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Request for proposals for Market System Analysis for Agricultural Input Supply in Lebanon Closing Date: Tuesday, 10. Dec 2024 Intervention Sector(s): Agriculture Land OLakes Venture37 (Venture37) is soliciting proposals from qualified providers of Market System Analysis as described in this Request for Proposals (RFP). These services are required for the ELSA Activity under Agreement No. 200AA23LE00009 issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development Mission in Lebanon USAID for services to be performed in Lebanon. Firms and individuals 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: Instructions to Bidders 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 OLakes 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. Venture37s long-standing affiliation with Land OLakes, Inc. (www.landolakes.com) sets us apart. Land OLakes Inc. is one of Americas largest farmer-owned cooperatives. It supports Venture37 project implementation with 100 years of experience in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs, and agricultural insights and technologies. This gives our development projects a unique global view of agriculture, food, and the power of well-functioning market systems. Land OLakes, Inc. supports these efforts as part of its enterprise purpose of Feeding Human Progress at home and around the world. Context: Lebanons agrifood sector is a major contributor to the Lebanese economy and has growing potential to fulfil local market demand, produce essential locally consumed food items, and generate export opportunities for niche products. Lebanons agricultural market faces several constraints, including a limited ability to create inclusive market channels. These constraints are exacerbated by Lebanons ongoing economic crisis, the lasting effects of COVID-19, and the recent security situation. Agro processors, who are large employers of women in Lebanon, struggle to reach new markets due to quality control and food safety issues and the inability to achieve economies of scale. Local agricultural production is not consistent enough for processors to maintain product quality and quantity, so processors often import raw materials at higher costs. Market actors have little coordination or trust, and most work independently. As a result, they struggle to reach economies of scale, find buyers willing to purchase small quantities and afford the costs of packaging or transportation. Greater coordination between market actors would be particularly beneficial for women and youth, who have fewer financial resources and would benefit from cooperative arrangements. Empowering Local Systems in Agriculture (ELSA) is a 5-year activity funded by USAID under Farmer-to-Farmer Leader Award, implemented by Venture37. ELSA aims to establish sustainable local systems that provide affordable and consistently available agricultural inputs and create inclusive market channels in the agricultural sector. To achieve this, ELSA will build implementing partners capacity and provide direct technical assistance (TA) to input suppliers to improve input distribution and agribusinesses market access. Venture37 will supplement this TA with co-investment grants for selected agribusinesses to reduce the risk of their investments. SECTION 1: INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS 1.Introduction Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2024-ELSA-PROC-0006, dated 1/12/2024: Venture37, acting on behalf of ELSA, is hereby soliciting bids for the supply of comprehensive Market System Analysis for Agribusinesses Market Access in Lebanon as described in Section 2, Technical Specifications. 2. Eligibility This RFP is open to firms and individuals that are legally registered to conduct business in Lebanon. Small and/or disadvantaged businesses, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses are encouraged to submit proposals. A bidder will be considered ineligible if it has been suspended, debarred, or deemed ineligible, asindicated 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. All goods and services to be supplied under the resulting award shall have their origin in countries listed under the USAID Geographical Code 937 and defined as the following: 3.Preparation of Offers Bidders are expected to examine the Technical Specifications, and all instructions contained in this RFP. Failure to do so shall be at the Bidders risk. 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 a. Submitted bids are required to consist of the following documents: Technical Proposal Organizational background showing evidence of prior performance in conducting Market Analyses. Outline of proposed services, solutions, and team, reflecting how the Bidder will undertake all the tasks in Section 2, Technical Specifications. Plan of action with specific activities and implementation timetable to address the Specific Tasks under Section 2, Technical Specifications. List and brief description of the names and qualifications of the key personnel proposed to work on the assignment. CVs of proposed professional staff should be included as an annex. Statement of Qualifications including evidence in support of its technical qualifications and ability to perform the services if its offer is accepted, such as references to successful prior projects of a similar nature. Price Offer Detailed budget outlining Bidders Price Offer, in Microsoft Excel, unlocked, and with formulas intact. i.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. ii. All prices should be indicated in USD. 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 Official business registration or license documenting eligibility to do business in Lebanon. Two references including contact names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of persons who can be contacted regarding the Bidders prior performance for similar work within the past three years. If applicable, supporting documentation for calculation of proposed indirect cost rates. b. 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 sixty (60) days after the offer deadline. An offer valid for a shorter period shall be rejected as non-responsive. Bidders shall clearly indicate their offers 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: Marie Hamparsoumian, Grants and Compliance Specialist, mhamparsoumian@landolakes.com 7. Offer Deadline and Late Bids All offers must be submitted to Venture37 by December 10, 2024. Please submit electronic proposals to mhamparsoumian@landolakes.com with a copy to pmarsh@landolakes.com with the RFP Number referenced in the subject line. Late proposals will not be accepted. a. It is the Bidders sole responsibility to ensure that offers are received by Venture37 on or before the Offer Deadline of December 10, 2024. Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged. Faxed offers will not be accepted. b. 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 a. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Complete offers, including technical, price, and all supporting documentation must be received by December 10, 2024, by Marie Hamparsoumian, Grants and Compliance Specialist, mhamparsoumian@landolakes.com with a copy to Piper Marsh, Sr. Program Specialist, pmarsh@landolakes.com. Please reference the RFP number in the subject line. b. 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 Docume Tender Link : https://daleel-madani.org/civil-society-directory/land-olakes-venture37/calls/request-proposals-market-system-analysis-agricultural-input-supply-lebanon
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