Request for Quotations (RFQ) No. 230201
Release Date: 23/02/2015
For: Community Forests Program
Contractor: BioCarbon Partners –Community Forests Program
Funded by: United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
Cooperative Agreement No. AID-611-A-14-00001
S ECTION 1: I NTRODUCTION
BioCarbon Partners (BCP) is a social enterprise that engages in community-focused conservation work following a community based natural resource management (CBNRM) approach, with the aim of recognizing, empowering and benefitting local communities as “owners” of their own natural resources, to create sustainable incentives for conservation.
BCP is seeking a professional contractor to oversee and manage construction activities related to the refurbishment of an Agricultural Extension Officer’s House, in Mwanya Chiefdom, as a community-led
Partnership Project under the USAID-funded Community Forests Program (CFP). The contractor will be responsible for the following:
 Oversight of construction activities, including management of labour teams
 Preparation of a Bill of Quantities, and procurement and coordination of delivery of necessary materials
 Management of financial records in line with USAID and BCP financial reporting requirements
 Completion of the required structure, to specifications given by GRZ, donor and community partners.
The Standard Medium Cost for an Agricultural extension officer’s house as per Ministry of Agriculture specifications is three (3) bed rooms, a sitting room, dining room, a kitchen, toilet and bath room, and is estimated to be 110 sq. meters.
There is a dilapidated house on site which requires to be broken down and refurbishment to start at window level.
Tasks
- Development of clear refurbishment plan for Teacher’s House, in line with specifications provided by Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries–Lundazi District, USAID, community and BCP partners.
- Assessment of existing structure, and preparation of Bill of Quantities (BOQ) for materials needed, as well as labour needs and any other needs (ex: transport) related to the completion of this task.

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- Completion of procurement of materials necessary for this task; including delivery of materials to the building site, and management of inventory (to ensure items do not go missing).
- Hiring, oversight and management of labour teams.
- Completion of all tasks related to the refurbishment of the Agriculture Extension Officer’s House, in line with and to the standards provided.
Required / Preferred Qualifications
- Professional contractors / contracting companies with demonstrated experience constructing similar building (ie: teacher’s housing in rural areas, or similar).
S ECTION 2: I NSTRUCTIONS TO O FFERORS
1.
Offer Deadline : Offers must be received no later than 5:00PM on 11 March 2016 by email. All offers must be emailed to the Administrative Assistant mnmubuka@biocarbonpartners.com
Please reference the RFQ No. 230201 in any response to this RFQ. Offerors must submit completed
Sections 3, 4, and 5 below.
2.
Source/Nationality : All goods and services supplied under this order must meet USAID Geographic
Code 935 (any area or country but excluding prohibited sources) in accordance with the US Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR), 2 CFR §200 and ADS 310 . The cooperating country for this RFQ is Zambia.
Under no circumstances may items or items with components from the following countries be purchased: Burma [Myanmar], Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, North Sudan.
3.
Specifications : Section 5 contains the technical specifications of the required services/commodities.
All offered commodities must be new. In addition, all electrical commodities must operate on 220V,
50Hz; transformers will not be accepted. Auto-sensing, multi-voltage power supplies are preferable to single-voltage items.
4.
Descriptive Literature : Descriptive literature for all equipment is recommended. Descriptive literature means information (e.g., cut sheets, illustrations, drawings, brochures, etc.) that is submitted as part of an offer. Any discrepancy between written technical specifications in the RFQ and the literature must be clearly explained. The final specifications-determining instrument will be the completed Technical Specifications Sheets.
5.
Brand Names : Specific brands and/or models indicated—while often preferred—are for description only. An equivalent substitute, as determined by the specifications, will be acceptable.
6.
Warranty : Warranty service and repair within the cooperating country is required for all commodities under this RFQ. It is very important that these commodities be serviced with a well-established and capable local technology service provider. The technology service provider/local agent must be an official provider, authorized dealer, or certified service provider or reseller of the brand offered. The warranty coverage must be valid on all commodities for thirty-six (36) months after delivery and acceptance of the commodities.
7.
Delivery : Delivery terms are stated in section 5. The delivery estimate presented in an offer in response to this RFQ must be upheld in the performance of any resulting contract.

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8.
Quotations : Prices must be quoted on a lump-sum, all-inclusive basis, including packing, insurance, inspections, delivery, etc. Offers must remain valid for not less than thirty (30) calendar days after the offer deadline.
Any purchase order issued by BioCaborn Partners on behalf of the USAID funded Community Forests
Project, is free and exempt from any taxes, tariffs, duties, or other levies imposed by the laws in effect in Zambia. Offerors shall not assess any cooperating country taxes, duties, levies, etc. from which this
USAID program is exempt.
9.
Eligibility : By submitting an offer in response to this RFQ, the offeror certifies that it and its principles are not debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment by the U.S. Government. BioCaborn
Partners will not award a contract to any firm or firms’ principals who are debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment by the U.S. Government.
10.
Negotiations : Best-offer quotations are requested. It is anticipated that awards will be made solely on the basis of these original quotations. However, BioCaborn Partners reserves the right to conduct negotiations and/or request clarifications prior to awarding a contract.
11.
Evaluation and Award : The award will be made to a responsible offeror whose offer follows the RFQ instructions, meets the source/nationality requirements, and is judged to be the lowest-priced, technically acceptable offer.
12.
Terms and Conditions : This is a Request for Quotations only. Issuance of this RFQ does not in any way obligate BioCarbon Partners or USAID to award a purchase order, nor does it commit BioCaborn
Partners or USAID to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal.
This solicitation is subject to BioCarbon Partners’ standard terms and conditions. Any resultant award or purchase order will be governed by these terms and conditions. Please note that BioCarbon
Partners standard payment terms are net 30 days after receipt and acceptance of any commodities/deliverables.

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S ECTION 3: L ETTER OF T RANSMITTAL
The following cover letter must be completed and submitted in any offer:
To: BioCarbon Partners
PO Box 50830
Plot 1288, Mambilima Rd.(Off Lagos Road)
Lusaka, Zambia
Attention: Administrative Assistant
Subject: Proposal from Company or Consultant Name
Reference: RFQ no. 230201
Date: ( insert date )
Company Name hereby proposes the attached offer to perform all work required to complete the scope of work as described in the above referenced RFQ. Please find attached our offer, as called for in the RFQ.
We hereby acknowledge and agree to all of the terms and conditions, special provisions, and instructions included in the above referenced RFQ. We further certify that Company Name, as a firm—as well as the firm’s principal officers and all commodities and services offered in response to this RFQ—are eligible to participate in this procurement under the terms and conditions of this solicitation and under USAID regulations.
We hereby certify that the enclosed representations, certifications, and other statements are accurate, current, and complete.
( insert company name )
Company Name/Independent consultant
( insert name and title )
Name and title of authorized representative
____________________________________
Signature
( insert date )
Date

I.
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S ECTION 4: O FFEROR
’
S S UMMARY S HEET
The following information must be completed and submitted in any offer:
Name of Offeror:
DUNS No.:(If applicable)
Address:
Telephone/Fax No.:
Offeror Country of Nationality:
II. International warranty on all commodities? (If applicable)
Copy of warranty terms/conditions included? (If applicable)
How many years for the warranty? (If applicable)
III.
____yes _____no
Authorized agent in COUNTRY for service, warranty, etc., if applicable:
____yes _____no
_______ years
A. Name(s):
B. Address(s):
C. Telephone No.(s): Fax No.(s):
D. Contact:
IV.
V.
Source of equipment
The offered equipment will be shipped from: _______________________
Delivery time
TOTAL delivery estimate (after receipt of order) _______ calendar days
(NOTE: Delivery data must be honest, accurate, and upheld in any resulting order.)
VI. Total price ZMW____________
(NOTE: A breakdown of costs must be included as an attachment.)
( insert company name )
Company Name
( insert name and title )
Name and title of authorized representative
Signature
( insert date )
Date

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S ECTION 5: S PECIFICATIONS
Scope of works :
Staff House;
 Carefully remove existing iron sheets and put aside as directed by site supervisor,
 Knock out the existing brick wall from the top to a height of 1200 mm and reconstruct
 Mend all existing cracks to the superstructure by pinning them with re-enforcement wire Ø 10 mm round bars
 Construct reinforced ring beam to the whole structure after window level. Thickness of the beam should not be less than 200 mm
Excavation and concrete as described;
 Excavate surface trenches not exceeding 800mm deep from the reduced levels and insert ant guard and strong cement sand mixture preferably 1:3.
 Backfilling around foundations, column base, in layers not exceeding 200 mm thick with approved selected materials arising from the excavation, well-watered and compacted to 90% modified
 Cast mass concrete base 600mm wide and 100mm thick laid to receive three brick dish drain and apron as described
 Construct dish drain with concrete bricks and cement mortar 1:3.
 Insert damp proof membrane before casting the slab
 Cast concrete slab to the structure including veranda to a thickness of 120 mm. Mix 1:3:3
1)
Brickwork and Plastering;
Brickwork in 200mm with cement, Mortar 1:4 mix as described below
 Raise the height of the external wall by 1200 mm and do beam filling after fixing the spider trusses
 Raise also internal walls 500 mm above the ring beam
 Re-enforce structure with brick force wire every 3 courses
 Construct a veranda on the front elevation of the house 1500 x 2000 mm with 2 pillars supporting the roof structure and dwarf walls on the sides
 Apply plaster to both internal and external walls to cover all surfaces.
2)
Roof Covering;
Shall be of corrugated galvanized Iron Sheets
 Galvanized Iron roofing sheets 0.5 gauge fixed with j-hooks
 The spider trusses are tied firmly with tying wire to the superstructure.
 Covering of roof slopes not exceeding 45 degrees, 225 mm end laps, two corrugation side lap including square cutting and waste
 Ditto but galvanized ridge capping
3)
Carpentry and Joinery;
Metal Work
 Metal window frame 9C6H/9F12H/9C6H (9 glass)
 Metal window frame 9C6H/9C6H (6glass)
 Metal window frame 9C6H (3 glass)
 Steel door frames (standard)
Sundries
 Supply window fasteners and fix as described by the site supervisor
 Ditto but window handles

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4)
Joinery and Iron Mongery;
 Hardwood doors size 800 x 1960 x 44mm
 Hollow core flush doors 800 x 1960 x 44mm
 3 Lever Mortice Locks (Union type)
5)
Floor and Wall Finishing;
 Apply 38 mm sand cement screed laid flat on concrete slab
 To walls externally rough cast Tyrolean plaster on wall surfaces
6)
Glazing;
 Glazing to metal window frames with and including putty as described
 4mm clear glass in panes over 0.10 square but not exceeding 0.50 square metres
7)
Painting and Decorating;
 To plastered walls internally. One undercoat and two coats gloss paint as directed by on site supervisor.
 To plastered walls externally as directed by on site supervisor.
 Prepare and apply two coats PVA and skirting with black bituminous paint as directed by on site supervisor
 To iron mongery. Prepare and apply metal priming coat and apply one undercoat and two coats gloss paint.
 To wooden doors apply varnish in 2 coats according to manufactures instruction.
Double VIP Construction:
1)
Siting, Setting Out and Excavation;
The VIP latrine should be sited in accordance with the EMMP. The latrine should be 80m from drinking water sources to avoid contamination. The VIP should be sited at least 6m from dwelling house. The latrine should be symmetrical to other existing structures. In short setting out of the latrine should be orderly. All corners of the pit to be set out at 90 degrees using appropriate methods and diagonals need to be equal. Pit excavation is a very important step in construction of the VIP latrine. Setting out of the VIP latrine should include additional
0.4m for both the length and width to provide for space for soak away stones. Excavation in pickable materials should be to a depth of 3m. Disposal of surplus excavated materials by removing them from the site.
2)
Substructure;
A concrete footing strip 0.2m deep and 0.6m wide with mix ratio of 1:3:6 is laid at the bottom of the pit in accordance with the relevant drawing. The footing is subjected to vibration until all air bubbles are expelled out. The concrete footing is the cured for 14 days by pouring water every two hours. Construction can commence 24hours after laying of footing and curing should be done as alongside construction. The wall should be 1 one brick wall and brick force wire should be introduced at every third course using the ratio of
1:3. The substructure walls should have honey combs. A ring beam should be introduced when the substructure wall is 2.2m high. The ring beam should run the whole length of the VIP and should measure 0.2m by 0.2m. It should be reinforced with Y12 bars and supported with stirrups of R6. After the ring beam, block work continues until the structure is 0.25m above ground level.

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3)
Concrete Works (Slab Level);
A reinforced concrete slab is cast on top of the substructure. Y12 reinforcement bars are placed at 0.2m center to center and tied with black tying wire. The recommended concrete mix ratio is 1:2:4 and should be 0.1m thick. In addition, a 0.2m x 0.1m under beam is attached as a support at the section where the rear superstructure wall is positioned. The slab extends by 2 inches all-round the substructure slab and forms the ant guard (ant course). The under beam is also reinforced with Y 12 bars. The reinforced concrete slab should be cured for 21 days.
4)
Superstructure (Brickwork);
The VIP latrine provide for external vent pipes and a space of 0.5m is provided behind. The superstructure walls are also made out of a single brick wall with brick force wire placed every after three courses. The recommended mix ratio for superstructure is 1:4.
5)
Roofing;
Appropriate roofing sheets to be used and supported with angle lines and J hooks.
Flooring, Plastering and Wall Finish;
19mm plastering is applied on interior and exterior walls with ratio 1:4 mortar mix, followed by Steel float finish for interior walls and a wood float for exterior walls to be used. Tyrolienne (rough casting) is applied on exterior walls only at 2m height and bellow. All walls to be painted are applied with under coat paint. Green gloss is applied as a skirting and above cream gloss paint is applied. Externally PVA terracotta paint is applied above the rough cast on the exterior wall. The wall to be plastered and rough cast applied on external wall below lintel and above painted with Terracotta. The floor screed should be 40mm thick. The floor is very important in ensuring that good sanitary conditions are maintained inside the latrine. The contractor / artisan should ensure that inside the toilet compartment, the floor should slop towards the squat hole so that water and urine should quickly flow into the squat hole (to avoid stagnation of urine). The passage of the VIP latrine should slop outwardly so that rain water and water used to clean the latrine flows outside.
6)
Apron and Ramp;
The apron forms the drainage part of the VIP latrine and allows water to drain away from the facility. The apron slops away (chamfered) from the latrine. The concrete apron is 0.4m wide and just like all concrete works it must be constructed according to 1:2:4 mix ratio. Before the concrete is placed, the soak away stones should be covered with damp proof membrane and then well-watered and compacted laterite hardcore filling.
7)
Plumping Works;
The floor in the wash room should slant to the back; towards the floor drain which is connected to the gulley trap and lead to a soak away outside of the VIP latrine.
8)
Soak Away Pit;
The soak-away shall consist of a pit with sidewalls lined with 100mm (4") sandcrete blocks with weep holes.
The depth of the pit shall be between 0.8m and 1.0m. The pit shall be filled with hard stones of 50-75mm diameter.
The blocks will be tested by being soaked overnight then dropped from shoulder height, if the block breaks the batch will be rejected.
Shortlisted candidates will be requested to travel to visit the proposed Agriculture Extension Officer’s House in
Mwanya Chiefdom, to prepare a BOQ of materials needed, as well as to submit a quote for proposed labour costs and all other costs relevant to the completion of this task.