Expression of Interest

Request for Expression of Interest
Date of Issue: August 14, 2018
Issued by: Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety
Closing Date for EOI: September 22, 2018
Closing time: 17:00 Hours Local Bangladesh Time

Subject: ADVERTISEMENT: REOI from Qualified Assessment Firms (QAF) To Support the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety

Overview

The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) is a legally binding, five-year commitment (2013- 2018) to improve safety in Bangladeshi ready-made garment (RMG) factories. The Alliance provides an unprecedented opportunity for apparel, retail and branded company members to come together and put forward concrete solutions that will be transparent, results-oriented, measurable and verifiable. Collectively, the Alliance’s members represent the majority of North American imports of ready-made garment (RMG) from Bangladesh. The Alliance holds each of its 29 corporate members and their factories accountable to operate workplaces that are safe and effective in ensuring building and fire safety. By upgrading factories, educating workers and management, empowering workers, and building institutions, the Alliance aims to bring about a long-lasting change in industry safety norms throughout Bangladesh.

As the Alliance’s 5-year term draws to a close at the end of 2018, discussions to form a successor safety monitoring organization (SMO) to carry forward the Alliance’s inspections, safety monitoring, training and helpline services are underway between the Alliance member brands, the Bangladesh Government, and the BGMEA. The SMO will be an independent, credible, locally led organization that will continue the collective agreement under the Alliance on a sustained safety effort.

The Alliance seeks to identify Qualified Assessment Firms (QAF), through a transparent and competitive process, to continue inspection of factories that have remediated their corrective action plan (CAP) and supply to members of the SMO. Appointed QAF will also inspect new factories of the SMO.

QAF Expectations:

In-house Resources

  • A designated coordinator to communicate with the Alliance, and going forward, with the SMO.
  • QAF should experience in maintaining structural safety, fire safety & electrical safety works of industry.
  • QAF should have at least 2 lead assessors & 4 assessors in each field (structural, fire & electrical).
  • Lead assessor should have at least 5 years’ experience in relevant field.
  • Assessor should have at least 2 years’ experience in relevant field.
  • Minimum qualification of all assessors and lead assessors is BSc in engineering.

Capacity Building Commitments

  • Attend in knowledge sharing session in regular interval of all enlisted engineers at the Alliance and the SMO.
  • Engage in coaching, mentoring, or stakeholder discussions organized by the Alliance and the SMO.

Roles and Responsibilities to the SMO

  • Agree to the Terms and Conditions of engagement set by the Alliance, and the SMO.
  • Take overall accountability for the inspections, including sharing all relevant information.
  • Ensure a systematic process for maintenance and updating of procedures and best practices as required by the Alliance, and the SMO, on a timely basis.
  • Conduct safety inspections with full integrity as per standard maintained by the Alliance and the SMO.
  • Administer pre and post assessment reports to factory and report results to the SMO.  
  • Conduct periodic assessments to confirm that factory is safe for workers in regards of structural, fire & electrical perspective.
  • Any responsibility that can be added by the Alliance, ant the SMO based on the circumstances.

Expression of Interest Submission

The Alliance are requesting for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from interested QAFs in Bangladesh that respond to this Scope of Work, as well as demonstrate the following:

  • A deep understanding of the RMG industry in Bangladesh.
  • A deep understanding of the business model required to inspect safety audit in industries in Bangladesh, with a discussion of the challenges, strategy and the day-to-day reality.
  • Company profile with organogram including management information.
  • Experience in safety inspections and remediation at industry.
  • Please provide legal documents including valid trade license, TIN, VAT registration and other relevant documents as attachment.  Also Annual turnover of last three year or Audit report (if any).
  • Credentials of the QAFs staff that will be engaged in inspections. (Please provide CVs and approved national identity of all proposed staff as attachments to the EOI). All QAF will carry SMO approved Identity Cards to control site access to SMO factories.

All types of eligible organizations and firms are strongly encouraged to submit EOIs. Please submit electronic written information by 17:00 Dhaka time on September 22, 2018. Submissions shall be sent to nbano@afbws.org, kpremus@afbws.org & zubayer@afbws.org. Phone calls, emails, hard copy delivery, or meeting requests sent to the Alliance will not be accepted.

Submission shall use only size 11 Times New Roman font or similar size typeset, 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper, and single-spaced pages for all narrative documents, with each page numbered consecutively. If the submitter has produced relevant reports, those reports may be included, preferably as embedded links. If the reports are not online, they may be submitted as attached documents. Attachments should include CVs and approved national approved identity document of proposed staff as well. The submission must be in English; however, reference documents or links may be in Bangla.

Responses will be held confidential. Proprietary information should not be sent. Submissions will not be acknowledged nor will responses be sent. The Alliance will communicate with selected short listed QAFs directly.