Subject: Request for Information (RFI) No. TNS 02

Date of Issuance: January 25, 2022

Responses Due: February 1, 2022, 5:00pm Khartoum time

To email: procurement@tnsudan.org

This is a Request for Information. This is not a Request for Proposals or Request for Applications and is not to be construed as a commitment by Chemonics or USAID to issue a solicitation or award a subcontract or grant on the basis of this RFI, or to pay for any information voluntarily submitted in response to this request.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Chemonics International Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Chemonics”), is a legal entity incorporated under the laws of the United States of America and acting in Sudan to implement the Transition to New Sudan (TNS) program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

TNS is a three year program that aims to support the consolidation of Sudan’s democratic transition. TNS provides small, short term, high impact grants to initiatives that feed into to program’s overall goal of a successful civilian-led democratic transition in Sudan. The program started in September 2020 and continues to creatively explore areas of support that will help achieve TNS’ program goal. Over the life of the program, TNS anticipates needing numerous research and analysis products as well as support for monitoring and evaluation.

Chemonics is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to offer the opportunity for interested organizations to provide information, opinions, and recommendations on approaches for the implementation of a range of qualitative and quantitative data collection services in support of TNS research and learning objectives to support the program objectives. These services will provide essential information to TNS leadership for technical and programmatic decision-making, support the assessment and ground-truthing of local prices for procurement validation, and support ongoing monitoring and evaluation research needs in response to client requests.

Responses should not exceed five (5) pages and should include the following:

1. Address the objectives and illustrative results in the below scope of work– 2 pages in length;

2. Suggest approaches to pricing methodology in accordance with the accepted industry standards and practices in Sudan– 2 pages in length; and

3. Describe any experience working with USAID and/or any other donor organization/s – 1 page in length.

Additional information limited to the potential offerors’ corporate or organizational capability statement to carry out their approach may be included as an annex. Please do not submit applications, or full proposals, as they will be discarded. The submission shall be written in English and submitted electronically via email to procurement@tnsudan.org by 5:00pm Khartoum local time on February 1, 2022. Offerors will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of their response but will not receive feedback.

Data collection, research, and analysis

1.Introduction

Chemonics is contemplating soliciting offers from research, data collection, analysis, and monitoring and evaluation firms for a range of field-based data collection, desk research, and quantitative and qualitative analysis in support of program design and learning. TNS activities may include discrete research tasks on specified topics in one or more program geographic areas, field data collection including surveys, key informant interviews, and focus groups, the provision of data sets in different formats and using different technological platforms, and the generation of comprehensive evaluation and analytical reports.

Chemonics anticipates issuing multiple awards to qualified data collection, research, analysis, and monitoring and evaluation firms, following a competitive procurement process that will be informed by this RFI. The anticipated award is an Indefinite Quantity Subcontract (IQS) in accordance with the statement of work (SOW) presented in Section 3 below. Chemonics envisions to subsequently solicit individual task orders for the scope of services requested under “Subcontract Task Orders” (STO). While the IQS will contain the main terms and conditions and the pricing methodology to be used in negotiating STOs, each STO will contain specific information regarding the services being requested by TNS, the period of performance, deliverables, and other details on the specific work ordered. The selected company or organization will be expected to develop a budget (i.e. cost proposal) for each STO using the pricing methodology set forth in the IQS.

2.General Requirements

Chemonics anticipates issuing the IQS to Sudanese or international companies or organizations, provided they are legally registered and recognized in Sudan and are in compliance with all applicable local and international civil, fiscal, and any other applicable regulations. Companies and organizations must meet the following requirements in order to be considered:

(i) Companies or organizations, whether for-profit or non-profit, must be legally registered in Sudan.

(ii) Companies or organizations must have a local presence in Sudan at the time the subcontract is signed. 

(iii) Firms operated as commercial companies or other organizations or enterprises (including nonprofit organizations) in which foreign governments or their agents or agencies have a controlling interest are not eligible as suppliers of commodities and services.
 

3.       Scope of Work

As the need arises for data collection, research and analysis or monitoring and evaluation services TNS shall engage the selected company(ies) or organization(s) on individually issued STO/s for either or each of the activities: design and execution of field data collection; analysis of program data and additional data that the firm may collect; producing research and analysis reports; contributing to TNS in-house monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities through primary or supplemental data collection and deployment and supervision of field data collectors; convening focus groups and key informant interviews; crafting research questions; research study design; conducting desktop analysis; and generating comprehensive analytical and evaluation reports in English, using a variety of software and data processing tools.

1.  Design of rapid research studies, including design of research questions in response to TNS requirements and selection of methods, sample selection, etc.

1. Field research implementation including data collection plans, recruitment, training, supervision of data collection and security of field operations (if applicable); focus group facilitation and interviewing.

2. Capture and analysis of data using SPSS and other data analysis tools. Data protection and quality control measures.

3.Crafting qualitative and quantitative reports in support of TNS program decisions or monitoring and evaluation efforts, according to requirements stipulated by TNS Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party – Programs, or Monitoring and Evaluation Director.

Deliverables and Deliverable Schedules shall be specified and communicated in each STO issued through an IQS subcontract. Each STO will have associated budget based on the agree-upon pricing methodology and rates and in accordance with the IQS.