Request for Proposal (RFP)

Issued on:                               April 26, 2024

Solicitation Number:              PI-BID/BHFA//APR-2024/090

For:                                             Hiring of Firm for Training sessions on Management of Complications and Side Effects of Contraceptive (MCSEC)

Quotes Deadline:                   May 15, 2024 (4:30 PM)

Pathfinder Background

Pathfinder is driven by the conviction that all people, regardless of where they live, have the right to decide whether and when to have children, to exist free from fear and stigma, and to lead the lives they choose.

Since 1957, we have partnered with local governments, communities, and health systems to remove barriers to critical sexual and reproductive health services. Together, we expand access to contraception, promote healthy pregnancies, save women’s lives, and stop the spread of new HIV infections, wherever the need is most urgent.

Our work ensures millions of women, men, and young people are able to choose their own paths forward.

Project Background

The USAID-funded Building Healthy Families Activity (BHFA) is a five-year program. Pathfinder International is leading the implementation of the Project. The project is being implemented in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Overall goal is to improve the population’s health outcomes through strengthening the primary care systems so that uptake and continuation of voluntary Family Planning (FP)/Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH) services are encouraged.

BHFA aims to accomplish three results:

1)     Increase the capacity of the government and private health institutions to lead resilient, responsive FP/MNCH systems.

2)     Improve utilization of quality FP/RMNCH products and services.

3)     Men and youth are empowered to communicate about, demand, and use essential health products, practices, and services.

Scope of Work

Description of Assignment:

The BHFA intends to hire services of an institute who can provide support and training for service providers like doctors, and FWW at the service delivery outlets of PWD. The aim of the activity is to reduce the rate of discontinuation of FP methods due to and fear of complication and side effects of various FP methods. The training should focus on prevention and management of complications related to surgical family planning methods and management of adverse effects caused by hormonal methods and how to treat them promptly. We request services for conducting 3 (three-day training/workshop) sessions for 25-30 participants per session.

The Objective of the Assignment:

The objective of the assignment is to build the capacity of the participants in below aspects:

-        Improve the knowledge and skills of RHS-A providers dealing with permanent methods on how to prevent complications and adverse effects.

-        Improve knowledge and management skills of providers on side effects of hormonal methods.

The trainer will be responsible for:

-        Developing a detailed training agenda in line with the agreed-upon objectives.

-        Conducting interactive training sessions for 3 days to 6 hours/days.

-        Providing relevant training materials and resources.

-        Assessing the learning outcomes and providing feedback.

-        Offering post-training support and guidance as required.

Deliverables:

Training Agenda: Provide a comprehensive training agenda outlining the number of days of each training day, including materials for each session.

Training Session Completion Reports: Provide a comprehensive report of training sessions/workshops, highlighting key discussions, pre and post-test scores, participant feedback, and areas of improvement.

Tool and Technique Handbook: Provide training material in soft to all participants containing various tools and hard copies will be printed by BHFA.

Qualifications and Experience:

The ideal candidate should possess:

-        A minimum of 10 years of experience in delivering

-        Strong communication and facilitation skills.

-        Proven ability to engage and motivate participants.

-        Previous extensive experience working with Academic institutions and training teachers/instructors.

Time frame/duration:

The assignment will be performed in May and June 2024 in Karachi/Hyderabad and Peshawar.

Inquiries

If you have any questions/inquiries, please e-mail [email protected] no later than close of business April 30, 2024 (3:00 PM) with a subject line Inquiries-PI-BID/BHFA//APR-2024/090: Hiring of Firm for Training on MCSFC. The solicitation number indicated above must be included in the subject line. Responses will be posted to all known offerors.

Proposal Deadline

All written responses to this RFP must be received by Pathfinder no later than [4:30 PM for electronic submission] (Pakistan time) on May 15, 2024. The solicitation number indicated above must be included in the subject line. Hardcopy submissions will not be accepted. A maximum of two files are permissible: one for technical documentation and one for financial details. The combined size of the email attachments should not exceed 20 MB.

Please email the quote and other information directly to: [email protected] with a subject line PI-BID/BHFA//APR-2024/090: Hiring of Firm for Training on MCSFC. The solicitation number indicated above must be included in the subject line.

Modification

If at any time prior to award Pathfinder deems there to be a need for a significant modification to the terms and conditions of this RFP, Pathfinder will issue such a modification as a written RFP amendment to all competing offerors.  No oral statement of any person shall in any manner be deemed to modify or otherwise affect any RFP term or condition, and no offeror shall rely on any such statement. Such amendments are the exclusive method for this purpose.

Resulting Award

Single contract: As a result of this solicitation, Pathfinder anticipates engaging a single independent contractor/company.

Any resulting contract will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in Annex B. Part B of this annex will only apply to USG-funded assignments.

Joint ventures are ineligible to partake in the procedure.

Payment Terms

Fixed Price: Pathfinder anticipates entering into a fixed-price contract with the selected contractor.

Proposal Guidelines and Instructions

Your proposal should provide basic information about your Company/Individual and relevant service offerings. It should have a section addressing each of the following areas:

(a)   Company Profile

(b)   Past Performance (Proof of at least 3 similar assignments contracts/PO from last 2 years in similar nature assignments)

(c)   Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the Proposed Team

(d)   References

(e)   Relationship disclosure and mitigation plan

(f)    Key Personnel

Responses should include the following information:

1. Preliminary examination Requirements

• Firm must be registered as a Sales Tax Registered Firm (PASS/FAIL)

• Bid submitted on time. (PASS/FAIL)

Firms that meet the Pass/Fail criteria will undergo further evaluation in consideration of their technical proposals.

1. Technical Proposal

a.     Quality of Proposed Three Days Training Agenda – 20 Points

• Provide a detailed agenda with justification.

b.     Quality of CV/Experience of Trainers proposed (Previous MNCH/FP TOT experiences) – 30 points.

• Submission of resumes for all the trainers that will be participating in the training.

c.      Previous training on side-effects/complication management of FP methods for PWD – 30 points

• A previous training agenda with pictures and any other evidence such as training certificates distributed are required in the proposal. If previous such training conducted maximum points. If not available, please provide the fully signed purchased orders or completion certificates.

d.     Having close partnership with renown tertiary care hospital to support training session/observer ship – 20 points.

• Please share signed MOU/agreements/partnership agreements

C.     Financial Proposal

Offerors pricing should be based on the following:

Fixed Price:  For Services performed during the Term, Firm will be paid a fixed fee after the completion of task with a report accepted and approved by BHFA Team.

The financial proposal is mandated to incorporate a detailed breakdown of costs, encompassing all expenses such as travel costs and lodging, among others. Sales Tax with % is required. Please use below table to submit your financial response.

The project will not provide any reimbursement or additional costs beyond those quoted in the financial proposal.

Sales Tax (ST) Compliance: The project is eligible for a sales tax exemption. ST amount will be withheld, an exemption letter will be provided within 90 days upon receipt of the invoice. If the exemption letter is not provided within this timeframe, the withheld ST amount will be paid upon completion of the USAID compliance timeline of 90 days.

Evaluation Criteria

In evaluating the proposals, Pathfinder International will seek the best value for money rather than the lowest priced proposal. Pathfinder will use a two-stage selection procedure:

• the first stage will evaluate the Technical Proposal.

• the second stage will evaluate the Financial Proposal

Specifically, the selection committee will evaluate each proposal upon the following criteria:

Pathfinder is not bound to accept the lowest or any proposal and reserves the right to accept any proposal in whole or in part and to reject any or all proposals.

Pathfinder shall not be legally bound by any award notice issued for this RFP until a contract is duly signed and executed with the winning offeror.

The evaluator will tally all the individual scores for each section and calculate the average score. The total average scores will be added to obtain the total points achieved by the individual supplier. If the total number points meet or exceeds the threshold established in the evaluation methodology, the suppliers cost proposal will be eligible for consideration.

Relationship disclosure

-           Describe any current or past relationships your organization may have with Pathfinder, and if it is a potential conflict of interest.  If there is a potential conflict of interest, please explain how this risk will be mitigated.

-           Describe any personal or familial relationships any employee of the Contractor has with any employee of Pathfinder. If there is a relationship, please explain how any conflict-of-interest risk will be mitigated.

Disclosure does not automatically disqualify offeror.

Terms

Pathfinder reserves the right to cancel this solicitation at any point and is under no obligation to issue a subcontract as a result of this solicitation.

Pathfinder will not reimburse any expenses related to the preparation of any proposal related materials or delivery.

Confidentiality

IF APPLICABLE As a part of the RFP process, Pathfinder International may be providing confidential information. Consequently, suppliers must complete a Confidentiality/ Non-Disclosure Agreement. See Annex B

Agreement

Any resulting contract will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in the annex. See Annex 

Thank you,

Procurement Team

Pathfinder International

Building Healthy Families Activity|Pathfinder International