PUBLIC TENDER NOTICE

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF QUALITY RAW MILK (INSHYUSHYU)

Urugo Women’s Opportunity Center (Urugo WOC), located in Nyamirama Sector, Kayonza District, hereby invites eligible and qualified Milk Collection Centers (MCCs), cooperatives and other legally registered milk suppliers to submit bids for the supply and delivery of raw milk (Inshyushyu) to its dairy processing unit. The objective is to engage a reliable supplier able to provide consistent volumes of safe, high-quality raw milk in compliance with applicable laws, standards and food-safety requirements.

1. SCOPE OF SUPPLY AND ESTIMATED QUANTITY

• Required volume: between 1,000 litres and 3,000 litres per day, according to Urugo WOC’s operational requirements and confirmed orders.
• Contract period: twelve (12) months from the effective date stated in the signed supply agreement.
• The stated quantity is an estimated daily requirement and does not constitute a guaranteed minimum purchase unless expressly provided in the signed contract. The supplier must be capable of meeting the daily quantity requested by Urugo WOC.
• Bidders must state their minimum and maximum daily supply capacity and indicate whether they can scale deliveries within the required range.

2. REQUIRED RAW MILK QUALITY SPECIFICATIONS/QUALITY ACCEPTANCE CRITERIAS

All milk delivered must meet the following specifications at the point of delivery and acceptance:

Mandatory acceptance condition: Every delivery shall be inspected and tested before acceptance. Urugo WOC may reject any delivery or portion of a delivery that fails to meet the stated specifications, applicable standards or food-safety requirements. Payment shall only be due for quantities accepted in accordance with the contract.

3. SUPPLIER ELIGIBILITY AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

Bidders must meet all the following minimum requirements:

• Be a legally established and registered Milk Collection Center (MCC)
• Hold the registrations, licences, permits, approvals or recognition applicable to the bidder’s activities, premises, milk collection, handling, storage and transportation.
• Provide evidence of compliance with the requirements of the competent authorities, as applicable, including the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA), Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA), and Rwanda Standards Board (RSB).
• Demonstrate the operational capacity to supply between 1,000 and 3,000 litres per day, in accordance with Urugo WOC’s orders.
• Have suitable milk collection, cooling, storage and transportation facilities, including food-grade equipment and containers capable of maintaining the required temperature.
• Demonstrate the ability to maintain hygiene, traceability and quality controls from milk collection through delivery.

For clarity, bidders are required to submit the specific permits, certificates or evidence applicable to their operations. The tender does not imply that every authority listed above issues the same type of certificate or that every bidder must hold an identical document from each authority.

4. MANDATORY ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTS

1. Valid registration certificate issued by the Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA), where the bidder is a cooperative, or proof of registration with the relevant private-sector or competent registration authority, as applicable.
2. Valid VAT registration certificate, where the bidder is required by law to be VAT-registered.
3. Valid tax clearance certificate issued by the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA).
4. Valid RSSB clearance certificate, where applicable.
5. Relevant Cooperative owning an MCC registration, licence, permit, recognition or authorization documents from the competent regulatory authorities, as applicable to the bidder’s activities.

Bidders must ensure that all submitted documents are valid on the bid submission deadline. Urugo WOC may verify the authenticity and validity of any document. Missing or materially non-compliant mandatory documents may result in disqualification.

5. TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL BID CONTENT

In addition to the administrative documents, each bidder shall submit:

1. A Cooperative owning a Milk Collection Centre(MCC) profile, including physical address, ownership or membership structure, and contact details.
2. A clear statement of daily supply capacity, including minimum and maximum litres available and the proposed source of milk.
3. A price quotation per litre in Rwandan francs (RWF), clearly stating whether the price includes transportation, handling, where applicable. 
4. A description of milk collection, testing, cooling, storage and transportation facilities, including equipment and vehicle details.
5. A proposed delivery schedule, delivery frequency and contingency arrangements for maintaining uninterrupted supply.
6. Evidence of relevant experience supplying raw milk to dairy processors or institutional buyers, where available, together with client references where possible.
7. A declaration confirming that the bidder can comply with the quality specifications, inspection procedures and contractual conditions in this tender.

6. DELIVERY AND HANDLING REQUIREMENTS

The successful bidder shall be responsible for the collection, testing, handling, loading, transportation and delivery of raw milk to

Urugo Women’s Opportunity Center (Urugo WOC)
Nyamirama Sector, Kayonza District, Rwanda

• Milk must be delivered at a temperature between 4°C and 7°C and transported in clean, suitable, food-grade containers or equipment.
• The supplier must maintain hygienic conditions throughout collection, handling, storage and transportation and take reasonable measures to prevent contamination.
• Each delivery must be accompanied by a delivery note stating the supplier’s name, date and time of delivery, quantity supplied, source or collection point, and vehicle or container identification where applicable.
• The delivered quantity shall be tested,measured or weighed and recorded by the parties’ authorized representatives
• Upon the milk delivery to the Dairy Production Unit, Urugo WOC Quality Assurance Officer shall also conduct all the tests for acceptance, inspection and the required quality tests before acceptance and once the milk does not pass Acceptance criteria shall be rejected 
• The supplier shall ensure traceability of milk to its collection source and retain relevant collection and quality-control records.

7. QUALITY TESTING, SAMPLING AND REJECTION PROCEDURE

1. At each delivery, Urugo WOC’s authorized personnel shall inspect the milk and take representative samples using clean sampling equipment and a documented procedure.
2. Testing shall cover the parameters specified in Section 2, including, Organoleptic tests, Resanzurin,Antibiotic residues test,M1 Aflatoxin, temperature, density, fat content, Milk composition, pH, adulteration indicators and Acidity with 80% alcohol test.
3. Where a result is disputed or requires confirmation, a properly identified and sealed representative sample may be retained and submitted to a competent laboratory. The contract shall specify the procedure for confirmatory testing and responsibility for associated costs.
4. Urugo WOC shall record the date, supplier, delivered quantity, test results, acceptance or rejection decision and the reason for any rejection and issue a reception note signed by both parties.
5. Any milk that fails a required test, shows signs of contamination or adulteration, or otherwise fails to comply shall be rejected in whole or in part. Rejected milk shall not be unloaded into accepted milk stocks or processed by Urugo WOC.
6. The supplier shall promptly remove rejected milk at its own cost and, where requested and operationally feasible, replace it with compliant milk within the timeframe agreed by Urugo WOC. Milk for Replacement shall undergo the same inspection and testing.
7. Repeated quality failures may result in corrective-action requirements, suspension of deliveries, financial remedies where provided in the contract, or termination for default.

8. CONTRACT DURATION, PRICE AND PAYMENT

• The successful bidder shall enter into a written supply agreement with Urugo WOC for twelve (12) months.
• The contract shall state the agreed price per litre, applicable taxes, delivery and handling costs, invoicing requirements, supporting documents and payment timeline.
• The quoted price shall remain valid for the period stated in the bidder’s offer. Any price adjustment during the contract period shall require prior written agreement by both parties, supported by a clear justification and documented in a contract amendment. No unilateral price change shall be accepted.
• Invoices shall be supported by delivery notes and records of quantities accepted by Urugo WOC. Payment shall be based on accepted quantities only and processed in accordance with the signed contract and Urugo WOC’s applicable procedures.
• Contract renewal, if considered, shall depend on satisfactory performance, continued legal and regulatory compliance, operational needs, and mutual written agreement.

9. SUPPLY CONTINUITY AND CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

The supplier shall maintain sufficient milk supply and logistical capacity to meet confirmed orders. The bidder shall describe its contingency arrangements in the bid. The final contract shall include, at a minimum:

• A requirement to notify Urugo WOC immediately of any actual or anticipated interruption, shortage, delay or inability to meet an order, together with the reason and proposed corrective action.
• A requirement to obtain Urugo WOC’s prior written approval before making any material change to the agreed delivery schedule, supply source or delivery arrangements.
• Performance monitoring against quality, quantity, timeliness,hygiene and documentation requirements.
• Proportionate remedies for non-performance, which may include corrective action, replacement of rejected milk, recovery of documented losses where legally permissible, suspension of orders or other remedies expressly agreed in the contract.
• Termination provisions for repeated quality failures, material breach, fraud or misrepresentation, loss of required authorization, persistent failure to supply, or other grounds set out in the contract, with applicable notice and opportunity to remedy where appropriate.

10. BID SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Bids shall be submitted in a sealed envelope, clearly marked:

“TENDER FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF QUALITY RAW MILK (INSHYUSHYU) TO URUGO WOC OFFICES – TENDER REF: URUGO WOC/PROC/____/2026”

Bids received after the stated deadline may be rejected. Bidders are responsible for ensuring that their submissions are complete and delivered to the correct location before the deadline.

11. BID EVALUATION AND AWARD

Bids shall be assessed through a documented evaluation process against the requirements stated in this notice. The evaluation may consider:

• Completeness and validity of mandatory administrative and regulatory documents.
• Compliance with the technical milk quality and food-safety specifications.
• Demonstrated daily supply capacity and reliability of milk sources.
• Competitiveness and overall reasonableness of the price per litre, including delivery costs and applicable taxes.
• Adequacy of collection, testing, cooling, storage, and transportation arrangements.
• Relevant experience, references, traceability systems and past performance.
• Ability to meet the delivery schedule and maintain continuity of supply.

Urugo WOC may verify submitted information, request clarification, inspect shortlisted bidders’ facilities, check regulatory documents and conduct sample testing before award. The contract will be awarded to the bidder whose offer is determined to provide the best overall value and meets the mandatory requirements. The lowest-priced bid will not necessarily be selected if it does not meet the technical, quality, compliance or operational requirements.

12. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

Urugo WOC reserves the right, in accordance with applicable procurement requirements, to accept or reject any bid, request clarification, cancel or suspend the tender process, or decide not to make an award where justified. Any such decision shall be handled in accordance with applicable law and the Center’s procurement procedures.

ISSUED BY: MANAGEMENT
URUGO WOMEN’S OPPORTUNITY CENTER (URUGO WOC)
KAYONZA DISTRICT, RWANDA

ANNEX A – STANDARD BID SUBMISSION FORM

Bidders should complete this form and submit it together with all supporting documents. If additional space is required, attach a clearly labelled separate sheet.

A1. BIDDER INFORMATION

A2. SUPPLY CAPACITY AND DELIVERY OFFER

A3. DOCUMENT SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

☐ Registration certificate from RCA or relevant registration authority, as applicable.

☐ RRA tax clearance certificate.

☐ Applicable MCC, RAB, RICA, Rwanda FDA and/or RSB permits, licences, recognition or authorization evidence.

☐ Bidder profile and contact information.

☐ Evidence of daily supply capacity.

☐ Price quotation per litre with tax and delivery treatment clearly stated.

☐ Description or evidence of collection, cooling, storage and transportation facilities.

☐ Proposed delivery schedule and continuity/contingency arrangements.

☐ Relevant client references or evidence of previous supply experience, where available.

A4. BIDDER’S DECLARATION

I/We certify that the information provided in this bid and its attachments is true, accurate and complete to the best of my/our knowledge. I/We confirm that we have read and understood the tender requirements and, if selected, are prepared to enter into a written supply agreement with Urugo WOC. I/We understand that all deliveries will be subject to inspection and testing and that non-compliant milk may be rejected in accordance with the tender and contract.