72011518R00003_FINAL.pdf

Issuance Date: 18 January 2018

Questions Due Date/Time: 1 February 2018 at 10 a.m. Almaty Time

Closing Date/Time: 26 March 2018 at 10 a.m. Almaty Time

Subject: Request for Proposals (RFP) No.: 72011518R00003, USAID Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for

Development (LEAD)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking proposals from qualified small business concerns interested in providing services as described in the attached

Request for Proposals (RFP). USAID anticipates issuing a single-award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ), five-year contract with a maximum ceiling of $8,000,000.

Please refer to Section L for information regarding proposal requirements. Offerors should take into account the expected delivery time required by the proposal transmission method they choose, and they are responsible for ensuring proposals are received at USAID by the due date and time as specified above. Failure to comply with the submission date will deem any submission unacceptable and it will not be reviewed or evaluated. Faxed proposals are not acceptable, nor will they be reviewed or evaluated.

Section L of the RFP sets forth all instructions for the preparation and submission of required proposal contents. Section M states the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated. Oral explanations or instructions given before award of the contract will not be binding.

This RFP in no way obligates USAID to award a contract nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Award of a Contract under this RFP is subject to availability of funds and other internal USAID approvals.

This RFP can be viewed and downloaded from www.fedbizopps.gov. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. Further, be aware that amendments to solicitations are occasionally issued and will be posted on the same website from which you downloaded the solicitation. USAID advises to regularly check the above website for amendments.

Sincerely, /s/

Maychin Ho

Contracting Officer http://www.fedbizopps.gov/

Solicitation No.: - 72011518R00003 USAID/Central Asia

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD)

Contents

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES

B.3 MINIMUM ORDER GUARANTEE

B.4 MAXIMUM CONTRACT CEILING

B.5 OBLIGATED AMOUNT/ESTIMATED COST

B.6 LABOR

B.7 INDIRECT COSTS

B.8 CEILING ON INDIRECT COST RATES

B.9 FIXED-FEE CEILING (Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Task Orders Only)

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATIONS / STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 PURPOSE

C.2 BACKGROUND

C.3 OBJECTIVE

C.4 STATEMENT OF WORK

C.5 MANAGEMENT MODALITY

C.6 USAID GUIDING/CROSS-CUTTING PRINCIPLES

C.7 PERSONNEL

C.8 RESULTS

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993)

D.2 BRANDING AND MARKING POLICY

D.3 BRANDING STRATEGY

D.4 BRANDING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND MARKING PLAN

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE/RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

F.2 PERFORMANCE PERIOD

F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

F.4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

F.5 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES OR OUTPUTS

F.6 ORDERING PROCEDURES

F.7 TASK ORDER ADMINISTRATION

F.8 PERSONNEL

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 752.7003 DOCUMENTATION FOR PAYMENT (NOV 1998) (CPFF)

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

G.4 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID

G.5 PAYING OFFICE

G.6 CONTRACTOR’S PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 752.225-70 SOURCE AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 2012)

H.2 752.222-70 USAID DISABILITY POLICY (DECEMBER 2004)

H.3 SUBMISSION OF DATASETS TO THE DEVELOPMENT DATA LIBRARY (DDL) (OCT 2014)

H.4 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PERSONNEL COMPENSATION

H.5 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

H.6 AAPD 17-01 DEFENSE BASE ACT (DBA) INSURANCE FOR 2015 – 2020

H.7 LOGISTIC SUPPORT

H.8 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL

CONFERENCES (JAN 2002)

H.9 PROHIBITION OF ASSISTANCE TO DRUG TRAFFICKERS

H.10 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

H.11 GENDER CONSIDERATION

H.12 EXCHANGE VISITORS AND TRAINING

H.13 ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS SYSTEM

H.14 CONFIDENTIALITY AND OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

H.15 INHERENTLY GOVERNMENTAL AND CLOSELY ASSOCIATED FUNCTIONS

H.16 AUDITS OF SUBCONTRACTS WITH NON-U.S. ORGANIZATIONS

H.17 ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY (MAY 2016)

H.18 USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NOTIFICATION (MAY 2016)

H.19 CLOUD COMPUTING (MAY 2016)

PART II – CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES

I.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

I.2 52.203-18 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES THAT REQUIRE CERTAIN

INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS (JAN 2017)

I.3 52.222-52 EXEMPTION FROM APPLICATION OF THE SERVICE CONTRACT ACT TO

CONTRACTS FOR CERTAIN SERVICES – CERTIFICATION (MAY 2014)

I.4 752.227-14 RIGHTS IN DATA—GENERAL (OCT 2007)

I.5 52.229-8 TAXES - FOREIGN COST-REIMBURSEMENT CONTRACTS (MAR 1990)

I.6 52.244-2 SUBCONTRACTS ALT I. (JUNE 2007)

I.7 752.222-71 NONDISCRIMINATION (JUNE 2012)

I.8 752.229-71 REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (JULY 2007)

I.9 752.231-72 CONFERENCE PLANNING AND REQUIRED APPROVALS (AUGUST 2013)

I.10 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENTEXPERIENCE DOCUMENTS

(SEP 2013)

I.11 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVALS AND NOTIFICATION

REQUIREMENTS (APR 2014)

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

ACQUISITION (JULY 2014)

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 THE

OFFEROR

K.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY

REFERENCE

K.2 52.203-98 PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTING WITH ENTITIES THAT

REQUIRE CERTAIN INTERNAL CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS REPRESENTATION (APR

2015)

K.3 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (NOV 2017)

K.4 52.209-5 CERTIFICATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (OCT 2015)

K.5 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (JUL 2013)

K.6 52.209-11 REPRESENTATION BY CORPORATIONS REGARDING

DELINQUENT TAX LIABILITY OR A FELONY CONVICTION

UNDER ANY FEDERAL LAW (FEB 2016)

K.7 52.227-15 REPRESENTATION OF LIMITED RIGHTS DATA ANDRESTRICTED COMPUTER

SOFTWARE (DEC 2007)

K.8 52.230-1 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION

(OCT 2015)

K.9 52.230-7 PROPOSAL DISCLOSURE--COST ACCOUNTING PRACTICECHANGES (APR

2005) 83

K.10 INSURANCE - IMMUNITY FROM TORT LIABILITY

K.11 AUTHORIZED NEGOTIATORS

K.12 SIGNATURE

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS 85

L.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

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

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

L.4 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

L.5 DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS

L.6 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

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

SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

M.2 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.3 COST/PRICE EVALUATION

M.4 DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE RANGE

M.5 SOURCE SELECTION

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide services as described in Section C. Statement of Work

(SOW) for the USAID Learning from Evaluations and Assessments for Development (LEAD) activity.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES

This is a single- award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type Contract. The

Government will issue task orders that are either Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) or Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee

(CPFF) completion. The Government intends to make maximum use of FFP task orders. The

Contractor must furnish the services set forth in task orders consistent with the terms specified in the contract.

B.3 MINIMUM ORDER GUARANTEE

The basic Contract includes an initial obligation of funds in the amount of $25,000 to cover the minimum order guarantee. USAID is required to order and the Contractor is required to furnish the minimum order amount of services.

B.4 MAXIMUM CONTRACT CEILING

This is a single award, Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with an overall ceiling price of $8,000,000 for the USAID Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for

Development (LEAD) activity. The maximum aggregate dollar value of task orders must not exceed the Contract ceiling.

B.5 OBLIGATED AMOUNT/ESTIMATED COST

25,000The Firm-Fixed-Price for each Task Order will be negotiated based on the price to complete the work outlined in a Request for Task Order Proposal (RFTOP). After acceptance of a fixed price task order by the Contractor, the task order price will only be adjusted to reflect changes in scope or conditions governed by other clauses.

The total estimated Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) for each task order must be negotiated in accordance with the terms of the IDIQ contract. In no event may the indirect rates or fixed fee for a task order exceed the ceilings set forth in Section B of this contract. Cost must be limited to reasonable, allocable, and allowable costs determined in accordance with Federal Acquisition

Regulation (FAR) 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment and FAR 52.216-8, Fixed Fee.

Fixed Fee Payment: For any Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) task order issued under this contract, at the time of each payment of allowable costs to the Contractor, the USAID paying office ordinarily pays the Contractor a percentage of the fixed fee that directly corresponds to the percentage of allowable costs being paid. Two exceptions to fixed fee payment may apply:

(i) If the TOCO determines that this method results in paying a disproportionately higher ratio of fixed fee than the percentage of work the Contractor has completed, then the

TOCO may suspend further payment of any fixed fee until the Contractor has made sufficient progress to justify further payment, up to the agreed percentage.

(ii) In accordance with "Allowable Cost and Payment" (FAR 52.216-7) and "Fixed Fee" (FAR

52.216-8) incorporated herein, the terms and conditions of these clauses apply after total payments of fixed fee reach eighty five percent (85%) of the total fixed fee.

B.6 LABOR

(Only applicable to CPFF completion type TOs)

IDIQ central management costs will be handled through the following method:

(a) The Contracting Officer has determined that a full-time key personnel position is not necessary or required to administer the IDIQ. Contractors will not be authorized to bill

USAID directly for IDIQ management costs under this IDIQ or under task orders.

Contractors must adopt a centralized management structure that allows for recovery of

IDIQ management costs as part of its indirect costs.

(b) The workday and workweek policies and method of accounting for paid absences including holidays for the contractor and major subcontractors must be in accordance with the Contractor’s organizational policies and acceptable accounting procedures, which should be compliant with the cost principles applicable to the Contractor and the terms of this contract.

(c) All locally hired national personnel and other non-U.S. expatriates must be paid in accordance with USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR) 722.170. Salaries for individual locally-hired personnel and other non-U.S. expatriates under this Contract and any resulting subcontract must be in accordance with AIDAR 752.7007, Personnel

Compensation (July 2007), and should be based upon a combination of factors including the prevailing compensation paid to personnel performing comparable work in the cooperating country as determined by USAID and consideration of the individual’s education, work experience and recent relevant salary history.

B.7 INDIRECT COSTS

The Contract clause entitled “Allowable Cost and Payment (JUN 2013)”, FAR Subpart 52.216-7, specifies that the indirect cost rates must be established for each of the Contractor’s accounting periods which apply to this contract. Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, allowable indirect costs will be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases:

Description Rate Base Type Period

[TBD] [TBD] 1/ 1/ 1/

[TBD] [TBD] 2/ 2/ 2/

[TBD] [TBD] 3/ 3/ 3/

1/ Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

2/ Base of Application:

3/ Base of Application:

NOTE: Contractors are allowed to recoup indirect costs (Overhead, G&A, etc.) as other direct costs if it is part of the contractor’s usual accounting procedures, consistent with FAR Part 31 and the contractor’s Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA).

B.8 CEILING ON INDIRECT COST RATES

(a) For each of the Contractor’s accounting periods during the term of this contract, the parties agree as follows:

(1) The distribution base for establishment of final overhead rates is ________________.

(2) The distribution base for establishment of final G&A rates is ___________________.

(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.

(c) Reimbursement for indirect costs will be at final negotiated rates, but not in excess of the following ceiling rates for each fiscal year:

Indirect Cost Type FY 17 FY 18 FY19 FY 20 FY 21

(contractor’s FY)

1. [TBD] _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

2. [TBD] _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

3. [TBD] _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

(d) The government will not be obligated to pay any additional amount on account of indirect costs above the ceiling rates established in the contract. This advance understanding will not change any monetary ceiling, cost limitation, or obligation established in the contract.

NOTE: For Fixed-priced Task Orders, the overhead ceilings serve as a basis for negotiation only.

B.9 FIXED-FEE CEILING (Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Task Orders Only)

For each cost-reimbursement task order issued under this IDIQ, the Task Order Contracting

Officer and Contractor agree to negotiate a set dollar amount for fixed fee. In negotiating the appropriate fee, the TOCO must consider the policies and factors for establishing fee in FAR

15.404-4 as well as any applicable USAID policy on establishing a fixed fee amount. In no event, however, may the amount of fixed fee in any individual task order exceed [TBD] percent of the task order’s estimated cost, excluding fee. This fee ceiling is not applicable to Grants under

Contracts (GUCs), if any, or other costs that have a separate fee ceiling established in the contract. The fixed fee ceiling applies to the prime contract and all cost reimbursement subcontracts. The Total Estimated Cost-Plus- Fixed-Fee for each Task Order must be negotiated in accordance with the terms of this contract.

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATIONS / STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide the United States Agency for International Development

(USAID), Central Asia Mission with services of conducting external/independent special studies of various types over the course of five years. It is anticipated that this Contract will assist the

Mission and its partners and stakeholders to generate empirical data as well as foster learning and knowledge management through a participatory process in order to support stronger results and improve evidence-based programming. This, in turn, will promote more effective use of the

Agency’s development assistance resources and provide greater transparency.

C.2 BACKGROUND

Stretching from China in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, Central Asia shares a long border with Russia, China, Iran and Afghanistan. The countries of Central Asia are comprised of over 65 million people and represent diverse ethnic groups, cultures and languages. The region’s physical landscape ranges from vast steppes to high, rugged mountains; formidable deserts to large rivers;

and lakes and seas. Since independence at the turn of 1990’s, each Central Asian country has followed dramatically divergent development trajectories. While some parts of Central Asia would not be out of place in the developed world; others remain in poverty.

USAID/Central Asia is a regional mission that is comprised of five offices in four countries:

Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan; Dushanbe in Tajikistan; Ashgabat in Turkmenistan; and

Tashkent in Uzbekistan. While the Kyrgyz Republic is located in the Central Asia Region, the country hosts an independent USAID Mission that works with USAID/Central Asia Mission on discrete regional programming. Through its Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (RDCS

2015 - 2019), USAID/Central Asia’s programs partner with the governments, private sector, and people of Central Asia to expand trade and markets; enhance transboundary cooperation on energy and water management; and improve governance and social services such as basic education and selected health services. In addition, the Mission supports the U.S. Government’s

C5+1 policy priorities to increase connectivity within the region as well as between the economies and peoples of South and Central Asia — including Afghanistan — to foster greater stability and prosperity across the region.

USAID/Central Asia also works collaboratively on regional issues with partner Missions such as

USAID/Kyrgyz Republic. As the newest democracy in the former-Soviet world, and the only democracy in Central Asia, the Kyrgyz Republic faces a unique set of challenges to its stability.

The democratic system, which presents real choices to an empowered electorate and requires power-sharing among the branches of Government, has yet to prove itself to either the people or

Government. A risk remains that the country will return to the non-democratic systems of neighboring countries, as it did after the 2005 revolution. The country's 22 years of independence show a pattern of severe shocks, including natural disasters, economic crises, government instability and ethnic conflict. For the population to become resilient to these shocks the Kyrgyz

Republic will require a rapid increase in Government capacity for delivering key social services, increased inclusiveness of development achievements, and expanded economic opportunity.

Development assistance will be key to ensuring these gains are both sustainable and impactful.

USAID can build on the new Government's commitment to reform gains in democracy and the social sectors combined with relatively strong recent economic growth by applying timely assistance in concert with other donor partners, local partners, the private sector, and the people of the Kyrgyz Republic.

USAID/Central Asia is committed to key principles and practices that foster a result-oriented culture. All programs are designed and implemented by ensuring inclusiveness, environmental friendliness, appropriate use of available sciences and technologies, meaningful partnerships with public and private sectors -- especially local stakeholders, and strategic adaptive management. To continue to enhance the Mission’s performance management, it is critical for the Mission to continue to strive for accountability and learning from strategic, evidence-based information/knowledge; in line with the Agency’s Automated Directive System for Program

Cycle Operational Policy (ADS 201). In so doing, the Mission intends to establish a platform that can provide high quality and timely support/services in responding to the learning needs as well as in complying with the ADS 201, especially those related to Strategy/Project/Activity design, Evaluation, and Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA).

C.3 OBJECTIVE

The Contractor will provide high quality technical and management expertise to support

USAID/Central Asia and its partner Missions in achieving the following three objectives that are listed in descending order of their priorities:

1. To conduct various types of special studies required throughout the program cycle;

2. To support and/or provide services to the Mission’s staff as well as implementing partners (IPs) and/or stakeholders to ensure appropriate use of empirical data and evidence to improve programming at all levels; and

3. To meaningfully engage and strengthen capacity of USAID/Central Asia, relevant partners/stakeholders as well as local organizations and/or individual experts in relation to research, evaluation, and use of empirical data to improve development programming.

C.4 STATEMENT OF WORK

The Contractor is expected to provide a set of tasks/services under each of the three objectives;

covering various technical/program areas as stated in the RDCS (and beyond, as deemed appropriate). Given the varying needs of the Mission, TOs under this Contract may require the following illustrative work assignments. USAID reserves the right to order other tasks/services related to the Contract objectives that are not explicitly stated below. However, the Contractor will only be required to support the Mission in meeting its research, evaluation, and learning needs/obligations, and will not be required to deliver tasks/services that could be considered inherently governmental functions, such as monitoring data collection/reporting and data quality assessments of development assistance awards.

Objective 1: To conduct various types of special studies throughout program cycle

The Contractor will be expected to employ different types of rigorous research methods that will include experimental/quasi-experimental designs, non-conventional methods such as the Most

Significant Change, Outcome Mapping and Bellwether, and/or mixed methods to conduct various types of special studies. This could be cross-sectional and/or longitudinal studies at a range of evaluation timelines (i.e., baseline, mid-term and/or endline studies) with a quantitative and/or a qualitative approach. Illustrative tasks/services under this objective include design, implementation, management and reporting of the following:

Performance and/or impact evaluations at strategy, project and/or activity level. It could also be an evaluation(s) of specific topic(s)/issue(s) across multiple projects and/or activities.

Studies such as gender/inclusive development analysis and climate risk assessment/initial environmental examination.

Other types of special studies that are not required by the Agency but considered critical for the Mission’s learning. This may include but is not limited to situation analysis, rapid and/or formative assessment, feasibility study, different types of cost-related analysis, data collection on discrete indicators (e.g., for specific indicators used in the mission-wide performance management plan that are not derived from existing implementing mechanisms or other existing data sources), analysis/synthesis of aggregated monitoring data at project/mission level, testing of development hypothesis, and meta-analysis and/or sector assessment/ analysis.

USAID/Central Asia estimates an annual average of three to six studies of all types combined.

For all studies, the Contractor shall assemble qualified teams and use methods that meet USAID’s

Evaluation Policy and/or internationally recognized standards and ethical practices in developing and conducting research to generate the highest quality and most credible evidence that corresponds to the questions being asked; taking into consideration time, budget, and other practical considerations.

The Contractor must comply with the standards of Protection of Human Subjects in Research in accordance with the current version of ADS 200. In particular, the Contractor must do no harm and protect the privacy and confidentiality of the respondents/informants of any research/evaluation activities. All data collected (e.g., from surveys and interviews) must include only the “need to know” information, especially in case of personally identify information. The

Contractor must take extra caution and ensure that none of the data/information provided in the study reports and/or other products would be traceable to their sources where appropriate. This is not limited to directly providing names or locations of the informants/respondents in the deliverables but also any hints that may lead to identification of individuals (and/or organizations in particular cases).

Objective 2: To support/advise on appropriate use of empirical data and evidence for programming.

The Contractor will be required to support the Mission on systematic use of empirical data derived from any studies under this Contract, and beyond as deemed appropriate, to improve effectiveness as well as to shape strategic direction for future USAID programming in the Central

Asia region. This may also involve the Development Outreach and Communication (DOC) team at the Mission as necessary. Below are examples of possible services that may be required:

Support the development of plans, procedures and/or tools for systematic dissemination and use of data among the Mission staff and those of the IPs and other relevant stakeholders.

Organize, facilitate, take note and/or provide logistical support to implement effective learning platforms and/or knowledge sharing activities. For example, organize and lead presentations to disseminate findings, good practices and lessons learned from studies tasked under this Contract within and beyond USAID/Central Asia Mission; and facilitate workshops for stocktaking on and/or development of new Mission’s RDCS and produce the workshop report.

Objective 3: To strengthen capacity of USAID and its partners on conducting and utilizing research and evaluation (apply to all tasks under this IDIQ).

In line with ADS 201.3.1.2.C Program Cycle Principle on “Promote Sustainability through Local

Ownership” and ADS 201.3.5.10 that evaluations must be oriented toward reinforcing local ownership, the Contractor must engage local partners, including local beneficiaries and stakeholders, while leveraging and building local research and evaluation capacities. As part of the effort, the Contractor must form partnerships with Central Asian organizations and experts and shall maximize their engagement to accomplish the services tasked under this Contract. To be considered a “local/regional” organization, an entity must:

a) be organized under the laws of a country in the region served by this Contract;

b) have its principal place of business in the region;

c) be majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the region; and

d) be managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the region. For purposes of this Contract, ‘majority owned’ and ‘managed by’ include, without limitation, beneficiary interests and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization's managers or a majority of the organization's governing body by any means.

It is envisioned that the engagement of local/regional firms/personnel will help strengthen local/regional capacity on evaluation and research. To the extent possible and practical, all teams deployed for any TOs under this Contract must include local/regional firms/specialists with appropriate expertise in order to benefit from:

1) better access to local communities in the region;

2) improved validity and reliability of relevant studies as international experts may lack the knowledge on local/regional contexts;

3) local language skills; and

4) culturally appropriate approaches in implementing tasks assigned under the Contract.

However, deployed personnel must have not been directly involved in the implementation of projects/activities being studied and/or evaluated that could lead to bias. The roles of local/regional firms/specialists shall not be limited to data collection, but also in the design, planning, and administration of the study. It is preferable that local experts serve as the team lead.

The Contractor shall be responsible for orienting and mentoring local/regional organizations/personnel to ensure that they apply consistent and appropriate methodologies and approaches when providing services. The Contractor will also update local/regional partners on the latest USAID policies, regulations, guidance and practices related to evaluation and CLA as well as on international standards and codes of conduct for research ethics. The Contractor shall, over time, partner more frequently with key selected local/regional organizations that demonstrate potential to implement and sustain the supports/services at a national and/or regional level over the long term.

As part of the Agency’s strategy to strengthen staff capacity, USAID encourages participation of

USAID staff on the evaluation/research team when his/her participation is considered beneficial for skill development and/or for ensuring the use of the study results, and does not present a conflict of interest or a threat to validity of the study. USAID/Central Asia staff may participate, in full or in part, to any type of services delivered under this Contract, as deemed appropriate.

Level of involvement from USAID staff to the study team may range from a short field visit to learn and/or monitor the field study, to engagement in the entire study process from the design, data collection/analysis/interpretation to report writing and presentation of the study results.

USAID staff participating in evaluations must not have been involved in the management of the project/activity under evaluation.

For all evaluations, the external team members will provide a signed statement attesting to a lack of conflict of interest or describing an existing conflict of interest relative to the project or activity being evaluated.

In compliance with best practices on participatory evaluation/research, the Contractor should ensure participation by national/regional counterparts and other stakeholders – both people and institutions and also include beneficiaries – during each assignment where applicable and appropriate under guidance of relevant TOs’ Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs)/COs.

In such cases, the same principles for involvement of USAID staff shall be applied.

In any case, participation of individuals other than those deployed by the Contractor shall be concurred by the TO’s COR to clarify and ensure their level of commitment to the activity, avoid conflict of interest, and/or reduce the management burden to the Contractor’s teams. All members of the evaluation team will work under the leadership of the external Team Lead assigned by the

Contractor.

C.5 MANAGEMENT MODALITY

General: The contractor will bear primary responsibility for personnel, reporting, and other management related requirements of the contract. The contractor will provide all necessary logistical support, including but not limited to travel arrangements (with required USAID clearances), translation services, computer support, team planning facilitation, report editing, and dissemination.

Implementation of the base IDIQ and TOs is to be managed by the IDIQ Manager and his/her team, in close consultation with the IDIQ’s COR and/or TOCORs from respective

Offices/Missions. S/he may sub-contract specialized services as necessary.

The Contractor must maintain a full-time IDIQ Manager for the term of the Contract to manage the entire Contract and ensure that quality standards and schedules are met for all tasks. The IDIQ

Manager will define and manage overall Contract requirements including staffing as well as cost and quality control of all tasks and assignments undertaken to achieve this Contract’s objectives.

For all TOs, the Contractor shall recruit and deploy specialized technical and/or support staff, as outlined in the TOs. Priority must be given to local/regional specialists or subcontracts with local/regional organizations with appropriate expertise in order to benefit from: 1) better access to local communities in the region; 2) improved validity and reliability of relevant studies as international experts may lack the knowledge on local/regional contexts; 3) language skills; and

4) culturally appropriate approaches in implementing M&E activities. It is envisioned that the engagement of local/regional personnel will help strengthen local/regional capacity on M&E, research, and program reporting. It is strongly desired that local field personnel (e.g. field monitors and surveyors) come directly from the respective geographical regions. However, deployed personnel must have not been directly involved in the implementation of projects/activities being studied and/or evaluated that could lead to bias.

All services provided under this contract must comply with Agency policy, procedures, and related guidance for strategic planning and operations performance monitoring as contained in the

Automated Directive System (ADS), Agency Notices, and other guidance.

IDIQ Management. Upon the successful award, the IDIQ’s COR will organize an orientation to the Mission’s organizational structure, management and coordination protocol/procedure, and

M&E systems and processes. The orientation will also involve individual meetings with relevant staff, e.g., Gender Advisor and Environmental Compliance Officer. The primary objective of the orientation is to help the Contractor to gain a better understanding of the Mission’s portfolio, requirements, and culture and work environment.

The IDIQ’s COR will provide an annual evaluation, research and learning plan, and its modifications if any, as soon as it becomes available.

The Contractor shall regularly consult (via conference call or in person) with the IDIQ’s COR to report progress and results of services under this Contract as well as to share challenges faced and ways to mitigate them. The frequency of communication with the IDIQ COR will be determined by the COR after the Contract is signed.

Task Order Management: For all TOs, the Contractor shall recruit and deploy specialized technical and/or support staff, as outlined in individual TOs. The Contractor must provide direct services and operational oversight to fulfill all requirements of all TOs while ensuring the quality and timeliness of the services delivered. The Contractor shall be responsible for all administrative support and furnishing all logistic support required to fulfill the requirements of all TOs under this

Contract (e.g., international/regional/domestic travel and visa arrangements).

Upon the successful award, the TO’s COR may organize a post-award briefing to help the

Contractor to gain a better understanding of the TO’s goal and objective(s) and the Mission’s expectation on the TO results, as well as to provide an opportunity for the Contractor to clarify their understanding on the TO requirements.

The Contractor shall be expected to meet with the TO’s COR or his/her designee to review the status of the services on a monthly basis (via conference call or in person). Other relevant individuals from the Mission, IPs and/or key stakeholders may also be invited to the meeting as deemed appropriate.

To ensure objectivity and independency, especially for evaluations, the Contractor must not directly correspond or communicate with USAID staff and/or those of the IPs or other stakeholders other than those concurred by the IDIQ’s/TO’s COR/CO. When communication with those who do not have direct roles on the evaluation is required, the Contractor shall keep the TO’s COR in the communication loop. If approached by individuals who do not have direct roles on implementing the evaluation, the Contractor shall direct the individuals to and immediately inform the TO’s COR/CO.

Specific requirements other than specified above shall be identified in individual TOs.

Other Requirements:

i. Language requirements: English will be an official language for correspondence between the Contractor, USAID, and most relevant partners/stakeholders. All written products delivered under this Contract must be in Standard English. However, it is anticipated that

Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian, Tajik, Turkmen and Uzbek languages will also be used extensively, particularly during field data collection and communications with selected civil society and beneficiary groups. The Contractor will ensure that the team member(s) deployed have the required language proficiency to effectively implement the assigned tasks. In limited circumstance, understanding of key languages commonly used in

Pakistan and Afghanistan may also be required.

ii. Visas/Host Government Clearances: It is the Contractor’s responsibility to obtain visas for conducting activities, which may have long lead times. The Contractor shall consider alternative and/or innovative approaches for working in restrictive environments when planning/implementing activities in Central Asia.

iii. Ad Hoc Requests: USAID Mission in Kyrgyzstan may have ad hoc requests over the life of the IDIQ.

[Country background]: As the newest democracy in the former-Soviet world, and the only democracy in Central Asia, the Kyrgyz Republic faces a unique set of challenges to its stability. The democratic system, which presents real choices to an empowered electorate and requires power-sharing among the branches of Government, has yet to prove itself to either the people or Government. A risk remains that the country will return to the non-democratic systems of neighboring countries, as it did after the 2005 revolution. The country's 22 years of independence show a pattern of severe shocks, including natural disasters, economic crises, government instability and ethnic conflict. For the population to become resilient to these shocks the Kyrgyz Republic will require a rapid increase in

Government capacity for delivering key social services, increased inclusiveness of development achievements, and expanded economic opportunity. Development assistance will be key to ensuring these gains are both sustainable and impactful. USAID can build on the new Government's commitment to reform gains in democracy and the social sectors combined with relatively strong recent economic growth by applying timely assistance in concert with other donor partners, local partners, the private sector, and the people of the

Kyrgyz Republic.

C.6 USAID GUIDING/CROSS-CUTTING PRINCIPLES

In addition to applying USAID’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning policy per ADS 201.3.5, the Contractor shall apply the following guiding principles during the Contract implementation provided below. In addition, for conducting evaluations, the Contractor shall abide by USAID’s

Evaluation Policy (https://www.usaid.gov/evaluation/policy).

Proactive coordination. USAID/Central Asia’s work regularly involves extensive coordination with the USAID/Central Asia Mission’s Country Offices, IPs and other stakeholders. In addition to the USAID Country Offices, the Mission maintains regular coordination with U.S. Embassies and Consulates in order to avoid duplication with any bilateral projects/activities identify opportunities to add value, and ensure smooth relations and communications with the host country governments and other stakeholders in the Region.

The ability to engage across all technical, support and country offices of the USAID/Central Asia

Mission, including IPs and other stakeholders, is critical for the success of this Contract. This engagement will provide an opportunity for the Contractor to develop a comprehensive understanding of challenges and opportunities across the entire portfolio, and foster a more collaborative working relationship with both USAID and external staff. When implementing activities, at a minimum, the Contractor shall follow the Mission’s protocol/procedure for coordination and communication with country offices and other counterparts in the region, engage them in all activities from the inception stage to ensure their inputs in the activity design, provide advance notice about upcoming activities in any country, and conduct briefings with staff of

USAID, U.S. Embassy and/or other partners/stakeholders during each assignment in the relevant countries, as required.

https://www.usaid.gov/evaluation/policy

Specific coordinating activities, in addition to the above, will be identified in individual TOs.

Gender equality and female empowerment. As noted in the RDCS, ensuring opportunities for women’s participation and leadership in decision-making at all levels of society has not been fully realized. As relevant, the Contractor must promote women’s participation and work to empower women in decision-making processes to ensure maximum opportunities to gain access to information, benefits, and reforms that can bring strategic changes to their status, and to gender relations. Relevant interventions or insights implemented by the Contractor must be responsive to gender considerations, and seek to ensure that the assistance provided and the results achieved are beneficial to both genders. None of the interventions must inhibit the active participation of either men or women. Men and women must be treated as equal partners in their role as clients, as providers of services, and as partners of USAID.

Promoting nondiscrimination and inclusive development in USAID-funded programs.

USAID seeks to improve the lives of all citizens around the world by becoming more inclusive in our development efforts and by ensuring that all persons have access to and reap the benefits of our programming. In so doing, USAID recognizes that every person is instrumental in the transformation of their own societies, with the end result that each and every citizen is recognized and equally valued. The inclusion, protection, and empowerment of all persons is critical because drawing on the full contributions of the entire population leads to more effective, comprehensive, and sustainable development results. Everyone who works with USAID – staff and implementing partners alike -- is expected to uphold principles of inclusion and equitable access to USAID-funded programming. As such, USAID programs, as documented in the RDCS, should work to remove discriminatory barriers to access in order to ensure that a person’s identity does not inhibit their ability to engage in USAID-funded programs. The process for collecting insights to inform programs should be one that is inclusive, taking into account diverse perspectives.

C.7 PERSONNEL

The services under this IDIQ require the personnel specified below. If the required expertise for individual TOs has not been captured in the relevant labor categories, USAID reserves the right to add new labor categories at a later date.

All personnel are required to keep abreast of USAID’s policies and guidance (i.e. USAID

Automated Directives System (ADS) Chapters 200 and 300) including but not limited to:

i. Program Cycle Guidance,

ii. Project Design Guidance,

iii. Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy, and

All short-/long-term personnel deployed under TOs are expected to be familiar with

Country/Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (C/RDCS), as well as their areas of expertise in the Central Asian contexts. Depending on TO requirements, they must have appropriate and up-to-date technical knowledge and expertise related to their technical areas.

Below are specific labor/personnel categories to be on call, if needed:

IDIQ Manager: The Contractor must designate an IDIQ Manager as the primary point of contact whom USAID may contact for procedural and substantive matters. The IDIQ Manager is the principal liaison between the IDIQ COR and the contractor related to IDIQ matters. This person will serve as the Contractor’s principal subject matter expert. This person will continuously monitor all aspects of contract activities, and recommend adjustments when necessary. The IDIQ

Manager will also ensure fulfillment of the IDIQ reporting requirements in Section F.

The IDIQ Manager position will be funded through indirect costs, except as they are assigned to and paid directly under specific Task Orders. The Contractor must not bill USAID directly for

IDIQ management costs under this IQIQ or under task orders. Contractors should define a centralized management structure that allows for recovery of IDIQ management costs as part of its indirect costs.

Evaluation Specialist, Principal Investigator, Research Specialist: Depending on TO requirements, these Specialists must have appropriate technical knowledge and expertise related to their technical areas. This will range from design, plan, implementation, and management of various research/evaluation methodologies. S/he shall be familiar with global and regional development contexts and indicators/indexes. The Specialists may also be required to advise/mentor other team members on these subjects.

Statistician or Data Analyst: The personnel shall be capable to conduct data cleaning, management and analysis which will likely include also advanced statistical analysis, especially in the case of impact evaluation. S/he must have advanced skills in using common quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis software such as SPSS-X2, Stata, ATLAS-ti, and NVivo. The

Analyst may also be requested to provide customized training and/or to provide technical assistance related to their expertise to other team members.

Economic & Trade, Private Sector, Public Finance Specialist/Analyst: The

Specialist/Analyst must have demonstrated knowledge and experience with development indicators/indexes relevant to their areas of expertise. S/he must be familiar with the USAID

Policy, especially on effective partnerships. In addition to trade facilitation for improved connectivity and competitiveness, s/he may be required to conduct various types of cost-related analyses for any technical sectors.

Regional Energy Markets Specialist/Analyst: The Specialist/Analyst must have demonstrated knowledge and experience with regional energy markets and preferably be familiar with U.S.

Government’s initiatives/guidance/strategies related to Central and South Asia energy connectivity, such as C5+1 and the New Silk Road.

Agriculture, Food Security Specialist/Analyst: The Specialist/Analyst must have demonstrated knowledge and experience international agriculture development. .The Specialist/Analyst must be familiar with the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, the United Nation’s Food and

Agricultural Organization’s best practices and guidance on agriculture and nutrition, as well as the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future and Food for Peace Initiatives.

Environmental Specialist/Analyst: The Specialist/Analyst must have knowledge and experience in environmental programming, including resource management and environmental monitoring and mitigation, and be familiar with relevant global and USAID’s policies/guidance on environmental compliance.

Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Specialist/Analyst: The Specialist/Analyst must have demonstrated knowledge and experience in democracy and governance programs with specific experience in media and disinformation, civil society, good governance, rule of law,, human rights, trafficking/labor migration, and countering violent extremism, knowledge of the

U.S. Government’s policies/guidance/strategies in these areas, and preferably an understanding of the policies and laws of Central Asian countries.

Health, Population, Nutrition Specialist: The Specialist must have demonstrated understanding of the global, Central Asia regional, World Health Organization’s and U.S. Government’s initiatives/guidance on his/her relevant subject of expertise such as President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the U.S. government’s Feed the Future Initiative, the USG’s Global

Tuberculosis Strategy, Maternal Child Health, Nutrition, and Health System Strengthening including health financing and reform.

Education Specialist: The Specialist/Analyst must demonstrate experience in educational leadership and service delivery particularly through previous engagement in developing and/or evaluating school curricula, in-service/pre-service course delivery, summative and formative assessments, core and supplementary instructional materials, and/or instructional innovations in the fields of basic education, vocational education, tertiary education, and higher education, preferably within the Central Asian context as related and appropriate to the specific TO. The

Specialist may also be requested to provide technical assistance on the design, implementation, and M&E of education programs and/or integrated youth programming.

Gender Specialist: The Specialist may be asked to; a) design strategies, projects and activities that address gender equality gaps and improve development outcomes, and b) incorporate appropriate gender-sensitive indicators/questions to evaluate the effect of development assistance and/or to identify gaps. S/he may also be requested to provide customized technical assistance on gender analyses on specific sector and/or country.

Organizational Capacity Development Specialist: The Specialist must be familiar with the

USAID, especially that of local systems solutions and other internationally practiced strategies, approaches, tools, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of local capacity.

Social & Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Specialist: The Specialist must be familiar with various SBCC theories and their applications in various types of beneficiaries and technical/programmatic areas as listed in the labor categories above. S/he must also be familiar with and able to appropriately apply the SBCC theories/approaches to the diverse and unique

Central Asian context.

Disability, Vulnerable Populations, Youth, Other Cross-cutting Technical Specialist: The

Specialist on cross-cutting issues such as disability, youth, and vulnerable populations may be asked to provide their expertise if the project/program to be designed/assessed/evaluated directly addresses these issues and/or if USAID would like to examine these…