PROCUREMENT OF GROUP LIFE (GL) INSURANCE COVER. full-time NEW

Background
Since 1944, Heifer International has worked with more than 43 million people around the world to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Working with rural communities in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, including the United States, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to strengthen local economies and build secure livelihoods that provide a living income.

Heifer started work in Kenya in 1981. Since then, Heifer Kenya has supported more than 682,000 families working in the dairy, meat, poultry, and horticulture value chains. Heifer Kenya is working with farmers to increase production and productivity by strengthening extension services and farmers’ cooperatives where they gain vital skills that enable them to scale and sustain their businesses. Heifer Kenya implements its projects through community development and enterprise development approaches. Each project focuses on three priorities: strengthening and diversifying the resource base, strengthening country program efficiency, and increasing outreach and impact through innovative value chain systems.

2. Rationale

Our current insurance period is ending, and we’re looking for a reputable, licensed insurance provider to offer Group Life Insurance for our employees.

The purpose of the cover is to provide financial protection and security to employees and their beneficiaries in the event of death, permanent disability, critical illness and other insured risks as specified in the policy. The selected insurer shall provide comprehensive coverage, efficient claims administration, responsive customer service, and value-added services that support employee well-being and organizational objectives.

The insurance cover is expected to run for one year from 1 December 2026, with the option to renew, subject to satisfactory performance, budget availability and mutual agreement.

3. Objectives:

The objective of this procurement is to identify and contract an insurance provider capable of

Minimizing financial risks to both employees and the organization.
Ensuring timely claims management and compensation processes.
Accessing insurer expertise in risk management and loss prevention.
4. Scope of Services

The insurer shall provide and administer a group life insurance cover as detailed:

Group Life Cover

Death in service benefit.
Permanent total disability benefit.
Death Benefits

Compensation payable to beneficiaries in the event of death whilst in active employment.

3.0 Group Life Insurance Benefits

The proposed Group Life Insurance cover shall provide financial protection to employees and their beneficiaries in the event of death, total permanent disability, or critical illness.

The proposed benefits are as follows:

Death Benefit: Payment equivalent to three (3) years’ basic annual salary.
Total Permanent Disability: Payment equivalent to three (3) years’ basic annual salary.
Funeral/Last Expense Benefit: A flat payment of KES 150,000 to support funeral expenses following death.
Critical Illness: Cover to be provided in accordance with the proposed policy terms and conditions. The benefit limit is to be specified by the bidder.
4.0 Coverage Population

The insurance cover shall apply to employees as determined by Heifer International Kenya. The indicative population is 40 employees, with a total monthly basic salary of KES 22,553,175 and an average age of 43 years.

Heifer International Kenya reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of covered employees during the policy period.

5.0 Preliminary Evaluation

The preliminary evaluation will assess compliance with mandatory requirements on a responsive/non-responsive basis. Bidders who fail to meet any of the requirements will be disqualified and will not proceed to technical evaluation.

Where documents are required to be valid and certified, they must be certified by a Commissioner for Oaths. Only the criteria specified in this tender document shall be used to evaluate and qualify bidders.

Mandatory Requirements for Underwriters

Bidders must submit the following documentation and evidence:

Company Registration: Certificate of Registration or Incorporation under the Companies Act.
Tax Compliance: Valid and current Tax Compliance Certificate issued by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
Price Schedule: Duly completed, signed, and stamped Price Schedule in the prescribed format.
Business License: Copy of a current and valid business license.
Company Ownership: Copy of a valid and current Form CR12.
Regulatory Registration: Current registration certificate from the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), confirming registration as an underwriter.
Industry Membership: Valid membership certificate from the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI).
Corporate Client Portfolio: Evidence of at least five (5) current reputable clients with GPA premiums of KES 10 million, supported by award letters and contracts.
Paid-Up Capital: Evidence of minimum paid-up capital of KES 600 million.
Group Life Premiums: Evidence of Group Life premiums exceeding KES 50 million annually for each of the last three years (2023, 2024, and 2025).
Client Recommendations: Recommendation letters from at least five (5) clients covering the last three years (2023, 2024, and 2025).
Audited Financial Statements: Certified audited accounts for the financial years 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Claims Settlement Performance: A list showing the value of claims paid and an analysis of the ratio of claims paid to claims reported for 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Operational Experience: Evidence of at least five (5) years of existence through incorporation records and IRA licensing for Group Life insurance business.
Note: Underwriters must satisfy all mandatory requirements to qualify for technical evaluation.

6.0 Technical Evaluation Criteria – 100 Marks

The technical evaluation will assess the underwriter’s financial capacity, Group Life Insurance experience, personnel qualifications, client references, proposed benefits, and service delivery arrangements.

Paid-Up Capital – 10 Marks

The underwriter must demonstrate minimum paid-up capital of KES 600 million, supported by appropriate financial documentation.

Group Life Insurance Revenue – 10 Marks

The underwriter must demonstrate annual Group Life Insurance revenue exceeding KES 50 million for each of the last three years (2023, 2024, and 2025).

Scoring shall be applied as follows:

Below KES 50 million: 0 marks.
Above KES 50 million: 10 marks.
Qualifications and Experience of Key Personnel – 20 Marks

Bidders must provide details of the Principal Officer responsible for the assignment and two additional technical personnel, supported by signed CVs and certified academic and professional certificates.

Principal Officer – 10 Marks
The Principal Officer must have an approval letter from the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA). Marks will be awarded as follows:

Bachelor’s degree – 2 marks.
ACII/AIIK qualification or Diploma in Actuarial Science – 4 marks.
At least five (5) years of relevant experience after obtaining professional qualifications – 4 marks.
Additional Technical Personnel – 10 Marks
The underwriter must provide evidence of the qualifications and experience of two additional technical personnel, including:

Relevant professional insurance qualifications, such as ACII/AKII, with valid Insurance Institute of Kenya (IIK) membership.
Relevant degree in Insurance.
At least five (5) years of experience in the insurance business.
Relevant Group Life Underwriting Experience – 5 Marks

Bidders must demonstrate at least five (5) years of experience underwriting Group Life Insurance business.

A supporting letter from the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) must be provided, with one (1) mark awarded for each qualifying year, up to a maximum of five marks.

Client Recommendation Letters – 10 Marks

Submit five (5) recommendation letters from clients for whom the bidder has provided Group Life Insurance services.

Each letter must include details of services provided and the client’s contact information.

Scoring: Two (2) marks for each qualifying recommendation letter, up to a maximum of ten marks.

Professional Indemnity Insurance – 5 Marks

Provide evidence of a valid Professional Indemnity Insurance cover with a minimum insured value of KES 10 million.

Proposed Group Life Insurance Benefits and Conditions – 30 Marks

Bidders must provide a comprehensive proposal outlining the terms, conditions, benefits, and applicable provisions of the proposed Group Life Insurance Policy.

The proposal should clearly address the prescribed benefits, including death, total permanent disability, funeral/last expense, and critical illness, together with any applicable exclusions, limitations, or additional benefits.

Dedicated Scheme Liaison Personnel – 5 Marks

Bidders must demonstrate their capacity to provide dedicated liaison personnel to administer the Heifer International Kenya Group Life Insurance scheme.

The proposal must include the name, designation, contact details, and responsibilities of the proposed liaison officer.

Draft Policy and Training Proposal – 5 Marks

Bidders must submit a draft Group Life Insurance Policy and a proposed training plan for Heifer International Kenya’s People Department, which will manage and coordinate the scheme.

The training proposal should demonstrate how the underwriter will support effective policy administration, claims processing, and understanding of the scheme’s benefits and conditions.

TOTAL TECHNICAL EVALUATION SCORE: 100 MARKS

NB. Cut-off points for the technical evaluation shall be 80 marks, and bidders who shall not have attained this mark shall not proceed to the next stage of the evaluation process

7.0 Financial Evaluation

Only bidders who have successfully passed Technical Evaluation I and II shall proceed to the Financial Evaluation stage.

Financial evaluation shall be undertaken as follows:

Ranking of Bidders: Bidders who have passed the technical evaluation shall be ranked in order of their evaluated bid prices, from the lowest to the highest.
Basis for Award: The bidder with the most competitive bid, subject to meeting all applicable requirements and successful completion of the due diligence and approval processes, shall be considered for award.
How to apply
The proposal (duly signed) from the service provider should comprise the technical and financial proposals. Applications will be accepted in soft copy through email, with the subject line “PROCUREMENT OF GROUP LIFE (GL) INSURANCE COVER,” to procurement-ke@heifer.org on or before Thursday, 29th October 2026.

8. Late Submissions and Modifications

Proposals received after the submission deadline will not be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their proposals are submitted in accordance with the instructions stated herein. Heifer retains the right to terminate this request for proposal or modify the requirements upon notification to the applicants.

9. Validity of Proposals

Proposals submitted shall remain open for acceptance for sixty (60) days from the last date specified for receipt of the proposal. This includes, but is not limited to, pricing, terms and conditions, service levels, and all other information. If your organization is selected, all information in this document and the negotiation process are contractually binding.

10. Limitations

This Request for Proposal does not represent a commitment to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a response to this RFP, or to procure or to contract for services or supplies. Heifer reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted and reserves the right to accept or reject, in its entirety and in its absolute discretion, any proposal received because of the request for the proposal.

11. Intellectual Property

Section 1. Ownership Generally. Subject to Section 2 below, any intellectual property (including but not limited to copyrights, trademarks, service marks, and patents), intellectual property rights, deliverables, manuals, works, ideas, discoveries, inventions, products, writings, photographs, videos, drawings, lists, data, strategies, materials, processes, procedures, systems, programs, devices, operations, or information developed in whole or in part by or on behalf of Contractor or its employees or agents in connection with the Services and/or Goods (collectively, the “Work Product”) shall be the exclusive property of HPI. Upon request, the

Contractor shall sign all documents and take all actions necessary to confirm or perfect HPI’s exclusive ownership of the Work Product.

Section 2. Prior-Owned Intellectual Property. Any intellectual property owned by a Party before the Effective Date (“Prior-Owned IP”) shall remain that Party’s sole and exclusive property. Regarding any of Contractor’s Prior-Owned IP included in the Work Product, Contractor shall retain ownership, and hereby grants HPI a permanent, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, irrevocable right and license to use, copy, reproduce, publicly display, edit, revise, perform, and distribute said intellectual property, in any format or any medium, as part of the Work Product.

Section 3. Work Made for Hire. To the extent copyright laws apply to the Work Product, the Parties agree that (a) HPI specially ordered or commissioned the Work Product, (b) the Work Product is a “work made for hire” under United States copyright laws, and (c) HPI shall be deemed the author thereof and shall own all right, title, and interest therein. To the extent such rights, in whole or in part, do not vest in HPI as a “work made for hire”, Contractor hereby irrevocably grants, assigns, and transfers to HPI, exclusively and in perpetuity, all of the Contractor’s rights of any kind or nature, now known or hereafter devised, in, too, and in connection with the Work Product, and HPI shall solely and exclusively own any rights therein, and in the elements thereof, including but not limited to any allied, ancillary, subsidiary, incidental, and adaptation rights. The Contractor hereby waives all rights known as “moral rights” and any similar rights that the Contractor may have in connection with the Work Product. The description of Services and/or Goods provided in this Agreement shall in no way limit the way HPI may use the Work Product.

12. Diversity and Inclusion

Heifer International values diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (“DEIB”), and believe that effectively accessing and managing diverse talent leads to improved outcomes. HPI takes a broad view of diversity and is inclusive of varied backgrounds, including but not limited to age, experience, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability status, national origin and culture. HPI expects third-party providers to respect and reflect HPI’s value of DEIB. HPI’s ongoing monitoring of third-party service providers incorporates an assessment of vendors’ commitment to, adherence with, and track record of accessing and retaining diverse and inclusive workforces.

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