Background

IRI is seeking quotations from qualified survey research firms for data collection for a series of focus groups on political and social issues in Moldova.Both international individuals/organizations and Moldovan individuals/organizations are encouraged to apply.The International Republican Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization dedicated to advancing freedom and democracy worldwide. Since 1983, IRI has worked to develop democratic institutions and ideals, carrying out a variety of international programs to promote freedom, self-government and the rule of law worldwide. IRI provides technical assistance in the areas of political party strengthening, developing civic institutions and open elections, promoting democratic governance and advancing the rule of law.

IRI’s work in Moldova is geared toward developing the capacity of political parties—with specific focus on internal structures and processes, financial compliance and outreach to voters. IRI’s programming seeks to strengthen the ability political leaders to organize themselves and effectively communicate and represent the Moldovan citizens. A key competent of this work is the regular public opinion research that IRI conducts in order to gauge public sentiment and in turn to inform political parties and local stakeholders on issues relevant to constituents.

Period of Performance

Date of signature – March 31, 2021

Statement of Work

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN MOLDOVA

Focus Groups on Political and Social Issues in Moldova

OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH

IRI is seeking to gather insights into various political and social issues in Moldovan society as a follow-up to IRI’s nationwide quantitative public opinion research.

These themes may include:

• Outlooks on the trajectory of the country (re: democratic development, economic performance and standard of living, etc.)

• Perceptions of the justice sector, corruption, and rule of law in Moldova

• Awareness of and perceptions of government reforms

• Citizen engagement in politics at the local and national level

• Additional or different issues as needed

IRI will provide more detailed informational needs with key research questions to be answered for each series of focus group discussions.

METHODOLOGY

The questions above are best addressed by a focus group study. Four series of six groups (twenty-four discussion groups in total), each lasting approximately 90-120 minutes and attended by 10 participants, should take place in communities determined in consultation with IRI (with at least one focus group in each series taking place within Chisinau). Two groups in each series will likely be conducted in Romanian and two groups in each series will likely be conducted in Russian, depending on participants’ preferences. IRI may opt to divide focus group participants by age to separate youth and non-youth for discussion.

All participants should be:

• At least 18 years of age and a generally equal gender balance

• Must be recruited from different neighborhoods or towns within the research location communities

• Participants in the same focus group session may not know one another.

• No participants may have participated in a focus group or in-depth interview study in the past 12 months.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OFFEROR

Offeror will be responsible for managing all logistical aspects of the project above and should engage local support staff as necessary to complete the following for each of the four series of focus group discussions:

• Screener. For each series, IRI will provide a draft screening questionnaire based on the specifications above at least two weeks before the proposed focus group sessions. The Offeror will review offer edits within three working days of receipt. Following IRI approval, the Offeror will translate the screener into Romanian and Russian. IRI reserves the right to review the translation prior to recruitment launch.

• Recruiting participants. For each series, offeror will recruit all participants according to the screening criteria listed above in consultation with IRI. At least one week prior to the start of the first focus group session, the Offeror will provide a brief description of the composition of the groups in terms of age, gender, occupation, etc. Offeror should recruit 8-10 participants for each group as well as 2-3 alternates in case any of the original participants are unable to participate. Allparticipants will be required to give written informed consent to participate in this study. IRI will provide draft informed consent language which may be adjusted by the bidder in order to conform to any specific legal requirements in the research country.

• Discussion guide. For each series, IRI will provide the draft discussion. Offeror will be welcome to offer suggestions for improvement and is expected to format and translate the discussion guide into Romanian and Russian. IRI reserves the right to review the translation(s). For at least one of the series, at least one week prior to the first planned session, the discussion guide will be piloted with a group of 8-10 pilot participants who fit the recruitment criteria. This pilot will be moderated by the same moderator who will moderate the actual groups. The pilot session(s) will be video (preferred) or audio recorded and the recording will be provided to IRI. The Offeror will prepare a 1-2 page pilot report, based on a template provided by IRI. Once IRI has reviewed the template, some modification of the discussion guide may be required.

• Focus group moderator. Offeror will provide a trained and experienced moderator for groups in each city. The moderators should familiarize him/herself with the topic of discussion prior to the groups. The moderator will participate in a training of up to 4 hours total with IRI staff.• Observation. The Offeror will provide for all groups a facility from which Romanian or Russian-speaking IRI staff may unobtrusively observe.

• Recording of focus group discussions. Audio and/or video record all aspects of research necessary for full and accurate data collection, transcript generation and inclusion of illustrative samples in the final analytical report. Offeror will film focus groups and film should be high quality with clear sound. If participants do not consent to videotaping, audio recordings are acceptable.

• Written summary of focus group discussions. For each series, offeror will provide a 2-3 page written summary of the focus group discussions in idiomatic English within one week after the final focus group session. A template will be provided by IRI.

• Transcripts. The Offeror will provide IRI with full verbatim transcripts in English of each group that will identify each participant speaker by number or first name to link each comment to the participant’s gender, exact age, education level, city and occupation.

• Written analytical report. For each series, offeror will analyze all discussions, and write and edit final analytic report as slide decks (see Deliverables) for review, editing and acceptance by IRI within four weeks of the final focus group session. IRI will provide a report template. The report is expected to synthesize findings across all participants and all discussion sessions, while noting to any major differences of opinions between participants and sessions. The report must present actual analysis (i.e. not mere description) and illustrative quotes from participants.

DELIVERABLES

For each series:

Finalized discussion guide (incl translation where applicable)

• Proposed Participant Profile

• Written summary as specified above.

• Full transcripts of all discussions as described above.

• Video/Audio recordings of the discussions with clear audio. Recording should be delivered to IRI electronically (for example via a file transfer service) or delivered to the local IRI office.

• Three identical analytic reports of 30-50 slides in MS PowerPoint (one in idiomatic English, one in Romanian, and one in Russian) which include a one or two page/slide executive summary (in English), addressing the research needs outlined above. This number can be adjusted downwards in consultation with IRI, but bidders should expect to provide reports with up to 50 slides.

TIMING

The focus group discussions will likely be held in January 2020, June 2020, August 2020, and November 2020; the exact timing needs to be determined in close consultation with IRI.

PROPOSAL CONTENT

Proposals should address the following points:

• List qualitative projects you conducted with similar specifications in this market

• Name and explain the role of subcontractors (if any), particularly if the applicant is an international individual/organization without a registered presence in Moldova.

• State if you are to comply with all requirements listed on this SOW without alterations. If any proposed alterations, explain.

• Describe recruitment plan

• Describe fieldwork quality assurance measures (if any)

• Describe analysis plan

• Provide proposed moderator(s)/ CV/Resume

• Describe anticipated challenges if any

Technical Proposals

All proposals submitted to IRI must include:

1. Information addressing Bidder’s experience in providing each of the services identified in the above Statement of Work and Bidder’s proposed specific approach for providing those services to IRI under this contract, including sufficient information to determine a clear definition of services as it relates to other providers that may be involved.

2. The name, address, and telephone and facsimile numbers of the Bidder (and electronic address if available). If the Bidder is a firm, name(s) should be provided for individuals authorized to conduct business on behalf of the firm.

3. Bidders may provide a list of up to three references for work performed of a similar nature during the last three years, along with contact details. IRI may contact the references to evaluate past performance.

4. If the Bidder is a U.S. organization/resident, or a foreign organization/resident which has income effectively connected with the conduct of activities in the U.S. or has an office or a place of business or a fiscal paying agent in the U.S., the information submitted must contain Bidder’s Taxpayer Identification Number.5. Proposals will not exceed 10 pages (not including cover page).Price ProposalsBidders must propose a firm-fixed Unit Price for each of the deliverables identified below and in the format of the table below. The Bidder’s pricing must be guaranteed through the expiration of this agreement. The proposed Unit Price should be fixed and inclusive of all costs to perform, including inspection services, transportation, taxes, import duties (if any), and other levies. To the extent that a Bidder proposed to include any pricing not reflected in the table below, such pricing must be fully described in the proposal. Proposals must be submitted in US Dollars (USD), payments under any resulting contract will be made in this currency by way of wire transfer. All costs to be incurred by the Bidder in completing this work, including any relevant taxes and fees (VAT 0%), should be included in the price.Unit/DeliverableUnit PriceSubmission of proposed participant profile, translated screener, and translated discussion guideCompletion of discussion guide pilotingCompletion of focus groups (6 discussions) as evidenced by written summary and full transcripts of all discussionsSubmission of full slide deck analytic reports, including executive summaryEvaluation and Award Process1. IRI may contact any Bidder for clarification or additional information, but Bidders are advised that IRI intends to evaluate the offers based on the written proposals, without discussions, and reserves the right to make decisions based solely on the information provided with the initial proposals. IRI may but is not obligated to conduct additional negotiations with the most highly rated Bidders prior to award of a contract, and may at its sole discretion elect to issue contracts to one or more Bidders.2. Mathematical errors will be corrected in the following manner: If a discrepancy exists between the total price proposed and the total price resulting from multiplying the unit price by the corresponding amounts, then the unit price will prevail and the total price will be corrected. If there is a discrepancy between the numbers written out in words and the amounts in numbers, then the amount expressed in words will prevail. If the Bidder does not accept the correction, the offer will be rejected.3. IRI may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the prices proposed are materially unbalanced between line items or sub-line items. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is significantly overstated or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. A proposal may be rejected if IRI determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk.

4. IRI will conduct a source selection based as follows:IRI intends to make an award to the responsible Bidder based on the following evaluation factors:

a) Technical evaluation, (including technical capabilities, proposed technical approach, and personnel qualifications) – 30 percent- Able to recruit participants drawn from all regions of Moldova.- Adequate English abilities to produce focus group reports in idiomatic English.- Able to conduct focus groups in Romanian and Russian.- Able to provide three references.- Capabilities of moderator(s) as evidenced by CV and proposal details.- English, Romanian, and Russian language skills.

b) Past performance and experience in performing similar projects – 40 percent- Relevant experience in politically focused or relevant focus group research in Moldova and/or the Eurasia region as demonstrated by CV and/or list of past projects- Quality of sample focus group report(s)

c) Price – 30 percent

IRI intends to evaluate Bidders’ proposals in accordance with these factors and make an award to the responsible Bidder whose proposal is most advantageous to the program.

5. If a cost realism analysis is performed, cost realism may be considered in evaluating performance or price.

Submission Instructions

Bids must be submitted via email to Teodora Graur, at tgraur@iri.org with the subject line “EURASIA2020MO07o RFP” by the deadline: 

Questions - Friday, January 3, 2020

Proposals - Thursday, Janury 8, 2020

RFP Terms and Conditions

1. Prospective Bidders are requested to review clauses incorporated by reference in the section “Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference”.

2. IRI may reject any or all proposals if such is within IRI’s interest.

3. Proof of costs incurred, such as but not limited to receipts, pictures and financial documents, may be requested during and for up to three years after the end of the contract period.

4. The Bidder’s initial proposal should contain the Bidder’s best offer.

5. Payment will be made upon receipt of invoices and deliverables/services.

6. Discussions with Bidders following the receipt of a proposal do not constitute a rejection or counteroffer by IRI.

7. IRI will hold all submissions as confidential and submissions shall not be disclosed to third parties. IRI reserves the right to share proposals internally, across divisions, for the purposes of evaluating the proposals.

8. For any currency conversion, the exchange rate to US Dollars listed on oanda.com on the closing date of this solicitation shall be used.

9. Every contract will contain provisions governing termination for cause and termination for convenience.

10. By submitting a proposal, offeror agrees to comply with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and agreement to the services identified above, and will specifically identify any disagreement with or exceptions to the terms, conditions, and provisions.

11. Offerors confirm that the prices in the proposal/proposal/application/quote have been arrived at independently, without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other Bidder or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition.

12. If IRI continues to require the goods and services and the price remains reasonable and within market norms, resulting contract may be renewed each year for up to 5 years with 30 days’ notice to the Contractor. Bidder must establish any price increase for each renewal year in the initial bid.

13. Bidders agree to disclose as part of the proposal submission:o Any close, familial, or financial relationships with IRI staff and agents. For example, the Bidder must disclose if a Bidder’s mother conducts volunteer trainings for IRI.o Any family or financial relationship with other Bidders submitting proposals. For example, if the Bidder’s father owns a company that is submitting another proposal, the Bidder must state this.o Any other action that might be interpreted as potential conflict of interest.

Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference

IRI is required to make the contractor subject to certain flowdown clauses of the prime award. This awarded contract will incorporate one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Where “flow-down” to the contractor is applicable, references to “USAID/Department of State” shall be interpreted to mean “IRI”, “Recipient” to mean “Contractor”, and “Subrecipient” to mean “lower-tier subcontractor.” Included by reference are the applicable provisions contained in Appendix II to 2 CFR Part 200 and USAID Standard Provisions for Non-US Non-governmental Organizations/US Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions.IRI ObligationsIssuance of this RFP does not constitute an award commitment on the part of IRI, nor does it commit IRI to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal or quotation.Required CertificationsThe following certificates need to be signed by all Bidders. These certifications are an integral part of the quotation/proposal. Please print them off and send back to us with your proposal after signature on each certificate. They are:• Certification regarding debarment, suspension, ineligibility and voluntary exclusion lower tier covered transactions• Authorized Individuals