USAID/ Technical Assistance Program (TAP)
Communications Consultant

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

Communications Consultant

To: Offerors

From: Creative Associates International, Inc.

Subject: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. RFP- JTAP-039- Communications Consultant

Type of Award: Blanket Consultancy Agreement

Basis of Award: Best Value

RFP Issue Date: 10/17/2023

RFP Closing Date: 10/31/2023

RFP Closing Time: 4:00 PM – Local Time, Amman, Jordan

Reference: USAID Contract No. 72027821C00005

Enclosed is a Request for Proposal (RFP). Creative invites Individuals to submit a proposal for the Jordan- Technical Assistance Program (TAP) under the referenced USAID 72027821C00005, After the evaluation, as described herein, resulting in selecting a winning proposal, the issuance of an award is subject to successful negotiation of the terms and conditions and receiving USAID’s Contracting Officer consent, if required.

The requirements for this activity are described in the “Statement of Work” in Attachment I. Creative encourages individual to indicate its interest in this procurement by submitting a proposal according to the instructions in Attachment II “Instructions to Offerors”. Proposals will be evaluated based on the “Evaluation Criteria” in Attachment III. Creative will make an award to the responsible Offeror(s) submitting an offer which provides best value to the project: technical merit and price will be both considered.

To be considered, Offerors should submit a complete proposal no later than the closing date and time indicated above. Offerors should ensure that the proposals are well-written in English, easy to read, follow the instructions provided and contain only requested information.

Any questions should be submitted via email to TapProcurement@crea-jtap.com no later than Oct 22, 2023. No questions will be entertained if they are received by means other than the specified email address, and any communications to alternate e-mail addresses will result in the disqualification of the bidder. The solicitation number (listed above) should be stated in the subject line. Answers will be compiled and distributed on Oct 24, 2023.

Proposals must be comprised of one electronic copy of the Technical Proposal and one electronic copy of the Cost/Business proposal, sent in separate e-mails, and labeled with the above-stated RFP number and title. Submissions shall be delivered to:

Creative Operations Department

TapProcurement@crea-jtap.com

Sincerely,

Creative Operations Department

Attachments:

Attachment I : Statement of Work

Attachment II : Instructions to Offerors

Attachment III : Evaluation Criteria

Attachment IV : Proposal Cover Letter

ATTACHMENT I: STATEMENT OF WORK

Communications Consultant

1.Background:

Creative Associates International is a dynamic, fast-growing global development firm that specializes in education, economic growth, democratic institutions and stabilization. Based in Washington, D.C., Creative has a field presence in more than 25 countries with a strong client portfolio that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, among others. Since its founding in 1977, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.

2. Program Description:

The Jordan Technical Assistance Program (TAP), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is a five-year education and youth project that seeks to transform the organizational culture and improve the abilities within the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth to ensure officials can implement desired reforms. This position is for the Technical Assistance Program (TAP), which aims to transform the organizational culture and capacity within the Government of Jordan (GoJ) to successfully implement education and youth reforms. This includes providing support to the GOJ policy reform and complementary technical assistance to relevant stakeholders on systems management, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems, evidence-based planning and decision-making, HR management systems and financial resource management in support of enacting policy reforms in the areas of education and youth development.

3. STATEMENT OF WORK

TAP seeks a consultant to develop communications materials to disseminate information about the project’s activities, goals, and impact related to Education and Youth development. This includes developing external-facing communication products that align with TAP’s strategic vision, are clear and concise, and follow USAID’s marking and branding plan.

4. Primary Role and Responsibilities:

Develop and review communication materials such as project fact sheets, brochures, project summaries, infographics, and other related materials.
Develop articles and other written materials to support wider outreach efforts, highlighting USAID/TAP’s ongoing work and achievements.
Work with technical teams and the DCOP to help identify key communication messages and determine the appropriate media (videos, infographics, etc.)
Proactively identify achievements and ways to highlight TAP’s technical assistance to our stakeholders and clients.
In coordination with the DCOP, work closely with other service providers to facilitate the production of materials (such as videographers, graphic designers, etc.)
Produce appropriate materials for the USAID Mission about the project that may be used for dissemination on Mission web pages, visiting delegations and to home office.
Collaborate with TAP and HQ Communications teams.
5. Required Qualifications:

A bachelor’s degree in communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations and/or Communication.
Must have 8+ years of general work experience and 4+ years of specific experience in Communications and outreach or any other relevant fields.
Experience supporting communications for other USAID programs and familiarity with USAID marking and branding rules and regulations.
Proven record in developing news releases, success stories, feature stories, fact sheets, and communications materials that effectively transmit information about complex USAID programs and activities.
Strong understanding of communications principles and ability to break down complex technical concepts and communicate information in simple and engaging ways that is aligned with the project goals.
Strong organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
Experience supporting large project communications departments and activities.
Experience in written content management and content production.
Experience in dealing with media companies/organizations; and
Strong English writing and editing skills and proficiency in Arabic.
6. Desired skills and qualification

Experience with Adobe Creative Suite or other graphic design programs.
Graphic design skills.
7. ESTIMATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Creative anticipates issuing a Blanket Consultancy Agreement (BCA) valid for a Period of Performance of approximately one year base up to three -years options that will be exercised in writing by Creative.

8. ESTIMATED LEVEL OF EFFORT (LOE): 120 Days

Level of Effort/Working Days subject to increase or decrease as per programs demands.

9. Ordering Procedure

Purchases may only be made by Creative via written LoE based Work Orders and executed by the authorized individuals listed in the BCA.

10. Key Working Relationships:

The consultant will work with the (TAP) team and reports directly to TAP Deputy Chief of Party.

11. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Wadi Saqra, Arrar Street, Bldg. # 201, 1st Floor, Amman, Jordan.

How to apply
Attachment II

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

General Instructions
These Instructions to Offerors will not form part of the offer or of the Agreement. They are intended solely to aid Offerors in the preparation of their proposals. Read and follow these instructions carefully.

The proposal and all corresponding documents related to the proposal must be written in the English language, unless otherwise explicitly allowed. Additionally, all proposals should be single-spaced with clear section headings, and be presented in the order specified in Attachment III – Evaluation Criteria.
Proposals must include only the Offeror’s own work. No text should be copied from sources outside of your organization, unless those sources are adequately cited and credited. If Creative determines that any part of the proposal is plagiarized from outside sources, the Offeror will be automatically disqualified.
Proposals and all cost and price figures must be presented in local currency or USD. All prices should be gross of tax.
The Offeror must state in their Proposal the validity period of their offer. The minimum offer acceptance period for this RFP is 90 days after closing date of the RFP. If an Offeror has provided a validity period of less than 90 days, they will be asked to revise this. If the Offeror does not extend the validity period, their proposal will be rejected. Creative reserves the right not to make an award.
The Technical Proposal and Cost Proposal must be kept separate from each other. Technical Proposals must not make reference to cost or pricing information at any point. This will enable in order the technical evaluation to be made strictly on the basis of technical merit.
No costs incurred by the Offerors in preparing and submitting the proposal are reimbursable by Creative. All such costs will be at the Offeror’s expense.
Responsibility Determination: Award shall only be made to “responsive” vendors. To enable Creative to make this determination, the Offeror must provide a cover letter, as provided in Attachment IV.
Late Offers: Offerors are wholly responsible for ensuring that their Offers are received in accordance with the instructions stated herein. A late Offer will be recommended for rejection, even if it was late as a result of circumstances beyond the Offeror’s control. Late offers will only be considered at Creative’s Procurement Department’s discretion.
Modification/Withdrawal of Offers: Offerors have the right to withdraw, modify or correct their offer after it has been delivered to Creative at the address stated above, and provided that the request is made before the RFP closing date.
Disposition of Proposals: Proposals submitted in response to this RFP will not be returned. Reasonable effort will be made to ensure confidentiality of proposals received from all Offerors. This RFP does not seek information of a highly proprietary nature, but if such information is included in the Offeror’s proposal, the Offeror must alert Creative and must annotate the material by marking it “Confidential and Proprietary” so that these sections can be treated appropriately.
Clarifications and Amendments to the RFP: Any questions regarding this solicitation must be emailed to TapProcurement@crea-jtap.com. No questions/clarifications will be entertained if they are received by another means. The solicitation number should be stated in the subject. Responses will be complied and emailed to the requesting potential Offeror and will be sent to all offerors that requested this RFP or re-posted publicly if offered as a full and open competition.
Creative anticipates that discussions with Offerors will be conducted; however, Creative reserves the right to make an award without discussions. It is strongly recommended that Offerors present their best offer.
Failure to agree and comply with any of the above specifications will result in the Offeror being considered unresponsive and the proposal may be rejected.

Submission of Proposal:
Proposals must be submitted in two separate e-mails:

E-mail 1 – Technical Proposal
E-mail 2 – Cost proposal
Each e-mail should be clearly labeled with the RFP number and project title.
Proposals must be delivered no later than the specified date/time.
Offerors who do not submit their technical and cost proposals separately may be automatically disqualified.

Content of Proposal:
The proposal shall be comprised of Three sections:

The Cover Letter (Attachment IV)

The Technical Proposal

The Cost/Business Proposal

The Cover Letter: should be on the Offeror’s letterhead and MUST contain the information requested in Attachment IV.

Technical Proposal:

The Technical Proposal is the opportunity for the Offeror to demonstrate that the Individual is “technically capable” of implementing the activity and should demonstrate the Offeror’s understanding of and capabilities to carry out the work, and address the key issues described in the Evaluation Criteria in Attachment III.
The Technical Proposal should be divided into clearly separate sections following the same order of the Evaluation Criteria in Attachment III. A mis-ordered proposal that makes information hard to find will result in lower scores.
If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.
The Cost Proposal: must be submitted separately from the technical proposal and will primarily indicate the cost for performing the work, Daily rate subject to 5% income tax deduction.

Failure to comply with any of the above points will result in the Offeror being considered “unresponsive” and the proposal may be rejected.

If an Offeror provides insufficient information in their technical and/or cost proposal, Creative reserves the right to request additional information, or to request a revised proposal from the

Offeror, if necessary.

Creative reserves the right to make no award, or multiple awards, under this RFP.
Attachment III

EVALUATION CRITERIA

BASIS OF AWARD:

1.Creative will evaluate proposals on a best value basis, in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 15.1 – Source Selection Processes and Techniques. In all solicitations, Creative will consider and conduct an evaluation on the basis of both technical and cost submissions. The relative importance of these two factors places technically above cost. In rare cases, Creative may also award to an offeror other than the highest technically rated Offeror or the lowest price Offeror, in accordance with FAR 15.101-1.

2. The award will be made to the Offeror whose offer presents the Best Value, which is the optimal combination of technical merits and reasonable cost and does not exceed the internal budget established for this effort. Proposals will be scored on technical factors first. Only the Cost/Business proposals of those offers that surpass the minimum qualifying score of 70 points in the technical evaluation will have their Cost Proposal reviewed. Those that do not reach this qualifying score in the Technical Evaluation will be considered non-competitive and their Cost/Business proposals will not be considered.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Technical Competence – presented in the Technical Proposal The award will be given to the person who achieves the highest score within the following competitive criteria.

Qualifications, Education, and Experience: (40 marks)

Creative sample: (40 marks)

Past Performance (20 Marks)

As described below: The evaluation will be done according to the criteria shown in the table:

Item 1: Qualifications, Education, and Experience

Provide a copy of resume/Portfolio highlighting the below:

Requirement 2: Required Qualifications:

A bachelor’s degree in communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations and/or Communication.
Must have 8+ years of general work experience and 4+ years of specific experience in Communications and outreach or any other relevant fields.
Experience supporting communications for other USAID programs and familiarity with USAID marking and branding rules and regulations.
Proven record in developing news releases, success stories, feature stories, fact sheets, and communications materials that effectively transmit information about complex USAID programs and activities.
Experience supporting large project communications departments and activities.
Experience in written content management and content production.
Experience in dealing with media companies/organizations.
Desired Qualifications:

Experience with Adobe Creative Suite or other graphic design programs.
Graphic design skills.
Points Available1: 40 Points

Item 2: Sample

Requirement 2: Proposing one sample for any of the communications materials (news releases, success stories, feature stories, fact sheets)

Points Available 2: 40 Points

Item 3: Past Performance

Requirement 3: Document and summarize your proven track record of successfully implementing similar activities to include a description of similar services provided in the past and any lessons learned that will be incorporated into the activity described in this RFP. Offerors with past performance with similar projects, in the same geographic area and/or of similar scale to the activity described in this RFP will be scored more favorably than offerors that do not meet these criteria.

Points Available 3: 20 Points

Total points 100 Points.

If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested

in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.

B. Past Performance and Experience ( At Least 3)

(a) Activity Title

(b) Location(s) of activity

(c) Synopsis of the activity and its relevance to this RFP

(d) Performance period (date, duration and if completed on schedule)

(e) Prime or Subcontractor?

(f) Amount for the activity

(g) Name & Contact Info (E-mail and phone) of client

Cost Reasonableness & Financial Capability – presented in Cost Proposal. Not Scored.
Submit fully burdened rates for each category, including illustrative consultant rates Creative’s review of the Cost Proposal shall determine if the overall costs proposed are realistic for the work to be performed, reflect a correct understanding of the project requirements, and are consistent with the Offeror’s Technical Proposal. Creative will also review individual line items and determine if they are allowable, allocable, and reasonable.

If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.

Creative reserves the right to request additional supporting documentation or a revised proposal from an Offeror if insufficient information has been provided in the Offeror’s technical and/or cost proposal. If the requested information is not provided, Creative has the right to disqualify the firm from further consideration.

ATTACHMENT IV

FORMAT FOR PROPOSAL COVER LETTER

City, Country

To: Creative Procurement Team

Dear Sir / Madam:

We, the undersigned, offer to undertake the [Insert RFP No], [Insert project title], in accordance with your Request for Proposal dated [Insert MM/DD/YYYY] and our Technical and Cost/Business Proposal submitted herein.

Offeror personal details are as follows:

Offeror’s Name
Offeror’s Address
Telephone #/Cellular Phone #, Email address:
Copy of the offeror ID
Our proposal shall be binding upon us, subject to any modifications resulting from negotiation, up to expiration of the validity period of the proposal. We understand you are not bound to accept this or any Proposal you receive.

The Offeror also certify that:

is able to comply with the described delivery or performance schedule, taking into consideration all existing commitments and constraints;
has a satisfactory performance record;
has a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics;
has the necessary technical capacity,
otherwise, qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations.
Sincerely,

Authorized Signature:

Name and Title of Signatory:

Date: