Procurement Notices

Background:

Tourism is the world’s largest and fastest growing industry with an annual growth rate of 7% between 2004 and 2007. Even during the global economic recession, growth of the industry was estimated at 2.5%. Currently, tourism is Uganda’s fastest growing industry with an average annual growth rate of 21%. As such, government of Uganda in its National Development Plan 2010/2011 – 2014/2015 identified tourism as one of the primary growth sectors for transforming Uganda into a middle income country. The government recognizes that in the short to medium term, the tourism sector will be one of the key drivers in the country’s efforts to reduce poverty and to provide the base for job creation, revenue and foreign exchange generation; and provision of livelihoods for a significant number of the population. However, the growth and performance of the sector is constrained by, inter alia, the lack of information on Uganda’s tourism products and services.
In support of government efforts to improve growth and performance of the tourism sector, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) with support from UNDP is implementing a project; “Support for the Development of Inclusive Tourism Markets in Uganda”. The project will support the government of Uganda in development of inclusive markets in tourism, focusing on the participation of the poor and local communities in the tourism sector as entrepreneurs, employees and consumers. The project will therefore empower the poor to increase benefits from the tourism industry and improve their livelihoods through access to labour and markets, and increased opportunities for decent work and incomes. The project will also support the preparation a catalogue on Uganda’s tourism products and services in order to increase their visibility at both the national and global levels.

Rationale:

The tourism sector is the second largest foreign exchange earner and generated US$805 million in foreign exchange earnings in fiscal year 2011/2012. In particular, the sector’s total contribution to GDP is estimated at US$ 1.4 billion, representing 7.6% of GDP; in the year 2011 trailing only remittances from abroad.  However, the growth in number of tourists visiting Uganda and subsequent growth and performance of the tourism sector is hampered by limited awareness of Uganda’s tourism products at both the national and international levels. In particular, this is occasioned by the limited sources of information on Uganda’s tourism products.
Tourism is an information-sensitive industry while cataloguing is widely recognised as an extremely valuable marketing tool. It is therefore pertinent that a catalogue on Uganda’s tourism products and services be developed as a tool to showcase and market Uganda as a viable tourism destination. A national catalogue on Uganda’s tourism products and services will give the sector as a whole, the opportunity to promote itself nationally and internationally by providing relevant and up-to-date content on Uganda’s tourism sector that will be distributed to government agencies, embassies and consulates, leading tour operators, travel agents, opinion makers, the media both here and abroad as a reference point for tourism opportunities in Uganda. The catalogue, as a part of a whole marketing strategy, will also increase interest in and raise awareness of Uganda’s unique tourism products by providing a detailed listing of these attractions.

Objective of the Assignment:

The overall objective of the assignment is to compile, design and publish a detailed catalogue to showcase and provide information on Uganda’s tourism products and services. The catalogue will contribute to the promotion of Uganda as a tourism destination through one of the most effective communication tools by developing a coherent and integrated information source on Uganda’s products and services.

The specific objectives of the consultancy include:

• Source and compile captivating facts, up-to-date information, maps and photographs (images) on Uganda’s unique key tourist destinations, products and attractions covering the arts and cultural heritage of the country, niche tourism segments such as nature and wildlife; biodiversity, flora and fauna; birds, food, adventure tourism, lifestyle tourism (UTB with support from MTWH and in consultation with UNDP to provide categories of information). In addition, the catalogue will provide an update on government’s activities & initiatives to promote tourism.
• Design and lay-out of approved copy and images, in an attractive and modern reader friendly format to maximise interest.
• Printing the catalogue in accordance to specified size (Paper size: 190mm by 260mm, Number of Pages: 250) and format.
• Provide a digital Flipbook (flash format based) and on-line PDF format (downloadable and viewable on a browser) for uploading on the official websites of the Ministry of Tourism, UTB and UNDP; and the national tourism information portal.
• Providing such other services as may be necessary for the end- to-end production and delivery of the catalogue.
  Scope of Work
  

UNDP and Uganda Tourism Board are seeking to recruit a consultancy firm to compile, design and print a detailed catalogue on Uganda’s unique key attractions/ tourism products.  In rendering the required services as per the scope of work, the design/publishing firm will be required:

• To undertake planning and development of the concept and creative design;
• Carry out editorial research for articles and commission of photography;
• Undertake design, lay-out of catalogue;
• Deliver the printed catalogue with the number of copies totalling to 5,000 copies;
• Subject to Uganda Tourism Board/Ministry of Tourism/UNDP’s overall supervision and control, to select subjects and articles for insertion in the catalogue. The firm will be responsible for authentication of facts of the contents of the catalogue.
• To provide all such services as may be reasonably required for the production of the catalogue and in particular editorial, art direction, photography, illustration and desk-top publishing services.
• To arrange such experts as it shall consider appropriate for the contribution of any text, article, photograph, illustration or other matter to the magazine, provided that the remuneration of such person shall be the responsibility of the firm.
• To enter into contracts with the suppliers of services and materials as it shall consider fit, including (but not limited to) suppliers of colour separations, paper, printing and typesetting services, at its own expense.
• To submit the catalogue to UTB/Ministry of Tourism/UNDP editorial team for approval.
•  To exclude from the catalogue any articles or matters, which may be offensive under any relevant laws or generally accepted standards of decency and morality, or which may infringe the rights of any third party.

 Specifications of Catalogue

Type of product: Tourism catalogue in English.
Size: 190mm by 260mm
Pages: 250
Paper Type: 100# dull/matte text paper for inside pages; 100# gloss cover paper 
Cover paper: Matt lamination for additional protection 
Binding: Centre stitched
Printing: Offset
Quantity: 5,000 copies

Deliverables

The key deliverables of this assignment include:

• An inception report on the assignment within 3 work days of signing of the contract detailing the understanding of the Terms Of Reference; the methodology of carrying out the assignment; work plan and implementation schedule as agreed upon with Uganda Tourism Board and UNDP.
• Write-up, maps and photography on Uganda’s unique key tourist attractions to include biodiversity, nature and wildlife; culture and people; flora and fauna; birds (UTB with support from MTWH and in consultation with UNDP to provide categories of information) as agreed with UNDP and Uganda Tourism Board in both soft and hard copy.
• Design, Art work & layout of the catalogue as agreed by UNDP and Uganda Tourism Board in both soft and hard copy.
• Published catalogue of Uganda’s tourism products and services both soft and hard copy.
•  Website publication
  

Ownership and intellectual property:

UNDP shall acquire ownership of all assignment deliverables both hard and soft copies and the right to use them as deemed fit. The deliverables may thus not be published or used without the express permission of UNDP and UTB in line with the national and International Copyright Laws applicable.

Reporting:

The individual consultant/ firm shall report to the Team Leader, Growth and Poverty Reduction Programme, UNDP who shall be responsible for assuring the overall technical quality of the key deliverables.  In the implementation of this role, the Team Leader will be technically backstopped by Programme Officer, Growth and Poverty Reduction, UNDP; the Project Manager at Uganda Tourism Board and the UNV Tourism Development Specialist.

The required format for all the reports generated shall be agreed with UNDP upon the inception of the assignment.

Skills and experience of the Consultancy firm:

Technical Competencies:

• Must be a reputable graphic design firm with prior experience in magazine and catalogue lay-out, design or advertising.
• Should have competent personnel with sufficient experience and professional qualifications in design or related fields.
• Should have excellent working knowledge of MAC OS, InDesign, PhotoShop & Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat and MS Office as well as other graphic tools along with graphic optimization skills.
• Knowledge of Uganda’s tourism products.
• Firm must guarantee timely delivery of product.

Personnel Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards.
• Positive, constructive attitude to work.
• Creative and innovative.
• Ability to act professionally and flexibility to engage with government officials, development partner representatives and the private sector.

Company Legal Requirements:

•  Valid and certified Certificate of Incorporation as a Company in Uganda
• Valid and Certified Tax Registration Certificate (indicating TIN and VAT Number)
• Tax Clearance Certificate issued by URA
• Valid Trading Licence  (where applicable)
• Recently issued Bank Statement (showed be issued for the last 6 months)
• Full and accurate physical, postal, telephone and email address of the firm
• Articles and Memorandum of Association

Payment Modalities:

Payment to the consultant will be made in three installments upon satisfactory completion of the following deliverables:

•  20% payment upon submission of an acceptable inception report;
• 20% payment upon submission of acceptable draft catalogue with write-ups, maps and photography;
• 15% payment upon submission of acceptable design, art work & layout of the catalogue;
• 20% payment upon submission of acceptable published catalogue with the digital Flipbook (flash format based) and on-line PDF format (downloadable and viewable on a browser) versions for uploading on the official websites of the Ministry of Tourism, UTB and UNDP; and the national tourism information portal; and
• 25% upon delivery of 5,000 copies of the published catalogue.

Application Procedure:

Application Procedure - applicants are required to submit an application and proposals, which include the following:

Proposal:

• Letter of Interest.
• Explanation as to why you consider your firm most suitable for the assignment.
• A detailed methodology enumerating the approach to the assignment, different steps for undertaking assignment and a detailed plan for implementation of the assignment.

Supporting documents / certificates towards fulfilling eligibility criteria which must be submitted :

•  Brief Profile & competence of the design/publishing house 
• A dummy design for the proposed catalogue containing 16 pages of text (in English) and images in the layout design + 4 covers.
• Details of editorial set up, design/layout set up and technical man power in the design/publishing firm
• If printing is proposed to be outsourced, details of agencies / companies through whom the work is most likely to be done. 

CV:

• Highlighting past experience in similar assignments.
• Work references - contact details (e-mail addresses) of referees.

Financial Proposal:

• A financial proposal indicating consultancy fee in Ugandan Shillings, lump sum (with a breakdown) along with any other expenses related to the  assignment.

Technical proposal(one soft copy-data CD and one hard copy) and financial proposal( in separate sealed envelopes) clearly marked: “Consultancy Services: Proposal for  Preparation of a Catalogue on Uganda’s Tourism Products.", should be delivered through the Registry and addressed to the following address, and MUST be submitted before or not later 2nd  November  2012, on or before 11:30am:

The Resident Representative
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Plot 11 Yusuf Lule Road,
P.O Box 7184
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256 414112100

Attention: Procurement Unit

Notes:

Please ensure that the person delivering the proposal signs the registry List when submitting the proposal.