Company Street City Country Att.: XXXX Tel.: + Fax: +: Manner of Submission
Company Street City Country Att.: XXXX Tel.: + Fax: +: Manner of Submission
Company Street City Country Att.: XXXX Tel.: + Fax: +: Manner of Submission
Subject: Request for Proposals for Consulting Services: Project in support to the 10-year
UNAIDS Evaluation
1. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is seeking qualified offers for the
above-mentioned consulting services. Your company is kindly invited to submit your best
technical and financial offer for the requested services. Your proposal could form the basis
for a contract between your firm/institution and the United Nations Office for Project
Services (UNOPS).
b) Annex II: Proposal Submission Form, to be completed and returned with your
proposal; and
c) Annex III: A draft of the form of contract under which the services would be
performed, including the "General Conditions for UNOPS Contracts for
Professional Services".
This letter is not to be construed in any way as an offer to contract with your firm/institution.
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Company
Street
City
Country
Att.: xxxx
Tel.: +
Fax: +
Manner of Submission
5. Your proposal shall be prepared in duplicate with one marked "Original" and the other
marked "Copy". In the event of any discrepancy between them, the original shall govern. The
proposal shall be sealed in one outer and two inner envelopes, as detailed below.
Both inside envelopes shall indicate your firm's name and address. The first inner envelope
shall be marked "Technical Proposal" and contain the Proposal Submission Form and Technical
Component of your proposal. The second inner envelope shall be marked "Price Proposal" and
include your financial cover letter (paragraph 15, below) and Price Component.
6. Proposals must be received by UNOPS at the above address on or before 30 June 2008 at
17 hrs MET. Any proposal received after this date may be rejected. UNOPS may, at its discretion,
extend the deadline for the submission of proposals, by notifying all prospective proposers in
writing. The extension of the deadline may accompany a modification of the solicitation
documents prepared by UNOPS at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by
a prospective proposer.
7. You are requested to hold your proposal valid for 90 days from the deadline for
submission. UNOPS will make its best effort to select a firm/institution within this period.
10. Please note that the cost of preparing a proposal and of negotiating a contract, including
any related travel, is not reimbursable nor can it be included as a direct cost of the assignment.
11. Any requests for clarification should be referred to Ms. Katrin Lichtenberg, Portfolio
Manager, e-mail katrinl@unops.org, telephone: +41 22 917 84 73. Any written reply to a
particular question may be copied to all other invited firms/institutions, at the discretion of
UNOPS.
c) the date and mode of submission, in case you decide to submit a proposal.
Content of Proposal
Technical Component
13. The technical component of your proposal should be concisely presented and structured in
the following order to include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following information:
Include any assumptions as well as comments on the data, support services and facilities to
be provided as indicated in the TOR, or as you may otherwise believe to be necessary.
Any comments or suggestions on the TOR, as well as your detailed description of the
manner in which your firm/institution would respond to the TOR. You should include the
number of person-months in each specialization that you consider necessary to carry out
all work required.
The composition of the team which you would propose to provide in the country of
assignment and/or at the home office, and the work tasks (including supervisory) which
would be assigned to each. An organigram illustrating the reporting lines, together with a
description of such organization of the team structure, should support your proposal.
Price Component
14. Your separate price component must contain an overall quotation in a single currency,
either in US Dollars or in the currency of your home country. If you opt for the latter, and for
evaluation purposes only, your proposal will be converted into US dollars using the United
Nations rate of exchange in effect on the date submissions are due.
15. The price component shall have a cover letter wherein your firm/institution's authorized
representative affirms the following:
16. In addition, the price component must cover all the services to be provided and must
itemize the following:
e) Summary of total cost for the services proposed. [N.B.: The remuneration
received by your firm/institution and persons performing services for your
firm/institution (other than nationals of the host country) normally will not be
subject to tax liability in the host country].
17. You should also indicate any comments or reservations to the draft form contract.
Payment Provisions
18. UNOPS' general policy is to pay for the performance of contractual services rendered or
to effect payment upon the achievement of specific milestones described in the contract. Please
refer to section 3.4 of the Model Contract for Services1 that is enclosed as Annex III.
19. Please note that UNOPS' policy is not to grant advance payments except in unusual
situations where the potential contractor/tenderer, whether a private firm, NGO or a government
or other entity, specifies in the proposal that there are special circumstances warranting an
advance payment. UNOPS, at its discretion, may however determine that such payment is not
warranted or determine the conditions under which such payment would be made. In any case
where an advance payment for $50,000 or more is requested and subsequently approved, UNOPS
will normally require a bank guarantee or other suitable security arrangement.
20. Any request for an advance payment is to be justified and documented and must be
submitted with the financial proposal. This justification shall explain the need for the advance
payment, itemize the amount requested and provide a time-schedule for utilization of said amount.
In addition, you must submit documentation regarding your financial status - e.g. audited financial
statements at 31 December of the previous year and include this documentation with your
financial proposal. Further information may be requested by UNOPS at the time of finalizing
contract negotiations with the selected proposer.
Evaluation of Proposals
22. The technical component, which has a total possible value of 100 points, will be evaluated
using the following criteria:
b) the approach in responding to the TOR and the detailed workplan 30 points; and
c) the qualifications and competence of the team leader and the personnel proposed
for the assignment for a total of 50 points). The personnel will be rated in
accordance with:
23. a) The Price Component of any proposal will only be evaluated if the Technical
Component of that proposal achieves a minimum of 70 points. Proposals failing to obtain this
minimum threshold will not be eligible for further consideration.
b) The maximum number of points for the Price Component is 20. This maximum
number of points will be allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals will
receive points in inverse proportion according to the following formula:
23. The prospective team leader may be invited to the Oversight Committee of the evaluation.
24. Please note that the UNOPS is not bound to select any of the firms/institutions submitting
proposals. Furthermore, since a contract will be awarded in respect of the proposal which is
considered most responsive to the needs of the project concerned, due consideration being given
to UNOPS 's general principles, including economy and efficiency, UNOPS does not bind itself in
any way to select the firm/institution offering the lowest price.
Yours sincerely,
Dear Sir/Madam:
Having examined the Solicitation Documents, the receipt of which is hereby duly acknowledged,
we the undersigned, offer to supply the required services for the sum as may be ascertained in
accordance with the Price Component attached herewith and made part of this proposal.
We undertake, if our proposal is accepted, to commence and complete delivery of all items in the
contract within the time frame stipulated.
We understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive and that a binding
contract would result only after final negotiations are concluded on the basis of the Technical and
Price Components proposed.
Signature
TERMS OF REFERENCE
I. Background
Established by an ECOSOC Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) supports and coordinates the efforts
of ten cosponsoring UN organizations (ILO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, WHO, World
Bank, UNHCR, UNODC and WFP), and works with a wide range of other private and public
partners in the global response to AIDS. UNAIDS is governed by a Programme Coordinating
Board (PCB) with representatives of 22 governments from all geographical regions, five
representatives of nongovernmental organizations including people living with HIV/AIDS, and
the ten Cosponsors. The Cosponsors also meet as a Committee of Cosponsoring
Organizations (CCO) a standing committee of the PCB. In some 85 countries, UNAIDS
Theme Groups oversee the Programme, with the assistance of a UNAIDS Country Coordinator
(UCC). The UNAIDS Secretariat, based in Geneva, provides support for all aspects of the
Programme.
An initial evaluation of UNAIDS was completed in 2002 and covered the first five years of
UNAIDS (1996-2002). This Second Independent Evaluation will cover a period (2002-2008)
during which the AIDS epidemic, the global response to it, and UN organizational reform
efforts, have considerably changed UNAIDS environmental contexts. The pessimism that faced
the world during the first twenty years of the epidemic has diminished somewhat in the face of
much improved treatment and signs that prevention efforts are beginning to have an impact,
even in some of the hardest-hit regions of the world. Meanwhile, the response by the
international community has been strengthened and financial and human resources allocated
to this response have increased significantly. The number of interested parties, stakeholders
and groups responding to the challenge has expanded and major new actors have appeared,
including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the U.S. Presidents
Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the
William H Clinton Foundation, UNITAID and other key public and private partners. There have
been a number of important reform initiatives for better harmonization within the UN system,
such as the Millennium Development Goals, the Secretary-Generals High Level Panel on
System-wide Coherence, the results of which based around the mandate of Delivering as
One are currently being piloted in eight countries. Despite these developments, the threat
posed by the pandemic remains as large, if not larger, today than it was in 2000.
Background documents are available on the websites for UNAIDS and UNOPS.
The purpose of this Evaluation is to assess the efficacy, effectiveness and outcomes of
UNAIDS (including UNAIDS Secretariat, the PCB and Cosponsors) at the global, regional and
country levels.
The assessment should relate to how UNAIDS has met its ECOSOC mandate for an
internationally coordinated response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic with the following core
objectives:
a) provide global leadership in response to the epidemic;
b) achieve and promote global consensus on policy and programmatic approaches;
c) strengthen the capacity of the United Nations system to monitor trends and ensure
that appropriate and effective policies and strategies are implemented at country
level;
d) strengthen the capacity of national Governments to develop comprehensive
national strategies and implement effective HIV/AIDS activities at the country level;
e) promote broad-based political and social mobilization to prevent and respond to
HIV/AIDS within countries, ensuring that national responses involve a wide range of
sectors and institutions;
f) advocate greater political commitment in responding to the epidemic at the global
and country levels, including the mobilization and allocation of adequate resources
for HIV/AIDS-related activities.
The Evaluation should assess to what extent UNAIDS has met its objectives, and the
continuing relevance of its mandate and objectives in the current global environment.
The Evaluation will cover global, regional and national levels and all components of UNAIDS,
including the PCB, CCO, UNAIDS Secretariat, and AIDS-related work of the ten Cosponsors
as described in the Unified Budget and Workplan (UBW). Between 12-16 country studies
could be carried out, and the proposal should state the selected number of countries to be
evaluated, provide a rationale of why these countries were chosen, and the research methods
to be employed. These studies will feed directly into the overall Evaluation, which will draw
together assessments of all components into one synthesis report with conclusions on
UNAIDS performance as a whole.
In accordance with the background, overall purpose and scope, and guiding principles (Section
VII), a number of questions are to be included in the overall evaluation framework:
To what extent does UNAIDS generate and take advantage of synergies with its partners
including HIV vaccine and other appropriate technologies, advocacy, and development
partners and organizations of vulnerable populations and people living with HIV? A special
focus will be placed upon the role of UNAIDS in monitoring and evaluation of different
interventions, policies and strategies implemented across many partners.
b) Governance of UNAIDS
This evaluation should involve a review of the governance and accountability structures of
UNAIDS (Program Coordinating Board, Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations and the
Unified Budget and Workplan), and its relationships with the Cosponsors and other UN
bodies on a wide range of issues, especially given the organizations expansion, the entry
of new partners into the field, and the growing range of activities being undertaken. The
evaluation should consider the progress on recommendations of the Global Task Team
(GTT), review and the Review of NGO/Civil Society Participation in the Programme
Coordinating Board.
g) Delivering as One
UN Reform, Global Task Team (GTT) and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness all
influence the context in which UNAIDS operates. The impact of these changes on how
UNAIDS is viewed (by countries, co-sponsors donors and staff) and on how it works to
meet its mandate (particularly in countries), should be assessed. Implications and choices
for the future should be identified.
Work on gender norms, work with sexual minorities, including men who have sex with men
and transgender communities, should also be examined.
k) Human rights
How UNAIDS programmes and policies have contributed to strengthening the rights of
vulnerable populations, have addressed issues of gender inequality, stigma and
discrimination, the empowerment of vulnerable populations among its priorities, and
ensures that programme objectives reflect the priorities expressed by vulnerable
populations themselves. This should include mechanisms to enable meaningful
participation of vulnerable populations in policy and programme development.
IV. Client
The PCB is the body mandated to act upon the results of the Evaluation and initiates the
Evaluation and receives its results. The PCB has formal responsibility for mandating the
Oversight Committee and the Evaluation Team, reviewing the process of the Evaluation,
receiving and disseminating the results of the Evaluation, and carrying out follow-up actions as
it sees fit.
V. Timeframe
The Evaluation will cover the period 2002-2008, with the Evaluation Report due in September
2009. The Evaluation should take into account significant events up until June 2009.
To ensure impartiality and credibility of the Evaluation, the PCB has created an Oversight
Committee (OC) composed of 11 independent representatives from a cross-section of UNAIDS
constituencies. The OC is mandated to oversee the Evaluation and reports to the PCB via the
OC Chair on Evaluation progress, and matters requiring PCB action. An Evaluation Team (ET)
will be contracted to carry out the Evaluation. The ET will be supervised by the OC for the
duration of the Evaluation, but will submit its Final Report directly to the PCB Chair.
All aspects of UNAIDS work are directed by the following guiding principles:
The Evaluation Team will be selected by international competitive bidding. The ET should
demonstrate competence, experience and sensitivity to the complexity of the evaluation
process, its geographic scope and levels, and the many underlying components and issues
indicated in the evaluation questions in section III. The Evaluation Team could comprise an
organization or consortium of both public and private entities to cover the range of
competencies required, but must be independent of the UN system.
The Evaluation Team should be headed by a Team Leader who is independent of the UNAIDS
Secretariat and Cosponsors. The Team Leader should have demonstrable track record in
managing complex projects in the field of HIV/AIDS with collaborative partners and
interdisciplinary teams of analysts. Specific competencies should include:
The composition of the team should be presented in detail, including a break-down of the tasks
assigned to each, estimated time taken, possible visits to be made to consult stakeholders and
other work tasks. An organogram illustrating the reporting lines, together with a description of
the organization of the team structure should support the proposal. The full curriculum vitae of
each member of the team should be included as an Annex.
IX. Methods
e) Methods for prioritizing issues and themes, and how they relate to each other.
f) Methods to assess how past performance has prepared and enabled UNAIDS to
deal with future challenges.
X. Stages, Indicative Timetable, Outputs
The proposal should specify the approach, personnel and specializations, person-months and
costs for each stage, as well as the costing of the number of site visits proposed.
The purpose of the inception stage is for the evaluation team to refine the scope of work and
the detailed planning for the assessment and synthesis stage. The Inception Report will
include proposals, criteria used and rationale for choice of country studies, themes and issues
to be given priority, and any thematic reports proposed. Within the broad schedule set out for
the synthesis stage, the Inception Report will show how the evaluation team will produce,
consult on, and finalize the draft and final reports.
Outputs:
Stage 3: Synthesis Stage: Preparation of Draft and Final Reports (June August 2009)
Outputs
The Evaluation Team should specify the approach, personnel and specializations, person-
months and costs for each stage.
The indicative budget for carrying out the Evaluation will be finalized after approval of the
Inception Report on the basis of methodologies and number of country visits. Proposals
should contain detailed costing as outlined in Section IX(d) and X, and paragraphs 14-17 of
the Request for Proposal..