Date: 20 August 2018

1. Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), a national non-governmental legal services organisation hereby solicits your bid for the above subject, in accordance with this document and the annex attached.
2. This Request for proposal consists of this document and the Annexure - Terms of Reference – Producing Audio CD (human rights education through folk song/drama/"edutainment") and Video/Documentary
3. Consultants shall submit a Technical Proposal and a Financial Proposal, which shall be valid for 15 days from the deadline of submission of proposals.  The Technical Proposal shall demonstrate that the consultant will be able to meet the objectives of the TOR within the time frame stated.
4. Rates or Prices of the Proposal shall be inclusive of VAT and Tax.
5. Rates shall be quoted and, subsequent payments under this Agreement shall be made in BDT (Taka) currency. The price offered by the bidders, if accepted, shall remain fixed for the duration of the Agreement.
6. Consultants must have legal capacity to enter into the Agreement. The consultants, in support of its qualification, is required to submit certified photocopies of the latest documents related to a) Trade License, b) Tax Identification Number (TIN) Certificate, and d) VAT Registration Certificate; without these the Quotation may be considered non-responsive.
7. BLAST reserves the right to reject all the Proposals or the procurement proceedings. It can also reserves the right to terminate the contract if it is not satisfied with the performance, such as quality and progress of the work. In case of termination payment will not be made. Copyright of the Audio CD (Folk Song) and Video/Documentary will remain with the BLAST. 
8. If any consultant requires any clarifications on this RFP and the TOR, such requests for clarifications shall be submitted in writing by 29 August, 2018, Wednesday, within 4:30 pm and shall be sent by email to purchase@blast.org.bd, with copy to asraf@blast.org.bd
9. The Technical and Financial Proposals of the Consultants shall be submitted through email to purchase@blast.org.bd under the subject line of ‘Proposal: Producing Audio CD (human rights education through folk song/drama/"edutainment") and Video/Documentary - EPD Project’.
10. The deadline for submission of the Proposals is 03 September 2018, Monday, not later than 05:00
    

Annex 1

RFP For

‘Producing Audio CD (human rights education through folk song/drama/"edutainment") and Video/Documentary’

Since the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2006 and its ratification by the Government of Bangladesh in 2007, the CRPD has intensified calls in Bangladesh for more pluralistic and responsive governance. The overarching goal of this project is to capitalize on the culmination of the post-CRPD decade of advocacy by empowering Bangladeshi disabled persons organizations (DPOs) to activate the district-level adjudication mechanisms created under the Disability Rights & Protection Act of 2013 (DRPA). To accomplish this goal, this project will pursue the following four objectives:

• Produce high-quality, action-oriented informational resources in accessible formats on the DRPA for diverse stakeholders;
• Strengthen DPOs’ capacity to develop high-quality, needs-based, and strategic project proposals;
• Enable DPOs to mobilize national- and district-level stakeholders to implement the DRPA; and
• Enable DPOs to evaluate critically the impact of their advocacy plans and to identify avenues for future advocacy.

These four objectives fit squarely within USAID/Bangladesh’s development objective to promote democracy and governance by enhancing citizen confidence in local government institutions. As described in greater detail below, the DRPA decentralizes the implementation of national disability policy by empowering district committees to adjudicate disability rights claims. As nascent local government institutions, the DRPA district committees provide a vital new opportunity for Bangladeshi citizens with disabilities and their families and supporters to access justice. The alternative—the mainstream justice system—is marred by physical, informational, institutional, and attitudinal barriers to accessibility that prevent DPOs from effectively demanding democratic practices, respect for human rights, and better services of the GOB. If trained and mobilized, DPOs working in concert can actively engage the DRPA district committees to ensure their accountability and responsiveness. Thus, by preventing the failed national disability policies of the past from repeating themselves, this project will empower DPOs to become democratic change agents in their local communities

2. Purpose of the Audio CD and Video/Documentary

USAID’s Expanding Participation of People with Disability (EPD) project has a plan to publish the DPO’s Advocacy Handbook in sign language. But the sign language interpreters and sign language users opined that the large document like handbook (more than 200 pages) can’t be legible for the target audience like persons with hearing and speech disabilities since the words used in the handbook has no specific sign, every word will require several signs and thus the publication will be too large to understand the meaning. Moreover, few of legal terminologies has no sign in practice. Also signs varies from place to place. On the other hand, in remote areas of Bangladesh maximum persons with disabilities do not know sign language, they are used to using home signs. However, the DPOs training held in 9-11 May, 2018, three persons with hearing and speech disabilities were invited to participate and one sign language interpreter was hired for all three days to translate the discussions of the event into sign language, but end of training it was found that none of the persons with hearing disabilities understood the sign though they can read and write. To justify the views regarding most accessible way of publication of the handbook BLAST organized a consultation meeting with persons with disabilities and sign language interpreters and all participants opined that the content of the handbook may be accessible for the community if published as video documentary where sign language interpreters will express the content with popular signs, and the meaning will come as both in voice and subtitle in Bengali language so that the documentary can be accessible for all, especially for those persons with disabilities who understand sign language, who can read but can’t understand signs and who can neither read, nor understand sign language, but can hear with hearing aid.

3. Scope of Work for producers of Video/Documentary:

• Review project related documents and any other background documents for prepare script; 
• Develop proposal and inception note for the assignment. This will include a timeline, Methodology and work plan. The inception note should include details on Methodology with work plan and timeline;
• To produce a video/documentary on few chapters of the DPO’s Handbook. The chapters are on DRPA rights and remedies, application procedure under section 36 of the DRPA and one advocacy success story of Philippine (around 40 pages). The length of the documentary may be 50 to 60 minutes. Basic feature of the documentary may be described as-
• One or more sign language user/s will express the content of a predesigned script based on the handbook and IEC materials (Poster and Booklet) in standard Bangla sign language;
• The sign language will be translated into voice (Voice Over) simultaneously;
• Subtitle in Bangla language shall appear at the bottom of screen.
• To prepare the script for section 36-procedure Info-graphic (Animation) and add it to video;
• To engage quality sign language interpreters (BLAST will provide an interpreter list) and persons for giving voice.

4. Scope of Work for producers of Folk Songs’ CD (Audio):

• To compose songs with music based on the content of the DPO’s handbook and IEC materials (Poster and Booklet);
• The length of the audio CD shall be 4/5 minutes;
• Arrange a debriefing session for the Project Team;
• Generate a final Audio CD and Video/Documentary (after incorporating feedback from the Project Team).

5. Methodology:

The methodology will be described in the proposal for processing to ensure a smooth implementation process which results in a high quality end result. The consultant/agency require to propose detail methodology of these assignment.

6. Deliverables:

• Inception report, including detail work plan
• Detailed Methodology for making audio CD and Video
• Script for both Audio CD and Video/Documentary on the basis of existing IEC materials (Poster and Booklet)
• Final Product (after incorporating feedback from the Project Team) both Soft and Hard Copy.

7. Timeline:
            Between 10 September and 9 October 2018 for both Audio and Video

8. Payment Schedule

20% on submission of inception report and detail work plan;
30 % on submission and acceptance of script (after incorporating feedback from the Project Team);
50% after satisfactory delivery of the final product (after incorporating feedback from the Project Team). 
VAT and Income tax will be deducted at source from the total contracted amount as per applicable Government rules.

9. Expected competencies of consultant/agency

It is expected that the competency of the contracted agency/consultant will include:

• At least 5 years of experiences in creative analysis (to compose song), video making with add Bangla subtitle and Bangla voice over.
• Sound knowledge on international human rights law of equality and discrimination and related national laws and policies.
• Experience in working with peoples with disabilities will be an advantage. 
• Strong creative analysis and video editing skills.

10. Submission of Proposal

The interested consultant/agency shall have to submit a detail proposal outlining:
a) Agency profile/CVs of the consultant with VAT Registration Number
b) Experience in similar kind of assignment
c) Detail proposal including methodology and timeframe
d) Financial proposal.

11. Criteria for consultant/agency selection: