ME&A – USAID/Rwanda Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting Activity (CLAA)

Request for Proposals (RFP) For Mobile Legal Aid Clinics Assessment Through USAID/Dufatanye Kubaka Ubutabera (DKU)

Request for Proposal name: Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Activity; Mobile Legal Aid Clinics Assessment (MLACs)

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Request for Proposal number CLAA-RW-RFP-2022-02

USAID/Rwanda Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Activity is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Contract No. 72062320D00005/72069622F00001. CLA is a Task Order under USAID Kenya and East Africa Evaluation, Assessments, and Analyses (EAA) IDIQ. USAID Terms and Conditions of Kenya and East Africa EAA IDIQ and the CLA Task Order are applicable to the anticipated subcontract. Excerpts from the IDIQ and the Task Order are included in Annex B.

The objective of the CLA Activity is to improve USAID/Rwanda’s performance monitoring, evaluation, collaboration, learning, and adapting processes to ensure the Mission effectively utilizes data in all decision-making processes. The services provided under this Activity will enable USAID/Rwanda to better deliver the sustainable development outcomes articulated in its new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2020–2025 and enhance the United States (U.S.) Rwanda partnership. CLA is implemented by ME&A, Inc. (ME&A), a small business woman-owned international development firm based in the Washington, D.C., area, providing innovative solutions for economic development and social progress in more than 80 countries.

CLA is soliciting Offers to conduct a Mobile Legal Aid Clinics Assessment from local Rwandan Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) firms that demonstrate that they are technically qualified, possess the relevant experience in MLACs and in legal aid/clinics, law, etc. have a good record of performance and meet all the request for proposal requirements.

The MEL firm described here will collect data to answer the assessment questions, make conclusions based on the findings, and identify opportunities and challenges.

Accordingly, based on the assessment findings, USAID/Rwanda will be able to adapt the project based on recommendations formulated for activity implementation in relation to the extent the targeted populations are satisfied with the support they received from the Mobile Legal Aid Clinics, lessons learned that can inform project management on the feasibility of using domestic sources of support for MLACs and the extent to which the GOR institutions provide resources to support MLACs.

Mobile Legal Aid Clinics

MLACs are implemented by the USAID/Rwanda Dufatanye Kubaka Ubutabera (DKU) Activity that runs from September 10, 2021, to September 9, 2026. The goal of MLACs is to decentralize legal aid services and ensure access to justice at the grassroots level. People living in remote areas, indigent and vulnerable persons, as well as GBV victims and people with disabilities, need access to legal aid services. Legal aid services for these groups are often lacking or require costly travel. MLACs were designed to specifically address these challenges by bringing Legal Aid Service Providers (LASPs) to local communities.

Purpose

The purpose of this USAID/Rwanda CLAA Assessment is to determine 1) the feasibility of supporting MLACs as implemented by Haguruka through the DKU activity solely by domestic resources, 2) how beneficiaries rate the services they receive through the MALCs, and 3) what alternatives to donor funding mechanisms exist to support the MLACs. This assessment will help USAID/Rwanda’s Democracy and Governance Office move the MLACs toward sustainability and better target its limited program budget.

The primary audience for this work is the USAID/Rwanda Democracy and Governance Office. In addition, audiences such as the Program Office and Front Office will also benefit from these findings regarding their roles in strategic planning and resource allocations. Other potential users include the Rwanda Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Local Government, and various other actors engaged in the Justice Sector.

Offerors are invited to submit their proposals in accordance with the Instructions to Offerors provided below.

Issuance of this RFP does not in any way obligate ME&A to award a subcontract or a purchase order, nor does it commit ME&A to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of the Offer.

Instructions to Offerors

Offer Deadline, Submission Instructions, and Offering Procedures:  Offers must be submitted no later than 5:00 pm, December 27, 2022. Each Offeror must submit an electronic copy to the ME&A email address clarwanda@engl.com, and place in the subject line of the email the name of the Offering company and the words “Mobile Legal Aid Clinics Assessment”.

Offers shall include the Offer Price, and the information indicated in Clauses 3 and 5 of this section. Each Offeror may submit only one Offer. Offerors submitting more than one Offer will be disqualified, and their Offers will be rejected. Each Offeror may submit only one Offer. Offerors to submit more than one Offer will be disqualified, and their Offers will be rejected.

1. Signature of Offers:  The Offer shall be signed by the Offer’s authorized representative. The first page of the Offer shall indicate the Request for Proposal number CLAA-RW-RFP-2022-02.
2. Eligibility: Local MEL Rwandan companies that demonstrate that they are technically qualified, possess the relevant experience in MLACs and in legal aid/clinics, law, etc. have a good record of performance and meet all the request for proposal requirements, and not included in the USAID list of companies that are debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment are eligible for submitting Bids in response to this RFP.
3. Offer Contents: The offer will include the following information.
4. Offeror’s Technical Qualifications and Experience: Interested Offers shall submit the following:
   1. Technical qualifications and past experiences of the Offeror (not to exceed 3 pages) relevant to this assignment.
   2. Offeror’s contact information (telephone number, e-mail address, and work address).
   3. Copies of all licenses and permits required under the Rwanda legislation for the performance of the work.
   4. Evidence and description of either/or at least one project about justice access and gender for legal clinic services during the last five years.
   5. Contacts (telephone number, E-mail address, and address) of at least three previous clients to provide references related to the quality of services and goods delivered by the Offeror.
   6. Firm Fixed Offer Price: The Offeror Firm Fixed Price must be expressed in Rwandan Francs (RWF). Offerors must ensure that all elements of the Offer Price are accurate and reasonable. The CLAA Project is USAID-funded, and as such is exempt from VAT.

All firms must submit only one Offer Price. Offerors to submit more than one Offer Price will be rejected.

The Offer Price shall be the cost proposal to be submitted in a separate email from the technical proposal.

1. Key Personnel and Qualifications: This assignment requires the following skill sets: Subject Expert and Evaluation Specialist. The offer should include their CVs.
2. Selection Criteria and Corresponding Points: Proposals will be evaluated using a 100-point system allocated as follows.
3. a) Technical proposal (40)
4. b) Financial Proposal (30)
5. c) Experience of the firm/team (20)
6. d) Qualifications of key personnel attached to the assignment (10 Points)
7. Additional information required:

Description of understanding of the Mobile Legal Aid Clinics Assignment Requirements.

Based on the selection criteria above, 3 firms will be shortlisted for ‘’Interviews’’ and 1 of them will be contracted after ‘’Compiling Selection and Interview scores as well as due diligence’’.

6. Questions/Clarifications: All additional questions and/or requests for clarifications regarding this procurement must be made via email and submitted to ME&A at clarwanda@engl.com before December 23^th, 2022. No phone calls, oral questions, or requests for meetings will be accepted in response to this request for proposals.
7. Specifications: All the minimum technical specifications of the requested products and services are provided in the Mobile Legal Aid Clinics SOW Annex A of this request for proposals.
8. Time for Performance: The period of performance shall be three months starting from January 3, 2023, to March 31, 2023.
9. Contract Type: ME&A will issue a Firm Fixed Price subcontract to the Successful Offeror. The subcontract format will follow USAID requirements and will include USAID mandatory contract clauses.
10. Payment Schedule: The Offer price will be paid:

The Offer price will be paid within five (5) working days after the completion of the required work or submission of required deliverables by the successful Offeror, acceptance of the work by the representatives of CLAA, and receipt of a proper invoice.

CLAA reserves the right to refuse acceptance of the work if the quality or specifications of implemented work does not correspond to the requirements of the Subcontract.

11. Offer Validity Period: Offers must remain valid for a period of 30 (thirty) calendar days from the date of Offer submission.
12. Evaluation and Award: It is anticipated that one award will be made to the Offer who demonstrates that it is technically qualified, possesses the relevant experience, has a good record of performance, meets all requests for proposal requirements, and provides the best value. However, ME&A reserves the right to request clarifications prior to awarding a subcontract and to reject any or all Offers.
13. Unique Entity ID: There is a mandatory requirement for your organization to provide a Unique Entity ID to ME&A. (https://sam.gov/content/home). Without a Unique Entity ID number, ME&A cannot deem an Offer "responsible" to conduct business with, and therefore, ME&A will not enter into a subcontract/purchase order or monetary agreement with any organization. The determination of a Successful Offer resulting from this request for proposal is contingent upon the winner providing a Unique Entity ID number to ME&A. Offers who fail to provide a Unique Entity ID number will not receive an award and ME&A will select an alternate Offer.

All U.S. and foreign organizations which receive first-tier subcontracts/ purchase orders with a value of $25,000 and above are required to obtain a Unique Entity ID number prior to the signing of the agreement. Organizations are exempt from this requirement if the gross income received from all sources in the previous tax year was under $300,000. ME&A requires that Offers sign the self-certification statement if the Offer claims an exemption for this reason.

Information on how to register an international entity in SAM.gov and obtained a Unique Entity ID number is provided in Annex C.