INVITATION FOR BID FOR THE PROVISION OF GLOBAL AND PROJECT AUDIT SERVICES NRC / FIN / 2020

Dear Mr. /Ms.

We invite you to submit a proposal for the above-mentioned invitation to tender; please find enclosed the following documents, which constitute the tender dossier.

NRC must receive any request for clarification in writing at least 3 working days before the deadline for submission of tenders. NRC will reply to bidders’ questions at least 1 working days before the deadline for submission of tenders.

NRC will not reimburse costs incurred by the bidder in preparing and submitting the tender proposals.

We look forward to receiving your tender at the address specified in the Instructions to Bidders before 25 October 2020, as stated in the procurement notice. The bidder should return the complete tender documents to NRC CAR either through a sealed envelope or electronically through the mail [email protected].

If you decide not to submit a tender, we would be grateful if you could inform us in writing, stating the reasons for your decision.

Yours sincerely,

Hamissou Goudia

HEAD OF SUPPORT

NRC – CENTRAL AFRICA REPUBLIC

This ITB document contains the following:

-This cover Letter

-Section 2: Bid Data sheet**

-Section 3: NRC Invitation to bid general terms & condition

-Section 4: Technical description of the Bid

-Section 5: Bidding form

-Section 6: Service Provision Schedule**

-Section 7: Company Profile and Previous Experience**

-Section 8: Service Description & Pricing Proposal**

-Section 9: Suppliers Ethical Standards Declaration

SECTION 2

Bid Data Sheet

1. BACKGROUND DATA

Contract Name: AUDIT SERVICES

Contract Number: MULTIPLE(CFFM1702, CFFM1613, CFFM2022)

This bid is issued by Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC office in the CENTRAL AFRICA REPUBLIC Any correspondence can be addressed the following address office [email protected]

2. SCOPE OF SERVICE

IN 2020

The TOTAL amount to be audited is approximatively 9,040,519 USD, this amount may increase if additional grant is received before end of December

Please refer to the service specifications in section 4

3. SCHEDULE & DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

The deadline for submission of bids is at 17:00 hrs. On 10 November 2020, NRC will not accept late bids

TIME TABLE

DATE

**TIME***

Invitation to Bid 09th October 2020 -11:00 HRS

Deadline for request for any clarifications from NRC 15th -October 2020 -17:00 HRS

Last date on which clarifications are issued by NRC 17th October 2020-17:00 Hrs

Deadline for submission of tenders (receiving date, not sending date) 25th-October 2020-17:00 Hrs

Tender opening session by NRC 1rst November 2020-09:00 Hrs

Notification of award to the successful tenderer 5th November 2020- 12:00 Hrs

Signature of the contract 8th -November 2020 -09:00 Hrs

* All times are in the local time of GMT + 1

Please note all dates are provisional dates and NRC reserves the right to modify this schedule.

4. MANNER OF SUBMISSION:

Please submit your bids in accordance with the requirements detailed below:

Complete sealed bid documents shall be hand delivered at NRC Office in CAR at Rue Durand Ferte, no 378 Centre Ville Bangui or sent via E-mail not later than 10 November 2020, the documents sent through E-mail must be in PDF Format on the due date indicated above. NRC CAR will open the tenders thereafter in the presence of the tenderers or their representatives who choose to attend.

5. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Award of the contract(s) will be based on the following:

Step 1: Administrative compliance check

Bidders must provide evidence of the following for their bid to be considered compliant:

1. Sections 5-9 completed, signed and stamped

2. Bidder has included a copy of their valid business licence

Step 2: Technical Evaluation

A Technical Evaluation of all bids received will be conducted to shortlisted bidders. Criteria that will be used to evaluate and score the bids are outlined in Section 3, Clause 25

Step 3: Financial Evaluation

Price in comparison to NRC established expectation and in comparison to other bidders of comparable technical quality**

SECTION 3

NRC Invitation to bid – General Terms & Conditions

1 SCOPE OF BID

1.1 The bid is based on the scope of the assignment as determined in the Bid Data Sheet (Section 2). The instruction to bidders should be read in conjunction with the Bid Data Sheet.

1.2 The successful Bidder will be expected to complete the assignment by the Intended Completion Date specified in the contract to be signed

2 CORRUPT PRACTICES

2.1 Norwegian Refugee Council requires Employees, Bidders and Contractors, to observe standards of ethics during procurement and the execution of contracts. In pursuit of this, Norwegian refugee Council defines, for the purposes of this provision, the terms set forth below as follows:

a) “Corrupt practice” includes the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of anything of value to influence the action of a public official in the procurement process or in contract execution; and

b) “Fraudulent practice” includes a misrepresentation of facts in order to influence a procurement process or the execution of a contract to the detriment of the Norwegian Refugee Council, and includes collusive practices among Bidders prior to or after bid submission designed to establish bid prices at artificial, non-competitive levels and to deprive the Norwegian Refugee Council of the benefits of free and open competition;

c) In any case where fraud or corruption is identified, NRC will:

· reject any bids where the Bidder has engaged in corrupt or fraudulent practices in competing for the Contract;

· remove bidding contractors who engage in fraudulent or corrupt practices, from our prequalified list

· liaise with District Officials to report if fraudulent or corrupt practices are identified

· terminate works

2.2 Any communications between a Bidder and the Norwegian Refugee Council related to matters of alleged fraud or corruption must be made in writing and addressed to the Country Director in the Central Africa Republic.

3 ELIGIBLE BIDDERS

3.1 A Bidder shall meet the following criteria to be eligible to participate in NRC procurement of Services:

a) the bidder, at the time of bid, is not:

i. insolvent;

ii. in receivership;

iii. bankrupt; or

iv. being wound up

b) the bidder’s business activities have not been suspended;

c) the bidder is not the subject of legal proceedings for any of the circumstances in (b); and

d) The bidder has fulfilled his or her obligations to pay taxes and social security contributions. In a case where VAT is included in a bid, a copy of the VAT certificate must accompany the bid. A Bidder, and all parties constituting the Bidder including sub-contractors, shall not have a conflict of interest. All Bidders found to have a conflict of interest shall be disqualified. A Bidder may be considered to have a conflict of interest with one or more parties in this bidding process, if they have a relationship with each other, directly or through common third parties, that puts them in a position to have access to information about or influence on the bid of another Bidder, or influence the decisions of the Norwegian Refugee Council regarding this bidding process

3.2 A Bidder whose circumstances in relation to eligibility change during a procurement process or during the execution of a contract shall immediately inform the Norwegian Refugee Council.

3.3 NRC reserves the right to refuse a bid at any time if the bidder or one of its sub-contractors provided material support or resources to any individual or entity that commits, attempts to commit, advocates, facilitates, or participates or is found guilty of fraud, active corruption, collusion, coercive practice, bribery, involvement in a criminal organization or illegal activity, or immoral human resources practices, including but not limited to: child labour, non-discrimination, freedom of association, payment of the legal national minimum wage, and forced labour.

3.4 The bidder can be either National or international audit firm (part of the national auditor’s/accounting association – part of an international network or certification are preferred)

4 JOINT VENTURES, CONSORTIA AND ASSOCIATIONS

Bids submitted by a joint venture, consortium or association of two or more firms as partners would only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.

5 ONE BID PER BIDDER PER WORK

Each Bidder shall submit only one Bid per contract. A Bidder who submits or participates in more than one bid per contract will cause all the bids with the Bidder’s participation to be rejected.

6 COST OF BIDDING

The Bidder shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of his Bid, and the Norwegian Refugee Council shall not be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the bidding process.

7 INSPECTION

NRC is obliged to ensure that its procurement decisions are clearly justified, documented, and keeping within the Donors mandatory principles. In that regard, full and on-the-spot access must be granted to representatives of NRC, the Donor or any organization or person mandated by it, to premises belonging to NRC or its contractors. The right to access shall include all documents and information necessary to assess, or audit the implementation of the contract

8 OBTAINING AND COMPLETING BIDDING DOCUMENTS **

8.1 Bidders who did not obtain the Bidding Document directly from the Norwegian Refugee Council will be rejected during evaluation. Where a Bidding Document is obtained from the Norwegian Refugee Council on a Bidder’s behalf, the Bidder’s name must be registered with the Norwegian Refugee Council at the time of issue.

8.2 The Bidder is expected to examine all instructions, forms, terms, and specifications in the Bidding Document. Failure to furnish all information or documentation required by the Bidding Document may result in the rejection of the bid.

9 CLARIFICATION OF BIDDING DOCUMENT

A prospective Bidder requiring any clarification of the Bidding Document shall contact the Norwegian Refugee Council CAR in writing. The Norwegian Refugee Council will respond in writing to any request for clarification before the deadline for clarification of bids. The Norwegian Refugee Council shall forward copies of its response to all Bidders who have acquired the Bidding Document, including a description of the inquiry but without identifying its source.

10 AMENDMENT OF BIDDING DOCUMENT

10.1 At any time, prior and until 48 hours prior to the deadline for submission of bids, the Norwegian Refugee Council may amend or cancel the Bidding Document by informing the bidders in writing.

10.2 To give prospective Bidders reasonable time in which to take an amendment or cancellation into account in preparing their bids, the Norwegian Refugee Council can, at his discretion, extend the deadline for the submission of bids.

11 LANGUAGE OF BID

11.1 The bid, as well as all correspondence and documents relating to the bid shall be written in English or French.

11.2 Supporting documents and printed literature that are part of the bid may be in either language as stated above.

12 DOCUMENTS COMPRISING THE BID

12.1 The bid submitted by the Bidder shall comprise the following:

• Signed and stamped Contractor’s Biding form in Section 5

• Any other information and documents requested in Section 4.

• Service provision Schedule (as in Section 6)

• Company Profile and Previous experience (as in Section 7)

• Service Description and Pricing Proposal (as in Section 8)

• Signed and stamped Supplier Ethical Standards Declaration in Section 9

12.2 All forms must be completed without any alterations to the format, and no substitutes shall be accepted. All blank spaces shall be filled in with the information requested.

13 BID PRICE FOR SERVICE CONTRACT

13.1 Bid prices are for complete contracts. Contracts cannot be subdivided into pieces. Where a bid is submitted, all relevant services must be offered.

13.2 Items for the Bidder enters which no rate or price will be as not quoted.

13.3 Unless otherwise specified in Section 2 – the Bid Data Sheet, all duties, taxes and other levies payable by the contractor under the contract, shall be included in the total bid price submitted by the bidder.

13.4 For bidder subject to VTA, VTA should be mentioned in the offers

13.5 The prices submitted by any Bidder shall be checked for arithmetical errors and for what might be considered unreasonable rates during the evaluation. Where errors are identified one or more of the following steps may be taken:

a) If any rates are considered unrealistic or unreasonable, they may be altered by mutual agreement, if no alteration shall be made for Bid.

b) If any arithmetical errors are detected in an otherwise acceptable bid, and the Bidder, on being so notified, is prepared to confirm his bid and if the Bidder is subsequently awarded the contract, then the Bid shall be altered to reflect the difference.

c) The Bidder is reminded that it is entirely his responsibility to ensure the accuracy of his bid. No alteration will be made to the bid after its submission on the grounds of any arithmetical errors subsequently discovered except as provided above.

14 CURRENCIES OF BID AND PAYMENT

The Bidder in Franc CFA (XAF) shall quote all prices, unless otherwise stated. Similarly, all payments will be made in Franc CFA (XAF)

15 BID VALIDITY

15.1 Bids shall remain valid for a period of 60 calendar days after the date of the bid submission deadline as prescribed by Norwegian Refugee Council. A bid valid for a shorter period may be rejected as non-compliant.

15.2 In exceptional circumstances, prior to the expiration of the bid validity period, the Norwegian Refugee Council may request Bidders in writing to extend the period of validity of their bids. A Bidder must confirm in writing his acceptance of the extension. In case of extension, modification of the bid is not permitted.

16 ALTERNATIVE BIDS

Bidders shall submit offers that comply with the requirements of the bidding documents, including the basic technical design as indicated in the drawings and specifications. Alternative bids shall not be considered unless otherwise indicated in Section 2 – the Bid Data Sheet.

17 FORMAT AND SIGNING OF BID

The Bidder shall prepare one set of bid documents per lot that he wishes to bid for. The bidder should hold a copy of the documents with himself, for reference purposes.

18 SEALING AND MARKING OF THE BID

18.1 The Bidder shall enclose the bid for each contract in a plain envelope securely sealed

18.2 The envelopes shall:

(a) be addressed to the Support Office, Norwegian Refugee Council, in the location specified in Section 2 – the Bid Data Sheet

(b) bear the Contract number

(c) no other markings should be on the envelope

18.3 If all envelopes are not sealed and marked as required, the Norwegian Refugee Council may reject the bid

18.4 Alternately, the bids may be sent via E-mail to the address given.

19 DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF BIDS

The Norwegian Refugee Council at the address given and no must receive bids later than the date and time indicated in Section 2 – the Bid Data Sheet.

20 LATE BIDS

The Norwegian Refugee Council shall not consider any bid that arrives after the deadline for submission as stipulated in Section 2 – the Bid Data Sheet. Any bid received by the Norwegian Refugee Council after the deadline for submission of bids shall be declared late and rejected.

21 WITHDRAWAL AND REPLACEMENT OF BIDS

21.1 A Bidder may withdraw or replace its bid after it has been submitted at any time before the deadline for submission of bids by sending a written notice, signed by an authorized representative. Any corresponding replacement of the bid must accompany the respective written notice. All notices must be:

(a) submitted as with Clauses 20 and 21, and in addition, the envelopes shall be clearly marked “WITHDRAWAL” or “REPLACEMENT” and

(b) received by the Norwegian Refugee Council prior to the deadline for submission of bids, in accordance with Section 2 – the Bid Data Sheet

21.2 After the opening of bids, modifications to bids must be documented and any discussions reported in writing. A bid may be withdrawn at any stage, with written notice.

22 CONFIDENTIALITY

22.1 Information relating to the examination, evaluation, comparison, and post-qualification of bids, and recommendation of contract award, shall not be disclosed to bidders or any other persons not officially concerned with such process until information detailing the best-evaluated Bidder is communicated to all Bidders.

22.2 Any effort by a Bidder to influence the Norwegian Refugee Council in the examination, evaluation, comparison, and post-qualification of the bids or contract award decisions may result in the rejection of its bid.

22.3 From the time of bid opening to the time of Contract award, if any Bidder wishes to contact the Norwegian Refugee Council on any matter related to the bidding process, it should do so in writing.

23 CLARIFICATION OF BIDS

Norwegian Refugee Council may, at its discretion, ask any Bidder for a clarification of its Bid. The Norwegian Refugee Council’s request for clarification and the response shall be in writing. Any clarification submitted by a Bidder that is not in response to a request by the Norwegian Refugee Council shall not be considered. All requests for clarifications shall be copied to all bidders for information purposes. No change in the price or substance of the bid shall be permitted, except to confirm the correction of errors.

24 BIDS VALIDATION

24.1 The Norwegian Refugee Council’s determination of a Bid’s validity is to be based on the contents of the bid itself, which cannot be corrected if determined to be invalid

24.2 A valid bid is one that complies with all the terms, conditions, and specifications of the Bidding Document, without deviation or omission, which affects, or could affect;

a) the scope, quality, or performance of the services specified in the Contract; or

b) limits in any substantial way, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s rights or the Bidder’s obligations under the Contract

25 EVALUATION OF BID

25.1 The Norwegian Refugee Council shall examine the legal documentation and other information submitted by Bidders to verify eligibility, and then will review and score bids according to the following criteria;

a) Completion and inclusion of requested information and supporting documents (Administrative compliance)

b) Price in comparison to NRC estimated rate (Financial evaluation)

c) Overall timeframe for the service (Technical evaluation)

d) Schedules (Key Personnel and Activity schedule) (Technical evaluation)

e) Previous experiences in similar works (Technical evaluation)

f) Demonstrated excellence in service, support and warranties (Technical evaluation)

g) Adherence to Ethic, environmental, anti-corruption NRC policies (Technical evaluation)

h) Earlier experiences and documentation proven in the tender documents, related to the service required under this contract (Technical evaluation)

25.2 In case of two contractors being scored the same in the evaluation, the one with the highest technical ranking will be awarded the contract

25.3 Anti-money laundering, anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-terrorism legislation applicable in some jurisdictions may require NRC to verify the identity of the bidder prior to financial transactions. NRC reserves the right to use online screening tools to check the bidder’s record about their possible involvement in illegal or unethical practices.

25.4 The Norwegian Refugee Council reserves the right to reject all bids, and re-tender if no satisfactory bids are submitted

26 AWARD PROCEDURE

26.1 The Norwegian Refugee Council shall award the Contract in writing, with an award letter, to the Bidder whose offer has been determined to be the best, before the end of the bid validity period

26.2 Any bidder who has not been awarded a contract, will be notified in writing

26.3 Until a formal contract is prepared and executed, the Award Letter shall constitute a binding agreement between the bidder and NRC.

26.4 The Award Letter will state the sum that the Norwegian Refugee Council will pay the Contractor in consideration of the Works as prescribed in the Contract, and in accordance with the Bid.

26.5 The Bidder is thereafter required to submit a Letter of Acceptance, confirming their wish to proceed with a contract.

27 SIGNING OF CONTRACT

27.1 Upon receipt of the Letter of Acceptance, the Norwegian Refugee Council shall call the successful Bidder to sign the Contract.

27.2 Within an agreed timeframe, the successful Bidder shall sign, date, and return the Contract to the Norwegian Refugee Council.

SECTION 4

SERVICE PROVISION: Technical description of the bid

TENDER PURPOSE AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

The Audit is in two parts and required auditor’s presence in Bangui for the two step

A) Pre-Audit for data from January to October 2020 With Field visit

B) The Audit with Additional data for November to December

Detailed Description of Service Unit Period of Delivery

**

1GLOBAL AUDIT SERVICES FOR NRC IN CAR 1 12 Months

2 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT AUDIT SERVICES FOR NRC PROJECTS IN CAR 1 12 Months

SECTION 5

BIDDING FORM

Please provide information against each requirement.

Additional rows can be inserted for all questions as necessary. If there is insufficient space to complete your answer in the space provided, please include on a separate attachment with a reference to the question.

1. Bidder’s general business details

a) General information

Company name:

Any other trading names of company:

Registered name of company (if different):

Nature of primary business/trade:

Primary contact name:

Job title:

Phone:

Email:

Registered Address:

Business licence number:

Country of registration

Registration date:

Expiry date:

Legal status of company (eg. partnership, private limited company, etc.)

b) Owners/Managers

Please fill in the below table with the full names and the year of birth of the company’s owner(s) and manager(s)*:

Full name

Year of birth

* Please note this information is necessary in order to conduct the vetting procedure referred to in clause 25 of the Invitation to Bid-General Terms and Conditions.

c) Employees

Please list the employees who would be involved with NRC in the event of contract award:

Employee name

Job title

Role on NRC project

Phone

Email

1.

2.

3.

…

d) Company bank account details:

Beneficiary name:

Beneficiary account no.:

Beneficiary Bank:

Bank branch:

SWIFT:

IBAN:

Bank address:

2. References

Please provide details of at least 3 client references whom NRC may contact, preferably from NGOs and UN agencies, for similar related works:

Client/company name

Contact person

Phone

Email

Contract details (works, location, size, value, etc)

1.

2.

3.

…

3. Equipment

Please provide details of any relevant machinery/equipment/vehicles owned by the company that would potentially be used for construction of the School Buildings: (do not mention rented items):

Type of machinery/ equipment/ vehicles

Quantity

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

…

4. Defects Liability/Guarantee Period

Please provide details below of the defect liability and guarantee period you offer on the services included in this contract:

5. Bid Validity

Please confirm the validity of your bid below (in calendar days):

1. Confirmation of Bidder’s compliance

We, the Bidder, hereby certify that our tender is a genuine offer and intended to be competitive and we confirm we are eligible to participate in public procurement and meet the eligibility criteria specified in the Invitation to Bid. We confirm that the prices quoted are fixed and firm for the duration of the validity period and will not be subject to revision or variation.

The following documents are included in our Bid: (please indicate which documents are included by ticking the boxes below).

Documents

included

Section 5: Bidding form; completed, signed and stamped

Section 6: Service Provision Schedule; completed, signed and stamped

Section 7: Company Profile and Previous Experience; completed, signed and stamped

Section 8: Service Description & Pricing Proposal; completed, signed and stamped**

Section 9: Supplier’s ethical standards declaration; completed, signed and stamped

Copy of valid business licence

We understand that NRC is not bound to accept the lowest, or indeed any bid, received.

We agree that NRC may verify the information provided in this form itself or through a third party as it may deem necessary.

We confirm that NRC may in its consideration of our offer, and subsequently, rely on the statements made herein.

Name of Signatory:

Tel N°:

Title of Signatory:

Name of Company:

Signature & stamp:

Date of Signing:

Address:

SECTION 6

Service Provision Schedule

Service Schedule:

Attach the Service schedule here:

Schedule to include:

1- Detailed list of service components to be completed in reference to Service Description & Pricing Proposal (Section 8)

2- Duration of each of the activities and completion date.

Table for breakdown of service provision (examples below)

Activity

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

…

#

Activity

Service Duration

Comment/Additional Information

1

2

3

4

…

#

Activity

Duration/Transit Time

Comment/Additional Information

1

2

3

4

…

WORK FORCE:

In addition, provide a list of the work force involved in the activities on site with an estimate of the total person-hours completed by each of the skills. Format to follow the below simple format:

#

Proposed Personnel/ work force

# of workers allocated to this project

1

2

3

4

…

NOTE: The work force list and service provision schedule should not be limited to this Form.

A comprehensive list has to be submitted adapting the Form as necessary.

SECTION 7

COMPANY PROFILE AND PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

The Bidder is requested to:

1. Submit the Company Profile

2. Complete the following Previous Experience Table listing the work or contracts undertaken in the past 5 years similar to the services required under this contract

3. Submit evidences of previous experience in form of Contracts, Completion Certificates, etc.

#

Name of Project / Type of work

Total value of the performed works

Duration of the works contract

Starting date

Ending date

Contracting Authority and Place

1

2

3

4

5

…

NOTE: The list should not be limited to this Form in regards to the number of works reported. A comprehensive list of the last 5 years’ experience has to be submitted adapting the Form to the necessary rows.

NRC may conduct reference checks for previous contracts completed

SECTION 8

Service Provision Description and Pricing Proposal

Service provider should describe in detail his service provision and demonstrate how it complies with NRC requirements

Narrative description: ………………………………………………..

SERVICE DESCRIPTION FOR AUDIT SERVICES

No.

Description of Service

Unit

QTY

Rate ex-VAT

Total

A

B

Description of Service

Unit

QTY

Rate ex-VAT

Total

GRAND TOTAL

Table for breakdown description of service component

Prepared by:

Name:

Position:

Signature:

Date:

Stamp:

SECTION 9

SUPPLIER’S ETHICAL STANDARDS DECLARATION

NRC as a humanitarian organization expects its suppliers and contractors to have high ethical standards. Any organization supplying goods to NRC valued at over 10,000 USD (or equivalent) in one year must sign this declaration. This declaration will be kept on file for a period of 10 years and should be updated every year or more often as appropriate.

NRC staff may perform spot checks to verify that these standards are adhered to. Should NRC deem that the supplier fails to meet, or is not taking appropriate steps to meet, these standards, any and all contracts and agreements with NRC may be terminated.

Anyone doing business with Norwegian Refugee Council shall as a minimum;

1. Comply with all laws and regulations in effect in the country or countries of business;

2. Meet the ethical standards as listed below; or

3. Positively agree to the standards and be willing to implement changes in their organization.

1. Anti-corruption and supplier’s compliance with laws and regulations:

1.1. The supplier confirms that it is not involved in any form of corruption.

1.2. Where any potential conflict of interest exists between the supplier or any of the supplier’s staff members with any NRC staff member, the supplier shall notify NRC in writing of the potential conflict. NRC shall then determine whether action is required. A conflict of interest can be due to a relationship with a staff member such as close family etc.

1.3. The supplier will immediately notify senior NRC management if exposed for alleged corruption by representatives of NRC.

1.4. The supplier shall be registered with the relevant government authority with regard to taxation.

1.5. The supplier shall pay taxes according to all applicable national laws and regulations.

1.6. The supplier warrants that it is not involved in the production or sale of any weapons including anti-personnel mines.

2. Conditions related to the employees:

2.1. No workers in our company will be forced, bonded or involuntary prison workers.

2.2. Workers shall not be required to lodge “deposits” or identity papers with their employer and shall be free to leave their employer after reasonable notice.

2.3. Workers, without distinction, shall have the right to join or form trade unions of their own choosing and to bargain collectively.

2.4. Persons under the age of 18 shall not be engaged in work that is hazardous to their health or safety, including night work.

2.5. Employers of persons under the age of 18 must ensure that the working hours and nature of the work does not interfere with the child’s opportunity to complete his/ her education.

2.6. There shall be no discrimination at the work place based on ethnic background, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.

2.7. Measures shall be established to protect workers from sexually intrusive, threatening, insulting or exploitative behavior, and from discrimination or termination of employment on unjustifiable grounds, e.g. marriage, pregnancy, parenthood or HIV status.

2.8. Physical abuse or punishment, or threats of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse, as well as other forms of intimidation, shall be prohibited.

2.9. Steps shall be taken to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, associated with, or occurring in, the course of work, by minimizing, so far as is reasonably practicable, the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment.

2.10. Wages and benefits paid for a standard working week shall meet, at a minimum, national legal standards or industry benchmark standards, whichever is higher. Wages should always be enough to meet basic needs.

2.11. Working hours shall comply with national laws and benchmark industry standards, whichever affords greater protection. It is recommended that working hours do not exceed 48 hours per week (8 hours per day).

2.12. Workers shall be provided with at least one day off for every 7-day period.

2.13. All workers are entitled to a contract of employment that shall be written in a language they understand.

2.14. Workers shall receive regular and documented health and safety training, and such training shall be repeated for new workers.

2.15. Access to clean toilet facilities and to potable water, and, if appropriate, sanitary facilities for food storage shall be provided.

2.16. Accommodation, where provided, shall be clean, safe and adequately ventilated, and shall have access to clean toilet facilities and potable water.

2.17. No Deductions from wages shall be made as a disciplinary measure.

3. Environmental conditions:

3.1. Production and extraction of raw materials for production shall not contribute to the destruction of the resources and income base for marginalized populations, such as in claiming large land areas or other natural resources on which these populations are dependent.

3.2. Environmental measures shall be taken into consideration throughout the production and distribution chain ranging from the production of raw material to the consumer sale. Local, regional and global environmental aspects shall be considered. The local environment at the production site shall not be exploited or degraded by pollution.

3.3. National and international environmental legislation and regulations shall be respected.

3.4. Hazardous chemicals and other substances shall be carefully managed in accordance with documented safety procedures.

We, the undersigned verify that we comply with all applicable laws and regulations and meet the ethical standards as listed above, or positively agree to these ethical standards and are willing to implement necessary changes in the organization.

DATE: *_**

NAME OF SUPPLIER/COMPANY:­­­­­­­­­ *_**

NAME OF REPRESENTATIVE: *_**

SIGNATURE: *_**

COMPANY STAMP: *_**