Request for Proposal: Graphic Design of Manuals and Workbooks for USIP’s Border Security Training Program

Full Job Description

Request for Proposal

United States Institute of Peace

Graphic Design of Manuals and Workbooks for USIP’s Border Security Training Program

Remote

Release Date: October 19, 2023

RFP Due Date: 5:00PM pm EST on November 26, 2023

Introduction and Background

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. For more information, please visit .

As part of USIP's Gandhi-King Global Academy and recognizing that core American values, including de-escalation, nonviolence, and inclusive governance, are essential to sustainable peace, the Curriculum and Training Design team (CTD) adopts the American approach to peacebuilding when supporting governments and civil society to address conflict. CTD equips civil society and governments through training to engage one another at the community level to reduce conflict in countries of strategic importance to the United States. With this strengthened capability, civil society and governments are more prepared to ultimately participate in peacebuilding mechanisms that require effective engagement to sustain peace, including national dialogues, peace processes, or governance reform.

Purpose of the RFP

USIP seeks an individual or organization to provide graphic design services for four trainer manuals and corresponding participant workbooks for CTD’s Border Security Training Program (BSTP). The selected Offeror will have experience designing extensive trainer manuals and/or curricula and prior experience designing materials for educational purposes given the pedagogical design of these manuals. It is expected that the selected Offeror will be able to create a streamlined design of the manuals and workbooks.

Scope of Work

BSTP is finalizing four trainer manuals and corresponding participant workbooks for its training programs. These trainer manuals will be used by USIP staff and contractors to train Kenyan border police officers along the Kenya-Somalia border to more effectively engage with the communities they serve to reduce justice-related drivers of violent extremism. There should be a streamlined, cohesive design throughout the manuals and workbooks that will be achieved through, at a minimum, emphasis on facilitator notes, helpful hints/highlights, page numbering, font, and coordinating graphics throughout each and across all manuals and corresponding participant workbooks. Graphics used in one manual may be copied to/replicated across others and in the corresponding participant workbooks as makes sense. Cover design is also required for the manuals and workbooks, ensuring a cohesive design across all eight documents and between paired manuals and workbooks.

• One-week Community Engagement (CE) training
  1. The trainer manual is about 175 pages
  2. The participant workbook is about 45 pages
• One-week Gender Informed Community Engagement (GICE) training
  1. The trainer manual is approximately 160 pages
  2. The participant workbook is about 45 pages
• One-week Trauma Informed Policing (TIP) training
  1. The trainer manual is about 195 pages
  2. The participant workbook is about 45 pages
• Three-week comprehensive CE-GICE-TIP training
  1. The trainer manual is about 375 pages
  2. The participant workbook is about 100 pages

The page number estimates will be confirmed with the selected Offeror prior to contract award, as the manuals are soon to undergo extensive copyediting. The corresponding participant workbooks will be pared down versions of the manuals and will not require as much design.

The selected Offeror will design the manuals in such a way that they can be printed and distributed for use in hard copy. The selected Offeror will also have to abide by USIP’s brand policy, which will be provided to the selected Offeror.

For each of the four trainer manuals, the selected Offeror will be required to design the manual cover, section page designs, and other graphics to highlight things throughout the document, such as notes for facilitators or helpful hints. Page numbering is also required, along with consistent use of font. USIP will also provide training flipchart images that will need to be integrated into the sessions to which they belong, as these serve as a necessary training resource for trainers. USIP will look to coordinate with the selected Offeror on their input for what types of graphics and design choices should be consistent relative to what can be distinct across manuals.

For each of the four participant workbooks, the selected Offeror will be required to design the workbook cover and to design the pages in such a way that they correspond to their respective manual, as the workbooks serve as a guide and resource to the participants during the training and to reference thereafter. Space for notes and note pages should be included, and some flipchart images may also be included in the workbooks.

USIP will provide the four trainer manuals to the selected Offeror upon contract award. The initial manuals provided may not be the final versions, as copyediting isn’t planned to complete until March 1, 2024; however, we would like the selected Offeror to review the trainer manuals to begin designing the manual and workbook covers, as well as have the opportunity to get an idea of the formatting and graphic images they may design once the final copyedited versions are provided. The overall content, order, and flow of the final versions of the manuals ultimately provided will not differ and will directly feed into the corresponding participant workbooks. Upon receiving the draft manuals, the selected Offeror will also review the documents to coordinate with USIP on an estimated timeline/completion outline. Below is a tentative timeline.

• In the initial meeting, USIP and selected Offeror will share questions, design guidance, and discuss all other necessary components to enable the selected Offeror to begin designing the components that are ready at that time. This will require the selected Offeror to review the documents in advance to be able to discuss the overall planned design, what components they can realistically start on, and a full list of graphic components that will be needed and require USIP input. The selected Offeror will commence on the components discussed and then provide them to USIP for review.
• In the second meeting, USIP and selected Offeror will discuss the design work completed thus far, as well as any additional pages or full manuals that are ready for design. Full, complete manuals and workbooks will be provided to the selected Offeror as copyediting completes.
• In the third meeting, USIP and selected Offeror will discuss any edits USIP requests on the completed graphics and any additional components that are ready for graphic work, including the full manuals and workbooks.
• In the fourth meeting USIP and selected Offeror will discuss any edits USIP requests on the fully designed manuals and workbooks, whereafter the selected Offeror should finalize the 4 manuals and 4 workbooks.

The selected Offeror must ensure all design choices strictly adhere to USIP’s Policy and Brand Guidelines. Revisions can continue within the contract term until the final version is approved by USIP. Successful completion of the contract will result in the selected Offeror submitting four fully designed trainer manuals and four fully designed participant workbooks to USIP. The designed materials should be ready to be sent for printing.

Tentative Timeline

A tentative timeline for the completion of deliverables is provided below. USIP will work with the selected offeror to finalize deliverables and deliverable due dates upon selection.

*Revisions can continue within the contract’s period of performance as needed.

Submission Requirements

Any proposal that does not contain all items listed below may be considered nonresponsive. For more detail on the selection process, including corresponding evaluation criteria, please see Section V below. To be considered under this RFP, please submit the following:

Technical Narrative Proposal

The technical narrative proposal should be no more than two (2) pages and include the following sections:

Prior Experience and References: Describe at least two projects of similar scope and complexity the selected Offeror has worked on previously. Provide a point of contact with telephone number and email address for each of the described projects to serve as references.

Key Personnel and Specific Experience : The selected Offeror must assign one person to this project, providing a description of the key person and their expertise. Please note that personnel may be a non-US citizen and does not require a security clearance. There should be only one individual working on this project to maintain stylistic integrity across the two manuals and two workbooks.

Overall Approach: Based on the Background and Scope section above, describe the proposed approach to complete the contract. Include any additional information you may require from USIP, an estimate of the time it will take to complete the contract, and any other information that would provide a detailed overview of your approach.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Provide the CV for the individual the selected Offeror plans to assign to this project.

Graphic Design Samples

Provide two recent examples of no more than 15 pages each that demonstrate the ability of the individual assigned to this project to design trainer manuals and participant workbooks designated for classroom use. These may be the same or different from what you describe in Prior Experience above. Various portions of the selected samples may be submitted to demonstrate style and skill.

Budget

Provide a budget in US dollars that outlines the cost of providing the services described above. The budget should include an hourly and/or page rate and an estimated number of hours to complete each deliverable.  Please note that USIP allows nonprofit organizations to include up to 15% indirect cost recovery on total direct costs for contracts.

Certification Page

Complete and sign the Certification Page below and submit with the proposal.

Selection Proces

Schedule

USIP may adjust dates in the schedule or cancel this RFP at any time prior to contract award.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria below. For more detail on each submission requirement, see Section IV of this RFP. The USIP Selection Committee will review all proposals received on time using the evaluation criteria established below based on the best value offered to USIP. The Selection Committee reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to award multiple contracts, and/or to enter into negotiations with any party, in the best interests of the Institute.

General Instructions and Terms

Complete proposals must be submitted by email to Victoria Rivera ( ) by 5:00PM EST on Sunday, November 26, 2023.

The Institute is not liable for any costs incurred by offerors prior to issuance of an executed contract with the Institute.

Submissions must be typed and submitted electronically and must include all submission requirements outlined in the Submission of Requirements section of this RFP. No changes or corrections to a response will be allowed after the deadline.

All submissions should be in English and US dollars.

Any questions concerning this RFP should be directed to Victoria Rivera ( ). Pertinent responses will be made available to all offerors by email. No inquiries will be accepted after specified time and date.

Any proposal not addressing all RFP requirements may be considered non-responsive. Late proposals may be rejected as non-responsive.

This RFP is not an offer to enter into an agreement with any party, but rather a request to receive proposals from offerors (organizations or persons) interested in providing the services outlined herein. Such proposals shall be considered and treated by USIP as offers to enter into a contract.

USIP shall not be obligated for the payment of any sums whatsoever to any recipient of this RFP until and unless a written contract between the parties is executed.

Unless stated otherwise within this RFP, the selected Contractor shall be responsible for providing all equipment and/or supplies required to perform the services.

The selected Contractor shall not discriminate against any person in accordance with Federal, state, or local law.

The submission of any materials to USIP in response to this RFP will constitute (i) a representation that the Offeror owns or has unrestricted license to use and license such materials and all intellectual property expressed therein; and (ii) the grant of a non-exclusive license to USIP to use such materials and intellectual property for any purpose, including specifically the evaluation, negotiation, and documentation of a contract with any party.

Offeror will commit to adhering to the attached USIP Terms & Conditions, else risk removal from consideration. Exceptions to these terms must be clearly outlined in an annex to the Technical Narrative Proposal. Please reach out to Victoria Rivera ( ) to request a copy of USIP Terms and Conditions if they are not attached to the solicitation.

Certification Page
(Please submit with the proposal)