Questions and Answers Public Meeting and Week of 5.25.20.pdf

FAS FY 20 McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program

Questions & Answers Public Meeting and week of 5/25/20

1. Are organizations that have strong and relevant agricultural development experience but lack a directly relevant Past Performance Review (PPR) eligible to present an application based on otherwise verifiable qualifications and experience?

Applicants are strongly encouraged to include at least one form from a reference with knowledge of the Applicant’s performance of a past or active award outside of the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, the USDA Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement Program, or the Food for Progress (FFPr) Program. Further, Applicants are not required to have USDA/FAS project specific PPR, but PPR must be directly relevant to project(s) to which the Applicant is applying (for instance other significant agricultural development work with other U.S. agencies).

2. We are an African network operational in Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia where this opportunity would be most relevant. Can we apply or it is restricted to the few countries mentioned in the call for proposals?

An eligible Applicant may submit a proposal for any country. FAS may also review submissions from eligible Applicants for non–prioritized countries, however FAS will give priority consideration to proposals for priority countries.

3. Can you direct me to a list of which foods are available under McGovern-Dole?

Please refer to Appendix H: Potential Available Commodities for FY 2020 Food Aid Solicitations

4. The Appendix F - Project-Level Results Framework Strategic Objective 1 is missing from page 79. Can USDA upload Strategic Objective 1 publicly or confirm that no changes have been made to the Results Framework from FY19?

During the upload process, SO1 was mistakenly dropped from the document, and should appear on page 79. We are working to rectify this by uploading a revised version of the main NOFO pdf with this change. SO1 for FY 2020 has not been changed from FY 2019.

5. The total program value is listed as $218M on page 2 and page 10; however, it is listed as $220M on page 3. Can you confirm which amount is correct?

The total available funding for McGovern-Dole awards in FY 2020 is $218 million. The $220 million figure is the total FY 2020 McGovern-Dole appropriation and the basis for the upper limit of the new locally- or regionally- procured commodities component. From McGovern-Dole's annual appropriation, FAS sets aside a small proportion to cover our own program-related administrative expenses, such as staff salaries, program-related travel, and program-related contracts and special studies.

6. The McGovern-Dole NOFO cites $25 million as the maximum award value. Is this ceiling amount inclusive or exclusive of cost share contributions made by the applicant?

This amount refers the federal share of the award value, it is exclusive of any proposed cost share.

This amount refers the federal share of the award value and it is exclusive of any proposed cost share.

7. On page 20, in the “Plan of Operations and Activities” section, the NOFO reads “The Applicant must demonstrate an understanding of the reading and literacy needs and barriers in the local system and propose tailored, contextually relevant, and evidence-based interventions to sustainably improve reading and literacy outcomes for all learners.” As the literacy methodology reaches across multiple activities, may applicants address this information in the “Introduction and Strategic Analysis” section instead?

An Applicant may include information on the literacy methodology and approach under the “Introduction and Strategic Analysis” section. However, to demonstrate understanding, Applicants must clearly show how the methodology clearly links to the proposed activities and plan of operation under the “Plan of Operation and Activities” section.

8. Page 35 of the NOFO states that applicants must “complete, sign, and upload” SF-424A. SF- 424A does not have a signature line. Please confirm the SF-424A does not need to be signed by applicants.

Correct, the SF-424A does not need a signature. The SF424A should be completed and uploaded to FAIS as part of an Applicant’s proposal.

9. Page 21 of the NOFO asks Applicants to “consider providing a chart as an attachment to illustrate the ratio of food needed compared to the number of children, and preparation instructions that cooks must follow.” Would this attachment count toward the page limit of the “Plan of Operations and Activities” section?

An attachment that consists of a chart that illustrates the ratio of food needed compared to the number of children, and preparation instructions that cooks must follow will not be counted towards the page limit of the Plan of Operations and Activities.

10. P. 27 of the NOFO refers to the 2017 version of the FFPr Indicator Handbook Part II:

Monitoring Indicators. Should applicants refer to the 2017 version or the 2019 version of this handbook?

FAS confirms that the link on p. 27 of the MGD NOFO goes to the 2017 version of the Food for Peace indicator handbook; we were not aware of the 2019 version of the handbook, so thank you for the notice. Applicants may use either the linked 2017 or the publicly available 2019 versions. As stated in the NOFO, the handbook is suggested as a potential resource for ideas on maternal and child health indicators, and both versions of the handbook can serve this purpose.

11. What is the correct page limit for the Organizational Capacity and Staffing section (listed as 6 pages on pg. 15 of NOFO and referenced as 3 pages on pg. 23)?

The page limit is 6 pages for the Organizational Capacity and Staffing section. This is exclusive of the organizational chart (1 page), in-country registration information (1 page), and CV, past performance reviews, subrecipient commitment letters, and Single Audit which have no page limits. Applicants may upload these as one attachment or multiple, FAS has no preference.

12. May applicants submit Letters of Support from non-subrecipient stakeholders, such as host country government ministries?

Please refer to Part D 3 b, page 15/16 where it states: “FAS strongly discourages, and will not consider, any materials submitted by or on behalf of the Applicant other than those materials specifically requested in this NOFO.”

13. On page 58 of the NOFO guidance, the second to last paragraph of the Madagascar country guidance looks like it might be cut off (ends with a comma instead of a period). Can you confirm if there is anything missing or if all the Madagascar country guidance is there and it was just a punctuation error?

This is a punctuation error, where the comma should be a period. There is no missing information from the country guidance.

14. On page 3 of the NOFO guidance under Local and Regional Procurement of Commodities, it states “This amount will include the cost of the commodities and may include transportation, storage, and handling costs associated with getting such commodities to the beneficiaries, as well as staff time directly related to the procurement. Can you confirm if costs associated with transportation, storage, and handling costs to get commodities to beneficiaries as well as staff time related to the procurement must be a part of the 10%? Additionally, what does “funds made available to carry out the program” actually mean? For instance, is funding made available to carry out the program exclusive of in-kind commodities and transport? Or, is it the total anticipated cost minus NICRA? Or, is it the total request for funding of the program?

Costs associated with Local and Regional Procurement of Commodities include transportation, storage, and handling costs to get commodities to beneficiaries as well as staff time related to the procurement of these commodities. These costs will comprise of no more than ten percent of the FY 2020 McGovern-Dole Program appropriation. Under page 3, “Funds made available to carry out the program” is language from the revised McGovern-Dole authorizing legislation and refers to total annual McGovern-Dole appropriation received in a given year. For FY 2020, the total annual McGovern-Dole appropriation was $220 million.

15. Can USDA provide any specific guidance or restrictions on adapting activities in response to

COVID?

For current McGovern-Dole and LRP projects, we have asked implementing partners to provide us with contingency plans, which we understand may need to be adapted frequently as the situation continues to evolve. At this point, we are prioritizing the pre-approval of U.S. donated commodities and LRP purchased commodities as take home rations to avoid spoilage and address food insecurity needs, especially for beneficiaries that would otherwise be attending McGovern-Dole and/or LRP supported schools. Other activities, including pivoting to distance learning and school hygiene activities, are being pre-approved on a case-by-case basis, where USDA is looking at the scope of the current project and alignment with our McGovern-Dole legislation and objectives.

16. How frequent will FAS post questions to Grants.gov?

Please refer to Part D 1 Key Dates and Times: Questions and answers will be posted to Grants.gov weekly.

17. NOFO page 62 refers applicants to the general budget narrative guidance on FAIS. In that guidance document, pages 5 and 6 in the indirect cost guidance it states: "Provide a separate attachment, in Microsoft Excel format, demonstrating how indirect costs were calculated."

This additional Excel attachment is not mentioned anywhere in the NOFO. Can USDA clarify whether an additional attachment is requested, or if applicants should provide further detail on indirect cost calculations within the Budget Narrative?

FAS requests further details on indirect cost calculations and while an Excel spreadsheet is preferred, any format will be accepted. Please also refer to Part D. 3. C. vii. Budget.

18. The NOFO indicates on page 24 that each reference should complete a Past Performance Review form and submit it to the provided email address by the closing date of the announcement. Please confirm how applicants can verify that these reviews are received by USDA in advance of the deadline, since they are sent directly to USDA. Please confirm if applicants should also submit the Past Performance Review forms with part 1 complete and part 2 blank as part of the application on FAIS, or if the entire form should only be submitted by the Reviewer to the email address specified on page 24.

FAS will confirm receipt of Past Performance Report Review forms submitted to PPDED@usda.gov. Applicants are encouraged to get confirmation of submission from references as well. No, Applicants should not submit a completed part 1 to FAIS. Past Performance References should only be submitted completed to PPDED@usda.gov.

19. The NOFO indicates on page 23 that if a proposed sub recipient receives 30% or more of the proposed operating budget, then then one Past Performance Review must be submitted.

Please confirm if this one review is in addition to the 3 requested from the prime recipient for a total of 4 reviews to be submitted, or if the sub recipient Past Performance Review would replace one of the prime’s, for a total of 3 submitted for the entire consortium.

Yes, one Past Performance Review for a proposed subrecipient is in addition to the three required for the prime applicant.

20. Can USDA clarify that for Appendix G, Past Performance Review template, the Applicant is responsible for completing Part 1? If a sub-recipient who will receive 30% of the operating budget is proposed, do they need to complete Part 1 of the Past Performance Review template?

An applicant should complete part 1 then send it to their reference to complete part 2 and 3.

The reference should then submit the fully completed reference form to PPDED@usda.gov.

21. Please can USDA share the FY20 Activity List?

McGovern-Dole does not have a standard Activity List. FAIS contains some common activity titles but McGovern-Dole encourages Applicants to provide appropriate activities and activity titles. Applicants do not have to propose the common activity titles found in FAIS.

22. When will it be possible to create a proposal in FAIS? Currently this is not a possible option, as the

FY20 NOFO does not yet exist in FAIS?

The ability to create a proposal in FAIS for FY 2020 is now available for both programs.

For McGovern-Dole applications only, the ability to enter locally and regionally procured commodities in FAIS will be available in early June. Applicants will be notified via the weekly Q&A when this feature is available. This should not prevent Applicants from working on other parts of their proposals in FAIS.

23. Please can USDA clarify which sections of the proposal need to be uploaded in the FAIS system fields compared to those sections of the proposal that need to be uploaded as an attachment?

Please see Part D. 3. c. under the heading “Food Aid Information System (FAIS)”. For a complete list of all attachments, please see Appendix A: Application Checklist of the NOFO.

mailto:PPDED@usda.gov

24. How best can applicants approach USAID at the country level for information on national literacy programme planning post 2020 to ensure alignment in the proposal designs?

This question does not pertain to the FY 2020 NOFO and will not be addressed at this time.

25. Can USDA clarify if the 14 page Evaluation Plan is submitted as a stand-alone document as an attachment?

Yes, the Evaluation Plan should be submitted as an attachment in FAIS. Please see the checklist in Appendix A; the Evaluation Plan is listed there in section 2 as one of the documents that should be submitted as attachments in FAIS.

26. The NOFO does not specifically state which grades and/or ages a literacy strategy should be targeting, although a main McGovern-Dole indicator for literacy measures children's reading ability at Grade 2. Can USDA clarify if applicants have the discretion to choose which grades and/or ages of children literacy strategies and activities target, or does USDA expect literacy efforts to target early grades (pre-school - Grade 3)?

The McGovern-Dole program works in pre-primary and primary literacy and education, and Applicants should target the grades necessary to have an impact on McGovern-Dole Strategic Objective 1.

27. Title 7 → Subtitle B → Chapter XV → Part 1599 does not mention branding and marking of local and regional procurement. Do applicants need to include a plan for branding and marking local and regional procurement?

At the proposal stage, Applicants do not need to include a plan for branding and marking for locally and regionally procured commodities.

28. Can applicants include market surveys to ensure LRP does not cause inflationary pressure on local markets as part of the Monitoring and Evaluation budget or as part of ITSH?

Studies of local markets can be included and should be appropriately justified. These studies should be included in the admin budget rather than ITSH and won’t be included in the calculation of typical M&E costs that should equal or exceed 3 percent of the project budget.

29. Can USDA clarify if applicants should include all districts (urban and rural) within the targeted southern province in Mozambique?

Under the Mozambique country-guidance, McGovern-Dole asks that applicants target Maputo Province in southern Mozambique, but does not specify that all districts should be covered. As noted in the country-specific guidance, future programming should build upon the successes of past and present McGovern-Dole projects.

30. Page 19 of the NOFO asks applicants to include, “Information about the target population’s access to safe water and sanitation facilities as well as sanitation and hygiene practices and behaviors.” Can USDA please clarify if the NOFO is requesting background information only, or if the applicant should propose a solution/approach for safe water and sanitation facilities as part of the program design?

Applicants must provide water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) background information within the Strategic Analysis. If contextually appropriate, Applicants are encouraged, but not required to address WASH within project design.

31. On page 22 of the NOFO it states that “Applicants must explain….(2) the estimated period of time required until the targeted country or the Applicant would be able to sustain the program without additional assistance under McGovern-Dole.” Can USDA please clarify if host country governments are expected to develop a budget line for school feeding even if their current/existing budget does not include this line item to be considered "able to sustain the program without additional assistance under McGovern-Dole?"

McGovern-Dole understands that a host-country government developing a budget line for school feeding is often a key milestone for host governments as they look to sustain a program once USDA assistance ends. McGovern-Dole also recognizes that the pathway to graduation may look different depending on the country. Therefore, McGovern-Dole does not require a separate budget line item to be created on school feeding, but certainly encourages a clear and feasible plan on how future school feeding program’s will be supported.

32. Does USDA require an impact evaluation?

No, USDA does not require an impact evaluation. We require the most rigorous evaluation possible in the given context, and if this isn’t an impact evaluation, the applicant must explain why an impact evaluation isn’t feasible in their draft Evaluation Plan.

33. In the USAID/USDA MOU, which the NOFO cites on page 19, it cites USAID's "current 5-year Education Strategy (2011-2015)". Is there an updated MOU with revised targets and/or updated years?

There is currently not an updated MOU between USAD and USAID. USAID’s Education Strategy was updated and now is effective for the period 2018-2022.

34. Can USDA please clarify if applicants should incorporate, per the USAID/USDA MOU, USAID’s new and defined journey to self-reliance strategy? Furthermore, the MOU mentions the Millennium Development Goals which ended in 2015. Is the USAID/USDA MOU planning on updating the alignment to the strategies of the new Sustainable Development goals to be achieved by 2030 and should applicants design to the updated SDGs versus the outdated Millennium Development Goals?

The MOU between USDA and USAID is the springboard for ongoing collaboration and effective coordination between USDA and USAID. At this time, there are no plans to update the MOU. When developing proposals, Applicants are encouraged to consider the U.S.

Government Strategy on International Basic Education as well as appropriate alignment with ongoing in-country efforts.

35. We understand the ceiling of 10% to be included in proposals for LRP will be of the Grand TOTAL (10 million-25 million) and not only of the Activity Budget, correct?

FAS has chosen not to strictly prescribe under the FY 2020 NOFO a target percentage or limit per country on exactly how much of the budget should be dedicated to local and regional procurement. While Applicants are encouraged to keep the overall 10 percent limit in mind, Applicants should also base this part of your proposal on feasibility and appropriateness, and the needs and priorities as laid out in the country-specific guidance.

36. Are INGOs eligible to apply for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program?

Eligible applicants are defined in Part C section 1 of each program NOFO.

37. Can locally or regionally purchased commodities be planned under a subrecipients budget?

Yes, locally and regionally procured commodities can be planned for under a subrecipient’s budget. Subrecipients must adhere to McGovern-Dole regulations. The proposal’s budget narrative should still clearly reflect the proposed budget amount for locally and regionally procured commodities (see NOFO section D. 3. c. vii). Applicants are reminded that food vouchers and cash-based transfers are not allowable procurement methods under the local and regional procurement component of McGovern-Dole.

38. Do FAS Proposals that are directed to address primarily one Results Frameworks need to reflect BOTH Results Frameworks in that section?

For McGovern-Dole, proposals should address both Strategic Objectives. For FAS proposals that are directed to address primarily one RF, both objectives in the RF should still be reflected in the proposal – specifically, the instruction to explain in the RF narrative any results that the applicant does not plan to address, and why, should still be done. This explanation can reference the direction from another section in the NOFO.

39. Will USDA consider altering the MGD/FFPr application process in FY21 to a two-stage process, i.e. Concept Note stage, followed by invitation to submit Full Proposal package?

FAS will consider a two-stage process in future years if the timeline allows.