EAST AFRICA TRADE AND INVESTMENT HUB REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) RFP-NAI Payroll & Employee Benefits Management Services

Transcription

1 EAST AFRICA TRADE AND INVESTMENT HUB REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) RFP-NAI-0049 Payroll & Employee Benefits Management Services Issue Date: February 02, 2017 WARNING: Prospective Offerors who have received this document from a source other than the East Africa Trade and Investment Hub, should immediately contact ProcurementTIH@eatradehub.org and provide their name and mailing address in order that amendments to the RFP or other communications can be sent directly to them. Any prospective Offeror who fails to register their interest assumes complete responsibility in the event that they do not receive communications prior to the closing date. Any amendments to this solicitation will be issued and posted by . Page 1 of 11

2 Table of Contents Synopsis of the RFP Scope of Work and Proposal Purpose Scope of Work for Services Anticipated Deliverables Instructions for the Preparation of Technical Proposals Technical Evaluation Criteria Past Performance Instructions for the Preparation of Price Proposals Cost schedule General Instructions to Offerors Basis of Award Best Value Determination Responsibility Determination Proposal Cover Letter Questions regarding the RFP Page 2 of 11

3 Synopsis of the RFP RFP No. RFP-NAI-0049 Issue date Thursday February 02,2017 Title Payroll and Employee Benefits Management Services Issuing company DAI Global LLC.- East Africa Trade and Investment Hub Good Man Towers, 5 th Floor, Off Waiyaki Way, Nairobi, Kenya. address for submission of questions address submission of proposals Deadline for Receipt of Questions Deadline for Receipt of Answers to Questions Deadline for Receipt of Proposals Anticipated Award Type Basis for Award The Issuing Office and Contact Person noted in the above synopsis is the sole point of contact at DAI for purposes of this RFP. Any prospective offeror who fails to register their interest with this office assumes complete responsibility in the event that they do not receive direct communications (amendments, answers to questions, etc.) prior to the closing date. The address procurementtih@eatradehub.org in the above synopsis is the sole point of contact at DAI Trade Hub project for any questions. We only accept applications, no hard copies will be accepted. For proposal submissions the address to use is tenderstih@eatradehub.org. Tuesday February 07, 2017, at 10.00am East African Time Thursday February 09, 2017 at 05.00pm East African Time Thursday February 16, 2017 at pm East African Time Cost Reimbursable Subcontract. DAI anticipates awarding a Cost Reimbursable Subcontract. This subcontract type is subject to change during the course of negotiations. A Cost Reimbursable Subcontract is: An award where the subcontractor is reimbursed for actual reasonable, allowable, and allocable costs up to a maximum ceiling value of the subcontract agreement An award will be made based on the Trade Off Method. The award will be issued to the responsible and reasonable offeror who provides the best value to DAI and its client using a combination of technical and cost/price factors. Page 3 of 11

4 1.0 Scope of Work and Proposal. 1.1 Purpose DAI Global LLC, the implementer of the USAID-funded, East Africa Trade and Investment Hub program (the Hub), invites qualified offerors to submit proposals to provide payroll and employees benefits management services Financial Advisory services in fulfillment of the requested specifications detailed in The scope of work below. 1.2 Scope of Work for Services A. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION The East Africa Trade and Investment Hub (The Hub) is a five year USAID project intended to spur inclusive economic growth by promoting an enabling environment for trade and investment and increasing East African trade and investment. The project builds upon prior investments to increase regional trade competitiveness and reduce poverty through: Integrated EAC market with full implementation of the EAC Common Market and Customs Union; Increased regional competitiveness driving growth in trade, investment and agriculture; and Increased two-way trade and investment between the U.S. and East and sub-saharan African. The project pursues these goals through four integrated components: 1. Policy environment for EAC integration, trade and investment improved and implemented. 2. Competitiveness of selected regional agricultural value chains increased. 3. Exports and trade promotion, particularly with the U.S. under AGOA, increased. 4. Investment and technology transfer between Eastern and Sub Saharan Africa and global markets, particularly the U.S., increased. B. OBJECTIVES The Hub is seeking services for payroll and employee benefits management for 5 employees (one per country) based in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia. The Hub does not have the in-house capacity to pay in local currency and also pay the relevant taxes, benefits and statutory deductions. C. TASKS The Hub requires the services of a payroll management firm that will be tasked with the following: Process monthly on the 28 th (or the following working day) employees payroll within set deadline and provide payment reports to the Hub Nairobi office by 3 rd business day of each month. To note: The payroll management Firm will pay the employees salaries, medical health insurance, pension and any other statutory deductions then bill DAI for monies paid and the management fees for services offered. DAI will reimburse the costs incurred as per agreed signed contract. Ensure all the statutory deductions are deducted from the staff and remitted to the respective regulatory institutions in each of the 5 countries. Prepare the applicable statutory monthly, quarterly or annually reports and submit the same to the respective authorities in the individual countries and provide copies of the same to the Hub project in Nairobi. Page 4 of 11

5 Provide summary of statutory payment such as income tax, social security, and pension and any other applicable together with payment slips to the Hub Project office in Nairobi. Ensure compliance with local countries labor laws in terms of salary, benefits, contract termination and pay deductions in the respective 5 (Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Ethiopia) countries. Provide employee agreement termination and redundancy calculations when required. Preparation of end of year returns and payment summaries for the Hub office and individual employees. Provide each employee with a medical insurance cover (also pension and any other statutory benefit) and pay for the annual premium or rates. Payment will be reimbursed by the Hub for premiums paid. Issue the Hub employees with an employment contract. Employment agreement will be reviewed and approved for use by the Hub. The contract will be issued with the bidder s legal entity not DAI Global LLC. D. PROCESS The process shall be: 1. The Bidder will issue the Hub employees with an employment contract. Employment agreement will be reviewed and approved for use by the Hub who will inform the bidder the gross salary and benefits for each employee. 2. The Bidder will issue employee with a medical insurance cover, pension if applicable and any other insurance cover or benefit as per the laws of the employee residency. 3. The Staff shall send the timesheets to their Hub supervisors by 25 th of the month or the following working day. 4. The Hub Finance Department will prepared the gross pay due and any other benefits by 27 th or the following working day of the month. 5. The Payroll management firm will do the computation, pay staff and also pay the applicable deductions to the relevant authorities by the 28 th of the month or the following working day. 6. Payroll Management will bill the Hub, the staff salaries and benefits amounts paid and their management fees by the 3 rd of the month or the following working day. 7. The Hub will reimburse the salary, benefits and any other allowances paid and the management fees on receipt of proof of payment E. LEVEL OF EFFORT (LOE) Person Level of Effort Dates Administration Staff Project Supervisor F. OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES 1. Monthly report showing payments done and deductions done (relevant receipts and workings will be attached) and any other Annual reports done and submitted. 2. Proof of medical insurance and other benefits issued to the Hub staff. 3. Issued and signed employment contract for each staff. Page 5 of 11

6 G. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance is anticipated that the work will begin by April 01, 2017 and conclude approximately 2 years and 4 months later at a maximum. The Base Year for period of performance for this Subcontract shall be approximately April March 31, 2018 with a possible two option years of April 01, 2018 to March 31, 2019 and a second option year April 01, 2019 to July 31, DAI will only exercise the first option years after satisfactorily performance of the base year. H. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE The place of performance under this contract is Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia Countries. The Hub head office is based in Nairobi, Kenya. I. BUDGET Budget should provide all the necessary management costs to be incurred in providing this service to DAI. An offeror can quote a price per country. 1.3 Anticipated Deliverables Upon award of a subcontract, the deliverables and deadlines detailed in the below table will be submitted to DAI. All of the deliverables must be submitted to and approved by DAI before payment will be processed. YEAR 1- April 01, 2017 to March 31, 2018 Output No. Description Due Date 1 Proof of medical insurance contract & payment and other benefits issued to the Hub staff. 2 Issued and signed employment contract for each staff 3 Monthly report showing payments done and deductions done (relevant receipts and workings will be attached) and any other Annual reports done and submitted. Within 15 working days of contract award Within 5 working days of Employee hiring intention. Within 30 working days of contract award for the first month and thereafter every Month (12 Units) YEAR 2 (Option Year- April 01, 2018 to March 31, 2019): Output No. Description Due Date 1 Proof of medical insurance contract & payment and other benefits issued to the Hub staff. 2 Issued and signed employment contract for each staff (for new staff hires if any) 3 Monthly report showing payments done and deductions done (relevant receipts and workings will be attached) and any other Annual reports done and submitted. Within 15 working days of contract award Within 5 working days of Employee hiring intention Within 30 working days of contract award for the first month and thereafter every Month (12 Units) Page 6 of 11

7 YEAR 3 (Option Year- April 01, 2019 to July 31, 2019): Output No. Description Due Date 1 Proof of medical insurance contract & payment and other benefits issued to the Hub staff. 2 Issued and signed employment contract for each staff (for new staff hires if any) 3 Monthly report showing payments done and deductions done (relevant receipts and workings will be attached) and any other Annual reports done and submitted. Within 15 working days of contract award Within 5 working days of Employee hiring intention Within 30 days of contract award for the first month and thereafter every Month (4 Units) 1.4 Instructions for the Preparation of Technical Proposals Technical proposals shall be submitted via only to tenderstih@eatradehub.org Technical proposals shall include the following contents; a) Technical Approach - Description of the proposed services which meet or exceeds the stated technical specifications or scope of work. The proposal must show how the Offeror plans to complete the work and describe an approach that demonstrates the achievement of timely and acceptable performance of the work. b) Management approach Description of the Offeror s staff assigned to the project. The proposal should describe how the proposed team members have the necessary experience and capabilities to carry out the Technical Approach. c) Past Performance Provide a list of at least three (3) recent awards of similar scope and duration. The information shall be supplied as a table, and shall include the legal name and address of the organization for which services were performed, a description of work performed, the duration of the work and the value of the contract, description of any problems encountered and how it was resolved, and a current responsible and knowledgeable representative of the organization, their official address and official contact phone number. See Attachment F. 1.5 Technical Evaluation Criteria Each proposal will be evaluated and scored against the evaluation criteria and evaluation sub-criteria, which are stated in the table below. Cost proposals are not assigned points, but for overall evaluation purposes of this RFP, technical evaluation factors other than cost, when combined, are considered approximately equal to cost factors. Mandatory Requirement: a. Existing physical presence in at least two or more of the following countries - Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Burundi. b. Certified copy of Certificate of incorporation or registration document and company profile Page 7 of 11

8 Evaluation Criteria Points 1. Technical Approach description of the proposed services which 35 Points meet or exceeds the stated scope of work. The proposal must show how the offeror plans to complete the work and describe an approach that demonstrates the achievement of timely and acceptable performance of the work. 2 Management approach description of the offeror s staff assigned 30 Points to the project. The proposal should describe how the proposed team members have the necessary experience and capabilities to carry out the Scope of work (attach the team members CVs). 3. Experience: At least three years experience in payroll and 20 points employees benefits management in at least three of the following countries; Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Burundi. (Each country proof of experience will be awarded 5 points) 4. References: At least three (3) written references from clients with awards similar in scope (payroll and employee benefits management services) and duration; provide references with representation for services provided in at three least countries: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia). 15 points Total 100 points 1.6 Past Performance Include at least 3 assignments / projects that best illustrate your work experience relevant to this RFP, sorted by decreasing order of completion date. Projects should have been undertaken in the past three years. Projects undertaken in the past six years may be taken into consideration at the discretion of the evaluation committee. # Name of organization and contact information for whom services was provided 1 Duration of Agreement ( start and end date) Client details and Location (contacts name, and phone Address) Value of Contract ( in KES or US$) Payroll and Employee benefits management services details; state for each client Instructions for the Preparation of Price Proposals Price proposals shall be sent via to tenderstih@eatradehub.org Provided in the below table is the Price Schedule, for firm-fixed subcontract. A detailed budget should accompany the price schedule. It is important to note that Value Added Tax (VAT) and any other Page 8 of 11

9 applicable taxes shall be included in the budget on a separate line, it should also be noted which line items the taxes has been applied to. If the contract is issued from Nairobi, Kenya, these consultant services are eligible for VAT exemption under the DAI prime contract with USAID. The Offeror s invoices will bill DAI inclusive of VAT, based on the invoice DAI will seek VAT exemption through USAID within 30 days of the date of the invoice. DAI will seek VAT exemption from the government per each Invoice and Electronic Tax Receipt (ETR) provided after successful completion of the assignment tasks and deliverables. Once approved by the Government of Kenya DAI will provide the successful Offeror with VAT exemption documentation. Based on these documents repayment of the VAT portion will be made to DAI Global LLC. The offeror is responsible for all applicable taxes and fees, as prescribed under the applicable laws for income, compensation, permits, licenses, and other taxes and fees due as required Cost schedule DIRECT COSTS Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Name Description Unit Cost Total Cost Unit Cost Total Cost Unit Cost Total Cost Cost Payroll service provider Staff Labour and benefits 1, Team member 1 (state name, position) Per month 2, Team member 2 (state name, position) Per month 3.Team member 3 (state name, position) Per month Total Support Costs Other Direct Costs 1. Bank charges 2.Other costs (specify) Total Other Direct Costs TOTAL Cost Fixed Fee ( provide justification) TOTAL ESTIMATED COST PLUS FIXED FEE For Budget template to use see attached Ms excel file. An offeror can quote a price per country. 2.0 General Instructions to Offerors Offeror and/or Bidder mean a firm proposing the work under this RFP. Offer and/or Proposal means the package of documents the firm submits to propose the work. Offerors wishing to respond to this RFP must submit proposals, in English, in accordance with the following instructions. Offerors are required to review all instructions and specifications contained in this RFP. Failure to do so will be at the Offeror s risk. If the solicitation is amended, then all terms and conditions not modified in the amendment shall remain unchanged. Page 9 of 11

10 Issuance of this RFP in no way obligates DAI to award a subcontract. Offerors will not be reimbursed for any costs associated with the preparation or submission of their proposal. DAI shall in no case be responsible for liable for these costs. Proposals are due no later than (insert time), to be submitted via to the address provided in the instructions. (Late offers will be rejected except under extraordinary circumstances at DAI s discretion.) All proposals submitted shall reference the RFP Number-insert the RFP title in the subject line. The submission to DAI of a proposal in response to this RFP will constitute an offer and indicates the Offeror s agreement to the terms and conditions in this RFP and any attachments hereto. DAI reserves the right not to evaluate a non-responsive or incomplete proposal. 2.1 Basis of Award Best Value Determination DAI will review all proposals, and make an award based on the technical and cost evaluation criteria stated above, and select the offeror whose proposal provides the best value to DAI. DAI may also exclude an offer from consideration if it determines that an Offeror is "not responsible", i.e., that it does not have the management and financial capabilities required to perform the work required. Evaluation points will not be awarded for cost. Cost will primarily be evaluated for realism and reasonableness. DAI may award to a higher priced offeror if a determination is made that the higher technical evaluation of that offeror merits the additional cost. Cost realism will be based on considerations such as the following: Are proposed costs realistic for the services to be performed? Do the costs reflect a clear understanding of the scope of work? Does the proposal meet at a minimum the DAI requirements/specifications? Are the costs consistent with the various elements of the offerors technical proposal? DAI may award to an Offeror without discussions. Therefore, the initial offer must contain the Offeror s best cost and technical terms Responsibility Determination DAI will not enter into any type of agreement with an Offeror prior to ensuring the Offeror s responsibility. When assessing an Offeror s responsibility, the following factors are taken into consideration: 1. Provide Business registration certificate. 2. Evidence of a DUNS number (explained below and instructions contained in the terms document attached 3. The source, origin and nationality of the products or services are not from a Prohibited Country (explained below). 4. Having adequate financial resources to finance and perform the work or deliver goods or the ability to obtain financial resources without receiving advance funds from DAI. 5. Ability to comply with required or proposed delivery or performance schedules. 6. Have a satisfactory past performance record. 7. Have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics. 8. Have the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls and technical skills. 9. Have the necessary production, construction and technical equipment and facilities if applicable. Page 10 of 11

11 10. Be qualified and eligible to perform work under applicable laws and regulations. 2.2 Proposal Cover Letter A cover letter shall be included with the proposal on the Offeror s company letterhead with a duly authorized signature and company stamp/seal using Attachment B as a template for the format. The cover letter shall include the following items: The Offeror will certify a validity period of 90 days for the prices provided. Acknowledge any solicitation amendments received. 2.3 Questions regarding the RFP Each Offeror is responsible for reading and complying with the terms and conditions of this RFP. Requests for clarification or additional information must be submitted in writing via or in writing to the Issuing Office as specified in the Synopsis above. No questions will be answered by phone. Any verbal information received from a DAI or (insert Project Acronym) employee or other entity shall not be considered as an official response to any question regarding this RFP. Copies of questions and responses will be distributed in writing to all prospective bidders who are on record as having received this RFP after the submission date specified in the Synopsis above. Page 11 of 11