Request for Proposals for Pension Provider at Land O’Lakes Venture37

By
Selibeng.com
-
72

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP Number: 2024-STEPS-PROC-0010-Pension Provider

Subject: Request for Proposals for Pension Provider

Issuance Date:April 10, 2024

Offer Deadline:  April 24, 202417:00 GMT+2. 

__________________________________________________________________

Land O’Lakes Venture37 (Venture37) is soliciting proposals from qualified providers of Pension Administration Services as described in this Request for Proposals (RFP). These services are required for theUSDA Food for Progress Sustainable Transformation of Enterprises in the Poultry Sector (STEPS) in Lesotho under Agreement No. FCC-632-2023/012-00 issued by USDA for services to be performed in Lesotho.

Firms invited by Venture37 (hereinafter “Bidders”) to submit offers for the services described in this RFP are under no obligation to do so. The Bidder shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of the Proposal; Venture37 will in no case be liable for those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the solicitation.

This Request for Proposal includes the following sections:

  1. Instructions to Bidders 
  2. Technical Specifications 

Submission of offers must be completed in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders and complete offers must be received by the date and time indicated.

All correspondence and/or inquiries regarding this RFP must be requested in accordance with the enclosed Instructions to Bidders.

Background

Land O’Lakes Venture37 (www.landolakesventure37.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening local agriculture, helping agribusinesses create jobs and linking farmers to markets. Since 1981, it has implemented over 315 integrated dairy, livestock, and crops development programs in nearly 80 countries — creating lasting impact by linking farmers, businesses, and the public and private sector in local and global contexts.

Venture37 is implementing the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress-funded Sustainable Transformation of Enterprises in the Poultry Sector (STEPS) in 7 districts in Lesotho (Maseru, Berea, Leribe, Butha-Buthe, Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek, and Quthing). STEPS will reach its goal of improving productivity and the business enabling environment in the poultry sector of Lesotho by segmenting the complex poultry market and supporting actors to level up regardless of their current capacity, organizing producers in Buyer Hubs to unlock economies of scale, and spurring innovation across the poultry sector to provide inputs and markets to poultry producers.

SECTION 1: INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

1.         Introduction


Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2024-STEPS-PROC-0010, dated April 10, 2024: Venture37, acting on behalf of the STEPS project, is hereby soliciting bids for the supply of comprehensive Pension Administration services as described in Paragraph 4 Technical Proposal. 

2.         Eligibility

  1. This RFP is open to firms that are legally registered to conduct business in Lesotho. Small and/or disadvantaged businesses, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses are encouraged to submit proposals.
  2. A bidder will be considered ineligible if it has been suspended, debarred, or deemed ineligible, as indicated on (1) the “List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement and Non-procurement Programs” and/or (2) the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List”. 

3.         Preparation of Offers

  1. Bidders are expected to examine the Technical Specifications and all instructions contained in this RFP. Failure to do so shall be at the Bidder’s risk.
  2. Clarifications may be requested in writing up to five (5) business days prior to the Offer Deadline. The contact for requesting clarifications is: Lesotho STEPS, [email protected]
  • The offer prepared by the Bidder and all correspondence related to the offer exchanged by the Bidder and Venture37 shall be in English.

4.         Contents of Offer

  1. Submitted bids are required to consist of the following:

Technical Proposal

  • Maintenance of member data and accounts.
  • Processing and validation of contributions on a monthly basis.
  • Online system which is accessible to all members at any point.
  • Preparation of annual member benefit statements.
  • Management of relations for active and non active members.
  • Regular reporting on membership issues, regulatory compliance, etc.
  • Maintenance of member beneficiaries
  • Organizational background showing evidence of prior performance in supplying Pension Administration services.

Price Offer

  1. Detailed budget outlining Bidder’s Price Offer, in Microsoft Excel, unlocked, and with formulas intact.
    1. Budget must give a detailed unit price breakdown and the total price of the services being offered in response to this RFP. If there is a discrepancy between the unit price and the total amount, the unit price shall be considered as correct and the total amount adjusted accordingly.
    1. All prices should be indicated in Maloti.
  2. Budget Narrative explaining calculation and necessity of costs, displaying attribution to the activities proposed. Narrative may be included in the Excel budget or as a separate Word document. 

Supporting Documentation 

  1. Official business registration or license documenting eligibility to do business in Lesotho.
  2. Two references including contact names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of persons who can be contacted regarding the Bidder’s prior performance for similar work within the past three years.
  1. The Bidder shall prepare one complete offer with all the required sections of the proposal and supporting documentation typed or written in legible ink. Only complete offers will be accepted and evaluated; incomplete offers will be eliminated.

5.       Offer Validity Period

Offers shall remain valid for a minimum of thirty (30) daysafter the offer deadline. An offer valid for a shorter period shall be rejected as non-responsive. Bidders shall clearly indicate their offer’s validity period within the proposal documents.

6.       Clarification of Bidding Documents

Clarifications may be requested in writing up to five (5) business days prior to the Offer Deadline. The contact for requesting clarifications is: 

Lesotho STEPS, [email protected]

7.          Offer Deadline and Late Bids

  1. All offers must be submitted to Venture37 by April 24, 2024, 5pm GMT+2.  Please submit electronic proposals to [email protected] with the RFP Number referenced in the subject line.  Late proposals will not be accepted.
  • It is the Bidder’s sole responsibility to ensurethat offers are received by Venture37 on or before the Offer Deadline of April 24, 2024, 5pm GMT+2.Only electronic submissions a will be accepted. 
  • Offers received after the deadline for submission shall be rejected. A late offer will be considered only if the sole cause of its lateness was attributable to Venture37, its employees or agents.

8.          Submission of Bids

  1. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Complete offers, including technical, price, and all supporting documentation must be received by April 24, 2024, 5pm GMT+2to [email protected]  with the RFP Number referenced in the subject line.
  2. Ensuring successful transmission and receipt of the bids is the responsibility of the Bidder. It is recommended that no e-mail exceed the size of 10 MB, inclusive of attachments. 

9.          Amendment of Bidding Documents

Venture37 may at its discretion and for any reason, modify bidding documents by amendment. All prospective Bidders that have received bidding documents will be notified of the amendment by e-mail and such amendments will be binding on them.

10.         Modification of Offers

  1. Any Bidder has the right to withdraw, modify, or correct its offer after it has been delivered to Venture37, provided the request for such a withdrawal, modification, or correction together with full details of such modification or correction is received by Venture37 at the submission point of contact above before the Offer Deadline.
  • Venture37 may ask any Bidder for a clarification of its offer or conduct negotiations with the apparent winner after evaluation of offers; nevertheless, no Bidder will be permitted to alter its price or make any other material modification to its offer after the deadline unless the RFP has been amended or the deadline extended. Clarifications which do not change the price or other material aspects of the offer may be accepted. 

11.         Criteria for Award and Evaluation

Subject to Clause 15, Venture37 will award the contract to that Bidder whose offer is deemed acceptable, and which offers the best value based upon the evaluation criteria. All complete, eligible offers will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Type of plan(s) offered, vesting requirements, bonuses, portability and other benefits (50%)
  • Administration Fees (30%)
  • Past experience (20%)

In order for a bid to be deemed acceptable, it must comply with all the terms and conditions of the RFP without material modification. A material modification is one which affects the price, quantity, quality, delivery or installation date of the equipment or materials or which limits in any way any responsibilities, duties, or liabilities of the bidders or any rights of Venture37. In addition, the successful bidder must be determined to be responsible. A responsible bidder is one who has the technical expertise, management capability, workload capacity, and financial resources to perform the work.

12.     Venture37’s Right to Accept Any Offer and to Reject Any or All Offers

Venture37 will reject any offer that it deems nonresponsive. Further, Venture37 reserves the right to waive any minor errors in anyoffer received if it is in Venture37’s best interests to do so, to reject the offer of any Bidder if, in Venture37’s judgment, the Bidder is not fully qualified to provide the services as specified in thecontract, or to reject all bids. 

13.         Notification of Award

  1. Before the expiration of the period of offer validity, Venture37 will notify the successful Bidder in writing that its offer has been accepted.  Venture37 may negotiate with the successful bidder on any details and terms of the contract which do not materially change the scope or specifications of the goods or services to be provided.
  • Upon the successful Bidder acknowledging receipt of the Notification of Award, Venture37 will promptly notify each unsuccessful Bidderthat their bids were rejected. If, after notification of award, a Bidder wishes to ascertain the grounds on which its offer was not selected, it should address its request to Venture37 in writing.

14.  Acceptance of Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.  

By submitting a proposal to Venture37, Bidder consents to and provides Venture37 with permission to process the Bidder’s personal data specifically for the performance of, and purposes identified in, this solicitation document and in compliance with Venture37’s legal obligations under applicable United States and European Union laws, data protection and regulations, and any other applicable legal requirements. The bidder may withdraw their consent at any time by contacting [email protected]. If consent is withdrawn, Venture37 reserves the right to either accept or reject the offer.

SECTION 2: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

1. Scope of Work Expected Deliverables

Technical Proposal

  • Maintenance of member data and accounts.
  • Processing and validation of contributions on a monthly basis.
  • Online system which is accessible to all members at any point.
  • Preparation of annual member benefit statements.
  • Management of relations for active and non active members.
  • Regular reporting on membership issues, regulatory compliance, etc.
  • Maintenance of member beneficiaries
  • Organizational background showing evidence of prior performance in supplying Pension Administration services.
  • Timeline for contracting and enrolling of staff.

Price Offer

  1. Detailed budget outlining Bidder’s Price Offer, in Microsoft Excel, unlocked, and with formulas intact.
    1. Budget must give a detailed unit price breakdown and the total price of the services being offered in response to this RFP. If there is a discrepancy between the unit price and the total amount, the unit price shall be considered as correct and the total amount adjusted accordingly.
    1. All prices should be indicated in Maloti.
  2. Budget Narrative explaining calculation and necessity of costs, displaying attribution to the activities proposed. Narrative may be included in the Excel budget or as a separate Word document. 

Supporting Documentation 

  1. Official business registration or license documenting eligibility to do business in Lesotho.
  2. Two references including contact names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of persons who can be contacted regarding the Bidder’s prior performance for similar work within the past three years.

Comments