Solicitation___7200AA18R00055_Final.pdf

Request for Proposals (RFP) No: 7200AA18R00055 Issue Date: May 17th, 2018 Questions Due Date: May 30th, 2018 at 12 (noon) ET Technical Proposal Submission Due Date: June 18, 2018 at 12 (noon) ET Oral Presentation to USAID: Beginning o/a July 16, 2018 Cost Proposal Submission Due Date: July 13, 2018 at 12 (noon) ET

Subject: US-Support For Economic Growth in Asia (US-SEGA) program.

Dear Sir/Madam:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking a proposal from your company if interested in providing the services as described in the attached solicitation.

Section C of this RFP sets the specifications of the requirement. Section L of the RFP sets forth instructions for the preparation and submission of the proposal and specifies the required contents of the proposal. Please submit your proposal in accordance with the requirements in Sections C and L of this solicitation. Section M states the criteria by which the proposal will be evaluated, and the award will be made.

USAID plans to award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee Term type contract. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541990.

Please submit questions in writing by May 30th, 2018 to the Contracting Officer, Abdulaziz Yousuf at ayousuf@usaid.gov and with a copy to the Senior Contracting Officer Georgia Fuller at gfuller@usaid.gov.

Issuance of this solicitation does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of a proposal. Furthermore, the Government reserves the right to reject any offer, if such action is considered to be in the best interest of the Government.

Please submit your proposal in PDF and Excel format as outlined in by email as soon as possible, but no later than 12 noon (Eastern) on June 17, 2018 for the technical and July 13th, 2018 for the Cost.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, Abdulaziz Yousuf Contracting Officer

USAID/M/OAA/RM/LEMO

Washington mailto:ayousuf@usaid.gov mailto:gfuller@usaid.gov

RFP No. 7200AA18R00055

US-SEGA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B – SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND CONTRACT SERVICES

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, FIXED FEE, AND OBLIGATED AMOUNT

B.4 CONTRACT BUDGET

B.5 INDIRECT COST

B.6 COST REIMBURSABLE

B.7 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

C.2 BACKGROUND

C.3 RESULTS, ACTIVITIES, AND TARGETS

C.4 TECHNICAL APPROACH

C.5 KEY PERSONNEL

C.6 MONITORING & EVALUATION

SECTION D – BRANDING AND MARKING

D.1 MARKING AND BRANDING STRATEGY

D.2 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993)

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

F.4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

F.5 AUTHORIZED WORK WEEK

F.6 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES

F.7 DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE

F.8 KEY PERSONNEL

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S AUTHORITY

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

G.3 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID

G.4 PAYING OFFICE

G.5 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

G.6 CONTRACTOR’S PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

H.2 AIDAR 752.225-70 SOURCE AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 2012)

H.3 ADS 302.3.5.19 USAID-FINANCED THIRD-PARTY WEB SITES ( NOV 2017)

H.4 ADS 302.3.5.21 SUBMISSION OF DATASETS TO THE DEVELOPMENT DATA

LIBRARY (DDL) (OCT 2014)

H.5 AIDAR 752.7007 PERSONNEL COMPENSATION (JUL 2007)

H.6 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PERSONNEL COMPENSATION

H.7 AIDAR 752.7031 LEAVE AND HOLIDAYS (OCT 1989)

H.8 AIDAR 752.228-70 MEDICAL EVACUATION (MEDEVAC) SERVICES (JUL 2007)

H.9 AIDAR 752.222-70 USAID DISABILITY POLICY (DEC 2004)

H.10 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

H.11 EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON TERRORISM FINANCING

H.12 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

H.13 LOGISTICAL SUPPORT

H.14 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

H.15 AIDAR 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL AND NOTIFICATION

REQUIREMENTS (APR 2014)

H.16 FRAUD REPORTING

H.17 DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

H.18 INSURANCE

PART II – CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION I - CLAUSES

I.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

I.2 AIDAR 752.252-1 AIDAR SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY

REFERENCE (MAR 2015)

I.3 FAR 52.204-1 APPROVAL OF CONTRACT (DEC 1989)

I.4 FAR 52.229-8 TAXES – FOREIGN COST-REIMBURSEMENT CONTRACTS (MAR 1990)

I.5 AIDAR 752.209-71 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST DISCOVERED

AFTER AWARD (JUN 1993)

I.6 AIDAR 752.242-70 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (OCT 2007)

I.7 AIDAR 752.7025 APPROVALS (APR 1984)

I.8 AIDAR 752.7101 VOLUNTARY POPULATION PLANNING ACTIVITIES (JUNE 2008) ... 51

I.9 AIDAR 752.229-71 REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (JULY 2007)

I.10 AIDAR 752.222-71 NONDISCRIMINATION (JUNE 2012)

I.11 AIDAR 752.231-72 CONFERENCE PLANNING AND REQUIRED APPROVALS (AUG

2013) 53

I.12 AIDAR 752.7036 USAID IMPLEMENTING PARTNER NOTICES (IPN) PORTAL FOR

ACQUISITION (JUL 2014)

I.13 AIDAR 752.7037 CHILD SAFEGUARDING STANDARDS (AUG 2016)

I.14 FAR 52.203-99 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES THAT

REQUIRE CERTAIN INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS (APR 2015)

I.15 LIMITATION ON ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (DEVIATION

NOs. M/OAA-DEV-FAR-18-2c and M/OAA-DEV-AIDAR-18-2c) (APRIL 2018) I.16 752.204-72 Contractor Access to USAID Facilities and USAID's Information Systems (APRIL 2018) (DEVIATION NO. M/OAA-DEV-AIDAR-18-2c) (a) HSPD-12 and Personal Identity Verification (PIV)

PART III – LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

PART IV – REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF

OFFERORS

K.1 52.204-19 Incorporation by Reference of Representations and Certifications (DEC 2014) K.2 52.225-25 Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Certain Activities or Transactions Relating to Iran—Representation and Certifications (OCT 2015)

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

L.2 FAR 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

L.3 FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

L.4 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.5 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

L.6 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

FOR STAGE ONE

L.7 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE COST PROPOSAL FOR

STAGE 2

SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

M.2 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.3 EVALUATION OF PAST PERFORMANCE

M.4 COST PROPOSAL EVALUATION

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PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B – SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide technical assistance and other services as described in detail in Section C for the implementation of t h e US-Support For Economic Growth in Asia (US-SEGA) program.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND CONTRACT SERVICES

This is a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) Term Contract. For the consideration set forth in the contract, the Contractor shall provide the deliverables and results as described in Sections C and F. The contractor must also comply with all other contract requirements.

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, FIXED FEE, AND OBLIGATED AMOUNT

a) The estimated cost for the performance of the work required hereunder, exclusive of fixed fee, if any, is TBD. The fixed fee for the contract period, if any, is TBD. The estimated cost plus all fixed fee, if any, is TBD.

a) Within the estimated cost plus fixed fee (if any) specified in paragraph (a) above, the amount currently obligated and available for reimbursement of allowable costs incurred by the Contractor (and payment of fee, if any) for performance hereunder is TBD. The Contractor must not exceed the aforesaid obligated amount.

b) Funds obligated hereunder are anticipated to be sufficient through TBD. Funding for this contract will be on an incremental basis, subject to the availability of funds.

B.4 CONTRACT BUDGET

a) The following itemized budget sets forth the estimates for individual line items of cost:

Base Year Cost Category Total

1) Labor & Fringe Benefits TBD

2) O D C s TBD

3) Travel & Per Diem TBD

4) Indirect Costs TBD

Total Estimated Cost TBD Fixed Fee TBD Total Estimated Cost Plus Fixed Fee TBD

Option Year 1

1) Labor & Fringe Benefits TBD

2) O D C s TBD

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3) Travel & Per Diem TBD

4) Indirect Costs TBD

Total Estimated Cost TBD

Total Option Year 1 Cost Plus Fixed Fee TBD

Option Year 2

1) Labor & Fringe Benefits TBD

2) O D C s TBD

3) Travel & Per Diem TBD

4) Indirect Costs TBD

Total Estimated Cost TBD

Option Year 3

1) Labor & Fringe Benefits TBD

2) O D C s TBD

3) Travel & Per Diem TBD

4) Indirect Costs TBD

Total Estimated Cost TBD

Option Year 4

1) Labor & Fringe Benefits TBD

2) O D C s TBD

3) Travel & Per Diem TBD

4) Indirect Costs TBD

Total Estimated Cost TBD

Summary Base + Option Years

1) Labor & Fringe Benefits TBD

2) O D C s TBD

3) Travel & Per Diem TBD

4) Indirect Costs TBD

Total Estimated Cost TBD

Total Estimated Cost Plus Fixed Fee TBD

b) The inclusion of any costs in the above budget does not obviate the requirement for prior approval by the contracting officer of cost items designated as requiring prior approval by any of the terms and conditions of this contract, including the applicable cost principles

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(see FAR § 52.216-07, “Allowable Cost and Payment”); nor does it constitute a determination of allowability by the contracting officer of any item of cost, unless specifically stated elsewhere in this contract. Also, these amounts may not be adjusted without a written modification signed by the contracting officer. The contractor will not bill any amounts against this contract in excess of the amounts specified for each line item.

c) The contractor agrees to furnish data that the contracting officer may request on costs expended or accrued under this contract in support of the budget information provided herein.

B.5 INDIRECT COST

For the Prime Contractor:

a) Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, USAID will reimburse allowable indirect costs on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases pursuant to the contractor’s current executed Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement:

TYPE

EFFECTIVE PERIOD INDIRECT COST RATES

FROM THROUGH

FRINGE

(a)

OVERHEAD

(b)

Base of Application (a)

b) The contractor will make no change in its established method of classifying or allocating indirect costs without the prior written approval of the contracting officer.

For Major Subcontractor(s)*:

a) Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, USAID will reimburse allowable indirect costs on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases pursuant to the contractor’s current executed Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement:

TYPE

EFFECTIVE PERIOD INDIRECT COST RATES

FROM THROUGH

FRINGE

(a)

OVERHEAD

Base of Application (a)

*“Major Subcontractors” are those subcontractors whose proposed cost exceeds 15% of the offeror’s total proposed cost.

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Government will pay only the final indirect cost rates if they are less than the negotiated ceiling rates. This understanding will not change any monetary ceiling, obligation, or specific cost allowance or disallowance. Any changes in classifying or allocating indirect costs require the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

B.6 COST REIMBURSABLE

The U.S. dollar costs allowable will be limited to reasonable, allocable, and necessary costs determined in accordance with FAR § 52.216-7, “Allowable Cost and Payment,” FAR § 52.232-20, “Limitation of Cost,” and FAR § 52.232-22, “Limitation of Funds,” if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003, “Documentation for Payment.”

B.7 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE

USAID will pay a proportion of the contractor’s fixed fee pursuant to FAR § 52.216-8, “Fixed Fee,” upon the receipt of an invoice deemed proper by Office of Chief Financial Officer (M/CFO/DC).

[END OF SECTION B]

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SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

When governments and economic actors have sound, effective, transparent, gender-aware and accountable systems and policies in place, there is an increased ability to achieve broad-based economic growth and improved regional economic connectivity. Through the US-Support For Economic Growth in Asia (US-SEGA) Project, the Asia Bureau aims to improve the policy environment to promote sustainable economic growth and prosperity, improved regional economic cooperation, sound management of institutions, and good governance while also expanding markets for U.S. goods and services in the Indo Pacific.

US-SEGA will achieve this goal through two key components that:

1. Strengthen the capacity of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) foreign-assistance eligible developing member economies1 to advance regional economic cooperation and achieve forum-wide goals of free and open trade and investment in the region. This component will deliver targeted technical assistance through policy studies, dialogues, workshops and conferences designed to share best practices with policy makers in helping them to fulfill their economy level commitments to APEC.

USAID anticipates that this component will comprise 70% of the total contract ceiling. A required element of this component will include U.S. government interagency policy coordination, working closely with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Office of Economic Policy (State/EAP/EP)2 as the U.S. government’s APEC coordinating office.

2. Support USAID economic growth programs in the Asia Region by providing the Asia Bureau and Missions with a flexible, on-demand mechanism to engage in economic reforms and promote interventions and best practices that support trade facilitation and business enabling environment.

US-SEGA is a Cost Plus Fixed Fee Term Contract, and is managed by the Economic Growth team in the Asia Bureau. US-SEGA will position the Asia Bureau to provide sound economic growth, trade, and investment development policy advice and take a leadership role in fostering a better understanding of U.S. government’s economic governance priorities, while also supporting USAID efforts to assist APEC economies in the implementation of forum-wide benchmarks to support regional economic cooperation.

C.2 BACKGROUND

More people live in Asia than anywhere else on the planet. Hundreds of millions have been lifted out of extreme poverty over the past few decades, contributing to economic growth, regional stability and a growing middle class. This economic growth creates new markets for American business, presents tremendous opportunities to create American jobs, and supports regional and global security and prosperity. Yet with rapid economic growth comes complex development challenges.

While Asia as a whole possesses many of the world’s most dynamic and fastest-growing

1 APEC’s foreign-assistance eligible developing member economies are Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. China and Russia are considered developing member economies, but are not eligible for U.S. foreign assistance under US-SEGA. The remaining member economies are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Chinese Taipei and the United States.

2 USAID will manage component 1 with funding and strategic direction coming from State/EAP.

10 | P a g e economies, hundreds of millions of Asians remain in poverty. The region still has roughly half the world’s extreme poor, 70 percent of the world’s malnourished children, and the majority of all natural disasters. The global economic financial crisis revealed systemic weaknesses in the regulatory framework of Asian countries that persist today. Some countries weathered the financial challenges of the recession well and have largely recovered. Other countries have struggled, weighed down by poor financial management policies and low rates of investment.

Demand side constraints also hinder economic growth and the creation of new jobs necessary to keep up with the growing workforce. These demand side constraints include policies that encourage the substitution of capital for labor in production, even in countries where labor is relatively abundant. Most demand side constraints affect the overall rate of private sector growth and reduce the utilization of labor. Examples of demand side constraints to labor include:

• Closed-economy barriers protecting domestic producers against international competition with high tariffs, quotas, etc.;

• Government support of monopolies, oligopolies, and state-owned-enterprises through contracts, credit, entry restrictions, etc.;

• Investment regimes that subsidize capital investments;

• Reduced access to loans and credit for women business owners;

• Below-market interest rates and overvalued exchange rates that encourage capital intensive production.

The United States is committed to promoting economic rules that enhance free, fair, and reciprocal trade, and set transparent standards to create enabling environments for investment, innovation, and cooperation. The investments in promoting a level playing field for doing business, including rules supporting fair and reciprocal trade, business friendly regulation, and adherence to high standards, will lead to the creation of jobs and economic prosperity for the United States and across the Indo-Pacific region. This project will contribute to economic reform efforts and target improved commercial law and trade regimes, by reducing barriers to trade and investment across the region.

US-SEGA will target programs that improve the policies, regulations, and institutions that support sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Structural reform, ease of doing business, regulatory reform, strengthening economic and legal infrastructure, promoting the growth of the digital economy, and promoting human capital development are all fundamental to balanced, sustainable, innovative and inclusive growth, job creation, productivity and competitiveness in the region. Specifically, US-SEGA will support Indo-Pacific economic growth through the use of two interconnected components that build off the successes of past projects as described below.

I. Component One - Support for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

Established in 1989, APEC operates as a cooperative, multilateral economic and trade forum.

It is committed to reducing barriers to trade and investment, increasing business facilitation, and providing economic and technical cooperation. APEC achieves its goals by promoting dialogue and arriving at decisions on a consensus basis. It is comprised of 60+ technical working groups and has a small Secretariat based in Singapore. Each year a different volunteer economy hosts the forum with Papua New Guinea hosting in 2018, Chile 2019, Malaysia 2020, New Zealand 2021, and Thailand 2022.

APEC’s 21 members account for 40 percent of the world’s population, 49 percent of global trade and 59 percent of global GDP in terms of purchasing power parity. Current U.S.

priorities in APEC include digital trade, structural reform, trade facilitation, services trade

11 | P a g e competitiveness and women's economic participation. In addition, the United States works closely with APEC partners to pursue rules-based business regulations as part of structural reforms to increase transparency and reduce corruption in member economies. These priorities are the key drivers for growth in the 21st century in the Asia-Pacific.

USAID and the State Department have collaborated since 2008 to provide technical assistance to APEC to advance regional economic cooperation, starting with the APEC Technical Assistance and Training Facility (TATF), which was created as a partnership between USAID and the Department of State. APEC TATF was managed by USAID/RDMA and funded by State/EAP/EP. It served as an important mechanism for the U.S. government to provide a broad range of capacity-building support to the APEC Secretariat and member economies.

Subsequently, the US-APEC Technical Assistance to Advance Regional Integration (US- ATAARI, 2013-2018) - was launched to build on the lessons and achievements of TATF.

This iteration of APEC technical assistance focuses on building the capacity of member economies to make and implement APEC commitments while simultaneously enhancing the APEC Secretariat’s ability to support APEC as an institutional body. Support to APEC member economies under US-ATAARI is centered on the provision of policy studies, workshops, dialogues, and conferences that are designed to share best practices with policy makers in helping them to fulfill their domestic commitments to APEC.

These technical assistance instruments have served as important mechanisms for providing U.S. support to APEC, and have played a crucial role in advancing regional economic cooperation, helping APEC to become a more strategically managed institution, and advancing various components of the APEC objectives. This new project will build on lessons learned from ATAARI while remaining flexible to address new U.S. government priorities in light of new APEC objectives.

II. Component Two: Indo-Pacific Economic Growth Technical Assistance

Component Two is designed using the Asia Middle East Economic Growth (AMEG) Best Practices project as a model. AMEG, which closed on September 30, 2017, enabled the Asia Bureau and Missions to identify and address specific strategic challenges and opportunities in economic growth programming. AMEG was a flexible mechanism designed to capture and disseminate best practices and pilot innovative approaches and technologies. Component two is envisioned to allow the same flexibility and responsiveness as AMEG, and to support the Asia regional economic engagement objectives of USAID. The AMEG mechanism enabled the Asia Bureau to:

● Implement cross-border programs: The AMEG mechanism allowed the Asia

Bureau to make quick and efficient use of a $1.8M buy-in from State/SCA to implement an Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor (IPEC) trade activity in South Asia.

The IPEC program partnered with the ongoing Bangladesh trade program enabling it to expand its impact by connecting stakeholders to counterparts in India.

● Rapidly respond to new opportunities and strategic shifts and openings:

Following the unexpected results of Sri Lanka’s 2015 election, the Bureau was able to rapidly mobilize a team to conduct a Public Financial Management assessment. This program not only informed future Mission programming, but also gave USAID unprecedented access to the Government of Sri Lanka to push for reforms. Similarly, the Bureau was able to respond with targeted assistance to support the Cambodia Mission’s demands for technical assistance on trade policy and implementation.

● Develop innovative data and knowledge sharing tools: Through AMEG, the Bureau responded to Mission demand for innovative tools to forward economic growth objectives. One such tool was the Gender Lens Investing (GLI) tool which

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Strengthened and

More Inclusive Economic Growth

Improved Trade Facilitation

Enhanced Business Enabling

Environment integrated gender analysis with financial analysis to encourage improved financial and gender outcomes from private investment. AMEG partnered with Criterion Institute to evaluate the GLI field in Asia, identify opportunities to move the field forward, and facilitate workshops of stakeholders to initiate conversations between gender and finance experts. AMEG also partnered with the Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA) to develop Gender Equality and Mainstreaming (GEM) methodology and a gendered environmental, social, and governance (ESG) assessment tool piloted in India and Indonesia.

● Demonstrate leadership in the interagency: USAID was able to host two panels and a side event at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in 2016 in Silicon Valley, thus paving the way for Bureau leadership at GES 2017 in India.

Additionally, the India Investment Initiative, announced by President Obama during his trip to India in January 2015 was made possible by the AMEG Investment in a Diaspora Survey. This survey provided market research to better understand the background and investment interests of Indian diaspora living in the United States, particularly high net worth individuals. Using the research findings, AMEG conducted a demand analysis to help USAID determine the conditions under which Indian diaspora in the United States would invest in a fixed income security that finances Indian SMEs in sectors that generate positive social impact. Ultimately, AMEG’s research paved the way for USAID and the Calvert Foundation to create a new social impact investment vehicle. In its first year, Calvert’s Indian Investment Initiative had already committed $16 million in loans to financial intermediaries that invest in SMEs with a social purpose in India.

C.3 RESULTS, ACTIVITIES, AND TARGETS

US-SEGA has two key objectives structured to advance USAID’s economic growth strategy in Asia:

1. Improved Trade Facilitation

2. Enhanced Business Enabling

Environment

To meet the aforementioned objectives, US-SEGA will:

1) Support the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum by building on the capacity of APEC foreign-assistance eligible economies to engage in trade and investment liberalization, business facilitation, and economic and technical cooperation; and

2) Support missions in accelerating best practices in inclusive economic growth.

C.3.1 GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

Component one will be implemented primarily within the 21 APEC member economies. While the APEC Secretariat is located in Singapore, experience has shown that in most cases it is most cost-effective and generates highest participation when activities are held on the margins of the major APEC Senior Officials’ Meetings or other APEC sub-fora meetings. In keeping with U.S. whole-of-government efforts to maximize the efficiency of resources supporting the Asia-Pacific’s institutions, US-SEGA’s geographic scope may include non-APEC members of

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ASEAN (for example: Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, and Laos) or other regional groupings3 if appropriate as determined by the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

Component two will be implemented in countries where USAID operates bilateral and regional programs. Countries with bilateral programs include, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. USAID also operates three regional missions in Asia: the Regional Development Mission for Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, which manages regional programming and development programs in countries without missions; the Pacific Islands Regional Office located in Papua New Guinea, which covers 12 countries in the Pacific and is managed by the Philippines’ Mission; and the Central Asia Regional office based in Kazakhstan, which oversees development programs in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

C.3.2 COMPONENT ONE: APEC PROGRAMMING (70% OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES)

I. Overview

APEC-supported activities will deliver assistance through technical assistance on policy analysis and development, case studies, economy-level training, planning, organizational and other resources as needed to reinforce and enhance the capacity of APEC to continue to make progress on relevant topics to APEC committees, sub-fora and working groups. Activities will address non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to trade and investment by improving governance, the regulatory environment, and transparency in host countries/economies in line with international norms and trade facilitation agreements. Direct technical support to the APEC Secretariat could be supported if budget circumstances allow.

Support for APEC is premised on the hypothesis that building the capacity of Asia-Pacific assistance-eligible economies and strengthening the APEC regional platform will help the region grow and create jobs.

Activities will be organized according to the following broad program areas:

● Trade and Investment Facilitation: Enhance APEC’s capacity toward strengthening free, fair, and open trade and investment especially through trade facilitation, increasing the competitiveness of the services sector, developing high-standards, and promoting the development of the digital economy, including e-commerce and digital trade.

● Regulatory and Structural Reform: Strengthen the capacity of member economies to improve and align domestic policies and regulations and help reduce or eliminate behind-the-border barriers to cross-border trade, such as improvements in the ease of doing business, competition policy, and good regulatory practices and cooperation.

Enhance APEC’s capacity to make progress toward structural and regulatory reforms that promote financial, economic, and social inclusion as strategies to achieve APEC-wide trade and investment growth.

● Inclusive and Resilient Growth: Enhance APEC’s capacity to promote inclusive and resilient growth by addressing the economic dimensions of trans-boundary threats to people and economies such as from terrorism, pandemics, natural disasters, and promoting energy security and sustainability, food security, and addressing barriers that restrict all citizens of the APEC region from fully participating in global trade with a particular focus on SMEs and underrepresented and vulnerable groups-such as women, youth, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

3 APEC has three official observers: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretariat (ASEAN), the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat.

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● Institutional Capacity Building: Increase the capacity of developing host economies to provide the logistical, policy, and substantial leadership needed to advance APEC’s work, and if budget allows, increase the capacity of the APEC Secretariat.

US-SEGA will build upon the successes of past U.S. government economic growth and trade technical assistance in Asia, while providing continued support to the APEC forum following the end of the 2013-2018 US-APEC Technical Assistance to Advance Regional Integration (US-ATAARI) project in December 2018.

Seven of ASEAN’s ten members are also members of APEC (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). This overlap presents opportunities for synergies between the agendas and priorities of the two institutions. Joint ASEAN-APEC activities may be held when appropriate and possible, and this project shall seek opportunities for collaboration with US-funded activities supporting ASEAN or other regional institutions such as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Possible areas of coordination include: implementation of the trade facilitation agreement, digital economy; standards and conformance; supply chains; connectivity and infrastructure; energy security and energy efficiency; and activities stressing the importance of SMEs, women, and vulnerable populations as drivers of economic growth.

Working with and through APEC presents the opportunity to coordinate international assistance with other donors. The donor community in APEC is primarily made up of its membership and is comprised of bilateral and multilateral donors who meet regularly to coordinate their activities. The APEC donor community is complex, since the donors must balance activities focused on their respective foreign policy goals against the development assistance their bilateral missions are implementing in the region. As a result, donor coordination is similarly complex. Nevertheless, effective donor coordination will be a critical element of US-SEGA, and a well-thought-out strategy for engaging APEC contributors will enable the United States to support regional leadership as exemplified in APEC, employ existing organizational capacity and infrastructure, and also work closely with other donors in keeping with the Paris Declaration on Donor Coordination.

In addition to coordination with the numerous APEC donors and development partners, the Contractor will also be required to cooperate with other U.S. government funded activities, which could include but is not limited to efforts spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the United States Trade Representative, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and/or the U.S. Department of Energy. Project implementation will require significant and effective coordination with the private sector, and the Contractor will be asked to identify specific areas where private-sector cooperation and engagement might result in progress towards US-SEGA’s goals and objectives.

Lastly, the Contractor will look to synergize the goals and objectives of APEC and US-SEGA with high level planning in USAID Bilateral Missions. Where appropriate, the Contractor will look for ways APEC can support the mission-level development objectives in these countries, and coordinate with or scale-up ongoing bilateral projects. An example is US-ATAARI’s close coordination with USAID/Vietnam’s Governance for Inclusive Growth (GIG) project.

A coordination plan is highly recommended during the early stages of program implementation and will be developed by the Contractor in collaboration with USAID/Asia Bureau. This plan must reflect both USAID bilateral coordination plans, as well as coordination with the APEC Secretariat, whose multiple Technical Assistance central funds has historically been a reliable and effective source of internal program resource leverage.

The Contractor would also be expected to manage APEC central funds as part of the project.

USAID/Asia Bureau has also prioritized the leveraging of funds from outside USAID (including from other donors, agencies and the private sector). The contractor will identify

15 | P a g e potential avenues for coordinating efforts with these entities and include these in the implementation and coordination plan. An up-to-date donor mapping exercise will also be recommended for inclusion in this plan.

II. Guidance for Use of U.S. Foreign Assistance Funding in Providing APEC Assistance Contract funds may be used for assistance, for direct costs, only for economies which, at the relevant time, are “U.S. government Eligible Economies”. This eligibility may change over time.

● Of the 21 APEC member “economies”, including the United States, eleven (11) are currently “travel eligible” under APEC rules. These are: Chile, People’s Republic of China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

● “U.S. government Eligible Economies” are those APEC “travel-eligible economies” which are also eligible for U.S. government assistance at the applicable time. The use of funds provided by this contract for support to APEC is currently restricted to the following nine (9) governments: Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Peru, Thailand, and Vietnam.

● Contract funds can be used for the direct costs of participants from U.S. government Eligible Economies in APEC projects. These include economy class airfare, lodging/accommodation, and per diem. Translation fees for languages of U.S.

government Eligible Economies are another example of an acceptable direct cost.

● Contract funds may also be used for technical assistance for U.S. government Eligible Economies.

● In some cases, there may be non-APEC countries that project proponents would like to invite and fund (for instance, the non-APEC ASEANs Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, and Laos). USAID/Asia will work with its Legal Advisor and Contracting Officer to determine, on a case-by-case basis, if the proposed use of funds is acceptable.

Indirect costs and the use of funds in APEC:

Contract funds may be used for indirect costs of an activity in accordance with the portion of those costs that can be attributed to “U.S. government Eligible Economies” and the approved pro-rata share of high-income countries/economies invited to attend as compared to the total costs as directed by the Contracting Officer Representative.

Examples of common indirect costs in APEC projects:

● Speaker’s Honorarium

● Short-term clerical and secretarial remuneration

● Consultant (including researcher fees)

● The travel (economy class), accommodation and per-diem of expert presenters/trainers

● Publication of report

● Equipment/Materials

● Photocopying

● Communications (Phone/Fax/Mail/Courier)

● Hosting (Conference room rental, stationary, refreshments, etc.)

Other eligible costs: Studies and reports that provide assistance benefits to U.S. government- Eligible Economies or APEC as a whole.

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C.3.3 COMPONENT TWO: INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH

SUPPORT (30% OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES)

I. Overview

Under Component 2, US-SEGA will support U.S. government economic growth objectives across Asia by offering a flexible and readily available technical assistance vehicle to respond to the immediate needs of missions in addressing constraints and accelerating best practices in inclusive economic growth. This overarching umbrella activity will provide state-of-the-art knowledge management on critical economic and financial policy issues facing the region as well as the necessary tools to conduct economic and financial sector assessments, strategic planning, diagnostics, pilots, and program design. The overarching objectives of Component 2 are to (1) promote best practices in economic growth activities with a particular emphasis on issues with regional relevance; and (2) assist missions to apply these best practices.

Activities will seek to promote the interventions and best practices that support private sector investment and competitiveness, trade facilitation, business enabling environment, and inclusive economic growth at both a bilateral and multilateral level. USAID will enhance private sector competitiveness by improving the policy environment to promote high quality standards, increase market linkages and knowledge of market opportunities among SMEs, and facilitate access to finance. Particular focus will be placed on utilizing a market systems approach including the use of adaptive management, facilitation and developing sustainable, private sector interventions. Additional activities could include public-private sector advocacy for improved business enabling environment and trade facilitation. Models for best practices and knowledge management in the region should be highlighted.

With selected missions, US-SEGA may assist with implementation issues on a pilot basis and connect mission staff to external resources on best practices. In response to mission demand, project staff may deliver short workshops in Washington, D.C. and the field. They may also deliver other knowledge-sharing endeavors, and identify, develop, and conduct pilot activities. Priorities will largely be driven by mission demand. However, the selected contractor may introduce some supply driven concepts for mission consideration where funding leverage and program integration with other donors is possible and potentially yield high returns.

II. Illustrative Activities

The following are illustrative examples of activities that could be undertaken to meet the objective of assisting missions to identify and apply best practices in economic growth as a complement to strategic planning and activity design. Contractors may elect to propose these activities, variations of these activities, or others to meet this objective. In line with USAID gender guidelines, the contractor should incorporate attention to gender relations in relevant areas, including the collection and evaluation of sex disaggregated data. More information on gender analysis and integration can be found in section C.4.1. In proposing activities, contractors should be cognizant of existing constraints which may include:

● Funding availability. The contractor awarded the task order will receive funding tranches subject to availability of funds. Activities that are recommended must contribute to Project objectives and fit within the available budget.

● Constraints on pilot projects. TS staff will provide guidance and supervision to the selected contractor for pilot projects.

● Time. All activities must be completed within the specified five year window unless specific permissions are granted for extension.

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Illustrative Activities:

1. Selected Pilot activities. Assist in design and/or implementation of selected pilot activities that can include innovative assessments, small workshops related to mission programs, short training programs on specific topics, new project designs that integrate other sectors, and new designs that leverage non-USAID programs and funding.

2. Integration of Economic Growth Best Practices into Mission Programs. Provide technical assistance to missions to improve the integration of economic and financial management best practices into agriculture, natural resources, education, health and other relevant portfolios. Assist missions to integrate best practices, leverage USAID funding, and achieve expanded program scale and scope.

3. Outreach activities. With TS supervision, the contractor may conduct outreach activities to research or disseminate best practices to USAID, the donor community, and other public and private sector partners. Such activities could include round table discussions with a wide range of domestic and international private sector actors.

4. Workshops. The contractor may also conduct regional workshops that disseminate best practices that are specific to challenges and opportunities in the Asia region.

5. Economic and Financial Program Assessments and Design. Conduct assessments of current economic programs as well as the prospects and challenges that a new economic growth program would encounter. Design scopes of work that represent current best practices by USAID and other organizations and that promote market-based reforms and private sector competitiveness through enterprise development, improved business enabling environment, enhanced access to finance including for women and youth, trade reform, strengthened workforce development practices, and other policy reforms essential for widespread enterprise growth and employment opportunities. Support for field missions in strategic planning and economic growth program design should be provided by the contractor as directed by the COR and Activity Manager and may involve Asia Bureau staff.

6. Economic and Financial Best Practices Briefs or similar analytical best practices products covering issues of high relevance to field economic program design and implementation in the region or sub-region. The purpose of these briefs would be to expand and improve upon USAID missions’ understanding and use of best practices in design and implementation of activities in financial, economic, and related sectors within a mission’s existing strategic objectives. When applicable, include gender and youth considerations in programming.

7. Political Economic Assessments. Conduct assessments of the overall political economy effect on policies and programs affecting private sector development and job creation in the Asia region, with a focus on issues such as regional connectivity and trade. To the extent possible, assessments shall incorporate gender considerations including looking at the status of men and women and the role they play in the political economy, relevant institutions, and workforce. Estimates of the potential impacts of reform on job creation may be included.

8. Country Economic Prospects and Challenges Reports. In response to senior management requests for concise briefings materials for Capitol Hill and interagency meetings, reports may be prepared by consultants on relevant themes such as youth, jobs, entrepreneurship, women’s economic empowerment, as well as sectoral themes including agriculture. Data represented in these reports will be disaggregated by sex

18 | P a g e as appropriate. These concise reports may be updated at the request of TS COR. The COR will provide direction on specific countries or topics for analysis.

9. Knowledge Management and Sharing. Support the dissemination of economic growth and financial management best practices related to mission strategic objectives to technical officers in both Washington and the field. Ensure dissemination is in practical, easy to use, and cost effective formats that allow for easy retrieval by a wide range of users. Contractors are encouraged to consider non- IT approaches that may be both feasible and appropriate as alternative(s) to or in addition to any IT web-based platforms or components that may be part of a larger approach.

III. USAID Mission Buy-ins to Project

Buy-ins are anticipated, but not guaranteed, under US-SEGA. A buy-in is defined as a mission funds-transfer to US-SEGA during a fiscal year where mission objectives are consistent with Project objectives and mission use of US-SEGA contract will advance the mission economic growth program strategic objective(s).

Field buy-ins will leverage mission resources by utilizing US-SEGA for technical assistance and support. However, US-SEGA is not intended to be a means for USAID missions to undertake full scale economic growth work. This work is expected to be undertaken as a part of a mission’s program planning process. US-SEGA will, however, serve missions where activities are congruent with Project objectives and where missions may require a “bridge” procurement to test, pilot, assess, or evaluate activities for future mission economic growth programming and procurement.

A mission buy-in must be congruent with the overarching objectives of component 2 which include (1) identifying and promoting best practices in economic growth activities with a particular emphasis to regional issues; and (2) assisting missions with applying these best practices.

Examples of the types of activities that might constitute a mission buy-in to US-SEGA include:

● Selected pilot activities on specific topics/new designs that integrate lessons learned from US-SEGA activities with other mission program sectors or leverage non-USAID programs;

● Selected workshops, trainings or other economic and financial sector outreach that would be beyond the TS-funded budget of US-SEGA; assistance with assessments, strategies, designs, and the monitoring and evaluation of ongoing financial sector activities.

Missions will work with the Asia Bureau Economic Growth Team and contractor to draft a scope of work. The contractor will provide a cost-estimate for the activities outlined in the scope. Once agreed upon, missions will transfer the funds to US-SEGA. Offerors should be prepared to set up different accounting line items in their accounting system to track expenditures by mission buy-ins.

C.4 TECHNICAL APPROACH

The wide array of possibilities for specific activities under this project, combined with the variety of U.S. government and external stakeholders and potential legal issues and/or

19 | P a g e political sensitivities, means that an inclusive review process will be required during implementation. The COR will perform due diligence as appropriate to analyze sub-activities as they develop and initiate a process of review to identify and resolve any potential issues that may arise. Technical direction will be given by TS COR and the TS Economic Growth Team.

Work on this project shall commence in on/about October 2018 and continue for five years.

The contractor shall be responsible for all logistic support needed to successfully complete the contract.

C.4.1 LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

Certain activities may implicate various legal restrictions related to U.S. foreign assistance funding. As a result, proposed activities should be designed to with due regard to the following:

1. Agricultural Restrictions. Funds may not be used in connection with the growth or production in a foreign country of an agricultural commodity for export which would compete with a similar commodity grown or produced in the United States, except where the activity will not have a significant impact on the export of U.S. agricultural commodities (Bumpers Amendment). USAID does not support the production of agricultural commodities for export by developing countries when the commodities would directly compete with exports of similar U.S. agricultural commodities and have a significant impact on U.S. exporters (Policy Determination 154).

Sec. 7025(a) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (PL 112-74, div. I) prohibits any assistance for establishing or expanding production of any commodity for export by any country other than the United States if the commodity is likely to be in surplus on world markets at the time the resulting productive capacity is expected to become operative and if the assistance will cause substantial injury to US producers of the same, similar, or competing commodity.

Policy Determination 715 requires approval from USAID/Washington at the earliest possible stage to proceed with program development for proposed programs involving production, processing or marketing of sugar, palm oil, or citrus for export. Such activities may be supported only with USAID approval.

In the first workplan, the contractor shall submit to USAID a plan of analysis on the potential for program activities to have a significant (negative) impact on current or potential US agriculture commodity or product exports. The plan should outline how and when this type of analysis will take place prior to implementation of the separate project elements.