1. RFI_SSN - Land Harard Resilience in Western Nepal 72036724RFI00002.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/ SOURCE SOUGHT NOTICE (SSN)

RFI Number 72036724RFI00002

Activity Title USAID Land Hazard Resilience in Western Nepal

Issuance Date January 31, 2024

RFI Response Due Date and Time February 29, 2024

Response Email Addresses tpaudel@usaid.gov rbertholon@usaid.gov

Anticipated Total Budget Up to U.S. $9 million, subject to the availability of funds

Set Aside Local Organizations, as defined in Attachment C

Dear Interested Parties:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development in Nepal (USAID/Nepal), is designing a new activity to enhance earthquake and landslide resilience in the Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces of Nepal. USAID/Nepal seeks to set this opportunity aside to local organizations in Nepal (see blue font in Attachment C for a definition of local organizations).

All interested organizations with relevant experience and capabilities and any concerned stakeholders are encouraged to respond to this Request for Information (RFI) and Sources Sought Notice (SSN). Organizations and firms may respond to either the RFI or the SSN or both.

The information provided will assist USAID/Nepal to make planning decisions.

All interested organizations are encouraged to submit the responses and information requested in the RFI and/or SSN by email only to Tejendra Paudel at tpaudel@usaid.gov and Robyn Bertholon at rbertholon@usaid.gov by the date and time indicated above. Responses received after this deadline will not be read or considered. Email submissions must contain a subject line “Response to RFI/SSN: USAID Land Hazard Resilience.” You will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response.

A. Request for Information

This RFI targets any parties interested in USAID’s earthquake and landslide risk reduction programs and partnerships in Nepal, as well as to collect information and suggestions about effective and efficient approaches to achieving this goal. Hereafter, ‘Land-Based Hazards’ is used to denote earthquakes, tremors, landslides, mudslides, etc. The RFI strives to collect broad stakeholder and market (i.e., potential firms or organizational partners) experiences and approaches, both proven and innovative, that could systematically reduce disaster risk from earthquakes and landslides in Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

mailto:tpaudel@usaid.gov mailto:tpaudel@usaid.gov mailto:rbertholon@usaid.gov

The information contained within this RFI is intended solely as a thought-piece; ideas may change significantly during USAID/Nepal’s activity design, consultation, and approval process.

In addition, any information collected through this RFI may or may not be used to help guide thinking about disaster risk reduction programming.

Attachment B includes guiding questions, not all of which need to be answered in respondents' feedback. Incorporation of any feedback by RFI respondents is subject to internal USAID discussions and approval. Respondents will not be invited to elaborate upon them after submission.

No other documents or information are requested at this time in response to the RFI.

USAID/Nepal asks respondents to not send any additional information other than what is requested in Attachment B and to adhere to the page limits mentioned below.

To expedite our review and in consideration of your time, please keep the response to Attachment B to no more than three (3) pages in length. Responses to the notice must be written in English and respondents are encouraged to use Calibri font, size 12, with pages numbered consecutively in the bottom margin.

B. Sources Sought Notice (SSN)

Additionally, this is an SSN to identify qualified local organizations that are interested in and capable of performing the type of work described in Attachment A. Through this activity, USAID/Nepal seeks to partner with local actors, including civil society, NGOs, and private sector companies. While we value the capabilities of international organizations, at this time, we ask solely for capability statements from local organizations registered in Nepal. This will help USAID/Nepal understand the capabilities of local organizations and inform our strategy for locally-led development and landslide and earthquake resilience in the west of Nepal.

Submission instructions for this SSN are provided in Attachment C. To expedite our review and in consideration of your time, please keep the response to no more than three (3) pages in length.

DISCLAIMERS

This RFI/SSN is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does NOT constitute a solicitation or a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and in no way obligates the US Government to issue a solicitation or a NOFO and/or award or pay for costs incurred by organizations in the preparation and submission of responses on this RFI/SSN.

If a Solicitation or a NOFO is issued, all necessary information will be supplied at the time it is posted at SAM.gov and/or Grants.gov.

Interested parties are advised to periodically monitor the above website for updates concerning this procurement, as well as the USAID Business Forecast at https://www.usaid.gov/business-forecast.

https://www.usaid.gov/business-forecast

USAID/Nepal will not provide answers to any questions or inquiries submitted in response to this request and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. USAID/Nepal reserves the right, but is not obligated to, incorporate any, some, or none of the comments received into any subsequent Solicitation or NOFO. Responding to this RFI/SSN does not give any advantage to any firm or organization in any subsequent competition. This RFI/SSN does NOT restrict the USAID's acquisition approach on future solicitations or NOFO. No phone calls related to this RFI/SSN will be accepted. All correspondence shall be via email.

Individual responses to this RFI/SSN will be held confidential. However, respondents must refrain from sending proprietary information or other protected information in response to this RFI/SSN. Please do not submit applications or resumes as they will be discarded. RFI/SSN responses will only be used by USAID internally but are not anonymous. Responses to this RFI/SSN are strictly voluntary.

RESOURCES

We encourage all potential partners to visit WorkwithUSAID.gov before responding to this

RFI/SSN.

WorkwithUSAID.gov is a free resource hub designed for new, current, and future local and international partners to navigate how to work with USAID.The website also has the most common questions organizations frequently ask about engaging with USAID. Please see Attachment D for additional resources.

This notice can be viewed and downloaded from the internet at SAM.gov, and Grants.gov.

USAID/Nepal values input from our potential partners, and we thank you for your interest and assistance in developing potential future programs.

Sincerely, /rb/

Robyn Bethtolon

Agreement Officer

USAID/Nepal http://workwithusaid.gov

Attachment A

I. Introduction

USAID/Nepal seeks to partner with Nepali firms and organizations to reduce the disaster risk caused by the hazards of earthquakes and landslides in the Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

USAID is committed to addressing Nepal’s development challenges by supporting locally-led, sustainable solutions from local people and organizations to build diverse, inclusive disaster-resilient economies and democratic, healthy societies. This activity will build on the efforts of local and international organizations and development partners to systematically enhance the landslide and earthquake resilience of communities living in hazard-prone areas.

This activity will be implemented and managed by a local partner or a consortium led by a local partner..

II. Background

Nepal is situated in a seismically active region, with the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates forming the Main Himalayan Thrust. The collision between these plates leads to the creation of the Himalayan Mountain range and also makes the region prone to earthquakes.

In 1934, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck killing over 10,700 in Nepal and in neighboring Bihar, India. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck eastern Nepal in 1988, killing over 700. In 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake killed over 8,900 and led to over $7 billion in economic losses in central Nepal , many of which were living in the capital Kathmandu. Scientists forecast that1 larger earthquakes, potentially exceeding 9.0 in magnitude, will strike Nepal in the coming decades .2

The mid-hills and plains areas of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces are particularly susceptible to seismic activity. Numerous academic and governmental assessments (see Figure

1) have singled out these areas for ‘Very High’ earthquake hazard level as measured by predicted peak ground acceleration. The last major earthquake was recorded over 520 years ago, indicating a significant possible build-up of tectonic pressure, which, when released, will cause significant shaking.

2 Robinson, et al., “Modeling Earthquake Disaster Risk to Aid Humanitarian Contingency Planning” Durham University, 2017.

1 National Planning Commission, Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, 2015.

Fig 1: Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Map of Nepal showing PGA values with 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years (BCDP, 1994, recolored and redrawn by National Society of Earthquake Technology, https://www.researchgate.net/figure/ Probabilistic-Seismic-Hazard-Map-of-Nepal-showing-PGA-values-with-10-probability-of _fig1_322539935)

Fig 2: Nepal: Earthquake Contingency Plan showing risk score (UN Country Team, 2022, https://www.un.org.np/resource/earthquake-contingency-plan-nepal-2022).

Recent earthquakes in November 2022 (magnitude 5.7 centered in Doti District), October 2023

(magnitude 6.3 centered in Bajhang District), and November 2023 (magnitude 6.4 centered in Jajarkot District) have caused widespread damage and loss of life across the mid hills areas of the two Provinces. The combination of poor building quality standards, low household preparedness, and poverty render these populations and the systems upon which they rely especially vulnerable.

The combination of conditions that lead to landslides include heavy rains or droughts, earthquakes, changes in stream and groundwater levels, and slope disturbance by human activities such as roadbuilding. Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces are prone to frequent landslides, which have led to significant injury, loss of life, and damage to public and private assets. It has been reported that up to one-tenth of global rainfall-triggered fatal landslides occur in Nepal. In fact, 93% of all fatal landslides in Nepal occur during the monsoon months from June to September. The 2015 Gorkha earthquake triggered more than 20,000 landslides across 14 districts of Central and Western Nepal. Although the immediate impact of these landslides to human settlements was significant, the effect of the earthquake on the stability of steep slopes in the area and the potential for rainfall-triggered landslides in the months and years that followed is challenging to predict . This change in landslide hazard and risk after large3 seismic events indicates the need for improved monsoon preparedness and response planning which takes into account recent tremors.

Often, the households most exposed to land based hazards are the least capable to reduce their vulnerability by, for example, building more resilient housing on a more stable plot of land.

Competing priorities, such as food security, water and sanitation, or basic education for the children, may consume most of the attention and financial resources of poor households.

Systematic intergenerational marginalization may limit access to safer land areas to particular ethnicities, castes or other groups.

III. Programmatic Approach

USAID/Nepal seeks to partner with a local entity to systematically reduce the risk of earthquakes and landslides in the hazard-prone areas of Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

An effective and efficient program will include a variety of proven and innovative efforts to achieve and monitor progress toward this programmatic goal. To facilitate a robust solution, the Partner must collaborate with organizations, firms, government offices and individuals working together, each with its own comparative programmatic and management advantages. In addition to improvements in local knowledge and skills, the long-term incremental reduction of land-based hazard risk requires the building of self-reinforcing incentive structures such as strong government regulation, developed market systems, and sustained citizen risk awareness and management. USAID seeks solutions that can be scaled up to other hazard prone areas of the country with little or no additional outside funding.

3 Changing Significance of Landslide Hazard and Risk After The 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal Earthquake (https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1280030/changing-significance-of-landslide-hazard-and-risk-aft er-the-2015-mw-78-gorkha-nepal-earthquake)

Through past programmatic experience, USAID and other US Government entities have attempted various approaches and methodologies to achieve similar risk reduction. These have included:

- Formation and Revitalization of Local Disaster Management Committees

- Community Hazard, Vulnerability, and Capacity Assessments

- Municipality-wide Multi-Hazard Risk Assessments (including landslide and seismic risk)

- Municipality-wide Risk-Sensitive Land Use Planning

- Drafting of Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan and Policies

- Localization of the ‘BIPAD’ Disaster Reporting Dashboard

- Stockpiling of Search and Rescue Equipment

- Post-Disaster Needs and Detailed Damage Assessments

- Business Continuity Planning with Private Entities

- Training of Engineers and Masons National Building Code Implementation

- Home and Building Owner Seismic Safety Sensitization Campaigns

- Subsidization of building materials and the equipment for their production

- Training of Masons and Construction Professionals on Seismically Safe Retrofitting

Techniques

- Full Reconstruction and Retrofitting of Schools and Health Facilities

- Design and Construction of Slope Stabilization and Landslide Mitigation Infrastructure

(mainly gabion, geotextile, and plantation based)

- Landslide Early Warning Systems

- Piloting of property insurance products

- Conditional Cash and Voucher Assistance

- Etc.

Many other public, civil society, and private efforts have been made to reduce the risk of landslides and earthquakes in Nepal. Working through in-kind, market-based, technical assistance and other modalities have been attempted, with varying levels of success depending on local socioeconomic conditions, political buy-in, material availability and geographic accessibility.

A significant recent example included a multi-stakeholder effort to invest over $3 billion in Government of Nepal (GoN) and international development partner resources after the 2015 Gorkha earthquakes in the homeowner driven reconstruction program, which is largely seen as a success. Technical assistance to engineers, building professionals, and homeowners led to the reconstruction of 811,750 homes. Although the replication of such a GoN-led program may be forthcoming, USAID/Nepal seeks to support long-term systemic risk reduction efforts that are not dependent on the injection of such large sums of funding. This means that USAID Land Hazard Resilience in Western Nepal must focus on improving both the local capacity to reduce risk (e.g., supply of skilled building professionals) and the demand for risk reducing measures (e.g., building owners hiring such professionals). Innovative financial and policy-based incentive measures may be important to facilitate the latter. Comprehensive approaches to improving livelihood opportunities, and hence disposable income at the household level, should also be considered.

III. Achievement of Strategic Objectives

USAID/Nepal values coordination and complementarity with ongoing USAID activities and encourages opportunities for synergies across USAID/Nepal’s programming. Specifically, USAID/Nepal aims to align with and contribute to the following strategic objectives and Agency priorities:

A. Country Development Cooperation Strategy/Nepal

USAID/Nepal’s CDCS constructs a results framework that establishes meaningful, achievable, and instrumental results for Nepal. In support of the goal, USAID will implement the CDCS (2020 - 2025) through four Development Objectives (DOs): DO 1 More Effective, Participatory, and Equitable Democratic Ecosystem; DO 2 Broad-Based and Inclusive Economic Growth Fostered; DO 3 Inclusive Health and Education Systems Strengthened; DO 4 More Equitable and Improved Natural Resources and Disaster Risk Management.

This Earthquake and Landslide Resilience effort will contribute to DO 4, specifically to the following two intermediate results IR 4.3: Disaster risk management systems strengthened; and IR 4.4: Resilience of women, marginalized and vulnerable groups increased.

B. The U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality

With the development of the whole-of-government National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality and the corresponding U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security, USAID/Nepal will support women and girls’ leadership and participation in disaster risk reduction. Strengthening women’s resilience to landslides and earthquakes and participation in sustainable economic activities is key to ensuring that women and girls are able to fully contribute to, and benefit from, economic growth and global prosperity.

This activity will aim to pursue gender equity in mitigating and responding to landslides and earthquakes, while supporting an inclusive economy and sustainable economic development.

IV. Key Parameters and Priorities

USAID/Nepal will explore diverse strategies to strengthen locally-led sustainable development that catalyzes scalable disaster risk reduction and inclusive systemic change. USAID/Nepal has identified key parameters and priorities that will be integrated into Nepal's disaster risk reduction and resilience to achieve development goals.

A. Localization

USAID/Nepal aims to advance locally led land-based hazard risk reduction that responds to and puts Nepali communities and institutions in the lead of their development agenda. USAID defines localization as the set of internal reforms, actions, and behavior changes that USAID is undertaking to ensure our work puts local actors in the lead, strengthens local systems, and is responsive to local communities. Localization is a key parameter of USAID/Nepal, which will include empowering local actors to take the lead to address disaster risk reduction challenges, achieve participative governance related to disaster risk reduction, build local capacity to become more resilient to landslides and earthquakes, and inspire local entrepreneurship to find financially sustainable business models.

B. Gender-forward disaster risk reduction programming

Women and girls bear the brunt of the impacts of landslides and earthquakes due to social and legal gender inequities, which grant greater access to and control over resources to men and boys. USAID/Nepal will emphasize gender inclusion using relevant interventions such as capacity building of government and non-governmental stakeholders and gender-responsive or gender-balanced implementation. USAID programming will drive systemic changes that promote meaningful participation and active leadership of women and girls in disaster risk reduction.

C. Youth engagement

Youth are increasingly at the frontlines of educating, advocating, and advancing disaster risk reduction awareness and solutions. Nepali youth also experience high levels of unemployment. USAID/Nepal will integrate youth into programming and leverage USAID learning and resources into this activity to the greatest extent possible. Ultimately, this enhances youth’s critical role in building resilience and systems to systematically reduce risk in the built environment.

D. Research and evidence driven

Research, evidence-based development strategies, and the strengthening of a science policy interface, are critical to the implementation of Nepal’s resilience priorities. By leveraging local knowledge and practice, research, data collection and analysis, as well as exploring and scaling promising technologies, USAID/Nepal will help develop and apply evidence and innovations to contribute to mitigation and resilience to land-based hazards.

E. Private sector engagement

The private sector plays a key role in driving the country's progress towards reducing the risk of landslides and earthquakes including building greener and safer public and private infrastructure and catalyzing green and resilient economic growth. Therefore, the Mission aims to engage the Nepali private sector and mobilize private sector strategies and resources that can scale sustained impact of disaster risk reducing efforts.

The activity may support local private actors through financial tools, technical assistance, and mobilizing private capital for housing and public infrastructure.

F. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA)

It is critical that USAID/Nepal awards incorporate principles of DEIA in their Management and Staffing Approach and in implementation. USAID/Nepal’s working definition of DEIA: Diversity is the practice of including many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures and beliefs. Equity is the consistent and systematic, fair, just and impartial treatment of all individuals. Inclusion is the recognition, appreciation, and use of the talents and skills of employees of all backgrounds. Accessibility is the design, construction, development and maintenance of facilities, information and communication technology, programs and services so that all people, including people with disabilities, can fully and independently use them.”

[End of Attachment A]

Attachment B - REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Guiding Questions

Respondents are encouraged to review the questions and submit responses only to the questions they feel most qualified to answer. Respondents do not need to respond to all of the questions though they are encouraged to do so. USAID/Nepal is also interested in any other activity recommendations, relevant context, existing capacities, or other information relevant to the design of this program. Please do not exceed three pages in your response.

For any question to which an answer is submitted, the question must be identified by its question number.

1. How does your organization view the level of earthquake and landslide risk in Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and what do you see as the underlying reasons for such vulnerability?

2. What does your organization view as the most effective and efficient way to systematically improve resilience to these land-based hazards and how can USAID most constructively partner with the Government of Nepal and other stakeholders to encourage such improvements?

3. Reducing the disaster risk will be a long-term effort. What ways would your organization propose to monitor progress in enhancing resilience and reducing vulnerability during project implementation and beyond?

4. How does your organization encourage geographic expansion and scale-up of systemic risk reduction beyond the completion of a donor-funded project?

5. Please share any additional information or references your organization views as being particularly relevant to the proposed new activity.

6. What strategies and approaches does your organization see as most successful in ensuring inclusive participation and equitable access to resources by all at-risk communities, especially those traditionally marginalized?

[End of Attachment B]

Attachment C - SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

USAID/Nepal is interested in the following information related to organizational capability.

Your responses to the information requested will assist USAID/Nepal to plan its Acquisition and Assistance Strategy, taking into account the range of local capabilities. Please do not exceed three pages in your response.

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE FORM

A. ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION

Name of Organization: ___________________________________________ Office Address: _________________________________________________ City: _________________________________________________________ Telephone Number: ____________________________________________ E-mail Address: ________________________________________________ Website address (if any): _________________________________________ Primary Point of Contact Name and Title : ________________________

B. REGISTRATION INFORMATION

a. Type of Organization:

Profit: ____________ Not-for-profit: _________________

b. Category of Organization:

College or University: _____________ Research Institute/Think tank : _____________ Diaspora:

_____________ Foundation: _____________ Private Sector Entity: _______________ Non-governmental Organization:____________________ Other (fill in):___________________

c. Number of Employees: _____________________

d. Are you a “local entity” in Nepal? (see definition below) Yes [ ] No [ ]

USAID defines local entity as an individual or organization that:

1. Is legally organized under the laws of a country that is receiving assistance from

USAID;

2. Has its principal place of business or operations in a country receiving assistance from

USAID;

3. Is majority-owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of a country receiving assistance from USAID; and

4. Is managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the country receiving assistance from USAID.

More information is available at: https://www.usaid.gov/npi/npi-key-definitions

e. Mission Statement and/or summary description of your organization:

C. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Geographical Location of Organizational Head Office: _____________________

Geographical Location of Field Offices (if any): _____________________

Please list all the locations where your organization works: _____________________

D. CAPABILITIES OF THE ORGANIZATION

Please provide the capabilities of your organization as organized in the following questions:

1. What approach does your organization take to implementing earthquake and landslide risk reduction programs?

2. What unique skills and capabilities does your organization bring to a risk reduction activity?

3. What kinds of partnerships with private or public organizations has your organization entered into to complement its own skills and capabilities? What has been the success record of such partnerships?

4. What additional resources does your organization require to effectively plan and implement a risk reduction activity in the Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces (e.g., staff, technology, or capacity development)?

5. What experience does your organization have with performance-based grants or contracts in which payment is only made after achievement of certain programmatic objectives?

E. WORKWITHUSAID.GOV

WorkwithUSAID.gov is a resource hub designed for new, current, and future local and international partners to navigate how to work with USAID.

Have you established your organizational account at WorkwithUSAID.gov? Yes [ ] No [ ]

If not, why not? Specify Reason: _______________________________________________ https://www.usaid.gov/npi/npi-key-definitions http://workwithusaid.gov

F. GENERAL INFORMATION

How did you hear about this SSN/RFI (please mark your answer below)?

a. USAID/Nepal Facebook [ ]

b. US Embassy Kathmandu | Nepal Facebook [ ]

c. USAID Colleagues [ ]

e. SAM.gov [ ]

f. Grants.gov [ ]

g. Local Newspaper [ ]

h. Other [Please Specify]:_________________________________________________

Responses will be reviewed only by USAID Personnel and will be held in a confidential manner.

[End of Attachment C]

Attachment D

Resources for partners

USAID values transparency and ease in working with our partners.

At USAID, we work to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from crises. We cannot advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world without our 4,000+ partners around the world.

We encourage you to explore the following resources and learn about the policies, platforms, and guidelines that will help support a successful partnership with us:

Nepal Country Development Cooperation Strategy, 2020-2025.

The White House. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/National-Strategy-on-Gender-Equit y-and-Equality.pdf

U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security.

https://www.state.gov/u-s-strategy-on-global-womens-economic-security/

Localization at USAID. https://www.usaid.gov/localization

Local Works Program.

https://www.usaid.gov/local-faith-and-transformative-partnerships/local-works

WorkwithUSAID.gov: This website is a free resource hub that empowers partners with the knowledge and networks to navigate how to work with USAID.

https://www.usaid.gov/business-forecast: The USAID Business Forecast is an informational resource on potential funding and partnership opportunities at USAID. Organizations interested in working with USAID can use this Forecast to plan for proposal or application submissions.

This tool can also be used to engage early in the procurement process, to encourage the creation of new partnerships, and to provide maximum opportunities for new partners. It is important to note that because the Business Forecast is issued while activities are in the design and planning phase, information is subject to change.

For latest solicitations, please visit SAM.gov and Grants.gov

[End of Attachment D]

[End of RFI / SSN ] https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/CDCS-NEPAL-DECEMBER-2025-EXTERNAL_030821.pdf