Request for Proposal

[PROCUREMENT OF IRRIGATION KITS FOR DEMONSTRATION SITES UNDER THE SERVE PROJECT & POST-HARVEST HANDLING MATERIALS (CRATES, AND EGG TRAYS]

RFP DOCUMENT [7/2026]

RFP ISSUE DATE: [June 5,2026]

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: [June 15,2026]

Confidential Document

Prepared by

CARE RWANDA

1. ABOUT CARE

At CARE, we seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live with dignity and security.

This has been our vision since 1945, when we were founded to send lifesaving CARE Packages® to survivors of World War II. Today, CARE is a leader in the global movement to end poverty. We put women and girls in the center because we know we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. In 2019, CARE worked in 100 countries and reached 70 million people with an incredible range of life-saving programs.

For more information about CARE and our work, visit: https://www.care.org/our-work/

2. GENERAL CONDITIONS AND CLAUSES

2.1 CARE’S GENERAL CONDITIONS

The enclosed document is not an offer to contract, but a solicitation of a vendor’s proposed intent. Acceptance of a proposal in no way commits CARE to award a contract for any or all products and services to any vendor.

CARE reserves the right to make the following decisions and actions based on its business interests and for reasons known only to CARE:

• To determine whether the information provided does or does not substantially comply with the requirements of the RFP
• To contact any bidder after proposal submittal for clarification of any information provided.
• To waive any or all formalities of bidding
• To accept or reject a proposal in whole or part without justification to the bidder
• To not accept the lowest bid
• To negotiate with one or more bidders in respect to any aspect of submitted proposal
• To award another type of contract other than that described herein, or to award no contract;
• To enter into a contract or agreement for purchase with parties not responding to this RFP
• To request, at its sole discretion, selected Vendors to provide a more detailed presentation of the proposal

• To not share the results of the bids with other bidders and to award contracts based on whatever is in the best interest of CARE.

Any material statements made orally or in writing in response to this RFP or in response to requests for additional information will be considered offers to contract and should be included by vendor in any final contract.

2.2 CONFIDENTIALITY/ NON-DISCLOSURE

All information gained by any vendor concerning CARE work practices is not to be disclosed to anyone outside those responsible for the preparation of this proposal. Any discussion by the vendor of CARE’s business practices could be reason for disqualification. CARE, at their discretion, reserves the right to require a non-disclosure agreement.

Reciprocally, CARE commits that information received in response to this RFP will be held in strict confidence and not disclosed to any party, other than those persons directly responsible for the evaluation of the responses, without the express consent of the responding vendor.

Finally, the information contained within this RFP is confidential and is not to be disclosed or used for any other purpose by the vendor.

2.3 PUBLICITY

Any publicity referring to this project, whether in the form of press releases, brochures, or photographic coverage will not be permitted without prior written approval from CARE.

2.4 LIABILITY

The selected vendor(s) will be required to show proof of adequate insurance at such time as CARE is prepared to procure the services. The participating vendor will also be required to indemnify and hold harmless CARE for, among other things, any third-party claims arising from the selected vendor’s acts or omissions, and will be liable for any damage caused by its employees, agents or subcontractors.

2.5 FORCE MAJEURE

a. Neither Party shall be responsible for a performance that is delayed, hindered, or is rendered inadvisable, commercially impracticable, illegal, or impossible by a “Force Majeure Event.” A Force Majeure event includes, without limitation, an act of nature, a pandemic, emergency, civil unrest or disorder, actual or threatened terrorism, war, fire, governmental action or interference of any kind, power or utility failures, strikes or other labor disturbances, a health warning issued by the Center for Disease

Control (or similar agency), any other civil or governmental emergency and/or any other similar event beyond a Party’s reasonable control.

b. The Party that seeks to invoke this Force Majeure provision (the “Affected Party”) shall provide the other Party (the “Unaffected Party”) with a written notice within ten

(10) days of the date the Affected Party determines a Force Majeure Event has occurred.

2.6 ERRORS AND OMISSIONS

CARE expects the vendor will provide all labor, coordination, support, and resources required based on the vendor’s proposal and corresponding final SOW. No additional compensation will be available to the vendor for any error or omission from the proposal made to CARE. The only exclusions are add-ons, deletions, and/or optional services for which the vendor has received written authorization from CARE.

2.7 OWNERSHIP OF WORK

All work created during this evaluation must be original work, and no third party should hold any rights in or to the work. All rights, title and interest in the work shall be vested in CARE.

2.8 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

CARE encourages every prospective Supplier to avoid and prevent conflicts of interest, by disclosing to CARE if you, or any of your affiliates or personnel, were involved in the preparation of the requirements, design, specifications, cost estimates, and other information used in this RFP.

4. CONDITIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL

4.1 PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

This Request for Proposal represents the requirements for an open and competitive process.

All vendors must provide written notification via email to (RWA.Procurement@care.org) of their intent to participate, or not to participate in the bidding process by [June 8,2026].

Proposals will be accepted until  [June 15,2026], delivered via email solely to (RWA.Procurement@care.org), no later than the above specified date.

Any proposals received after this date and time will not be accepted. All proposals must be signed by an official agent or representative of the company submitting the proposal.

If the organization submitting a proposal must outsource or contract any work to meet the requirements contained herein, this must be clearly stated in the proposal.

Additionally, all costs included in proposals must be all-inclusive to include any outsourced or contracted work. Any proposals which call for outsourcing or contracting work must include a name and description of the organizations being contracted.

All costs must be itemized to include an explanation of all fees and costs.

Contract terms and conditions will be negotiated upon selection of the winning bidder for this RFP. All contractual terms and conditions will be subject to review by the CARE legal department, and will include scope, budget, schedule, and other necessary items pertaining to the project.

Any verbal information obtained from, or statements made by representatives of CARE shall not be construed as in any way amending this RFP. Only such corrections or addenda as are issued in writing by CARE to all RFP participants shall be official. CARE will not be responsible for verbal instructions.

4.2 PROJECT PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION

CARE is issuing this RFP (Request for Proposal) soliciting qualified bidders to submit proposals intended for the [Procurement of post-harvest handling materials (crates and egg trays) and irrigation kits for demonstration sites under SERVE Project].

This RFP is an invitation to bid, not an offer of contract. Bidders must submit a responsethat complies with the minimum requirements contained herein.

4.3 PROJECT OVERVIEW

CARE is seeking a provider to submit proposals intended for the [Procurement of post-harvest handling materials (crates and egg trays) and irrigation kits for demonstration sites under SERVE Project]

Requirement s Specs	Qty.	Unit of Measurement	RequiredDelivery Lead Time	Delivery Address	Contract Period
Procurement of post-harvest handling materials (crates and egg trays) and irrigation kits for demonstration sites under SERVE Project	Refer to the list of needed items inthe table below	Refer to the list of needed items in the table below	June 25,2026	Refer to the list of needed items in thetable below	1 month

Lot # 1: Post-harvest handling materials (crates and egg trays)

Item	Quantity	Measurement unit
Harvesting crates (Big size to hold 60Kg)	800	Each
Egg trays (Plastic trays)	1500	Each

Lot 2: Irrigation kits for demonstration sites

Item	Quantity	Measurement unit	Technical Specifications
Movable Solar powered Irrigation machines+accessories	40	Each	Solar Irrigation System with 10m of suction Flexible hose pipe (TDH=40m  Suction capacity at sea level (vertical meters:7 m) Maximum flow rate: 45L/Min). Pump type: positive displacement Solar Panels: 400Wp. Solar mode Range of maximum power point voltage:15-52 Range of open circuit voltage :17-65 Maximum input current 250: 9.5 Maximum input power :500 Trolley of 2 Wheels with the battery room. Hose pipe of 32mm thick: 100m. 3 Flare Nuts spanners for each kit (Size: 8,10,15). Battery mode (with external charge controller.Battery type: lead acidNominal voltage :12/24/36/48Storage temperature: -30 to +55)Operating temperature :0 to +50Type of enclosure: IP65 Battery: 12V and 200A  Measures(mm): L595mm*H290mm*W240mm Weight:14 kg Filtration: strainer One-year warranty Life span: 10 years minimum

Note: The bidders ‘quotation must include transport for the distribution of the items in Rwamagana, Kayonza, Ngoma, Kirehe, Huye and Nyamagabe.

4.4 PROJECT TIMELINE

All bidders are advised to strictly follow the timeline below as noted.

Any technical questions arising during the preparation of your response to this RFP should be submitted in writing via email to (RWA.Procurement@care.org)no later than[June 16,2026].
 

Schedule of Activities/ To-do	Date of the Activity/ Deadlineof Submission	Responsible	Remarks
RFP Issued	[June 5,2026]	CARE
Suppliertonotify CARE of intention toparticipate in bidding	[June 8,2026]	Supplier	Deadlines must be strictly observed.
Deadlineforsubmissionof clarification questions to CARE	[June 9 ,2026]	Supplier	Deadlines must be strictly observed.
CARE to answer allclarifications	[June 10,2026]	CARE
Supplier’s Deadline ofSubmissionof Proposal	[ June 15,2026]	Supplier	Deadlines must be strictly observed.
EvaluationofProposal	From [June 16 toJune 22,2026]	CARE
Vendorpresentation(if required)	[June 24,2026]	Supplier
Finalists selected	[June 26,2026]	CARE	Upon notification, the contract negotiation with the winning bidder willbegin immediately.

4.5 EVALUATION CRITERIA

CARE will evaluate all proposals based on the following criteria. To ensure consideration for this Request for Proposal, your proposal should be complete and include all of the following criteria:

• Overall Proposal Suitability: proposed solution(s) must meet the scope and needs included herein and be presented in a clear and organized manner
• Previous Work and Awards:Bidders will be evaluated on examples of their work pertaining to the requirement as well as client testimonials and references
• Technical Expertise and Organizational Experience: Bidders must provide descriptions and documentation of staff technical expertise and experience. Bidders also need to provide their experiences as an organization which include

but not limited to years of experience, financial stability, expertise, and edge to other competitors.

• Value and Cost:Bidders will be evaluated on the cost of their solution(s) based on the work to be performed in accordance with the scope of this project.

1. Technical Proposal
A. Overall Proposal Suitability	30%
B. Previous Work and Awards	20%
C. Technical Expertise and Organizational Experience	20%
D. Management approach	10%
Subtotal	80%
2. Financial Proposal (Value and Cost)
E. Value and Cost	20%
Subtotal	20%
Total	100%

Note for Country Offices (CO): The specific criteria must closely represent the objective and scope given the nature of the procurement required. Evaluation criteria reflected above can be added and or adjusted depending on the requirement and the type of purchase. The final evaluation criteria must be reflected above prior to releasing of this RFP.

CARE will review proposed budgets and pricing after the initial review of the criteriaabove.*

4.6 Application process

The proposals should indicate the following:

• Vendor profile and detailed CVs of key people to be assigned to the work
• Evidence of the vendor’s experience in similar assignments (at least 3 references with contact or address of referees).
• Technical proposal, including a description of the proposed methodology

detailing how deliverables will be achieved with a clear time frame.

• Financial offer detailing various costs associated with the delivery of the above services, in PDF Format and must be a separate document from the technical offer.
• VAT registration certificate; RDB registration certificate; RRA tax clearance certificate; RSSB tax clearance certificate .
• Minimum 3 certificates of similar work done in the past.
• Financial statements of 3 years (2023-2024-2025) and evidence of financial capacity to deliver

Interested bidders are requested to submit their offer not later than June 15,2026 COB local time to the following e-mail address: rwa.procurement@care.org with mention “ Procurement of post-harvest handling materials (crates and egg trays) and irrigation kits for demonstration sites under SERVE Project”.

Kigali, June 5,2026

Procurement Unit