Somalia: Provision of Third-Party Monitoring and Verification, Supportive Supervision, Capacity Assessment and Socio-Political Risk Analysis: LRPS-2016-9126775

1.0 PROCEDURES AND RULES

UNICEF is the agency of the United Nations mandated to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child UNICEF strives to establish children’s rights as international standards of behavior towards children. UNICEF’s role is to mobilize political will and material resources to help countries ensure a “first call for children". UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children.

UNICEF carries out its work through its headquarters in New York, 8 regional offices and 125 country offices world-wide. UNICEF also has a research Centre in Florence, a supply operation based in Copenhagen and offices in Tokyo and Brussels. UNICEF’s 37 committees raise funds and spread awareness about the organizations mission and work.

1.2 PURPOSE OF THE RFP

The purpose of this RFP is to invite proposals from qualified institutional consultancy firms to provide third-party monitoring and verification, supportive supervision, capacity assessment, and socio-political risk analysis, with the intent of getting into a Long Term Agreement (LTA) with the successful bidder.

1.3 FORECAST SCHEDULE

The schedule of the contractual process is as follows:

Closing date and time for submission of full proposal: 24/08/2016 at 10.00 a.m. Nairobi Time.

b) Award Notice: To be determined

c) Signature of contract: To be determined

1.4 RFP CHANGE POLICY

All requests for formal clarification or queries on this RFP must be submitted in writing via email to somsupply@unicef.org prior to the closing date and time on: 17/08/2016 at 4.30 p.m. Nairobi Time. Please make sure that the e-mail mentions the RFP reference number.

Only written inquiries will be entertained. Please be informed that if the question is of common interest, the answer will be shared with all potential RFP bidders.

Erasures or other corrections in the proposal must be explained and the signature of the applicant shown alongside. All changes to a proposal must be received prior to the closing time and date. It must be clearly indicated that it is a modification and supersedes the earlier proposal, or state the changes from the original proposal. Proposals may be withdrawn on written request received from bidders prior to the opening time and date. Bidders are expected to examine all instructions pertaining to the work. Failure to do so will be at bidder’s own risk and disadvantage.

1.5 RFP RESPONSE FORMAT

Full proposals should be submitted in English and must be received not later than 24/08/2016 by 10.30 a.m. Nairobi Time. Proposals received after the stipulated date and time will be invalidated.

The proposals should be submitted as follows:-

· Sealed Envelope 1: Technical proposal only without mention of the budget – the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Name of Company; Technical Proposal”

· Sealed Envelope 2: Financial Proposal - the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Name of Company; Financial Proposal”

· Sealed Envelope 3: Outer envelope containing the individual envelopes for Technical & Financial Proposals – the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Company Name”

· Please remember to sign the “Request for Proposal for Services Form” on Page 3 of the RFP document and return together with the proposal.

Note: Proposals not submitted in this manner will be invalidated.

BIDS may be hand-delivered or sent by Courier to:-

UNICEF SOMALIA SUPPORT CENTRE OFFICE,

UN GIGIRI COMPLEX, BLOCK Q, GROUND FLOOR

P.O. Box 44145-00100

Nairobi

Bidders are requested to provide details (Name/ID No.) of the persons delivering a day in advance by sending an email to somsupply@unicef.org to facilitate clearance to enter the UN complex.

Due to the nature of this RFP, there will be no public opening of proposals and responsible officers will open technical proposals when the specified time has arrived.

1.6 BIDDER RESPONSE

1.6.1 Formal submission requirements

The formal submission requirements as outlined in this Request for Proposal must be followed, e.g. regarding form and timing of submission, marking of the envelopes, no price information in the technical proposal, etc.

1.6.2 Mandatory criteria

All mandatory (i.e. must/have to/shall/should/will) criteria mentioned throughout this Request for Proposal have to be addressed and met in your proposal.

All references to descriptive materials should be included in the appropriate response paragraph, though the material/documents themselves may be provided as annexes to the proposal/response.

It is important that you read all of the provisions of the request for proposal, to ensure that you understand UNICEF’s requirements and can submit a proposal in compliance with them. The bidder must also provide sufficient information in the proposal to address each area of the Proposal Evaluation to allow the evaluation team to make a fair assessment of the candidates and their proposal. Note that failure to provide compliant proposals may result in invalidation of your proposal.

1.7 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Information, which the bidder considers proprietary, should be clearly marked "proprietary", if any, next to the relevant part of the text, and UNICEF will treat such information accordingly.

1.8 RIGHTS OF UNICEF

UNICEF reserves the right to accept any proposal, in whole or in part; or, to reject any or all proposals. UNICEF reserves the right to invalidate any Proposal received from a Bidder who has previously failed to perform properly or complete contracts on time, or a Proposal received from a Bidder who, in the opinion of UNICEF, is not in a position to perform the contract. UNICEF shall not be held responsible for any cost incurred by the Bidder in preparing the response to this Request for Proposal. The Bidder agrees to be bound by the decision of UNICEF as to whether her/his proposal meets the requirements stated in this Request for Proposal. Specifically, UNICEF reserves the right to:

• contact any or all references supplied by the bidder(s);

• request additional supporting or supplementary data (from the bidder(s));

• arrange interviews with the bidder(s);

• reject any or all proposals submitted;

• accept any proposals in whole or in part;

• negotiate with the service provider(s) who has/have attained the best rating/ranking, i.e. the one(s) providing the overall best value proposal(s);

• contract any number of candidates as required to achieve the overall evaluation objectives.

Validity

Proposal must be valid for a minimum of ninety (90) days from the date of opening of this RFP and must be signed by all candidates included in the submission. For proposals from institutions, the proposal must also be signed by an authorized representative of the institution. Bidders are requested to indicate the validity period of their proposal in the Proposal Form. UNICEF may also request for an extension of the validity of the proposal.

Insurance Clause

In furtherance to article 9 of the UNICEF terms and conditions of the contract ‘insurance and liabilities to third parties’: The contractor will be wholly responsible for their staff and must make the necessary arrangements and payments with the relevant companies for Health Insurance and Medical Evacuation etc. Evidence (copies) of such agreements and coverage must be submitted to UNICEF if successful with this offer, but before travel into Somalia.

1.9Evaluation of the Proposal

In making the final decision, UNICEF considers both technical and financial aspects. The Evaluation Team first reviews the technical aspect of the offer followed by the review of the financial offer of the technically compliant vendors. As this is a call for proposals for the signing of a Long-Term Agreement, UNICEF may select one or more contractors.

The proposals will be evaluated against the following two elements:

1.9.1 Technical Proposal:

The technical proposal should address all aspects and criteria outlined in this Request for Proposal.

Technical Evaluation Criteria

The Technical Proposals will be evaluated against the following:

REF

CATEGORY

POINTS

1.1

Completeness of Proposal

5

Clarity and responsiveness of the proposal against the requirements in the RFP

A well written proposal showing the organization’s understanding of the key tasks and a technically sound and logical way of undertaking the tasks as well as approaches to dealing with any challenges that may arise

1.2

Demonstrated experience with similar projects

15

Demonstrated experience with third party monitoring in Somalia (mandatory)

Demonstrated ability to operate throughout Somalia, notably in areas with restricted humanitarian access: numbers and types of projects conducted by the institution in Somalia over past 4 years, including evidence of Somali networks and contacts (mandatory)

1.3

Relevant experience of key staff assigned

15

Appropriate seniority/expertise of personnel (project management, analysis, report writing, enumeration skills/data collection)

Staff with practical experience in:

• Project management

• Design of third party monitoring activities

• Collection and aggregation of third party monitoring data (including through call centre and mobile data collection [e.g. tablet] modalities)

• Analysis of data

• Report writing of third party monitoring reports

Staff with demonstrated experience and knowledge in programme sectors (WASH / Nutrition / Health / Child protection / Education) and demonstrated understanding of the social, political and security context in Somalia, with ability to conduct analysis and provide advisory services

Depth of capacity available (numbers of staff/consultants)

• Organogram detailing staff organizational structure

• List of sub-contractors used

• Relevant CVs provided

Demonstrated knowledge of the local culture and dialects used by the different communities (mandatory)

1.4

Proposed methodology and approach

30

Proposed methodology, sources of information, and templates for collecting data related to monitoring/verification activities and producing final analytical report

(10)

Proposed methodology, sources of information, and templates for collecting data related to supportive supervision and producing final analytical report

(5)

Proposed methodology, sources of information, and templates for NGO capacity assessment and organizational profiling, with specification of indicators for assessing an organization’s institutional, technical, and management capacities;

(5)

A short analytical piece of the key socio-political/risk indicators relevant to UNICEF and other humanitarian/development actors in programme implementation and risk mitigation, including sources of information.

(10)

1.5

Additional/alternative options

2

Any innovative ways to implement the tasks in the RFP without changing the objective and the requirements of the ToR

1.6

Past Performance/Reference

3

Feedback from list of referees provided

Total Technical

70

Only proposals which receive a minimum of 50 points will be considered further.

1.9.2 Financial Proposal

The price should be broken down for each component of the proposed work, based on an estimate of time taken which needs to be stated. The total amount of points allocated for the price component is 30. The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened and compared among those invited firms/institutions which obtain the threshold points in the evaluation of the technical component. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price; e.g.:

Max. Score for price proposal * Price of lowest priced proposal

Score for price proposal X = ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Price of proposal X

Indicative cost for third party monitoring activity

Please provide an indicative monthly cost for the completion of each of the tasks, with an indicative range of the time, human and financial resources (including for administration and logistics) required to complete the tasks.

N.B. The organization is encouraged to use innovative solutions, such as established mobile data collection system on tablets, and data analytics; these factors should be taken into account and a narrative explanation provided.

Budget Table/Bid Form: Bidders must use this template

No.

Description

Unit

Cost per unit (price in US$)

Total cost (price in US$)

1. Routine monitoring and verification/information gathering

(e.g. monitoring of 10 partners per month, with each partner requiring visits to 5 sites across 3 districts in a region)

Project Management & Planning

1.1

Project Manager

days

1.2

Tool developer

days

Data collection and aggregation

1.1

Enumerators

days

1.2

Data processor

days

Analysis and report writing

1.1

Analyst

days

1.2

Report writer

days

Items / logistics etc.

1.1

2. Facilitation of supportive supervision

(e.g. one partner per month, requiring visits to 5 sites across 3 districts in a region)

Project Management & Planning

1.1

Project Manager

days

1.2

Tool developer

days

Data collection and aggregation

1.1

Enumerators

days

1.2

Data processor

days

Analysis and report writing

1.1

Analyst

days

1.2

Report writer

days

Items / logistics etc.

1.1

3. Capacity assessment/organizational profiling

(e.g. one partner per month requiring visiting 5 sites across 3 districts in a region)

Project Management & Planning (tool development & translation; coordination of visits etc.)

1.1

Project Manager

days

1.2

Tool developer

days

Data collection and aggregation

1.1

Enumerators

days

1.2

Data processor

days

Analysis and report writing

1.1

Analyst

days

1.2

Report writer

days

Items / logistics etc.

1.1

4. Socio-political/risk analysis

(e.g. one report per month, focus on one district)

Project Management & Planning

1.1

Project Manager

days

1.2

Tool developer

days

Data collection and aggregation

1.1

Enumerators

days

1.2

Data processor

days

Analysis and report writing

1.1

Analyst

days

1.2

Report writer

days

Items / logistics etc.

1.1

Overhead

TOTAL

Total Technical and Price

100

2.0 TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background

UNICEF Somalia works in the areas of health (including maternal and child health, immunization, HIV/AIDS and malaria), nutrition, education, child protection, water and sanitation, and governance and social protection. UNICEF Somalia has zonal offices in the Central-South (Mogadishu and Baidoa), North-East (Garowe) and North-West (Hargeisa) zones of the country, staffed by both Somali and international staff. UNICEF Somalia also has a Support Centre based in Nairobi, which provides technical and managerial guidance to the zonal offices.

The programming context across the three zones varies greatly. In the two northern zones, as of 2016, around half of UNICEF’s programme is currently being implemented through Government ministries and agencies, while the remaining half is implemented through a mix of international and national NGOs. In the two northern zones, with the exception of a few areas, notably in the disputed Sool and Sanaag Regions and a few areas in Togdheer close to the Ethiopian border, UNICEF Somalia’s national and/or international staff are able to access most project sites to undertake field monitoring.

Relative to the two northern zones, the programming environment in central-south Somalia, which accounts for over half of UNICEF Somalia’s overall programme in terms of budget, remains highly volatile. While the Federal Government of Somalia has been established since 2012, UNICEF’s programmes continue to be primarily implemented through Programme Cooperation Agreements with international and national NGOs. Due to UNDSS security guidelines, UNICEF staff movement in central-south Somalia is severely restricted, and this has affected the ability of UNICEF staff to provide adequate oversight, monitor and verify the delivery of programmes, and evaluate the impact of UNICEF’s programmes. The inability to access many parts of central-south Somalia has also restricted the ability of UNICEF staff to independently verify the situation analysis that is reported by partners, local authorities or media. For this reason, since 2009, UNICEF has experimented with and engaged various forms of third-party assurance. Inputs from third-party assurance teams have been used to support the design and implementation of programmes that are relevant to and accessible by local populations, including the most vulnerable.

Objectives

This Request for Proposals is for the provision of third-party assurance activities, including:

· Routine monitoring and verification/information gathering: visit partners at fixed points during the course of programme implementation to ensure satisfactory progress, alignment with contractual agreements, and identification of barriers and bottlenecks. Additionally, assess whether progress/results reported by partners is in fact supported by evidence on the ground; and/or ascertain the veracity of allegations about a partner, in a context where the facts may sometimes be complex or hidden. Monitoring and information gathering activities may also include market surveys and collecting/analyzing information about key emerging issues arising from the field affecting children, adolescents, or women, i.e., disease outbreaks, malnutrition, movement of affected population and systematic exclusion of certain groups of people including minorities.

· Facilitation of supportive supervision: conduct supportive supervision visits to strengthen capacities of partners to implement programmes. Additionally, collect supplementary (mainly photographic) evidence to enable UNICEF programme staff to implement a remote monitoring mechanism of partners to improve their capacity and the quality of programme implementation.

· Capacity assessment and organizational profiling: assess institutional, technical and management capacities of prospective/current partners; undertake due diligence on potential/current partners, including provision of information about partners’ (undeclared) networks and affiliations.

· Socio-political/risk analysis: provide UNICEF with analysis of how the local socio-political context may affect humanitarian/development actors, beneficiaries, and UNICEF programmes operating in those areas.

The overall objective of third-party assurance activities is to monitor and/or verify that UNICEF-supported activities are being implemented, with quality and integrity, by NGO and/or government partners; and contributing to the survival, development and protection of Somali children, women and communities. The findings of third-party assurance activities are expected to facilitate decision making and improve performance, both on partnership development and management, and the overall direction of the Somalia country programme.

In areas that are accessible by UNICEF staff, third-party assurance activities serve as an independent source of information. In areas that are not accessible by UNICEF staff, third-party assurance activities serve to extend the reach of UNICEF’s own human resource capacity.

Scope of Work

This RFP encompasses assurance activities, which may be of either an “overt” nature, or a more “low-profile” nature. The exact nature of the assignment will depend, among other factors, on the proposed methodology, the sensitivity/type of information being requested, and the local security context at the time of deployment. Prior to the start of any third-party assurance activities, the contractor will closely engage with UNICEF Somalia. UNICEF Somalia will provide the contractor with a detailed terms of reference (ToR), intervention specific checklist as well as other relevant documentation, including project documents, narrative and financial reports, monitoring reports, partner capacity assessments, and other relevant monitoring or evaluation information. The third-party contractor would be expected to conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of this project documentation prior to undertaking field-level activities.

It should be noted that the procurement of third-party assurance services is not expected to replace the monitoring undertaken by UNICEF’s implementing partners, including Government, nor is it expected to replace UNICEF’s own internal monitoring systems. The third-party services are, however, expected to provide an independent perspective (in areas that are accessible to UNICEF), extend the reach of UNICEF human resources (notably by going into areas that are not easily accessible to UNICEF), and expand UNICEF’s understanding of the socio-political and risk context, which are beyond the scope of its own staff, who are largely technical staff serving in specific sectoral areas.

Responsibilities

The table below summarizes the responsibilities to be undertaken by the contractor.

THIRD-PARTY ASSURANCE ACTIVITIES

1

Routine monitoring and verification/information gathering: The main purpose of routine monitoring and verification missions is to visit partners at fixed points during the course of programme implementation to ensure that progress is satisfactorily aligned with contractual commitments, and identify barriers and bottlenecks. Identification of barriers and bottlenecks may feed into supportive supervision (see below). Some routine monitoring assignments may focus on verification of whether progress/results reported by partners—including both NGO and government—is in fact supported by evidence on the ground. In the case of a construction activity, post facto verification may entail verifying that a construction activity has been completed to the agreed upon standard in the agreed upon location. In the case of an “event” such as the distribution of cash vouchers, or the conduct of a social mobilization activity, monitoring/verification may entail seeking out the recollections of a range of local stakeholders or beneficiaries. Occasionally, monitoring missions may require more “low profile” forms of information gathering, triggered in response to a specific complaint or allegation, e.g. alleged aid diversion, alleged linkages with and/or payment to non-state entities, etc. Finally, monitoring missions might be deployed on a specific basis to verify or fact-find for particular issues, for example determination of the presence and origin of certain goods in markets etc.

The purpose of monitoring, verification and information gathering assignments is to provide UNICEF with additional information about a situation and/or ascertain the veracity of claims made by or relating to a partner, including in contexts where the “facts” may be complex, hidden or seemingly contradictory. During such visits, the third-party team may be asked to conduct in-depth interviews with beneficiaries, community members, local government, and other target audiences to solicit their reflections about, and perceptions of, the relevance and value of the progress/results seen on the ground, as well as the overall performance of the partner.

Monitoring/verification missions may also require collecting information about key emerging issues arising from the field affecting children, adolescents, or women, i.e., disease outbreaks, malnutrition, movement of affected population and systematic exclusion of certain groups of people including minorities.

In areas accessible by UNICEF, the third-party team may be requested to join UNICEF staff in conducting routine monitoring, to provide an independent perspective. In areas not accessible by UNICEF, the third-party team may be deployed as a way of “extending the reach” of UNICEF and conducting routine monitoring in lieu of UNICEF staff.

In addition to field-based travel, routine monitoring may include remote monitoring and beneficiary feedback mechanisms, such as the operation of call centres.

2

Facilitation of supportive supervision: The third-party firm may be deployed to facilitate remote supportive supervision of programmes by UNICEF staff. The third-party firm may be tasked to collect information and evidence, largely through photographs, to allow UNICEF staff to identify areas and issues on which to work with partners to help them improve their capacity and the quality of programme implementation. This documentation gathering may be deployed to respond to the findings of either routine monitoring (see above) or capacity assessment (see below), or be deployed in response to a specific complaint or allegation. Feedback from the remote assessment to support partners can be communicated through a range of means, including back through the field team engaged by the third-party firm.

In areas not accessible by UNICEF, the third-party team may be deployed as a way of “extending the reach” of UNICEF and collecting documentation to allow for remote assessment / supportive supervision of UNICEF staff.

3

Capacity assessment and organizational profiling: The purpose of capacity assessment and organizational profiling is to assess the capacities and networks of prospective/current partners, including an analysis of the opportunities/risk associated with UNICEF’s partnership with the entity in question. Capacity assessments typically encompass a review of the entity’s institutional, technical and management capacities, and require a visit to the entity’s head office/sub-offices in Somalia, as well as the gathering/analysis of feedback from other key informants, including beneficiaries, community stakeholders and local political authorities. Capacity assessments may be complemented by more “low profile” organizational profiling assignments, which may feature elements such as background information on (alleged) engagement in aid diversion; clan favouritism; and linkages to political figures, non-state actors, business entities, and others in the operating environment.

Third-party capacity assessments and organizational profiling may be requested, both in areas accessible by UNICEF and in areas not accessible by UNICEF.

4

Socio-political/risk analysis: The purpose of socio-political/risk analysis is to provide UNICEF with analysis of how the local socio-political context may affect humanitarian/development actors, beneficiaries, and UNICEF programmes operating in those areas. The contractor is expected to provide UNICEF with analysis of how local clan dynamics, changes in political administration, or other social, political and economic factors may affect the equitable delivery of services. Such an analysis will help to define potential risks UNICEF projects may face and provide necessary background for the development of an effective programme implementation and risk mitigation strategy. It is expected that this analysis will help UNICEF technical staff in the development of programme interventions, avoiding unnecessary expenditure or aid diversion, and ensuring a better chance of project success.

UNICEF may issue specific requests for socio-political risk analysis, but the third-party team is also expected to proactively and routinely provide UNICEF with socio-political/risk analysis based, for example, on the findings that emerge from field visits and consultations in the course of conducting the tasks outlined above. Socio-political/risk analysis may be requested, both in areas accessible by UNICEF and in areas not accessible by UNICEF.

Timing

The Long Term Agreement (LTA) is for a period of 2 years from the date of signing with the successful bidder, anticipated for 1 November 2016. The timelines for specific assignments are to be discussed and agreed upon between UNICEF and the successful bidder. The monitoring team will also undertake special, high priority assignments on a needs basis and as tasked by UNICEF. It should be noted that the contractor is expected to have the ability to concurrently conduct multiple assignments. The contractor should also demonstrate stand-by capacity to enable satisfactory completion of requested fieldwork within requested timeframes.

Deliverables/Reporting Requirements

The deliverables are categorized as the following:

Real time critical feedback

· During the course of field-level data collection, the contractor is expected to provide UNICEF with timely feedback, notably in instances where immediate attention or action is warranted. An immediate feedback mechanism (e.g. phone, confidential email memo etc.), agreed upon by the contractor and UNICEF upon signing of the contract, will constitute an essential deliverable as part of the contract.

Raw data sets

· The contractor will provide the following

o Interview transcripts and aggregated interview data

o Qualitative and quantitative data collected from the partner, service point or community etc. as per the templates and checklists provided by UNICEF, both individual data templates and aggregated datasets;

o Details (e.g. names, role, location, telephone numbers etc.) of those consulted as part of the activities.

o GPS-tagged photos

· In conjunction with UNICEF, the contractor will develop, maintain and update (on a weekly basis) a Third Party Monitoring database to:

o Track monitoring activity, information collected and coverage (sectors/interventions monitored, partners monitored, geographic areas covered by region/district/site, dates etc.)

o Document and codify content (codified issues), to create a solid institutional memory.

o Database of respondent details (names, telephone numbers, etc.)

· Geographical mapping of sites visited each month is desirable

Analytical report

The contractor will provide a concise, high quality^[1] report, in English, with the following components:

· Explanation of the field-level methodology used.

· Sources consulted. All reports submitted by the contractor are expected to be sourced, with an assessment of the reliability of the source, and the credibility of the specific content. The raw data (e.g. details for interviewees - names, telephone numbers and locations etc. - completed checklists, transcripts, notes etc., as well as GPS coordinates and/or geo-tagged photos) will be annexed to reports.

· Executive summary and key findings and bottlenecks/issues from the field, fully addressing the questions contained in the original information request or terms of reference. These will follow UNICEF’s generic report template.

· Detailed set of actionable recommendations for UNICEF Somalia management and the implementing partner, linked to the findings from the field.

For all visits, specific templates will be developed and agreed to between UNICEF and the contractor, upon signing of the contract. It is anticipated that reports for these kinds of assignments will adhere to the agreed upon templates.

In addition to the reports submitted to UNICEF, the contractor may be requested to provide post-assignment briefings to concerned UNICEF staff to further explain findings and make recommendations for consequence management.

Payment Schedule, and specific Contract characteristics

Payments will be made based on the satisfactory production of deliverables as outlined below.

The following deliverables are to be submitted as a basis for payment:

1. Receipt of raw data / datasets

2. Analytical monitoring/verification reports (one report for each partner either as a standalone or part of a consolidated report) for identified sites according to the specified template. Reports will contain analysis and recommendations produced during the monitoring period. Urgent issues arising during the month have to be reported and discussed without delay. The specific scope of the report may vary according to the ToR, but will include technical, and possibly financial, information.

3. Specific assignment reports (best practice, high priority deployments) will be submitted as required and as per guidance/templates provided by UNICEF.

4. Stand‐alone research reports as required.

5. Provision of updated third party monitoring and reporting data‐base, according to specified design parameters

Payments are monthly, upon final acceptance by UNICEF of the respective deliverables.

Qualification Requirements

The entity contracted to perform third-party assurance services for UNICEF Somalia is required to demonstrate:

· Ability to conduct field visits and collect quantitative and qualitative field data in all areas of Somalia, including Somaliland, Puntland, and Central-South Somalia.

· Existence of well-established networks to facilitate monitoring activities. The contractor should be able to engage experienced team members from diverse geographic area(s). The contractor should also be able to engage a blind control team to corroborate the findings of an initial team, as necessary.

· Personnel (both men and women) who have demonstrated knowledge of local culture and languages spoken by communities, government counterparts and implementing partners in all parts of Somalia.

· Technically and managerially sound composition of staff to perform the third-party monitoring activities. The following specific technical competencies are required:

• Monitoring and data collection, especially in resource-scarce and conflict-affected contexts.
• Sectoral programming experience and knowledge in the areas of nutrition, health (including HIV/AIDS), WASH, child protection and education
• Understanding of the social, political and security context in Somalia, and ability to conduct analysis and provide advisory services.

· Ability to produce technically sound, well-written reports in English.

· Ability to concurrently conduct multiple third-party assignments and/or organizational profiles. The contractor should also demonstrate stand-by capacity if ad hoc visits are required.

· Demonstrated experience operating call centres (including but not limited to Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI)) in Somalia is desirable.

· Demonstrated use innovative solutions, such as established mobile data collection system on tablets, and data analytics is desirable.

· Demonstrated experience and ability to assess and generate recommendations within a bottleneck analysis framework will be an added advantage.

The Contractor and all related personnel/members of the third party monitoring team will not be UNICEF staff members. However, the Contractor and all related personnel need to subscribe to respecting the core values of UNICEF of diversity and inclusion, integrity and commitment.

The Contractor carries the sole responsibility for all related personnel and needs to ensure that an appropriate systems and procedures are in place to deal with any complaints and other human resources issues that may emerge.

Components of Submission Package

· Technical and Financial bids as explained in point 1.9 above

*Payment Provisions

UNICEF's 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. UNICEF's policy is not to grant advance payments except in unusual situations where the potential contractor, whether a private firm, NGO or a government or other entity, specifies in the bid that there are special circumstances warranting an advance payment. UNICEF will normally require a bank guarantee or other suitable security arrangement.

Any request for an advance payment is to be justified and documented, and must be submitted with the financial bid. The justification shall explain the need for the advance payment, itemize the amount requested and provide a time schedule for utilization of said amount. Information about your financial status must be submitted, such as audited financial statements at 31 December of the previous year and include this documentation with your financial bid. Further information may be requested by UNICEF at the time of finalizing contract negotiations with the awarded bidder.

Annex I

Data Protection Provision

1. Definitions.

“UNICEF Data” means any and all data, including all text, sound, software, or image files that are provided to the Contractor by, or on behalf of, UNICEF, including any information, whether in oral or written (including electronic) form, created by or in any way originating with UNICEF, and all information that is the output of any computer processing, or other electronic manipulation, of any information that was created by or in any way originating with UNICEF. UNICEF Data specifically includes, without limitation, any and all credentials issued to UNICEF by the Contractor, and other UNICEF information, including, without limitation (a) any email content, headers and attachments, and/or (b) any personally-identifiable, financial or other information of any Respondent or third party the use and/or disclosure of which is restricted under applicable laws, in each case, contained in such records or in any logs or other records of the Contractor.

1. Status.

The Contractor recognizes that UNICEF is a subsidiary organ of the United Nations, an international organization established by treaty, and that as a result of its status it enjoys certain privileges and immunities as set forth in the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations (the “General Convention”) and is an “international organization” for purposes of the International Organizations Immunities Act, Public Law 79-291 enacted by the United States Congress on 29 December 1945 (the “Immunities Act”). The Contractor further recognizes that UNICEF Data is subject to the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations, including UNICEF, pursuant to the General Convention and as such (a) will be deemed part of UNICEF’s archives which are inviolable wherever located and by whomsoever held and (b) will be immune from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation and any form of interference, whether by executive, administrative, judicial or legislative action, unless such immunity is expressly waived in writing by UNICEF.

1. Data Ownership and Protection.

a) The Parties agree that, as between them, all UNICEF Data compiled by, processed by or received by the Contractor under the Contract, together with all rights (including intellectual property and proprietary rights), title and interest thereto, will be the exclusive property of UNICEF, and the Contractor has a limited, nonexclusive license to access and use these UNICEF Data as provided in the Contract solely for the purpose of performing its obligations under the Contract. Except for the foregoing license, the Contractor will have no other rights, whether express or implied, in or to any UNICEF Data or its content.

b) The Contractor (i) will treat the UNICEF Data as confidential; (ii) will segregate UNICEF Data from other data to the fullest extent possible; (iii) will use the UNICEF Data only for the purpose of fulfilling its duties under the Contract and for the sole benefit of UNICEF; (iv) will deliver the UNICEF Data only to UNICEF or duly authorized representatives of UNICEF; and (v) will not disclose or transmit the UNICEF Data or their contents to any person or entity (other than the personnel of the Contractor (as defined below) who need to access the UNICEF Data to enable the Contractor to deliver the Services under this Contract) without the prior written consent of UNICEF. The Contractor will ensure that, prior to being granted access to the UNICEF Data, all employees, contractors, agents and other representatives of the Contractor (“personnel”) who will perform services under this Contract: (A) have undergone and passed criminal background screenings; (B) have successfully completed training of a nature sufficient to enable them to effectively comply with all UNICEF Data protection provisions of this Contract; and (C) possess all qualifications necessary to the nature of their duties and the sensitivity of the UNICEF Data.

c) The Contractor will not use any UNICEF Data for the benefit of the Contractor or any third party and, in particular, will not engage in “data mining” of any UNICEF Data or communications by or for UNICEF or any Respondents, whether through automated or human means, except as expressly authorized in writing by UNICEF.

d) UNICEF retains the right to use the Services to access and retrieve, at any time and in UNICEF’s sole discretion, any UNICEF Data stored on the Contractor’s infrastructure relating to the Services.

e) The Contractor will implement, maintain and use administrative, technical, physical, procedural and security infrastructures, facilities, tools, technologies, practices and other measures, (collectively, “Protective Measures”), including, without limitation, data encryption, anti-virus and anti-malware protections, intrusion detection and reporting methods, which are necessary and sufficient: (i) to protect the confidentiality and integrity of all UNICEF Data that is electronically maintained, stored, processed and/or transmitted; (ii) to protect all UNICEF Data from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure; and (iii) to protect all UNICEF Data against deterioration or degradation of its quality and authenticity. Such Protective Measures will be no less protective than those used by the Contractor to protect its own confidential information, and in no event less than reasonable in view of the nature and type of UNICEF Data involved.

f) UNICEF will have the exclusive right to determine the geographical boundaries and location of the facilities where UNICEF Data may be transferred to, stored and processed. The Contractor will not transfer or otherwise process UNICEF Data or change the location of the facilities at which UNICEF Data is stored without UNICEF’s prior written approval.

g) The Contractor will impose the same requirements relating to data protection and non-disclosure of data, as are imposed upon the Contractor itself by the Contract, on its service providers, subcontractors and other third parties and will remain responsible for compliance with such requirements by its service providers, subcontractors and other third parties.

1. Compelled Disclosure.

(a) If disclosure of any UNICEF Data is compelled (whether directly or indirectly) under a legally binding order or other instrument issued by any local, national or international governmental regulatory or law enforcement authority or agency, tribunal, court or arbitrator (each a “Governmental Body” and collectively, “Governmental Bodies”) that has jurisdiction over the Contractor or data held and processed by the Contractor, the Contractor shall, before making any disclosure of any UNICEF Data, take the following actions:

i. promptly notify UNICEF of such compelled disclosure and the terms thereof and provide UNICEF with the Contractor’s legal opinion that such disclosure is legally binding on it and that the legal process is sufficient and valid;

ii. consult with UNICEF regarding the Contractor’s response to such demand or request and, at UNICEF’s request, provide UNICEF a true, correct and complete copy of the Contractor’s response to such demand or request;

iii. advise the relevant Governmental Body of the inviolability of UNICEF Data under the General Convention and the International Organizations Immunity Act, Public Law 79-291, 29 December 1945 (USA) or such other national law recognizing the privileges and immunities of UNICEF in such jurisdiction;

iv. use its best efforts to redirect such Governmental Body to request disclosure directly from UNICEF or, at a minimum, to provide UNICEF the opportunity to present its position to such Governmental Body;

v. seek an extension of time for disclosure of the UNICEF Data sufficient to permit UNICEF an opportunity to obtain a protective order or take such other appropriate actions as UNICEF may deem appropriate to assert its privileges and immunities; and

vi. Cooperate with UNICEF’s reasonable requests in connections with efforts by UNICEF to ensure that its privileges and immunities are upheld.

(b) The Contractor will continue to consult with UNICEF and keep UNICEF informed of developments with respect to the disclosure and subsequent use of UNICEF Data, including all communications with the relevant Governmental Body relevant to UNICEF Data, and to consult with UNICEF before taking any actions in this regard. If the Contractor is prohibited by law from notifying UNICEF of the disclosure demanded by the relevant Governmental Body, the Contractor will nevertheless take the actions required under paragraphs (iii), (iv) and (v) above and will notify UNICEF promptly upon the lapse, termination, removal or modification of such prohibition.

1. Data Compromise.

a) “Data Compromise” means any actual, threatened or reasonably suspected unauthorized access to, disclosure of, use of or acquisition of computerized UNICEF Data that compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of the UNICEF Data, or the ability of UNICEF to access the UNICEF Data.

b) In the event of any Data Compromise, the Contractor will notify UNICEF immediately upon the Contractor’s discovery of such Data Compromise, specifying: (i) the nature and source of the incident, (ii) the nature or type of UNICEF Data implicated in the incident, (iii) the person or entity responsible for the Data Compromise, if known, (iv) the actions taken or proposed to be taken by the Contractor to mitigate any deleterious effect of such Data Compromise; and (v) the actions taken or proposed to be taken by the Contractor to correct, remedy or cure the breach, and to prevent similar Data Compromises from occurring in the future. The Contractor will keep UNICEF reasonable informed of the progress of the Contractor’s implementation of such mitigating and corrective actions.

c) As soon as possible following the date when the Contractor discovers a Data Compromise, the Contractor, at its sole cost and expense, will complete the implementation of any and all actions necessary to: (i) mitigate any deleterious effect of such Data Compromise, (ii) correct, remedy or cure such Data Compromise, and (iii) prevent similar Data Compromises from occurring in the future.

d) The Contractor, at its sole cost and expense, will cooperate fully with UNICEF’s investigation of, remediation of, and/or response to any Data Compromise. The Contractor’s failure to resolve, to UNICEF’s reasonable satisfaction, any such Data Compromise will entitle UNICEF to terminate this Contract with immediate effect.

e) The Contractor will not provide notice of any Data Compromise directly to any Governmental Body or to any third party, in each case, without prior written permission from UNICEF.

1. Data Transfer on Termination or Expiration.

a) At the time of expiration or in the event of termination of this Contract, the Contractor shall, at the written election of UNICEF, provide UNICEF with a backup copy of all then current UNICEF Data in native readable format, and where practical will attempt to securely remove all UNICEF Data relating thereto from the Contractor’s servers, networks and systems. If it is not practical to remove the Data, the Contractor will inform UNICEF of such failure to remove all UNICEF Data, providing details of which UNICEF Data is affected and where it is stored. The Contractor will continue to protect the UNICEF Data and treat it as confidential in accordance with the terms of this Contract. The Contractor will take and complete all of the foregoing actions within thirty (30) days of the expiration or termination of this Contract, and will provide UNICEF with sufficient written proof of the information transferred or removed. The Contractor will ensure

i. that such migration of the UNICEF Data uses facilities, methods and formats that are compatible and interoperable with the relevant systems of UNICEF, and

ii. that UNICEF will have sufficient access to the UNICEF Data during the entire duration of the transition. The Contractor will take all necessary actions (including, without limitation, work closely with the Contractor’s successor) to provide for a successful, effective and efficient migration of UNICEF Data with minimal disruption to UNICEF.

[1] Quality and criteria to be defined prior to initiation of the work by UNICEF and contractor

RFP RESPONSE FORMAT

Full proposals should be submitted in English and must be received not later than 24/08/2016 by 10.30 a.m. Nairobi Time. Proposals received after the stipulated date and time will be invalidated.

The proposals should be submitted as follows:-

· Sealed Envelope 1: Technical proposal only without mention of the budget – the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Name of Company; Technical Proposal”

· Sealed Envelope 2: Financial Proposal - the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Name of Company; Financial Proposal”

· Sealed Envelope 3: Outer envelope containing the individual envelopes for Technical & Financial Proposals – the envelope should be clearly marked with “RFP No.; Company Name”

· Please remember to sign the “Request for Proposal for Services Form” on Page 3 of the RFP document and return together with the proposal.

Note: Proposals not submitted in this manner will be invalidated.

BIDS may be hand-delivered or sent by Courier to:-

UNICEF SOMALIA SUPPORT CENTRE OFFICE,

UN GIGIRI COMPLEX, BLOCK Q, GROUND FLOOR

P.O. Box 44145-00100

Nairobi

Bidders are requested to provide details (Name/ID No.) of the persons delivering a day in advance by sending an email to somsupply@unicef.org to facilitate clearance to enter the UN complex.

Due to the nature of this RFP, there will be no public opening of proposals and responsible officers will open technical proposals when the specified time has arrived.