Invitation to Tender
Service Provider offering a software for
* Beneficiary/ Information Management *
* CVA *
* Monitoring, Reporting and Data analysis *
* Feedback and Complaints Mechanism*
Contents
I. Overview
II. General information and background
III. Objectives of the global framework agreement with a digital solution provider
IV. Specific requirements
V. Data protection and IT security
VI. Compliance and Anti-Terrorism
VII. Eligibility requirements for participation
VIII. Financial Offer
IX. How to apply
X. Key Elements of the offer
XI. Procedure
XII. Evaluation and Ranking Criteria
XIII. Terms and Conditions of Contract / Purchase Order
XIV. Offer conditions
I. Overview
This request for tender consists of the following documents:
a) This document
b) Provider declaration form (Annex 1)
c) Provider information questionnaire (Annex 2a)
d) List of software requirements and questionnaire (Annex 2b)
e) List of countries (Annex 2c)
f) Eligibility criteria (Annex 2d)
g) Financial Offer (Annex 3)
h) DVO EKD and Data Processing Agreement (Annex 4)
i) EWDE’s Code of Conduct (Annex 5)
j) Case description for cost scenario (Annex 6)
II. General information and background
The Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e. V. (EWDE), based in Berlin, combines development cooperation, disaster relief and nationwide diaconal work. With around 850 employees based in Germany, the organization manages three brands: Diakonie Deutschland, Bread for the World and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH). The Global Framework Agreement will be signed between EWDE, on behalf of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, and the selected provider.
Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe provides humanitarian aid worldwide and supports people who have been affected by disasters, war and displacement. In humanitarian crises, people need support to meet their most basic needs. However, in situations of violence or hardship, they also need special support to maintain their personal safety and dignity. The aim is to prevent, minimize and respond appropriately to people’s needs in humanitarian crises. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe´s programs are implemented together with local partner organizations. The approach of localization and the transfer of direct responsibility to local partners is one of the main pillars of the identity of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe.
Roughly 25% of DKH´s relief and recovery projects use the modality of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA). CVA is of high importance for all our humanitarian projects and being used in almost all project countries. However, the scale of assistance per project varies greatly, from small cash-based activities to large cash, voucher or in-kind distributions with a multi-million USD support value. 30 percent of the projects that use CVA are funded by third parties.
Based on a systematic response analysis, our partner organizations mainly use multipurpose cash transfers but also conditional transfers, e.g. commodity and value vouchers. Depending on the project, transfers are unconditional and conditional (e.g. Cash for Work). The main delivery mechanisms are e-cash via service providers (e.g. banks), mobile money, paper and e-vouchers.
In the past, DKH programs have used various digital solutions during the implementation of projects with CVA components in a couple of countries, but on a country or project basis and without an overarching contract.
We herewith kindly invite your organization to participate in this tender for the Information Management and Delivery Technology and look forward to your proposal.
III. Objectives of the global framework agreement with a digital solution provider
Our aim is to conclude a 2-year framework service contract – with possibility to extend – with a software provider for data management and distribution, offering and maintaining a digital solution which promises the best fit to our needs and is ready for use by DKH and DKH partners in most of our project countries and in a broad range of use cases. We hope to identify one single solution that can deliver as much functionality as possible, foster preparedness and support us in a timely, effective and accountable response.
The following are the objectives of the tender process:
1. To conclude a Global Framework Agreement with a suitable, competent and reliable service provider who is offering and maintaining a software solution for data management, monitoring and digital payment that meets DKH´s and DKH partner organization´s requirements in a wide range of contexts;
2. To find a provider which supports DKH and our partner organizations transitioning towards a more digitalized, timely, scalable and accountable response; moving away from paper-based cash and voucher assistance;
3. To find a solution which can be used in a maximum number of countries DKH and DKH´s partners are working in (https://www.diakonie-katastrophenhilfe.de/en/about-us; Annex 2c) ;
4. To obtain the desired safety and quality of service and work at the best possible price.
We want to identify a digital platform for beneficiary and distribution data management as well as monitoring with but not limited to the following general features:
• Digital registration and management of beneficiaries in a single platform
• Digital payment, using various transfer modalities (e.g. mobile money, eVouchers, Smart
Cards, NFIs, C4W, etc.)
• Digital vendor and FSP management and integration
• Digital MEAL features, including real-time monitoring and reporting functions
• Segregation of duties within the platform
• Accountability: integration of complaints and feedback mechanism
• Customization of the platform to the program´s / project´s needs
• Possibility of offline use during field operations, allowing data to be collected and stored offline and synchronized when an internet connection is available.
• Digital monitoring of all of DKH´s CVA projects in one platform
• Availability in multiple languages (Mobile applications, platform overview and support functions)
• Comprehensive training for staff and local partners, and ongoing technical support for the technology
• Prioritization of data protection; Compliance with DKH and GDPR standards
• We are neither just looking for a financial service provider, nor just for a software to be
programmed and maintained by DKH.
IV. Specific requirements
General information about the provider is to be provided in the annex 2a “Provider information”. This information will be used for the overall evaluation of the proposal and to score the overall capacity of the provider.
All specific requirements are set out in annex 2b (Specific requirements). Providers should fill in this annex thoroughly and completely. The fulfillment of these requirements will be the main basis for the evaluation of received offers. We expect candidates to provide true and verifiable information on the fulfillment of these requirements.
For each requirement, an answer is expected: either by selecting the degree of fulfillment of the respective feature (Fully – Partially – No) or – where indicated – by providing a narrative explanation. If a requirement is only partially fulfilled, the limitation should be explained in the comment column. An omission of an information will automatically lead to a lower qualification of this specific requirement. Each requirement will be assigned a priority, ranging from A (highest, non-negotiable) to B (medium) to C (lowest, nice to have).
Based on the provider’s answers, a total score for the technical capacity of the solution will be calculated, adding the points achieved for each requirement, weighing differently the priority level and differentiating by degree of fulfillment.
DKH reserves the right to request further information if the answers in both sheets do not provide sufficient information on capacities of the provider and the quality of the solution.
V. Data protection and IT security
The provider undertakes to comply with all relevant data protection regulations of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act of the EKD (DSG-EKD) § 30 DSG-EKD (https://datenschutz.ekd.de/infothek-items/av-vertrag/), and to conclude a separate data processing contract (annex 4).
The information technology systems for the service are ideally located in member states of the European Union (EU) or bound with EU contractual clauses. The bidder shall submit its current data protection, privacy policy and IT security concept with its offer.
VI. Compliance and Anti-Terrorism
The basis of all actions of the applicant must be compliance with the existing restrictive measures of the United Nations and the European Union. In particular, compliance with anti-corruption, cartel and subsidy laws, accounting and consolidation rules, tax, export, import and customs regulations and data protection laws is expected. Under no circumstances, funds should be passed on to organizations, subcontractors or employees who are on the current version of the United Nations and/or European Union Sanctions list and/or used for payments to them. A regular review of this must be ensured and documented. Technical conditions for sanctions list screening within the software are desirable.
VII. Eligibility requirements for participation
Any suitable company may participate in this request for tender. However, the following eligibility criteria must be fulfilled. We ask you to confirm these in Annex 2d “Eligibility criteria”.
– Company was established before 2020
– Qualified employed staff size exceeds 5 (or proof that there is enough qualified staff in relation to the provided services).
– Solution must have been deployed in at least 5 different countries in Africa, Asia and/or Latin America, Europa
– Software can be used in 90% of the countries DKH and DKH partners are working in (see annex 2d: list of countries)
– Proven compliance with GDPR
– Willingness to conclude a Data Processing Agreement (e.g. DKH standard DPA – Annex 4)
– Commitment to respect EWDE’s Code of Conduct
– Confirmation that the Global Framework Agreement does not give rise to any ongoing costs that are not project bound. Costs are only agreed for individual projects.
Providers who do not meet these criteria will be excluded from the evaluation of offers.
VIII. Financial Offer
Please submit Annex 3 with your offer. In particular the following costs should be specified and considered, if applicable for the services your solution offers:
a) Pricing Model and Service Fees
– Please detail your pricing model (what are the variables that determine the total costs for the use of the platform, e.g. % of support value to beneficiaries, # of projects, # of countries, # of beneficiaries, # of users, # of transactions, etc.)
• Cash Transfer and eVoucher transfer service fees
• Indicate discounts in case of growing scale of use
• Initial costs for setup of an instance (per project / per country)
• Project management
• Project-specific customization
• Third party integration (e.g. integration with MNOs or FSPs)
• AML Screenings
• Other non-recurrent service fees
b) Third party service fees
• Transfer fees in case of mobile money or banking services
c) Cards
• Branded smartcards
• Unbranded smartcards
• Simple ID cards (without chip)
• Specify discount rates in case of purchase of smartcards in bulk
d) Hardware
• Please provide a detailed price sheet including all types of hardware needed to operate your system: e.g. printers, android devices, docking stations, solar chargers, and fingerprint scanners, POS device
• Specify whether the prices are for rental or purchase
• Specify discount rates in case of purchase of hardware in bulk
• Provide specifications of the recommended / compatible hardware (e.g. battery lifetime of
mobile devices, operating system of mobile devices)
e) Training
• Costs for initial on-site training (e.g. 1-week training for xx participants)
• Remote agent/merchant training
• Specify whether training costs are variable or fixed prices
All costs should be indicated in EUR, if possible. But pricing may also be done in other currencies. For better comparability, however, these costs will be converted into EUR on the day of evaluation by the awarding authority. The Oanda website (https://www1.oanda.com/lang/de/currency/converter/) is used for this purpose.
Additionally, a separate price sheet detailing the costs for using and implementing the software and the necessary hardware may be submitted but it is not required.
How to apply
IX. How to apply
please request annexes by email: LuiseMarie.Kluge@diakonie-katastrophenhilfe.de.
We kindly request that you apply for this tender by sending the key elements of the offer, specified in the following section by email to Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe: jobs@diakonie-katastrophenhilfe.de.
Questions regarding the tender kindly address to LuiseMarie.Kluge@diakonie-katastrophenhilfe.de. All questions to this call must be written in English language. In order to ensure that questions are answered in a qualified and timely manner, they must be submitted promptly, at the latest by 03.05.2024. Any questions received after this deadline will not be considered.
Closing date: 10.05.2024.
X. Key Elements of the offer
1) The offer on letter headed paper, max 25 pages.
2) Supplier declaration form (Annex 1)
3) Completed questionnaires in Annex 2 (in Excel format):
a) Sheet “2a Provider information” with three references
b) Sheet “2b Specific requirements”
c) Sheet “2c List of countries”
d) Sheet “2d Eligibility criteria”
4) Certificate of Incorporation or other business registration in line with the country of origin
5) Financial offer (as specified in Article VIII)
6) Exemplary Financial offer, based on fictional project example
7) Data protection and IT security concept
XI. Procedure
This tender is carried out by means of an open invitation to tender with subsequent demo and a negotiated procedure.
All submitted proposals will be evaluated based on the information provided in the requested elements of the proposal (see section X) and according to the evaluation criteria stipulated in section XII. The evaluation will result in a list of proposals ordered by total score received.
The providers with the most interesting solutions shall be invited to participate for a demo of their software and business. We will invite the short-listed providers to a 60 min live and web-based meeting. Invited providers will be instructed prior to the demo what they are expected to present. The presentation will also be used to discuss and clarify questions related to the offer.
After the demonstration, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe will proceed with the overall final evaluation of all short-listed solutions in which we will consider all aspects of the tender evaluation (evaluation of presentation, result of technical assessment, capacity of provider and financial proposal). Afterwards, the tender committee will determine the proposal offering the best value for money.
In a second step, a negotiated procedure is carried out. The selected proposal will be negotiated in detail to discuss all price components and charges for additional services and to agree on the exact financial terms for a potential framework contract.
XII. Evaluation and Ranking Criteria
The evaluation of the tenders shall be carried out by an Evaluation Committee. Tenders will be evaluated on the criteria listed below:
– Total score received in the evaluation of the fulfillment of software requirements, as set out in Annex 2b
– Competitive unit and total price of bid submission
– Demonstrable ability to perform all functions related to the scope within the time and countries specified
– Bidders’ product and service offering
– Bidders’ references
– Safety of data hosting server
– # of Countries in which solution can immediately be deployed
– Value added services
The evaluation will result in a list of proposals ordered by total score received.
XIII. Terms and Conditions of Contract / Purchase Order
The contract may not be awarded to candidates or tenderers which, during the procurement procedure:
(1) are subject to a conflict of interests
(2) are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the Contracting Authority as a condition of participation in the contract procedure or fail to supply this information. The granted contract/purchase order for the procurement of the stipulated goods is supposed to involve the application of the “Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe´s Terms and Conditions for International Procurement of Goods and Services”.
XIV. Offer conditions
The offer must be valid six months minimum. Quotations must specify all details according to the tender text.