REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS (RFQ)

Design and implementation of a Market Research on Moldova’s Furniture Industry

SECTION 1: INFORMATION ABOUT CEED II

Project Objective: The objective of the Competitiveness Enhancement and Enterprise Development

II (CEED II) project is to help Moldovan enterprises compete successfully at home and abroad,

leading to the growth of key industries through increased sales and investment. CEED II complements

and supports the Government of Moldova’s strategy for export and investment driven growth. The

project will increase competitiveness in targeted industries by: increasing productivity, increasing

trade and investment; and improving public-private dialogue for a better business environment. CEED

II targets five traditional industries – apparel and textile, fashion accessories, home furnishings,

information technology (IT), and wine – and one sector defined as emerging export industries, from

which the project will identify and incubate at least two new export industries.

Project Duration: December 2010 – December 2014

Project Activities: The project will provide technical assistance, training, and other support in order

to implement activities in the following nine areas across CEED II’s targeted industries:

Improve technologies and business processes

Develop the capacity of the workforce

Develop the capacity of industry service providers and other value chain actors

Improve the quality of products and services produced by enterprises

Position and promote products and services in strategic markets

Improve access to financing and investment by enterprises

Increase the viability and number of industry associations and member-based organizations

Develop the capacity of the private sector for advocacy and policy analysis

Increase public sector understanding of private sector concerns and actions taken to improve the

conditions for targeted industries

Project Goals: The project has the following goals.

Enhance competitiveness of target industries

Increase sales in assisted enterprises by 50 percent over the life of the project

Increase investment in assisted enterprises by 75 percent over the life of the project

Increase productivity and workforce capacity in assisted enterprises

Increase sales to new and existing markets for assisted enterprises

Improve the business environment and public-private dialogue in the targeted industries

SECTION 2: BACKGROUND

Chemonics International, Inc. Representative Office to Moldova is soliciting offers from consulting

companies to design and implement a market research on Moldova’s furniture industry — hereafter

referred to as “market research”.

The market research will serve as a guide for furniture manufacturers to better understand their

customers’ needs and to better serve their clients by offering products that correspond to their specific

tastes, budgets, and lifestyles.

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The market research will be focused on the:

Existing market offer (imports vs. local production)

Incidence of custom made furniture vs. series or stock furniture

Demographics of furniture consumption

Interested private consulting companies, hereafter referred to as “Offeror(s)”, are invited to submit

proposals in response to this Request for Quotations (RFQ) to Chemonics International, Inc.

Representative Office to Moldova. Issuance of this solicitation does not in any way obligate

Chemonics International, Inc. to award a subcontract, nor does it commit Chemonics International,

Inc.to pay for any costs that the Offeror incurred as a result of preparing and submitting a proposal.

The Offeror should understand that USAID is not a party to this solicitation. As such, the Offeror

agrees that in submitting a response to this solicitation any question or protest hereunder must be

presented—in writing with full explanations—only to Chemonics International, Inc. for consideration.

USAID will not consider protests made to it under USAID-financed contracts. Chemonics

International, Inc., at its sole discretion, will make a final decision on the award of this subcontract.

Eligibility

Only private companies registered in the Republic of Moldova may apply. Furthermore, by submitting

an offer in response to this RFQ, the Offeror certifies that it and its principles are not debarred,

suspended, or proposed for debarment by the U.S. Government. A subcontract will not be awarded to

any firm or firms’ principals who are debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment.

SECTION 3: TERMS OF REFERENCE

The purpose of the envisioned work, which shall be set forth in a subcontract between Chemonics

International, Inc. Representative Office to Moldova and the successful Offeror, is to design and

implement a market research on Moldova’s furniture industry.

Offerors should take into consideration the following points when submitting their proposals.

Strategic aspects

The purpose of the market research is to acquire in depth knowledge regarding Moldova’s furniture

market. This information will be used by local manufacturers to make decisions regarding furniture

production in order to be able to offer the market the specific products it requires.

Assignment description

Previous research done by CEED II shows that:

The majority of furniture sold in Moldova is imported and that Moldovan manufacturers have

(in certain cases) more success exporting than they do serving local customers. This seems

unusual and so CEED II would like to understand if this is true, and if so, why.

Local consumers prefer to buy a significant percentage of “custom made” furniture from

Moldovan manufacturers (with “custom” meaning anything from existing serial products

slightly modified in color or type of fabric covering all the way to fully “bespoke” designs

created specifically for the consumer). Given that ordering custom furniture seems as though

it would delay the customers’ gratification and that such orders bring with them an extra risk

to consumers in that they don’t actually have the chance to see and feel the product before the

Request for Quotations: Industry Directories | 3

delivery (meaning they can never be 100% sure they will like it because they’ve only ever

seen a sketch). This also seems unusual to CEED II and the project would like to understand

whether this is true and if so, why consumers are willing to wait and accept this “uncertainty”.

CEED II would also like to understand the demographics of Moldovan furniture consumers -

information including but not limited to:

how much they spend

whether they have an actual budget in mind before beginning to shop

whether they eventually respect that budget or can be convinced to spend more

their age

family structure

income

home details (size, number of rooms, rent versus own, etc.)

what are the key determining factors in their buying decisions (such as price, design, quality,

comfort, delivery time, brand, imported versus domestic products, guarantee, something

else?)

how often they buy

how they shop (internet versus shops and how many store visits before actually buying)

when they last bought furniture / what did they buy / what did they spend

etc.

It is necessary to identify the target group and interview a sufficient number of customers to make

grounded conclusions about the market. The Offeror will be responsible for selecting respondents for

the interviews in order to obtain the relevant information.

The Offeror will provide CEED II with a clear proposal regarding the size of the sample of

respondents that should be interviewed explaining why it recommends that number as well as describe

interview methods.

Additionally the Offeror will be responsible for the organization of focus groups and by replying to

the present RFQ will also explain how it envisions this process.

Proposed methodology:

The Offeror will provide CEED II with a detailed description of the methodology for the market

research project including but not limited to:

Collecting necessary data from the interviewed respondents, which will require development

of a standard questionnaire;

Conducting questionnaires mainly in locations where furniture is sold;

Verifying the filled in questionnaires for completeness, coherence, and readability of answers;

Organizing focus groups

Taking into account qualitative parameters along with quantitative ones upon data collection.

Writing the final report

Reporting

The report presenting the findings of the market research shall be prepared in English, Romanian and

Russian. It will represent an analysis and interpretation of the collected research data, summarize the

results of the research work and particularly reflect the following aspects:

An overview of Moldova’s furniture market trends today.

Request for Quotations: Industry Directories | 4

Imports vs. local production. Is it true that Moldovans consume mostly imported furniture?

Yes / No and the reasons why they do so?

Incidence of custom made furniture vs. series and the reasons behind it.

Demographics of furniture consumption – a detailed profile of furniture consumers by groups

of people discussing the peculiarities of their consumption behavior.

SECTION 4: DELIVERABLES

Chemonics International, Inc. considers it essential that the directories project be divided into 4

deliverables. The successful completion and acceptance of these deliverables will be used as the basis

for making payments to the successful Offeror. The table below presents an illustrative list and

schedule of deliverables, the deadlines, and percentage of the total budget that the Offeror will receive

for each. Offerors may propose alternatives deliverables schedules.

Deliverables (number and description) Duration /

Deadline % of Budget

1. Development of the Market Research Questionnaire

and Focus Groups interview methodology 1 week 10%

2. Implementation of the Market Research and Focus

Groups 2 weeks 40%

3. First draft of the Market Research report 1 week 20%

4. Final draft of the Market Research report 1 week 30%

Total 5weeks 100%

SECTION 4: CONTRACTING AND PAYMENT

Chemonics International, Inc. will sign a Fixed Price Subcontract, in Moldovan Lei, including

VAT=0%, with the successful Offeror to implement the directories project. The fixed price shall be

paid in 4 installments upon completion and acceptance of the Deliverables noted above. Note: In

accordance with the Agreement between the Government of United States of America and the

Government of the Republic of Moldova of 21 March 1994, Chemonics is exempt from VAT.

This solicitation is subject to Chemonics’ standard terms and conditions. Any resultant fixed price

subcontract will be governed by these terms and conditions which are set forth in Chemonics standard

Fixed Price Subcontract, adapted for use in Moldova. The Offeror’s contract/subcontract models will

not be considered or accepted by Chemonics.

SECTION 4: INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS ON SUBMITTING PROPOSALS

Proposals should contain the following information. Offers that do not contain the necessary

information will be considered incomplete and will not be evaluated; they will be disqualified.

Approach: The Offeror must describe the approach it will take to implement the market research.

The Offeror must describe the process that will be used to design and implement the market

research and the phases of the project.

Capabilities: Presentation of the Offeror’s capabilities, describing prior market research studies

that it has designed and implemented. The Offeror shall present 5 examples of market research

studies of similar complexity that it has designed and implemented. The Offeror shall provide at

Request for Quotations: Industry Directories | 5

least three references, providing their name, title, company affiliation, telephone number, and

email address. Please verify the correctness of their information and notify them in advance.

Staff: CVs or bios of the Offeror’s personnel who will be directly responsible for the project,

highlighting their relevant experience and qualifications.

Budget: The budget must be calculated, executed, and presented in Moldovan Lei. It is necessary

to present the total budget and the budget by cost items so that Chemonics can evaluate the

correctness and value of the offers. The budget must correspond to the following model:

Cost item A B C = A+ B

Quantity Price, MDL Subtotal, MDL

TOTAL PRICE xxx MDL

The total budget must be calculated at zero VAT (VAT= 0 %) in accordance with the status of a non-

VAT payer accorded to CEED II as a project funded by USAID; which is in compliance with the

Agreement between the Government of United States of America and the Government of the

Republic of Moldova of 21 March 1994.

Source/Origin/Nationality

Offerors should take note that no items or items with components from the following countries may

be offered or supplied: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Libya, North Korea, and Syria.

Validity Period

Offers must remain valid for not less than thirty (30) calendar days after the offer deadline.

Evaluation and Award

The award will be made to a responsible Offeror whose proposal follows the RFQ instructions, meets

the origin requirements, and is judged to be the most advantageous to Chemonics International, Inc. in

terms of cost and delivery. In judging the offers, the following criteria will be used; they are equally

weighted.

Approach

Capabilities/Past Performance of the Offeror and its Staff that will work on this project

Total Price

Chemonics reserves the right to place partial orders based on any quotation received — i.e., based on

the quotation received, Chemonics may place an order for all, some, or none of the quoted items.

Chemonics reserves the right to reject offers that are not responsive to this RFQ.

Negotiations

Best-offer quotations are requested. It is anticipated that awards will be made solely on the basis of

these original quotations. However, Chemonics reserves the right to conduct negotiations and/or

request clarifications prior to awarding a contract.

Offer Deadline

The deadline for offers is on October 14th at 17:00hrs at the CEED II Project Office address listed

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below. Late offers will not be considered; they will be disqualified.

29 Sfatul Tarii Str., "Le Roi", 5th floor

Chisinau, Moldova, MD 2012

Tel. 83-99-00

Offerors must submit one (1) copy of their proposal in HARD COPY, with one (1) electronic copy on

e-mail office@ceed.md with Subject Tender Market Research on Moldova’s Furniture Industry.

All offers must be in the ENGLISH language. Failure to follow these or any other instructions in this

RFQ will result in the Offerors’ disqualification.

The deadline for any questions is on October 11th at 17:00hrs. Questions must be made in writing and

in the ENGLISH language, and sent by email to office@ceed.md. (NB. Any proposals sent to this

email address will not be considered. See above for proposal delivery instructions.)