Supply of Post-Harvest Equipment and Materials at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture Feed the Future Hinga Weze Activity: (Deadline 22 September 2020)

Supply of Post-Harvest Equipment and Materials at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture Feed the Future Hinga Weze Activity: (Deadline 22 September 2020)

The Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity (Hinga Weze) is a USAID program implemented by CNFA in Rwanda. The goal of Hinga Weze is to sustainably increase smallholder farmers’ income, improve the nutritional status of Rwandan women and children, and increase the resilience of the agriculture and food systems to the changing climate.

As part of the implementation of the program, Hinga Weze needs to procure the agricultural equipment as described in the technical specification part of this RFQ. This is to be donated as an in-kind grant to Hinga Weze grantees based in different locations throughout zones of intervention in Rwanda.

The supply of equipment and materials are grouped in separate three lots (packages).  The purpose of this Request for Quotations (RFQ) is to solicit quotations for these pieces of equipment and materials. Offerors may choose to submit their offers for one or more lots as deemed capable to execute them.  Offerors are responsible for ensuring that their offers are received by CNFA in accordance with the instructions, terms, and conditions described in this RFQ.  Failure to adhere with instructions described in this RFQ may lead to the disqualification of an offer from consideration.

2. Offer Deadline and Protocol:

 Offers must be received no later than 11:59 PM, Kigali City time, on September 22, 2020. Offers must be submitted by email only. They must be emailed to:  [email protected].

 Please put on your email subject “Quotation for RFQ HW-2020-09-42-Lot NO 1,2 and 3.” as subject line of your email or on outer envelope for hard copies bids for this RFQ.  Offers received after the specified time and date will be considered late and will be considered only at the discretion of CNFA. The cover page of this solicitation summarizes the important dates of the solicitation process. Offerors must strictly follow the provided deadlines to be considered for award.

3. Questions:

Questions regarding the technical or administrative requirements of this RFQ must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM/Kigali time on September 15, 2020, by email to [email protected]. Questions must be submitted in writing; phone calls will not be accepted. Questions and requests for clarification – and the responses there to – that CNFA believes may be of interest to other offers will be circulated to all RFQ recipients who have indicated an interest in bidding on or about September 18, 2020.

Only the written answers issued by CNFA will be considered official and carry weight in the RFQ process and subsequent evaluation. Any verbal information received from employees of CNFA or any other entity should not be considered as an official response to any questions regarding this RFQ.

4. Technical Requirements:

The tables below contain the detailed specifications or/and requirements of the equipment and materials needed. Offerors are requested to provide quotations containing the information below on official letter head or official quotation format. All commodities offered in response to this RFQ must be new and unused. Please note that unless otherwise indicated, stated models are for illustrative description only.

• – Technical Specifications

Lot 1: Supply of different post-harvest handling equipment and materials

Lot 2:  Supply of post-harvest handling bags

 Lot 3:  Supply of wooden pallets

Maximum delivery time for each lot (from the receipt of the order): 60 calendar days, a shorter period is preferred.

Payment terms: Within 30 calendar days upon completion of delivery and commissioning.

5. Delivery:

Unless agreed otherwise, the delivery location for the items described in this RFQ are as follows:  Supply of different Post Harvest Handling equipment, Materials, Pallets will be delivered at Hinga Weze District Offices as follow:

As part of its response to this RFQ, each offeror is expected to provide an estimate (in calendar days) of the delivery timeframe (after receipt of order) and proposed payment terms.  Please note that the maximum delivery time after receipt of order is 60 calendar days but a shorter period is preferred. The delivery estimate presented in an offer in response to this RFQ must be upheld in the performance of any resulting purchase order.

6. Quotations:

Quotations in response to this RFQ must be priced on a fixed-price, all-inclusive basis, including delivery and all other costs. Pricing must be presented in RWF currency. As a USAID sponsored Contractor, CNFA is exempted from being charged import duties and other eligible taxes, and therefore, offers must indicate the detailed price for items and relevant taxes. Offers must remain valid for not less than sixty (60) calendar days after the offer deadline. Offerors are requested to provide quotations on official letterhead or format; in the event, this is not possible, offerors may complete the table in Section 5.

Note: The interested offeror is required to quote for all items that are provided for in the lot. The offeror can also choose to quote for one lot or more. The successful offeror will supply all the equipment/materials in one lot as one set at the indicated sites.

7. Source/Nationality/Manufacture:

All goods and services offered in response to this RFQ or supplied under any resulting award must meet USAID Geographic Code 935 in accordance with the United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 22 CFR §228. The cooperating country for this RFQ is Rwanda.

8. Warranty:

The Supplier warrants and implies that the items to be delivered hereunder are merchantable and fit for use for the particular purpose described in this RFQ. All equipment and materials supplied under this order must be covered by the manufacturer’s standard international warranty which shall, at a minimum, protect CNFA from any loss due to defective workmanship, material, and parts, for (12) months (unless otherwise stated on the award document) after the equipment and is delivered to and accepted by CNFA. In the event that the warranty is breached, CNFA may require, and the Supplier is bound, to remedy all defects and faults, including both workmanship and materials within a reasonable time of notification. The Supplier shall be responsible for all necessary domestic transportation charges required to ship the defective commodities to the Supplier and replacement commodities to CNFA. In the event of the Supplier’s refusal, failure, or inability to remedy such discrepancies within a reasonable time of notification, CNFA may remedy such defects on its own and claim the reasonable cost of such remedial action from the Supplier.

9. Taxes and VAT:

CNFA is exempt from payment of VAT, customs duty or fee, excise tax, road tax, or any other form of tax or tariff for goods and services purchased for USAID funded activities, and therefore, offers must indicate detailed price for items and all required taxes separately to facilitate the VAT refund to Hinga Weze.

10. Eligibility:

By submitting an offer in response to this RFQ, the offeror certifies that it and its principal officers are not debarred, suspended, or otherwise considered ineligible for an award by the U.S. Government. CNFA will not award a contract to any firm that is debarred, suspended, or ineligible by U.S. Government.

11. Evaluation:

The award will be made to a responsible offeror whose offer follows the RFQ instructions, meets the eligibility requirements, and is determined via Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA). The award will be made on the basis of the lowest evaluated price of proposals meeting or exceeding the acceptability standards for non-cost factors.

The non-cost factors the following:

• Compliance with minimum technical specifications and technical requirements listed in Section 4
• Proposed assembly design, photos, or catalogue of the materials/equipment proposed
• Two (2) document references or recommendations from organizations/individuals for which the offeror has successfully performed similar work within the past three years
• Delivery time of 60 calendar days or less
• Payment terms and schedule
• Valid business license/registration
• Proof of financial capacity to execute the tender (either (1) credit line promise proportioned to the bid or (2) bank account history for the last 12 months that proves the financial stability of the bidder)
• Warranty of 12 months from the delivery date of the equipment(especially for lot 1)

Best-offer proposals are requested. It is anticipated that the award will be made solely on the basis of these original proposals. However, CNFA reserves the right to conduct any of the following:

• CNFA may conduct negotiations with and/or request clarifications from any offeror deemed to be the best prior to award;
• While preference will be given to offerors who can address the full technical requirements of this RFQ, CNFA may issue a partial award or split the award among various suppliers, if in the best interest of the Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity;
• CNFA may cancel this RFQ at any time or reject all bids at its discretion.

Please note that if there are deficiencies regarding responsiveness to the requirements of this RFQ, an offer may be deemed “non-responsive” and thereby disqualified from consideration. CNFA reserves the right to waive immaterial deficiencies at its discretion.

12. Award and Payment:

The award will be awarded to the offeror(s) whose quotation represents the best value to the Project. Any award and payment resulting from this RFQ is anticipated to be in the form of a purchase order. This award is subject to the Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity’s terms and conditions as stipulated in Annex 3.

13. Offer Format Instructions:

All proposals must be formatted in accordance with the below preliminary requirements:

• English or French languages only
• Offer checklist (Table of content)
• Include the individual/agency/organization name, date, RFQ number, and page numbers as a header or footer throughout the document.
• A cover letter on company letterhead, signed by an authorized representative of the offeror (Annex 2).
• The Technical Offer must be in the format provided in Section 4 may include all items to have a complete offer;
• Copy of the offeror’s business license/registration,

1. Two (2) document references or recommendations from organizations/individuals for which the offeror has successfully performed similar work within past three years.
2. Financial capacity proportionate to the preferred lot. Confirmed Credit line or three months’ bank history with the acceptable right value
3. Meeting the delivery time proposed (less period is an advantage);

Annex 1 – Offeror Checklist

To assist offerors in preparation of proposals, the following checklist summarizes the documentation to include an offer in response to this RFQ:

□ Cover letter, signed by an authorized representative of the offeror (see Annex 2)

□ Official quotation, including specifications of offered items (see Section 4)

□ Copy of offeror’s registration or business license

□ At least two (2) references or recommendations from organizations for which the offeror has successfully delivered similar items.

□ Commitment to delivering within 60 days period.

□  Credit line or three months of bank history

Annex 2 – Offeror Cover Letter

The following cover letter must be placed on letterhead and completed/signed/stamped by a representative authorized to sign on behalf of the offeror:

To:                          CNFA/Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity

Reference:         RFQ No. HW 2020-09-42

To Whom It May Concern:

We, the undersigned, hereby provide the attached offer to perform all work required to complete the activities and requirements as described in the above-referenced RFQ. Please find our offer attached.

We hereby acknowledge and agree to all terms, conditions, special provisions, and instructions included in the above-referenced RFQ, and further explained in Annex 3 We further certify that the below-named firm—as well as the firm’s principal officers and all commodities and services offered in response to this RFQ—are eligible to participate in this procurement under the terms of this solicitation and under USAID regulations.

Furthermore, we hereby certify that to the best of our knowledge and belief:

• We have no close, familial, or financial relationships with any CNFA or Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity staff members;
• We have no close, familial, or financial relationships with any other offerors submitting proposals in response to the above-referenced RFQ; and
• The prices in our offer have been arrived at independently, without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other offeror or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.
• All information in our proposal and all supporting documentation is authentic and accurate.
• We understand and agree to CNFA’s prohibitions against fraud, bribery, and kickbacks.
• We understand and agree to CNFA’s prohibitions against funding or associating with individuals or organizations engaged in terrorism or trafficking in persons’ activities.

We hereby certify that the enclosed representations, certifications, and other statements are accurate, current, and complete.

Annex 3 – CNFA Terms and Conditions

1. Ethical and Business Conduct Requirements.

CNFA is committed to integrity in procurement, and only selects suppliers based on objective business criteria such as price and technical merit.

CNFA does not tolerate fraud, collusion among offerors, falsified proposals/bids, bribery, or kickbacks. Any firm or individual violating these standards will be disqualified from this procurement, barred from future procurement opportunities, and may be reported to both USAID and the Office of the Inspector General.

Employees and agents of CNFA are strictly prohibited from asking for or accepting any money, fee, commission, credit, gift, gratuity, an object of value or compensation from current or potential vendors or suppliers in exchange for or as a reward for a business. Employees and agents engaging in this conduct are subject to termination and will be reported to USAID and the Office of the Inspector General. In addition, CNFA will inform USAID and the Office of the Inspector General of any supplier offers of money, fee, commission, credit, gift, gratuity, the object of value, or compensation to obtain business.

Offerors responding to this RFQ must include the following as part of the proposal submission:

• Disclose any close, familial, or financial relationships with CNFA or project staff. For example, if an offeror’s cousin is employed by the project, the offeror must state this.
• Disclose any family or financial relationship with other offerors submitting proposals. For example, if the offeror’s father owns a company that is submitting another proposal, the offeror must state this.
• Certify that the prices in the offer have been arrived at independently, without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other offeror or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.
• Certify that all information in the proposal and all supporting documentation are authentic and accurate.
• Certify understanding and agreement to CNFA’s prohibitions against fraud, bribery, and kickbacks.

Please contact Mr. Daniel Gies at [email protected] with any questions or concerns regarding the above information or to report any potential violations. Potential violations may also be reported directly to CNFA at to [email protected] or by phone at 202-296-3920.

2. Terms and Conditions:

This solicitation is subject to CNFA’s standard terms and conditions. Any resultant award will be governed by these terms and conditions; a copy of the full terms and conditions is available upon request. Please note the following terms and conditions will apply:

• CNFA’s standard payment terms are net 30 days after receipt and acceptance of any commodities or deliverables. Payment will only be issued to the entity submitting the offer in response to this RFQ and identified in the resulting award; payment will not be issued to a third party.
• No commodities or services may be supplied that are manufactured or assembled in, shipped from, transported through, or otherwise involving any of the following countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria.
• Any international air or ocean transportation or shipping carried out under any award resulting from this RFQ must take place on U.S.-flag carriers/vessels.
• United States law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. The supplier under any award resulting from this RFQ must ensure compliance with these laws.
• The title to any goods supplied under any award resulting from this RFQ shall pass to CNFA following delivery and acceptance of the goods by CNFA. The risk of loss, injury, or destruction of the goods shall be borne by the offeror until title passes to CNFA.
• United States law prohibits engaging in any activities related to Trafficking in Persons. The supplier under any award resulting from this RFQ must ensure compliance with these laws.

3. Disclaimers:

This is an RFQ only. Issuance of this RFQ does not in any way obligate CNFA, the Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity, or USAID to make an award or pay for costs incurred by potential offerors in the preparation and submission of an offer. In addition:

• CNFA may cancel RFQ and not award;
• CNFA may reject any or all responses received;
• Issuance of RFQ does not constitute award commitment by CNFA;
• CNFA reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on offeror failure to follow RFQ instructions;
• CNFA will not compensate offerors for a response to RFQ;
• CNFA reserves the right to issue an award based on the initial evaluation of offers without further discussion;
• CNFA may negotiate with short-listed offerors for their best and final offer;
• CNFA reserves the right to order additional quantities or units with the selected offeror;
• CNFA may reissue the solicitation or issue formal amendments revising the original RFQ specifications and evaluation criteria before or after receipt of proposals;
• CNFA may modify the specifications without issuing a formal notice to all offerors when the revisions are immaterial to the scope of the RFQ;
• CNFA may choose to award only part of the activities in the RFQ, or issue multiple awards based on multiple RFQ activities;
• CNFA reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition;
• CNFA may contact all offerors to confirm contact person, address, and that the bid was submitted for this RFQ;
• In submitting a response to this RFQ, offerors understand that USAID is not a party to this solicitation and the offeror agrees that any protest hereunder must be presented – in writing with full explanations – to the Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity for consideration. USAID will not consider protests regarding procurements carried out by implementing partners. CNFA, at its sole discretion, will make a final decision on any protest for this procurement.