International Foundation For Electoral Systems (IFES)- Request For Quotation (RFQ) For Purchase Of Two Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVS) In Nigeria

DEADLINE: 29TH DECEMBER, 2022
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ELECTORAL SYSTEMS (IFES)
REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) FOR PURCHASE OF TWO SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES (SUVS) IN NIGERIA
SOLICITATION # RFQ-23-002 (REVISED AND RE-ISSUED)

(1) INTRODUCTION

(1.1) Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Quotation (RFQ) is to invite prospective contractors (“Bidders”) to submit a written response (“Response”) for the procurement of and optional international shipping of two sports utility vehicles (SUV) to Abuja, Nigeria. The solicitation provides Bidders with the relevant operational and performance requirements.

(1.2) Coverage & Participation

IFES reserves the right to reject any and all offers, to add, delete or modify any element of the solicitation at any time without prior notification and without any liability or obligation of any kind. This RFQ does not obligate IFES to enter into a contract nor does it obligate IFES to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of submission of any Response.

(1.3) Zero Tolerance for Fraud

IFES has zero tolerance for fraud. Fraud is any act or on that intentionally misleads, or attempts to mislead, to obtain a benefit or to avoid an obligation. If you have concerns about potential fraud in any way related to IFES projects, contracts, or activities, please contact IFES’ Compliance Hotline at compliance@ifes.org or at +1 202-350-6791.

(2) GENERAL INFORMATION

(2.1) The Organization

IFES is an independent, non-governmental organization providing professional support to electoral democracy. IFES supports citizens’ rights to participate in free and fair elections. Our independent expertise strengthens electoral systems and builds local capacity to deliver sustainable solutions.

As the global leader in democracy promotion, we advance good governance and democratic rights by:

• Providing technical assistance to election officials
• Empowering the underrepresented to participate in the political process
• Applying field-based research to improve the electoral cycle

Since 1987, IFES has worked in over 145 countries – from developing democracies, to mature democracies.

(2.2) Schedule of Events

The following, tentative schedule will apply to this solicitation. The dates may change in accordance with IFES’ needs or unforeseen circumstances. IFES will communicate changes to the schedule.

• Technical Questions/Inquiries Due: December 19, 2022  by 5:00 Washington DC Time
• Answers/Addenda from IFES: December 21, 2022
• RFQ Closes : December 29, 2022 by 5:00 Washington DC Time

(3) PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

(3.1) Bidders’ Understanding of the Solicitation

Bidders are responsible for understanding the solicitation in its entirety and each of its elements, and should make inquiries to IFES as necessary to ensure such understanding. IFES reserves the right to disqualify any Bidder that it determines, at its sole discretion, does not understand the solicitation or any of its elements. Such disqualification shall be at no fault, cost, or liability whatsoever to IFES.

(3.2) Information from IFES

All information provided by IFES in this solicitation is subject to change at any time. IFES makes no certification as to the accuracy of any item, and is not responsible or liable for any use of or reliance on the information or for any claims asserted therefrom.

(3.3) Communication

All communications related to the RFQ must be in writing. Verbal communication shall not be effective unless formally confirmed in writing by the procurement official listed in 3.3.1. In no case shall verbal communication govern over written communication.

(3.3.1) Point of Contact: The sole point of contact for all communication related to this solicitation is listed below.

Khurram Naz   knaz@ifes.org                                                          

and Nabilla Ataiee nataiee@ifes.org

(3.3.2) Formal Communications shall include, but are not limited to the following:

• Questions concerning this solicitation must be submitted in writing to the point of contact identified in 3.3.1.
• Errors and omissions in this solicitation, as well as enhancements. Bidders should notify IFES of any discrepancies, errors, or omissions that may exist within this solicitation. Bidders should recommend to IFES any enhancements to the work described in the solicitation which might be in IFES’ best interests.
• Inquiries about technical interpretations must be submitted in writing to the point of contact identified in 3.3.1.

(3.3.3) Addenda: IFES will make a good-faith effort to provide a written response to the questions or requests for clarifications in the form of written responses or addenda in accordance with the Schedule of Events.

(3.3.4) Posting Online: Copy of this solicitation, Amendments and or Q&A will be available online at: www.ifes.org/procurement-notices and www.devex.com.

(3.4) Submission

It is mandatory for Bidders to send proposals in electronic copy via e-mail to the point of contact identified in 3.3.1 on or prior to the closing date and time shown in the Schedule of Events.

(3.5) Criteria for Selection

The evaluation of each Response to this solicitation will be based on the criteria outlined below. The purpose of this solicitation is to identify responsible Bidders that have the interest, capability, and financial strength to supply IFES with the product and/or service identified in the Scope of Work.

Evaluation Criteria:

IFES will evaluate responsive offers based on the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria Grading for Each Criterion:

(3.6) Selection and Notification

IFES will evaluate Responses to identify responsible Bidders and responsive offers. Finalists will be selected to move into the negotiation phase of this process. Written notification will be sent to finalists via email.

(4) SCOPE OF WORK/GOODS/SERVICES

IFES wishes to procure two (SUV) four-wheel drive, 7 or 8-seat vehicles from vendors based in the United States and prefers international shipping and customs clearance for these vehicles from the United States to a destination address in Abuja, Nigeria. This scope of work is divided into two parts:

Part 1: Mandatory – Procurement of two vehicle and delivery to Trans-Atlantic international shipping port in the United States

Part 2: Optional – International shipping of the offered vehicles to Abuja, Nigeria.

Qualified vendors capable of fulfilling both parts of the scope of work are strongly preferred. If a participating vendor is only capable of fulfilling one of the two parts of the scope of work, submitting a quotation for only that portion of the scope is permissible. Participating vendors must clearly identify which part(s) of the scope of work are included in their quotation.

Please note that service charges must be identified separately where applicable. The Contractor is responsible and liable for the payment of (and shall indemnify and hold IFES harmless of) all other taxes that may be assessed against or applicable to this Agreement, the Work, and any payments to be made in respect of the Contractor’s employees.

Purchase of Sport Utility Vehicle(s)

Please note that IFES will only consider vehicles that use gasoline (not diesel) as fuel for selection.

Details – Minimum Specifications

• Drive: Left-hand Drive  
• Vehicle Type: SUV          
• Doors: 5
• No. of Seats: 7 or 8         
• Drivetrain: 4WD               
• Engine: V6          
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Transmission: Automatic             
• Power-steering, power windows, and power door locks
• AM/FM/CD/USB/AUX  
• Air Bags, and front side air bags
• ABS 4-Wheel     
• Air conditioning (including rear A/C)
• Towing Package               
• Floor mats          
• Intermittent front wiper and Rear washer/wiper             
• Brakes front/rear: V. Discs/ V. Discs
• Front suspension: Double Wishbone     
• Rear suspension: coil springs     

Additional Specifications            

• Antitheft immobilizer + Alarm   
• All systems and manuals in English          
• Vehicle should be new, with a model year of 2021-2022

The following are the minimum specifications required for the vehicle:

Warranty/After-sale Services

Contractors must specify the duration and scope of warranty and after-sale services included in their quotation. Such warranty and after-sale services should either be explicitly included in the cost of the vehicle itself or quoted separately. Participating vendors must clearly indicate the geographic applicability of these warranty terms, bearing in mind that the vehicles will be operated in Nigeria.

Country of Manufacture
Contractors must identify the country where the proposed vehicle was manufactured. U.S manufactured vehicles are very strongly preferred.

Delivery
Regardless of whether a participating vendor is including the optional international shipping, export & import services in their quotation (as noted below), quotations must at a minimum include delivery to an appropriate international shipping port in the United States and transfer to the shipping vendor.

International Shipping, Export & Import Services (OPTIONAL)

Responsive vendors are requested confirm that they have the capacity to ship or deliver the proposed vehicle from the United States to Abuja, Nigeria, including roll-on / roll-off international shipping services, customs clearance (itemized separately) and delivery from the port of entry in Nigeria to the destination address in Abuja, Nigeria.

(5) FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

(5.1) Timeline

Bidders must submit a timeline in the Response showing the time required to produce and consolidate the products and/or deliver services.

(5.2) Geographic Code (applicable to USAID funding only)

IFES’ project in Nigeria is funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Source and Nationality (S/N) Geographic Code 937 (please refer to 22 CFR 228.03 for more information). A waiver request may apply to certain offers. If IFES determines a waiver would be necessary, the estimated time required to obtain the waiver will be considered within the “Timeline” in the Evaluation Criteria. IFES encourages all Bidders to consider products that fall under S/N Geographic Code 937 whenever possible.

(5.3) License, Clearance and Approvals

The Bidders will include in the timeline any time needed to obtain any licenses, clearances, and/or approvals required under local legal requirements to produce or deliver the products and/or services described in the Scope of Work.

(5.4) Packing

The Response must contain details of packing for each product that requires shipping with full dimensions (length, width, and height) and weight.

(5.5) Shipping

Bidders must provide shipping and delivery information in detail in the Response. Final delivery will be to Abuja, Nigeria. The delivery address will be provided with the award.

(6) QUALIFICATIONS & REFERENCES

Bidders must provide the following information for their Response to be considered:

(1) A brief outline of the company and services offered, including:

• Full legal name and address of the company
• Corporate and tax registration documents
• Year business was started or established
• Full name of the legal representative (president or managing director) of the company
• Name of any individuals or entities that own 50% of more of the company
• U.S. companies must indicate if they are a registered Small Business (Woman owned, veteran- owned, Minority-owned, Disabled, Service Disabled Veteran-owned)
• No subcontracting is allowed under this solicitation.

(2) Evidence of successful completion of a project of a similar size and complexity.

(3) References: Contact information for no less than three references from projects similar in size, application, and scope and a brief description of their implementation (including location and year). IFES reserves the right to request and check additional references.

(4) Bidders must be legally registered under the laws of the country in which they are organized and possess all licenses, permits and government approvals necessary for performance of the work. Scope of Work.

(5) A certification signed by an officer or authorized representative that the Bidder has sufficient financial, technical and managerial resources and facilities to complete the Scope of Work.

(7) PRICING

Bidders must complete the following cost breakdown for the implementation of their solution for IFES’ project as described in this solicitation. Bidders must agree to keep these prices valid for a minimum of 90 calendar days.

Pricing must be in US Dollars (USD). Unit prices are required and in the case of discrepancies between unit prices and the total price, the unit price will be taken as reference basis in the evaluation. Technical specifications must be shown for each item.

(8) ADDITIONAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

(8.1) Non-Disclosure Agreement

IFES reserves the right to require the Bidder to enter into a non-disclosure agreement.

(8.2) No Collusion

Collusion is strictly prohibited. Collusion is defined as an agreement or compact, written or oral, between two or more parties with the goal of limiting fair and open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding a third party.

(8.3) Companies Owned or Controlled by Government

The Bidder must disclose in writing with its Response if a government, its agents, or agencies, have an ownership or managerial interest in the company. Failure to disclose a government ownership of managerial interest in the company will result in the Bidder’s offer being removed from consideration.

(8.4) Subcontracting

No subcontracting is allowed under this solicitation.

(8.5) Costs

The solicitation does not obligate IFES to pay for any costs, of any kind whatsoever, which may be incurred by a Bidder or third parties, in connection with the Response.

(8.6) Intellectual Property

Bidders may not use any intellectual property of IFES including, but not limited to, all logos, trademarks, or trade names of IFES, at any time without the prior written approval of IFES.

(8.7) Bidders’ Responses

All accepted Responses and supporting documentation shall become the property of IFES, subject to claims of confidentiality in respect of the Response and supporting documentation.

(8.8) Partial Awarding

IFES reserves the right to accept all or part of the Response when awarding a contract.

(8.9) No Liability

IFES reserve the right to accept or reject any Response or to stop the procurement process at any time, without assigning any reason or liability. IFES shall not be liable to any Bidder, person, or entity for any losses, expenses, costs, claims, or damages of any kind.

(8.10) Entire Solicitation

This solicitation, any addenda to it, and any attached schedules, constitute the entire solicitation.