Letter of Invitation to Tender

Contents:

1. Letter of Invitation to Tender
   1. Instructions to Tenderers
   2. Tenderer’s Company Profile
   3. Tenderer’s Relevant Experience
   4. Tenderer’s Financial Bid
   5. Tenderer’s Declaration
2. Lifeline Gedo’s Code of Conduct and Associated Policies
3. Lifeline Gedo Purchasing Terms and Conditions

Dear Sir/Madam,

SUBJECT: PURCHASE OF SEEDS, FARM TOOLS & FODDER GRASS

Further to your enquiry regarding the publication of the above-mentioned Invitation to Tender, please find enclosed the following documents, which constitute the tender dossier:

1. Instructions to Tenderers
2. Tenderer’s Company Profile
3. Tenderer’s Relevant Experience
4. Tenderer’s Financial Bid
5. Tenderer’s Declaration
6. Lifeline Gedo’s Code of Conduct and Associated Policies
7. Lifeline Gedo’s Purchasing Terms and Conditions

We look forward to receiving your tender on or before 18th August 2024 to the address specified in the instruction to tender document.

Your tender bid must include the following essential documentation, so please use the list below as a ‘checklist’ before submitting your tender to Lifeline Gedo:

Offers must be submitted through the dedicated email address or link: https://lifelineorganisation.org/tender-notices or procurement@lifelineorganisation.org with the email subject “LLG/GEDO/SEEDS/TOOLS/AUG/2024”.

1. Introduction:

Lifeline-Gedo is a Humanitarian, Non-profit and non-governmental Organization dedicated to responding to humanitarian emergencies through provision of lifesaving support mechanisms in partnership with national and international role players, promoting peace and stability, advocating against all kinds of violence, and initiating long-term and short-term development projects. LLG currently operates programs in Jubaland and Benadir states focusing on areas such as WASH, agriculture and food security, health and nutrition, education, advocacy and community empowerment, as well as peace building and protection.

1.1 SUPPLY OF SEEDS, FARM TOOLS AND FODDER GRASS FOR LLG GEDO-REGION SOMALIA

The overall scope of the Framework Agreement is to supply seeds, farm tools, and fodder grass to Lifeline Gedo, in Gedo Somalia programme with the aim to get a timely, reliable, convenient, and cost-effective supply for its programmes. The supplies required comprise:

• Seeds: Maize; Cowpeas; and Onion
• Farm tools: Shovel with metal handle; Haybox; Hoes with wooden handle; and Sisal rope
• Fodder grass: Sudan grass

1.2 Specific conditions for the award

1. Duration of the agreement would be a period of one year renewable subject to good performance and availability of funds.
2. The selected supplier shall provide seeds, farm tools, and fodder grass for Lifeline Gedo at any time requested, sometimes on short notice.
3. The Seeds, Farm Tools, and Fodder Grass should be of high quality, and seeds should particularly meet the standards set by SARIS of the MOA.
4. The Supplier shall deliver Seeds, Farm Tools, and Fodder Grass to any location in the Gedo Region or as specified by LLG.
5. The selected Supplier should provide contact details (both telephone and email) that can be reached at any time in case of emergency during the framework agreement duration.
6. The Supplier should deliver the requested supplies at their own costs and risks to designated locations specified in the framework agreement.
7. LLG, as the contracting authority, does not guarantee any volume of orders under the Framework agreement (FWA) as all purchases will be based on the needs and activities of LLG in the GEDO region.
8. LLG retains the right to procure similar items from various suppliers for the duration of the framework agreement.
9. The prices listed in the Supplier's financial bid should remain valid for at least one year from the date application submitted to LLG. LLG reserves the right to check these prices against prevailing market prices and reject unreasonable inflation after the end of the bid validity.

2. Supplies to be provided

Lifeline Gedo is inviting interested and qualified bidders to submit their application to the Framework agreement which may lead to procurement of seeds, farm tools, and fodder grass in the future.

3. Closing date and time for submission of tenders

The tender will close on 18th August 2024 at 23:59 PM EAT.

4. Submission of tenders

Bids should be submitted through email or the link below: https://lifelineorganisation.org/tender-notices or via email address: procurement@lifelineorganisation.org. The email subject should bear the tender reference number. LLG/GEDO/SEEDS/TOOLS/AUG/2024 for the procurement of seeds and farm tools.

Reference Number: LLG/GEDO/SEEDS/TOOLS/AUG/2024

5. Timetable for provision

6. Language of offers

All correspondence and documents related to these Bids should be submitted in English.

7. Period of validity of offers

All bids must be valid for a minimum of one year from the tender submission date.

8. Currency

All bids should be submitted in US Dollars. Any other currency will not be accepted.

9. Type of Contract

One-year Framework Agreement, with a possible 12-month extension depending on funding availability.

10. Content of Tender Dossier

• Completed Summary Company Profile
• Completed ‘Tenderer’s Relevant Experience Form’ & Evidence
• Financial Offer
• Signed Tenderer’s Declaration
• Company’s Certificate of Registration Form from FGS or JSL.
• Somali Agricultural Regulatory Inspection Services (SARIS) - Companies applying for seeds only.
• Tax compliance certificate
• Bank statement with transactions for the past 6 months
• Company Profile
• Copy of relevant contracts/purchase orders

11. Evaluation of tenders

All valid bids received will be evaluated by Lifeline Gedo’s Tender Evaluation Committee who will assess the bids received based on administrative compliance, technical, and financial evaluation grids set and specified in the tender dossier. Lifeline Gedo reserves the right to request proof of bidders' past work experience and subsequently visit their premises if this is deemed necessary to complete the evaluation process.

11.1 Administrative Compliance Check

All bidders must meet administrative compliance checks in order to proceed to the next stage of the evaluation process (i.e., technical evaluation). The administrative compliance check includes the following:

• Bid applications must be received within the deadline
• Submission of a comprehensive company profile
• Somali Agricultural Regulatory Inspection Services (SARIS) - Companies applying for seeds only.
• Tax compliance certificate of both FGS or JLS
• Original bank statement signed and stamped by the relevant bank authority with transactions for the past 6 months.
• Duly completed Financial Offer
• Tender Declaration Form completed, signed, and stamped

NOTE: These checks are scored as Pass or Fail, and the bidder who does not meet them will not proceed to the technical evaluation stage.

11.2 Technical Evaluation Criteria (weighted at 70%)

Technical Competence (these include previous relevant experience, product samples, financial capacity, delivery time, and other competencies). To be technically acceptable, the proposal shall meet or exceed the stipulated requirement and specifications in the Tender Dossier. The Technical Evaluation is weighted at 70%. Tenderers who obtain a score of 50% and above will qualify to the next phase of the evaluation process (financial evaluation). The following will be assessed in the technical evaluation process.

• Company business profile – 10 points
  • 5 points for Company Information such as name, Physical address, Office telephone number and Email address, Contact details – name and phone number, and Company business License/Registration Number.
  • 5 points for the number of Years in operation
• Financial capability (Bank details) - 12 points
  • 4 points for bank account transaction details provided
  • 3 points for the length of the bank account in operation
  • 5 points for Bank balance equivalent to 15% or more of the total bid value
• Payment Terms – 15 points
  • 5 points for detailed proposed payment schedules
  • 5 points for Preferred payment method (cheque/electronic)
  • 5 points for company’s credit period upon submitting an invoice to Lifeline Gedo
• Product Information – 11 points
  • 11 points for the sample of available seeds and farm tools (in picture form)
• Delivery terms and price validity – 10 points
  • 3 points for delivery time (less than two weeks) to (Jubaland and Benadir states).
  • 2 points for delivery time (within 3 weeks) to (Jubaland and Benadir states).
  • 5 points for validity of price quoted up to one year or more
• Relevant Experience for supply of similar seeds, farm tools, and fodder grass – 12 points
  • 3 points for each of the previous 4 contracts/LPOs for relevant seeds, farm tools, and fodder grass supplies or similar accomplishments undertaken by the bidder for the past 3 years

11.3 Financial Evaluation (weighted at 30%)

Financial evaluation (Financial Evaluation will be weighted at 30%). The financial score will be calculated using the formula below.

Financial score = X30%

12. Tender Committee Decision

The recommendations of the tender committee shall not be limited to the overall score (Financial and Technical scores combined); however, the outcome shall consider other factors, including value for money. If there is a significant monetary value difference between the bidder scoring the highest score and the second or the third bidder with a lower financial bid, then value for money shall take precedence, and the one who quoted the lowest (among the three finalists) shall be considered while this shall not compromise the quality of the supplies.

13. Clarification/Amendments to the bid document

If a prospective bidder wishes to get clarification on a certain aspect of the tender, they can contact LLG’s Logistics Department at the following email address: a.adan@lifelineorganisation.org, which will then be shared with the Tender Evaluation Committee.

14. Cancellation of the tender

The tender evaluation committee has the right to cancel the tender process at any stage without having to explain the situation. Reasons for doing so might include non-receipt of a minimum number of bids, a dramatic change in specification of the material, the costs exceeding budgetary limits, or the project being cancelled.

15. Appeals Process

If you wish to appeal or to raise any issue with Lifeline Gedo, please write to procurement@lifelineorganisation.org with the subject of the tender reference.

16. Data protection

Lifeline Gedo guarantees that all procurement activities are fully and transparently documented for internal donor audit purposes. Lifeline Gedo guarantees the confidentiality of the procurement process.

17. Donor

Donors funding LLG programs include Irish Aid, FCDO, SHF, ACF, WFP, ECHO, MEDIAR, and SHF.

For any further information or clarification, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Lifeline Gedo Organisation