GUIDANCE SOP FOR NETWORK MEMBERS ON HOW TO PREPARE A LIST OF PRE-SELECTED SUPPLIERS FOR PROCUREMENT

NOTE: This is NOT a policy document, and it is NOT a requirement. Network Members may decide to set up a Pre-selected Suppliers list or not, depending on whether they see benefits in cost, time, and effort in doing so.

1. Summary:

Pre-selected supplier lists consist of suppliers of goods and services for whom PSI has undertaken prior assessments and due diligence checks and as a result, are considered reputable and suitable for PSI to use on a repetitive basis.

Establishing a list of pre-selected suppliers may add significant benefits such as:

• Cost of goods or services optimization is not always possible when inflation rates are high.
• Improved service delivery levels,
• Procurement cycle time reduction
• Delivery time improvement
• Relationship/partnership building,
• Risk mitigation
• Landscaping of potential suppliers

It is recommended that the list of pre-selected suppliers be limited to 3-5 per service/good area. However, this number is only a recommendation; local market conditions may mean that the number of potential suppliers available for pre-selection is limited. A “reasonable” number of suppliers minimizes administrative complications and facilitates supplier management. It also allows the procurement team and the supplier(s) to develop a professional relationship and mutual understanding of the needs and capabilities of each other.

The pre-selection list may be reviewed on a rolling basis where new suppliers can be added, and non-performing ones can be dropped. If such a rolling review is done periodically then there is little need for a complete review every two years. However, the timing and results of any rolling review should be documented in the appropriate file.

1. Process:
   1. Summary of process:

The most important first step in the process is to decide whether having a list of pre-selected suppliers is right for your procurement operation. When establishing a pre-selected supplier list, a similar process to that of an Invitation to Bid may be followed.

1. Step-by-step process:

These are suggested steps on how to establish and manage a pre-selected supplier list while ensuring accountability and maximizing transparency in the process.

1. Categorize all regularly purchased goods and services into appropriate areas, such as by program and support function.
2. Annex A provides a list of the most common services used by PSI offices.
3. Annex B (Essential) gives details of the supporting documents that must be obtained from potential suppliers as part of the invitation process.
   • When considering which services to pre-qualify, consider which ones have the highest volume of transactions each year, as well as the ones that have the highest monetary value attached to them, or another form of risk. Once this is completed it may be decided that the volume or value of transactions in some spend categories does not justify the establishment of a pre-selected vendor list or it may be that only certain categories are found to be appropriate, or indeed none.

1. Issue the pre-selection invitation by:
   • Placing advertisements in newspapers to maximize the level of exposure of the process. They should be advertised for no less than 2 weeks (14 calendar days).
   • Sending the invitation to suppliers already known to the Network Member (NM), such suppliers can be invited at the same time the advertisements are placed.
   • If local market conditions mean that potential suppliers do not respond to published invitations, then direct invitations may be sent.
   • The decision on how to invite potential suppliers is up to you based on your market knowledge.
2. Once the responses are received, the Evaluation Committee for each good or service category will meet to review the paperwork. See the note below on the establishment of an Evaluation Committee at the end of this document.

• Each member of the Evaluation Committee will evaluate the vendors’ applications on a qualitative basis using Annex B as an aid.

1. Identify companies deemed suitable to supply materials or services to the organization. To be deemed suitable, a vendor must have satisfied the qualitative criteria as per Annex B; all others would be considered disqualified from this pre-qualification.
2. The Evaluation Committee will then physically visit the office premises of each applicant who met the qualitative criteria, to ensure its existence and that it indeed provides the goods or services mentioned in their application.
3. List the pre-selected suppliers by service or good category and enter their basic information (name, address, contact information, etc.) in a spreadsheet, and in order of their qualitative responsiveness. This will provide a prioritization of pre-qualified vendors and allow the organization to identify the top 3-to 5 to work with on a regular basis.
4. Contact all companies who participated in the process to advise them whether they have been successful or otherwise. Unsuccessful companies should be thanked for

their engagement in the process by either a letter on organization-headed paper or email (copied to all Evaluation Committee members). Templates for these letters may be found in Annex C.

1. The pre-selection exercise may be conducted on a rolling basis to allow for new market entrants and establish relationships with the pre-selected suppliers. There is no fixed period for this, but the list should be reviewed periodically against criteria such as supplier performance.

Note on Establishment of an Evaluation Committee

The head of procurement should establish an Evaluation Committee for each service or goods category being pre-selected if appropriate, which would be approved by the Country Representative.

Not all pre-selection exercises need a committee, but where the goods or services are technical or specialized in nature, then the committee should comprise a minimum of 3 members, 1 x Procurement, 1 x Finance, and 1 x relevant technical expert, i.e., head of transport for spare parts, engineer for construction materials, etc. It is acceptable to have the same members preside over multiple service or good pre-qualification categories. When a committee is not needed then submissions should be reviewed by the head of the procurement department and one other not in the procurement department eg the DAF

The head of procurement would also ensure that each member of the Evaluation Committee clearly understands their roles and responsibilities so that the pre-selection exercise proceeds smoothly, efficiently, and transparently.

ISSUANCE DATE: November 1st, 2023

LAST BID RECEIPT DATE: November 30th, 2023, 5 PM Monrovia Time

OPENING OF THE BIDS: December 5th, 2023, in the PSI conference room at 02:00 PM

Format and Content of Bids.

All bids must be signed and dated by an authorized employee of the bidder.

Bids must be in A4 format, with printing on one side of a page only.

Prospective Bidders shall submit bids as per the detail’s technical specification. PSI reserves the right to award different parts of this ITB to different Bidders.

Submission and Handling of Bids.

Please Submit 3 hard copies of each technical and financial bid whereby 1 original document and 2 copies of each lot applying for.

It is important to note that; the tender documents shall be submitted in one sealed envelope that contains the original and 2 two copies for each lot listen the items with their unit cost. The bids shall be evaluated by the technical committee and disqualify those that do not meet the required scoring criteria. Bids that meet the set threshold on technical scores shall be allowed to proceed to the next valuation and inspection of the site.

Bids are to be delivered by hand, or courier. All Bids must be contained in

sticker-sealed unmarked envelopes and addressed as follows:

PSI/EOI/2023/001

Population Services International

Fish Market Tubman Boulevard

Second floor Monrovia, Liberia

Note: Kindly indicate on the envelope the lot that you are applying for

Example: Lot-3 Vehicle Rental services within 5 counties (Lofa, Nimba, Bong, Montserrado, and Grand Bassa)

ANNEX A

Frequently Pre-Selected Services

Note that this only serves as a recommendation. It is not required to pre-select all of these services, nor is it meant to be all-comprehensive. See Section 2.b., step 1.

ANNEX B

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