EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN FOR THE LAUNCH OF A TRUST SEAL FOR RWANDAN E-COMMERCE COMPANIES

Expression of Interest (EOI) Development Of A Communications Campaign For The Launch Of A Trust Seal For Rwandan E-Commerce Companies

Context

GIZ is a German Government-owned enterprise entrusted with executing some of the German Government’s international cooperation activities. GIZ has been operating in Rwanda for more than 40 years, where it is currently active in sustainable economic development and employment promotion, decentralisation, good governance, energy and ICT (Information and Communications Technology).

Electronic Commerce, also known as e-Commerce, is an increasingly important procurement and sales channel in emerging African economies. However, the prerequisites that would enable African companies to participate in cross-border e-Commerce are not yet in place. These include the availability of electronic payment systems, consumers’ and companies’ trust in e-Commerce, and supportive regulatory frameworks.

Under the Pan-African e-Commerce Initiative – Boosting African Digital Trade (PeCI), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has put together a package of measures to improve the pre-conditions for companies to engage in cross-border e-Commerce, with an initial focus on Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda. Implemented by GIZ, PeCI at the strategic level contributes to deepening the economic integration of Africa, increasing exports from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the BMZ Aid for Trade strategy, the BMZ sector strategy for private sector development, the BMZ Digitalisation strategy, and the BMZ ‘Digital Africa’ Initiative.

Trust in e-Commerce

Trust is essential for doing business. The lack of trust by businesses and households to purchase online is among the main inhibitors for the adoption and growth of e-Commerce in many countries.

Many businesses and household consumers are afraid that:

1) Purchased items are either not delivered at all, delivered late, broken or not according to specification, and refunds are not issued.

2) Putting their credentials online – particularly their financial information – will subject them to online fraud and material damage.

Trust seals in e-Commerce in Rwanda

Issuing credible trust seals to e-Commerce shops or businesses would strengthen consumer confidence in purchasing through such suppliers. Research revealed that the lack of trust in purchasing online is among the main inhibitors for the adoption and subsequent growth of e-Commerce in the EAC region.

Trust seals can mitigate such reservations to a degree. They could be issued to reliable e-Commerce platforms by public or private entities, or Public Private Partnerships (PPP) that consumers perceive as being trustworthy and credible. An example of such an entity is a company exclusively operating in Europe which not only claims to have certified more than 25,000 online shops, but also that its clients have been able to improve their online sales and their conversion rate through obtaining its trust seal. There are only a limited number of trust seal systems operational on the African continent and none with widespread adoption in East Africa.

A Trust Seal for Rwandan e-Commerce Companies

In partnership with the ICT Chamber through its capacity development arm, the Digital Business Institute (DBI), the software for a trust seal is currently under development in Rwanda and is expected to be ready for launch in June 2022. It will function through an online application portal where Rwandan e-Commerce companies will submit a request for certification which will then be assessed against a set of pre-agreed criteria which define which requirements need to be fulfilled. The merits of each application will be assessed by ICT Chamber staff and if an e-Commerce company is successful then they will be issued with a seal which can be placed on their website and verified on the ICT Chamber website.

It is envisaged that such a seal will act as a signal and provide confidence to both vendors (looking for a platform to facilitate sales) and consumers (looking for goods and services) that such an e-Commerce company is legitimate and can be trusted. From previous experience in other markets this will hopefully increase the conversion rate of sales from utilising the company and the basket size and frequency of purchase, ultimately growing the Rwandan digital economy. In order for this to be achieved, it is essential that key stakeholders are familiar with the trust seal and what it means.

Objectives of the contractor’s assignment

The overall objective of the assignment is the development and implementation of a campaign to develop an understanding of the role and benefits of e-Commerce trust seal to key stakeholders to catalyse the growth of the e-Commerce sector in Rwanda. Key stakeholders include consumers (potential e-Commerce users), e-Commerce platforms and companies, and policy makers.

Secondary objectives are:

• clear messaging has been developed for communicating simply to each stakeholder group what the trust seal is and its benefits;
• clear content is created to support this messaging and reaches each target group in both English and Kinyarwanda;
• that a pipeline of 30 e-Commerce platforms and companies is created who expressed interest in applying for the seal; and
• that 10 certified e-Commerce companies increase their sales by 10% through an increased conversion ratio, basket size, and frequency of purchase.

The campaign should be aligned with other initiatives on e-Commerce, including rwandamart.rw, the e-Commerce Center (coordinated by GIZ on behalf of MINICOM), and MSME Go Digital and iHUZO (implemented by the ICT Chamber on behalf of a range of partners). The relevant introductions will be made by GIZ.

Tasks to be performed by the contractor

The contractor is responsible for providing the following services:

• Develop and support the implementation of a campaign for the e-Commerce trust seal which can be implemented by project partners
• Develop a clear brand and messaging for the e-Commerce trust seal tailored to each stakeholder group (consumers, target companies [e-Commerce platforms and companies], and policy makers)
• Develop, produce, and place clear content for each stakeholder group including writing copy, graphic design, image editing, video creation etc. in line with the available budget (see Chapter 5) as relevant
• Print and/or purchase relevant materials (e.g. banners, ads etc) in line with the agreed communications plan and available budget (see Chapter 5)
• Run the e-Commerce trust seal campaign until the end of October 2022
• Development and implementation of a system to measure the success of the e-Commerce trust seal campaign

The logo for the trust seal is being developed by the ICT Chamber/DBI and this development should not be factored in by the contractor.

Certain milestones, as laid out in the table below, are to be achieved by certain dates during the contract term, and at particular locations:

Period of assignment: From 18 July until 31 October 2022.

Concept 

In the bid, the bidder is required to show how the objectives defined in Chapter 2 are to be achieved, if applicable under consideration of further specific method-related requirements (technical-methodological concept). In addition, the bidder must describe the project management system for service provision.

Technical-methodological concept

Strategy: The bidder is required to consider the tasks to be performed with reference to the objectives of the services put out to tender (see Chapter 1). Following this, the bidder presents and justifies the strategy with which it intends to provide the services for which it is responsible (see Chapter 2).

The bidder is required to present the actors relevant for the services for which it is responsible and describe the cooperation with them.

The bidder is required to describe the key processes for the services for which it is responsible and create a schedule that describes how the services according to Chapter 2 are to be provided. In particular, the bidder is required to describe the necessary work steps and, if applicable, take account of the milestones and contributions of other actors in accordance with Chapter 2.

Project management of the contractor

The bidder is required to explain its approach for coordination with the GIZ project.

• The contractor is responsible for selecting, preparing, training and steering the experts assigned to perform the advisory tasks.
• The contractor makes available equipment and supplies (consumables) and assumes the associated operating and administrative costs.
• The contractor manages costs and expenditures, accounting processes and invoicing in line with the requirements of GIZ.

The contractor reports regularly to GIZ in accordance with the AVB of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH from 2018

The bidder is required to draw up a personnel assignment plan with explanatory notes that lists all the experts proposed in the bid; the plan includes information on assignment dates (duration and expert days) and locations of the individual members of the team complete with the allocation of work steps as set out in the schedule.

The bidder is required to describe his / her backstopping concept. Backstopping costs cannot be budgeted separately by the Contractor but must be factored into the fee schedules of the staff listed in the bid (see chapter 7). The following services are part of the standard backstopping package:

• Service-delivery control
• Managing adaptations to changing conditions
• Ensuring the flow of information between the project team and core stakeholders
• Process-oriented technical-conceptual steering of the consultancy inputs
• Securing the administrative conclusion of the project
• Ensuring compliance with reporting requirements
• Sharing lessons learned by the contractor and leveraging the value of lessons learned on site

Personnel concept

The bidder is required to provide personnel who are suited to filling the positions described, based on their CVs, the range of tasks involved and the required qualifications.

In general, the project will highly consider practical experience and achievements over academic records. Candidates will be expected to present actual publications, social pages and websites where their content creation and marketing skills can be observed. For instance, demonstrations of “before & after” results are expected.

The below specified qualifications represent the requirements to reach the maximum number of points during the bid evaluation process. CVs which do not meet these requirements in full will be considered but will not be given the maximum number of points.

The contractor is expected to provide a team of long- and short-term experts, as described below. All experts should be based in Kigali, Rwanda. Mobilisation costs for any expert(s) located outside of Rwanda will not be covered by the project.  

The bidder is required to provide personnel who are suited to filling the positions described, on the basis of their CVs (see Chapter 7), the range of tasks involved and the required qualifications.

The below specified qualifications represent the requirements to reach the maximum number of points.

Team leader

Tasks of the team leader

• Overall responsibility for the advisory packages of the contractor (quality and deadlines)
• Coordinating and ensuring communication with GIZ, partners and others involved in the project
• Planning and steering assignments of the expert pool
• Regular reporting in accordance with deadlines

Qualifications of the team leader

• Education/training (2.1.1): University qualification (Master) in business or marketing or a related field
• Language (2.1.2): Good business language skills in English and Kinyarwanda (C1) in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages; Knowledge of French considered an advantage;
• General professional experience (2.1.3): 10 years of professional experience in the media/marketing sector
• Specific professional experience (2.1.4): 5 years in developing branding, marketing, and promotion campaigns
• Leadership/management experience (2.1.5): 5 years of management/leadership experience as project team leader or manager in a company
• Regional experience (2.1.6): 5 years of experience in projects in Rwanda
• Development Cooperation (DC) experience (2.1.7): – Not applicable –
• Other (2.1.8): Experience with digital marketing campaigns for e-Commerce (please provide 2 relevant project examples)

Short-term expert pool with minimum 2, maximum 4 members

Tasks of the short-term expert pool

• Together with the team leader develop a campaign for the e-Commerce trust seal campaign
• Together with the team leader develop key messages and content to support the implementation of a trust seal campaign
• Provide relevant advice and support on marketing topics (branding, communication, content creation, copy writing, image editing etc)
• Develop a system for measuring the success and impact of the e-Commerce trust seal campaign

Qualifications of the short-term expert pool

• Education/training (2.6.1): 2 experts with university qualification in arts, media, marketing, communications or a related discipline
• Language (2.6.2): 2 experts with very good language skills in English, very good language skills in Kinyarwanda required for 2 experts
• General professional experience (2.6.3): All experts with 5 years of experience in the media and or marketing
• Specific professional experience (2.6.4): 1 experts with 5 years of experience in public relations, journalism writing copy, developing communications and brand development strategies, 1 expert with 5 years of professional experience in graphic design, content creation, development of marketing materials, 1 expert with 5 years of professional experience in image editing, video creation, 1 expert with 3 years of experience in web-based marketing and SEO.
• Regional experience (2.6.5): 2 experts with 5 years of experience in Rwanda
• Development Cooperation (DC) experience (2.6.6): 1 expert with 2 years of experience in DC
• Other (2.6.7): 2 experts to have experience in developing marketing/communications campaigns for e-Commerce companies (please provide at least 2 relevant project references)

The bidder must provide a clear overview of all proposed short-term experts and their individual qualifications.

Costing requirements

Assignment of personnel

Team leader: On-site assignment for 12 expert days

Short-term expert pool: total 28 expert days

Campaign Implementation

A budget of up to RWF 12,500,000.00 will be made available to the contractor for the implementation of the e-Commerce trust seal campaign (e.g. printing materials, producing videos, placing ads etc) in line with the plan agreed to by project partners at the beginning of the assignment. The contractor shall provide an indicative outline for how such a budget could be sent as part of their proposal. Any spending out of this budget should be first approved in writing by GIZ.

Travel

It is not expected that the contractor will have to travel within Rwanda. International travel is equally not foreseen. GIZ does not reimburse travel costs within Kigali. Any such costs should be included in the expert fees charged by the contractor.

Workshops, training

To the extent that workshop space is required, this space will be provided free of charge to the contractor. The same is true for catering costs for any workshop / training participants. To the extent required, such costs will be borne directly by the project and should not be budgeted by the contractor.

Flexible remuneration item

There is a budget of RWF 2,575,000.00 as a flexible remuneration item, which is already set in the price schedule.

The contractor can use this budget to exceed the contractually agreed quantities up to the amount of the flexible remuneration item, taking into account the contractually agreed individual rates and bases for invoicing. Use of the flexible remuneration item must be approved in writing by GIZ before the costs in question are incurred.

Inputs of GIZ or other actors

GIZ and/or other actors are expected to make the following available:

• Provide access to political stakeholders and the relevant partner network

Ownership & property rights 

As outlined in § 1.9 of the General Terms and Conditions of contract (‘Terms and Conditions’) for supplying services and work on behalf of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, “the contractor shall assign to GIZ all assignable ownership and property rights to its work results. If the work results are protected by copyright or other non-assignable property rights, the contractor shall grant GIZ an exclusive and irrevocable right that is unlimited with respect to time, location and content to use all work results, including commercial use outside the measure. The originator expressly and additionally waives the right to be named as such. Work results are defined as all material and immaterial assets that are created or procured in performance of the contract, especially studies, drafts, documentation, articles, information, illustrations, drawings, calculations, plans, photos, materials, film negatives, image files and other visual presentations, including branding material and logo developed under contract with GIZ. Work results shall also include any computer programs which the contractor produces, modifies, procures or makes available in performance of the contract” (see GIZ General Terms and Conditions, § 1.9).

Application of the EU General Data Protection Regulation

Any personal data included in this agreement shall be processed pursuant to the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation/GDPR) to the extend this law is applicable. Such data shall be processed solely for the purposes of the performance, management and monitoring of this agreement.

Obligation of Data Confidentiality

In particular, the Parties acknowledge that – when establishing any joint works, personal data from the other Party might be disclosed, such as for instance address lists. In the case of any such disclosure of personal data, the Parties undertake to maintain data confidentiality according to Art. 5 General Data Protection Regulation, against everyone. The Parties will extend these obligations also to their employees to the extent dictated by law. Parties will therefore ensure that their own employees do not forward any personal data to third parties or otherwise use them for purposes which are not in accordance with this agreement. The aforementioned principles also apply in the event that a Party subcontracts third parties with their task fulfillment.

The obligations to maintain data confidentiality and data protection are essential duties of this agreement; they continue to exist indefinitely after completion of any joint work.

Freedom from third-party data protection right

The contractor warrants that any data transmitted to GIZ has been processed in accordance with the applying data protection laws, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation and are free from any third-party rights that would prejudice the use of this data within the purpose of this agreement. The contractor ensures a valid legal basis for the processing of personal data transmitted to GIZ including but not limited to collecting data subjects’ consents. The contractor indemnifies GIZ against all claims arising from the violation of data protection laws or fines imposed by governmental agencies and shall reimburse GIZ for all costs incurred in connection with its corresponding legal defense.

Requirements on the format of the bid

The structure of the bid must correspond to the structure of the ToRs. In particular, the detailed structure of the concept (Chapter 3) is to be organised in accordance with the positively weighted criteria in the assessment grid (not with zero). It must be legible (font size 11 or larger) and clearly formulated. The bid is drawn up in English.

The complete bid shall not exceed 10 pages (excluding CVs).

The CVs of the personnel proposed in accordance with Chapter 4 of the ToRs must be submitted using the format specified in the terms and conditions for application. The CVs shall not exceed 4 pages. The CVs must clearly show the position and job the proposed person held in the reference project and for how long. The CVs shall also be submitted in English (language).

If one of the maximum page lengths is exceeded, the content appearing after the cut-off point will not be included in the assessment.

Please calculate your price bid based exactly on the aforementioned costing requirements. In the contract the contractor has no claim to fully exhaust the days/travel/workshops/ budgets. The number of days/travel/workshops and the budget amount shall be agreed in the contract as ‘up to’ amounts. The specifications for pricing are defined in the price schedule.

Options

12.1 Follow-on measure/extension of service-delivery period

Within the framework of the basic project described in the ToRs, GIZ reserves the right to award contracts for additional services of this type to the successful company in this procedure by means of a negotiated procedure without a prior call for competition, or to enter into a follow-on contract pursuant to the criteria listed in the ToRs and the contract.

Submission of your EoI 

EoI will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Company or individual profile,
• Relevant experience,
• Company strategies to assure agility, flexibility, and responsiveness,
• Personnel and,
• Financial offer.

The EoI should contain the following:

For Technical Proposal:

A Cover letter expressing interest in this assignment

Technical offer

References and recommendations of similar works executed in Rwanda

Company registration certificate (RDB)

VAT registration certificate with RRA

Latest tax clearance certificate

For the Financial Proposal:

The Financial Proposal indicates the all-inclusive total contract price, supported by a breakdown of all costs. The cost must be in Rwandan Francs and VAT excluded.

Please submit electronically your EoI (technical & Financial offer) in 2 separated emails and should be in PDF files to this email: RW_Quotation@giz.de until latest 16th June 2022 

Please you must write in your email subject this sentence:

EOI number 83410815 – submission of technical& financial offer,

without this sentence, your offer may not be considered

Hard copies are not allowed this time 

GIZ reserves all rights

List of abbreviations

AVB General Terms and Conditions of Contract (AVB) for supplying services and work 2018

BMZ Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

DBI Digital Business Institute

ICT Information and Communications Technology

LDC Least Developed Country

PPP Public-Private Partnership

SEO Search Engine Optimisation

ToRs Terms of reference