Role :   REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) : PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES
Location :   0. National
Company URL :   http://www.evidenceaction.org

Description:

EVIDENCE Action

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES TO EVIDENCE ACTION IN CAMEROON

Project Syphilis-Free Start (SFS)
Release Date 2" May 2025
Issuer Evidence Action
Document File EAC/RFP/B/052025/02
Supplier Response Date 9" May 2025
Approval
Name Designation Signatures Date
Evans M. Ithiria Director, Finance &

02/05/2025

Operations| African Region

Je
CR) o2orhas
Marinette Nemb Country Director | _

Dear Prospective Supplier

RE: Request for proposal for the Provision of Legal Services for Evidence Action Cameroon

You are invited to submit a tender for the provision of Legal services for Evidence Action Cameroon with
its office located on Nouvelle route Bastos, Behind Wonderland, Pink Building, 3rd Floor, Door 301,
Yaoundé- Cameroon.

By participating in this request, you are indicating your acceptance to be bound by the guidelines on pre-
contract negotiations set out in this letter and attachments. We provide below the key details of Evidence
Action requirements, which you should take into account in your response.

Please direct any questions regarding this RFP content or process to the Evidence Action representatives
named below. The Secondary Contact will be the lead for technical questions, specifically. You should
not contact other Evidence Action personnel unless directed to do so by the Evidence Action representative.
Evidence Action reserves the right to disqualify and reject proposals from suppliers who do not comply
with these guidelines. All questions should be submitted in writing to the email address below.

Only communications made by your Bid Manager (or their deputy) to our named representatives will be
taken into account during the pre-contract tender period.

1. Primary Contact is
Arouna Njoya
Senior Associate, Operations & Logistics| Cameroon
Email: procurement.cameroon(@evidenceaction.ore

2. Secondary Contact is
Frank Yawon
Manager, Operations| West and Central
Africa Region
Email:
procurement.nigeria(@evidenceaction.org

As part of this RFP process, Evidence Action makes no obligations in any Way to:
i) Pay any vendor for any RFP response: or
li) Award the contract to the lowest or any bidder; or
ii) Accept any RFP information received from vendors; or
iv) Include vendors responding to this RFP in any future invitation: or
v) Any other commitment to vendors whatsoever.

I look forward to receiving your response.
Yours sincerely,

Evans M. Ithiria

Director, Finance & Operations | Africa Region
Evidence Action

www.evidenceaction.org

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLAIMER

This document is proprietary to Evidence Action, the Information contained herein is confidential. Without
Evidence Action written permission, this document, either in whole or part, must not be reproduced in any
form or by any means or disclosed to others or used for the purposes other than its evaluation by vendors
invited to bid. It may not be disclosed to any third party outside of the agreed Confidentiality Agreement
with regard to ‘Permitted Recipients’.

Whilst care and attention has been exercised in the preparation of this document, it remains subject to
contract and all warranties whether express or implied by statute, law or otherwise are hereby disclaimed
and excluded. These limitations are not intended to restrict continuing business discussions between
Evidence Action and your organization.

Any proposal received by Evidence Action is subject to contract with Evidence Action.

Organization Background

About Evidence Action: Evidence Action has assumed management and growth responsibility for two
programs that are currently making a difference in the lives of millions of people in Africa and Asia: The
Deworm the World Initiative (DTW), In-Line Chlorination and Dispensers for Safe Water Initiative (DSW).
Evidence Action scales proven development interventions and crafts resilient business models for long run
success. More information on Evidence Action can be obtained from the organization’s website at
www.evidenceaction.org

OUR FLAGSHIP PROJECTS

Deworm the world initiative (DTW) actively supports the scale-up of school-based deworming programs
worldwide to improve children’s health, education, and long-term development.

INVITATION TO TENDER - GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

QUALIFYING CONDITIONS

The main criteria for admission to the tender are as follows:

Valid practicing licenses from relevant Bodies.

TIN, a MUST

Valid Cameroon Tax Clearance Certificate

Company Profile

Good track record and references from previous clients
6. A list of at least three clients operating in the NGO sector

Proof of the above must be provided.

PER

Eligibility of Applicants
Applicants cannot apply if they:
Are not registered companies.
Are bankrupt or in the process of going bankrupt.
Have not fulfilled obligations related to payment of taxes and other statutory charges and fees.

Have been found guilty of serious misinterpretation in supplying information.

Are in situations of conflict of interest. Conflict of interest MUST be disclosed to EVIDENCE
ACTION and vendors should only participate if approval is granted. Any family or commercial
relationship between the supplier and any member of the EVIDENCE ACTION Tender Committee
creates a conflict of interest.

Were declared at serious fault of implementation owing to a breach of their contractual obligations

Are on any list of sanctioned parties issued by the United States Government.

RESPONDENT INSTRUCTIONS

This section provides detailed instructions to be followed in responding to this RFP. Included are Response
Guidelines and EVIDENCE ACTION Contact Information.

FORMAT FOR SUBMISSION OF BIDS

You are required to submit the bid form (annex IL) in this document as part of your response.

You should submit the financial and technical proposals together in an electronic format to the email
below: procurement.cameroon(@evidenceaction.org

e Reference EAC/RFP/B/043025/02- Technical & Financial Proposals

Responses should be in PDF format and attached to the technical proposal. Your Bid Manager should certify
and sign all documents included in the response.

LANGUAGE OF BID

The bid, as well as all correspondence and documents relating to the bid, shall be written in English.

CURRENCIES OF BID
AIT prices shall be quoted by the Bidder in Central African CFA franc (XAF), unless otherwise stated.
BID VALIDITY

Bids shall remain valid for at least 90 calendar days after the date of the bid submission deadline as
prescribed by Evidence Action. A bid valid for a shorter period shall be rejected as non-compliant.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF BIDS

Deadline for submissions 09" May 2025 at 1Shrs00 to:
Senior Associate, Operations and Logistics
procurement.cameroon(@evidenceaction.org

Contract implementation date | To be communicated to the successful Bidder
Questions Questions  arising from this document should be sent to
procurement.cameroon(@evidenceaction.org

7

 
E

Action

Full contact details Senior Associate, Operations and Logistics, Cameroon
procurement.cameroon(@evidenceaction.org

Evidence Action Cameroon

Nouvelle route Bastos, Behind Wonderland, Pink Building, 3rd Floor,
Door 301, Yaoundé- Cameroon

LATE BIDS

Evidence Action shall not consider any bid that is submitted after the deadline for submission as stipulated.
Any bid received by Evidence Action after the deadline for submission of bids shall be declared late and
rejected.

CLARIFICATION OF BIDDING DOCUMENT

Questions relating to clarification of this RFP will only be accepted in writing to Evidence Action
representative. Likewise, all responses from Evidence Action will be written and may also be made
available to other vendors (subject to confidentiality). In the event that any answer materially affects the
RFP terms of reference, an amendment to the original requirement will be escalated to all vendors. Evidence
Action will attempt to answer any question within 3 working days of receipt of that request; otherwise, it
will respond within that time scale, notifying you of the estimated time to obtain the information.

AMENDMENT OF BIDDING DOCUMENT

Evidence Action reserves the right to modify the provisions of this RFP at any time prior to the scheduled
date for written responses. Additional scope and requirements can be added. Notification of such changes
will be provided to all vendors.

COST OF BIDDING

The Bidder shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of his Bid, and Evidence
Action shall not be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the bidding
process.

DEVIATION FROM ToR

Should you wish to propose a deviation from the Terms of Reference (ToR) please ensure that you clearly
identify and highlight where appropriate in your response.

DECLARATION

By submitting a response, you acknowledge that you understand the requirements and have sufficiently
addressed all aspects of the tender and that you have checked all stated details, such as prices, to be correct
and as intended.

Si

 
Action

EVALUATION CRITERIA

This section contains the criteria that Evidence Action shall use to evaluate and qualify tenderers. No other
factors, methods or criteria shall be used other than the ones specified in this tender document. The tenderer
shall provide all the information requested in the forms. Within each stage, an initial evaluation will
consider whether every instruction and requirement contained within the tender document has been

fulfilled.
STAGE 1: PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

Bidder shall be required to provide the following documents and the evaluation will be on pass/fail basis:

S/N | Mandatory Document

Pass/Fail

il Certificate of Registration

2 Valid practicing licenses from relevant Bodies.

3 Valid TIN

4 VAT certificate

5 Valid Tax Clearance Certificate

6 References from three previous clients

7 Company profile

NB: Only bidders who will provide all the preliminary requirements will proceed to technical

evaluation.

STAGE 2: TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

Firms' knowledge and experience of the International
Non-governmental Organization sector. With

The tenderers shall be evaluated based on the criteria indicated below. To Maximum | Score
qualifÿ for the financial stage, a bidder must score at least 75 marks at this level. | score attained
Evidence must be provided
Firm’s experience in i). Years in Business 10
the Provision of Legal . .
Serviese No. of years during which the firm has offered legal

services in the last 5 years (2 points for every year’s

experience up to a maximum of 10 years)

ii). Knowledge of the INGO sector 10

 
Evider

Action

particular reference to cultural, political, and socio-
economic context.

iii). Clientele base

5 reputable clients served in the last three (3) years:
Provide evidence of contracts agreements (2 points
per client with the right evidence, Zero for lack of
evidence)

10

iv. Dedicated Staff & Level of Experience

At least one senior lawyer with 10+ years of
experience in NGO/compliance law.

10

Delivery Time

i. Clear and timely Communication

Firm must provide clear timelines for providing
feedback to correspondents and inquiries on all
pending tasks.

10

The vendor must be willing to conclude all legal
check services, provide reports and recommendations
within a stipulated period as provided by the firm.

Quality

i.The vendor must be willing to provide a high-
quality sample of a previous related work done,
including value-added features such as proactive risk
mitigation strategies, bilingual support in
French/English. Must also show reliability from
services provided to previous clients.

10

ii. Anticipation of legal risks

Firm must provide practical and innovative
knowledge and solutions towards risks which can be
encountered operating as an INGO operating in
Cameroon

10

Cameroon-specific
capabilities

Our firm has represented international NGOs in
Cameroon tax disputes

Value for Money

i Accountability and transparency in fees

Firm must demonstrate transparency about its fee
structure and billing practices. Must be able to justify
their costs and demonstrate value for money. Should
provide affordable costing while meeting the criteria
outline in the Terms of Reference.

10

 
Action

ii. Pro bono or reduced fee services 5

The firm must show a commitment to the sector by
offering pro bono or significantly reduced fee
services. This reflects a genuine understanding of the
INGO's mission and resource constraints and can be
a strong indicator of their dedication to supporting
the non-profit sector.

Total Mark

100

STAGE 3: FINANCIAL EVALUATION

The commercial evaluation and final ranking of the bids will take into consideration the scope of the cover
in relation to the Quality, price, and payment terms, delivery time, and other pertinent terms and conditions
of tender. The price scoring formula will be (Lowest Compliant Bid Price / Vendor’s Bid Price) x 30%

STAGE 4: AWARD

The award will take into account both the technical and financial aspects.

Criteria Weighting Comments
Quality 55% Based on the quality ofthe service, works provided with evidence,
including added-value features
Price 30% Based on the total price quoted in the tender
Score — points available x (lowest price offered/vendor offer price)
Delivery Timelines 15% Ability to deliver based on the tender
Total Score 100%

You are reminded that throughout the process, EVIDENCE ACTION will continually assess all contact
with the bidder’s organization, including compliance with the process, presentations, and on-site
representatives. EVIDENCE ACTION reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify without further
considération any submission that does not satisfy these basic requirements.

ACCEPTANCE OF SUCCESSFUL TENDER

Taking into consideration the recommendation of the Tender Committee, EVIDENCE ACTION will make
the final choice of the awarded firm. EVIDENCE ACTION will then send a contract to the successful
applicant. After submitted documentation from the selected firm has been verified, the firm will then be

obliged to sign the contract for the stated amount. Any amendment to the awarded tender will be
documented as an “Annex” to the contract and will be determined by EVIDENCE ACTION.


BRIEFINGS FOR UNSUCCESSFUL PARTICIPANTS
Evidence Action intends to offer a formal notification to every Bidder submitting an unsuccessful proposal,
EVIDENCE ACTION reserves the right to control the format and content of any such notification, and to
limit it in any way believed by EVIDENCE ACTION to be appropriate (which includes, in exceptional
circumstances, the right to refuse a briefing without giving any reason for doing so).

Annex II
BID FORM

The annexed Bid form forms part of the RFP. Kindly use the Bid form for your response and attach
it to a copy of this signed ITT, and submit both in your response.
Attach any other relevant information not included in the Bid response forms.

DECLARATION BY VENDOR ORGANIZATION

]/We declare that to the best of my/our knowledge, the answers submitted in this tender (and any supporting
documentation) are correct. I/We understand that any misrepresentation will render my/our organization
ineligible to participate in EVIDENCE ACTION’ future tenders.

FORM COMPLETED BY (Bid Manager)

Name:

Position (Job Title):

Date:

Telephone number
> Office:
> Mobile:

Email:

Signature:

Stamp/Seal

Assistant Bid Manager

Name:

Position (Job Title):

Date:

Telephone number:
Email:

Signature:
Stamp/Seal


Objective:

To provide legal advice on issues affecting Evidence Action’s ongoing operations in Cameroon, including
but not limited to, contract law, fiscal law, tax law, property law, intellectual property and data security
law, commercial contracts, and corporate records management. The provider will also assist Evidence
Action in identifying and analyzing legal issues, negotiating and drafting key documents, presenting
recommendations, and ensuring legal and corporate compliance. All deliverables must be provided in
English, with French translations available upon request. This may include, but is not limited to, the
following:

1. Principal Inclusions (Work to be covered under this Agreement)

Legal advice services to be offered:

a.

Assist EVIDENCE ACTION in interpreting and advising on any laws, regulations, and policies of
Cameroon relevant to or affecting (or likely to affect) EVIDENCE ACTION’S operations in
Cameroon.

Proactively update on legislative changes that may affect EVIDENCE ACTION activities,
stakeholders, or beneficiaries through a bi-annual summary report on legislative changes and
developments in Cameroon.

Fulfillment of regular organizational registration and renewal requirements in Cameroon. This will
include providing advice on requirements, submitting documentation, and liaising on behalf of
EVIDENCE ACTION as required.

Provide an annual statement on EVIDENCE ACTION" legal status as part of audit requirements.

Conduct legal review of memorandum of understanding, contract templates, and final contracts for
procurement, works, services, sub-grants, human resources, and others as required.

Review Human Resource policies and procedures for legal compliance and advise on standard and
best practices.

Advice on employment-related issues under applicable employment and labor laws in Cameroon,
including, without limitation, reviewing employment contracts and advising on recruitment, hiring,
and termination requirements and practices in Cameroon.

Advise on all aspects of intellectual property law and data privacy and protection laws (or any
similar issues/areas of law) in Cameroon implicated by Evidence Actions activities and operations.
Advise on property rights under Cameroon law, including land acquisition, conveyancing, and
related matters.

Court filings, advise on responses to subpoenas, court orders, and requests for information from
third parties.

Negotiate and reply to legal notices and help EVIDENCE ACTION address issues out of court(s).
Support due diligence checks of partners or contractors as requested and appropriate.

Any other legal task as requested by EVIDENCE ACTION.

 
Specifically, the firm will carry out the following tasks:

Please fill up the requested information below, and any other responses in the format below.

Specifically. the legal firm will:

Cost

Notes/Comments

Advice on the most appropriate form of legal entity for Evidence Action in
Cameroon considering Evidence Action’s mission, non-profit/charity status,
prospective programming, and operating requirements, including without
limitation pros and cons of different legal forms, the required steps/processes
and timeline, corporate governance requirements, on ongoing operations and
compliance obligations, and other similar factors:

Advise on, and if requested, complete on Evidence Action’s behalf, all filing,
registration, and/or other requirements for establishing an appropriate legal
entity and otherwise legally operating in Cameroon:

Advise on, and if requested, apply on Evidence Action’s behalf for any related
business, tax, or other registrations necessary for Evidence Action to legally
operate in Cameroon, including, without limitation, NGO or PBO registration,
tax and tax exemption registrations, business licenses, etc.

As and when needed, advice on contracts, legal agreements, and/or other legal
documents to be executed by Evidence Action (and/or any Evidence Action
subsidiary or branch office that may be established in Cameroon in the
future). This may include, but is not limited to, Evidence Action’s obligations
when it has staff/consultants/contractors managed by Professional Employer
Organization, as well as other contracts and agreements that it mi ght enter into
in the course of business such as property leases and vendor contracts, as well
as memoranda of understanding with the government (and/or government
ministries, departments, or agencies), or other international or Cameroon
partners, etc.

As and when needed, advice on applicable employment and labor law
requirements, including without limitation review of employment contracts,
advising on labor code requirements concerning termination and severance, etc

Às and when needed, advice on applicable banking, finance, and tax
regulations, including without limitation foreign exchange considerations

As and when needed, advice on other legal questions or issues that may arise
depending on the decisions taken by Evidence Action

This is an invitation to offer and does not commit Evidence Action Inc. to accept any of the proposals
received or award the contract to any of the bidders, including but not limited to the lowest bidder.