Request For Quotation (RFQ)

MS Office 2016 Standalone Licenses

About Abt Associates:

Founded in 1965, Abt Associates is a mission driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development.

With a global staff of more than 3000, and in over 60 countries, Abt Associates is recognized as an engine for social impact, fueled by caring, curiosity, and cutting-edge research that moves people from vulnerability to security. Whether it's welfare or weather disasters, the environment or economics, agriculture or HIV and AIDS, Abt Associates addresses the world's most pressing issues, and is known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges.

Approximately 51% of our staff has graduate degrees; one in six has a doctorate. Examples of Abt Associates work include nationally recognized research, evaluation, and technical assistance to improve efficiency of health care systems, effectiveness of government housing programs, the production of food, and the measurements of public opinion, and international public health.

Abt Associates has been ranked among top 20 global research firms and one of the top 40 development innovators.

About the PMI Evolve Rwanda Project:

The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Evolve Project was awarded to Abt Associates on December 19, 2022. The purpose of this contract is to support PMI, as well as U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Missions and Bureaus, with the planning, implementing, and monitoring of malaria vector control programs, including indoor residual spraying (IRS), insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs), and larval source management (LSM). PMI Evolve will strengthen the capacity of local institutions, including national malaria programs (MOPDD), district health offices, and research institutions to independently conduct vector control programs. PMI Evolve is also responsible for entomological monitoring and conducting operations research on new vector control innovations. PMI Evolve will incorporate gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) and climate change initiatives as cross-cutting themes with the overall goal of ending malaria faster. Activities are carried out in full collaboration with the Rwanda Biomedical Center /Malaria and Other Parasitic Diseases Control. 

To facilitate those activities, the PMI Evolve Rwanda Project is inviting interested, registered, reputable, experienced, and capable professional local companies to tender for the following RFQ below:

• RFQ No: 02/014/2024 - MS Office 2016 Standalone Licenses

Interested local companies with demonstrated capacity and experience of having carried out similar service with reputable public and private organizations are requested to submit their bids.

Instructions to bidders

1. All documents submitted in response to this RFQ, as well as all related correspondence, will be in English.
2. Offerors are required to fully review all instructions and specifications contained in this RFQ. Failure to do so will be at the offeror’s risk. Offerors are encouraged to only bid for bids which they have professional experience and capacity.
3. All documents with required certifications should be valid at the date of the award and all offers must include:
   1. The owner’s name / business name, e-mail, physical address and phone number.
   2. Copy of Company Registration Certificate.
   3. Copy of Clearance Certificate from Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA).
   4. Copy of Contributions Certificate Clearance from Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB).
   5. Certificate of Electronic Billing Machine (EBM) issued by RRA.
4. Financial offer clearly indicating Price and VAT separately for of coverage each service offered in the RFQ.
5. At any time prior to award of the contract, should Abt Associates deem it necessary to change the RFQ provisions, it will provide such amendment(s) in writing. No oral instructions by any person will in any way be considered to limit, exclude, modify, or otherwise affect any terms or conditions of this solicitation, and no supplier shall rely on any such instructions.
6. All responses to this RFQ shall be submitted via email to PMI_EvolveRwanda@abtassoc.com or Drop box at the issuing address above.
7. Quotes from Offeror(s) on US government debarred list will not be considered.
8. A bidder is not eligible if the bidder has been debarred by the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority because:
   1. The bidder has been prosecuted and found guilty in court including any appeals process on corruption charges, fraud, money-laundering or any other such illegal activities.
   2. The bidder is bankrupt.
   3. The bidder has been excluded in accordance with regional or international conventions.
   4. The bidder has a conflict of interest.
   5. The bidder is a government owned enterprise which cannot establish that i) it is financially autonomous ii) operates under commercial law iii) is not a dependent agency of the purchaser.
   6. The bidder is regulatorily compliant (registered with the appropriate professional bodies and full paid up in all tax and social security obligations).
9. Bidder shall submit offer(s) with the following naming convention:
   1. Email subject line (no space before/after dashes “-“):
      RFQ# 02/014/2024 -Your company name
   2. Attachments: eg. Quote/product literature/registration certificates etc.
      RFQ# XXXX-Your company name- Quote
      RFQ# XXXX-Your company name- Product Literature
      RFQ# XXXX-Your company name- Registration certificate etc.
10. Abt Associates Inc reserves the right to reject bids submitted without all requested information as non-responsive.

Quote Validity/Performance Period:

Submitted offers/Bids shall be valid for at least a period of 120 days from RFQ closing date.

Preparation of Bids:

Bidders/Offerors are expected to examine the technical specifications and all instructions contained in this RFQ. Failure to do so will be at the offeror’s risk.

Offers shall clearly indicate Price and VAT separately.

Descriptive literature, quality standard supporting documentation, full technical specification per quoted item must be submitted with the bid. Submitted literature will be used to demonstrate compliance with the stated technical specification but shall in no way be considered to amend the quotation and the applicable RFQ requirement.

Any deviation from the RFQ stated specification must be identified, explanation provided in the attached List of Exceptions document (attachment C). In case of conflict between the RFQ technical specifications and the supplier offered descriptive literature, the RFQ specifications shall be the standard.

Amendments:

If it becomes necessary to modify this RFQ before award, an amendment will be issued and be binding to all bidders. Amendment(s) will be sent return receipt requested, and will be numbered consecutively commencing with Amendment-01, 02 etc. Bidders are required to reference such amendments in their subsequent response and/or communication.

Questions:

All questions regarding this RFQ shall be addressed to PMI_EvolveRwanda@abtassoc.com . Abt will communicate the questions and its responses to all bidders and may at its sole discretion extent the quotation deadline. Oral communication concerning this RFQ will not be accepted except for administrative clarification regarding submission format or location of the office, etc.

Exceptions:

To ensure clarity on the bids and their conformity to the RFQ technical specifications and requirements, bidder shall furnish a list of all exceptions to any of the terms/conditions/technical specification/Quality standards contained in this RFQ and shall include an explanation or justification for the exception taken (See Attachment C – List of Exceptions).

Location to delivery all products :

1. Address:

Abt Associates

PMI Evolve Rwanda Project

KG 8 Ave, M&M Plaza, 3rd floor Gishushu Nyarutarama

PO. Box 5200, Kigali, Rwanda

Tel: (250) 252 572321/2/4

2. Materials must be delivered between 17^th of June up to 21^st June 2024.
3. All deliveries should be done between 9.00am and 3.00pm on each specified delivery date at Kicukiro Central Warehouse located on address above. Delivery after 3:00p.m will not be accepted. Selected vendor will be required to deliver all specified materials/supplies. Incomplete deliveries will lead to cancellation of contract/Purchase Order.

Invoices and Payments: Payments will be made after Abt Associates receives a complete and correct invoice from supplier after completion of Services. The vendor should indicate the bank account on the printed invoice clearly.

Payments will be made net thirty (30) days after Abt Associates receives a complete and correct invoice from supplier based solely on Services actually performed by Supplier and/or Goods actually supplied by supplier pursuant to a Purchase or Delivery order. No advance payment should be expected by vendors from Abt Associates.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION AND SPECIFICATIONS:

MS Office 2016 Standalone Licenses RFQ Number: 02/014/2024

Evaluation Criteria:

Abt Associates intends to award a PO (in whole or in part) to the most advantageous technically compliant offer(s), the following factors considered:

• Compliance with RFQ specifications and bid submission requirement/instruction.
• Price and price related factors
• Delivery lead time
• Delivery terms and/or cost
• Past performance (Note: New bidders are welcome. This criterion is used to eliminate supplier(s) with documented chronic performance issues).

A responsive proposal is one that comes from a responsible supplier and complies with all the terms and conditions stated in the RFQ without material modification. A material modification is any modification that affects price, quantity, quality, delivery, or which limits in any way the responsibilities, duties or liabilities of the bidder or any rights of Abt or its clients.

Abt reserves the right to waiver any minor informalities in the quotation/proposal received if it is in Abt’s best interest to do so, or to reject the quotation of any firm if, in Abt’s judgement, the firm is not fully qualified to provide the goods or services as specified in the technical specifications.