Request for Proposal: Personal Security Awareness Training for USIP Field Staff
Job description
Request for Proposal
United States Institute of Peace
Personal Security Awareness Training for USIP Field Staff
Release Date: May 10, 2023
RFP Due Date: 5 pm EST on May 19, 2022
Refer Questions to:
Submit Proposals to:
Aissatou Koulibali, akoulibali@usip.org
Aissatou Koulibali, akoulibali@usip.org
Sandra Elvin
selvin@usip.org
Pertinent responses will be made available to all offerors by e-mail. No inquiries will be accepted after specified time and date.
The response must be submitted by time and date listed above to be considered.
Proposal Submission Requirements:
Any proposal that does not contain all items listed in the Submission Requirements section below may be considered nonresponsive. For more detail including corresponding evaluation criteria, please see “Evaluation Criteria and Submission Requirements” section below.
- Technical proposal (maximum 4 pages)
- CVs
- Cost proposal
- Financial Management Assessment Form (Organizations only)
- Certification page
Introduction and Background
USIP is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. For more information, please visit http://www.usip.org.
USIP GJS team strives to strengthen USIP’s contributions to U.S. national security by re-positioning the Institute as a premier source of expertise to address Security Sector Governance and Reform (SSG/R) and Atrocity prevention/accountability challenges in conflict-affected environments.
GJS also supports the Justice and Security Dialogues (JSD), which seek to build trust between civil society and officials from the justice and security sectors. GJS also supports USIP’s new project in Nigeria: Conflict Mitigation and Community Policing (CM/CP) in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Purpose of the RFP
The Governance, Justice and Security Dialogues seeks proposals from offerors who can provide Personal Security and Awareness Training (PSAT) to field staff from Niger, Senegal, and Nigeria. Staff will travel to Cote d’Ivoire for the training. This training is part of USIP’s overall Duty of Care program for personal service contractors and employees and is in line with USIP’s approach to risk management. The training should be designed to help staff implement safer and more effective programs in conflict areas as well as give them skills to better protect themselves and others.
Concepts to include in the training: understanding and assessing risk pre- and during travel, proper travel planning, preventing predictable incidents, and understanding and applying tactical emergency casualty care to injured people. Other ideas for concepts to include are welcome.
Scope of Work
Background
- Context and background.
- PSAT is critical for staff who conduct work in conflict zones, remote areas, in small groups or solo, and any combination of the above factors.
- PSAT offers the mechanism for staff to gain and practice skills in trip planning and casualty care in tactical settings.
- Project description.
- PSAT will empower staff to assess their own level of risk when traveling overseas on behalf of USIP.
- PSAT will empower staff to address injuries or other incidents under difficult circumstances.
- USIP expects to train 18 staff in June 2023 (from Niger, Senegal, Nigeria, France). This course is expected to last 3 days and will be held in Ivory Coast. Staff face terrorism, kidnapping, military threats, rape, etc. when travelling, and the training must teach them how best to respond to these extreme situations.
Scope
- Goals and objectives statement.
- PSAT is intended to provide staff with skills to assess and respond to their own risks and incidents while working for USIP in Niger, Senegal, and Nigeria.
- PSAT trainers are expected to understand the mission and vison of USIP and tailor the training to the nature of work that USIP conducts in Niger, Senegal, and Nigeria.
- Scope of work
- The provider will conduct a 3-day personal security and awareness training course in the second week of June 2023 in Cote d’Ivoire (West Africa).
The participants should leave with a good understanding of basic risk analysis and assessment, trip and contingency planning, travel safety, medical planning, and awareness of common threats/hazards and how to mitigate them. Common threats include but are not limited to: kidnapping awareness, car accidents, civil disturbance, illness/injury, sexual assault, and crime. The provider must be willing to collaborate with USIP to develop and tailor the course as needed.
The course will also provide medical training under the Tactical Emergency Casualty Care guidelines from a medical trainer qualified at the paramedic or physician’s assistant level. Medical training provided must include the following with lecture and hands on medical stations and scenarios:
- Medical planning for remote and urban environments
- Direct threat, indirect threat, and evacuation phases
- Primary and secondary surveys
- Basic triage
- Commercial and improvised tourniquets
- Wound packing techniques
- Positional airway interventions
- Use of commercial and improvised chest seals
- Improvised splinting for major fractures
- Other basic medical interventions for burns, minor fractures, minor bleeds, and illness in the field
The training provider will be responsible for developing a blended and holistic approach to security and medical training that includes discussion, lecture, media/videos, hands on training, and scenario-based training.
The training provider is required to provide medical training equipment to include professional moulage, fake blood, and make-up. USIP will provide training tourniquets, bandages, gauze, and other necessary equipment for 3-day course.
The training provider must develop and provide written training aides (booklet/curriculum) that participants can take home after the course and review in English and French. This written curriculum will be a summary of key points/best practices that participants should remember and review before travel and be tailored to USIP security protocols.
The trainers and USIP staff will coordinate and collaborate on written and live scenarios, so they are applicable to USIP staff needs and work environments, to include actors, sound effects, use of props and moulage, and locations.
Tentative Timeline
Deliverable
Estimated Due Date
Course curriculum
May 31, 2023
One time Course delivery
Estimated June 18, 2023
Financial and final report
Estimated June 23, 2023
Other Requirements
The team is composed of both English and French speakers. Training must be delivered primarily in English, but having a bilingual team is an asset.
Expected Type of Contract: Cost plus fixed fee.
Submission Requirements
To be considered under this RFP, please submit the following:
- Technical/Narrative Proposal (no more than 4 pages) The narrative proposal should include the following sections
- Past Experience: Describe at least two projects of similar scope and complexity the offeror has worked on previously. Provide a point of contact with telephone number and email address for each of the described projects.
- Overall Approach and Methodology: Based on the information provided, describe your proposed approach to training adult learners. Describe your approach to training security and medical topics for civilians working in conflict areas.
- Key Personnel, Staffing, and Specific Expertise: Describe the key personnel, their role, their level of knowledge, and how their experience is related and beneficial. Describe the overall staffing plan for the project. Please note that staff may be non-US citizens and do not require a security clearance. Describe your level of knowledge and years of experience in training NGO and/or US government entities operating in conflict environments. Describe your level of knowledge and years of experience in training adult learners on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care and personal security topics. USIP requires a minimum of two trainers per course with one specialized in security and one specialized in tactical medicine. The security trainer should have at least 10 years of experience (or equivalent through combined knowledge and expertise) in the security field and extensive experience traveling and/or working in austere, remote, and conflict areas. This experience can be from NGO, government, military, law enforcement, commercial, or a combination. This individual should also have at least 5 years’ experience training adult learners on security practices utilizing lecture, media, and scenario-based approaches. USIP’s security program emphasizes preventative and proactive measures. USIP emphasizes advanced medical training beyond basic first aid and CPR for preparation for travel to conflict areas. The medical trainer provided must meet the following criteria:
- 10 years of combined field and clinical experience (or equivalent through combined knowledge and expertise)
- Errors and omissions insurance
- Certified at a Physician’s Assistant or Paramedic level (or equivalent through knowledge and experience in another position)
- Have experience instructing scenario-based and lecture based Tactical Emergency Casualty Care to include use of professional, human-worn moulage, prosthetics, and make up.
- Curriculum Vitae For each of the key personnel, please provide a CV of no more than three pages. CVs will not count as part of the 4 pages of the technical proposal.
- Cost Proposal The cost proposal shall include a detailed budget and a budget narrative. Budget must be in US dollars and in a spreadsheet format (e.g., Excel). USIP allows non-profit organizations to include up to 15% indirect cost recovery on total direct costs for contracts.
- Financial Management Assessment Form Organizations must complete the Financial Management Assessment Form unless they have received Federal grants, contracts or cooperative agreements in the past two years and can provide their audited financial statement from their most recent fiscal year.
- Certification Page Complete and sign the Certification Page below and submit with the proposal.
Selection Process
Proposed Schedule
May 10, 2023
RFP released
May 16, 2023
Questions concerning RFP and project emailed to selvin@usip.org no later than 5pm EST.
May 18, 2023
Answers to questions will be made available to all offerors.
May 22, 2022
Proposals are due no later than 5pm EST. Late submissions may not be accepted.
May 25 2022
Notification to selected offeror
June 1 2022
Estimated project commencement date
The USIP Selection Committee will review all proposals received on time using the selection criteria established in this RFP based on the best value offered to USIP. The Selection Committee reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to award multiple contracts, and/or to enter into negotiations with any party, in the best interests of the Institute. The Institute may cancel this RFP at any time prior to contract award.
Proposals will be judged as follows. For more detail on each submission requirement, see the Submission Requirements section of this RFP.
Evaluation criteria
Corresponding Submission Requirement
Weight
Past experience
Detailed technical proposal
References
30%
Overall Approach and Methodology
Detailed proposal
35%
Specific Expertise
Detailed implementation plan & timeline
5%
Timeframe of implementation
Staff CVs
5%
Total cost
Detailed cost proposal
25%
General Instructions and Terms
- Complete proposals must be submitted by email to Aissatou Koulibali (akoulibali@usip.org) by 5pm on May 19, 2023.
- The Institute is not liable for any costs incurred by offerors prior to issuance of an executed contract with the Institute.
- Submissions must be typed and submitted electronically and must include all submission requirements outlined in the Submission of Requirements section of this RFP. No changes or corrections to a response will be allowed after the deadline.
- All submissions should be in English (and French if applicable) and US dollars.
- Any questions concerning this RFP should be directed to Sandra Elvin at selvin@usip.org. Pertinent responses will be made available to all offerors by email. No inquiries will be accepted after specified time and date.
- Any proposal not addressing all RPF requirements may be considered non-responsive. Late proposals may be rejected as non-responsive.
- This RFP is not an offer to enter into an agreement with any party, but rather a request to receive proposals from offerors (organizations or persons) interested in providing the services outlined herein. Such proposals shall be considered and treated by USIP as offers to enter into a contract.
- USIP shall not be obligated for the payment of any sums whatsoever to any recipient of this RFP until and unless a written contract between the parties is executed.
- Unless stated otherwise within this RFP, the selected Contractor shall be responsible for providing all equipment and/or supplies required to perform the services.
- The selected Contractor shall not discriminate against any person in accordance with Federal, state, or local law.
- The submission of any materials to USIP in response to this RFP will constitute (i) a representation that the Offeror owns or has unrestricted license to use and license such materials and all intellectual property expressed therein; and (ii) the grant of a non-exclusive license to USIP to use such materials and intellectual property for any purpose, including specifically the evaluation, negotiation, and documentation of a contract with any party.
- Offeror will commit to adhering to the attached USIP Terms & Conditions, else risk removal from consideration. Exceptions to these terms must be clearly outlined in an annex to the Technical Proposal. Please reach out to Aissatou Koulibali (akoulibali@usip.org )to request a copy of USIP Terms and Conditions if they are not attached to the solicitation.
Certification Page
(Please submit with the proposal)
A. The Offeror certifies that: (1) Prices in the offer have been arrived at independently without consultation, communication, or agreement with any other competitor; (2) Prices in the offer have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed by the offeror, directly or indirectly, to any other competitor before bid opening or contract award unless otherwise required by law; and (3) No attempt has been made or will be made by the offeror to induce any other competitor to/not to submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition.
B. Has the offeror received funding from USIP? Yes/No
If yes, provide the grant or contract number and the offeror’s main point of contact at USIP:___________________________________________________________________________________
On Behalf of Offeror:
Name of Organization or Independent Contractor
Signature of Authorized Official
Printed Name of Authorized Official
Title
Date
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