Subject: Request for Proposals for All-Wheel Drive Motor Vehicles and Motorbike Insurance

Issuance Date: Monday, February 5, 2024

Offer Deadline:  Monday, February 19, 2024 by 5pm GMT

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Land O’Lakes Venture37 (Venture37) is soliciting proposals from qualified providers of comprehensive insurance coverage for Motor vehicles and Motorbikes as described in this Request for Proposals (RFP).

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 not 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

Offer submissions must be completed according to the Instructions to Bidders and 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 committed to helping communities around the world thrive through agriculture. We strengthen economies by improving local agriculture, help agribusinesses create jobs, and link farmers to markets. We deliver integrated solutions that help build and improve food and agriculture systems by providing solutions for more competitive markets, more resilient systems, more nutrition-secure communities, and more inclusive societies.

SECTION 1: INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

1.         Introduction

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 24-CORE-ZAM-PROC-0002, dated Monday, February 19, 2024: Venture37, is hereby soliciting bids for comprehensive vehicle insurance to cover vehicles listed in Section 2, Technical Specifications.

2.            Eligibility

a.       This RFP is open to firms that are legally registered to conduct business in Zambia. Small and/or disadvantaged businesses, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses are encouraged to submit proposals.

b.       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

a.       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.

b.       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

Submitted bids are required to consist of the following documents:
Capacity Documentation (not to exceed 2 pages)

1.       Organizational background showing evidence of prior performance in supplying vehicle insurance. If bidder is a U.S. entity, indicate whether the bidder is registered as or meets the criteria for a Small Business Concern as defined by the Small Business Association at www.SBA.gov (including small and disadvantaged, women-owned, minority-owned, veteran owned, or HUBzone designations).

2.       Show Facilities, Availability and Location of in-country Service and Support

3.       List any other unique advantages offered as part of the insurance package.

Price Offer

1.       Documentation that clearly demonstrates:

Clear cost breakdown:

• Unit price of each vehicle specific policy
• Total price
• Taxes (VAT) shown separately
• Insurance Coverage Limits
• The time it takes to process a claim from the time a declaration report is submitted to your office
• Supporting Documentation

1.       Official business registration or license documenting eligibility to do business in Zambia.

2.       Two references including contact names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of clients (preferably international NGOs) who can be contacted regarding the Bidder’s prior performance for similar work within the past three years.

3.       A full set of detailed literature for the insurance product offered showing exact specifications of coverage package.

The Bidder shall prepare one complete offer with all the required sections of the proposal and supporting documentation in English 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 at least ninety (90) days after 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. Any questions can be sent to the project email address at Procument.CDP@landolakes.com.

7.       Offer Deadline and Submission of Bids

a.       All offers must be submitted to Venture37 by February 19, 2024 at 5pm GMT.  Please submit electronic proposals only (inclusive of the technical, price and supporting documentation) to Procurement.CDP@landolakes.com with the RFP Number referenced in the subject line.  Late proposals will not be reviewed or accepted.

b.       Ensuring successful transmission and receipt of the bids is the Bidder’s responsibility. No email should exceed 10 MB, including attachments.

8.           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.

9.            Modification of Offers

a.       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.

b.       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.

10.          Criteria for Award and Evaluation

a.       Venture37 will award the contract to the 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:

• Price (50%)
• Delivery timeline (25%)
• Past Performance (25%)

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 affects the price, quantity, quality, delivery or installation date of the equipment or materials or limits 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.

11.         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 any offer 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 the contract, or to reject all bids.

12.         Notification of Award

a.       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.

b.       Upon the successful Bidder acknowledging receipt of the Notification of Award, Venture37 will promptly notify each unsuccessful Bidder that 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.

13.          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 Venture37 at Procurement.CDP@landolakes.com. If consent is withdrawn, Venture37 reserves the right to either accept or reject the offer.

SECTION 2: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (Follow link below)

1.            Desired Insurance Product

Venture37 is inviting qualified insurance providers to submit quotes for comprehensive motor vehicle and motorcycle insurance coverage for vehicles in Zambia for a 12-month period and subject to annual renewal through the end of the Activity.  New vehicle insurance coverage is expected to start by mid-year 2024 and would be added to the existing policy. Submitted insurance quotes should show the price for each of the motor vehicles and motorcycle listed in the technical specifications through this link.