Request for proposal: Delivering short-term market-led training programmes

Reference number

PRF – 1154/RFP/001

Organization

HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation Tanzania

Opportunity type

Request for proposal (RFP) / Service contract

Project

Youth Employment through Skills Enhancement (YES) Project

Location

Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar

About HELVETAS

HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation is a Swiss non-governmental organization working in development cooperation. The organization has been active in Tanzania since the 1980s and operates in both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.

In Tanzania, HELVETAS works under three main thematic areas:

• Water, Food, and Climate (WFC)
• Skills, Jobs, and Income (SJI)
• Voice, Inclusion, and Cohesion (VIC)

HELVETAS Tanzania implements its country programme under the framework of its current Country Strategy Programme (CSP) 2023–2027. The strategy focuses on Water, Food and Climate; Natural Resources Management using a landscape approach; Voice, Inclusion and Cohesion; Skills, Jobs and Income; private sector partnerships; policy and advocacy for systemic change; and resource mobilization for programme development.

Vision of the organization

HELVETAS envisions a just world in which all men and women determine the course of their lives in dignity and security while using environmental resources sustainably.

Mission of the organization

HELVETAS supports poor and disadvantaged women, men, and communities in developing and transition countries in their efforts to improve their living conditions.

RFP overview

HELVETAS invites eligible institutions and service providers to submit technical and financial proposals for the provision of short-term market-led training programmes under the Youth Employment through Skills Enhancement (YES) Project.

The required training programmes and technical requirements are provided in Annex 1 – Terms of Reference (ToR), available on the HELVETAS Tanzania website.

Contract type

The selected bidder will enter into a service contract agreement with HELVETAS.

Key dates and deadline

• RFP announcement date: 08 June 2026
• Deadline for written enquiries: 12 June 2026 at 11:00 EAT
• Last date for HELVETAS to issue clarifications: 16 June 2026 at 16:00 EAT
• Deadline for submitting offers: 19 June 2026 at 17:00 EAT

Applications received after the submission deadline will not be considered.

Provisional contract start date

The provisional commencement date of the contract is:

01 July 2026

Contract execution period

Services are expected to be provided from:

01 July 2026 to 30 June 2027

Eligibility requirements

Bidders must meet all eligibility requirements and provide the required signed documentation. Only consultants or bidders that submit the required signed forms will proceed to further evaluation.

Required eligibility documents

Bidders must have the following documents available:

• Certificate of registration from relevant authority bodies, such as BRELA or NACTVET
• Business licence
• Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) certificate
• VAT Registration Number (VRN) certificate, where the fee is inclusive of VAT
• Valid proof from a competent judicial or administrative authority showing that the bidder has no open dispute, execution procedure, reorganization, bankruptcy, or insolvency procedure; the proof must not be older than six months
• Valid tax administration certificate issued in the same month in which the bidder submits the bid

For consortiums, each consortium member must sign a separate statement confirming possession of the required documents.

Consultant and bidder restrictions

The consultants included in one offer cannot be part of another bidder’s offer. If this occurs, the bidder will be excluded from the procedure without further evaluation.

Civil servants and persons elected or appointed to public office are not eligible to participate as consultants in this tender procedure. Any offer containing such persons will be excluded without further evaluation.

Consortium requirements

A consortium may be either:

• A permanent and legally established grouping; or
• An informal grouping constituted for this specific tender procedure

All consortium members, including the leader and other members, are liable to HELVETAS. The consortium leader takes lead responsibility.

Sub-contracting

Sub-contracting services to another legal person is not allowed.

Costs for preparing offers

Bidders are responsible for all costs related to preparing and submitting their offers. HELVETAS will not reimburse any costs, including costs incurred during negotiations or interviews.

Evaluation process

All offers will be evaluated according to eligibility, technical, and financial criteria. The evaluation process is confidential, and Purchasing Panel decisions are collective. Evaluation reports and written records are for official HELVETAS use only and will not be shared with bidders or other parties.

Only successful bidders will be contacted after evaluation.

Technical evaluation criteria

Bidders must first pass the eligibility criteria. Technical proposals must score at least 70% of the technical evaluation score to proceed to financial evaluation.

The technical offer will be assessed based on the following:

• Organizational or company profile
  • Documentary evidence: company brochure or link to company website
  • Score: 10 points
• CVs of at least three key technical staff relevant to the proposed training
  • Documentary evidence: copies of CVs with certifications, diplomas, or references
  • Score: 20 points
• Proposed geographic area or areas
  • Documentary evidence: document specifically proposing the geographic area with visible maps
  • Score: 10 points
• Training methodology and approach
  • Documentary evidence: specific document explaining the methodology and approach in detail
  • Score: 20 points

Financial evaluation criteria

The financial offer must be submitted according to the instructions in Part 2 – Financial Offer of the RFP document.

• Financial offer must be presented in Tanzanian Shillings (TZS)
• Financial offer evaluation score: 40 points

The contract will be awarded to the economically most advantageous offer. The final evaluation considers both technical quality and the financial offer.

Award decision

HELVETAS reserves the right to:

• Enter into negotiations with all or part of eligible bidders
• Amend or complete original offers through negotiation
• Award a contract for all courses to one service provider
• Award selected training courses to several service providers
• Purchase or contract only part of the required services
• Cancel the tender procedure if the quality of offers is not satisfactory
• Annul the tender procedure at any time without liability

The award of any purchase order or contract is subject to the availability of funds.

Submission requirements

Offers must be submitted in English and sent by email only to:

[email protected]

Offers must be submitted in electronic format using two separate files:

• Technical offer / proposal
• Financial offer

Technical offer requirements

The technical offer must include:

• Signed Eligibility Documentation Form
• Technical offer documents as listed in the Terms of Reference
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copy of contract, client reference letter, or completion certificate

The technical offer file name must include:

• Bidder’s name
• RFP reference number
• RFP name
• The text: Technical offer/Proposal documents

Example:

XYZ COMPANY_1154RFP001_SHORT TERM MARKET LEAD TRAINING PROGRAMME_technical offer documents

Financial offer requirements

The financial offer must include:

• Signed Financial Offer Form as provided in Part 2 of the RFP document

The financial offer must be presented in Tanzanian Shillings (TZS). Prices must be all-inclusive, covering all costs required to perform the assignment, including office accommodation, transport, internet access and equipment, administrative and secretarial support, interpretation, and other related costs.

HELVETAS is not exempt from VAT. Therefore, prices offered should be VAT-inclusive. However, if during the contract period there are projects exempted from VAT, HELVETAS will provide the bidder with an exemption certificate issued by the revenue authority.

The contractor is responsible for all other taxes and duties in compliance with Tanzanian law.

The financial offer file name must include:

• Bidder’s name
• RFP reference number
• RFP name
• The text: Financial offer documents

Example:

XYZ COMPANY_1154RFP001_SHORT TERM MARKET LEAD TRAINING PROGRAMME_financial offer documents

Any financial offer submitted in a format different from Part 2 of the RFP document will not be considered.

Email subject and body requirements

The email subject must contain only the RFP reference number and RFP name.

Example:

1154RFP001-SHORT TERM MARKET LEAD TRAINING PROGRAMME

Any bid submitted with an email subject that does not follow this format will not be considered.

The body of the email must contain the bidder’s:

• Official name
• Address
• Telephone number

Password requirement during evaluation

Bidders will be informed in advance once the evaluation date is confirmed so they can remain reachable on that date to provide passwords.

During the evaluation process, the authorized purchasing panel member may email or call the bidder and request the passwords immediately. If the bidder is not reachable by phone during the evaluation process, the offers will not be considered for evaluation.

Offer submission deadline

Offers must be submitted by:

19 June 2026 at 17:00 EAT

The official receipt time will be the time shown on the email received at:

[email protected]

Offers submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Alteration or withdrawal of offers

Bidders may alter or withdraw their offers by written notification before the submission deadline.

No offer may be altered after the deadline.

HELVETAS retains ownership of all offers that have not been withdrawn. Bidders do not have the right to have their offers returned.

Validity of offers

Bidders are bound by their offers for 90 days after the submission deadline.

In exceptional cases, HELVETAS may ask bidders to extend the validity period before it expires. The extension may not exceed 40 days.

Contract signature

Within two days of receiving the contract already signed by HELVETAS, the selected bidder must sign and date the contract.

Failure to comply may result in annulment of the contract award. In such a case, HELVETAS may award the tender to another bidder or cancel the tender procedure.

Payment terms

HELVETAS is a payer of VAT. Prices in the application must include all expenses.

Payment will be made by bank transfer to the winning bidder in Tanzanian Shillings (TZS) within 30 calendar days from the date of completion of the assignment or acceptance of the goods or services.

Cases of non-performance and their legal consequences will be separately indicated in the contract.

Terms of cooperation

If contracted, both parties must perform according to the agreed timeline and in line with either the HELVETAS Supplier Purchase Order or HELVETAS Service Provider Contract.

HELVETAS has the right to:

• Increase or decrease the number of ordered items
• Select a supplier or implementer at its own discretion
• Reformulate the RFP if additional items are needed
• Terminate the contract unilaterally in case of failure or non-compliance with contractual obligations

The applicant is responsible for understanding all instructions, forms, and requirements in the RFP documents. The responsibility for submitting a compliant offer lies entirely with the applicant.

The contract will come into force upon signature by both parties.

Ethics and anti-corruption clauses

Bidders making false declarations may face financial penalties representing 10% of the total value of the purchase order or contract. This penalty may increase to 20% for repeated offences.

Offers may be rejected if a company or organization attempts to:

• Obtain confidential information
• Enter into unlawful agreements with competitors
• Influence the Purchasing Panel or HELVETAS during examination, clarification, evaluation, or comparison of offers

Companies and organizations must not be affected by any conflict of interest with other bidders or project parties.

HELVETAS reserves the right to suspend or cancel the RFP procedure, purchase order, or contract if corrupt practices are discovered during the award process or contract execution.

Contracts may also be terminated if unusual commercial expenses are identified, including improper commissions, commissions paid without legitimate service, commissions paid to tax havens, payments to unidentified payees, or payments to front companies.

Operational language

All written communications for this tender procedure and contract must be in English.

Financial offer form instructions

Each applicant may apply for a maximum of five courses.

The financial offer structure must not be changed. Applicants must fill in:

• Duration of the course
• Course or occupation to be trained
• Number of youths to be trained
• Training fee per youth for the training duration in TZS
• Total amount in TZS per youth for the training duration

No further courses beyond five are allowed.

Required signatures

Both the Eligibility Documentation Form and Financial Offer Form must be signed on behalf of the bidder and include:

• Name
• Signature
• Date

For consortium applications, each consortium member must sign a separate statement.

RFQ/Tender Information and Attachments

For comprehensive information regarding this RFQ/tender, we invite you to download the attachments provided below. These documents contain all the necessary details, including specifications, requirements, and submission guidelines. Please review them carefully to ensure you have all the pertinent information needed to participate.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL TENDER NOTICE HERE

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