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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (R F P)

Strategic Operational Review

C O M P ET IT I VE

B I D I N F OR MA T I ON Proposal Due Date:

Wednesday 31st March 2021

2 | www.shelterbox.org

C ONTENTS

What we do 3

Introduction 4

Project Summary

How we work 6

Objectives & Deliverables 6

Contact Information 9

Timeline 9

Bidding process 10

Terms & Conditions 10

3 | www.shelterbox.org

WH AT WE D O

ShelterBox provides emergency shelters, tools

and other essentials so families can rebuild after

disaster.

We work with people all over the world who’ve lost

their homes to all kinds of disasters – floods,

earthquakes, hurricanes, conflicts. We go where

people are vulnerable, so you’ll often find us in

challenging places that are overlooked by others. But

wherever we are, we know one thing is always true:

hope grows when you have a place to call home.

We talk to families to find out what’s needed, then we

do everything we can to make it happen. Led by what

we’ve been told, we provide tents, tarpaulins, tools,

lights, blankets, water containers, mosquito nets and

more – whatever’s needed to give people a place that

feels safe. And because we’re 100% focused on

emergency shelter, we know what’s worked in

previous disasters and we’re always looking for new

ways to have even more impact on people’s lives.

W H A T W E D O

When ShelterBox was set up back in 2000, we used to

hand-pack all our ShelterBoxes from our home in

Cornwall, UK. Over the years, we’ve learned that

sometimes we can help more people more effectively

by sending aid that’s not in our boxes. But our focus

on emergency shelter has never changed – and it

never will.

Because shelter is a starting point. It’s a place to sleep

and stay warm or stay cool, but it’s so much more than

that too. It’s a place to feel safe, to feel at home, to

have space and time to yourself after days or weeks of

chaos. It’s a place to start earning money, to feel in

control and begin planning how you want the future to

look.

Having a place to call home is the first step towards

rebuilding your life. We’re here to help as many people

as possible discover just how powerful that can be.

“We deliver the essentials

people need to rebuild their lives

in the aftermath of a disaster”

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INTR OD U CTI ON

1 . B A C K G R O U N D

ShelterBox Trust is an international disaster relief NGO working

predominantly in acute emergency response in the areas of

shelter, hygiene and COVID-19 prevention. ShelterBox is

headquartered in the UK but has affiliate offices in a number of

countries including U.S., Canada, Germany, Sweden, France,

Norway, Finland, Denmark, NZ, Australia, Netherlands, and

Belgium/Luxembourg.

ShelterBox’s current three-year strategic cycle ends in 2021

and we are undertaking a strategic review to set us up for the

next four years. This strategic review seeks to realign our

expectations with a changing and increasingly uncertain world,

and will cover four thematic areas:

• T H E M E 1 : P U R P O S E

• T H E M E 2 : O P E R A T I O N A L D E L I V E R Y

• T H E M E 3 : I N C O M E A N D

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

• T H E M E 4 : P E O P L E A N D S U P P O R T

( I T , P E O P L E & T R A I N I N G ,

F I N A N C E )

The purpose of this RFQ is to invite bids for the consultancy

support required to deliver Theme 2, but also acknowledges

the broader strategic review and the need for alignment within

the overall strategic direction and purpose that will be mapped.

We are seeking a well-rounded consultant or consultancy with

significant experience of programme management, change

management and funding source management to carry out a

wide-ranging review of ShelterBox’s operational activity and to

provide clear, implementable recommendations in line with our

overall strategic review.

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2 . PRO JECT SUM M ARY

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2 . 1 H O W W E W O R K

ShelterBox’s response model is primarily

focussed on shelter needs for communities

affected by acute disasters including conflict

and is led by the Operations Department. Aid is

delivered either by emergency response teams

(ShelterBox Response Teams, or SRTs) which

are a combination of trained volunteers and

staff, or by implementing partners ranging from

INGOs, Red Cross Movement or local NGOs.

Currently, 51% of our response work is made

up of protracted emergency projects in long-

running displacement contexts such as

Cameroon, Somalia, Syria, and Nigeria. Our

protracted response work is delivered in

conjunction with in-country partners. Our

reactive responses are rarely longer than three

months and are predominantly led by SRTs,

though these still involve partners to enable

better local knowledge and community access.

Given the short-term acute emergency nature

of our work, ShelterBox does not manage a

network of country offices, and maintains only

one field office in the Philippines, where

cyclical weather patterns have warranted

regular responses.

Funding for responses has historically been

majority unrestricted, with particular spikes in

income around major disasters where we have

successfully benefited from the acute

emergency response profile of our work.

However, this funding trend is changing, with

growing fund transfers from large ShelterBox

affiliates like ShelterBox USA being received

as restricted funding, as well as active

exploration of institutional funding possibilities

for the organisation. We have also seen an

untypical lack of frequency of major disasters,

with the last qualified ‘major’ response in the

Nepal earthquake in 2015.

We have consequently spent time in 2020 to

put in place new policies and preparedness

work to better absorb institutional funding, as

well as building systems to manage a greater

percentage of restricted funding in our

response work.

ShelterBox has also seen a growth in weather-

related emergencies and whilst major disasters

are less visible in the public eye, there are

growing numbers of medium-scale

emergencies to which we are responding, with

the diversity of locations likely to grow as the

climate changes. Our current ‘decision to

respond’ criteria do not preclude responding in

any particular context, including the developed

world, however historically this has rarely

occurred given the high threshold of need and

lack of local capacity that would warrant that

response. It may be necessary to review this in

the future.

We have been an effective partner to many

organisations who have helped us deliver aid

on behalf of our donors, where risk has

prohibited us from delivering aid directly. This

has been most acutely seen in 2020, when due

to COVID-19 partners helped us remotely

deliver all of the aid. We now view partnership-

led response as a complementary model to our

SRT deployment model, with a growing culture

developing around effective partnership

management.

Recent internal assessments of our response

models and ways of working have

recommended the creation of a Programme

Board and a new accountability and

management structure for our project and

programme delivery which will decentralise

budget management and project delivery to

desk officer and programme manager level.

However, this has not yet been introduced to

the whole organisation and will need to be

reviewed, developed and embedded.

2 . 2 O B J E C T I V E S & D E L I V E R A B L E S

The consultant(s) will report to the CEO and

work closely with Operations Department

stakeholders to develop a strategy for our

operational delivery.

The consultant(s) will work with the Operations

team to further develop their operational

delivery enhancement project, resulting in a

clear and consistent project and programme

management model for every level of

humanitarian delivery, and clarified

accountabilities across the teams within the

Operations Department.

Following consultations with key individuals

within Operations, you will also be expected to:

• Provide recommendations on all of our

field delivery model options and their

future relevance, particularly in the

context of the localisation agenda. The

models you will be expected to assess

are partnership-led implementation, the

SRT model, and country office or other

field structures.

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• Provide recommendations on how we

optimise MEAL as well as devolving

responsibilities for measurement at

every level of the Operations

Department.

Given the importance of unrestricted funding to

our model of rapid, flexible humanitarian

delivery, as well as the reality of diversification

into new restricted sources of income, the

consultant(s) will deliver tailored advice on how

to manage different funding sources in

humanitarian project planning and cost

recovery, including recommended ratios of

restricted to unrestricted funding. The

consultant(s) will ultimately ensure that

ShelterBox is equipped with a project and

programme delivery model that supports

effective and timely management of restricted

sources of income.

The consultant(s) will also work with wider

organisational stakeholders where their work

impacts or is impacted by Operational activity.

These cross-organisational activities will be:

Identify and define an approach to key

Fundraising and Communications requirements

for and from Operational activities. This may

include support on creating fundable proposals

from reactive and protracted responses in a

timely way, to considering deployable

communications resources in order to raise the

profile of ShelterBox humanitarian

programmes.

Clarify the role and accountability of Finance

staff in the project and programme delivery

structure. Define best practice budget

management within the Operations Dept.

Working closely with the HR Director and the

Head of Risk, Safety and Security, develop a

clear structure for SRT volunteer management

in the context of fast evolving deployment

needs. Conduct a review of what training is

required for deployable roles. Help onboard

existing organisational EDI recommendations

into Operations thinking and planning.

Work with the CEO and Board to provide

recommendations on the potential way in which

ShelterBox might respond in developed

countries which face humanitarian disasters

(potentially as a consequence of climate

change).

The consultant(s) will be required to work with

key internal and external stakeholders, as well

as gather key informant data from external

sources such as comparable NGOs,

humanitarian professionals and other agencies

operating in similar contexts to ShelterBox.

2 . 3 P R O J E C T S T A G E S

We anticipate that the project will include:

• A desk review of our internal data including response delivery documentation, post-distribution monitoring reports, impact reports, internal reviews etc, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.

• Stakeholder analysis and engagement with the global ShelterBox movement (affiliates and SRT volunteers) as well as other external stakeholders (implementing partners and similar sized humanitarian agencies). We anticipate this could involve up to 20 different stakeholders, though some participants may be interviewed in groups.

• Creation of a well-developed draft report containing all recommendations and deliverables.

• Presentation of the draft report to the CEO and other key stakeholders.

• Revisions to the draft report based on feedback following the presentation.

• Tailoring of the final report and recommendations in the context of conclusions in the wider strategic review (Themes 1,3 & 4), as well as providing input into that review based on insights from this workstream. The overarching Strategic Review may recommend new areas of delivery e.g. urban displacement response, cash assistance or key areas of emergency WASH engagement.

2 . 4 C O M P L E T I O N D A T E

The presentation of the well-developed draft

report will be required by the end of June

2021.

Edits to the draft report based on coordination

with the other workstreams will be required in

July with the final report submitted and

approved no later than Friday 30th July 2021.

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2 . 5 L O C A T I O N

The work is expected to be carried out

remotely and need not be UK-based. The

supplier will only be asked to travel to the

Cornwall HQ should COVID-19 rules allow and

if it’s deemed essential to the success of the

project.

All expenses for travel must be approved by

ShelterBox in advance and must be in line with

our Travel Expenses policy.

2 . 6 B I D R E Q U I R E M E N T S

To bid for this work, please include the

following:

• An overview of your previous work and

your areas of expertise, including

relevant success stories.

• A clear overview of who would be

involved in delivering the work.

• A detailed outline of your approach to

the project objectives and deliverables

listed in Section 2.2 and 2.3.

• A breakdown of the milestones and

timings you would commit to.

• A detailed breakdown of costs for each

milestone, including the estimated

number of days/hours required, along

with hourly and day rates for each

consultant involved.

• Information about your expectations for

ShelterBox. What would you need from

us for you to be able to deliver to the

highest standards?

Bidding for this RFP will be conducted via e-

mail with all documents in PDF format.

Suppliers must bid based upon the

requirements detailed in Section 8 of this RFP.

The contents of responses and the provisions

of this RFP will be available for inclusion in

final contractual obligations.

2 . 7 R O L E O F S H E L T E R B O X

ShelterBox will define the contents of the RFP,

approve Suppliers to bid, make all award

decisions and notify all awarded recipients.

2 . 8 C O N F I D E N T I A L I T Y

All information contained in this RFP is

confidential and may not be disclosed,

published or advertised in any manner without

written authorisation from ShelterBox.

All RFP documents remain the property of

ShelterBox. ShelterBox and any third parties

acting on behalf of ShelterBox will consider the

responses to this RFP confidential. Suppliers

who do not honour these confidentiality

provisions will be excluded from participating in

future ShelterBox supply opportunities.

2 . 9 S U P P L I E R T I M E & E X P E N S E

All time and expense incurred by the Suppliers

for this RFP are the responsibility of the

Supplier and will not be reimbursed by

ShelterBox.

2 . 1 0 D I S C L A I M E R S

ShelterBox makes no claim or guarantee

that this RFP process and/or submission

of a proposal will result in the award of any

contract.

ShelterBox further advises all suppliers that

ShelterBox may accept any proposal as

submitted; however, ShelterBox reserves the

right to request best and Final Offers.

ShelterBox may enter into negotiations with

more than one supplier simultaneously, and

award the business to any supplier in

negotiations without prior notification to any

other supplier. ShelterBox is under no

obligation to reimburse suppliers for any costs

incurred in the course of responding to this

RFP. Even though your response may be

rejected, ShelterBox reserves the right to utilise

any concepts or ideas contained therein,

without incurring any liability.

ShelterBox reserves the right to amend the

RFP in any manner prior to the contract award.

At which time, ShelterBox will notify all

suppliers in this event. ShelterBox also

reserves the right to share with any consultant

(other than those of a competitor of any of the

suppliers involved in this process) of our

choosing the RFP and any responses in order

to secure expert opinion.

2 . 1 1 N O W A R R A N Y O R

R E P R E S E N T A T I O N

Prospective Suppliers shall not take advantage

of any apparent errors or omissions in the RFP

documents. In the event that any errors or

omissions are discovered, the Supplier shall

notify ShelterBox immediately.

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3 . CO NT ACT I NFO RMAT I O N

3 . 1 S H E L T E R B O X C O N T A C T

Name: Rosie Burrows

Position: Senior Buyer

Department: Procurement

E-Mail: tenders@shelterbox.org

4 . T I ME L I NE Suppliers interested in bidding should complete

the following steps in chronological order. All

times relate to UK time zones: GMT or BST

from 28th March.

4 . 1 S U B M I T R F P Q U E S T I O N S

Submit any questions regarding this RFP via

email to tenders@shelterbox.org.

You may also request an online meeting to

discuss the project.

Deadline for questions and video calls:

4pm Tuesday 23rd March 2021

4 . 2 S U B M I T W R I T T E N B I D S

Submit your bids for all elements of the project

listed in Section 2 by sending this to

tenders@shelterbox.org.

Due Date: No later than midday on

Wednesday 31st March 2021

4 . 3 P R E S E N T A T I O N O F

S H O R T L I S T E D B I D S

ShelterBox will review all responses to this

RFQ and create a shortlist of bidders. We will

be in touch to arrange a call to discuss

shortlisted bids in more depth. The calls will

take place on:

Thursday 8th April – Monday 12th April 2021

If your bid has not been shortlisted, you will be

informed of this by 5pm on Wednesday 7th

April 2021.

4 . 4 T A R G E T A W A R D D A T E

ShelterBox will inform all bidders of the

outcome no later than:

5pm Wednesday 14th April 2021

4 . 5 T A R G E T S T A R T D A T E

Upon successful completion of contracts. It is

expected that the work will commence on:

Monday 26th April 2021

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5 . B I DDI NG P RO CE S S

5 . 1 I N V I T A T I O N S T O B I D

ShelterBox has pre-qualified all suppliers

invited to respond to this RFP. There will be

one supplier for the contract, however

ShelterBox reserves the right to place orders

with another supplier for additional

requirements where deemed necessary.

This RFP does not constitute an offer by

ShelterBox.

5 . 2 B I D P R I C I N G F O R M A T

To be able to award this bid, we require you to

provide us with pricing for all applicable

elements in Section 2, breaking down each

cost into as much detail as possible.

5 . 3 R F P U P D A T E S

ShelterBox intends to provide all Suppliers with

complete and accurate information about this

supply opportunity. If ShelterBox obtains any

additional material information, including

responses to individual Suppliers’ questions

that could affect other Suppliers, this

information will be made available to all

participants through an RFP update via e-mail.

Only written responses from ShelterBox will be

considered part of the official RFP document.

Information exchanged in verbal conversations

will not be binding unless the information is

confirmed in writing.

6 . P O S T B I D S T EP S AND

AWA RD DE CI S I O NS

6 . 1 A W A R D N O T I F I C A T I O N S

The ShelterBox contact referenced in Section 3

of this RFP will make all award notifications.

Each bid submitted by a Supplier shall

constitute an offer to supply in accordance with

this RFP.

ShelterBox notification of award to the selected

supplier will be followed by the formation of a

binding contract between ShelterBox and the

selected supplier based upon the Terms and

Conditions of ShelterBox’s Master Professional

Services Agreement (Section 9).

6 . 2 A W A R D D A T E

Award decisions will be made no later than the

date listed in the Timeline (Section 4), upon

satisfactory completion of the ShelterBox

qualification process. All bids submitted

through the competitive bidding process shall

remain valid firm and subject to unconditional

acceptance by ShelterBox until award

notifications are issued.

6 . 3 A W A R D D E C I S I O N S

ShelterBox plans to award this business to a

supplier based upon technical ability and best

value and not necessarily on price alone.

7 . CO MME R CI AL

S P E CI F I CAT I O N S

7 . 1 S T A N D A R D T E R M S A N D

C O N D I T I O N S

The terms and conditions of ShelterBox’s

Master Professional Services Agreement

(Section 9.0) will apply to the project.

7 . 2 E F F E C T I V E D A T E O F P R I C I N G

Price will be in effect from the commencement

of this RFP and remain until the contract is

complete.

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8 . T E RMS AND C O NDI T I O NS

O F S HE LT E RBO X ’ S MAS T E R

P RO FE S S I O NAL S E RV I CE S

AG RE E ME NT

ShelterBox’s Master Professional

Services Agreement is available upon request

to all bidders. The supplier awarded this

contract will be required

to sign and adhere to this agreement.

9 . B I LL I NG S T RUCT URE

Supplier shall provide the most competitive

rate possible while still maintaining the ability

to provide ShelterBox a quality service as listed

in this RFP. In addition, submitted bid

proposals shall in no way compromise,

minimise, nor eliminate the requirements listed

in the other sections of this RFP. Finally, all

proposals deemed unrealistic by ShelterBox for

rate or service reasons will be rejected.

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ShelterBox

Falcon House, Charles Street

Cornwall, TR1 2PH

ShelterBox

Falcon House, Charles Street

T +(44) 1872 302600

E hello@shelterbox.org

T +(44) 1872 302600

President

Her Royal Highness

The Duchess of Cornwall

President

Her Royal Highness