REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ENHANCING ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS AND TRAINING/SET-UP ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTERS IN BURUNDI PHASE 1B

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ENHANCING ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS AND TRAINING/SET-UP ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTERS IN BURUNDI PHASE 1B TENDER NUMBER: PRQ JULY 2014

2 ENHANCING ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS AND TRAINING/SET-UP ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTERS IN BURUNDI PHASE 1B A. INTRODUCTION The Ministry to the Office of the President Responsible for East African Community Affairs (MPACEA) coordinates Burundi s integration into the East Africa Community (EAC) with the mission to lead the widening and deepening of the EAC integration process in order to promote the development goals of Burundi and the Region TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) is a regional organisation supporting the regional integration through trade facilitation. TMEA has established Country Programming offices in all five-partner states: Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda; as well as in South Sudan. TMEA Burundi is set out to support MDAs, Private and Civil Society Organisations EAC integration agenda. The ascension of Burundi into EAC, in 2007, opens opportunities for its citizens as they integrate into much larger social and economic arena and eventually into the global market economy. For the moment, English is the official language of the EAC and is used for all institutional communications as well as the main lingua franca that aims to connect the five partner states, beyond the differences in local languages and dialects. The English enhancement project aims to reduce the impact of the language and communication barriers by providing opportunities for representatives of Government, private sector, civil society and media to enhance their overall English proficiency by developing high-level skills in listening, writing and reading. Without adequate English language skills, Burundian representatives involved in direct negotiations with other EAC partners, are disadvantaged. It becomes a challenge for Burundians to deal with their counterparts in daily routine commercial activities and difficult preparing and/or interpreting English documents. Therefore training of the population at large, and more specifically government officials. The ascension of Burundi into EAC, in 2007, opens opportunities for its citizens as they integrate into much larger social and economic arena and eventually into the global market economy. For the moment, English is the official language of the EAC and is used for all institutional communications as well as the main lingua franca that aims to connect the five partner states, beyond the differences in local languages and dialects. The English enhancement project aims to reduce the impact of the language and communication barriers by providing opportunities for representatives of Government, private sector, civil society and media to enhance their overall English proficiency by developing high-level skills in listening, writing and reading. In line with this ideal, for the last two years, TMEA has been supporting the enhancement of English language for Burundians especially those involved directly in EAC negotiation. Phase 1B of the project intends to build on the progress made in Phase 1 of the project to enhance further the English proficiency of Burundians.

3 B. INVITATION TO EXPRESS INTEREST TMEA therefore wishes to invite interested consultancy firms or consortiums to submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) outlining their organizational profile, expertise and experience in carrying out long-term assignments in the programmes outlined above. EOI information for this consultancy and an application form can be obtained at TMEA s website Short listed firms will be issued with a Request for Proposal (RFP) document with detailed Terms of Reference for the assignment. C. EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) REQUIREMENTS 1 EOIs are invited from suitably qualified consultancy firms with appropriate experience and expertise in undertaking the stated assignment. 2 Interested consultancy firms must meet the following minimum requirements: a) Reputable international company in the sector of teaching English language, adult education, and language Certification, having either established an office in Burundi or having established or able to establish a partnership with a recognized educational institution in Burundi. b) At least 2 similar projects (teaching English in none speaking country preferably in Africa). c) Capacity and skills (financially, managerial and technical) to handle the project as per requirements. d) Proven learning methodology for English language and be in position to provide testing and certification services that will ensure trainees are benchmarked against internationally recognized standards and can make use of the certification received for further needs, including training at higher levels. D. EOI SUBMISSION EOIs will be submitted as follows: Submission Mode Electronic/ Soft Copies: Details Interested and qualified consultancy firms must register and apply only on the TMEA procurement portal All expenses relating to the preparation and submission of the response to this EOI including providing any additional information shall be entirely incurred and borne by the consultancy firm.

4 This EOI does not entail any commitment on the part of TMEA, either financial or otherwise. TMEA reserves the right to accept or reject any or all EOIs without incurring any obligation to inform the affected applicant/s of the grounds. E. TIMETABLE FOR THIS EOI The proposed timetable for completing the EOI is as follows: Milestone Target Dates (Kenya Time) Release EOI: 21 July 2014 Clarifications Answered: Within three working days of receipt of sought clarifications. If this is not achievable, the consultancy firm will be advised accordingly. Last Clarifications: 08 August 2014 EOI Closure 14 August 2014 (10.00 am Kenya time) All clarifications will be posted on the TMEA website one week prior to submission deadline. TMEA may at its discretion alter this timetable and milestones. Potential bidders are informed that only successful respondents shall be contacted. F. RESPONDING TO THIS EOI Bidders will be required to present their EOI proposal in a format providing a table of contents showing clearly the pages of the relevant section and the related contents in response to the specific requirements of the EOI as indicated. G. EOI EVALAUTION The EOI shall be evaluated using the criteria below. Criteria A Consultancy Firms Evaluation Criteria (70) 1 Experience in successfully managing similar English language training Programme/Projects (at least proof of 2 projects) in the region or similar environment. 2 Capacity to provide internationally recognized English language certification, mapped against ALTE (Association of Language Testers of Europe) classification. 3 Proof of Firms partnerships with International English training institutions and/or certification body. 4 A summary project proposal indicating the main learning principles, planed methodology, course outline and a project management structure. Provision of a summary response to all other technical requirements in the terms of reference TORs Score

5 5 Demonstration of the ability to provide a state-of-the-art English learning software for use in the project. B Consultants Experience (30) 1 Proposed Consultants (national and international) experience in managing Programmes/Projects in English language skills enhancement and training. 2 Proposed Consultants (national and international) professional academic qualifications and experiences in execution of similar undertakings. Overall rating scores Consultancy firms must provide abridged CV s of no more than two (2) pages each of the proposed key personnel. Each CV must be signed by its owner who will confirm availability for this assignment H. FURTHER INFORMATION AND CLARIFICATION All enquiries about this EOI should be submitted via the address below: Particulars Name: Contact Details TMEA Procurement procurement@trademarkea.com Subject: ENHANCING ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS AND TRAINING/SET-UP ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTERS IN BURUNDI PHASE 1B Enquiries must only be for the purposes of clarifying the content of this EOI. All enquiries must clearly specify the tender title, number and section being queried. TMEA will endeavour to reply within three (3) business days of receipt of the sought clarification(s) to any reasonable request for explanation. It will be at TMEA discretion to provide additional information where necessary. All clarifications from respondents and TMEA responses will be made public on its website by 08 August TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS EOI 1. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions In submitting a response to this EOI, the respondent is deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions of this and all other sections of this EOI. 2. No Contract This EOI process does not create a binding legal contract or relationship either explicit or implied, between TMEA and any respondent or any other party to this EOI. The issue of and response to this EOI does not create any obligation on TMEA to enter into any commitment to procure services specified in this EOI.

6 3. Cancellation, Suspension or Change to the EOI TMEA reserves the right in its sole and unfettered discretion to: a) Cancel or suspend this EOI or vary any of the terms, dates, timings or processes in this EOI; b) Call and/or re-advertise for responses or revisit any evaluation criteria or process pertaining to this EOI; and c) Seek clarification about any response. 4. Official Communication Respondents must provide full contact details of the person nominated to represent the respondent for the purpose of making and receiving communications about this EOI. 5. Clarification of Meaning Respondents will document their interpretations, assumptions, and perceived risks they have used in response to this EOI where they deem necessary. 6. Ownership of Documents This EOI is the property of TMEA and may not be copied or reproduced in any way, other than for the purpose of preparing and submitting responses without the prior written approval of TMEA. The responses submitted to TMEA shall be retained by TMEA. 7. Conflict of Interest Respondents will ensure that, throughout the evaluation process, TMEA is kept informed of any perceived, potential or real conflicts of interest that should reasonably be brought to the attention of TMEA, where such conflicts arise from the interests or duties of the respondent or its employees, officers, shareholders or directors. 8. Acceptance of Responses TMEA shall not accept a response which does not comply with or fails to provide the information specified in this EOI. 9. Notification to Respondents TMEA will notify all Successful respondents on the outcome of this EOI once the evaluation process has been completed. 10 Confidentiality The information provided in this EOI and any other information, material or communication released during this EOI process is for the sole purpose of enabling a respondent to prepare and submit a response. 11. No Liability TMEA will not be liable (in contract or tort, including negligence) for any direct or indirect damage, loss or cost (including legal and lawyer/client costs) to any respondent or other person in respect of this process. 12. Costs and Charges This EOI is issued on the understanding that no charge will be made by the respondent for preparation of any EOI response or any other information that may be supplied. 13. Burundi Laws Apply This EOI and any subsequent decisions, actions, contracts or outcomes are subject to and governed by the laws of Burundi.

7 14. Evaluation Process The evaluation team will follow a formal evaluation process to ensure a fair and transparent assessment of each response. The evaluation will allow the team to eliminate responses that do not meet the minimum criteria. The responses that do meet minimum criteria will be evaluated on the basis of best fit to the objectives and will be short listed for the RFP process. Only successful applicants will be contacted.