Term of Reference (ToR)

Recruitment of a firm/Company

General Information

Service/Work Description: Translation & Interpretation Services
Post Title: Translation/Interpretation Company/Firm
Duty Station: Aden, Yemen (company will report directly to the visiting expert/Aden Office Manager)
Expected Start Date: Immediately once contract is concluded

BACKGROUND / PROJECT Description

USAID is strengthening the Central Bank of Yemen and the Ministry of Finance to stabilize and create a productive macroeconomic environment given the ongoing conflict. USAID provides financial and marketing advice to Yemeni small and medium enterprises, primarily in the fishery and agriculture sectors, that generate the value needed to create jobs, increase incomes, and support sustainable livelihoods.
Yemen is suffering the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world, exacerbated by its ongoing conflicts. USAID development assistance in Yemen accelerates the relief-to-development continuum and strengthens Yemen’s resiliency through programs that build critical macroeconomic institutions that underpin political stability.  USAID/Yemen’s economic portfolio creates tangible opportunities for people to invest their labor and local resources to create value and employment opportunities. USAID is strengthening the Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to stabilize and create a productive macroeconomic environment, while at the same time supporting business at the local level

Scope of Work
Under the supervision of the expert on mission, the firm shall report to the Pragma Focal point, to deliver all relevant language service thereof. The firm/Company shall be expected to deliver any of the following as required during the whole duration of the contract.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

General Support:

• Provides simultaneous interpretation from Arabic to English and vice versa for meetings of the visiting expert mission in Aden with CBY, MOF and other Ministry department in Aden, Yemen, maintaining full confidentiality
• Translates from Arabic to English and vice versa a variety of texts covering a broad range of subjects dealt with by the experts for Aden mission e.g., using appropriate financial terminology and respecting deadlines.

Technical advice and quality assurance

• Aims at high standard of accuracy and consistency to the spirit, style and nuances of the original text.
• Monitoring and progress control
• Observes the established terminology and usage and ensures, as far as possible, consistency with other translators working on similar documents.
• Uses all sources of reference, information, and consultation relevant to the text at hand and carries out any research required.
• Maintains a certain speed and volume of output, taking into account the difficulty of the text and the specified deadlines.
• Identifies new terminology material for the consideration of lead drafter
• Performs other related duties as required.
• Proven experience in professional translation and interpreting Arabic-English and English-Arabic is required. Experience in the financial sector in Yemen is a plus.
• Experience in interpretation with financial institutions and mastering financial terminology
• Use technology where appropriate, such as microphones, headphones, phones, video, and the Internet
• The ability to reproduce accurately and concisely what was said in the specified language(s).
• The ability to perform simultaneous translation for long and consecutive hours

Duration of Work

During the period from October 2021 to 31st September 2022

Technical advice and quality assurance

• Aims at high standard of accuracy and consistency to the spirit, style and nuances of the original text.
• Monitoring and progress control
• Observes the established terminology and usage and ensures, as far as possible, consistency with other translators working on similar documents.
• Uses all sources of reference, information, and consultation relevant to the text at hand and carries out any research required.
• Maintains a certain speed and volume of output, taking into account the difficulty of the text and the specified deadlines.
• Identifies new terminology material for the consideration of lead drafter
• Performs other related duties as required.
• Proven experience in professional translation and interpreting Arabic-English and English-Arabic is required. Experience in the financial sector in Yemen is a plus.
• Experience in interpretation with financial institutions and mastering financial terminology
• Use technology where appropriate, such as microphones, headphones, phones, video, and the Internet
• The ability to reproduce accurately and concisely what was said in the specified language(s).
• The ability to perform simultaneous translation for long and consecutive hours

Qualification of the successful Firm/Company

• Years of experience: 4 years of working experience in interpretation & Translation 
• Master’s Degree in Translation and/or Interpretation, Finance, law or other related fields. A first-level degree in combination with four additional years of qualifying work experience may also be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Demonstrated experience of language mastery, 
• Experience within Financial Terminology, previous experience in interpretation with Central Bank of Yemen or Ministry of Finance will be an asset
• Mastery of Zoom software for interpreters
• Proven experience in professional translation and interpreting Arabic-English and English-Arabic is required. Experience in the financial sector in Yemen is a plus.
• Experience in interpretation with financial institutions and mastering financial terminology
• Use technology where appropriate, such as microphones, headphones, phones, video, and the Internet
• The ability to reproduce accurately and concisely what was said in the specified language(s).
• The ability to perform simultaneous translation for long and consecutive hours
• Perfect command of Arabic and English 
• Proven experience in professional translation and interpreting Arabic-English and English-Arabic is required. Experience in the financial sector in Yemen is a plus.
• Experience in interpretation with financial institutions and mastering financial terminology
• Use technology where appropriate, such as microphones, headphones, phones, video, and the Internet
• The ability to reproduce accurately and concisely what was said in the specified language(s).

The Consultant is required to have the following professional and technical qualifications. Only the applicants who hold these qualifications will be shortlisted and contacted. 

Criteria for Selection of the best Offer

Qualified companies/Firms are expected to submit both the Technical and Financial Proposals. Accordingly, they will be evaluated based on Cumulative Analysis as per the following scenario: Responsive/compliant/acceptable and Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. In this regard, the respective weight of the proposals is: 

a.    Technical Criteria weight is 70% b. 
b.    Financial Criteria weight is 30% Criteria Weight Max. 

Documents comprising the proposal

1.    The proposal shall comprise of the following documents:

a.    Documents Establishing the Eligibility and Qualification of the bidder:
b.    Technical Proposal.
c.    Financial Proposal.
d.    4 CVs for the proposed Interpreters/Translators

2.    The bidder is supposed to submit 2 envelops sealed (1st Technical Proposal & 2nd Financial Proposal), Prices and other financial information must not be disclosed in any other place except in the financial proposal.

Evaluation of Eligibility and Qualification
1.    They have the necessary similar experience, technical expertise, production capacity where applicable, quality certifications, quality assurance procedures and other resources applicable to the provision of the services required
2.    They have a record of timely and satisfactory performance with their clients

Evaluation of Technical and Financial Proposals
1.    The evaluation team shall review and evaluate the technical Proposals on the basis of their responsiveness and other RFP documents, applying the evaluation criteria, a proposal shall be rendered non-responsive at the technical evaluation stage if it fails to achieve the minimal technical score indicated in bidding documents
2.    In the second stage, only financial proposal of those bidders who achieve the minimum technical score will be opened for evaluation
3.    For emailed proposals, the financial proposal you submit should be password encrypted, and cannot be opened without an encryption key (password). The password for the financial proposal will not be requested for bidder that don’t qualify or were not found responsive in the technical stage. 
4.    The evaluation method that applies for this RFP shall be either of the two (2) possible methods, as follows: a) the lowest priced method which selects the lowest evaluated financial proposal of the technically responsive bidders; or b) the combined scoring method which will be based on a combination of the technical and financial score.

Technical Evaluation Criteria 

Deadline for RFP Submission: 11 October 2021 at 11:00am (Yemen Time)

Allowable manner of Submitting Proposals (Courier/Hand Delivery), Submission by email

Contact Details for submitting clarification/questions: hsakkaf@pragmacorp.com

Proposal Submission Address:
The Pragma Corporation
Qataban Street, Villa No. 12 Khormakser Aden, Yemen