REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR CONDUCTING THE BASELINE SURVEY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR CONDUCTING THE BASELINE SURVEY

1. Brief About Organization

Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class organizations working to deliver the holistic, lasting solutions needed to end extreme poverty once and for all. We are a global leader in international development, with 150 years of combined experience across our brands. Our nonprofit and for-profit subsidiaries include IMA World Health and its fundraising brand Corus World Health, Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and Farmers Market Brands. Our more than 800 employees around the globe are experts in their fields and dedicated to helping the world's most vulnerable people break the cycle of poverty and lead healthy lives. Further details about the organization can be found at: https://corusinternational.org.

2. Brief About Project and SOW 

Corus International, incorporating Lutheran World Relief in Nepal, is planning to implement the Modernizing Aquaculture in Nepal (MATSYA) project. This project aims to enhance food security by improving the aquaculture value chain through 1) Incorporating climate-smart technologies, 2) Enhancing market linkages and farmer incomes, 3) Increasing access to finance for farmers and 4) Strengthening public and private sector monitoring and decision-making. The project will support individuals directly and indirectly by collaborating with aquaculture farmers, groups, cooperatives, associations, hatcheries, nurseries, transporters, buyers/traders, institutions, equipment providers, and government bodies across sixteen districts in the provinces of Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini.

The Lutheran World Relief (LWR) is preparing a Baseline Survey for the MATSYA Project and invites proposals from experienced and qualified evaluation firms.The selected evaluation firm will provide baseline data and draft report, update project targets, and revise the performance monitoring plan (PMP), establishing points of comparison to measure program impacts for selected standard and custom performance indicators. Follow the detailed TOR attached in Annex-1.

3. Instruction to Bidders

A. Submission Deadline and Protocol:

• Deadline: Offers must be received no later than 17:00 hrs (Nepal standard time) on 14 July 2024.
• Submission Method: Email only to matsyaprocurement@lwr.org with subject line: RFP #16
• Contract Award: LWR will award the contract within 60 days after the final date for price submissions. The anticipated award date is between July and August 2024. If no suitable Consultant/ Firm is selected, LWR reserves the right to not award any applicants and re-solicit the procurement.

B. Note to bidders

• This RFP does not oblige LWR to award a contract or commit to any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal.
• LWR is not responsible for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.
• Please reference the RFP number in any correspondence related to this RFP. Offers received after the specified deadline will be considered late and will only be reviewed at LWR's discretion.
• Proposals should be in typed 12-point font (Times New Roman) in English and fulfill all requirements listed in part C below.

C. Required Documents for Submission:

• Technical proposal defining approaches and methodologies to complete the study (as defined in TOR – up to 4 pages)
• Implementation Timeline outlining activities and proposed duration. The timeline may be presented in a Gantt chart. (2 pages)
• Financial Proposal (in provided templets)
• Profile of the individual/firm (1 page) and team members profile (3 pages)
• Legal Documents (Registration, PAN/VAT, Tax clearance) 
• Summary of conducting similar assignments (baseline surveys funded by USDA/USAID in the aquaculture or agriculture value chain related project –up to 4 pages)

Note: Incomplete documents and firms will not proceed to selection process.

4. Technical and Financial Proposal Evaluation

The Proposal Evaluation Committee will assess, score, and rank technical and financial proposals based on the criteria in Table 1. The technical proposal accounts for 80% and the financial proposal 20%. The financial proposals should detail total compensation based on LOE and daily rates. Other direct costs will be negotiated post-selection.

The technical and financial evaluation criteria and allocated points are summarized in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Technical and Financial Evaluation Criteria

5. Annexes: Interested evaluation firms/consultancies can obtain the complete solicitation (RFP) documents through the following link.

Annex 1 - Annex.1- LWR detailed baseline ToR

Annex 2 - Technical Proposal Outline

Annex 3 - Financial Proposal Template