TENDER NUMBER: 008/2024/TANZANIA/PROVISION OF ACCOMMODATION AND CONFERENCE PACKAGE.

TYPE OF CONTRACT: CONTRACT FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES

PURPOSE: PROVISION OF ACCOMMODATION AND CONFERENCE PACKAGE.

FOR THE PROCUREMENT TO SUPPLY ACCOMMODATION AND CONFERENCE PACKAGE

Introduction

Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) is an international non-governmental organisation working in the field of justice, and whose main goal is to contribute to the development of the rule of law through promoting a fair justice system in Uganda.

Within the framework of its activities in Tanzania, and with the support of its donors, ASF is launching this Open Invitation to Tender for the procurement of Conference package and accommodation services in Mwanza, Tanzania.

In order to tender, interested parties who would like to propose their services should place their bid based on the best value for money, and they must ensure that their offer adheres to the conditions stipulated by ASF under the technical specifications indicated in this here document.

All professional companies who fulfil the technical criteria specified under the terms of reference below, are invited to tender.

PART I: INVITATION TO TENDER AND PROCEDURES

1.0 Instructions and Procedures

• General Information

Part I of the “Invitation to Tender and Procedures”, must not be included in any tendering or contract award which could result from this invitation to tender. The aim of this section is simply to inform potential suppliers.

          1.2     Transaction

ASF invites potential suppliers to submit tenders for the provision of accommodation, conference and event management services. However, ASF reserves the unilateral right to cancel the call for tenders before the deadline stipulated.

          1.3     Eligibility

This call for tenders is issued at the local level and is open to all qualified individuals/companies who are capable of supplying the goods/service being requested to the extent permitted by law in Uganda and based on the guidelines followed by ASF.

          1.5     Bid Price

Potential suppliers are not obliged to prepare or submit bids for this call for tenders. If they do so, it is at their own risk and expense. Under no circumstances will ASF reimburse tenderers any costs associated to the preparation and submission of a bid.

          1.6     Tender Evaluation Process

Each potential supplier must carefully examine all the provisions stipulated in the call for tenders and fully comply with them. Not doing so will be at their own risk and expense. Any ambiguities or incoherence that may appear within the contents of the Open Invitation to Tender will be addressed to the detriment of a potential supplier if he or she has not asked for the clarification of these provisions before the deadline stipulated for the request of additional information.

          1.7     Ethics and Integrity

ASF is committed to respecting the highest ethical and professional standards for all its procurement operations. ASF strictly forbids and has a zero-tolerance policy for corruption as well as for fraudulent practices such as forgery. By bidding on this call for tenders, suppliers commit themselves to strictly comply with this code of conduct. They shall not breach the code of conduct nor give the impression of having done so.

          1.8     Language

The language for all the documents to be submitted in reply to this call for tenders, as well as for all other related correspondence, shall be inEnglish.

          1.9     Requests for Additional Information

The requests for additional information on this call for tenders or counter offers must be submitted in writing, and received by ASF by 11^th of July 2024 at 5:00pm (EAT), at the latest, in order to allow ASF to draft a complete and detailed response. Such requests must be submitted by mail and addressed to the AFL Coordinator, Mkinyera@asf.be.

ASF cannot be held responsible for questions or further information requests that have not been received by the deadline stipulated, or which do not concern the technical specifications of the documents that need to be submitted or the goods sought through the call for tenders.

2.0     Call for Tenders Procedures

2.1     Open Invitation to Tender

This call for tenders serves as an invitation for potential suppliers to submit bids for the goods described in this document. It is composed of a:

(1) Cover page;

(2) Introduction;

(3) Part I: Instructions and procedures;

(4) Part II: Technical specifications;

(5) Annex A: Supplier questionnaire;

(6) Annex B: Authorisation for the verification of financial information;

• Receipt of Tenders

Potential suppliers must send their bids by e-mail at ajdokolinga@asf.be and mkinyera@asf.be  by 11^th of July at 5:00pm EAT at the latest.

• Tender Content and Submission

The tenderers’ files must be composed of:

• an admissible tender in ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL terms, as well as
• a FINANCIAL bid.

These two parts must be presented in two separate documents clearly marked “Technical and administrative bid” or “Financial bid”, followed by the reference number 008/2024/Tanzania/Provision of Accommodation and Conference Package.

The “Technical and administrative bid” must include, at least, but not only, the following elements:

• Annexes A and B of the present OLIT document, duly filled out;
• Documents attesting that the bidder is entitled to carry out professional activities in the field: at the very least, proof of registration in the Commercial register and possession of a national identification number;
• A certified statement testifying that the bidder has carried out the mandatory tax return using their tax number and evidence of having filed a tax return for the preceding fiscal year;
• The bidders bank account details;
• The details and authority of the individual who pledges the commitment of the tenderer;
• The tenderer’s prior references for similar procurements, to be demonstrated via the submission of at least three (3) copies of prior contracts, signed and authorized by both parties;

Photocopies of these items must be submitted. The originals may be requested at the moment of the award of the tender. These documents must be valid.

The document marked “Financial bid” must include at least, but not only, the following elements:

• A comprehensive financial bid indicating sums including all taxes;
• The prices must be fixed, and non-revisable, without reserved and valid for 3 months following the deadline for the submission of tenders;
• Effective delivery times;

All tenders must be drafted in English. All bids must be signed and dated by the individual representing the tenderer (who will write their name as well as their position, in print, and shall include their signature). The tenderer must affix their seal to and sign every page in the bid.

          2.4     Processing Tenders

The tenders will be opened, at the ASF office on 11^th of July 2024 at 2:00pm EAT.

Once they are received, the tenders will be stored together, safely.  All necessary measures will be taken in order to avoid loss, modifications or disclosure to non-authorized individuals. Notwithstanding the above, ASF will not be held accountable for any instances of loss, modification or disclosure.

2.5    Tender Evaluation and Contract Award(s)

The tender evaluation process will be carried out by an Internal Tender Evaluation Committee. The process will cover three stages, which are as follows:

1. First Stage (Preliminary Check)

This stage of the evaluation process will rely on the following criteria, which will permit ASF to determine if the tender complies with the OLIT’s terms and conditions:

• The tender has been signed;
• The tender submitted has been received by ASF before the stipulated submission deadline;
• The validity period for the tender is of at least three (3) months from the stipulated submission deadline;
• The tender submitted contains all necessary documentation (no exceptions) and information, in conformity with paragraph 2.3 below;
• The financial bid (budget) has been duly filled out and signed;

Any tender that does not abide by these criteria will be immediately rejected and shall not be taken into consideration during the technical evaluation.

1. Second Stage (Technical Evaluation)

This stage in the evaluation process will ensure that technical bids comply with the technical reference terms for OLIT’s, which appear under Part II below.

The tenderer will be rejected if the documents do not comply with the provisions in place under the law of Kenya.

After the evaluation of technical bids, the tenderers who do not qualify will be automatically eliminated and will not be taken into consideration during the next stage.

1. Third Stage (Financial Evaluation)

ASF will take the following factors into account when evaluating the financial bids:

1. Price (60%);
2. Delivery period (20%);
3. The bidder’s prior experience (20%).

The chosen tenderer will be the one whose bid is deemed to be eligible and comply with the first and second stage of the evaluation process, and whose bid will have obtained the highest score during the third stage, which takes into account the delivery period and the price of each individual good.

2.6     Amendments

If at any point in time before awarding a contract – ASF deems that it is necessary to make a significant modification to the OLIT provisions, a written amendment to these provisions shall be sent out to all suppliers who have requested a copy of the OLIT. No declarations, oral or otherwise, to limit, curtail, exclude, modify or affect in any other way any terms or conditions stipulated in this call to tender should be taken into consideration, and suppliers should not heed any such declaration.

2.7     Modifications or Withdrawals

None of the documents submitted may be modified, filled out, corrected or withdrawn by request of the supplier after the deadline for the submission of tenders stipulated on the cover has passed. None of the OLIT tenders can be modified, filled out or corrected after the deadline. Nevertheless, if ASF deems it necessary, it may request further clarification or explanations from the supplier. Such a request, as well as its reply, must be communicated in writing.

          2.8     Contract Award

After having thoroughly evaluated and compared the tenders, ASF will make its decision concerning the contract award and will notify the successful bidder(s) by mail with acknowledgement of receipt. ASF will inform the successful bidder(s) of which tender(s) has (have) been accepted.

Unsuccessful bidders will also be notified. This decision is final and not open to appeals.  ASF will keep the files of the unsuccessful candidates.

After close scrutiny and evaluation of all tenders, ASF will draft a document which shall contain a detailed report concerning the evaluation carried out, including a comparison of the different tenders as well as a substantiated recommendation for award. A sample of the contract to be signed with the successful tenderer(s) is attached to this document.

PART II: KEY FEATURES OF SUPPLY OF ACCOMMODATION AND CONFERENCE PACKAGE

Technical Specifications for the provision of conference package and Accommodation.

ANNEX A: SUPPLIER QUESTIONNAIRE

Please provide all the information requested

And attach an additional sheet of paper, if necessary

ANNEX B :    Statement of Confidentiality and Impartiality

PUBLICATION REFERENCE:____________________

I, the undersigned, in my capacity as ……………………………………………………………………… of the Company known as    …………………………………………………………………………..……… hereby authorise ASF or its appointed representatives to conduct any evaluation they may deem useful for the verification of the veracity and validity of the information I have supplied under the framework of this call to tender, referenced below.  At the same time, I hereby confirm having acknowledged the information available concerning this call to tender. Furthermore, I hereby commit myself to undertaking my responsibilities with honesty and fairness.

I hereby state that I am not[1] associated in any way to any of the other parties involved, and that no benefits or advantages shall be derived by them from the decision taken during the evaluation process. To the best of my knowledge, there is no fact or element, be it past, current or likely to appear in the foreseeable future, which could challenge my position in relation to these parties.  If, during the evaluation process, such a relationship is established, I solemnly swear to immediately cease to take part in the evaluation process.

I hereby commit myself to safely preserving the information and all documents (“confidential information”) which shall be transmitted to me, or of which I shall be made aware of or which I will complete myself within the framework of the evaluation process or in relation to it, and I solemnly swear that I will not profit from them in an or share them with third parties, and that they will be solely used for the purposes of this evaluation. Furthermore, I solemnly swear that I will not keep a copy of any written information nor of the sample documents provided.

Finally, I hereby commit myself to not disclosing confidential information to any employee or expert, unless the latter is willing to sign this declaration and be subject to its provisions.

[1]   I hereby state to have taken into consideration all prior and current relationships, whether direct or indirect, be them of a financial, professional, or any other nature.