INVITATION TO BID Long Term Agreement for Travel Management Services ITB-ARK-LTA-22-ARKAE0022

INVITATION TO BID

Long Term Agreement for Travel Management Services

ITB-ARK-LTA-22-ARKAE0022

To:                                      Bidder

From:                                 ARK Group

ITB Reference:                   ITB-ARK-LTA-22-ARKAE0022

ITB Issue date:                   21 July 2022

ITB Closing date:                21 August 2022

ITB Closing time:                18:00 Gulf Standard Time (GST)

1. Purpose

ARK Group DMCC (ARK) is seeking proposals to establish a Long Term Agreement (LTA) with a qualified Travel Agent. ARK is registered in the UAE with its head office in Dubai, and branch offices in Beirut, Amman and London. Travel services are required across all regions of operation.

1. Description of ARK

ARK is a stabilisation and development company committed to empowering local communities and beneficiaries in conflict, post-conflict, and fragile areas through the provision of evidence-based programmatic interventions, policy recommendations, research and capacity-building. Working with local communities, it seeks to understand and then mitigate the negative effects of conflict and instability, enhancing social cohesion and resilience whist promoting human security, development and economic opportunity. More details are provided in Annex 1 Terms of Reference.

1. Instructions for Submitting Proposals

1. This letter of invitation with submission instructions and evaluation criteria

• Annex 1: Terms of Reference (TOR) for Travel Management Services
• Annex 2: Proposal Declaration Form
• Annex 3: Technical Proposal Form
• Annex 4: Price Proposal Form

1. Your proposal should be submitted via email to [email protected] adhering to the following instructions:                                                              

• • Technical and price proposals will be submitted in separate emails.

• • The first email shall be marked "[Your Company Name] - ITB-ARK-LTA-22-ARKAE0022 Technical Proposal" and contain: the (1) Proposal Declaration Form, (2) A copy of your company registration certificate and (3) the Technical Proposal Form. The technical proposal must not make reference to cost or pricing information at any point.
• • The second email shall be marked "[Your Company Name] - ITB-ARK-LTA-22-ARKAE0022 Price Proposal" and include your Price Proposal only.
• • Proposals must be received by ARK no later than 21 August 2022, 18:00 GST. Any proposal received after this date will be rejected. ARK may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the submission of proposals, by notifying all prospective bidders in writing. The extension of the deadline may accompany a modification of the bid documents prepared by ARK at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by a bidder.
• • Requests for clarification should sent via email to [email protected]. Clarification questions may be sent until 10 August 2022 (inclusive). Any written reply to a particular question will be shared with all other bidders who have expressed an interest. If you wish to receive answers to clarification questions sent by other bidders, please send an expression of interest to [email protected] by 10 August 2022. An expression of interest is encouraged but is not a requirement to participate in the ITB.
• • The cost of preparing a proposal and negotiating a contract is not reimbursable.
• • ARK is not committed to selecting any of the companies submitting proposals and has the right to reject any and all proposals submitted. This RFP is not to be construed in any way as an offer of contract.

1. Technical Proposal

The technical component of your proposal should be completed on the template provided as Annex 3 - Technical Proposal Form. The technical proposal format may be modified or expanded provided the following information is covered:

                             Section 1 – Bidder Information

                             Section 2 – Company Profile and Expertise

                             Section 3 – Approach and Methodology

                             Section 4 – Personnel                            

                             Section 5 – Travel Booking Platform

                             Section 6 – Management Reporting

1. Price Proposal

The price component of your proposal should be completed on the template provided as Annex 4 - Price Proposal Form. The purpose of the price proposal is to evaluate:

• • • The availability of services provided
    • The transaction / reservation costs charged
    • Corporate discounts offered
    • Menu pricing for the services listed

It should be noted that with the exception of transaction fees and corporate discounts, the bidders are not committed to the prices quoted in the proposal. The menu pricing will be used only as an indication of the competitiveness of prices offered for the purposes of this ITB.

1. Evaluation Criteria

1. The proposals will be evaluated in two stages. The technical evaluation will be completed prior to the price proposals being opened and evaluated. The maximum score for the Technical Proposal is 110 points and 140 points for Price Proposal.
2. The final score for the bidders will be the sum of the technical and price proposals. The maximum total score is therefore 250 points.
3. A minimum threshold of 60 points out of a total 110 points must be achieved in the technical evaluation to qualify for price proposal evaluation.

1. Technical Evaluation and Scoring:

• Section 2: Company profile and expertise: 15 points
• Section 3: Approach and methodology: 35 points
• Section 4: Personnel: 15 points

The personnel section will be scored as per the following breakdown:

• Management structure: 5 points
• Proposed team structure: 10 points
• Qualifications of key personnel 5 points

• Section 5: Travel booking platform: 35 points
• Section 6: Management reporting: 10 points

1. Price Evaluation and Scoring:

• Only bidders meeting the minimum threshold of 60 points in the technical evaluation will be taken forward to the price evaluation.
• The maximum number of points for the Price Proposal is 140.
• The Price Proposal is broken down into the following evaluation criteria:

• • • • Section 1. Air Travel (45 points)     

Section 1.1 Availability of Services: 3 points. The maximum number of points will be allocated to those proposals that indicate ‘YES’. A ‘NO’ response will receive 0 points for the entire section.

       Section 1.2 Menu Pricing: 17 points.

This section will be broken down into two rounds:

Round 1: Analysis of submission of prices for ARK’s top flight itineraries (5 points).

Round 2: Following evaluation of technical proposals, those bidders who have qualified for price evaluation stage, will be requested to provide quotes for real time flight itineraries. ARK will contact the bidders separately on this. No submission is required with the price proposal response at this stage (12 points).

Round 2 will be scored as per the following breakdown:

Lowest overall economy fare total price for all itineraries quoted: 9 points.

Lowest overall business fare total price for all itineraries quoted: 3 points.

The maximum number of points will be allocated to the lowest menu pricing. Proportional scores will be allocated to the remaining proposals.

Section 1.3 Transaction Fees: 25 points. The maximum points will be awarded to the lowest price. Proportional scores will be allocated to the remaining proposals. This section will be scored as per the following breakdown:

• Online booking fee: 6 points
• Offline booking fee: 6 points
• Out of hours booking fee: 4 points
• Transaction fee for ticket change: 3 points
• Transaction fee for ticket cancellation: 3 points
• Transaction fee for processing refund: 3 points

• Section 2. Hotel Accommodation (35 points)

Section 2.1 Availability of Services: 3 points. The maximum number of points will be allocated to those proposals that indicate ‘YES’.  A ‘NO’ response will receive 0 points for the entire section.

Section 2.2 Hotel Menu Pricing: 15 points.

This section will be broken down into two rounds:

Round 1: Analysis of submission of prices for ARK’s top hotel accommodation requirement based on locations (5 points).

Round 2: Following evaluation of technical proposals, those bidders who have qualified for price evaluation stage, will be requested to provide quotes for real time room rates from specific hotels. ARK will contact the bidders separately on this. No submission is required with the price proposal response at this stage (10 points).

Round 2 will be scored as per the following breakdown:

Lowest overall room total price for all specified hotels quoted: 10 points.

The maximum number of points will be allocated to the lowest menu pricing. Proportional scores will be allocated to the remaining proposals.

Section 2.4 Transaction Fees: 17 points. The maximum points will be awarded to the lowest price. Proportional scores will be allocated to the remaining proposals.

• Online booking fee: 4 points
• Offline booking fee: 4 points
• Out of hours booking fee: 3 points
• Transaction fee for reservation change: 2 points
• Transaction fee for reservation cancellation: 2 points
• Transaction fee for processing refund: 2 points

• Section 3. Meeting room hire (15 points)

Section 3.1 Availability of Services: 3 points. The maximum number of points will be allocated to those proposal that include ‘YES’. A ‘NO’ response will receive 0 points for the entire section.

Section 3.2 Transaction Fees: 12 points. The maximum points will be awarded to the lowest price. Proportional scores will be allocated to the remaining proposals.

• Standard booking fee: 2 points
• Out of hours booking fee: 2 points
• Transaction fee for reservation change: 2 points
• Transaction fee for reservation cancellation: 2 points
• Transaction fee for processing refund; 2 points 
• Other additional charges not mentioned above: 2 points

• Section 4. Travel Booking Platform (35 points)

• Section 4.1 Availability of Services: 3 points. The maximum number of points will be allocated to those proposal that include ‘YES’. A ‘NO’ response will receive 0 points for the entire section.
• Section 4.2 Fees: 32 points. The maximum points will be awarded to the lowest price.   Proportional scores will be allocated to the remaining proposals.
• Travel booking tool implementation / set up: 12 points
• Annual fee: 20 points

• Sections: 1.4, 2.4, 3.3, and 4.3 Corporate discounts (10 points)

The maximum number of points will be allocated to the highest / most advantageous discount

scheme offered. Proportional scores will be allocated to the remaining proposals.

1. Award of Contract and Timeline

Please note that ARK is not committed to select any of the companies submitting proposals. This ITB is not to be construed in any way as an offer of contract. This ITB may also result in LTAs with several companies based on the outcome of the evaluation.

We look forward to receiving your proposal.

Yours faithfully,

ARK Group DMCC