REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ)

Description of Requirements

The United States government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), invites qualified companies/individuals to submit quotation of the services/items specified below. This is to support the operation of USAID/RDMA, Bangkok, Thailand.

Quotation submission and questions regarding this Request for Quotation (RFQ) shall be ONLY via email to BANGKOKUSAIDPROC@usaid.gov by the time/date specified above.

The award of a contract hereunder is subject to the availability of funds. Issuance of this RFQ does not constitute an award or commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, nor does it commit the U.S. Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a quotation. Please be advised that all interested parties are required to be registered in Dun and Bradstreet and are subject to SAM registration before an award can be made. Information on obtaining the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), can be found at this website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Offerors are also required to register their business on the U.S. Government’s System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov. Information on this process for foreign vendors is available here. Prospective offerors are encouraged to register in SAM prior to the submittal of quotations.

Statement of Work

I. Introduction

The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to offer three sessions of a one (1) day cross-cultural communications skills course on/about November 6, 2019 and November 26, 2019 at the Asia Regional Training Center (ARTC).   Each training session will consist of approximately 30 different participants from the USAID Regional Development Mission/Asia (RDMA) located in Bangkok, Thailand. 

II. Background

USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential.  In the past few years, USAID has recruited and deployed additional staff, increasing its workforce dramatically and quickly.  RDMA in Bangkok serves as a knowledge management platform that works closely with Washington headquarters to provide thought leadership for USAID programs throughout the region and manages ARTC.  ARTC is a dedicated training facility to deliver skills-building and specialized technical training to USAID staff.

USAID/RDMA has a culturally diverse workforce with most employees having less than five years of USAID experience.  The USAID/RDMA staff comprises of about 110 Thai nationals and 81expats.  It is our intent to strengthen communication and management skills in order to build a stronger, unified team by developing a deeper understanding of cross-cultural issues and its impact in the workplace. 

III. Services Required

1. Approach

Training must incorporate teaching methodologies that take into account different learning styles, cultural, and language barriers.  Given the wide range of educational background, years of experience, and a workforce that spans generations and locations, this training must consider field-tested scenarios and provide valuable take-home applications.

The training shall incorporate the following principles:

• Highly participatory, interactive, and experiential for all participants
• Incorporates current and best practices in cross-cultural communication and management skills 
• Takes into account/allows for adapting to USAID’s organizational culture
• Facilitates personalization/unique experiences for participants (as opposed to a generalized ‘one size fits all’), and
• Sets the stage for ongoing self-development, providing forward-looking opportunity for skills, behaviors and supportive systems to continue to improve well after the training is completed.

2. Core themes to cover in the training course include:

• Understanding the dynamics of Thai and American (Expat) cultures
• Improving cross-cultural communication in the workplace (in all situations)
• Managing conflicts and finding win-win resolutions
• Team building – increasing participation to achieve common goals
• Fostering accountability and assertiveness between cultures

3. Deliverables

1. The contractor will deliver three sessions of this one (1) day course over the period of one year.  Any purchase and delivery of books and other printed training material are the responsibility of the contractor, and must be included in the cost proposal.  USAID/ARTC will provide the training venue, and access to laptops and projector(s) for presentations.
2. A training evaluation survey completed by course participants, with summarized metrics, will be provided to the ARTC Training Coordinator within three weeks of completion of the training. This information will be used as feedback for similar future events that USAID/RDMA may wish to undertake.

IV. Proposal Instructions

1. Technical Proposal

The offeror shall include in the technical portion of the quotation:

• A brief summary of the topic and learning objective (maximum one page).
• A draft agenda for the course (maximum one page).
• Demonstrated past experience delivering (within the past three years). similar training to an overseas U.S. Government audience (culturally and generationally diverse) with three references (names and email addresses) (maximum two pages).
• Resume of proposed instructor(s) that describes expertise conducting similar trainings, maximum two pages).

2. Price Proposal

Total fixed price quotation - be sure to consider all costs associated with the delivery of this training course including, but not limited to, preparation of course materials, preparation of course survey, delivery of course, local transportation, and transport of training materials.  Do not include the cost of the training venue, and cost for access to laptops and projector(s) for presentations in your quotation.

V.  Selection Criteria

The USAID Contracting Officer will select the successful contractor using a Best Value approach, both technical and price factors included.  The Contracting Officer, at the Government’s discretion, may enter into negotiations with one or more offeror to discuss improvements in the proposal and cost deduction. Upon successful negotiation with the vendor, a purchase order will be issued, and a lump sum payment made upon acceptance of all deliverables and within 30 days of receipt of invoice.