Fiscal Agent Services /

 

Specific Procurement Notice

 

Belize City, Belize

September 6, 2023

Re: Fiscal Agent Services

Ref: 23-4001 (QCBS)

 

The Government of Belize (“Government”) is currently developing a Millennium Challenge Compact (“Compact”), pursuant to which the Millennium Challenge Corporation (“MCC”) will provide a grant to the Government. The Government intends to apply a part of the proceeds of that funding to payments for contracts for goods, works and services. The Government has formed a Compact Development Team (CDT) led by the National Coordinator for the purpose of developing the Compact. To support these activities, MCC and the Government entered into a grant agreement, the “Agreement”), whereby MCC granted to the Government an amount not to exceed ten million U.S. Dollars (US$10,000,000) under the authority of Section 609(g) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, as amended (the “Act”), to facilitate the development and implementation of the proposed Compact between the United States of America and the Government to help accelerate economic growth and poverty reduction in Belize. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Compact, the Agreement, related agreements, and the availability of funds, the Government intends to use a portion of the funds to finance professional fiscal agent services from a legally constituted firm (“Fiscal Agent” or “Consultant”) to assist the Government with the implementation of the Compact program in a transparent and sound manner. The Fiscal Agent will provide such support in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in an agreement (the “Fiscal Agent Agreement”), a form of which is attached to this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) in Section VI.

 

In issuing this RFP, the Government has designated the CDT to manage the implementation of the Activities, including entering into and managing the Government Service Provider Contracts until such time as MCA-Belize is formed. MCC hereby acknowledges and consents to the designation of CDT. The Government hereby confirms to MCC that CDT has the authority to enter into obligations and act on behalf of the Government with regard to all Activities hereunder. The CDT will continue until such time as the Government establishes the Millennium Challenge Account Belize (“MCA-Belize”) to serve as the accountable entity for implementing the Compact. Prior to the establishment of MCA-Belize, any references to actions taken or rights received by MCA-Belize in this RFP, including in the Form of Contract, shall be taken or received by the CDT on behalf of the Government, and any references herein to MCA-Belize shall be deemed to mean the CDT during this period.

 

MCC is a U.S. government agency focused on assisting countries dedicated to good governance, economic freedom, and investments in people. The Compact will include an investment from MCC of an US$ amount to be approved and a corresponding contribution of an approved US$ amount from the Government. The Fiscal Agent will be required to manage partial, or all of the funding contributed by MCC and of the Government’s contribution. Compact project descriptions and other details will be provided after the signing of the Compact and the Program Implementation Agreement between MCC and the Government of Belize.

 

MCA-Belize requires the services of the Fiscal Agent (“FA”) for a base period of eighteen (18) months at a fixed price. Thereafter, MCA-Belize will require six (6) 12-month option periods at a fixed price. However, the final option period (Option Period 6) may be more or less than 12 months and will include a 120-day period after the expiration of the Compact. For purposes of preparing proposals, Consultants should assume that the final option period (Option Period 6) will be for full 12 months from the time of option effectiveness. Despite this, Option Period 6 will vary in actual implementation, and could be shorter or longer than 12 months, including the 120-day closure period. At least one year prior to exercising the 6^th option, the payment for this period will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis (using the evaluated Option Period 6 price above as the basis) to account for the actual number of days that Option Period 6 will cover.

 

This Request for Proposal, the RFP, follows the General Procurement Notice that appeared in dgMarket and UNDB Online on May 1, 2023.

The CDT now invites proposals from legally constituted consulting firms and other organizations to provide the Fiscal Agent services (“Proposals”). More details on these services are provided in the Terms of Reference in Section V of this RFP.

 

This RFP is open to all eligible entities (“Consultants”) who wish to respond. Subject to restrictions noted in the RFP, consultants may associate with other consultants to enhance their capacity to successfully carry out the assignment.

 

A Consultant will be selected under the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (“QCBS”) method, an evaluation procedure that is described in Section III of the RFP in accordance with the “MCC Program Procurement Guidelines” provided on the MCC website (www.mcc.gov/ppg). The selection process, as described, will include a review and verification of qualifications and past performance, including a reference check, prior to the contract award.

 

The RFP includes the following Sections:

 

PART 1 – PROPOSAL AND SELECTION PROCEDURES

Section I         Instructions to Consultants (“ITC”)                                                          

This section provides information to help Consultants prepare their Proposals; it also provides information on the submission, opening, and evaluation of Proposals and on the award of the proposed contract.

Section II        Proposal Data Sheet (“PDS”)

This section includes provisions that are specific to this procurement and that supplement Section I, Instructions to Consultants.

Section III      Qualification and Evaluation Criteria

This section specifies the qualifications required of the Consultant and the criteria to be used to evaluate their Proposal.

Section IV A  Technical Proposal Forms

This section provides the Technical Proposal Forms that Consultants are to complete and submit in a separate envelope as part of their total Proposals.

Section IV B  Financial Proposal Forms

This section provides the Financial Proposal Forms that Consultants are to complete and submit in a separate envelope as part of their total Proposals.

Section V        Terms of Reference

This Section includes the detailed Terms of Reference that describe the nature, tasks, and duties of the consulting services to be procured.

 

PART 2 – CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT AND CONTRACT AGREEMENT

Section VI      Contract Agreement

This section contains the draft form of a Contract, including the annex, proposed to be entered into between the MCA Entity and the winning Consultant.

 

Please note that a Pre-Proposal Conference will be held as described in the Proposal Data Sheet (“PDS”), Section II of the RFP. Attendance at the Pre-Proposal Conference is not mandatory but is strongly advised for all interested Consultants or their representatives.

 

Consultants interested in receiving the RFP and submitting a Proposal should register using the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/vemVXBtHsz . Consultants should provide their correct email contact details. This will ensure that the Consultants receive updates regarding this RFP.

 

Proposals must be delivered electronically to the address and in the manner specified in the PDS ITC 17, no later than 2:00pm Belize Time (GMT-6), on October 30, 2023

 

Please note that only electronic Proposals shall be accepted. Late Proposals will not be accepted under any circumstances.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

Osmond Martinez Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment

Belize City, Belize