Terms of Reference for Graphic Design Services

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

• The objective is to establish a framework agreement with qualified graphic design service providers to support ChildFund Africa communications needs over a 24-month period.
• The selected designers will provide high-quality creative design, layout, and production services for publications and communication materials in English, French and Portuguese, aligned with ChildFund branding standards.

SCOPE OF WORK

Selected service providers will be required to:

• Develop creative concepts, layouts, and design mock-ups for publications and communication products.
• Present concepts for review and incorporate feedback from ChildFund teams.
• Produce final, print-ready and web-ready design outputs in agreed formats.
• Ensure consistency with ChildFund branding guidelines across all materials.
• Support adaptation of materials into multiple languages (English, French, Portuguese).
• Provide production-ready files suitable for both print and digital dissemination.

KEY DELIVERABLES

Deliverables may include but are not limited to:

• Development of original illustrations for reports, articles, brochures, posters, and IEC materials.
• Design and layout of publications, including project brochures, fact sheets, briefs, and reports.
• Templates for project sites, digital articles, and other communication assets.
• Full production packages including source files, pre-press files, and web versions.
• Design inputs for video and multimedia production where required.

CONTRACT DURATION

• The framework agreement will be valid for 24 months from the date of signing.
• Work will be assigned on a call-off basis depending on need and performance.

METHODOLOGY

This section applies only to selected providers under the framework agreement.

• Selected designers will work closely with the communications teams at Country and Regional levels.
• Assignments will be issued through defined briefs with timelines and deliverables.
• Reviews and approvals will be conducted in iterative cycles.
• Work can be executed remotely, with virtual collaboration sessions as required.
• All intellectual property rights shall belong exclusively to ChildFund.

ELIGIBILITY AND MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS (PASS/FAIL SCREENING)

Applicants must meet the following mandatory requirements:

• Legal registration as a company or consultancy.
• Valid Tax Compliance Certificate and PIN certificate.
• Business permit or equivalent authorization to operate.
• Proven experience in professional graphic design services.
• Portfolio demonstrating previous works.
• Experience in print and digital production workflows, including knowledge of printing processes and color management.
• Ability to deliver work in Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent professional design tools.
• Provision of at least 2 professional references.

EVALUATION PROCESS

• The evaluation will be conducted in three stages to ensure transparency and fairness.

Stage 1: Administrative Screening (Pass/Fail)

• Verification of mandatory eligibility requirements
• Completeness of submission documents
• Compliance with submission instructions

Only applicants who pass this stage proceed to technical evaluation.

Stage 2: Technical Evaluation (Scoring)

• Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Criteria Weight

• Quality and creativity of portfolio 30%
• Experience, including references and past performance 25%
• Technical capability (tools, production processes, multi-format delivery) 20%
• Understanding of branding and visual communication for development work 15%
• Capacity to deliver within timelines and handle multilingual outputs 10%
• Total: 100%

Stage 3: Design Test Assignment (Shortlisted Candidates)

• Shortlisted applicants will be invited to complete a standardized design exercise.

Safeguards:

• All shortlisted candidates will receive the same brief.
• Evaluation will be based on standardized scoring rubric.
• Submissions will be assessed anonymously where feasible.
• No prior ChildFund materials or confidential content will be reused.
• Clear timeline will be provided for completion .

Assessment criteria for test:

• Creativity and originality
• Clarity of communication design
• Alignment with branding guidelines
• Layout quality and technical execution
• Responsiveness to brief

SHORTLISTING OUTCOME

• ChildFund reserves the right to allocate work across one or more providers based on performance, speed, and quality.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Interested applicants must submit:

• Company profile
• Portfolio of relevant work
• Technical proposal outlining approach and capabilities
• Financial proposal (if required in separate envelope or section)
• References (2 organizations)
• Legal registration documents (Registration certificate, Trading License, Tax Compliance certificate etc)