Reference Number : SADC/TIFI/02/2013
Request for Services Title: Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
Reference Number : SADC/TIFI/02/2013
Request for Services Title: Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region
1. The SADC Secretariat is inviting Individual Consultants to submit their CV and Financial Proposal for the following services:
Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region
The Terms of Reference defining the minimum technical requirements for these services are attached as Annex 1 to this Request for Expression of Interest.
2. Only Individual Consultants are eligible for this assignment provided that they fulfil the following eligibility criteria:
a) they are not bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into arrangements with creditors, have suspended business activities, are being subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are being in any similar situations arising from similar procedures provided for in the national legislation or regulations of the SADC member states;
b) they have not been convicted of offences concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which has the force of res judicata; (i.e. against which no appeal is possible);
c) they have not been declared guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which SADC Secretariat can justify;
d) they have fulfilled obligations related to the payments of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those countries where the contract is to be performed;
e) they have not been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the SADC Secretariat' financial interests; or
f) they are not being currently subject to an administrative penalty.
3. The maximum budget for this contract is US $ 3,500. Proposals exceeding this budget will not be accepted.
4. Your Expression of Interest must be presented as per Standard Expression of Interest Forms attached as Annex 2 to this REOI, in the English language and be accompanied by copies of all the indicated supporting documents. If the supporting documents are not in English, these shall be accompanied by a certified translation into English.
5. Your proposal should be addressed and submitted to:
“SADC/TIFI/02/2013 – PROFILING THE AGRO-PROCESSING INDUSTRY”
Secretary to the Tender Committee
Plot 54385 CBD
Private Bag 0095
Gaborone
Botswana
Attn: Mr Snowden Mmadi
6. The deadline for submission of your proposal, to the address indicated in Paragraph 5 above, is:
29th October 2013 at 15:00 hours
7. Proposals submitted by Fax or E-mail are not acceptable.
8. Your CV will be evaluated against the following criteria.
Criteria / Maximum points allocated(i) General qualifications / 30
(ii) Adequacy for the project / 50
(iii) Experience in the SADC region / 20
Total / 100
9. You proposal should be submitted as per the following instructions and in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Standard Contract attached as Annex 3 to this REOI:
(i) PRICES:
The financial proposal shall be inclusive of all expenses deemed necessary by the Individual Consultant for the performance of the contract.
(ii) EVALUATION AND AWARD OF THE CONTRACT:
Expressions of Interest determined to be formally compliant to the requirements will be further evaluated technically.
An Expression of Interest is considered compliant to the requirements if:
· It fulfils the formal requirements (see Paragraphs 2,3,4,5,6 and 7 above),
· The financial proposal does not exceed the maximum available budget for the contract.
The award will be made to the applicant who obtained the highest technical score. Expressions of Interest not obtaining a minimum score of 70% will be rejected.
(iii) VALIDITY OF THE EXPRESSION OF INTEREST:
Your Expression of Interest should be valid for a period of 90 days from the date of deadline for submission indicated in Paragraph 6 above.
10. The assignment is expected to commence within four (4) weeks from the signature of the contract.
11. Additional requests for information and clarifications can be made until 10 working days prior to deadline indicated in the paragraph 6 above, from:
The Procuring entity: SADC Secretariat
Contact person: Ted Peter Luka
Telephone: 3951863
Fax:3972848
E-mail:
Copy:
The answer on the questions received will be sent to the Consultant and all questions received as well as the answer(s) to them will be posted on the SADC Secretariat’s website at the latest 7 working days before the deadline for submittion of the proposals.
ANNEXES:
ANNEX 1: Terms of Reference
ANNEX 2: Expression of Interest Forms
ANNEX 3: Standard Contract for Individual Consultants
Sincerely,
______(signature)______
Name: Ted Peter Luka
Title: Procurement Officer
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Reference Number : SADC/TIFI/02/2013
Request for Services Title: Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region
ANNEX 1: Terms of Reference
Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region
BACKGROUND
1. In November 2012, SADC adopted an Industrial Development Policy Framework towards the enhancement of regional cooperation on industrial development. An Implementation Action Matrix has also been agreed upon, constituting the SADC Work Programme on Industrial Development for the period 2013-2018. In particular, the Policy Framework seeks to promote the development of an integrated industrial base within SADC through the exploitation of regional synergies in value-added production and enhancement of export competitiveness. Specifically, the development of regional value chains and production network linkages across borders remains a top priority as it has the potential to stimulate efficiency gains that can be generated through integrated regional markets built on comparative and competitive advantages.
2. Among the key interventions areas identified by Member States is to develop sector specific strategies, starting with agro-food processing; mineral beneficiation and pharmaceutical industries. To achieve this objective, there is need to profile these priority sectors in order to identify the potential, bottlenecks and constraints to regional value chain development. The potential for regional in-sourcing, through a regional public procurement framework, should also be considered.
PURPOSE
3. The purpose of this activity is to engage the services of a Consultant to prepare detailed terms of reference (TORs) for a comprehensive study on the profiling of the agro-food processing industry in the SADC region. Such TORs should assist the envisaged study’s ability to facilitate the process of developing sector specific strategies aimed at enhancing value-addition in the sector and development of regional value chains or network production linkages across borders.
SCOPE OF WORK
4. The primary task of the Consultant is to prepare TORs for a comprehensive study on the profiling of the agro-food processing sector in SADC, with a view to facilitate the process of developing sector specific strategies towards the development of the sector, and in particular, the development or promotion of regional value chains in the sector.
5. The TORs should include the following:
1) The background of the project (including possible upstream work done)
The background summarizes the main features of the project and describes the assignment’s objectives and its general purpose. In particular, it shall include:
(i). name of the Procuring Entity and if applicable the name of the end Beneficiary of the assignment;
(ii). Location(s) of the assignment ;
(iii). Rationale of the assignment ;
(iv). Assignment history (what has been already done and by whom, what is the current state of affairs where the consulting assignment is expected to continue working);
(v). List of relevant studies and basic data;
(vi). Need for consultants in the assignment and issues to be resolved;
(vii). Source of financing for the assignment; and
(viii). Supervision arrangements.
(ix). Any other information that may be important or relevant for the Consultant to prepare a good proposal and/or permit the Procurement Entity to monitor the execution of the contract.
2) The general objectives of the assignment
3) The scope of work
This is the general description of the work to be done by the Consultant.
4) The activities and tasks to be performed
(i). tasks to be performed by the Consultants, including: definition, description, limits, ... of the assignment;
(ii). desired level of detail (level of design, accuracy, composition of cost estimates, and so forth);
(iii). span of projections (time horizon, life span of project components, and so forth);
(iv). required comparison of the assignment with similar projects;
(v). main issues to be addressed;
(vi). alternatives to be considered;
(vii). required surveys, special analyses and models;
(viii). special equipment requirements;
(ix). institutional and legal framework of the project;
(x). transfer of knowledge (if any), objectives and scope;
(xi). language requirements;
(xii). units of measurement to be used;
(xiii). need for continuity, such as data gathering; and
(xiv). quality management requirements (if needed).
(xv). Any other information that may be important or relevant for the Consultant to prepare a good proposal and/or permit the Procurement Entity to monitor the execution of the contract
5) Requirements concerning the Consultant’s staff
(i). Key expert positions
(ii). The pool of experts if required
(iii). The minimal qualifications, skills, general and specific professional experience
(iv). The estimated or fixed number of days to be performed for each expert.
6) Possible downstream work
7) The respective responsibilities of the Procuring Entity (SADC) and the Consultant(s): data, local services, staff and facilities to be provided by the Consultant and/or SADC
8) The expected results
9) Objectively verifiable indicators (OVIs) to measure the results.
10) The deliverables (reports) and the time schedules for them
The assignment’s reporting requirements shall be clearly specified. When possible, each task of the assignment shall have a task report as a deliverable.
11) The envisaged duration of the assignment;
12) The required skills profile(s) of the consultant(s) to undertake the study;
13) The budget estimates;
14) Any other information or issues that may assist the envisaged study to achieve its objective (s).
REQUIREMENTS
6. The Consultant shall possess:
i) At least 7 years international or/and regional experience and knowledge of the agro- food processing industry, and experience in value chain analysis ;
ii) A minimum of Master’s degree in economics or development economics, agricultural economics or industrial economics;
iii) Diverse understanding and clear knowledge of Agro food processing; and
iv) Have sufficient knowledge of SADC Region and its status on industrial development and the Regional Integration Agenda.
TIMING AND REPORTING
TIMING AND REPORTING
7 The main output will be a Comprehensive TORs for profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region which must be submitted no later than 13 December 2013.
8 The work is expected to be done over a period of seven (7) working days, comprising of five (5) days to prepare the draft TORs, upon signature of the contract and two (2) days for the finalization of the TORs, upon receipt of comments from TIFI.
8.1 The following milestones are envisaged for the delivery of the TORs.
Explaining the Assignment of the Consultant by Telephone Communication with the SADC Secretariat and Commencement of Assignment, 2 December 2013
Send the draft TOR to SADC Secretariat, electronically by 22 October and allow for five (5) working days for comment.
8.2 Addressing of comments from SADC Secretariat within two (2) working days.
Final TORs submitted electronically by 13 December 2013, to the SADC Secretariat.
9 The Consultant will work and report to Ms. Ralivao Alisoa Vololoniaina, Senior Programme Officer: Industry, in the Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment (TIFI) Directorate of the SADC Secretariat.
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Reference Number : SADC/TIFI/02/2013
Request for Services Title: Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region
ANNEX 2: Expression of Interest Forms
A. COVER LETTER FOR THE EXPESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE PROJECT 10
B. CURRICULUM VITAE 12
C. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL 1517
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Reference Number : SADC/TIFI/02/2013
Request for Services Title: Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region
A. COVER LETTER FOR THE EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE PROJECT
Reference Number : SADC/TIFI/02/2013
Request for Services Title: Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region
[Location, Date]
To: SADC Secretariat
Dear Sirs:
I, the undersigned, offer to provide the consulting services for the Preparation of the TORs for Profiling the Agro - Food Processing Industry in the SADC region in accordance with your Request for Expression of Interests number SADC/TIFI/02/2013, dated [insert date] for the sum of [Insert amount(s) in words and figures1[1]]. This amount is inclusive of all expenses deemed necessary for the performance of the contract in accordance with the Terms of Reference requirements, and [“does” or “does not” delete as applicable] include any of the following taxes in Procuring Entity’s country: value added tax and social charges or/and income taxes on fees and benefits.
I hereby declare that all the information and statements made in my CV are true and accept that any misinterpretation contained in it may lead to my disqualification.
I take note that under the provisions of the SADC Procurement Policy applicable to this Request For Expression of Interest, a contract cannot be awarded to applicants who are in any of the following situations:
a) they are being bankrupt or wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into arrangements with creditors, have suspended business activities, are being subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are being in any similar situations arising from a similar procedures provided for in the national legislation or regulations of the SADC member states;
b) they have been convicted of offences concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which haves the force of res judicata; (i.e. against which no appeal is possible);