Q and A June 17.docx

Department of State Bureau of African Affairs (AF)

NOFO SFOP0006897

June 17, 2020 “Police de Proximite”: Community Policing in Diffa Region: Q and A

Question 1: Is total length of all attachments limited to 10 pages or does the limit apply to each attachment separately?

Response: The total length of all attachments should not exceed 10 pages. However, proposal would not be deemed less competitive if the number of pages would slightly exceed the suggested limit.

Question 2: NOFO, page 4, Section 4.d. asks for “Resources and Timeline for Activities.” However, the PSI described Attachment B as Timelines/Schedule of Activities. Can DoS confirm that these are meant to be the same item and therefore the timelines should be provided in Attachment B and not in the narrative?

Response: NOFO, page 4, Section 4.d. “Resources and Timeline for Activities” reflects an issue that the offeror should describe following the guidelines in the NOFO. As noted in the NOFO this should be a narrative description. Attachment B – Timelines/Schedule of activity should be a visualization of this timeline.

Question 3: May Offerors use a smaller font size (e.g., 9-point Times New Roman or Arial) for tables, figures, and graphics, as long as the font is legible?

Response: Offerors may use size 9 font for tables, figures, and graphics only.

Question 4: NOFO, page 5, Section 6) Past Performance, states that offerors should describe the roles and responsibilities of primary staff under this project. However, Attachment A of the PSI asks for Roles and Responsibilities along with the names of key personnel. Can DoS confirm that primary staff roles should only be included in Attachment A, and not in past performance?

Response: Yes, DoS confirms that primary staff roles should only be included in Attachment A and not in past performance.

Question 5: Do offerors need to demonstrate how the project will engage or obtain support from relevant stakeholders in the past performance section (NOFO page 5, section 6), or is it sufficient to have this information provided in the Planned Activities/Implementation Plan (NOFO page 4, section 4)?

Response: Offerors do not need to describe how the project will engage of obtain support from relevant stakeholders in the past performance section if this has been described in the planned activities/implementation plan section. Offerors should describe how their past performance exemplifies their ability to obtain support from relevant stakeholders in the past performance section.

Question 6: In the NOFO pages 4-5 under “Project’s Description and Objectives”, DoS provides a detailed list of the content of the proposal narrative. The PSI describes attachments that appear to include some of content required in the NOFO. Could you kindly confirm that the following topics should be discussed in the attachments and do not need to be addressed in the 20-page proposal narrative:

1. Roles and responsibilities of staff (attachment a)

2. Resources and timelines for activities (attachment b)

3. Monitoring and evaluation plan (attachment c)

Response: These topics should be discussed in detail in the attachments, however the offeror should ensure that the questions in the “Project’s Description and Objectives” section of the NOFO are answered. The offeror may reference attachments in its proposal narrative.

Question 7: The NOFO refers to a “Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan” in page 5 bullet number 7 under “Project’s Description and Objectives” and the PSI as “Project Monitoring Plan.” Kindly confirm which terminology applicants should be using.

Response: Applicants should use the terminology "Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan" or "Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan"

Question 8: The NOFO refers to “civilian security forces” as a main focus of the project. Does DoS categorically preclude working with military forces in any of the activities of the project and in any capacity?

Response: This program may not support to any host nation military forces. Niger's Police Nationale and Garde Nationale fall under a civilian statute and are the only security force entities which fall within the scope of this program.

Question 9: Could DoS specify how the Leahy Law will be applied to this project. Please indicate any and all restrictions that may apply.

Response: All members of foreign security forces, including civilian security forces as referenced in question 8, must be vetted in accordance with the Leahy law prior to receiving assistance through this project. As noted in the NOFO, Leahy vetting requirements will be fully outlined in the final award agreement.

Question 10: DoS requires the applicants to draft a COVID-19 plan but does not indicate where the plan should be presented. Please indicate if the plan should be included in the technical draft, in required attachments (such as the schedule of activities or the monitoring and evaluation plan) or if it should be a separate additional attachment.

Response: The offeror may include the COVID-19 adaptation plan in either the proposal narrative or as an attachment.