Request for Proposal

Supply of adapted toilet seats for People with disabilities, the elderly, and children.

1. Introduction

Water For People is an international non-profit organization that aims at improving access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene education in developing countries. Water For People works locally, nationally, and globally to influence governments’ water and sanitation policies to serve the interests of the needy. The water For People program in Rwanda began in 2008, with an overall objective to help all communities, schools, and healthcare facilities gain access to sustainable water, and sanitation services as well as hygiene behavior change in Rulindo, Kicukiro, Gicumbi, and Karongi Districts of Rwanda.

Water For People has secured funds from USAID to finance the Isoko y’Ubuzima Project which is a five-year Rwanda Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activity. The activity is being executed by a consortium led by Water For People and includes IRC, CARE International, VEI, and a local partner African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE) in Rwanda. The project operates in 10 districts namely, Rwamagana, Kayonza, Ngoma, Kirehe, Nyagatare, Ruhango, Nyanza, Nyamagabe, Ngororero, and Nyabihu. 

The overall goal of the Isoko y’Ubuzima project is to improve access to and utilization of safe, sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services. This will be achieved through three interrelated and mutually reinforcing strategic objectives (SO):

SO1.Improving Decentralized WASH Governance

SO2. Improving Rural Drinking Water Services

SO3. Improving Rural Sanitation and Handwashing Services and Products. 

2. Background and context

In sanitation, the Isoko y’Ubuzima project acts as a market facilitator to help Rwandans gain access to affordable sanitation and hygiene products and services with a focus on private sector-driven sanitation and hygiene interventions. 

Isoko y’Ubuzima will help an estimated 100,000 people gain access to improved household sanitation. In reaching these targets, Isoko y’Ubuzima uses a Social behavior change and market-based sanitation strategy focusing on demand creation for sanitation and hygiene products and services, improving the supply and availability

of sanitation products and services in the private sector, and influencing access to finance for sanitation businesses as well as households.

From two years and a half of implementation, Isoko y’Ubuzima has facilitated more than 65,000 People gaining access to basic sanitation in 10 districts through various self-financing mechanisms including village saving groups and micro-loans. However, we also learned that the toilet prototypes that are being constructed do not accommodate all social and physiological aspects including disability. The common mistake in building a sanitation market is to relate low technology adoption to the financial and behavioral barriers, ignoring the social inclusion aspects in technology development which is also a major barrier to sanitation access.

It is against the above background that Water For People under the Isoko y’Ubuzima to facilitate inclusive access to sanitation facilities, is seeking the services of an experienced company to manufacture and supply 1,000 friendly toilet seats to persons with disability, the elderly, and children. The company will supply them to 10 districts of the Isoko y’Ubuzima project. 

3. Objective

This activity aims to support people with disabilities especially those with limited mobility, the elderly, and children to access friendly sanitation facilities and also build an inclusive sanitation market by stimulating the sanitation supply chain actors to include the fabricated tools in their selling list of products. This activity is not a one-off business type, rather it is a starting point to introduce the technology in the community and build an inclusive sanitation market. 

4. Prototype design 

The toilet seat prototype must fulfill the following key criteria:

• Seats for people with disabilities: must cater to a range of disabilities, ensuring ease of use for both people with limited mobility and wheelchair users, while also meeting hygienic requirements, stability, and support for household toilets. Be made of either wood, metal, fiberglass, or any other acceptable material.

The sizing must be gender sensitive and adapted according to the existing toilet norms and standards for People with Disabilities (the sitting bowl should be not less than 26 cm in length 22 cm in width, and 40cm in height) to allow the user to sit comfortably, with a supportive backrest and preferably with sturdy handrails.

• Seats for Children and people with short stature: Must be smaller in size, safe for children, and easy to clean, with playful designs to encourage use (optional).

4.1. Considerations during production

• Use durable, neither toxic nor corrosive, and easy-to-clean materials.
• Ensure adherence to relevant safety and quality standards.
• Affordability and accessibility of raw materials

5. Tender requirements

5.1. Administrative requirements

The company must provide the following administrative documents:

• A copy of the Trade License/Certificate of company registration provided by RDB.
• VAT registration certificate
• Valid Certificate of tax clearance by Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), - RSSB clearance certificate (when applicable),

Note: The above administrative documents are mandatory for evaluation. However, with valid justification provided the Tender Committee may request the first ranked bidder who complies with technical and financial evaluation but does not meet some of the above administrative requirements to provide missing administrative requirements within five working days before completing the evaluation of bids.

5.2. Technical proposal

The bidder will demonstrate proof of experience in manufacturing, production, or selling of sanitation products especially adapted toilet seats for persons with disability and elderly people by showing the design, and made of material (s), and must supply the product sample(s) at the Water For People’s office 7 days after the deadline for submission of the technical and financial proposals. 

The bidder will demonstrate financial and logistical capabilities to avail enough stock without Water For People advance and capacity for the distribution of supplied products in 10 District offices or any other place indicated by the client (one destination per district). The bidder must submit a recent company’s bank statement or valid credit line not less than 10 million Rwandan Francs.

The bidder will indicate the minimum time it will take to manufacture and distribute the goods. A bidder who can distribute and manufacture within a short timeframe ideally 45 days would be an added advantage. 

5.3. Financial proposal 

The financial proposal should detail the unit cost for one unit and the Total costs for 1,000 units. It should also indicate the cost for the distribution of products in 10 district offices namely, Rwamagana, Kayonza, Ngoma, Kirehe, Nyagatare, Ruhango, Nyanza, Nyamagabe, Ngororero, and Nyabihu, and finally show the total cost for the entire assignment. The total cost must be all tax inclusive and must be in Rwandan Francs. 

Notes:

• Please do not include any financial/price in the technical proposal, the inclusion of any price information in the technical proposal shall lead to bidding rejection. 
• Both technical and financial proposals must be in separate documents/attachments and the financial proposal must be password protected. 

6. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria as follows

Stage I: Administrative documents: Mandatory 

Stage II: Technical evaluation 

• General experience in sanitation: 5%
• Design/sample or prototype: 70%
• Logistical capability: 15%
• Delivery time: 10%

Only bidders who get 80% in the technical proposal will go to the financial evaluation. However, the marks obtained during technical evaluation do not influence in any way the financial evaluation. 

Stage III. Financial evaluation

The lowest and most responsive bidder included in the financial evaluation will be awarded.

The selected bidder will be contractually required to comply with Water For People’s Vendor Code of Conduct https://www.waterforpeople.org/Vendor-Code-of-Conduct and will be required to deliver a Conflict-of-Interest Certificate before execution of the contract. The Conflict-of-Interest Certificate requires the disclosure of any potential or

actual conflicts of interest with Water For People employees or their relatives including past, current, or proposed business transactions, employment or offers of employment, or certain gifts or entertainment. Water For People will evaluate any disclosures of conflicts of interest; if Water For People determines it cannot waive or mitigate the conflict of interest it will result in the disqualification of the selected proposer.

Evaluation Matrix

7. COPYRIGHTS

Copyright of all material on assignment will be retained by Water For People in Rwanda.

8. RIGHTS RESERVED

1. Water For People reserves the right to cancel the entire procurement process without incurring any liability whatsoever.
2. Water For People reserves the right to amend any segment of the terms of reference before the announcement of selected candidates.
3. Water For People also reserves the right to remove one or more of the services from consideration for this contract should the evaluation show that it is in Water For People’s best interest to do so.
4. Water For People also may, at its discretion, issue a separate contract for any service or groups of services included in this RFP. Water For People may negotiate a compensation package and additional provisions to the contract awarded under these terms of reference.
5. Water For People reserves the right to debrief the applicants after the completion of the process due to the expected high volume of applications to avoid the compromise of the process.

9. How to apply

If you feel qualified and interested in the assignment, please send your technical and financial proposals (separately) to: rwprocurement@waterforpeople.org no later than 8^th August 2024 at 11:59 pm. Hard copies and late submissions shall be rejected.