Request for Quotation for the Provision of Air Travel and Ticket Services to Aims Research and Innovation Centre, Rwanda 

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) 

(X) URGENT / () NORMAL 

To: Whom It May Concern 

Attention: Email:

From: AIMS RIC Research and Innovation Centre

cc: Our file ref.: RFQ-47-013-2025-11-0005

Date: 2025-11-01 N° of pages including this page: 8

Re: Request for quotation for the Provision of Air travel and ticket services to AIMS Research and Innovation Centre, Rwanda 

If you do not receive all pages, please contact us immediately.Thank you.
REQUEST FOR QUOTATION 

ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICY 

AIMS NETWORK has ZERO tolerance for any corrupt practice or behavior by any of the AIMS NETWORK employees and itsvendors and contractors. AIMS NETWORK completely prohibits offering, giving, or agreeing to give to any employee of AIMS NETWORK any gift or commission, or consideration of any kind as an inducement or reward for: 

• doing or not doing (or for having done or not having done) any act in relation to the obtaining of any contract with AIMS RIC; or 
• showing or not showing favor or disfavor to any person in relation to any contract it enters with any vendor or contractor. 

IF any of AIMS RIC employees contact the vendor or the contractor for any gift or commission or consideration of any kind (financial and non-financial), then the vendor must report that matter immediately to the AIMS Network Internal Auditor at sali@nexteinstein.org  

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS RIC) Research and Innovation Centre in Rwanda would like to invite potential Travel or service providers who are interested in providing Air tickets to submit bid proposals. The successful bidder shall be contracted for a period of one-year renewable following a successful evaluation:

1. Service

Provision of air travel and ticketing services for AIMS RIC staff, Students, Researchers or any other stakeholder on a need basis.

2. Scope of work

The Travel Agency shall provide full, prompt, accurate and expert international travel products and services to staff, Students, Researchers and any other stakeholders of AIMS RIC.

3. Deliverables: 

The products and services include, but are not limited to, the following:

a) Reservation and Ticketing 

For every duly approved AIMS RIC Travel Authorization, travel agency shall:

• Propose three (3) tickets of different appropriate itineraries and/or different appropriate airfares, make bookings and prepare formal quotations based on the lowest fare and the most direct and convenient routing. • In the event that required travel arrangement cannot be confirmed, travel agency shall notify AIMS RIC of the problem and present another three (3) alternative routings/quotations for considerations.
• For wait-listed bookings, provide regular daily feedback on the status of the flight.
• Reconfirm and revalidate airline tickets, re-issue tickets which are returned as a result of changed routing or fare structures and printed itineraries after receiving the confirmation from AIMS RIC travel portal. • Promptly issue and deliver accurate tickets and detailed itineraries, (in electronic format) • Show the accurate status of the airline on all segments of the journey.

• Travel agency shall provide information on airline tickets schedules.

b) Airfares and Airlines Routings / Itineraries 

• Travel agency shall advise market practices and trends that could result in further savings for AIMS RIC including the use of corporate travel booking tools with automated travel policy compliance and enforcement, and travel management reporting.
• Travel Agency shall provide AIMS RIC with a complete automated itinerary document to include carrier(s), flight and voyage numbers, departure and arrival times (s) for each segment of the trip, tax-exempt information, etc.; • Travel Agency shall inform AIMS RIC upon booking confirmation, of flight/ticket restrictions, involuntary stopovers, hidden stops, and other inconveniences of the itinerary and provide required documentation for travels; • Travel Agency shall provide, upon request, AIMS RIC with online and offline relevant information on official destinations, i.e. VISA requirements, security procedures, airport transfers/land transportation facilities, local points of interest, currency restrictions/regulations, health precautions, weather conditions, etc.
• Travel Agency shall promptly notify AIMS RIC of airport closures, delayed or canceled flights, as well as other changes that might affect or will require preparations from travelers, sufficiently before departure time;

C) Billing and Invoice 

• Travel Agency shall send an itemized official invoice to AIMS RIC on a monthly basis as per the date agreed by both parties (end of the month) for all transactions that took place in the preceding month. The Travel agent shall submit monthly reports to AIMS RIC in a format that includes the tickets issued, routes, officers ticketed, and cost of ticket by the agency, the airline charges and the variances including the reasons for the variances between the agency and the airline charges along with the invoice.
• AIMS RIC shall provide payment to the Travel Agency within 30 days after receiving the invoices, considering the credit line in place.

D) Flight Cancellation / Rebooking and Refunds 

• Travel Agency shall process duly authorized flight changes/cancellations when and as required. • Travel Agency shall immediately process airline refunds for canceled travel requirements / unutilized prepaid tickets and credit these to AIMS RIC as expeditiously as possible (if applicable);
• Travel Agency shall limit refund charges at airline rate only, i.e. no additional charges will accrue to the Travel Agency;
• Travel Agency shall bear charges for cancellation and/or change in reservation dates, which are due to no fault of AIMS RIC.

4. AIMS RIC Roles and Responsibilities

AIMS RIC travel portal shall serve as the focal point for the following:

• Ticket booking related communication with the travel agent.
• Obtain monthly Invoice and pay in time.
• Perform inspection of services, including verification of fares, rates, etc.

5. Submission of proposal to offer services 

This will include.

a) Mandatory Requirements (MR)

• Letter of application
• Company profile and experience
• Copy of Valid RATA/RTTA Certificate of Accreditation.
• Copy of Certificate of incorporation/Registration
• Copy of RSSB compliance certificate (Local company) equivalent to the international bidder • Copy of Validity Tax clearance certificate
• Proof of EBM V2

b) Technical requirement.

• Methodology and Implementation (Turnaround time)
• Model diagram of proposed system
• Flowcharts for cancel or change reservations.
• Proof of number of years in Air travel and ticketing industry (Five years and above, contracts from 2020) • At least Five (5) up-to-date Letters of Recommendations from corporate clients and NGOs the tenderer worked with

from the past five years (Duly signed and stamped)

• Financial strength:

Submit audited accounts for the last two years.

• Profile and Key management personnel.

Organization chart and Team member names and roles (Details of at least 4 staff members, provide their CVs, with details)

6. Financial proposal.

A clear breakdown of the financial proposal including:

• all the chargeable taxes.
• Credit line offered.
• Applicable discounts and Terms of payment

7. Compensation Scheme

Travel agency shall generate its income on a per-ticket/transaction basis.

AIMS RIC travel portal shall, from time to time, evaluate and verify with other travel agencies and other industry indicators the comparability and competitiveness of the rates.

AIMS RIC reserves the right to terminate contract with the selected Travel Agency at any time if the Travel Agency charges AIMS RIC on higher rates than market standards or does not render minimum services described in this tendering document.

8. Duration

The duration of the contract is anticipated to run for a period of one year which can be extended if the annual review is satisfactory.

9. Contract Parameters

AIMS RIC recognizes the importance of confidentiality of the data provided: the proposal information and the travel itineraries and reservations of its travellers. Accordingly, the selected agency must keep confidential all dealings with AIMS RIC.

A Service Framework Agreement will be signed once the best bidder has been Selected.

10. Bid submission.

The application files (bids) will include the following:

Technical and financial proposals

11. Modification and withdrawal of tenders 

The tenderer may modify or withdraw its tender after the tender’s submission, provided that written notice of the modification, including substitution or withdrawal of the tender’s is received by the AIMS RIC prior to the deadline prescribed for the submission of tenders. No tender may be modified after the deadline for submission of tenders. AIMS RIC may at any time terminate procurement proceedings before contract award and shall not be liable to any person for the termination.

12.Evaluation and comparison of tenders 

AIMS RIC will evaluate and compare the tenders which have been determined to be substantially responsive, the comparison shall be of the price including all costs as well as duties and taxes payable on all the materials to be used in the provision of the services. In addition to the tender price (Credit line and commission), the technical evaluation will be conducted (Operational plan)

13.Award Criteria and Notification of award 

AIMS RIC will award the contract to the successful tenderer whose tender has been determined to be substantially responsive and has been determined to be the lowest evaluated tender, provided further that the tenderer is determined to be qualified to perform the contract satisfactorily.

AIMS RIC reserves the right to accept or reject any tender and to annul the tendering process and reject all tenders at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability or obligation to inform the affected tenderer or tenderers of the grounds for AIMS RIC’s action.

Prior to the expiration of the period of tender validity, AIMS RIC will notify the successful tenderer in writing that its tender has been accepted. The notification of award will signify the formation of the Contract subject to the signing of the contract between the tenderer and AIMS RIC Simultaneously the other tenderers shall be notified that their tenders have not been successful.

14. Validity:

Your offer must remain valid until 31/1/2026 before which a frame work agreement, if placed, should be accepted by you.

Alternatives: 

Alternative specifications must be confirmed by AIMS Research and Innovation Centre in writing before the submission deadline. Alternative specifications not confirmed as such will not be considered.

Request for Clarification: 

Bidders are required to submit any request for clarification or any question in respect of this RFQ by e-mail to ricprocurementenquiries@aimsric.org  . No bid should be submitted to this address. Bidders are requested to keep all questions concise.

AIMS Research and Innovation Centre will compile the questions received. AIMS Research and Innovation Centre may, at its discretion, copy any reply to a question to all the other invited bidders at once.

Language: 

All documents, should appear in English. 

Distribution of documents and certificates 

• Offers must be submitted in one full set (single PDF file with all pages arranged according to the order listed above). 

Currency: 

All costs are to be given in Rwandan Francs (RWF) or United State of America dollar (USD) only.

Contract Date: 

• A framework contract will be issued before or on 31st January 2026. 

All or None Clause: 

Bid Acceptance 

AIMS RIC may, at its discretion, extend the deadline for the submission of bids, by notifying all prospective suppliers in writing. The extension of the deadline may accompany a modification of the solicitation documents prepared by AIMS RIC at its own initiative or in response to a clarification requested by a prospective supplier.

Please note that AIMS RIC is not bound to select any of the firms’ submitting bids and does not bind itself in any way to select the firm offering the lowest price. Furthermore, the contract will be awarded to the bid considered most responsive to the needs, as well as conforming to AIMS NETWORK’s general principles, including economy and efficiency and best value for money.

Special Requirements: 

• All documents should clearly state “For Academic Use Only”
• Proposals submitted after the submission deadline shall not be accepted.
• AIMS RIC reserves the right to reject any or all bid proposals or to cancel the bidding process. AIMS RIC do not g u a r a n t e e any contract because of this invitation.
• IMPORTANT: All inquiries regarding the information on this RFQ must be submitted in writing to ricprocurementenquiries@aimsric.org . No bid should be submitted to

ricprocurementenquiries@aimsric.org 

• After this RFQ has been released, contact between a Vendor and AIMS Research and Innovation Centre is prohibited, except for the aforementioned purposes. Violation of this clause may result in the rejection of the bid.
• This is not a purchase order, and this document should not be construed in any way as an offer to contract your agency

Conditions for submitting offers: 

Bids in one full set (single PDF file with all pages arranged according to the listed order in “Required

documents and certificates” above) must be sent no later than 17:00 AM CAT on 02nd December 2025 at airticketing112025@aimsric.org  Only bids submitted to this email address will be considered. 

Offers not addressed, packaged, and sent as such will be automatically disqualified from the tender process. Faxed bids will not be accepted. 

Confirmation: 

Please send an acknowledgment of receipt of this document, and your intention to bid
to ricprocurementenquiries@aimsric.org

Additional Terms and Conditions: 

Please state in your offer, your acceptance of attached AIMS-NETWORK Terms and General Conditions in Annex A below. Failure to do so may result in the disqualification of your offer from further evaluation. 

N.B. Kindly submit your best firm offers

Thank you and best regards,

______________________

Dr. Isambi Mbalawata,

Director Scientific Development and Administration, AIMS RIC Research and Innovation Centre

ANNEX A 

AIMS RIC GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ALL SERVICE CONTRACTS 

1. LEGALSTATUS 

The service provider should be considered as having the legal status of an independent service provider. Agents or employees of the service provider shall not be considered in any respect as being employed or in any mannerofficials or staff members of AIMS RIC.

2. ASSIGNMENT OF PERSONNEL 

The service provider should not assign any persons other than those accepted by AIMS RIC for work performed under this contract.

3. OBLIGATIONS 

The service provider and all individuals assigned by it to perform services under this contract:

(a) Shall neither seek nor accept instructions from any authority external to AIMS RIC in connection withthe performance of its/their services under this contract.

(b) Shall refrain from any action which may adversely affect the AIMS RIC and shall fulfil its/their commitments with the fullest regard for the interests of the AIMS RIC.

(c) Shall assure compliance with all applicable laws of the country where the service provider is registered as well as those in which the activities are performed.

(d) Assure that all duties are conducted with integrity, free from any taint of dishonesty or corruption and thatall people are respected equally without any distinction or discrimination based on nationality, race, gender, religious beliefs, class, or political opinions.

(e) Shall not advertise or otherwise utilize to its/their advantage the fact that it is or has been a service provider with AIMS RIC.

(f) Shall not, in any manner whatsoever use the name, emblem or official seal of the AIMS RIC or any abbreviation of the name of the AIMS RIC in connection with its business or otherwise, except as requiredfor the fulfilment of its contractual duties hereunder and then only with the express prior written approval of the AIMS RIC President or his/her designate.

(g) Shall not communicate at any time to any other person (legal or natural), Government or authority externalto the AIMS RIC any information known to it/them by reason of its/their association with the AIMS RIC which has not been made public, except in the course of their duties or by authorization of the AIMS RIC President or his/her designate; nor shall service providers or assigned individuals at any time use such information to its/their private advantage.

(h) When performing the services on AIMS RIC premises or at any location when representing the AIMS RIC,shall act in a manner consistent with the values of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences and shall abide by the rules of conduct set out in theAIMS NETWORK’s Code of Conduct (a copy of which has been provided by the AIMS RIC). The service provider acknowledges and accepts that any violation of these rules of conduct by it or any individual assigned by it to perform services on its behalf shall be considered breach of an essential term of this contract.

(i) The obligations set out in sub-clauses (e), (f) and (g) above shall continue upon expiration or termination of this contract with AIMS RIC.

4. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES 

The service provider represents and warrants:

(a) It is not engaged in the sale or manufacture, either directly or indirectly, of anti-personnel mines or any components produced primarily for the operation thereof.

(b) To ensure the respect of internationally agreed core labor standards, e.g., the ILO core labor standards, conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining, elimination of forced and compulsory labor, elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation, and the abolition of child labor.

(c) It is not engaged in any practice inconsistent with the rights set forth in the Convention on the Rights of theChild, including the requirement that children be protected from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous, to interfere with their education, or to be harmful to their health and development.

(d) It respects the basic social rights and working conditions of its employees, servants, agents, and sub-serviceproviders. (e) There are no material claims or allegations outstanding against the service provider that might adversely affect AIMS RIC or its reputation.

5. TITLE RIGHTS 

(a) During the term of this contract, the service provider shall disclose to the AIMS RIC all ideas, inventions,business plans or any other materials developed by it during the term of this contract because of the servicesprovided to the AIMS RIC by the service provider.

(b) The AIMS RIC shall be entitled to all property rights including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, regarding material which bears a direct relation to, or is made in consequence of, the services provided to the AIMS RIC by the service provider. At the request of AIMS RIC, the service provider shall assist in securing such property

rights and transferring them to AIMS RIC in compliance with therequirements of applicable law. At the request of the AIMS RIC, the service provider shall take all necessary steps, execute all necessary documents, and generally assist in securing such property rights andtransferring them to the AIMS RIC in compliance with the requirements of applicable law.

(c) All materials prepared as well as all data collected and processed in the course of the service provider’s work for the AIMS RIC is the property of the AIMS RIC. Such information cannot be used by the serviceprovider for any purpose, other than that agreed under the terms of this contract, without the prior written approval of the AIMS RIC-Network President or his/her designate.

(d) Title to any equipment and supplies which may be furnished by the AIMS RIC shall rest with the AIMS RIC and any such equipment shall be returned to the AIMS RIC as soon as possible, when no longer neededby the Service provider. In any event, all equipment and supplies must be returned to the AIMS RIC uponthe termination or expiration of this contract. Such equipment, when returned to the AIMS RIC, shall be in the same condition as when delivered to the service provider, subject to normal wear and tears. The serviceprovider bears all responsibility for lost or damaged equipment and supplies.

6. TAX EXEMPTION 

The service provider’s fee shall reflect any tax exemption to which the AIMS RIC is entitled by reason of any immunities which it enjoys. If it is subsequently determined that any taxes which have been included invoiced are not required to be paid, the AIMS RIC shall deduct the amount from the service fee or, if it has paid any such taxes, it shall be refunded by the service provider.

7. DELAY 

Without prejudice to clause 8 below, if the services have not been completed during the agreed time period, anyadditional costs or damage incurred by the AIMS RIC due to such delay may be withheld from any amounts owed to the service provider.

8. TERMINATION OF CONTRACT 

(a) This contract may be terminated at any time by either party before the expiry date of the contract by givingwritten notice to the other party. The period of notice shall be five days in the case of contracts for a total period of less than two months and fourteen days in the case of contracts for a longer period.

(b) This contract may be terminated by AIMS RIC with immediate effect at any time if the service providerhas breached any of his contractual obligations with AIMS RIC or if in the reasonable opinion of the AIMS RIC the service provider has brought or is reasonably likely to bring the AIMS RIC’s reputation intodisrepute.

(c) In the event of the contract being terminated prior to its due expiry date in this way, the service provider shall be compensated on a pro rata basis for no more than the actual amount of work performed to the satisfaction of the AIMS RIC. Additional costs or damages incurred by the AIMS RIC resulting from the termination of the contract by the service provider or by the AIMS RIC in accordance with para (b) above,may be withheld from any amount otherwise due to the service provider by the AIMS RIC.

9. BANKRUPTCY 

Should the service provider file any petition for bankruptcy, or should the service provider make a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or should a receiver be appointed on account of the service provider’sinsolvency, the AIMS RIC may, under the terms of this contract, terminate the same forthwith by giving the service provider written notice of such termination

10. FORCE MAJEURE 

Force majeure, as used herein, shall mean acts of God, laws or regulations, industrial disturbances, acts of the public enemy, civil disturbances, explosions and any other similar cause of equivalent force not caused by, norwithin the control of either party, and which neither party is able to overcome. As soon as possible after the occurrence of the force majeure and within not more than 15 days, the service provider shall give notice and fullin writing to the AIMS RIC of such force majeure if the Service provider is thereby rendered unable, wholly orin part, to perform his obligations and meet his responsibilities under this Contract. The AIMS RIC shall then have the right to terminate the Contract by giving in writing seven days’ notice of termination to the Service provider, and the Service provider shall return any deposit paid by the AIMS RIC.

11. INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE 

(a) The service provider shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend at its own expense the AIMS RIC, its officers, agents and employees from and against all suits, claims, demands and liability of any nature or kind, including costs and expenses, arising out of acts or omissions of the service provider or its employeesin the performance of this contract.

(b) The service provider shall provide and thereafter maintain for the duration of this contract and any extensionthereof all appropriate workmen’s compensation insurance and furnish proof to the satisfaction of the AIMS RIC of adequate liability insurance (including as relevant employers liability insurance, comprehensive general liability insurance, automobile liability insurance and professional liability insurance). The service provider shall further provide such health and medical insurance for its agents or employees as the service provider may consider advisable.

12. OFFICIALS NOT TO BENEFIT

The service provider represents and warrants that no official of the AIMS RIC has been, or shall be, admitted by the service provider to any direct or indirect benefit arising from this contract or the award thereof. The service provider agrees that breach of this provision is a breach of an essential term of this contract.

13. AMENDMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS 

No change in or modification of this contract shall be made except by prior written agreement between the service provider and the AIMS RIC’s authorized representative. The service provider shall not assign, transfer,pledge, sub-contract or make other disposition of this contract or any part thereof, or of any the service provider’srights, claims or obligations under this contract except with the prior written consent of the AIMS RIC.

14. ARBITRATION 

Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this contract, or the breach, termination or invalidity thereof, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Arbitration Rules as at present in force. The place of arbitration shall be Kigali, Rwanda, and the language to be used in the arbitral proceedings shall be English. The arbitral tribunal shall have no authority to award punitive damages. The parties agree to be bound by any arbitration award rendered in accordance with this paragraph as the final adjudication of any such dispute, controversy, or claim.

15. GOVERNING LAW 

This contract shall be governed by Rwanda law.

16. AIMS RIC PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES 

Nothing in or relating to this contract shall constitute or be deemed a waiver, express or implied, of any of the privileges and immunities of the AIMS RIC.

17. ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICY 

AIMS NETWORK has a ZERO tolerance for any corrupt practice or behaviour by any of the AIMS NETWORK employees andits vendors and contractors. AIMS NETWORK completely prohibits offering, giving or agreeing to give to any employee of AIMS RIC any gift or commission or consideration of any kind as an inducement or reward for:

• doing or not doing (or for having done or not having done) any act in relation to the obtaining of any contract with AIMS RIC; or
• showing or not showing favour or disfavour to any person in relation to any contract it entersinto withany vendor or contractor;

IF any of AIMS RIC employees contact the vendor or the contractor for any gift or commission or consideration of any kind (financial and non-financial), then the vendor must report that matter immediately to the AIMS NETWORK Internal Auditor at sali@nexteinstein.org. 

18. RELATED PARTY DECLARATION 

The bidder must make a declaration in writing if they or any of their employees have any direct or in-direct relation with any of the AIMS RIC employees. Failing to do so may result in rejections of the bids or cancellation ofthe contract.