DAI, implementer of the USAID-funded Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (the USAID TradeHub) invites recognized Financial Service Providers (FSPs) to submit technical and cost proposals to supply and deliver technical assistance as contained herein.
RFP No.RFP-SATIH-PRE-21-0182Issue DateSeptember 10, 2021TitleTransaction Advisory – Support firms in preparation for introduction to Capital Providers (Angola)Issuing Office & Email/Physical Address for Submission of Task Order ProposalsSouthern Africa Trade and Investment Hub 410 Lynnwood Road, Lynnwood, Pretoria, 0081 South Africa Email: [email protected] Deadline for Receipt of QuestionsSeptember 15, 2021 by 12:00 hours (Central African Time)Deadline for Receipt of Proposals.September 20, 2021 by 10:00 hours (Central African Time)Point of ContactPlease submit all questions and completed proposals to [email protected] Anticipated Award TypeFirm Fixed Price ContractBasis for Award 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.
Offerors shall submit proposals electronically [email protected] with the RFP number and the title of the activity stated in the subject line of the email.
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.
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 and with terms and conditions of the contract between DAI and Offeror. DAI reserves the right of not evaluating a non-responsive or incomplete proposal.
Requests for clarification or additional information must be submitted in writing via email via email to [email protected] not later than the time and date stated above. No questions will be answered by phone. Any verbal information received from a DAI or SATIH employee or other entity shall not be considered as an official response to any question regarding this RFP.
Technical proposals shall be submitted electronically, in a separate file from the cost/price proposals and shall be clearly labeled as “VOLUME I: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL”.
Technical proposals shall include the following contents
Due to the constraints and uncertainty of working in the current Covid environment and the limited timeline of this project, it is critical that organizations demonstrate an ability to do the work required in the SOW below. Organizations need to be able to have a rapid start-up. Offerors must provide information on projects they have implemented since the start of Covid that are similar scope, size, and complexity to the scope of work below. Projects need not have been in Angola but should be in Southern Africa. Please additionally provide a narrative on how efficiently and effectively that project has been delivered (how well did you perform)? Information must be provided using attachment D. The narrative on performance can be on a separate page. Narrative is limited to three projects presented on one page.
Description of the proposed services which meets 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 and required deliverables. Technical Approach should be no more than 5 pages Font no smaller than equivalent of Times New Roman 11 with normal (2,54 cm) margins
Relevant Work Experience – Name of the Offeror’s staff assigned to each task. The proposal should describe how the proposed team members have the necessary capabilities to carry out the Technical Approach. Copies of the CVs must be submitted as part of the technical proposal. Narrative on staffing is included in the Technical approach 5 page limit. CVs do not count towards the page limit.
For this RFP, DAI is in need of the services described in Attachment C, “Scope of Work For Services”.
Proposal will be evaluated and scored against the evaluation criteria, which are stated in the table below. Cost/Price proposals are not assigned points, but for overall evaluation purposes of this RFP, technical evaluation factors other than cost/price, when combined, are considered significantly more important than cost/price factors.
Evaluation CriteriaMaximum PointsOrganizational capacity and Past Performance. See above for details50 pointsTechnical Approach – the extent to which the proposed approach supports the USAID TradeHub’s objectives. See above for details.40 pointsPersonnel – the extent to which personnel match the proposed task. See above for details. 10 pointsTotal Points100 points
Cost/Price proposals shall be submitted separately from the technical proposals and shall be clearly labeled as “VOLUME II: COST/PRICE PROPOSAL”.
Provided in Attachment A is a template for the Price Schedule as DAI will issue a firm-fixed price contract. Bidders shall complete Attachment A.
The Subcontractor 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. In addition, all cost associated with the services should be included in cost proposal as no other costs will be presented at a later stage in relation to this RFP will be acceptable.
DAI will review the proposal, and make an award based on the technical and cost evaluation criteria stated above and select the proposal on condition that it 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 has not demonstrated the capabilities required to perform the work required).
Evaluation points will not be awarded for cost. Cost will primarily be evaluated for realism, reasonableness, and Best Value Trade Off. Technical score is significantly more important than cost. DAI may award to an Offeror without discussions therefore, the initial offer must contain the Offeror’s best price and technical terms.
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:
Upon award of a contract, the deliverables and deadlines detailed in Attachment A will be submitted to DAI. The Offeror should detail proposed costs and due dates per deliverable in the Price Schedule. All of the deliverables must be submitted to and approved by DAI before payment will be processed.
The designated DAI Project Manager will inspect from time to time the services being performed to determine whether the activities are being performed in a satisfactory manner, and that all equipment or supplies are of acceptable quality and standards. The subcontractor shall be responsible for any countermeasures or corrective action, within the scope of this RFP, which may be required by the DAI Chief of Party as a result of such inspection.
Offerors have agreed to comply with terms and conditions under the contract for the award resulting from this RFP. The selected Offeror shall comply with all Representations and Certifications of Compliance listed in Attachment B.
Additionally, Offeror must provide the following (all will be provided):
Section 889 Compliance (see Attachment E)
To counter cybersecurity threats to the US Federal supply chain, federal agencies are prohibited from using or purchasing select items from five Chinese tech giants effective 13-Aug-2020 reference Section 889-part B, of the US National Defense Authorization Act. The USAID TradeHub is funded by the U.S. government therefore required to comply to Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act, and subsequently FAR 52.204-24 through -26. The section prohibits the procurement or use of telecommunication and video surveillance equipment or services (including from our subcontractors and service providers) that use such equipment. Take note of the following:
Section F. For each service provider who DOES use prohibited equipment, is it possible to replace the prohibited equipment under DAI’s agreement only.
Note: the above declaration is compulsory
Under the authorized geographic code for its contract DAI may only procure goods and services from the following countries.
Geographic Code 937: Goods and services from the United States, the cooperating country, and “Developing Countries” other than “Advanced Developing Countries: excluding prohibited countries. A list of the “Developing Countries” as well as “Advanced Developing Countries” can be found at: http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/310maa.pdf and http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/310mab.pdf respectively.
DAI must verify the source and nationality of goods and services and ensure (to the fullest extent possible) that DAI does not procure any goods or services from prohibited countries listed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as sanctioned countries. OFAC sanctioned countries may be searched within the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.SAM.gov. The current list of countries under comprehensive sanctions include: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. Goods may not transit through or be assembled in comprehensive sanctioned origin or nationality countries nor can the vendor be owned or controlled by a prohibited country. DAI is prohibited from facilitating any transaction by a third party if that transaction would be prohibited if performed by DAI.
By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, Offerors confirm that they are not violating the Source and Nationality requirements of the goods or services being offered and that the goods and services comply with the Geographic Code and the exclusions for prohibited countries outlined above.
Neither payment nor preference shall be made by either the Offeror, or by any DAI staff, in an attempt to affect the results of the award. DAI treats all reports of possible fraud/abuse very seriously. Acts of fraud or corruption will not be tolerated, and DAI employees and/or subcontractors/grantees/vendors who engage in such activities will face serious consequences. Any such practice constitutes an unethical, illegal, and corrupt practice and either the Offeror or the DAI staff may report violations to the Toll-Free Ethics and Compliance Anonymous Hotline at +1 855-603-6987, via the DAI website, or via email to [email protected] . DAI ensures anonymity and an unbiased, serious review and treatment of the information provided. Such practice may result in the cancellation of the procurement and disqualification of the Offeror’s participation in this, and future, procurements. Violators will be reported to USAID, and as a result, may be reported to the U.S. Department of Justice to be included in a Restricted Parties list, preventing them from participating in future U.S. Government business.
Offerors must provide full, accurate and complete information in response to this solicitation. The penalty for materially false responses is prescribed in Section 1001 of Title 18 of the United States Code.
In addition, DAI takes the payment of USAID funds to pay Terrorists, or groups supporting Terrorists, or other parties in exchange for protection very seriously. Should the Terrorist, groups or other parties attempt to extort/demand payment from your organization you are asked to immediately report the incident to DAI’s Ethics and Compliance Anonymous Hotline at the contacts described in this clause.
By submitting an offeror, offerors certify that they have not/will not attempt to bribe or make any payments to DAI employees in return for preference, nor have any payments with Terrorists, or groups supporting Terrorists, been attempted.
Attachment A: Price Schedule
Price Schedule must be completed in local currency according to the IQC held by the Bidder.
Deliverable No.Deliverable DeliverableQuantityAnticipated Due DateCost per Deliverable Total Deliverable Cost1Detailed monthly reportThe detailed monthly report should include an updated on the technical support and the ‘Live to Market’ activities in Angola. In addition to this, the monthly report should have but not limited to the following: Number of firms supported and the number of firms whose investment memorandums are ‘Live to Market’ , Potential value of transactions (US$), Sector focus, Jobs created or development impact, Regional engagement, Market linkages developed, Potential support to identified market linkages, Additionality, potential increase in value of Sales/Exports, Potential increase in profitability, Staff training, Anticipated fees/costs (US$), Anticipated advice to provided.9Not later than 15 days after month end 2Deal Note DevelopmentBased on the approved and updated capital seeker short-list, the Transaction Advisor shall develop a deal note, in consultation with the Angolan based capital seeker, outlining the terms of engagement and the type of support that will be provided. The deal note will detail the Transaction Advisor’s multi-dimensional interventions that will be used to support the to support investors/investees in achieving their objective to raise or mobilizing capital required (this has to be approved by the USAID TradeHub prior to presentation and acceptance by the capital seeker). The deal note will be presented to the USAID TradeHub for approval. Interventions may include, for example, technical and investment advisory services to complete due diligence, market assessment work, mappings, growth projections which will be stipulated in the specific contract issued to the selected bidder. On the investee side, examples are operational, managerial, market, governance, legal and/or financial issues identified, as well as support in identifying and engaging with potential investors, preparing financial valuation package, loan application and supporting documentation, business plan, market assessment, financial model, pitch decks, and assistance reviewing terms sheets and letters of intent as appropriate.8Within three working days after acceptance by the capital seeker. This task has to be completed within one month after the award. 3Deal Note ImplementationThe Transaction Advisor shall implement the 8 individual deal notes (each deal note implemented is a deliverable), in consultation with the Angolan based capital seeker. The deal note will detail the Transaction Advisor’s multi-dimensional interventions that will be used to support the investors/investees in achieving their objective to raise or mobilizing capital required Interventions may include, for example, technical and investment advisory services to complete due diligence, market assessment work, mappings, growth projections which will be stipulated in the specific contract issued to the selected bidder. On the investee side, examples are operational, managerial, market, governance, legal and/or financial issues identified, as well as support in identifying and engaging with potential investors, preparing financial valuation package, loan application and supporting documentation, business plan, market assessment, financial model, pitch decks, and assistance reviewing terms sheets and letters of intent as appropriate. The transaction advisor will generate at least 8 investment memoranda. This task has to be completed within three months after the award 4Presentation of investment memorandum to Capital Providers (‘Live to Market’)The Transaction Advisor shall in consultation with the capital seekers present at least 8 individual investment memoranda (each investment memorandum that is ‘Live to Market’ and receives a corresponding term sheet [an offer] is a deliverable) to the capital providers. . The Deliverable for each firm’s Investment Memoranda presented is a Term Sheet or Letter of Intent which will detail the terms and conditions of the offer made by the capital provider. The firm with the support of the Transaction Advisor will review and determine whether to accept or decline an offer. Only one Term Sheet will be sufficient as a deliverable though the transactional advisors are encouraged to obtain multiple Terms Sheets from multiple capital provider for each firm to improve the probability of successful access to finance. This task has to be undertaken between January and April 2022 or earlier.
Attachment B: Representations and Certifications of Compliance
Federal Excluded Parties List – The Bidder Select is not presently debarred, suspended, or determined ineligible for an award of a contract by any Federal agency.Executive Compensation Certification- FAR 52.204-10 requires DAI, as prime contractor of U.S. federal government contracts, to report compensation levels of the five most highly compensated subcontractor executives to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act Sub-Award Report System (FSRS)Executive Order on Terrorism Financing- The Contractor is reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the Contractor/Recipient to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. Recipients may not engage with, or provide resources or support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. No support or resources may be provided to individuals or entities that appear on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked persons List maintained by the US Treasury (online at www.SAM.gov) or the United Nations Security Designation List (online at: http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/aq_sanctions_list.shtml). This provision must be included in all subcontracts/sub awards issued under this Contract.Trafficking of Persons – The Contractor may not traffic in persons (as defined in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking of persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime), procure commercial sex, and use forced labor during the period of this award.Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payment to Influence Certain Federal Transactions – The Bidder certifies that it currently is and will remain in compliance with FAR 52.203-11, Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payment to Influence Certain Federal Transactions.Organizational Conflict of Interest – The Bidder certifies that will comply FAR Part 9.5, Organizational Conflict of Interest. The Bidder certifies that is not aware of any information bearing on the existence of any potential organizational conflict of interest. The Bidder further certifies that if the Bidder becomes aware of information bearing on whether a potential conflict may exist, that Bidder shall immediately provide DAII with a disclosure statement describing this information.Prohibition of Segregated Facilities – The Bidder certifies that it is compliant with FAR 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities.Equal Opportunity – The Bidder certifies that it does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of age, sex, religion, handicap, race, creed, color or national origin.Labor Laws – The Bidder certifies that it is in compliance with all labor laws.Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) – The Bidder certifies that it is familiar with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and is in not in violation of any certifications required in the applicable clauses of the FAR, including but not limited to certifications regarding lobbying, kickbacks, equal employment opportunity, affirmation action, and payments to influence Federal transactions.Employee Compliance – The Bidder warrants that it will require all employees, entities and individuals providing services in connection with the performance of an DAI Purchase Order to comply with the provisions of the resulting Purchase Order and with all Federal, State, and local laws and regulations in connection with the work associated therein.
By submitting a proposal, offerors agree to fully comply with the terms and conditions above and all applicable U.S. federal government clauses included herein, and will be asked to sign these Representations and Certifications upon award.
Attachment C: Scope of Work for Services
The USAID TradeHub has identified the need to work with transactional advisors to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) exporting to South Africa or the U.S or seeking specific trade related technology transfer (e.g. labelling, branding, laboratories). The transactional advisor will support the SMEs to improve their management, assist in the reporting and presentation to capital providers or financial institutions as the SMEs seek finance and capital.
Under this contract the USAID TradeHub may support the development of the pipeline of target SMEs, within the USAID TradeHub’s target market, in preparation for the subsequent tasks.
As the USAID TradeHub, we will support the selected transactional advisor to increase awareness and improve the access to SMEs seeking capital in the region. The USAID TradeHub will avail its network of clients and partners to the advisor in an effort to expand the advisor’s reach in the target countries. The USAID TradeHub support will be through the sharing of some costs associated with the advisory work, initially on the identification, design and implementation of the necessary interventions. The selected transactional advisor should identify and highlight areas that should be evaluated for support as part of the firm’s proposal while highlighting the impact of the USAID TradeHub’s support in terms of additionality and creation of a sustainable market for transactional advisory service among SMEs. The firm and the USAID TradeHub will agree on a set of deliverables wherein the firm will be compensated based on its ability to meet the deliverables. The firm and USAID TradeHub will also agree on targets for the number of SMEs supported, the number of SMEs whose financing needs have been achieved and the value of trade finance and/or investment finance deals closed. Payments will be made against a series of deliverables and targets achieved, based on the agreement reached, following the proposal in response to the Task Order under the Indefinite Quantity Award. This will take into account the demonstrated progress towards supporting the SMEs to receive capital access.
The USAID TradeHub will work closely with the firm during all stages of this work, providing review and oversight throughout the life of the activity in accordance with the USAID TradeHub’s management approach. The USAID TradeHub team will administer periodic check-ins, reporting, deliverable review prior to client presentation and approval, and manage an ongoing monitoring, evaluation and learning framework.
The firm: The USAID TradeHub will provide the firm with all necessary context at the onset of the award.Project Implementation: The firm will implement the work as prescribed in the Task Order and signed contract. The USAID TradeHub will follow up on a regular basis and ensure periodic check-ins/reporting as per the reporting structure.Ongoing Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning: The USAID TradeHub will define indicators in the Task Order and contracts, collect and review M&E (monitoring and evaluation) data from the firm for requisite reporting to the USAID TradeHub and will conduct data quality assessments as necessary. Templates for data collection will be defined by the USAID TradeHub and communicated.
In order to select high-potential transactions and to support the investment ecosystem and build the evidence base for mobilizing private capital to achieve the USAID TradeHub development objectives, the firm will be expected to deliver their proposed value propositions to support the ecosystem and close transactions that contribute to the USAID TradeHub’s projected investment mobilization, by completing the following illustrative tasks:
The firm will align with the USAID TradeHub on the activity workplan, timeline, and reporting requirements, including a convened kickoff meeting with the USAID TradeHub team.
The firm will be responsible, in consultation with the USAID TradeHub team, for identifying and screening the highest potential sectors and transactions that are targeted to promote the cost-effective usage of the firm’s resources to promote access to capital. The USAID TradeHub encourages the firm to enhance its business model coupled with a demonstrated interest to support promising regional export firms or technology and other trade related SMEs to access capital and enable their rapid growth. The USAID TradeHub defines SME firms as formally registered enterprises with financing and investment needs between US$100,000 and US$3 million.
The firm is encouraged to reach SMEs with the following characteristics:
Existing regional engagement (export experience or advanced local market experience)Secured trade deals or a South African business linkage.Seeking South African technology transfer and/or capital in trade related services such as labelling, branding, laboratories.Products in the USAID TradeHub priority sectors – agricultural, agro-processing, food, textiles and apparelsA capital requirement in the range of US$100,000 to US$3 million.The ability to enhance jobs, increase income levels or have a developmental impactLimited or no experience in successfully accessing finance without support (therefore the proposed intervention would bring additionality)A need for expansion capital or working capital that would enable increased exports to South Africa and/or the U.S.
The table below summarizes the types of exporters, selection criteria targeted by the USAID TradeHub.
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish