To: Offerors
From: Creative Associates International, Inc.
Subject: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. RFP-JTAP-053 Graphic Designer Consultancy Service
Type of Award: Blanket Consultancy Agreement
Basis of Award: Best Value
RFP Issue Date: 28/08/2024
RFP Closing Date: 11/09/2024
RFP Closing Time: 4:00 PM – Local Time, Amman, Jordan
Reference: USAID Contract No. 72027821C00005
Enclosed is a Request for Proposal (RFP). Creative invites Individuals to submit a proposal for the Jordan- Technical Assistance Program (TAP) under the referenced USAID 72027821C00005, After the evaluation, as described herein, resulting in selecting a winning proposal, the issuance of an award is subject to successful negotiation of the terms and conditions and receiving USAID’s Contracting Officer consent, if required.
The requirements for this activity are described in the “Statement of Work” in Attachment I. Creative encourages individual to indicate its interest in this procurement by submitting a proposal according to the instructions in Attachment II “Instructions to Offerors”. Proposals will be evaluated based on the “Evaluation Criteria” in Attachment III. Creative will make an award to the responsible Offeror(s) submitting an offer which provides best value to the project: technical merit and price will be both considered.
To be considered, Offerors should submit a complete proposal no later than the closing date and time indicated above. Offerors should ensure that the proposals are well-written in English, easy to read, follow the instructions provided and contain only requested information.
Any questions should be submitted via email to TapProcurement@crea-jtap.com no later than September 2, 2024. No questions will be entertained if they are received by means other than the specified email address, and any communications to alternate e-mail addresses will result in the disqualification of the bidder. The solicitation number (listed above) should be stated in the subject line. Answers will be compiled and distributed on September 4, 2024.
Proposals must be comprised of one electronic copy of the Technical Proposal and one electronic copy of the Cost/Business proposal, sent in separate e-mails, and labeled with the above-stated RFP number and title. Submissions shall be delivered to:
Creative Operations Department TapProcurement@crea-jtap.com
Sincerely,
Creative Operations Department
Attachments:
Attachment I : Statement of Work
Attachment II : Instructions to Offerors
Attachment III : Evaluation Criteria
Attachment IV : Proposal Cover Letter
ATTACHMENT I: STATEMENT OF WORK
Graphic Designer Consultancy Service
1.PROGRAM SUMMARY
The Technical Assistance Program (TAP), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is a five-year education and youth project that seeks to transform the organizational culture and improve the abilities within the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth to ensure officials can implement desired reforms. Creative and its partners will provide technical assistance in the development, roll-out, and tracking of policies and procedures to incorporate international best practices for public education and youth programming. Among the many activities in the Jordan Technical Assistance Program, it will support curriculum development, promote inclusive learning techniques, improve the skills of teachers and school managers, and other tangible activities that ultimately support changing the organizational culture within the two ministries and relevant agencies. The program will further support Jordan’s outreach and behavioral change communications initiatives that are aimed at creating a culture of reading, the inclusion of vulnerable children, and increased youth engagement.
2. Position Summary
TAP is seeking a highly creative Graphic Designer / Graphic Artist Consultant, who is capable of working independently and as a part of a team to support TAP by creating visually compelling and informative graphics and materials, and promotional content that align with the goals of TAP, the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ministry of Youth (MoY), the National Center for Curriculum Development (NCCD), the National Youth Strategy (NYS) and adhere by USAID branding guidelines as well as branding regulations of MoE and MoY. TAP anticipates the Graphic Designer / Graphic Artist Consultant will support TAP efforts in creating graphic design materials such as Infographics, Social media posts, Brochures, Posters, Printing material design and carry out graphic design postproduction operations.
3. Duties and Responsibilities:
A. Design and Development:
- Create high-quality graphics, illustrations, and layouts for educational materials, reports, presentations, social media, and other communication products and channels.
- Develop infographics, brochures, posters, and other print and digital materials to support project activities.
- Ensure all designs adhere to USAID branding guidelines and project-specific requirements.
- Prepare detailed descriptions of the planned graphic design products when needed.
- Prepare several options of the graphic design products when needed and support TAP and stakeholders in selecting the most suitable products.
B. Collaboration and Coordination:
- Assist TAP in collecting internal and external stakeholders’ needs and feedback related to the graphic design process.
- Work closely with the project team, including CoP, DCoP, MEL director, communication advisor, and communication manager to understand design needs and objectives.
- Participate in project meetings and brainstorming sessions to contribute creative ideas and solutions.
- Develop trusted relationships and collaborate with the ministries and other related stakeholders in-house technical staff if needed.
- Serve as a liaison with MoE, MoY and stakeholders’ technical staff in issues relevant to his/her work if needed.
- Provide briefs and updates to TAP team regarding work progress and needs.
C. Quality Assurance:
- Review and edit designs based on feedback from TAP team and stakeholders.
- Ensure all materials are culturally sensitive and appropriate for the target audience.
- Be aware of latest developments, trends, software and other relevant aspects of graphic design work and process.
The consultant shall report to the communication manager, coping the relevant TAP team member(s) for all work-related matters and shall not attend meetings, discussions, or events related to the scope of work without prior approval or presence of him/her. In situations where the communication manager’s presence is not possible, the consultant shall inform him/her about their intended attendance in advance and receive written approval before attending such meetings or events.
4. Tasks and Deliverables
Tasks:
- Develop design concept(s) and style guide(s) for the task(s) at hand.
- Create and finalize graphic design materials as needed including but not limited to promotional materials, banners, flyers, social media graphics, dashboards and posters.
- Produce infographics and visual aids for reports and presentations.
- Ensure all designs are accessible and inclusive, considering the needs of diverse populations.
Deliverables:
- Design concepts and style guides.
- Regular updates on design activities and progress.
- Completed and approved graphic design and postproduction relevant materials as per the project timeline.
5. Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Graphic Design, Visual Arts, or a related field.
- Minimum of five years of professional experience in graphic design, preferably in the development sector.
- Proficiency in design software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
- Strong portfolio demonstrating creativity and a range of design skills.
- Knowledge of USAID branding guidelines is a plus.
- Work experience with USAID and/or international organizations will be a plus.
- Work experience with youth and education sectors will be a plus
- Proven experience in working with governmental ministries/entities will be a plus.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Proficiency in Arabic language and preferably in English languages.
6. ESTIMATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE and LEVEL OF EFFORT (LOE)
-
ESTIMATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year Period
* Creative anticipates issuing a Blanket Consultancy Agreement (BCA) valid for a Period of Performance of approximately one year base up to three -years options that will be exercised in writing by Creative.
-
LEVEL OF EFFORT (LOE): 80 Days
7. Ordering Procedure
Purchases may only be made by Creative via written Fixed Price Level of Effort (LOE) Work Orders and executed by the authorized individuals listed in the BCA.
Daily rates are based on an 8-hour working day. Any hours worked in excess of 8 hours will not be paid. Working days consisting of less than 8 hours shall be prorated accordingly.
8. Key Working Relationships:
The Graphic Designer / Graphic Artist will be administratively report to the Operations and Security Manager in TAP and technically will be working under the leadership of the Communication Manager.
9. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Amman – Jordan
10. RESULTS AND/OR DELIVERABLE/MILESTONE SCHEDULE
Task #1: Design Infographic for Science Study results
Deliverables #1: Infographic in English and Arabic
LOE : 9 Days
Task #2: Design Infographic for Instructional Time Study results
Deliverables #2: Infographic in English and Arabic
LOE : 9 Days
Task #3: Update Diagnostic Study Infographic
**Deliverables #3:**Updated infographic in English and Arabic
LOE : 4 Days
Task #4: MoY media campaigning
Deliverables #4: Social media posts, brochures, posters
LOE : 15 Days
Task #5: MoE media campaigning
Deliverables #5: Social media posts, brochures, posters
LOE : 15 Days
Task #6: Poster(s)
**Deliverables #6:**TAP M&E/achievements yearly poster
LOE : 8Days
Task #7: Miscellaneous
Deliverables #7: Miscellaneous
LOE : 20Days
TOTAL LOEs: 80 Days
The above LOE/Working days are tentative and subject to increase or decrease depending on program needs / additionally this will be on a work order basis.
How to apply
Attachment II
INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS
A. General Instructions
These Instructions to Offerors will not form part of the offer or of the Agreement. They are intended solely to aid Offerors in the preparation of their proposals. Read and follow these instructions carefully.
- The proposal and all corresponding documents related to the proposal must be written in the English language, unless otherwise explicitly allowed. Additionally, all proposals should be single-spaced with clear section headings, and be presented in the order specified in Attachment III – Evaluation Criteria.
- Proposals must include only the Offeror’s own work. No text should be copied from sources outside of your organization, unless those sources are adequately cited and credited. If Creative determines that any part of the proposal is plagiarized from outside sources, the Offeror will be automatically disqualified.
- Proposals and all cost and price figures must be presented in local currency or USD. All prices should be gross of tax.
- The Offeror must state in their Proposal the validity period of their offer. The minimum offer acceptance period for this RFP is 90 days after the closing date of the RFP. If an Offeror has provided a validity period of less than 90 days, they will be asked to revise this. If the Offeror does not extend the validity period, their proposal will be rejected. Creative reserves the right not to make an award.
- The Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal must be kept separate from each other. Technical Proposals must not make reference to cost or pricing information at any point. This will enable in order the technical evaluation to be made strictly on the basis of technical merit.
- No costs incurred by the Offerors in preparing and submitting the proposal are reimbursable by Creative. All such costs will be at the Offeror’s expense.
- Responsibility Determination: Award shall only be made to “responsive” vendors. To enable Creative to make this determination, the Offeror must provide a cover letter, as provided in Attachment IV.
- Late Offers: Offerors are wholly responsible for ensuring that their Offers are received in accordance with the instructions stated herein. A late Offer will be recommended for rejection, even if it was late as a result of circumstances beyond the Offeror’s control. Late offers will only be considered at Creative’s Procurement Department’s discretion.
- Modification/Withdrawal of Offers: Offerors have the right to withdraw, modify or correct their offer after it has been delivered to Creative at the address stated above, and provided that the request is made before the RFP closing date.
- Disposition of Proposals: Proposals submitted in response to this RFP will not be returned. Reasonable effort will be made to ensure confidentiality of proposals received from all Offerors. This RFP does not seek information of a highly proprietary nature, but if such information is included in the Offeror’s proposal, the Offeror must alert Creative and must annotate the material by marking it “Confidential and Proprietary” so that these sections can be treated appropriately.
- Clarifications and Amendments to the RFP: Any questions regarding this solicitation must be emailed to TapProcurement@crea-jtap.com. No questions/clarifications will be entertained if they are received by another means. The solicitation number should be stated in the subject. Responses will be complied and emailed to the requesting potential Offeror and will be sent to all offerors that requested this RFP, or re-posted publicly if offered as a full and open competition.
- Creative anticipates that discussions with Offerors will be conducted; however, Creative reserves the right to make an award without discussions. It is strongly recommended that Offerors present their best offer.
Failure to agree and comply with any of the above specifications will result in the Offeror being considered unresponsive and the proposal may be rejected.
B. Submission of Proposal:
Proposals must be submitted in two separate e-mails:
- E-mail 1 – Technical Proposal
- E-mail 2 – Cost proposal
- Each e-mail should be clearly labeled with the RFP number and project title.
- Proposals must be delivered no later than the specified date/time.
Offerors who do not submit their technical and cost proposals separately may be automatically disqualified.
C. Content of Proposal:
The proposal shall be comprised of Three sections:
- The Cover Letter (Attachment IV)
- The Technical Proposal
- The Cost/Business Proposal
1.The Cover Letter: should be on the Offeror’s letterhead and MUST contain the information requested in Attachment IV.
2. Technical Proposal:
a. The Technical Proposal is the opportunity for the Offeror to demonstrate that the Individual is “technically capable” of implementing the activity and should demonstrate the Offeror’s understanding of and capabilities to carry out the work, and address the key issues described in the Evaluation Criteria in Attachment III.
b. The Technical Proposal should be divided into clearly separate sections following the same order of the Evaluation Criteria in Attachment III. A mis-ordered proposal that makes information hard to find will result in lower scores.
c. If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.
3. The Cost Proposal: must be submitted separately from the technical proposal and will primarily indicate the cost for performing the work, Daily rate subject to 5% income tax deduction.
Failure to comply with any of the above points will result in the Offeror being considered “unresponsive” and the proposal may be rejected.
If an Offeror provides insufficient information in their technical and/or cost proposal, Creative reserves the right to request additional information, or to request a revised proposal from the Offeror, if necessary.
Creative reserves the right to make no award, or multiple awards, under this RFP.
Attachment III
EVALUATION CRITERIA
A. BASIS OF AWARD:
- Creative will evaluate proposals on a best value basis, in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 15.1 – Source Selection Processes and Techniques. In all solicitations, Creative will consider and conduct an evaluation on the basis of both technical and cost submissions. The relative importance of these two factors places technically above cost. In rare cases, Creative may also award to an offeror other than the highest technically rated Offeror or the lowest price Offeror, in accordance with FAR 15.101-1.
- The award will be made to the Offeror whose offer presents the Best Value, which is the optimal combination of technical merits and reasonable cost and does not exceed the internal budget established for this effort. Proposals will be scored on technical factors first. Only the Cost/Business proposals of those offers that surpass the minimum qualifying score of 70 points in the technical evaluation will have their Cost Proposal reviewed. Those that do not reach this qualifying score in the Technical Evaluation will be considered non-competitive and their Cost/Business proposals will not be considered. The shortlisted offeror may require delivering a PP presentation and interview.
B. EVALUATION CRITERIA
- Technical Competence – presented in the Technical Proposal.
The award will be given to the person who achieves the highest score within the following competitive criteria.
A. Qualifications and Experience 70 points
B. Past Performance / Professional References 30 points
Total points 100
As described in table below: The evaluation will be done according to the criteria shown in the table:
Item1: Qualifications and Experience: :70 points
Requirement: The applicant must attach any evidence of experience and success stories to support his/her file with the CV.
- Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Graphic Design, Visual Arts, or a related field.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating creativity and a range of design skills.
- Minimum of five years of professional experience in graphic design, preferably in the development sector.
- Proven proficiency in design software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
- Work experience with USAID and international organizations.
- Knowledge of USAID branding guidelines.
- Work experience with youth and education sectors.
- Proven experience in working with governmental ministries/entities.
Item 2: Past Performance / Professional References :30 points
Requirement: Document and summarize your proven track record of successfully implementing similar activities clearing using the above technical qualification to include a description of similar services provided in the past and any lessons learned that will be incorporated into the activity described in this RFP. Offerors with past performance using the mentioned above technical qualification, in the same geographic area and/or of similar scale to the activity described in this RFP will be scored more favorably than offerors that do not meet these criteria.
If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested
in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.
Past Performance / Professional References (to Provide at least three )
(a) Activity Title
(b) Location(s) of activity
(c) Synopsis of the activity and its relevance to this RFP
(d) Performance period (date, duration and if completed on schedule)
(e) Prime or Subcontractor?
(f) Amount for the activity
(g) Name & Contact Info (E-mail and phone) of client
Cost Reasonableness & Financial Capability – presented in Cost Proposal. Not Scored.
Submit fully burdened rates for each category, including illustrative consultant rates Creative’s review of the Cost Proposal shall determine if the overall costs proposed are realistic for the work to be performed, reflect a correct understanding of the project requirements, and are consistent with the Offeror’s Technical Proposal. Creative will also review individual line items and determine if they are allowable, allocable, and reasonable.
If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.
Creative reserves the right to request additional supporting documentation or a revised proposal from an Offeror if insufficient information has been provided in the Offeror’s technical and/or cost proposal. If the requested information is not provided, Creative has the right to disqualify the firm from further consideration.