AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION — AWF RWANDA | Schools Tourism Competition — Tour Operator RFP

AWF Rwanda Country Office | Community-Based Ecological Monitoring in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda Project

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) 

Provision of Multi-Destination Tourism Experience Packages for Award Winners of the 

Young Conservation Heroes Competition

AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION — AWF RWANDA | Schools Tourism Competition — Tour Operator RFP 

Kigali, Rwanda | 2026 

SECTION 1: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is an international conservation organization dedicated to ensuring wildlife and wild lands thrive in modern Africa. AWF's Rwanda Country Office leads the Volcanoes Conservation and Development Program (VCDP), implemented in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), with a mandate to advance biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development in and around Volcanoes National Park (VNP). 

As part of AWF Rwanda's commitment to conservation education and youth engagement in the VNP Landscape, AWF Rwanda organized the VNP Landscape Schools Tourism Competition — a targeted initiative for schools located within the VNP Landscape (Northern Province). The competition is designed to reward students who demonstrate in-depth knowledge of Rwanda's tourism assets, biodiversity, culture, and conservation values. 

Winners and their accompanying teachers — a total of 72 participants (60 students and 12 teachers) — will receive immersive, multi-destination in-country tourism experience packages as their award. These packages are designed both as prizes and as structured conservation education experiences. 

AWF Rwanda therefore invites qualified, licensed Rwandan tour operators to submit competitive proposals for the design and full delivery of comprehensive tourism packages that meet the objectives, specifications, and budget constraints described in this document. 

1.1 Competition Context and Scope 

• The VNP Landscape Schools Tourism Competition targeted schools in the Northern Province located within or adjacent to the Volcanoes National Park Landscape. 
• Participating schools represent communities that live alongside Rwanda's iconic mountain gorilla habitat and biodiversity corridor. 
• The 72 award recipients comprise 60 student winners drawn from multiple competition categories and 12 accompanying teachers. 
• Gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park is a mandatory flagship experience for a minimum of 17 participants; operators may propose broader gorilla trekking coverage depending on permit availability and cost within budget. 
• The programme aspires to transform participants' understanding of conservation, biodiversity, sustainable tourism, and the economic value of Rwanda's natural heritage. 

SECTION 2: OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT 

The overall objective of this assignment is to engage a licensed, experienced Rwandan tour operator to design, plan, and execute high-quality, multi-destination tourism experience packages for the 72 award recipients of the VNP Landscape Schools Tourism Competition, within a total budget of RWF 12,000,000.

AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION — AWF RWANDA | Schools Tourism Competition — Tour Operator RFP

2.1 Specific Objectives 

1. Design a multi-destination, value-for-money tourism programme maximising the breadth and quality of tourism experiences within RWF 12,000,000 in total. 
2. Ensure gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park is delivered as a flagship product for a minimum of 17 participants. 
3. Incorporate a rich and diverse range of Rwanda's tourism products, including wildlife, cultural heritage, community-based tourism (CBT) sites, lakes, and scenic landscapes. 
4. Provide end-to-end logistics management for all 72 participants including transport, accommodation, meals, guide services, and all entry and permit fees. 
5. Deliver safe, organized, and professionally guided experiences appropriate for secondary school students and their teachers. 
6. Produce a full programme itinerary and post-visit reports documenting all activities completed. 

SECTION 3: SCOPE OF SERVICES 

The selected tour operator shall be fully responsible for the planning, scheduling, coordination, and delivery of the following services for all 72 beneficiaries (60 students + 12 teachers): 

3.1 Mandatory Service Components 

The following eight components are non-negotiable and must be covered within the total budget of RWF 12,000,000. Proposals that omit any mandatory component will be disqualified.

3.2 Proposed Destination Portfolio 

Bidders are strongly encouraged to propose the richest possible destination portfolio. Destination diversity and product range carry the highest single weighting in the evaluation (25 out of 100 points). The following destinations and products are reference options; operators may propose additional sites to maximize their score: 

Note: Proposals offering a greater number of distinct, high-quality destinations and products will receive proportionally higher scores. Operators should group participants into logical cohorts per destination tier. At least one CBT site is mandatory; additional CBT inclusions will strengthen the technical score. 

3.3 Group Structure and Participant Logistics 

• Total beneficiaries: 72 participants — 60 students and 12 teachers from schools in the VNP Landscape, Northern Province. 
• Gorilla trekking permits must be secured for a minimum of 17 participants (maximum 8 trekkers per slot per day — the operator is responsible for scheduling across multiple slots/days as required). 

AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION — AWF RWANDA | Schools Tourism Competition — Tour Operator RFP 

• The operator shall propose a logical grouping and sequencing of all 72 participants across destinations, optimizing for permit quotas, transport efficiency, and group size per activity. 
• All scheduling coordination with Rwanda Development Board, national park authorities, and CBT site managers is the sole responsibility of the contracted operator. 
• A detailed day-by-day itinerary per participant group must be submitted to AWF Rwanda within 10 working days of contract signature. 
• Participants are school students and their teachers; all activities, accommodation, and logistics must be appropriate for this demographic. 

3.4 Deliverables 

1. Detailed, day-by-day programme itinerary per beneficiary group, submitted within 10 working days of contract award. 
2. Confirmed booking evidence for all gorilla trekking permits, national park entries, accommodation, CBT site arrangements, and transport. 
3. Safe, professional transportation, guiding, and activity delivery for all scheduled visits. 4. Provision of all meals, accommodation, entry fees, and ancillary services as specified. 5. Per-trip activity report for each group, covering: dates, destinations, participants, activities undertaken, and any incidents or deviations. 
4. Consolidated final programme report, with photographs and narrative, submitted to AWF Rwanda within 21 days of the last trip date.

SECTION 4: ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS 

Only tour operators meeting all mandatory eligibility criteria below will be admitted to the technical and financial evaluation stages. 

4.1 Mandatory Eligibility Criteria 

4.2 Technical Qualification Requirements 

• Minimum three (3) years of active licensed tour operation in Rwanda. 
• Demonstrated prior experience organizing group tours for school or youth groups (evidence required).
• Established relationships with Volcanoes National Park management for gorilla trekking permit
• Access to an appropriate transport fleet or credible, documented transport partnerships.
• At least two (2) RDB-certified or equivalent professional tour guides currently on staff.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage multi-destination, multi-group itineraries concurrently (provide 2proof for previous multi-destination, multi-group itineraries) . 
• Prior engagement with CBT sites in Rwanda is an added advantage. 

SECTION 5: EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION METHODOLOGY 

• Proposals will be evaluated using a combined technical and financial scoring methodology aligned with the Best Value for Money principle. The operator who offers the richest, most comprehensive, and most professionally organized tourism programme within RWF 12,000,000 will be selected. 
• The evaluation is weighted as follows: Organizational Capacity (20 points), Technical Proposal (50 points), Financial Proposal (30 points) — totalling 100 points.

5.1 Evaluation Scoring Grid

 Disqualification conditions: (a) Proposals omitting any mandatory service component will be disqualified regardless of score. (b) Financial proposals with a total programme cost exceeding RWF 12,000,000 will be automatically disqualified. (c) Proposals scoring below 35 out of 50 on the Technical Proposal criterion will not proceed to financial evaluation. 

5.2 Selection Process 

7. Administrative review: All submissions are checked against mandatory eligibility criteria. Non-compliant submissions are excluded. 
8. Technical evaluation: Compliant proposals are scored by an AWF Rwanda evaluation committee against criteria A and B above. 
9. Financial evaluation: Proposals scoring at least 35/50 on the Technical Proposal criterion proceed to financial scoring (criterion C). 
10. Best-value award: The contract is awarded to the bidder with the highest combined score (A + B + C) delivering the richest experience within budget. 
11. Clarifications: AWF Rwanda reserves the right to request written clarifications from any bidder during evaluation. Responses must be submitted within 48 hours of the clarification request.

SECTION 6: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 

All proposals must be submitted exclusively through the designated online Box.com submission portal. Physical or email submissions will not be accepted. 

6.1 Submission Portal 

Note: Technical and Financial Proposals must be uploaded as separate files to the Box.com portal. Late uploads will not be considered. AWF Rwanda will send an email acknowledgment within 24 hours of receipt. If you do not receive an acknowledgment, contact AWF Rwanda immediately (see Section 9). 

6.2 Technical Proposal — Required Content 

12. Cover letter confirming understanding of and commitment to the full scope of the assignment.
13. Company profile: legal status, years of operation, licensing details, key past clients.
14. Copies of all mandatory eligibility documents listed in Section 4.1. 
15. CVs and RDB certification copies for all proposed tour guides (minimum 2). 
16. Detailed proposed programme itinerary per destination group including: proposed dates/timeline, destinations and products, activities, accommodation details, meal plan, and transport arrangements.
17.  Evidence of prior school/youth group tour experience — minimum 2 reference letters or client endorsements. 
18. Written confirmation of capacity to procure gorilla trekking permits for a minimum of 17 participants.
19. Description of CBT site(s) proposed, including contact or agreement with CBT management.
20. Safety, emergency, and risk management plan. 

6.3 Financial Proposal — Required Content 

21. Completed Financial Proposal Template (Annex I) with detailed cost breakdown per destination per participant. 
22. Total aggregated programme cost — must not exceed RWF 12,000,000 inclusive of all taxes.
23. Clear indication of all items included and excluded in the quoted price. 
24. Financial proposal validity: minimum 60 days from the submission deadline. 
25. Proposed payment schedule (AWF Rwanda's preferred schedule is detailed in Section 7.2).

All financial proposals must be denominated in Rwandan Francs (RWF), inclusive of all applicable taxes and levies. 

SECTION 7: CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

7.1 Contract Type 

The selected tour operator will enter into a Fixed-Price Service Contract with AWF Rwanda for the full provision of the tourism experience packages as described in this document. The total contract value shall not exceed RWF 12,000,000 and will be fixed at the agreed amount with no cost escalation permissible. 

7.2 Payment Schedule 

AWF Rwanda operates under donor-funded programme budgets with strict financial accountability requirements. The following payment schedule applies: 

Note: The first installment shall not exceed 30% of the total contract value under any circumstances, in line with AWF's financial management policies. Operators proposing alternative payment schedules must ensure the first installment does not exceed this threshold. 

7.3 Key Contract Obligations and Clauses 

• The operator shall maintain professional liability and group travel insurance covering all 72 participants during all programme activities. 
• All gorilla trekking permit bookings must be confirmed in writing and shared with AWF Rwanda at least 21 days prior to the scheduled trekking dates. 
• The operator shall not subcontract any component of this assignment to a third party without prior written authorization from AWF Rwanda. 
• AWF Rwanda reserves the right to cancel or reschedule trips in cases of force majeure, national park closures, or security advisories, without penalty to either party. 
• Any incident, accident, health emergency, or security concern during programme activities must be reported to AWF Rwanda within 24 hours. 
• The operator shall not use photographs or images of participants for any marketing, social media, or publicity purposes without explicit written consent from AWF Rwanda and the participants' guardians.
• The operator must maintain attendance records for each trip and share them with AWF Rwanda upon request. 

SECTION 8: INDICATIVE PROCUREMENT TIMELINE

SECTION 9: CONTACT INFORMATION AND ENQUIRIES 

All enquiries related to this RFP must be submitted in writing to the contact details below. Oral or telephone enquiries will not be entertained. Only written responses issued formally by AWF Rwanda will be binding. All clarifications and responses will be shared via the Box.com portal link and/or by email to all registered bidders. 

AWF Rwanda reserves the right to amend this RFP, cancel the procurement process, or reject any or all proposals at any stage without incurring liability to bidders. This RFP does not constitute a binding commitment to award a contract. All submitted proposals become the property of AWF Rwanda and will not be returned. 

END OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS