considered part of the page limitation. However, dividers, organizational information, key personnel resumes, bio-data sheets, and past performance report

forms are not included in the page limitation and should be submitted as an Annex.

The technical proposal shall be formatted using the following sections:

1. Organizational Information (not part of page limit):o Organization’s legal nameo Contact name and position or titleo Organization’s Email address, physical address and telephone numbero Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Certification Form

(includes confirmation that firm is a USAID-designated Geo Code 937 country)

o Copy of legal registration documents authorizing to do business in Jordan

2. Technical Approach – A narrative not to exceed fifteen (15) pages, The Offeror shall demonstrate its understanding, ability and overall approach to performing the requirements described in the Scope of Work, including its approach to all four phases envisioned in the activity implementation and producing the key deliverables, as well as an M&E plan for capturing and reporting on results aligned to key USAID LENS indicators. The Offeror should clearly explain how they propose to undertake and complete the nine deliverables across the Phases of the project. This will include the following demonstration through the proposal:

An understanding of target audience, attendees and beneficiaries, understanding the Jordanian market, the food supply chain, and potential to expand. The offeror is to propose activities which will be most relevant to increasing revenue, reducing cost, improving the efficacy of a business process or operation or assisting MSE to reach new markets. The Offeror is strongly encouraged to highlight specific examples and case studies of how basic business interventions / experiences can benefit a MSE and why they are appropriate.

Identification of key partners in specific geographies in Jordan and the expansive networks required to effectively identify and deliver this activity. This may include specific partners in each geography, including restaurants, tour operators, transport and logistics companies, home based businesses, food producers, processors and retail networks.

Offerors should detail their past experience in coordinating similar efforts and how they will deliver the logistical efforts required for this activity. The Offeror is strongly encouraged to propose leveraging the networks and skills of food processing and tourism sector professionals. The Offeror is also expected to submit an initial selection criteria relevant to the targeted MSEs who will be highlighted within the filming of the FAM Trip.

An M&E plan that includes proposed targets and results to be achieved by the program, utilizing USAID LENS tools. Data to be captured is to include number of MSEs reached, number of women reached, and number of MSEs with increased revenue, jobs and linkages as a result of this program.

A sustainability plan to transition this content to BSPs, partners, and/or other organizations that can make this activity a benchmark for future similar activities

The Technical Approach must include a draft Implementation Strategy and Gantt chart of the deliverables required, a draft M&E plan, and the level of intervention required for completing the documentary and the FAM trip. In addition, the Offeror may identify challenges to execution and therefore must identify risks, create mitigation strategies, and detail anticipated behavioral change of MSEs. USAID LENS anticipates this project to be completed within 6 months of signing the award.

3. Capability Statement - A narrative not to exceed three (3) pages.The Offeror shall demonstrate its specialized competence with regards to the requirements of this Scope of Work. The Offeror should demonstrate it has the necessary organizational systems, vendors, technical, access to secure an internationally recognized chef, and marketing capabilities to successfully implement the tasks in this Scope of Work and meet the expected results. This should not reference past performance examples or identify specific personnel, but rather provide an overview of the firm’s experience, developed knowledge based tools, and expertise in similar work. This can also address the capabilities of subcontractors and vendors available to support logistics of training and equipment design.

4. Past Performance – A narrative not to exceed four (4) pages. The Offeror shall provide at least three (3) examples of past performance of similar work in Jordan or the Middle East and North Africa region. The past performance examples must be within the last five (5) years and should be similar in terms of the scope, objectives, upgrading and marketing aspects of this activity and in a similar industry. The Offeror must provide references through the attached Past Performance Report (PPR) sheets in Attachment F, which are separate from the narrative and not included in the page limit.

5. Personnel/Staffing – A narrative not to exceed three (3) pages. The Offeror shall identify, in summary format of 2-3 sentences each, the names and anticipated positions, s and key staff proposed to perform the requirements of this scope of work. The narrative in this section should address for the key team members their qualifications, experience, technical certifications or expertise, examples of similar work in the past, and their role in this specific project It should also address the experience and competence of personnel in integrating gender considerations in activity design. A Project Manager must be identified that will serve as the primary Point of Contact with USAID LENS and will manage logistics, staffing, invoicing and other administrative functions to ensure the activity is well managed.

The Offeror can also include the CVs of key staff members involved in the Project, including the Project Manager in an Annex that is not considered part of the Technical Proposal and does not fall within the page limitations. Each CV should not exceed three (3) pages. Note: Proposed salaries for staff shall be supported by the salary history certified in the biodata forms

Attachment C. FHI 360 reserves the right to verify salary history and rates.

Part B: Cost Proposal The Offeror shall propose costs it believes are realistic and reasonable for the project in accordance with the Offeror’s technical approach. The Offeror shall provide a complete budget based on cost elements described below using Attachment A - Budget Template. The detailed cost proposal for implementing the four (4) phases shall be broken down by each phase in the Statement of Work and include the following:

a) Proposed staff, rates, number of person-days to accomplish the workb) Travel, transportation and logistics costsc) Costs related to the production of films (crew, camera, storyboard, editing,

etc.)d) Marketing and Media as listed in Phase Four in Statement of Worke) Fee: The Offer may propose a profit fee that is justifiable, reasonable and

consistent with the market rates.

Daily rates for proposed staff and consultants must be unloaded, NO INDIRECT COST WILL BE ACCEPTED. Fringe benefits rates must not be included in daily rates and to be budgeted for as a separate item. Proposed fringe benefits rates must be according to the organization’s established written policies. The Offeror must propose all indirect costs as direct costs.

In the Budget Narrative section (Attachment B – Budget Narrative Template), the Offeror must provide a concise description and justification for each line item cost, outlining data and/or methodologies to support cost estimates. A detailed cost breakdown for all four phases (I-IV) must be provided in the Budget Narrative. The budget narrative shall be presented in such a way as to be easily referenced from the budget and should provide sufficient information in order that FHI 360 may review the proposed budget for reasonableness.All projected costs must be in accordance with the organization’s standard practices and policies.Offers including budget information determined to be unreasonable, incomplete, unnecessary for the completion of the proposed project or based on a methodology that is not adequately supported, may be deemed unacceptable.Guidelines:

1. Cost proposals from Jordanian Offerors shall be presented in Jordanian Dinar or US Dollar. International Offerors shall present cost proposals in US Dollar.

2. Offeror must indicate the inclusion/exclusion of any applicable taxes such as VAT.

3. If the Offeror proposes a fringe benefit rate on salaries, it must be supported by an established written policy. Please provide a detailed explanation in the budget narrative.

4. For employee salaries – List employee name (when identified), functional position and duration of assignment (in terms of person days), and daily rate. The daily rate is derived by dividing base annual salary exclusive of fringe benefits, incentives, bonuses, overtime, allowances and differentials by 260 days.

5. Offeror must include a signed biodata form (Attachment C) for any proposed staff named in the budget.

6. Travel and Transportation – Provide an explanation of the methodology for estimating the costs for in country travel, including number of trips, origin and destination of trips, and costs for drivers, taxis or other modes of transport

7. Per Diem – Offerors shall budget per diem associated with travel and transportation in accordance with the U.S. Department of State Standardized Regulations for per diem, which may be accessed electronically at the following internet address: http://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem.asp

8. Other Direct Costs – Itemize and provide complete details of other direct costs, including unit prices that may be incurred.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Bids will be evaluated using the Trade-Off methodology, with the award being made to the Offeror that provides the most responsive and therefore the best-value proposal, according to the Evaluation Criteria (see below).Jordanian or international firms, associations, and relevant organizations of such entities locally registered in Jordan, are strongly encouraged to apply. Technical Evaluation will represent 80 points of the total available, with the remaining 20 points based on Cost Evaluation, which will include the actual cost, cost reasonableness, and sufficient explanation of budget items and notes.Bids must first meet the mandatory requirements before their technical and cost proposals will be reviewed. Those bids not meeting the mandatory requirements will be automatically rejected.The mandatory requirements are:

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS MEETS REQUIREMENT

1.

Legally registered to do business in Jordan or the U.S. – Offer shall provide a copy of its registration document with the technical proposal.

YES/NO

1. Nationality of Offeror meets USAID Geographic Code 937 requirement – Offeror shall be registered in the US,

YES/NO

Jordan or a USAID-designated 937 developing country

3.

Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Determination Form Completed – Offeror shall complete and submit the Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Determination Form with the technical proposal.

YES/NO

4.

The technical proposal is within the page limitation established

YES/NO

Bids satisfying the mandatory requirements will then be evaluated for technical strengths and cost. Technical Evaluation will represent 80 points of the total available, including (1) the Technical Approach (40 points); (2) Capabilities Statement (15 points); Past Performance (15 points); and (4) the Personnel who will be leading the work (10 points). Only Technical Proposals that obtain scores above 65 of the 80 points possible for Technical Evaluation will be considered for cost evaluation. The Cost Evaluation will be 20 points. Note, that Gender must be addressed in each section, and 20% of all points awarded will be done so on the basis that the Offeror demonstrates a gender-mainstreaming approach is being taken. The following tables summarizes the evaluation weights:

Section DescriptionMaximum Points

Technical Approach

The Offeror should outline their overall Technical Approach for implementing the four phases of this Scope of Work, demonstrating an understanding of LENS objectives and intended results. The Offeror should address the approach in each phase as outlined in the instructions above, including plans for completion of the training activities and the sustainability plan. (20 points)

In addition, the Offeror should provide a proposed timeline and Implementation Plan or Gantt chart, and can identify potential risks and proposed mitigation strategies as appropriate. (10 points)

This approach should describe their M&E plan, establish targets, define an approach to collecting data and measuring results, and integrating lessons learned. The M&E section should demonstrate the ability to achieve the

40

results aligned to the indicators noted above (particularly reaching the target number of MSEs, increased revenue and jobs for MSEs in the food sector), and explain how to advance sustainability. (10 points)

The technical approach must also demonstrate how local food producers and suppliers will be effectively targeted and supported. Successful approaches will detail steps taken to ensure that at least 30% of the targeted MSEs will represent women.

Capability Statement

The Offeror should demonstrate it has the necessary organizational systems, vendors, technical, and marketing capabilities to successfully implement the tasks in this Scope of Work and meet the expected results. This should include any unique qualifications of the firm in film production, securing media platforms to air the documentary, as well as contacts for nominated international chefs. The roles of specialized subcontractors and vendors that would be leveraged to complete the work can also be identified. (15 points)

15

Past Performance

The Offeror shall provide at least three (3) examples of past performance of similar scopes of work. The past performance examples must be within the last five (5) years and should be similar in terms of the scope, objectives, upgrading and marketing aspects of this activity. (10 points)

The Offeror should provide contact information of past performance experience in the PPR attachment who will be contacted for references. (5 points)

15

Key Staff Qualifications

Service providers are to suggest consultants fluent in Arabic and English, a number of whom will be expected to converse and deliver reports in English.

The Offeror should identify the key staff involved in the project, including a Project Manager who will serve as primary Point of Contact with USAID LENS. This individual must have experience in similar work hold relevant qualifications. (5 points)

The Offeror should propose a mix of staff that collectively includes the skills and experience, to implement this activity, and explain the role of different team members

10

and how the team will function throughout the implementation. The experience of staff members on similar projects should be articulated. (5 points)

Cost Evaluation

The Offeror should provide details and clarity of the actual costs proposed and use the attached Budget Template to identify all costs, with budget notes to explain the justification for these costs. (5 points)

The total costs provided will be compared to other Offerors that are considered for Cost Evaluation based on cost per enterprise. (5 points)

Cost Realism will be considered whether the proposed costs and human and other resources are sufficient to produce the quality of analysis required for this task. (10 points)

20

Total Points 100

COMPETITIVE RANGE – If FHI 360 determines that discussions are necessary, FHI 360 may establish a Competitive Range composed of only the most highly rated proposals. FHI 360 may exclude an offer from the competitive range if it is deficient to such an extent that it essentially requires a new technical proposal. FHI 360 may exclude an offer from the competitive range if it so unreasonably priced, in relation to more competitive offers, as to appear that there will be little or no chance of becoming competitive. FHI 360 may exclude an offer that would require extensive discussions, a complete re-write, or major revisions such as to allow an Offeror unfair advantage over those more competitive offers.FHI 360 reserves the right to award one or more contracts under this RFP on the basis of initial offers without discussions or without establishing a competitive range.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS1. Any proposal received in response to this solicitation will be reviewed strictly as

submitted and in accordance with Section VIII, Evaluation Criteria.

2. EXECUTIVE ORDER 13224 ON TERRORIST FINANCINGOfferors are informed that FHI 360 complies with U.S. Sanctions and Embargo Laws and Regulations including Executive Order 13224 on Terrorist Financing, which

effectively prohibit transactions with persons or entities that commit, threaten to commit or support terrorism. Any person or entity that participates in this bidding process, either as a prime or sub to the prime, must certify as part of the bid that he or it is not on the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List and is eligible to participate. FHI 360 shall disqualify any bid received from a person or entity that is found to be on the List or otherwise ineligible.

Firms or individuals that are included on the Excluded Parties List System (www.epls.gov) shall not be eligible for financing and shall not be used to provide any commodities or services contemplated by this RFP.

3. TERMS AND CONDITIONSOfferors are responsible for review of the terms and conditions described.

4. CONTRACT MECHANISMFHI 360 anticipates awarding a fixed price contract to the Offeror whose proposal will be evaluated based on the evaluation criteria described previously.

5. WITHDRAWALS OF PROPOSALSOfferors may withdraw proposals by written notice via email received at any time before award. Proposals may be withdrawn in person by an Offeror or his/her authorized representative if the representative’s identity is made known and if the representative signs a receipt for the proposal before award.

6. RIGHT TO SELECT/REJECTFHI 360 reserves the right to select and negotiate with those firms it determines, in its sole discretion, to be qualified for competitive proposals and to terminate negotiations without incurring any liability. FHI 360 also reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received without explanation.

7. DUE DILIGENCE PROCESSAny selected firm will be required to complete a Financial Pre-Award Assessment in order for FHI 360 to ascertain that the organization has the capacity to perform successfully under the terms and conditions of the proposed award. As part of the Pre-Award Assessment process, the firm will also be requested to submit a financial audit report from the previous fiscal year. In addition, payroll records and other financial information may be requested to support budgeted costs.

8. CLIENT PRIOR APPROVALThe selected offeror will be subject to funding agency approval before a subcontract can be awarded. Therefore, organizations are reminded that there may be delays for this process to be completed. In addition, should such approval not be given, this subcontract cannot be awarded.

9. DISCLAIMER

This RFP represents only a definition of requirements. It is merely an invitation for submission of proposals and does not legally obligate FHI 360 to accept any of the submitted proposals in whole or in part, nor is FHI 360 obligated to select the lowest priced proposal. FHI 360 reserves the right to negotiate with any or all firms, but with respect to price, costs and/or scope of services. FHI 360 has no contractual obligations with any firms based upon issuance of this RFP. It is not an offer to contact. Only the execution of a written contract shall obligate FHI 360 in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in such contract.

10.REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FIRM GUARANTEEAll information submitted in connection with this RFP will be valid for 90 (ninety) days from the RFP due date. This includes, but is not limited to, cost, pricing, terms and conditions, service levels, and all other information. If your firm is awarded the contract, all information in the RFP and negotiation process is contractually binding.

11.OFFER VERIFICATIONFHI 360 may contact Offerors to confirm contact person, address, bid amount and that the bid was submitted for this solicitation.

12.FALSE STATEMENTS IN OFFEROfferors must provide full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation and its attachments.

13.CONFLICT OF INTERESTOfferors must provide disclosure of any past, present or future relationships with any parties associated with the issuance, review or management of this solicitation and anticipated award in or outside of Jordan. Failure to provide full and open disclosure may result in FHI 360 having to reevaluate selection of a potential Offeror.

14.RESERVED RIGHTSAll RFP responses become the property of FHI 360, and FHI 360 reserves the right in its sole discretion to:

Disqualify any offer based on offeror failure to follow solicitation instructions. FHI 360 reserves the right to waive any deviations by Offerors from the

requirements of this solicitation that in FHI 360’s opinion are considered not to be material defects requiring rejection or disqualification, or where such a waiver will promote increased competition.

Extend the time for submission of all RFP responses after notification to all Offerors.

Terminate or modify the RFP process at any time and reissue the RFP to whomever FHI 360 deems appropriate.

FHI 360 reserves the right to issue an award based on the initial evaluation of offerors without discussion.

FHI 360 reserves the right to award only part of the activities in the solicitation or issue multiple awards based on solicitation activities.

FHI 360 will not compensate offerors for preparation of their response to this RFP.

Issuing this RFP is not a guarantee that FHI 360 will award a subcontract. FHI 360 may choose to award a subcontract to more than one offeror for

specific parts of the activities in the RFP.

ATTACHMENTSAttachment A – Budget Template

Attachment B – Budget Narrative Template

Attachment C – Biodata Form

Attachment D – Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Determination Form

Attachment E – Terms and Conditions

Attachment F – PPR Forms

[END OF RFP]