REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Consultancy Firm that specializes in communications and PR services

Contents

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SECTION 1: INSTRUCTIONS TO PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS

Preparation of Proposals: You are requested to submit separate technical and financial proposals. You are advised to read the Revised Request for Proposal carefully. An electronic copy (in PDF) of the Request for Proposals shall be considered the original version.

Technical Proposals: Technical proposals should contain the following documents and information:

• A brief description of the firm’s organization and an outline of recent experience on assignments of a similar nature. For each assignment the outline should indicate among others, the profiles of the staff proposed duration of the assignment, and the firm’s involvement.
• The contractor is expected to have practical experience in communication and public relations
• Description of the methodology and work plan for performing the assignment.
• CVs of key staff;
• The contractor’s comments or suggestions on the TORs and appreciation of the assignment – the objectives, tasks, and deliverables

Financial Proposals: Financial proposals should contain the following documents and information:

A copy of the breakdown of the Lump Sum Price form in this Part for each currency of your proposal, showing all costs for the assignment, broken down into professional fees, and reimbursable costs. The costs associated with the assignment shall be in RWF for all bidding firms.

Validity of Proposals: Proposals must remain valid for 15 calendar days from proposal submission date.

Submission of Proposals: The technical and financial proposals should be submitted separately, both clearly marked with the Firm’s name, ICT Chamber, and either “Technical Proposal” or “Financial Proposal” as appropriate.

Proposals (both technical and financial) must be submitted electronically to: bids@ict.rw with a clear subject line: “Communications and PR Services for the ICT Chamber” and submitted by July 25, 2023, at 5:00 pm Central African Time (CAT). Proposals must be submitted in PDF format and as attachments to the email, any proposal submitted as a link or after the specified deadline won’t be considered.

Language of the tender and mode of communication

The communication medium shall be in writing. The bid, as well as all correspondence and documents relating to the bid exchanged by the Bidder and the ICT Chamber, shall be written in English.

Amendment to the tender document

At any time prior to the deadline for submission of bids, the ICT Chamber may amend the tender document by issuing an addendum. Any addendum issued shall be part of the tender document and shall be communicated in writing through email from the ICT Chamber, and it will be published on the platform where the original tender document will be posted.

To give prospective Bidders reasonable time in which to take an addendum into account in preparing their bids, the ICT Chamber may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the submission of bids; in which case, all rights and obligations of the Chamber and Bidders previously subject to the deadline shall thereafter be subject to the deadline as extended.

Late bids

The ICT Chamber shall not consider any bid that arrives after the deadline for submission of bids.  Any bid received by the ICT Chamber after the deadline for submission of bids shall be declared late, rejected, and returned unopened to the Bidder.

SECTION 2: ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Eligibility Criteria: You are required to meet the following criteria to be eligible to participate in the procurement exercise:

• Have the legal capacity to enter into a contract;
• Not be insolvent, in receivership, bankrupt, or being wound up or subject to legal proceedings for any of these circumstances;
• Not have had your business activities suspended;
• Have fulfilled your obligations to pay taxes and social security contributions;
• Not to have a conflict of interest in relation to this procurement requirement;

We require you to submit copies of the following documents as evidence of eligibility attached to your bid

• Certificate of Incorporation or Trading license /Certificate of Registration for companies;
• Evidence of statutory compliance such as a valid tax clearance certificate and social security contributions certificate.

 NOTE: Failure to submit the above-required documents will lead to disqualification from Technical and Financial evaluation

Financial Criteria:

Pricing information should not appear in any other section of the proposal other than the financial proposal. Financial scores shall be determined by awarding a maximum of 30 points to the lowest-priced proposal that has passed the minimal technical score and giving all other proposals a score that is proportionate to this.

Total scores: Total scores shall be determined using a weighting of 70% for technical proposals and a weighting of 30% for financial proposals.

Best Evaluated Bid: The best-evaluated bid shall be the firm with the highest combined score and shall be recommended for the award of the contract.

Right to Reject: the ICT Chamber reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal or to cancel the procurement process and reject all proposals at any time prior to contract signature and issue by the Chamber, without incurring any liability to Consultants.

The ICT Chamber reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject all proposals received and seek fresh proposals, to negotiate further with one or more of the bidders, to defer the award of a contract, or cancel the competition and make no contract award, if appropriate.

SECTION 3: TERMS OF REFERENCE

 General Context

Established in 2011, the Rwanda ICT Chamber is the leading partner for organizations to share experiences, network, and meet key players in the ICT sector. At ICT Chamber, we help our members to work with the right associations, companies, and individuals and ensure that they get the needed skills, opportunities, and tools to grow.

Our mission is to make Rwanda the leading ICT-Driven society.

Our vision is to be the leader in influencing the transformation of the economy and the culture through ICT.

Our Work

Our initiatives, informed and driven by evidence, strive to create change at multiple levels: in addition to working with tech entrepreneurs, we use campaigns to accelerate the digital transformation journey in other non-ICT sectors.

In partnership with the government of Rwanda, we've been able to set up various supporting mechanisms for early-stage startups and young tech entrepreneurs including hubs like kLab, FabLab, and 250STARTUPs.

 About Hanga Pitchfest 2023

The Government of Rwanda led by the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, the Rwanda Development Board, and the United Nations Development Programme are organizing the Hanga Pitchfest 2023. Hanga Pitchfest aims to provide a unique platform to showcase tech entrepreneurs and creative talents from all over the country and promote the use of technology and innovation in the Rwandan market.

Above this, Hanga Pitchfest will provide an opportunity to match selected startups to potential investors such as Angel and venture capital investors, Technology company founders and co-founders as well as Private Sector business leaders.

Top startups are to be identified through a call for applications, a national roadshow “Hanga on the Road” and boot camps to identify the top 5 startups pitching for $110,000 worth of grant money and additional non-cash prizes at the final festival.

 About Cashless Campaign

The essence of the Cashless Campaigns is to raise awareness amongst citizens on digital payments and to drive their uptake of digital payment solutions. The ultimate outcome is an increased number of businesses that accept digital payments, and continue to support their uptake among citizens. 

Specifically, the campaign will intend to:

• Create awareness among the Farmers, Merchants, and Schools with a focus on the use of digital payments;
• Change perceptions and build awareness of benefits of using electronic payments: For electronic payments to flourish and gain acceptance among the users in Rwanda, the audience needs to be educated about their benefits, risk mitigation and how to utilize the services, understand the cost related to those services and the role of each stakeholder;
• Encourage payment service providers to promote electronic payments and make them more efficient;

 About the Assignment

To reach the objectives of the Hanga Pitchfest and the Cashless Campaign, the ICT Chamber together with other public and private institutions will lead communications-related activities; thus, the ICT Chamber is looking to hire a consultancy company that specializes in communication and PR services to implement this assignment:

General Objectives:

1. The company will provide support in developing and implementing comprehensive communication plans.
2. The company will provide support in content creation and audio-visual production. The focus will be on telling stories through photographs, videos, and designed collaterals, and short anecdotes of individuals.
3. The company will produce audio-visual materials to support strong digital features including photo essays, videos, and website feature stories.
4. To produce the photos and video footage from the event to be used for non-commercial purposes in TV broadcasting, public screening, publications, websites, and social media for promoting Hanga Pitchfest events.
5. To oversee the overall branding, external communications, and media management

 Responsibilities of the Contractor and Expected Deliverables

The ICT Chamber’s expectations from the Contractor for this assignment include the following.

5.1. Scope of Work for Hanga Pitchfest

Deliverable 1: Develop and Implement the communication strategy

• Prepare and execute the Hanga Pitchfest communications strategy and action plan
• Develop content including press releases, talking points, op-eds, web stories, and media talking points
• Develop social media content including graphics and post copy
• Provide photography and videography services and collate/distribute AV assets
• Oversee content development, layout, and maintenance of event website and social media links

Deliverable 2: Pre-event

• Develop a content calendar for the event, including a media engagement plan
• Produce written, digital, and audio-visual content that tells the story of the Hanga Pitchfest, including social media posts, (animated) infographics, short videos, photo quotes, etc.
• Draft/develop op-eds, press releases, (interview) talking points, presentations, and media kit
• Plan and organize Twitter spaces, including the development of speakers' notes, social media posters announcing the event, etc.
• Pitch stories to local and international media and arrange interviews
• Plan and organize a local media briefing 
• Collect spokespeople and partners' bios, photos, and institution description
• Design promotional and branding materials
• Support with branding and coverage for boot camp and side events including preparing marketing collateral for the Hanga finalists (professional photos, short videos, etc.)

Deliverable 3: During the event

• Produce web stories and press releases for publication on the website/platform
• Produce video blogs with Hanga Pitchfest participants, organizers, and partners.
• Produce written, digital, and audio-visual content that tells the story of the Hanga Pitchfest
• Provide photographers and videographers to cover the event
• Ensure proper storage and access of all AV content developed
• Manage, re-design the social media accounts and the website of and Hanga Pitchfest.
• Organize and prepare press conferences.
• Assist in the development of talking points.

Deliverable 4: Post-event

• Prepare a media review
• Draft and design thank you letters for partners
• Prepare highlights posts for Hanga Pitchfest social media
• Submit a detailed report, summarizing activities and lessons learned for future editions.

• Establish metrics to measure the success of the PR activities.
• Provide regular reports on the progress and outcomes of the communication efforts.
• Conduct post-event evaluations and suggest improvements for future initiatives.

5.2. Scope of Work for Cashless Campaign

The contract shall include, but not be limited to, the following key deliverables:

• Development and implementation of communication strategies for the National awareness campaign on digital payments.
• Creation of engaging content for digital platforms, including websites, social media, and newsletters.
• Design and production of communication materials, such as brochures, infographics, and videos.
• Media relations and public relations activities to enhance the visibility of the cashless campaign.
• Coordination of press releases, media interviews, and other events of the campaign.
• Creation of content for the stakeholder’s engagement events.
• Monitoring and reporting on communication efforts and effectiveness.

5.3. Summarized Deliverables for both Initiatives

• Communication Strategy:

• A comprehensive communication strategy document outlining the objectives, tactics, and timelines for each initiative.

• Media Relations:

• Press releases and media kits for both initiatives.
• A report on media coverage and effectiveness, including a list of media outlets, articles, interviews, and mentions obtained.
• Documentation of media interviews, press conferences, and media briefings.

• Digital Marketing and social media:

• A detailed digital marketing strategy, including target audience analysis, channels to be utilized, and content creation plans.
• Social media content calendars and engaging posts for the initiatives.
• Reports on social media metrics, engagement, and audience growth.
• Documentation of digital advertising campaigns and SEO efforts.

• Event Support:

• Communication materials for events, such as invitations, programs, and signage.
• Coordination and documentation of media presence, interviews, and coverage during events.
• Post-event evaluation reports with suggestions for improvement.

• Evaluation and Reporting:

• Metrics and reports on the success of PR activities, including key performance indicators (KPIs) and analysis of results.
• Regular progress reports on the execution of the communication strategy.
• Post-campaign evaluation reports highlighting outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for future initiatives.

 Evaluation Criteria

 Reporting Language

The consultant will report to Rwanda ICT Chamber CEO. All reports/documents shall be presented in English.

 Format of Bids

Technical and financial proposals should be submitted in PDF format via email bids@ict.rw) by July 25^th, 2023.