II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM95
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Research and Evidence Division (RED) is seeking to appoint a Supplier to oversee and manage The Evidence Fund. The primary responsibility of the Supplier will be to manage procurement competitions for research and evaluation projects, conduct due diligence assessments on prospective sub-contracted Research Pool providers, where relevant and manage research projects implemented by sub-contracted research organizations. 19. The expected impact of the programme is evidence-informed policies, programmes and practices which contribute to positive development outcomes and poverty reduction.
There are many different types of evidence that FCDO needs to provide and use in order to ensure that its programmes and policies are effective in achieving intended development impacts and that the maximum value is returned for every pound spent. To maximise the impact and return on investments, FCDO must put this evidence base to work – translating knowledge into state-of-the-art policies and supporting FCDO country programme teams and ODA-spending HMG partners to use evidence to add value to their programmes. The Evidence Fund will support responses to a broad spectrum of evidence needs by generating operationally relevant research, analysis, evaluation and syntheses to inform policy and programming decisions., This will operate as a single coordinated, research and evidence platform to facilitate knowledge synthesis, translation and engagement with policymakers – beyond a more traditional evidence generation function. In the process, The Evidence Fund will bring together several programmes previously delivered across RED.
The mission of the Research and Evidence Division (RED) within FCDO is to develop and deliver new technologies and innovations that can help solve development challenges, test high potential interventions, and support the delivery of HMG objectives particularly in education, climate change, prosperity, global security and global influence. It delivers strong technical economic, science and analytical functions in support of strategic and operational decision-making and quality assurance. It currently has staff based in seven locations: London, East Kilbride, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Nairobi, Lagos and Pretoria. Its Regional Research Hubs provide country-specific and regionally relevant evidence and research in response to local and regional priorities including strengthening science, innovation and research systems.
The Supplier will also have responsibility for a number of cross-cutting activities in relation to the programme, including knowledge management and dissemination, monitoring and learning, and establishing a technical assistance facility for additional administrative and programme management support to FCDO activities in East Africa, South Asia, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) .
The direct recipients of these services will be three Regional Research Hubs (for East Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa), and the Evaluation Unit. Delivery of two further components under the broader Evidence Fund programme will be managed directly by FCDO’s Director of Research Team and Evidence into Action team, however the Supplier will work with these components to incorporate their work in the Supplier’s delivery of cross-programme learning
The expected overall outcome of the programme will be accessible high-quality research, evaluation and evidence products targeting policy, country-specific and regional priorities available for use by FCDO and the international development sector.
The expected outputs from the programme are:
• Production of high-quality, policy, country and regionally relevant evidence products
demanded by FCDO country programme teams in the priority regions
• High-quality, evaluation products which address key priorities
• Peer reviewed research products, such as academic papers
• Well planned and executed research uptake strategies of individual research projects that
ensure that this new evidence contributes to policies and programmes in the region and
globally
The initial duration of the programme will be 34 months with an initial budget of £35,800,000 inclusive of local government taxes, but exclusive of VAT. FCDO anticipates that the budget allocation for delivery of Core Team Portfolio Management Services does not exceed 12% (£4,296,000.00) of the initial budget. FCDO will retain options to enhance the programme budget, by up to £ 36,200,000 and extend the programme by an additional three years.
The programme will begin with a 6-month Inception Phase, followed by an Implementation Phase that is expected to last 28 months. Progression to the Implementation Phase will be contingent upon the Supplier’s delivery of required Inception deliverables that meet expected standards in respect of quality and completeness.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical Proposal
/ Weighting: 45
Quality criterion: Social Values Proposal
/ Weighting: 10
Cost criterion: Fees, Expenses, Total Costs
/ Weighting: 35
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
72 000 000.00
GBP
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 70
This contract is subject to renewal: No
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
FCDO will award a contract for an initial term of 34 months for a maximum value of GBP 36 800 000, inclusive of local government taxes, but exclusive of VAT. The contract will include extension options of up to an additional 36 months, with a maximum value of GBP 36 200 000. FCDO reserves the right to scale back or discontinue this programme at any point in line with the terms and conditions and as per the tender documents.
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No