About CLASP

CLASP serves at the epicenter of collaborative, ambitious efforts to mitigate climate change and in the global movement for clean energy access, through appliance efficiency. Our mission is to improve the energy and environmental performance of the appliances & equipment we use every day, accelerating our transition to a more sustainable world. We work hand-in-hand with governments, experts, industry, consumers, donor organizations and others to propel policies and markets toward the highest quality, lowest resource-intensive appliances possible.

CLASP has worked in more than 100 countries since inception in 1999. CLASP is headquartered in Washington, DC, with teams in China, Europe and the United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, and Kenya. We are mission-driven and committed to a culture of diversity, transparency, collaboration, and impactful work. See our Team Page to learn more about us.

In South Africa, CLASP collaborates with the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) to advance and improve efficiency policies for energy-consuming products. We share international best practices and conduct product energy efficiency impact analyses to support local agencies in achieving national energy goals.

Introduction

The Government of South Africa is currently in the process of realigning the current Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for air conditioners and refrigerators to reflect international developments by domesticating the East Africa Community and Southern African Development Community (EAC SADC) air conditioner and refrigerator MEPS developed by the UNEP/U4E team. In addition, the Government plans to redesign and rescale the current energy label for both appliances.

To be effective, any kind of product policy relies on gaining a clear picture of what is happening in the market at particular points in time, how policies are expected to modify the market, and monitoring and evaluating how the market does change as a result of the policy intervention, i.e. there is a need to know what models are available, with what specific performance characteristics, in what numbers, and how these variables change over time.

Understanding the characteristics of the appliance markets is fundamental to building a technical evidence base to support a rescale of the label – impact analysis requires identification of the baseline and evaluation of the impacts of policies, such as energy and cost savings and emissions reductions.

CLASP in collaboration with SANEDI (project team) aims to conduct market assessments for the above-discussed appliances to inform the label rescale. We are seeking to hire a Consultant to conduct market assessments for the two appliance groups including model-level data collection by visiting retail stores.

 

Timeline

Contract Timeframe: 2-3 months

The contractor will ideally begin the market assessment in September 2023, aiming to conclude the study in November 2023.

Deadline for Application: 07 September 2023 at 23:59 ET

Application includes registering as a Consulting Partner and submitting the technical and financial proposals per the instructions below.

Deadline for Questions: 31 August at 23:59 ET

All questions must be addressed in English to Lina Kelpsaite at lkelpsaite@clasp.ngo. We request all inquiries be made to this e-mail address and not by phone.

 

Scope of Work

The Consultant will be responsible for successfully executing the following activities and tasks as part of the study. Execution of all activities and tasks must be conducted in close consultation with SANEDI and CLASP.

Task 1: Collect characteristic and performance data for refrigerators and air conditioners by visiting appliance retail stores

• The following appliances are covered by this project:
  • Room air conditioners – split, window, and portable type systems
  • Domestic refrigerators – refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, freezers, and wine chillers

• Visit the retail shops to collect the model-level data. Together with the contractor, the project team will identify the locations and number of stores to visit, and the number of appliances to be surveyed.
  • Visit at least 10 appliance stores in different regions to gather data
  • Data collected by contacting individual sellers or importers are also accepted as a supplement to store visits

• Collect data for at least 5-20 models per product category per store;
  • The Contractor should collect the following data:
    • Manufacture information (manufacturer, model, country of origin)
    • Specifications (appliance types, compressor type, performance metric, capacity, power, voltage, refrigerant and refrigerant charge)
    • Label information
    • Retail price
  • The data to be gathered from appliances’ name plates, energy labels, product packaging, and price tags. To supplement data collected through the store visits or validate collected data, model information can also be checked on the e-commerce sites
  • CLASP will assist the Contractor in developing a data collection template
  • Report the most popular model or type for each product category by interviewing sales representatives

 

Task 2: Analyze the data and prepare the reports

• Populate the collected data in a spreadsheet, perform data cleaning and quality check
• Share finalized data set with CLASP and SANEDI
• Analyze collected data and prepare two market assessment reports – one per product group

Key Milestones and Deliverables

Key Qualifications

• Experience conducting market studies for appliances and equipment in South Africa
• Demonstrated ability to collect comprehensive market data for energy-consuming products in South Africa
• Understanding of the South African energy efficiency policymaking ecosystem
• Experience with and understanding of appliance and equipment standards and labeling policies
• Demonstrated experience in conducting appliance market data analysis and preparing reports

 

Submittal

Register as a Consulting Partner

Interested parties must register as a CLASP Consulting Partner.

 

Submit Technical and Financial Proposals

Interested parties should submit separate technical and financial proposals electronically, in English, via this form link (preferably in PDF format). The files should be named as per the following example:

[CONTRACTOR_NAME] _Technical Proposal_ RFP 2023-0818

[CONTRACTOR_NAME] _Financial Proposal_ RFP 2023-08-18

 

The length of the technical proposal should not exceed 20 pages and should include:

• Detailed approach and methodology for the design, implementation, and management of the project
• Detailed timeline for all project activities, tasks, milestones, and deliverables for the project within the time-frame indicated above
• Background and experience in conducting similar activities
• A summary of qualifications and experience of key personnel that will execute the project

 

The financial proposal (in USD) should include a detailed budget with all direct and indirect cost estimates for executing the project, including a breakdown (in days) of the level of effort and costs associated with each team member that will be engaged in the project.

CVs and related summaries of experience and qualifications of proposed project team staff should be included in an Annex and should not exceed 10 pages.

 

Optional At This Stage – Fill Out Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)

All contractors must fill out the PQQ before working with CLASP. This can be voluntarily completed at the RFP stage but will be mandatory if a contract is awarded.

The PQQ is a thorough due diligence screening aimed at gathering legal and financial information on prospective partners/vendors. Contract awards are conditional upon passing the due diligence screening. Organizations that have already completed the PQQ do not need to complete it again unless the structure of the business has changed. If you are unsure, please email Andrea Testa (atesta@clasp.ngo) to determine next steps.

 

Evaluation Procedure

A committee appointed by CLASP will evaluate the proposals received. Selection of qualified companies or organizations will be based on the following criteria:

• Technical Evaluation Factors
• Financial Evaluation Factors

 

All bids will be evaluated and ranked using Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS), with 80 percent of the score accorded to the technical proposal, and 20 percent to the financial proposal. The detailed evaluation criteria can be found in Annex A.

 

ANNEX A: EVALUATION CRITERIA

Technical Approach (35 points): The technical approach described in the proposals will be evaluated on:

• The demonstrated understanding of the overall project context (15).
• The detailed work plan and approach clearly defining the target objectives and the strategy to achieve the objectives as outlined in the scope of work (20).

 

Management Structure and Staff Qualification (25 points): The proposed management structure and staff will be evaluated on:

• The professional qualifications and the extent to which the requisite expertise and experience of the key personnel will directly contribute to the completion of the tasks (25).

 

Past Performance and Corporate Experience (20 points): The experience and capacities of the contractor will be evaluated based on:

• The past performance, familiarity, and experience in understanding policies and programs related to standards and labeling (10).
• Extent of local expertise including experience, qualifications, and track record in the implementation of similar programs (10).

 

Cost Evaluation Factors (20 points): While the overall Technical Evaluation is the key factor in reviewing the proposal, the cost evaluation will be an essential factor in determining the final contract award and ability to remain in the competitive range and will be evaluated for feasibility, completeness, and practicality.

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CLASP looks forward to reviewing your responses and would like to thank you in advance for your participation in this Request for Proposals. CLASP will notify all respondents who submit proposals when a decision has been made.

 

CLASP is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. CLASP’s goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. CLASP complies with all federal, state and local employment law in the countries we operate and is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, disability, political affiliation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, genetic information, military or protected veteran status, credit information or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law.

Each person is evaluated based on personal skill and merit. CLASP’s policy regarding equal employment opportunity applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, job assignments, promotions, working conditions, scheduling, benefits, wage and salary administration, disciplinary action, termination, and social, educational and recreational programs.

 

Footnote

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[1] U4E,2022. Minimum energy performance standards for refrigerating appliance for EAC and SADC region. https://united4efficiency.org/country-regional-activities/eac-sadc/