Request for Proposals
United States Institute of Peace
Fiscal Agent, Papua New Guinea
Location of Work: Papua New Guinea
Release Date: September 13, 2024
RFP Due Date: 05:00 pm Washington DC time on September 27, 2024
Refer Questions to:
Submit Proposals to:
Hodei Sultan
Hodei Sultan
Pertinent responses will be made available to all offerors by e-mail. No inquiries will be accepted after specified time and date.
The response must be submitted by time and date listed above to be considered.
Introduction and Background
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for the United States and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. For more information, please visit http://www.usip.org.
USIP is undertaking field programming in Papua New Guinea facilitated by a fulltime program coordinator. USIP’s work in PNG focuses on research, policy discussions, and trainings to address drivers of violence in Papua New Guinea. Our operations and program activities are focused geographically in Morobe Province and Port Moresby.
Purpose of the RFP
USIP is looking for a local organization or company to serve as a fiscal agent in Papua New Guinea. The fiscal agents will support USIP operations and logistics in Papua New Guinea.
Scope of Work
The fiscal agent duties and responsibilities shall be performed for the direct benefit of USIP in accordance with, and governed by, applicable terms and conditions of USIP. The fiscal agent does not make decisions about who receives the money or approves budgets. The fiscal agent disburses the funds and performs other assigned duties at the direction of the Southeast Asia Senior Expert, Contracting Officer Technical Representative, or staff assigned by USIP, as long as those directives do not violate any provision of USIP. The fiscal agent is not allowed to use USIP funds for purposes other than USIP’s operations and mission. The scope of work may include the following duties and responsibilities but not limited to:
- Open separate bank accounts on behalf of USIP.
- Manage the relationship with the bank.
- Daily cash management and reconciliations.
- Disburse funds to vendors, service providers and local staff, as required and directed.
- Maintain proper accounting records and adequate documentation and safeguards.
- Document and send the monthly invoices, financial reports, and all supportive documents to USIP on a regular basis.
Tentative Timeline
A tentative timeline for the completion of deliverables is provided below. USIP will work with the selected offeror to finalize deliverables and deliverable due dates upon selection.
Deliverable
Estimated Due Date
Monthly Invoice
By the 10th of each month for the previous month.
Monthly Financial report along with all supporting documents
Monthly Cash Request and Bank Reconciliation if applicable
Submission Requirements
Any proposal that does not contain all items listed below may be considered nonresponsive. For more detail on the selection process, including corresponding evaluation criteria, please see Section V below. To be considered under this RFP, please submit the following:
Technical Narrative Proposal
The technical narrative proposal should be no more than 5 pages and include the following sections:
Prior Experience
Describe at least two examples of similar scope and complexity the offeror has worked on previously. Provide a point of contact with telephone number and email address for each of the described projects. Also, include whether the offeror and/or essential personnel have received funding from USIP in the past and if so, include a short description of the project, the name of the USIP main point of contact, and the grant or contract number, if applicable. Also, it is essential to include the locations where the Company/Organization has a physical presence and mention the areas or cities where it can support our operations and program activities in Papua New Guinea.
Overall Approach and Methodology
Based on the above scope of work, describe the proposed mode of operation (reimbursement basis, advance payment, hybrid, or any other mode). Provide information whether your Company/Organization will use their own staff and resources in the implementation of the scope of work or they will outsource some or all the tasks under the scope of work. Provide detailed information about other parties, including contractors in case of outsourcing.
Key Personnel, Staffing, and Specific Expertise
Describe the key personnel, their role, their level of knowledge, and how their experience is related and beneficial. Describe the overall staffing plan in light of the scope of work. For each of the key personnel, please provide a CV of no more than three pages. CVs will not count as part of the number pages of the technical proposal and will be considered annexes. Describe the language capabilities of the key personnel.
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
For each of the key personnel, please provide a CV of no more than three pages. CVs will not count towards technical narrative proposal page limit.
Cost Proposal
The cost proposal shall include a management fee in the form of indirect cost recovery on total direct disbursement of USIP funds under contract, fixed fee or any other form suggested by the bidder.
Financial Management Assessment Form
Organizations must complete the Financial Management Assessment Form.
Certification Page
Complete and sign the Certification Page below and submit with the proposal.
* Selection Process
* Schedule
Date
Schedule
September 13, 2024
RFP issued
September 19, 2024
Questions concerning RFP and project emailed to [email protected] no later than 5 pm Eastern Standard Time.
September 23, 2024
Answers to questions will be made available to all offerors.
September 27, 2024
Proposals are due no later than 5pm Eastern Standard Time. Late submissions may not be accepted.
October 4, 2024
Notification to selected offeror
November 1, 2024
Estimated project commencement date
USIP may adjust dates in the schedule or cancel this RFP at any time prior to contract award.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria below. For more detail on each submission requirement, see the Submission Requirements section of this RFP.
Evaluation Criteria
Corresponding Submission Requirement
Weight
Experience and Expertise
Detailed technical proposal and references
30%
Financial Capability
Financial Management Assessment Form
30%
Key Personnel
Staff CVs
20%
Cost Proposal
Budget (Management fee)
20%
General Instructions and Terms
- Complete proposals must be submitted by email to [email protected] by 5pm on September 27, 2024.
- The Institute is not liable for any costs incurred by offerors prior to issuance of an executed contract with the Institute.
- Submissions must be typed and submitted electronically and must include all submission requirements outlined in the Submission of Requirements section of this RFP. No changes or corrections to a response will be allowed after the deadline.
- All submissions should be in English and US dollars.
- Any questions concerning this RFP should be directed to Hodei Sultan at [email protected]. Pertinent responses will be made available to all offerors by email. No inquiries will be accepted after specified time and date.
- Any proposal not addressing all RFP requirements may be considered non-responsive. Late proposals may be rejected as non-responsive.
- This RFP is not an offer to enter into an agreement with any party, but rather a request to receive proposals from offerors (organizations or persons) interested in providing the services outlined herein. Such proposals shall be considered and treated by USIP as offers to enter into a contract.
- USIP shall not be obligated for the payment of any sums whatsoever to any recipient of this RFP until and unless a written contract between the parties is executed.
- Unless stated otherwise within this RFP, the selected Contractor shall be responsible for providing all equipment and/or supplies required to perform the services.
- The selected Contractor shall not discriminate against any person in accordance with Federal, state, or local law.
- The submission of any materials to USIP in response to this RFP will constitute (i) a representation that the Offeror owns or has unrestricted license to use and license such materials and all intellectual property expressed therein; and (ii) the grant of a non-exclusive license to USIP to use such materials and intellectual property for any purpose, including specifically the evaluation, negotiation, and documentation of a contract with any party.
- Offeror will commit to adhering to the attached USIP Terms & Conditions, else risk removal from consideration. Exceptions to these terms must be clearly outlined in an annex to the Technical Narrative Proposal. Please reach out to Hodei Sultan at [email protected] to request a copy of USIP Terms and Conditions if they are not attached to the solicitation.
Certification Page
(Please submit with the proposal)
A. The Offeror certifies that: (1) Prices in the offer have been arrived at independently without consultation, communication, or agreement with any other competitor; (2) Prices in the offer have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed by the offeror, directly or indirectly, to any other competitor before bid opening or contract award unless otherwise required by law; and (3) No attempt has been made or will be made by the offeror to induce any other competitor to/not to submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition.
B. Has the offeror received funding from USIP? Yes/No
If yes, provide the grant or contract number and the offeror’s main point of contact at USIP:___________________________________________________________________________________
On Behalf of Offeror:
Name of Organization or Independent Contractor
Signature of Authorized Official
Printed Name of Authorized Official
Title
Date
How to apply
To apply for this position, please use the following URL:
https://ars2.equest.com/?response_id=8ee7da53867e7299e3da95900a52dfcb
