Announcements

Request for Proposals, Security service for 12 months. Helen Keller International is seeking to contract a security agency that is trustworthy and reliable and can secure the Helen Keller international premises and property.

Request for Proposals

Security service for 12 months

Helen Keller International is seeking to contract a security agency that is trustworthy and reliable and can secure the Helen Keller international premises and property.

Contacts:

1. For detailed Bid document and submission of questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
2. For submission of offers: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Contents of this Document

SECTION 1: Introduction, 1

SECTION 2: Eligibility of Bidders, Definitions Scope of Work. 2

SECTION 3: Proposal Instructions. 3...........................................................................................

SECTION 4: Evaluation Criteria and Basis for Award. 5

SECTION 5: Proposal Validity, Submission Deadline and Instructions. 6

SECTION 6: Negotiations. 6

SECTION 7: Terms of the Solicitation. 7

ANNEX A: Conflict of Interest Disclosure. 8

Bidders are encouraged to read this RFP and all attachments in its entirety paying specific attention to the instructions and requirements. Issuance of this RFP does not in any way obligate Helen Keller International to award a contract, nor does it commit Helen Keller International to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. All recipients of this RFP shall treat all information and details included herein as private and confidential.

SECTION 1: Introduction, Eligibility of Bidders, and Definitions

Introduction

Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl) is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the sight and lives of the world's vulnerable by combatting the causes and consequences of blindness, poor health and malnutrition. Helen Keller Intl invites all eligible Bidders to submit proposals for a reliable security service that is trust worthy and reliable that can secure the Helen Keller international premises and property. The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to select a vendor that will provide best value to Helen Keller Intl, when both technical and cost factors are combined.

Eligibility of Bidders

This RFP is open to all eligibly security agencies that are deemed capable of implementing the scope of work, with a solid record of integrity and reliability and that meet the eligibility requirements stated in this Section.

Bidders that submit proposals in response to this RFP must meet the following requirements:

• Be non-government entities that are legally registered under the laws of Sierra Leone.
• Have demonstrated capacity and expertise to successfully implement the Scope of Work.
• Have completed the required representations and certifications incorporated in this RFP.
• Be willing to comply with relevant rules and regulations that Helen Keller Intl requires.

Note: Helen Keller Intl will not award a contract to any firm that is debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment by the U.S. Government, or who proposes to do business with firms or firms’ principals who are debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment, in the performance of the requirement of this activity.

SECTION 2: Scope of Work

Helen Keller Intl will evaluate all proposals received in response to this RFP in accordance with the evaluation criteria described in this document.

This RFP contains the following Annexes:

• Annex A: Conflict of Interest Disclosure
• Annex B: Technical Offer template
• Annex C: Format of CV to be used for Personnel (one document per person)
• Annex D: Financial Offer (separate Excel spreadsheets)

Program Background

Helen Keller International (Helen Keller INTL) guided by the remarkable legacy of its co-founder, Helen Keller, partners with communities that are striving to overcome longstanding cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition and clear vision, we help millions of people create lasting change in their own lives. Working in more than 20 countries – across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States – and together with a global community of supporters, we are ensuring every person has the opportunity – as Helen did – to reach their true potential. Helen Keller has been operating in Sierra Leone for nearly 20 years in support of the nutrition and neglected tropical disease components of the National Health Development Plan of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, as well as food security component of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Scope of Work, Key Objectives and Activities

Hellen Keller expects the successful agency to provide security services to Helen Keller ‘s office premises at 16H James Macarthy Drive, Off Spur Road, Wilberforce, Freetown as follows:

• 1 Supervisor
• 2 Guards during the day
• 2 Guards at night
• Control movement of vehicles in and out of Helen Keller premises.
• Control and record entry into and exit of personnel from Helen Keller premises

Deliverables and Illustrative Timeline

• The successful bidder will maintain a shift system for guards and a supervisor to be available for monitoring both day and night
• The required number of guards to replace the day guards and be available at night
• 2 Guards and 1 supervisor to be always available
• All the guards to be present at Helen Keller premises before staff report for duty daily.

Anticipated Contracting Period and Award Mechanism

The anticipated period of the resulting award is expected to be {12 Months} beginning on or about {November 2022) Bidders must clearly identify “start-up” support costs, if any, required to commence services.

Helen Keller Intl intends to award an all-inclusive fixed price Blanket Purchase Agreement Contract to the winning offer. This RFP is subject to all the terms and conditions of the resulting contract. Any resultant award will be governed by these terms and conditions.

SECTION 3: Proposal Instructions

The Bidder’s proposal will consist of two separate documents:

Part 1 - Technical Offer

Part 2 – Financial Offer

The Technical Offer and the Financial Offer (altogether “proposal”) must be submitted separately. The Bidder should not include any cost data in the Technical Offer.

The proposal should be concisely presented and structured, and should explain in detail the Bidder’s availability, experience for the requested services.

Proposals that are incomplete or do not address these criteria may not be considered in the review process. All proposals must be submitted in English.

Both the Technical Offer and Financial Offer must be submitted with a Cover Letter which must include the following information and must be signed and stamped by an authorized representative of the Bidder organization:

1. Date of Submission of the Proposal
2. Term of proposal validity (minimum 90 days)

• Name of the company/organization

1. Name and title of authorized representative of organization
2. Type of company/organization
3. Address

• Telephone
• E-mail

1. Taxpayer Identification Number
2. Other required documents that shall be included as attachments to the cover letter:
   1. Copy of registration or incorporation in the public registry, or equivalent document from the government office where the bidder is registered.
   2. Copy of company tax registration, or equivalent document.
   3. Copy of trade license, or equivalent document.

Bidders must also submit a signed Conflict of Interest Declaration Form. This form will be assessed to establish whether the Bidder has any present or potential future conflict of interest according to the definition in Annex A. If the conclusion is reached that any conflict of interest declared by the Bidder could have a negative impact on the Bidder’s ability to perform the Service, Helen Keller Intl may decide to reject the submitted proposal. Failure to accurately complete the Conflict of Interest Declaration Form may also lead to the rejection of the submitted proposal.

Part 1: TECHNICAL OFFER;

The Technical Offer should be in the English language, typed in Microsoft Word, single-spaced, with each page numbered consecutively. A maximum number of pages for each component of the Technical Offer is given below.

The Technical Offer should include the following:

1) Bidder past performance record/relevant experience– Two (2) pages maximum

Information related to Bidder’s past performance/prior experience in conducting work in the country/region similar in nature and volume to the services requested (brief description, deliverables, date, client etc.).

Bidders must also provide contacts for at least three (3) professional references for previous work and/or experience under similar SOWs. Contact information should include, at a minimum: name of individual, name of company, brief information on relationship to Bidder, address, email, and phone number. Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to contact any and all references provided. Contact information for references is not subject to the page limitation for this section.

2) Technical approach – Seven (7) pages maximum

The technical approach must describe the proposed approach to achieving the Service objectives and must address the following:

1. Information as to whether the Bidder currently has a presence in the country/region, and the nature of this presence.
2. A brief description of the Bidder’s understanding of the objectives and scope of work for the Service.
3. An overview as to how the Bidder would propose to complete the requested services indicated in this RFP.

3) Team Structure requirements – Three (3) pages maximum, excluding CVs

1. Team structure: Bidders must describe the structure of the team that will deliver against the objectives and scope of work described in this RFP. Team structures must identify the Services manager (or Team Leader) and other team members and the roles and responsibilities that each will have over the duration of the Service
2. The minimum requirements and qualifications for the Services Manager who will be leading the team are the following:

• Not less than three (3) years experience.

At a minimum, the Bidder should provide the following information:

1. A current CV for the proposed personnel in a format provided in Annex C. The CV must not exceed three pages in length and shall be in chronological order starting with the most recent experience and summarizing relevant experience and qualifications.
2. The country of residence for all persons proposed for the provision of this Service (meaning the country in which the person or persons resides and from which they would be flying from in order to reach the Place of Performance to undertake this work).

The Bidder must notify Helen Keller Intl if his / her intends to replace a key member of the Bidder’s team (with an explanation for doing so) prior to the award date and provide Helen Keller Intl with the information required for the approval of a replacement. Any replacement shall be subject to the approval of Helen Keller Intl. This is also valid for any replacement taking place during the contract duration.

Helen Keller Intl may choose to contact the Bidder prior to making a final decision. Please confirm whether this would be possible, ensuring that full contact details are also included in the resume (email, telephone number).

Part 2: FINANCIAL OFFER :

This contract will be issued as a firm fixed price contract with payment made against deliverable services Helen Keller Intl will only issue payment via electronic payment methods and all bank accounts must be in the name of the company/organization only. 

As part of the Financial Offer, Bidders must include a detailed budget, submitted in Microsoft Excel, expressed in Sierra Leone, with an accompanying budget narrative, submitted in Microsoft Word, describing the basis for the listed cost elements. Supporting information should be provided in sufficient detail to allow a complete analysis and determination of reasonableness of each cost element. Bidders are required to include and clearly label all costs deemed necessary to complete the work called for hereunder.

1. Labor Cost: The Bidder must provide information related to team structure, daily rates and Level of Effort (LoE) (measured in days). Please state assumptions made when submitting the cost information including any additional options and stating all conditions.

2. Other Direct Costs: The Bidder should provide a breakdown estimate of other main direct costs which are considered necessary for completion of the work. Other direct costs will cover transportation costs etc. Any other direct costs shall be agreed prior with Helen Keller Intl.

3. Indirect Rates and Fixed Fee: If it is a Bidder’s regular practice to budget indirect rates, e.g. overhead, fringe, G&A, administrative, or other rate, Bidders must explain the rates and the rates’ base of application in the budget narrative. Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to request additional information to substantiate a Bidder’s indirect rates. Proposed fixed fee must also be explained in the budget narrative and represented as a separate line item in the budget.

SECTION 4: Evaluation Criteria and Basis for Award

Helen Keller Intl will follow a Best Value Trade-Off selection methodology. Helen Keller Intl may award to an eligible, responsible firm whose proposal is most advantageous to the service, with price and other factors considered proposal, including but not limited to compliance with the requirements of the RFP without material deviation. Bidders may not modify non-responsive offers after the proposal deadline in order to make them responsive. However, Helen Keller Intl may request an Bidder to clarify its offer as long as no material deviation exists.

The criteria below will serve as the basis upon which proposals will be evaluated. Selection will be based principally on the technical merits of the proposals, but price and other factors will be considered, and award will be made only if the proposal is determined to be technically acceptable and cost reasonable.

Upon completion of the evaluation of Technical Offers, Helen Keller Intl will evaluate Financial Offers for budget presentation, details of the budget narrative, and cost effectiveness (reasonable, realistic, match the Technical Offer and meet requirements of RFP). No points are assigned to Financial Offers, but these criteria will be considered, in conjunction with the total score of the Technical Offer. This RFP utilizes the tradeoff process and Helen Keller Intl may award a contract to the offeror whose proposal represents the best value to Helen Keller Intl and the service. Helen Keller Intl may award to a higher priced offeror if a determination is made that the higher technical evaluation of that offeror merits the additional cost/price

SECTION 5: Proposal Validity, Submission Deadline and Instructions

Proposals should have a {90-days} validity period from the proposal submission date, as provided in the Cover Letter.

Proposals must be submitted electronically by the deadline listed on the cover page of this RFP by E-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Fredrick C. Evans, Admin & Operation Manager, indicating in the subject line of the e-mail the company name and the RFP number.

A full proposal submission will include the following documents, all of which must reference the RFP number as stated on the cover page of this document:

• Cover Letter
• Technical Offer
• Financial Offer
• Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form
• Copies of Bidder legal registration documents
• Other pertinent information relevant to the proposal submission

 QUESTIONS: No verbal questions will be entertained, either in person or via telephone. However, Helen Keller Intl will take written questions about this RFP until the date specified on the cover page of this document. Any questions related to this RFP should be addressed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Fredrick C.Evans.Admin & Operation Manager In order to ensure fairness, Helen Keller Intl’s response to all questions deemed relevant will be communicated to all potential Bidders, ensuring the original requestor’s anonymity.

SECTION 7: Negotiations

Best offer proposals are requested. It is anticipated that an award will be made solely on the basis of the original offers received. However, Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to conduct discussions, negotiations and/or request clarifications prior to awarding a contract. Furthermore, Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to conduct a competitive range and to limit the number of bidders in the competitive range to permit an efficient evaluation environment among the most highly-rated proposals. Highest-rated bidders, as determined by the technical evaluation committee, may be asked to submit their best prices or technical responses during a competitive range. At the sole discretion of Helen Keller Intl, bidders may be requested to conduct oral presentations. If deemed an opportunity, Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to make separate awards per component or to make no award at all.

SECTION 8: Terms of the Solicitation

1. Issuance of this RFP does not constitute an award commitment on the part of Helen Keller Intl, nor does it commit Helen Keller Intl to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a bid.

2. Attached files are integral part of this RFP.

3. Helen Keller Intl may contact Bidders to confirm contact person, address, bid amount and to confirm that the proposal was submitted for this solicitation.

4. False Statements: Bidders must provide full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation and its attachments.

5. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: In Annex A Bidders 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. Failure to provide full and open disclosure may result in Helen Keller Intl having to re-evaluate selection of a potential Bidders.

6. Right to Select/Reject: Helen Keller Intl 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. Helen Keller Intl also reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received without explanation.

7. Reserved rights: All RFP responses become the property of Helen Keller Intl and Helen Keller Intl reserves the right in its sole discretion to:
   1. To disqualify any offer based on Bidder’s failure to follow solicitation instructions;
   2. To waive any deviations by Bidders from the requirements of this solicitation that in Helen Keller Intl’s opinion are considered not to be material defects requiring rejection or disqualification or where such a waiver will promote increased competition;
   3. Extend the time for submission of all RFP responses after notification to all Bidders;
   4. Terminate or modify the RFP process at any time and re-issue the RFP to whomever Helen Keller Intl deems appropriate;
   5. Issue an award based on the initial evaluation of offers without discussion;
   6. Award only part of the activities in the solicitation or issue multiple awards based on solicitation activities.

8. Bidders and their proposed personnel shall disclose any factors that could limit the organization’s ability to independently perform the services such as relationship with counterpart employees, past employment, etc.

ANNEX A: Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Helen Keller Intl Code of Conduct & Ethics Policy: In accordance with the Helen Keller Intl Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy, Helen Keller Intl requires full and open disclosure when dealing with procurement. As such, Helen Keller Intl employees must avoid any conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. Helen Keller Intl employees must at all times provide full disclosure of their actions or relationships with prospective vendors, contractors, or consultants. Helen Keller Intl employees shall not solicit, request, accept, or agree to accept any gift from a vendor or prospective vendor.

Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to reject any or all quotes when considered to be in the best interest of the organization and/or the people it serves. All parties submitting a proposal in response to this Request for Proposal are obligated to disclose the existence of any actual or possible conflict of interest relating to every country included within their proposal in the attached Conflict of Interest Declaration Form.

Failure to fully disclose such information could lead Helen Keller Intl to reject a proposal. If a party has no conflict to declare for any of the countries covered in their proposal, they may submit one form, listing all of the countries covered.

Bidder Conflict of Interest Declaration Form

Please check one box below, as appropriate:

Bidder:

ANNEX B: Format of CV to Be Used for Personnel (One Document Per Person)