Letter of Invitation

[RFP No.NIUA/CITIIS 2.0/2024-25/AUDIT/07]
New Delhi 05-12-2024
Dear Mr./Ms.:

1. City Investments To Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) 2.0, the second phase of the CITIIS program, has been conceived by MoHUA in collaboration with Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), European Union (EU), and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) to supplement such climate initiatives of Government of India and MoHUA through its unique model. The program builds upon the learnings and successes of CITIIS 1.0 and is designed to supplement MoHUA’s actions undertaken through ongoing national programs, while deepening the values of innovation, inclusion, and sustainability.
2. The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) (hereinafter called “Client”) has been designated as the Program Management Unit (PMU) by the MoHUA, AFD and KfW towards managing the CITIIS 2.0 program. The Client intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this financing to eligible payments under the Contract for which this Request for Proposals is issued.
3. The Client now invites Proposals to provide the following consulting services (hereinafter called "Services"): CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR: FINANCIAL AND PROGRAM AUDIT OF THE CITIIS 2.0 PROGRAM.
4. It is not permissible to transfer this invitation. Bid Security / Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) is not required for the submission of the proposal.
5. The RFP includes the following documents:
 Section I Instructions to Consultants (ITC)
 Section II – Data Sheet
 Section III – Evaluation Criteria and Standard Forms
 Section IV – Financial Proposal – Standard forms
 Section V – Eligibility Criteria
 Section VI – AFD's Policy – prohibited practices – Environmental and Social Responsibility
 Section VII Terms of Reference (TORs)
 Section VIII – Conditions of Contract and Contract forms

6. The proposals will be evaluated based on Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) process which entails evaluation of both technical and financial proposals. The proposal selected is the one that obtains the highest technical + financial weighted score. The weightings would be 80% for the technical score and 20% for the financial score. More details on the Services are provided in the Terms of Reference (Section VII).
7. The maximum permissible overall budget for this assignment is INR 40,00,000 (Forty Lakhs) inclusive of taxes for a duration of 4 years. Any proposal exceeding this amount will be rejected. The extension will be provided with the mutual consent between both parties.
8. The Consultant has to ensure that the physical copy of her/his proposal is page numbered. After scanning the page numbered physical copy, the soft copy of the Technical Proposal is uploaded on the NIUA website. The soft copy of the Technical Proposal must not include Financial Proposal.
9. The Consultant has to ensure that the main envelope of physical copy of the proposal to be submitted at the NIUA Office shall comprise the following two envelopes: 1st Inner Envelope with the Technical Proposal and 2nd Inner Envelope with the Financial Proposal. Each envelope should be written ‘CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR: FINANCIAL AND PROGRAM AUDIT OF THE CITIIS 2.0 PROGRAM’. The contact details of the Consultant like name, address, mobile number and e-mail ID should be clearly mentioned on each envelope.
10. Your proposal shall comprise your Proposal Submission Form including Power of Attorney, Technical Proposal, Financial Proposal inclusive of all taxes and the signed Covenant of Integrity, and must be received at the following address via physical copy to National Institute of Urban Affairs, Core 4B, 1st Floor, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi-110003 by 02-01-2025, 17:00 hr IST.
11. Any queries in relation to the RFP to be sent prior to 17-12-2024, 17:00 hr IST at the mail ID citiis@niua.org and the responses will be available by 24-12-2024.
12. Within 15 days (fifteen) days of the receipt of Letter of Award from the Client, the successful Bidder shall furnish the performance bank guarantee (PBG) in accordance with the conditions of contract. The Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) shall be 5 (Five) percentage of the contract amount. The PBG shall be furnished in the form of an unconditional guarantee issued by a bank (scheduled commercial bank) as per attached draft format.
13. To substantiate their credentials and to respond to any queries, the Consultants may be asked to make a presentation of their Technical Proposal, during the technical evaluation stage.
14. The issue of the RFP does not imply that the NIUA is bound to select bid(s), and it reserves the right without assigning any reason to
i. reject any or all of the bids, or
ii. cancel the tender process; or
iii. abandon the procurement process; or
iv. issue another bid for identical or similar work

Yours sincerely,

Director
National Institute of Urban Affairs