Looking for a company to event manage the Moldova ICT Summit 2013

This Request for Proposal (RfP) is seeking a company to event manage the Moldova ICT Summit 2013, a high level event to be attended by around 800 delegates from Moldova, neighbor countries and US, including government officials, representatives of World Bank, USAID, donor projects, business owners, managers, academia and ICT specialists.

Background

The Moldova ICT Summit was first organized in 2010 in Leogrand Convention Center, being a high profile event with large audience. The participation of the very high government officials, the US Ambassador and donor organizations from the region, as well as the pool of international and local speakers brought to share their knowledge, generated a high interest among the stakeholders. After the Moldova ICT Summit, aimed mainly at sector development, there was the Moldova eGov Summit, focused on ICT enabled government transformation.

In 2011 it was decided to combine the two events organized in 2010: Moldova ICT Summit and Moldova eGov Summit and bring together all the interested parties to discuss how Moldova can develop the ICT sector potential and how the government can use the technology to increase its effectiveness.

In 2012, Moldova ICT Summit has continued to be the largest industry event, with more focus on ICT in Governemnt, ICT Competitiveness development and Education.

In 2013, the event aims to continue its way as being the main industry event with a focus on Cloud, Mobile and Education in Government, Business and Community.

The event is taking place between 16th and 17th April 2013, organized by:

• Moldovan Association of Private ICT Companies (ATIC)
• Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (MTIC)
• with participation of USAID funded Competitiveness Enhancement and Enterprise Development Project (CEED II)

here below referred to as ‘Organizers’.

An important notice to be taken into consideration by the potential Vendors: Moldova ICT Summit is an event which must use the most modern technical and technological means, have videoconferencing possibilities for overseas speakers unable to attend in person, be live-broadcasted, provide hi-speed wireless internet access, available for all attendants and guests, as well as have means (monitors) for showcasing IT solutions in the exhibition area.

 

The event

In its forth edition, Moldova ICT Summit will be the leading event aimed to gather all industry stakeholders, including government, business, multinationals, professionals and academia, to discuss trends and challenges facing the ICT industry globally and in the country, and define the roadmap for development and effective integration of technology, as well as the agenda for growing ICT sector competitiveness. By bringing the cutting-edge global trends and inviting thought leaders, the event seeks to break the barriers, drive innovation and foster higher aspirations at all levels.

The 2012 edition of Moldova ICT Summit has brought together over 800 representatives of Government, CEOs, CIOs, IT professionals, thought leaders and academia from Moldova and the region, and attracted 80 speakers from 22 countries.

The summit will have three main tracks:

• Digital Engagement
• ICT4Professionals
• ICT4Business
  More tracks might appear in the process. The detailed agenda and description of the tracks will be available at a later stage. Some master classes on specific topics might be included in the agenda as well.

 

Scope of services

The successful Vendor will be required to provide services as set out in the categories below. This is, however, only a guide and we would expect the successful Vendor to review the categories and propose any other services that they believe will be important in ensuring that the Summit is a successful event, organized and delivered to the standards expected by the highest level of international and local personalities and professionals likely to attend.

In addition, whilst there may be around 500 to 800 session attendants in total, it is expected that the Vendor will have joint logistical responsibility with the organizers, for the delegates and speakers traveling from overseas, as well as from neighboring countries, with the local delegates making their own arrangements. The services required under this RfP will be related to the organization of the Welcoming dinner on 15th April 13, the Summit (16th and 17th April 2013), which will be the main event, the breaks and lunches during the event, the networking events on April 16 and 17. The work is expected to commence immediately upon signing of the contract.

Travel

Manage and provide:

• Visa management service (if applicable) for specified delegates travelling from overseas and region.
• Management (or tracking) of travel itineraries for delegates. It is anticipated that the payment for airline tickets will not be included as part of the Event Management contract.
• Airport transfer services to and from the hotel, including ‘meet and greet’ services. This will include both executive cars for ministerial level delegates (when not already provided by local organizers), and small mini-buses, as relevant, for other delegates.
• Transport between hotel(s) and conference venue, if appropriate.
• Additional transport support for organized field trips for delegates, as appropriate and agreed in advance.
  

Accommodation

Managing all aspects of delegate accommodation requirements. This will include recommending hotels, negotiating prices, and ensuring all relevant reservations and paperwork are managed. In particular:

• The estimated accommodation requirement at the time of issuing this RfP is around 20 to 40 rooms, preferably at Leogrand and Jazz hotel.
• The successful Vendor will liaise closely and regularly inform the Organizers on the negotiations progress and budgetary issues.
  

Please note that at this stage, it is likely that contracting procedures will require for accommodation payments to hotels to be made directly by

Organizers and not be included as part of the Event Management contract. Such an approach is, however, likely to require the Event Management company to manage any contracting issues between the Organizers and the hotels.

Venues

Summit logistics

Working closely with the relevant contacts for the administration of the Leogrand Convention Center, provide comprehensive venue management services complementing services already agreed and supported by the ATIC (such as venue booking), including but not necessarily limited to:

• Pre-event/electronic registration process, including calling for confirmation of reservations;
• Registration and facilitation at the venue;
• Full list of participants;
• Liaising with the administration of Leogrand Convention Center for all necessary arrangements, including floor plans and layouts;
• Placement and installation of signage and information to the delegates. (The actual design and production for the signs will be developed by the PR and Media Vendor);
• Planning, collection, installation and removal of sponsors’ banners at the venue, in correspondence with the provision of sponsorship/participation packages, provided by the Organizers.
• Relevant additional equipment not already available at the venue (e.g. projectors, lighting, sound systems, web-casting facilities, etc.);
• Compilation of presentation materials sets for each session’s audiences: conducting direct communication with the speakers, obtaining copies of presentations, printing and arranging necessary number of sets of handouts, compile the participants folder and kitboxes;
• Organize the area and prepare the presentation process;
• Distribute the relevant materials to the participants;
• Simultaneous interpretation services. It is expected that the requirements will mainly be from English into Romanian and vice-versa (possibly it will be necessary to add Russian language option), at the main venue. Other interpretation services may be required for meetings in the break-out rooms, but these are not expected to be simultaneous;
• Coordinate the catering process during session breaks;
• In close coordination with the Organizers representatives, ensuring a number of break-out / meeting rooms are available for the participants, when needed, including an operational business area with relevant IT equipment, internet connection, etc;
• Ensure the space at the venue and manage the logistics for an exhibition area dedicated to an “innovation marketplace” where participants can showcase or present their innovations and services, organize the sponsors who have promotional materials to arrange in the designated area;
• Provision of on-site support staff during the time of the events;
• Arrange and coordinate photo and video shooting services, provide the Organizers with all the photo and video materials immediately after the event;
•  Media relations: coordinate with PR and Media Agency for PR related to the event.

Welcoming dinner, Networking and related events

The speakers arriving in Chisinau before the event will attend a welcoming dinner/reception. The event management Vendor will have to arrange the logistics delivery of invitations and some on-site support.

In addition to the actual meetings, the 1st day of the Summit will be complemented with networking events, to be held in the evening of April 16, 2012. Full event management services for the events will also be required from the successful Vendor, including invitation management, security (see below), organization of the program in discussion with the Organizers, catering, sound systems, live playing band etc. Around 100 international and local delegates are expected to participate in the networking events.

Some related events such as additional small meetings and field trips will take place during the days of the Summit. Some limited event management services will also be required for these events, such as: negotiating with hotel or venue selected the organization of the meeting rooms, catering, equipment and additional services needed, staff support during the meetings, transport support for delegates, etc.
Security

Manage and provide appropriate security services in close coordination with the administration of Leogrand Convention Center for:

• The main Summit venue
• Any break out / meeting rooms
  
• Local transport and field trips

Format of proposal:

To ease up the process of submission of the proposals, please find the annex including all expected services to be listed.

Reporting

The Vendor will be expected to submit a report to the Organizers, no later than two weeks after the Summit, setting out in detail the costs against originally approved budgets.

 

Selection criteria

The successful contractor will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Relevant expertise of planning and implementing similar events at scale. Demonstrated capacity and expertise to execute the activities, including availability of equipment, contacts and experience of undertaking similar assignments.
  
• Experience in the organization of high-level events in Moldova.
  
• Well developed design and plan for executing the event. This includes the approach to event management, the timeline from appointment to the event, critical milestones, dependencies, lines of communications etc. This is particularly relevant as regards the required close cooperation with the Vendor for delivering the Public Relations and Media Vendor.
  
• Work experience and qualifications of key personnel / senior staff to conduct the proposed project; and the proposed management and team structure. In case of a Consortium, clear demarcation of roles and responsibilities of the Consortium members.
  
• A well developed, detailed, budget for both the services of the Vendor, and for all aspects of the proposed Summit relevant to event management, such as accommodation, transport, venue, security, etc. Value for money will be an important consideration in the evaluation of the proposed budget, and therefore Vendors are strongly encouraged to provide as much detail in their proposal as they can on how they have developed their budgets and the efforts to secure the best price (single overall cost for all accommodation requirements, for example, will not be helpful without a breakdown of the assumptions underpinning this cost).
  
• Innovation and creative response to the proposal.

 

Proposals

Contacts and Procedures

Interested Vendors are requested to express interest in responding to this proposal as soon as possible to the contracting contact below, by confirming via electronic mail that they have received the RfP documents and that they intend to submit a proposal by the deadline specified below. The electronic mail should state the name of the Prime Contractor and provide contact details for any future correspondence in relation to this RfP. Please note that this correspondence will not be used as part of the evaluation process.

Organizers contracting contact:

Ms Ana Chirita
Executive Director
Moldovan Association of private ICT companies (ATIC)
28, Maria Cibotari, of 1B, Chisinau MD 2012, Republic of Moldova
Phone/Fax: +373 22 887000,
E-mail: office@ict.md
Website: www.atic.md

Vendor Information to be included in the proposal

All interested vendors must include in their proposals:

Corporate overview – legal name, year of creation, number of employees, other information they might find relevant

Services – description of all services and products supplied.

Markets served – description of geographic/industry markets served.

Partners – list of current event-related suppliers and partners.

Customer & Event References – a list of other similar events served.

 

Submission procedures

An electronic copy of the Proposal document in English, clearly marked SUMMIT – EVENT MANAGEMENT, should be sent by electronic mail not later than February 15, 2013 to the contact noted above. A duly signed paper copy should be sent by mail / courier and received in ATIC (address above) no later than 5 days after the closing date. The successful Vendor would need to be available to start work as of March 1st , 2013.

Proposals submitted by any other method and/or in any other way or beyond the specified deadline will be rejected. In addition, if the envelope or parcel is not sealed and marked as indicated, Organizers cannot assume any responsibility for the Proposal’s misplacement or unauthorized opening.

At any time prior to the closing date for receipt of Proposals, Organizers may, for any reason, modify the request for proposals (RfP) and associated documents by amendment. All designated Prime Contractors will be notified in writing of these amendments, if any, and any possible related extension of the closing date for the proposal.

Queries and questions of clarification will only be accepted from designated Prime Contractors, and should be addressed either by e-mail or fax to the contact provided above.

Organizers reserve the right to obtain clarification of any point in a proposal or to obtain additional information necessary to properly evaluate a particular offer at any time during the RfP process. Failure of a bidder to respond to such a request for additional information or clarification within the specified time may result in rejection of a proposal.

Expenses for Proposal

Proposers are solely responsible for their own expenses, if any, in preparing and submitting a proposal in response to this Request for Proposal. This would include any costs incurred during functional demonstrations and subsequent meetings and negotiations.

Format and Content

An Executive Summary of no more than two pages must be provided which describes the manner in which the Vendor proposes to meet Organizers requirements, and clearly and concisely states the major elements of the Proposal.

In addition to the Executive Summary, the proposal should include the following:

• A design / plan for executing the event, which will include the proposed approach to the event management, timeline, critical milestones, dependencies, lines of communication etc;
• Experience in similar events and track record;
• Staffing capacity to undertake the current project;
• Vendor/Partner presence in the target areas;
• Technical and financial background of the Vendor company(ies);
• Statement of conflicts of interest, if any.
  

A budget should be attached to the proposal. Please break down the budget following the three main categories below, and indicate the budget associated to each (add or expand as necessary; the maximum level of detail possible on the budget is expected):

• Personnel costs;
• Overheads/Administration;Detailed breakdown of all costs associated with the Event Management services, as described in this RfP. This to include sections on: transport, accommodation, venue, security, licensing and any other category that the Vendor proposes.
  

Some additional helpful breakdown of services/activities is included in the .xls, but these are not the only limited activities.

All vendors must agree to keep the quoted pricing in their proposals for a minimum of 90 days after proposal submission.

As set out above, the costs of travel and accommodation may not necessarily form a part of the contract with the successful Vendor, but these will still need to be calculated and presented as part of the bid. Please present the travel and accommodation costs separately.

At this stage, this is expected to be a single stage tender. However, Organizers reserve the right to request for negotiation meetings and/ or a Best and Final Offer, as necessary.

Evaluation

The evaluation of the proposals will be carried out by Organizers on the basis of the criteria specified above.

There is no obligation by Organizers to reveal, or discuss with any Vendor, how a Proposal was assessed, or to provide any other information relative to the evaluation process.

Vendors whose Proposals are not finally selected will be notified in writing, and shall have no claim whatsoever for any kind of compensation.

Organizers reserve the right to:

• Award the Contract on the basis of the member organizations’ particular objectives.
• Award the Contract to a Vendor of its choice, even if its bid is not the lowest.
• Award separate Contracts for parts of the work, components or items, to one or more Vendors of its choice, even if their bids are not the lowest
• Not award any Contract at all.
  

Organizers also reserve the right to negotiate the terms of the Proposal(s) made by one or more Vendors of its choice, including but not limited to negotiation of the price quoted in such Proposal(s) and/or the deletion of certain parts of the work, components or items called for under this RfP.

Conditions

Payment will be made against presentation of an invoice in a convertible currency (preferably US Dollars) for each deliverable and subject to Organizers’ acceptance of each such deliverable. Payments can be made by different organizations, members of the Summit organization committee (MTIC, ATIC, CEED II). Any payments by Organizers to the Contractor shall reflect any tax exemptions to which any of the Organizers is entitled by reason of the immunity it enjoys. As regards duties and other indirect taxes, the Contractor shall list such charges on invoices as a separate item and, to the extent required, cooperate with the Organizers to enable exemption or reimbursement thereof.

1. Organizers shall have the right to cancel the Contract (in addition to other rights, such as the right to claim damages):
   
2. At will with the provision of thirty (30) days prior notice in writing;
3. In the event the Contractor fails to begin work on the date agreed, or to implement the work in accordance with the terms of the Contract; or
4. In the event the progress of work is such that it becomes obvious that the obligations undertaken by the Contractor and, in particular, the time of fulfillment, will not be respected;
5. In addition, the Organizers shall be entitled to terminate the Contract (or part thereof), in writing, with immediate effect (in addition to other rights, such as the right to claim damages), if, other than as provided in the paragraph above, the Contractor is:
   a. In breach of any of his material obligations under the Contract and fails to correct such breach within a period of thirty (30) days after having received a written notification to that effect from Organizers’ designated contact; or
   b. Adjudicated bankrupt or formally seeks relief of his financial obligations.
   

No party to the Contract shall be responsible for a delay caused by force majeure, that is, a delay caused by strike, lock-out, foreign or civil war, or any other event outside his control, it being agreed, however, that the Organizers shall be entitled to terminate the Contract (or any part of the Contract) forthwith if the implementation of the work is delayed or prevented by any such reason for an aggregate of thirty (30) days. Such termination shall be subject to payment of an equitable part of the Contract sum and/or other reasonable charges.

a. Force majeure, as used in this Article, means acts of God, war (whether declared or not), invasion, revolution, insurrection, or other acts of a similar nature or force which are beyond the control of the Parties.

b. In the event of and as soon as possible after the occurrence of any cause constituting force majeure, the Contractor shall give notice and full particulars in writing to Organizers designated contact, of such occurrence or change if the Contractor is thereby rendered unable, wholly or in part, to perform its obligations and meet its responsibilities under this Contract. The Contractor shall also notify Organizers of any other changes in conditions or the occurrence of any event which interferes or threatens to interfere with its performance of this Contract. The notice shall include steps proposed by the Contractor to be taken including any reasonable alternative means for performance that is not prevented by force majeure. On receipt of the notice required under this Article, Organizers shall take such action as, in their discretion, they consider to be appropriate or necessary in the circumstances, including the granting to the Contractor of a reasonable extension of time in which to perform its obligations under this Contract.

c. If the Contractor is rendered permanently unable, wholly, or in part, by reason of force majeure to perform its obligations and meet its responsibilities under this Contract, Organizers shall have the right to suspend or terminate this Contract.