RFP PR and Media Campaign SeedForum-2022-001

PR and Media Campaign Services

RFP Number: SeedForum-2022-001

Issuance Date 10.02.2022

Deadline for Offers: 24.02.2022

Description: Communication and PR Services

For: Empowering Women Hub Networks Project

Funded by: UN Women and Sweden, under PA002790MDA, in partnership with TEKWILL Project, financed by USAID and Sweden

Issued by: I.P. Seed Forum Moldova

Point of Contact: Irina Grisca, [irina.grisca@ihub.world]

1. Background

About Seed Forum:

Seed Forum Moldova promotes the advancement of an entrepreneurial culture within a global network on the basis of public-private partnerships. Present in over 50 countries all over the world, in 2016 Seed Forum Moldova opened iHub Chisinau- a tech hub situated in the heart of Chisinau aiming to grow the next generation of entrepreneurs, provide extensive support to integrate them into global networks and offer a wide range of services to support their daily operations: access to coworking spaces, business support services, community initiatives.

Seed Forum Moldova is part of a Global Entrepreneurship Support Organization with ongoing programs in 50+ countries worldwide. The Global vision is to create a global innovation system by providing access to private equity funding for start-ups and scale-ups cross-border.

Among the services provided are:

• Co-working spaces. Accessible and fully equipped, safe, and sustainable for work.
• Event spaces. A place to attend and organize events.
• Connection to the community. iHUB is proven to be a place that attracts, develops, and connects students, entrepreneurs, teachers, etc. to the formed or new communities, IT and non-IT ones.
• Training and Mentorship through events and programs and a direct link to professionals and mentors.
• Inclusive for boys and girls, men and women
• Access to worldwide investors network
• Matchmaking activities
• Green and Sustainable environment through the built infrastructure itself and the educational part that promotes a sustainable development mindset.

Seed Forum Moldova is an NGO registered under Moldovan legislation in 2016.

Our mission is to help the residents succeed in their entrepreneurial growth, thus increasing their investment readiness and attractiveness.

As of 2021, iHUB has over 1500 m2, offered by the Technical University aiming to integrate new approaches such as Green Concepts and Women friendly spaces under the Women Hub initiatives developed in partnership with the Moldovan Association of ICT Companies.

During our work we take into consideration relevance to Sustainable Development Goals, specifically:

• Gender Equality. Within iHUB Green we have opened the first Women Hub which promotes and encourages girls and women to fulfill their full potential and have equal access to knowledge and work
• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. iHUB Green is a project mainly focused on creating a new modern and accessible infrastructure that supports industries to develop and link IT with Non-IT to promote Innovation in other industries like Healthcare, Education, etc.
• Sustainable Cities and Communities. iHUB Green contributes to making our city a sustainable and more modern one by renewing the existing infrastructure and creating services for the communities that form and grow in an urban environment.
• More well-paid jobs and Economic growth by supporting the development of the IT and entrepreneurship industry and linking innovation to other sectors to boost their growth.

iHUB identity and long-term goals are set by the primary needs of our target groups which are based on equal and easily obtainable opportunities for education, work, and development. We have services that are offered on an equal basis to everyone in need of them and we focus on developing the infrastructure that promotes the sustainable development of the industry and communities.

Our target groups will benefit from a space that welcomes everyone, that gives access to a fully equipped work environment, to education and knowledge, that is sustainable, efficient, and safe.

2. Briefly about the Project

Empowering Women Hub Networks is a 10-month project aiming to reach economic development by engaging more girls and women in the promising sectors aiming to impact equality, independence and create better access to economic opportunities. We aim to replicate the prior success on gender perspective and promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women through information and communication technologies by building their self-confidence and capacity to contribute. Also, we want to build awareness that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are tools that enable gender equality and women's empowerment and are integral to the creation of societies in which both women and men can equally contribute and participate.

According to the UN Women reports, women represent 19% of the workforce in IT, which is compliant with the average EU perspective, however taking into consideration the background of the country, the potential of women pursuing STEM careers is still underexplored.

The main reasons for Girls and Women to avoid STEM relate to self-confidence, perception of a male-dominated career and stereotype, imposed future roles for girls, and insufficient opportunities for women to develop themselves in a friendly and open environment.

The Project Empowering Women Hub Networks is implemented by SEED FORUM MOLDOVA in collaboration with UN Women (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment) with the financial support of Sweden.

Specific results expected:

Result #1: Capacity Building for Chisinau based Women Hub

Indicators:

• 10 women receive support and access to Women Hub services
• Community of Women grown to min 400 representatives
• 20 community-driven initiatives organized
• 5 success stories to empower women in Tech

Result #2: Expansion of Women Hub to Comrat and Balti in partnership with Tekwill project

Indicators:

• 2 Women Hubs created in Balti in Comrat to support girls and women in their STEM careers
• 4 projects supported to empower women in Tech
• 2 idea hackathons organized with a regional impact

Result #3: Tech Women network fortified through capacity-building activities

• Women in Online Work program organized in Balti and Comrat with min 100 participants
• One Mentors Program supported for women in the regions
• Empowering Tech Women Ambassadors through Tech Women Gala by including regions into the program
• 15 career orientation events in 3 Women Hub(s)

3. Target Markets

The audience intended to be covered by the event PR and media campaign comprises several major groups:

• General public
• Girls and women coming from Chisinau, Comrat, and Balti
• Relevant civil society groups
• IT professionals and IT companies looking for better-equipped labor force

4. Goals

The event PR and media campaign have the following goals:

• to ensure visibility of the Project
• to create awareness among target audience groups regarding the Project and the issues covered: women engaged in ICT, women coming from rural areas, women empowerment, digital transformation, others.

5. Preferred communication channels/methods

To ensure the necessary reach, the campaign should involve Romanian and Russian language media, and should include, but not be limited to:

• articles on topics related to the summit agenda
• social media: Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn
• press releases (mailed and published on the site)
• press conferences
• live streaming during the event
• 5 success stories created by protagonists as beneficiaries of the program(s)

6. Timeframes

The PR and media campaign should include 3 stages:

• before the event (starting March 2022)
• during the opening of the regional Women Hubs
• at the finalization of the Women in Online Work program
• during the Women driven events (expected min 10 events)
• monthly communication support (social media placements, articles, success stories, other)

Communication channels and methods should be adapted accordingly.

7. Deliverables

1. Monthly communication plans including social media articles
2. Monthly assistance in PR and communication
3. Articles, newsletters, press releases
4. Event PR and communication for up to 10 community events, 3 distinct programs, 2 openings of the Centers in Comrat and Balti, other as per program description
5. Monthly reports and coordination on behalf of the team with the donor

8. Evaluation

The evaluation of the proposals will be carried out by Organizers based on the criteria specified above.

There is no obligation by Organizers to reveal, or discuss with any Vendor, how a Proposal was assessed, or to provide any other information relative to the evaluation process.

Vendors whose Proposals are not finally selected will be notified in writing and shall have no claim whatsoever for any kind of compensation.

Organizers reserve the right to:

• Award the Contract based on the member organizations’ particular objectives.
• Award the Contract to a Vendor of its choice, even if its bid is not the lowest.
• Award separate Contracts for parts of the work, components, or items, to one or more Vendors of its choice, even if their bids are not the lowest.
• Not award any Contract at all.

Organizers also reserve the right to negotiate the terms of the Proposal(s) made by one or more Vendors of its choice, including but not limited to the negotiation of the price quoted in such Proposal(s) and/or the deletion of certain parts of the work, components or items called for under this RfP.

The evaluation shall be done based on the following criteria:

9. Conditions

Payment will be made against the presentation of an invoice in a convertible currency (preferably EUR) for each deliverable and subject to Organizers’ acceptance of each such deliverable. Any payments by Organizers to the Contractor shall reflect any tax exemptions to which any of the Organizers is entitled by reason of the immunity it enjoys. As regards duties and other indirect taxes, the Contractor shall list such charges on invoices as a separate item and, to the extent required, cooperate with the Organizers to enable exemption or reimbursement thereof.

Organizers shall have the right to cancel the Contract (in addition to other rights, such as the right to claim damages):

1. At will with the provision of thirty (30) days prior notice in writing.
2. In the event the Contractor fails to begin work on the date agreed, or to implement the work in accordance with the terms of the Contract; or
3. In the event, the progress of work is such that it becomes obvious that the obligations undertaken by the Contractor and, in particular, the time of fulfillment, will not be respected.
4. In addition, the Organizers shall be entitled to terminate the Contract (or part thereof), in writing, with immediate effect (in addition to other rights, such as the right to claim damages), if, other than as provided in the paragraph above, the Contractor is:

• In breach of any of his material obligations under the Contract and fails to correct such breach within a period of thirty (30) days after having received written notification to that effect from Organizers’ designated contact; or
• Adjudicated bankrupt or formally seeks relief of his financial obligations.

No party to the Contract shall be responsible for a delay caused by force majeure, that is, a delay caused by strike, lock-out, foreign or civil war, or any other event outside his control, it is agreed, however, that the Organizers shall be entitled to terminate the Contract (or any part of the Contract) forthwith if the implementation of the work is delayed or prevented by any such reason for an aggregate of thirty (30) days. Such termination shall be subject to payment of an equitable part of the Contract sum and/or other reasonable charges.

• Force majeure, as used in this Article, means acts of God, war (whether declared or not), invasion, revolution, insurrection, or other acts of a similar nature or force which are beyond the control of the Parties.
• In the event of and as soon as possible after the occurrence of any cause constituting force majeure, the Contractor shall give notice and full particulars in writing to Organizers designated contact, of such occurrence or change if the Contractor is thereby rendered unable, wholly or in part, to perform its obligations and meet its responsibilities under this Contract. The Contractor shall also notify Organizers of any other changes in conditions or the occurrence of any event which interferes or threatens to interfere with the performance of this Contract. The notice shall include steps proposed by the Contractor to be taken including any reasonable alternative means for performance that is not prevented by force majeure. On receipt of the notice required under this Article, Organizers shall take such action as, in their discretion, they consider to be appropriate or necessary in the circumstances, including the granting to the Contractor of a reasonable extension of time in which to perform its obligations under this Contract.
• If the Contractor is rendered permanently unable, wholly, or in part, by reason of force majeure to perform its obligations and meet its responsibilities under this Contract, Organizers shall have the right to suspend or terminate this Contract.

10. Proposals

Contacts and Procedures

Interested Vendors are requested to express interest in responding to this proposal as soon as possible to the contracting contact below, by confirming via electronic mail that they have received the RfP documents and that they intend to submit a proposal by the deadline specified below. The electronic mail should state the name of the Prime Contractor and provide contact details for any future correspondence in relation to this RfP. Please note that this correspondence will not be used as part of the evaluation process.

Questions

Questions regarding the technical or administrative requirements of this RFP may be submitted no later than February 20th, 2022, local Chisinau time by email to irina.grisca@ihub.world. Questions must be submitted in writing; phone calls will not be accepted. Questions and requests for clarification—and the responses thereto—that Seed Forum believes may be of interest to other offerors will be circulated to all RFP recipients who have indicated an interest in bidding.

Only the written answers issued by Seed Forum will be considered official and carry weight in the RFP process and subsequent evaluation. Any verbal information received from employees of Seed Forum or any other entity should not be considered as an official response to any questions regarding this RFP.

Offer Deadline

Offerors shall submit their offers electronically only by February 24th, 2022, at 15:00.

Emailed offers must be received by the same time and date at the following address:

In attention of Mrs. Irina Grisca,

IHUB General Manager

Irina.grisca@ihub.world

Offerors are responsible for ensuring that their offers are received in accordance with the instructions stated herein. Late offers may be considered at the discretion of Seed Forum.

Protocol for Submission of Offers

Offers must be sent electronically only:

The Offeror must submit the proposal electronically with attachments compatible with MS Word, Excel, or Adobe Portable Document (PDF) format in a Microsoft environment. Those pages requiring original manual signatures should be scanned and sent in PDF format as an email attachment.

All offers must be prepared in English, Romanian or Russian.

1. Company Business license
2. Vendor information as per list below
3. Company key and assigned personnel CVs
4. Technical offer describing methodology, proposed plan, the timeline of interventions + Executive Summary
5. Financial Offer covering the proposed plan of interventions

Vendor Information to be included in the proposal

All interested vendors must include in their proposals:

Corporate overview – legal name, year of creation, number of employees, other information they might find relevant

Services – description of all services and products supplied.

Markets served – description of geographic/industry markets served.

Partners – list of current event-related suppliers and partners.

Customer & Event References – a list of other similar events served.

For individual CVs, demonstration of relevant experience is a must.

Submission procedures

An electronic copy of the Proposal document in English clearly marked SUMMIT – PR MANAGEMENT should be sent by electronic mail not later than February 24th to the contact noted above. A duly signed paper copy should be sent by mail/courier and received in iHUB (31 August 1989 str, nr 78, Chisinau) no later than 5 days after the closing date. The successful Vendor would need to be available to start work as of March 2022.

Proposals submitted by any other method and/or in any other way or beyond the specified deadline will be rejected. In addition, if the envelope or parcel is not sealed and marked as indicated, Organizers cannot assume any responsibility for the Proposal’s misplacement or unauthorized opening.

At any time prior to the closing date for receipt of Proposals, Organizers may, for any reason, modify the request for proposals (RfP) and associated documents by amendment. All designated Prime Contractors will be notified in writing of these amendments, if any, and any possible related extension of the closing date for the proposal.

Queries and questions of clarification will only be accepted from designated Prime Contractors and should be addressed either by e-mail or fax to the contact provided above.

Organizers reserve the right to obtain clarification of any point in a proposal or to obtain additional information necessary to properly evaluate a particular offer at any time during the RfP process. Failure of a bidder to respond to such a request for additional information or clarification within the specified time may result in the rejection of a proposal.

Expenses for Proposal

Proposers are solely responsible for their own expenses, if any, in preparing and submitting a proposal in response to this Request for Proposal. This would include any costs incurred during functional demonstrations and subsequent meetings and negotiations.

Format and Content

An Executive Summary of no more than two pages must be provided which describes the manner in which the Vendor proposes to meet Organizers requirements, and clearly and concisely states the major elements of the Proposal.

In addition to the Executive Summary, the proposal should include the following:

• Experience in similar events and track record.
• Staffing capacity to undertake the current project.
• Vendor/Partner presence in the target areas.
• Technical and financial background of the Vendor company(ies).
• Statement of conflicts of interest, if any.

A budget should be attached to the proposal. Please break down the budget following the three main categories below, and indicate the budget associated with each (add or expand as necessary; the maximum level of detail possible on the budget is expected):

• Personnel costs;
• Overheads/Administration, if any;
• Price for paid and unpaid media;

All vendors must agree to keep the quoted pricing in their proposals for a minimum of 90 days after proposal submission.

11. Evaluation

The evaluation of the proposals will be carried out by Organizers on the basis of the criteria specified above.

There is no obligation by Organizers to reveal, or discuss with any Vendor, how a Proposal was assessed, or to provide any other information relative to the evaluation process.

Vendors whose Proposals are not finally selected will be notified in writing and shall have no claim whatsoever for any kind of compensation.

Organizers reserve the right to:

• Award the Contract on the basis of the member organizations’ particular objectives.
• Award the Contract to a Vendor of its choice, even if its bid is not the lowest.
• Award separate Contracts for parts of the work, components or items, to one or more Vendors of its choice, even if their bids are not the lowest.
• Not award any Contract at all.

Organizers also reserve the right to negotiate the terms of the Proposal(s) made by one or more Vendors of its choice, including but not limited to the negotiation of the price quoted in such Proposal(s) and/or the deletion of certain parts of the work, components or items called for under this RfP.