World Scout Brand License - Request for Proposals

1.0 Background

1.1 About the World Organization Scout Movement (WOSM)

The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the world's leading educational youth movement with over 57 million people active through 173 National Scout Organizations in a 224 countries and territories worldwide. WOSM has its legal office in Geneva, Switzerland, and runs its operations from 7 Support Centres around the world:

• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Global Support Centre)
• Manila, Philippines (Asia-Pacific Region)
• Nairobi, Kenya (Africa Region)
• Cairo, Egypt (Arab Region)
• Geneva, Switzerland (European Region)
• Brussels, Belgium (European Region)
• Panama City, Panama  (Interamerica Region)

For more information about WOSM, please visit https://www.scout.org/what-we-do

WOSM’s organisational structure consists of around 140 full-time employees headed by the Secretary General. There are in total 7 departments covering Scouting Development, Organisational Development, Corporate Services, Communications, Partnerships, Business Development and the Executive Office of the Secretary General. 

1.2. Scouting’s Mission and Vision

Scouting’s educational programme enables young people to develop life and leadership skills to reach their full potential and create a better world by serving their communities. More than 500 million young people and adult volunteers have joined and experienced the transformative power of Scouting since the Movement was founded in 1907.

Over the years, the Scouting has continued to grow and is now active through 173 National Scout Organizations. Today, more than 57 million young people, supported by 5 million dedicated volunteers, take part in Scouting activities and events in more than one million local community Scout groups worldwide.

The Mission of Scouting is to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society.

Our Vision is that by 2023, Scouting will be the world’s leading educational youth movement, enabling 100 million young people to be active citizens creating positive change in their communities and in the world based on shared values.

1.3. World Scout Brand

The World Scout Brand is recognised globally and has been widely adopted by many National Scout Organizations. The World Scout Brand consists of the following elements:

• The World Scout Emblem is regulated by the WOSM Constitution and is a unique symbol for the World Scout Movement. 
• The World Scout Logo consists of the emblem, the word “SCOUTS” and the World Scout tagline “Creating a Better World”. 

The World Scout Brand, as well as the Scout Store wordmark and name, are registered trademarks and owned as intellectual property by the World Scout Bureau, an association established under Swiss law which acts as the legal representative of the WOSM.

The application of the World Scout Brand is governed by WOSM Conference Resolution 9/1969 and the World Scout Brand Manual.

1.4 WOSM Contact Information

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by The World Organization of the Scout Movement, Suite 3, Level 17, Menara Sentral Vista, 150 Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The primary point of contact for all questions or requests for additional information is:

David Venn

Global Director, Communications 

World Organization of the Scout Movement

All inquiries related to this request for proposal can be directed by email to rfp@scout.org with the subject World Scout Brand License.

2.0 Scope of Work

2.1. Licensing the World Scout Brand

In March 2023, the World Scout Committee decided to reopen an international tendering process to National Scout Organizations and external vendors to identify and select a new vendor that could manage the licensing and commercialisation of the World Scout Brand. 

The successful vendor would be responsible for working closely with the World Scout Bureau and National Scout Organizations to:

1. Manage commercial and royalty agreements with National Scout Organizations and third-party companies to licence the World Scout Brand
   • Manage commercial license agreements with National Scout Organizations
   • Ensure commercial royalties are paid by National Scout Organizations related to the sale of World Scout branded products and merchandise
   • Monitor infringements and violations of the World Scout Brand and cooperate with WSB to defend and enforce brand protection standards with National Scout Organizations
   • Identify income-generating opportunities to license the World Scout Brand to third-party companies or brands
   • Manage commercial license agreements and ensure commercial royalties are paid by third-party companies related to the sale of co-branded products and merchandise
     
      
2. Manage the operations of the official online World Scout Shop
   • Manage the design, production and manufacturing of World Scout branded products and merchandise to be sold through the online World Scout Shop
   • Manage the marketing and promotion of the official World Scout Shop to prospective customers, including Scouts and National Scout Organizations
   • Manage the pricing, sale (wholesale and retail), and shipping of World Scout branded products and merchandise sold through the World Scout Shop to customers worldwide making use of global supply chains and fulfilment centres to increase cost efficiencies
   • Manage the design, development, and maintenance of an e-commerce platform using a software-as-a-service solution to operate the online World Scout Shop
   • Manage customer service (CRM) and communications for the World Scout Shop, including transactions, inquiries and returns. 
   • Manage data protection and privacy of customer information in compliance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
   • Provide monthly and quarterly sales reporting for the World Scout Shop, by market, category and SKUs
     
      
3. Manage the production and sale of World Scout branded products and merchandise during in-person Scouting events around the world
   • Manage the design, production, and manufacturing (in line with good ethical and sustainable practices) of World Scout branded products and merchandise to be sold during in-person Scout events
   • Manage international shipping, customs and duties to ship products and merchandise to locations where Scout events will be held. 
   • Manage the retail setup, operations and financial transactions of the World Scout Shop and sale of World Scout branded products and merchandise on-site during in-person Scouting events
   • Provide event sales reporting for the World Scout Shop onsite following the event by market, category and SKUs.

In addition, the successful vendor will be responsible for regular reporting and providing financial and sales figures to the World Scout Bureau for decision-making and accountability.

2.2. Key Considerations

There are a number of key considerations for this tender:

• World Scout branded products and merchandise should be produced, supplied and fulfilled in accordance with good practices for environmental sustainability and according to high quality standards (in line and in compliance with laws applicable to modern day slavery, forced labour, human trafficking and good ethical and sustainability supply chain practices).
• World Scout branded products and merchandise should be produced, supplied and fulfilled in accordance with good ethical practices. 
• Ideally, World Scout branded products and merchandise must be able to be shipped and fulfilled internationally, or at minimum to key markets. 
• The successful vendor will have the ability and resources to manage the marketing and promotion of the official World Scout Shop.
• The successful vendor operator must implement a pricing policy that is compatible with the local market rates for similar products and merchandise, and which reflects the purchasing power of WOSM members (National Scout Organizations and individual customers).
• The production and marketing of World Scout branded products and merchandise should be done in close collaboration with the World Scout Bureau.
• Data protection and privacy of customer information should be in compliance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
• The successful vendor shall endeavour to implement routes of communication and sales using the two official languages of WOSM (English and French).
• The successful vendor will send to World Scout Bureau within 3 months from the vendor’s financial year-end, comprising the annual statutory account together with detailed sales information.
• The successful vendor will operate an “open book” policy where World Scout Bureau will have the right to review and/or audit at its own expense the licensee’s record and financial information. 

World Scout branded products and merchandise should be excluded from production and distribution if they damage the values of the Scout Movement; violate the WOSM Code of Conduct; include brands, emblems or logos with graphical (figurative) similarities to World Scout brands; or include brands, emblems and logos of national and international organisations that are not recognised by World Scouting, or not linked by means of an official agreement.

2.3 Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions of the agreement to license the World Scout brand will be discussed and agreed with the preferred vendor based on the details of their proposal, and the interests of the World Scout Bureau.

The terms and conditions as a minimum requirement would include:

• The duration of the contract at no less than 6 years with possibility for a 3 year extension based on but not limited to performance, financial stability, growth and quality of products and services
• The annual royalty fee of sales (excluding tax) of 15%
• Upfront non-refundable costs (access fee) of $180,000 USD
• The minimum guaranteed royalty fee paid of $50,000 USD per year to the World Scout Bureau
• Return of overstock at the end of the contract to the World Scout Bureau

2.4 Key Milestones and Timelines

3.0 Submission and Evaluation of Proposals

3.1 Expression of Interest

The tendering process will happen in two phases, commencing with an expression of interest and then proceeding with a full proposal and go-to-market business plan. 

Expressions of interest should be submitted by the deadline of 31 August 2023. 

The submission of expression of interest should include:

• National Scout Organization profile or corporate profile
• Overview of services offered
• Client list (if relevant)
• Profile of team members' e-commerce platform expertise and experience
• Business case studies
• References and past performance testimonials

Expressions of interest will be evaluated on an ongoing basis. Before submitting an expression of interest, an information session can be arranged with members of the World Scout Bureau to provide more details about the commercial opportunity, and to answer any questions. 

Expressions of interest and supporting documents can be sent via email to rfp@scout.org addressed to the primary point of contact for this RFP.

3.1 Submission of Proposal

Expressions of interest that meet the qualifications, experience, and criteria will be shortlisted and invited to submit a full proposal and go-to-market business plan for consideration. 

Full proposals should be submitted by the deadline of 30 September 2023. 

The submission of full proposals and the go-to-market business plan should include:

• Market(s) Landscape Analysis: Provide insights on the market(s) you are able to operate in, including the target audience, and potential competitors
• Marketing and Distribution Channels: Include the most effective marketing and distribution channels to reach the target market for the World Scout Shop products. This may include direct sales, retail partnerships, online and offline marketing. Consider reach, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness.
• Product Offering: Identify the products that the World Scout Shop will offer. Based on market customer demand, and competitive offerings. Define the product assortment based on profitability, market fit, and target audience preferences
• E-commerce Features and Functionality: Provide a concise overview of where you would house the shop and what functionality you would adopt. Including but not limited to product catalogue management, shopping cart, secure payment gateway integration, order management, inventory tracking, data backup for disaster recovery, and customer support.
• Logistics and Fulfilment: Showcase how you will manage the fulfilment processes to ensure smooth order management, inventory control, and timely shipping. Please elaborate if this will be done in-house, by third-party providers like dropshipping, or a combination thereof.
• Sales and Marketing: Provide a top-line marketing plan to drive traffic, awareness, and purchase to the World Scout Shop, including online and offline. Advertising and promotion costs are the responsibility of the vendor
• Customer Service Systems: Provide clear examples of your current or previous customer service and support systems that would be applicable for the World Scout Shop to address customer inquiries, returns, concerns, and issues promptly.
• Reporting and Analytics: Provide an overview of how you will track performance metrics such as website traffic, conversion/ sales rates, average order value, customer acquisition costs, and customer lifetime value in order to generate regular updates and reports to the World Scout Bureau
• Key Considerations: A detailed presentation of how the vendor will address the issues outline in the key considerations section of the RFP, including data protection, pricing policies, sustainability practices, and compliance with modern day slavery, forced labour or similar applicable law.
• Finances and Registration: Audited financial statements for the last 5 years and financial projections for the next 3 to 5 years. An authenticated copy of the register of companies for the country (if relevant).

Full proposals and the go-to-market business plan will be evaluated on an ongoing basis. Before submitting a full proposal, an information session can be arranged with members of the World Scout Bureau to provide more details about the commercial opportunity, and to answer any questions. 

Full proposals and supporting documents should be sent via email to rfp@scout.org addressed to the primary point of contact for this RFP.

3.2 Evaluation and Scoring Criteria 

All expressions of interest and full proposals will be shared with members of the Evaluation Committee to evaluate each vendor's submission using the criteria outlined below. 

WOSM’s decision on evaluation and award shall be final and binding on all vendors. Vendors in their submission of their proposals, waive any rights to claim any damages of any nature based on a final selection of a vendor.

Vendors are solely responsible for their own expenses in preparing bids to WOSM.

This RFP shall not be construed as forming any agreement between WOSM and any  vendor submitting a proposal.

3.3 Contracting and Award

Upon approval and endorsement by the Finance Committee, and the World Scout Committee, WOSM will enter into contract discussions with the preferred vendor. 

If the terms and conditions of a contract cannot be established within a reasonable amount of time (as determined by WOSM), then contract discussions will be terminated and contract discussions with the next preferred vendor will commence. 

Negotiations will continue at the sole option of WOSM until a contract is signed and approved. WOSM reserves the right to withdraw the RFP or reject all proposals.

A contract will be awarded to the vendor that best satisfies the overall requirements of the RFP. The announcement of the Award will be communicated to National Scout Organizations as determined by WOSM after the contract has been awarded.

3.4. Confidentiality

All information contained within this document and any other information provided by WSB in connection with this RFP is given and should be treated as strictly confidential and proprietary and may be used by addressed vendors only for the purpose of this RFP.

This RFP is confidential between the World Scout Bureau and the supplier, and through your participation in this RFP you thereby undertake and agree that no part of this RFP will be discussed or exchanged with any other party without prior written approval of the World Scout Bureau.

The supplier shall agree that technical parts of the proposal may be disclosed by the World Scout Bureau to third parties co-operating with World Scout Bureau on the project. The supplier shall further agree that such third parties will also co-operate with World Scout Bureau during the project preparation and realisation.