72016520R00001 RFP.pdf

Request for Proposals (RFP) No.: 72016520R00001 Issue Date: January 22, 2020 Deadline for Submission of Questions (Round 1): February 03, 2020. COB Skopje Time Answers to round one questions: February 14, 2020 Deadline for Submission of Questions (Round 2):

February 24, 2020. COB Skopje Time

Answers to round two questions: March 03, 2020 Closing Date: March 23, 2020 Closing Time: 16:00 PM, Skopje Time

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) No.: 72016520R00001- -Strengthening Resource Mobilization Activity (SRMA)

The United States Agency for International Development in North Macedonia (USAID/North Macedonia) seeks proposals to carry out a five-year activity, to work with municipalities to measurably increase municipal own-source resources and external funds and increase their budget execution rate in compliance with the Government of North Macedonia’s (GoNM) budgeting and reporting requirements. The Activity will work with local and central governments to 1) enhance the quality of municipal tax and fee collection systems; 2) increase municipalities’ capacity to access external resources from the national government or international organizations’ funds and/or capital markets and banks; and 3) improve municipalities’ ability to plan, manage and implement public sector revenues in compliance with GoNM’s regulations. Subject to availability of funds, USAID/North Macedonia plans to award a single contract to one successful offeror with an estimated cost of approximately $4-7 million, inclusive of fees, through a full and open competition.

Offerors are invited to submit a proposal in accordance with the requirements of the enclosed RFP.

Proposals must be received by USAID no later than the date and local time stated above and in this RFP. USAID requires that offers remain valid for a minimum of 180 days.

Offerors should read the entire solicitation, which includes all pertinent technical sections and the terms, conditions and instructions required for submitting a proposal. Prior to the submission of proposals, any amendments to this solicitation will be made available through the Government port of entry at http://www.fbo.gov. It is the offeror’s responsibility to check this site periodically for official updates and amendments to the solicitation. This solicitation 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 in response hereto. Furthermore, USAID reserves the right to reject any and all offers, if such action is considered to be in the best interest of USAID.

There is not an incumbent to this work. The authorized geographic code for this procurement is 937 and the NAICS code is 541 -- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services/541990 -- All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services.

Please submit all Round 1 questions regarding this RFP no later than stipulated in the top of the page. The answers will be provided in the solicitation conference and Round 2 questions no later than stipulated in the top of the page. Please Submit the questions to Florentin Emini, Acquisition and Assistance Specialist at femini@usaid.gov, with cc to Rade Knezevic, Acquisition and Assistance Specialist, at rknezevic@usaid.gov.

http://www.fbo.gov/ mailto:femini@usaid.gov mailto:rknezevic@usaid.gov

72016520R00001

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD

4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER

7. ISSUED BY CODE 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than Item 7)

ORDER UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NUMBER

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

SEALED BID (IFB)

5. DATE ISSUED

1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED RATING PAGE OF PAGES

1 1

C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

EXT.NUMBERAREA CODE

B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS)A. NAME

10. FOR

INFORMATION

CALL:

CAUTION: LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: See Section L, Provision No. 52.214-7 or 52.215-1. All offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

(Date)(Hour) local timeuntildepository located in copies for furnishing the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in Item 8, or if hand carried, in the

SOLICITATION

9. Sealed offers in original and

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

INSTRS., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

CONTRACT CLAUSES

PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

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J

K

L

M SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

PACKAGING AND MARKING

DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSESPART I - THE SCHEDULE

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SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) (X) DESCRIPTION SEC. (X)

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

18. OFFER DATE17. SIGNATURE

SUCH ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE.

IS DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE - ENTER

15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS

EXT.NUMBERAREA CODE

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER

(Type or print)AND

ADDRESS

OF

OFFEROR

CODE FACILITY

16. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER15A. NAME

DATEAMENDMENT NO.DATEAMENDMENT NO.

and related documents numbered and dated):

amendments to the SOLICITATION for offerors

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AMENDMENTS

CALENDAR DAYS (%)30 CALENDAR DAYS (%)20 CALENDAR DAYS (%)10 CALENDAR DAYS (%)

(See Section I, Clause No. 52.232.8)

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

by the offeror) from the date for receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item, delivered at the

NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

IMPORTANT - Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

28. AWARD DATE

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

CODE 24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7)

ITEM

(4 copies unless otherwise specified)

23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN

41 U.S.C. 253 (c) ( 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c) (

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION:

21. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION20. AMOUNT19. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED

AWARD (To be completed by government)

CODE

01/21/2020 X

720165

USAID/North Macedonia Samoilova 21 Skopje North Macedonia 00000

1600 B 03/23/2020

Florentin Emini +38 73ext142 femini@usaid.gov

138-2436

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PAGE(S)

Edward Acevedo

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

Previous edition is unusable

STANDARD FORM 33 (Rev. 9-97)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.214(c)

1-2 2-4

8-19 20-24 25-45

46-51

91-101

53-64

65-85

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12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within _____0_________ calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted

RFP NO.: 72016520R00001

Strengthening Resource Mobilization Activity

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PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide the services and deliverables that fall within the Performance Work Statement (PWS) specified in Section C for the North Macedonia Strengthening Resource Mobilization Activity.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE

This is a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) Completion type contract. For the consideration set forth below, the Contractor must achieve the performance objectives and deliverables or outputs described in Sections C and F, in accordance with performance standards specified in Section E, and otherwise comply with all 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 fee is $___________. The fixed fee is $__________. The estimated cost plus fixed fee is $________.

(b) 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 $_________. The Contractor must not exceed the aforesaid obligated amount.

(c) Funds obligated hereunder are anticipated to be sufficient through {TBD based on the date of award}.

B.4 BUDGET

The total cost plus fixed fee (stated below) for the budget categories specified below may not be adjusted without a modification to the contract signed by the Contracting Officer. No amounts in excess of the amounts specified for each cost category will be billed against the Contract.

Description Total Direct Costs Subcontracts Indirect Costs Fixed Fee

TOTAL ESTIMATED COST

PLUS FIXED FEE

(a) The inclusion of any costs in the above budget does not obviate the requirement for prior

2 | P a g e 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 (see FAR 52.216- 7, “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, the Contractor must not adjust these amounts without a written modification signed by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor must not bill any amounts against this contract in excess of the amounts specified for each line item.

(b) The Contractor agrees to furnish data that the Contracting Officer may request on costs expended or accrued under this contract.

(c) Without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer, the Contractor must not exceed the total estimated cost set forth in the budget or the total obligated amount, whichever is less.

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS

Pending the establishment of a 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* Period** Rate Base***

* Description or type of rate indicated as a percentage, e.g., G&A ** Period, e.g., CY 2009 *** Base, e.g., Direct Labor for Labor Overhead

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.

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 52.216-8, Fixed Fee, if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003, Documentation for Payment.

B.7 MULTI‐YEAR CONTRACT

The Contract is subject to the requirements of FAR 17.106. However, this is a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) type contract where the contractor is authorized to be reimbursed for all costs which are allowable in accordance with FAR 52.216‐7, “Allowable Costs and Payment.” Therefore, the contractor will not incur any costs which would have been amortized over the life of the Contract should the Contract be cancelled in accordance with FAR 52.217‐2. The cancellation ceiling for

3 | P a g e each cancellation date is $0 and there is no requirement to include cancellation dates in the contract.

B.8 PAYMENT OF FEE

The Contractor may earn and be paid all or a portion of the total fee based on performance under this contract. Payment of the Contractor’s fee is tied to the accomplishment of performance objectives and deliverables or outputs described in Sections C, D, and F that are specified in Table 1 below. The Contractor will be paid the amount of fee specified for each denoted performance objective, deliverable, or output set forth in the table below upon acceptance by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). Full fee payment is dependent upon full completion of the contract, as demonstrated by attainment of all deliverables. Payment of the fixed fee for each target is dependent upon the Contractor meeting each target for that year, as specified in the table below and as determined by the COR. If the Contractor does not reach the target, the Contractor will not be paid any of the fee specified for that target, as full contract completion will not have been demonstrated. USAID reserves the right to engage a third party to verify results. The Contracting Officer, in consultation with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and at the request of the Contractor, may modify the fee schedule, including targets or dates, based upon changes in underlying assumptions, the development context, or other extenuating circumstances.

Additionally, dates are meant to be illustrative and are flexible within reason, as determined by the

COR.

Payment of fixed fee will be in accordance with FAR 52.216-8.

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Table 1 – Fee Payment Schedule

Indicator s/Targets

Ye ar Ta rge t

Year 1 Fee

Year 2 Target

Year 2 Fee

Year 3 Target

Year 3 Fee

Year 4 Target

Year 4 Fee

Year 5 Target

Year 5 Fee

Objective 1:

Objective 2:

Objective 3:

Objective 4:

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C – PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

[USAID will insert the Contractor’s Performance Work Statement (PWS) at award; see Attachment J.1 for the Statement of Objectives that informs the development of Section C.]

[END OF SECTION C]

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SECTION D-PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993)

(a) It is USAID policy that USAID-financed commodities and shipping containers, and project construction sites and other project locations be suitably marked with the USAID emblem.

Shipping containers are also to be marked with the last five digits of the USAID financing document number. As a general rule, marking is not required for raw materials shipped in bulk (such as coal, grain, etc.), or for semi-finished products which are not packaged.

(b) Specific guidance on marking requirements should be obtained prior to procurement of commodities to be shipped, and as early as possible for project construction sites and other project locations. This guidance will be provided through the cognizant technical office indicated on the cover page of this contract, or by the Mission Director in the Cooperating Country to which commodities are being shipped, or in which the project site is located.

(c) Authority to waive marking requirements is vested with the Regional Assistant Administrators, and with Mission Directors.

(d) A copy of any specific marking instructions or waivers from marking requirements is to be sent to the Contracting Officer; the original should be retained by the Contractor.

D.2 BRANDING AND MARKING

The Contractor must comply with the requirements of the policy directives and required procedures outlined in USAID Automated Directive System (ADS) 320.3.2 “Branding and Marking in USAID Direct Contracting” (version from January 2, 2015) at https://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/320 and USAID "Graphic Standards Manual" available at http://www.usaid.gov/branding/gsm, or any successor branding policy.

The Branding Strategy for this contract is attached hereto as Attachment J.2.

[END OF SECTION D]

https://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/320

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR "52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract. See http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html for electronic access to the full text of a clause.

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR Chapter 1)

NUMBER TITLE DATE____

52.246-5 INSPECTION OF SERVICES--COST-REIMBURSEMENT APR 1984

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports and other required deliverables or outputs will take place at the principle place of performance or at any other location where the services are performed and reports and deliverables or outputs are produced or submitted. The COR referenced in Section G has been delegated authority to inspect and accept all services, reports, and required deliverables or output.

E.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)/MONITORING AND

EVALUATION PLAN

The progress, success, and impact of the Contractor’s performance under this contract will be monitored and evaluated as a part of the overall activity results. The quality assurance surveillance plan is referred to as the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (MEL Plan). The MEL Plan should be utilized in order to assess the impact of the activity and whether or not objectives are being achieved and if they should be adjusted. The MEL Plan is intended to be a “living” document that should be reviewed and updated on an annual basis as specified in Section F.6(a) below. The MEL Plan sets forth the specific performance goals for the contract and can be modified at any time by the Contracting Officer’s Representative to reflect changing priorities and circumstances.

[END OF SECTION E]

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SECTION F– DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR "52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract. See http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html for electronic access to the full text of a clause.

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR Chapter 1)

NUMBER TITLE DATE_____

52.242-15 STOP-WORK ORDER APR 1989

ALTERNATE I APR 1984

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance for the contract is five years from the effective date of the contract through ____________.

(a) It is the Contractor's responsibility to ensure that any Contracting Officer-approved adjustments to the original estimated completion date do not result in costs incurred that exceed the ceiling price of this Contract. Under no circumstances will such adjustments authorize the Contractor to be paid any sum in excess of the Contract amount.

(b) Adjustments that will cause the elapsed time for completion of the work to exceed the original estimated completion date by more than 15 calendar days must be approved in advance by the Contracting Officer.

F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The Contractor must perform the services described in Section C in North Macedonia.

F.4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND EVALUATION

USAID will evaluate the Contractor’s performance in accordance with FAR 42.15, corresponding USAID procedures, and the Contractor’s adherence to the Annual Work Plan, reporting against its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan, and quality of reports described in Section F.6 below. Evaluation of the Contractor’s overall performance will be conducted jointly by the COR and the Contracting Officer, and will form the basis of the Contractor's permanent performance record with regard to this contract.

The Contractor’s performance information determined to be relevant will be evaluated in accordance with the elements below:

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• Technical quality of product or service, including consistency in meeting goals and targets.

• Cost control, including forecasting costs as well as accuracy in financial reporting, ensuring that unnecessarily expensive technical assistance is not used when lower cost, equally qualified advisors are available, and pacing the expenditure of level of effort such that contract deliverables and outputs can be produced within budget.

• Timeliness of performance, including adherence to contract schedules and other time-sensitive activity conditions, and effectiveness of home and field office management to make prompt decisions and ensure efficient completion of tasks.

• Management or business relations, addressing the history of professional behavior and overall business-like concern for the interests of the customer, including coordination among subcontractors and developing country partners, cooperative attitude in remedying problems, and timely completion of all administrative requirements.

F.5 KEY PERSONNEL

(a) The key personnel that the Contractor must furnish for the performance of this contract are as follows:

1. Chief of Party; and

2. TBD [Additional positions included in the successful Offeror's proposal will be included at the time of award]

Proficiency in English is required for all key personnel and local professional in-country staff members. The following guidance for each of the key personnel positions are set forth below. The main requirement is that key personnel, taken as a whole, and considering the overall management structure, have the skills to effectively implement the activity. In addition, they must have demonstrated ability to establish and sustain professional relationships with host country government counterparts, and have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

1. Chief of Party (COP) The primary responsibilities of the COP are to provide overall leadership, management and general technical direction of the entire activity, ensuring an integrated vision among different components and actors, and a focus on achieving the results defined in the contract. The COP must identify issues and risks related to activity implementation in a timely manner, and suggest appropriate activity adjustments. This individual must act as the key liaison between USAID/North Macedonia and all other counterparts, implementing partners, and Government of North Macedonia officials involved with the activity. The COP serves as a key liaison with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Local Self Government, and other relevant institutions. The position requires significant coordination skills, technical knowledge, and experience to ensure coherence and consistency in urgent deadlines. Experience in developing countries, particularly experience in Balkans, is preferred.

Desired Qualifications for the COP:

- A Master’s degree in public administration, finance, international relations or other related field and 10 years of senior management experience with progressively increasing responsibilities managing development projects, or 15 years of senior management experience to substitute the education requirement;

- Proven success in working with non-donor actors to mobilize/leverage resources for development activities preferred;

- Experience working with senior government officials and building consensus among diverse actors;

- Experience managing complex USG contracts and agreements preferred;

- Experience in public financial management and/or decentralizations;

- Proven history of promoting sustainability in development activities;

- Familiarity with local context and decentralization efforts in North Macedonia preferred; and

- Fluency in English required, and Macedonian highly encouraged.

F.6 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES

In addition to the requirements set forth for submission of reports in Sections I and in accordance with AIDAR clause 752.242-70, Periodic Progress Reports, the Contractor must submit reports, deliverables, or outputs as further described below to the COR (referenced in Section G).

Additionally, the Contractor must deliver the targets stated in Section B.8. The Contractor is also responsible for submitting the following deliverables and obtaining the approval of the COR.

The following reports and plans are required. All written documentation (correspondence, reports, information sheets, etc.) for submission by the Contractor to USAID/North Macedonia must be in English. In addition to the reports outlined below and those elsewhere specified, the Contractor may be required to respond quickly to ad hoc information requests with short deadlines.

F.6(a) Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan

The MEL Plan will elaborate how the Contractor and USAID will monitor progress, evaluate performance and/or impact, and how the activity intends to learn from the implementation and use the lessons learned to adapt its programing. The MEL Plan will contain a section on “Monitoring,” a section on “Evaluation,” and a section on “Learning.”

The Monitoring section will specify indicators, targets, and monitoring methodologies that allow the Contractor and USAID/North Macedonia to track the progress of activity interventions towards achieving the expected results and targets related to activity objectives.

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The Evaluation section will describe how activities will be assessed at the performance and/or impact level, and include a schedule and tools for periodic evaluation/re-evaluation and revision of the approach if and as necessary.

The Learning section will describe how knowledge and learning will be gained from implementation, evaluation findings, and monitoring data, to adjust interventions and approaches, as needed.

Measuring specific outputs, outcomes and impacts will facilitate better understanding of which approaches are working under which conditions, and which interventions need to be refined or strengthened within each of the respective components of the activity. Potential changes in targets may occur due to unforeseen events. Should this occur, the Contracting Officer will consider changes to the fee schedule in Section B.8.

The contents of the MEL Plan will be proposed by the Contractor and approved by the COR. To the extent feasible, MEL will be conducted through or with the participation of local partners in order to build capacity. For each indicator proposed in the MEL Plan, the Contractor must complete a performance indicator reference sheet (PIRS) containing information such as indicator definition, rationale, baseline, data source, reporting frequency, disaggregation etc. Proposed indicators must meet USAID data quality standards for validity, integrity, precision, reliability, and timeliness as described in ADS 201.3.5.8 (https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/201.pdf). In line with USAID gender guidelines the Contractor must collect and report sex disaggregated data.

The MEL Plan must be completed on the following schedule:

• The Contractor must submit the MEL Plan to the COR by no later than 60 days after the effective date of the Contract;

• USAID will provide comments on the MEL Plan no later than 75 days after the effective date of the Contract; and

• The Contractor must submit the final MEL Plan to the COR for USAID approval by no later than 90 days after the effective date of the Contract.

For the four subsequent years, the annual updates to the MEL Plan must be completed on the following schedule:

• The Contractor must submit the updated MEL Plan to the COR no later than August 16 of the corresponding year;

• USAID will provide comments on the updated MEL Plan no later than September 1 of the corresponding year; and

• The Contractor must submit the final updated MEL Plan to the COR for USAID approval by no later than September 15 of the corresponding year.

F.6(a).1 Outcome and Output Monitoring

The Contractor is required use the following indicators in its MEL Plan:

• Describe a robust and cost-effective Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) system, including a strategy to collect and monitor data, a data quality assurance strategy, https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/201.pdf and any proposed collaboration or capacity-building on MEL with local partners involved in activity implementation;

• Include a strategy for building the capacity of Government of North Macedonia for collecting, managing, and reporting;

• Provide a framework for monitoring progress toward achieving each of the technical objectives;

• Explain the rationale for the proposed program results, indicators, and targets over the life of the activity;

• Describe approaches to collaboration with research and evaluation partners, as well as an internal MEL system that allows for mid-course corrections and adaptations to approaches as needed;

• Include potential sources of information that the Offeror considers appropriate, reliable, and available to monitor the SRMA activity;

• Describe the Offeror’s strategy for supporting data-driven management of SRMA to clarify and focus activity objectives and serve as an early warning system, forecasting, and reporting tool; and

• In addition to any process or output indicator, include outcome level indicators that will clearly measure and indicate the achievement of key results.

The Contractor must use standard or custom gender indicators as appropriate and all people-level indicators must be sex-disaggregated. Contractor monitoring must allow for ongoing assessments of progress toward numeric targets and must guide activity course corrections. The targets for each year will be negotiated with USAID based on an agreed phasing plan and/or baseline data. Further guidance will be provided by the COR and the M&E Specialist in the USAID/Program Office and must be incorporated by the Contractor into the annual Work Plan and MEL Plan, as well as any associated discussions. The Contractor must, as a routine part of program monitoring, track and report cost-related data for each of the program elements.

F.6(a).2 Performance Evaluation

USAID/North Macedonia will contract an independent midterm performance evaluation which will be managed by USAID. Funds for this evaluation are outside the budget for the Contract, and evaluation will be conducted by a third-party contractor contracted and managed by USAID. This evaluation will meet all the high- quality evaluation criteria as described in USAID’s Evaluation Policy (the link for this policy: http://www.usaid.gov/evaluation/policy). The Contractor must provide any documentation or other information required to assist with the evaluation or monitoring mission, and grant access rights.

A final evaluation might be considered based on the results of the midterm evaluation, and regular monitoring of the activity.

F.6(b) Annual Work Plan

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The Contractor must develop annual work plans to be approved in content and format by the COR, consistent with the schedule set forth below. The Contractor must develop work plans in consultation and collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including relevant financial institutions, non-financial institutions, and relevant USAID funded partners.

During implementation of the work plan, the Contractor may be asked by the COR to revise the annual work plan. The work plans will list activities grouped according to the three primary objectives identified in Section C of this solicitation.

The Contractor must indicate the following for each component:

• Anticipated start and end dates;

• Anticipated life-of-activity funding broken down by quarter, with detailed budgets as specified by the COR;

• A listing of the principal counterparts for each proposed intervention;

• A description and estimate of the amounts of short-term technical expertise, training and other support resources required to provide the assistance proposed;

• Performance indicator(s);

• Baselines for each performance indicator; and

• Specific deliverables required by component and the due date for that deliverable.

The work plans must describe in narrative form the activity rationale (meaning the development hypothesis) and expected outputs for all proposed interventions during the period of implementation. The Contractor must include a discussion of relationships with other SRMA interventions, and activities performed by other stakeholders (i.e., other USAID implementing partners, other donor funded partners, GOR activities, etc.) that are necessary for the accomplishment of higher level results, if any. The work plan must also include a discussion of how the Contractor will address other cross-cutting areas such as gender and sustainability.

As an annex to the work plan, the Contractor must submit a plan for coordination and integration with other partners. In this plan, the Contractor must include a description of the approach that it will use to ensure coordination, collaboration, and information sharing with other USAID activities, U.S. Government Agencies, other international donors, the GOR, including district governments, and private sector stakeholders and civil society organizations, including any costs associated with such coordination.

The work plans must be completed based on the following schedule. For the first year, the Contractor must begin working on the annual work plan for Year 1 of the Contract within 30 days of the effective date of the Contract. This plan must be completed on the following schedule:

• The Contractor must submit the draft work plan to the COR by no later than 60 days after the effective date of the Contract;

• USAID will provide comments on the draft work plan no later than 75 days after the effective date of the Contract; and

• The Contractor must submit the final work plan to the COR for USAID approval by no later than 90 days after the effective date of the Contract.

For the four subsequent years, the work plans must be completed on the following schedule:

• The Contractor must submit the draft work plan to the COR no later than August 16 of the corresponding year;

• USAID will provide comments on the draft work plan no later than September 1 of the corresponding year; and

• The Contractor must submit the final work plan to the COR for USAID approval by no later than September 15 of the corresponding year.

F.6(c) Quarterly and Annual Program Reports

The Contractor must provide Quarterly and Annual Program Reports pursuant to the schedule specified below. The Contractor reports must follow the format established by the COR and will include, in addition to specific information required in writing by the COR, a narrative that addresses:

• An overview of the activity during that reporting period, outlining achievements for each interim result;

• An explanation of monitoring, evaluation, and cross-cutting themes, such as gender integration, sustainability and local capacity building, and partnership engagement;

• An overview of major challenges and lessons learned during the reporting period;

• An overview of the collaborating, learning, and adapting strategy with an overview of information sharing with other partners during the reporting period and any problems encountered, agreements reached and/or actions taken to ensure effective coordination between partners;

• An overview of activity management and administration issues during the reporting period;

• Annexes that include, at a minimum, the following:

o Indicator results metrics for all indicators included in the MEL Plan o Success stories during the reporting period o Environmental compliance reporting monitoring

Geographic Data Reporting Requirements: As appropriate and as agreed upon with the COR, the Quarterly and Annual reports may contain geographic data or this data may be requested in another format.

These reports will include any additional information required by the COR. The Contractor must submit quarterly program reports no later than the thirtieth (30th) day after the completion of each quarter: i.e., January 30, April 30, July 30, and October 30. The fourth Quarter Report must be incorporated into the Annual Report and is due October 30 each year (30 days after the end of the fiscal year). Like the Quarterly Report, the Annual Program Report must report against all indicators established in the MEL Plan.

F.6(d) Quarterly Financial Reports and Accruals

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The Contractor must submit financial reports on the schedule specified below. These reports will only be considered delivered when accepted by the COR as containing the information required.

The financial report format will be determined by the COR after consultation with the Contractor. The report will contain at a minimum the following information:

• Total funds committed to date by USAID into the Contract;

• Total funds expended by the Contractor to date, including a breakdown to the budget categories provided in the Contractor’s cost proposal and between Direct Costs, Subcontracts, Indirect Costs, and Fixed Fee, with additional detail to be provided upon request by the COR;

• Pipeline (committed funds minus expended funds);

• Variations from previous estimates (will be highlighted on any spreadsheets and will be addressed in a narrative if significant);

• The budget estimate for the upcoming quarter;

• Estimated cost to complete;

• Funds and time remaining in the Contract; and

• Breakdown of expenditures by type of funding.

The report must include any additional information required by the COR.

The Contractor must submit quarterly financial reports to the Contracting Officer (CO) and the COR no later than the thirtieth (30th) day after the completion of each quarter: i.e., January 30, April 30, July 30, and October 30. The Contractor must submit accruals to the COR by no later than the fifteenth (15th) day before the completion of each quarter.

F.6(f) Baseline Report

The Contractor must collect baseline data to document initial context information and values for indicators established in the Contractor’s MEL Plan. This report is due within six months of the date of contract award.

The Baseline Report’s format, scope, and final due date will be determined by written mutual agreement between the Contractor and the COR within the first 30 days of the contract period of performance. Prior to baseline data collection, the Contractor must submit a methodological plan for baseline data collection for review and approval by the COR.

F.6(h) Demobilization Plan

The Contractor must develop a demobilization plan. This plan will include a property disposition plan, a plan for the phase-out of in-country operations, a delivery schedule for all remaining reports or other deliverables required under the contract, and a timetable for completing all required actions in the demobilization plan.

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The Demobilization Plan specified must be submitted by the Contractor for approval by the Contracting Officer and COR 90 days prior to the end of the Contract as set forth in Section F.2 above.

F.6(i) Work Plan and Ad Hoc Reports

It is expected that many of the interventions specified in the work plan (see Section F.6(b)) will establish a requirement for specific deliverables to be completed by the Contractor. Those deliverables will be due from the Contractor based on the schedule established in the work plan, including any modifications to the work plan. It is also anticipated that ad hoc reports may be required by the COR in writing and based on deadlines established by the COR. No new deliverable or ad hoc report may be required by the COR if such deliverable or report would cause the Contractor to exceed the funds available, the total estimated cost, or contradict any other provision or clause in the Contract.

F.6(j) Final Report

The Contractor must submit a draft of the Final Report to the COR within 90 days following the estimated completion date of the contract. In this draft Final Report the Contractor must include the following information:

i) Overall activity accomplishments presented in quantitative terms and described in a narrative that relates activities, products, and results to the MEL Plan;

ii) Discussion of why unexpected progress, positive or negative, was made toward the planned results. If the performance monitoring system (indicators) indicates that expected results were not achieved, the Contractor must seek to determine and explain the reason;

iii) Analysis of lessons learned—both in terms of technical implementation and broader collaboration with other implementers, summary of responses to problems encountered during activity implementation;

iv) A bibliography of all products, tools, reports, and studies produced through the activity, and links to these as applicable;

v) A description of how the activity achievements are sustainable in terms of government and other stakeholders' ownership, their associated capacities to maintain and replicate successful experiences; and

vi) Other pertinent information communicated by the COR in writing within 15 days of the end of the contract estimated period of performance.

Upon receiving COR approval, the Contractor must submit the approved Final Report to the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC).

Within 90 days of completion of data collection, the Contractor must transmit requested data to USAID. The data sets that the Contractor submits to USAID must:

1. Be complete, clean, and final, and include any derived or secondary variables used to calculate indicator values provided in assessment reports;

2. Not include Personally Identifiable Information (PII). PII includes any information that could be used to identify an individual for whom data have been collected;

3. Include all variables included in the initial data collection, with the exception of any PII data that must be edited or cleaned to protect the privacy and anonymity of individual beneficiaries represented in the data;

4. Provide relevant supporting materials and instruments with the data set. This includes questionnaires and other instruments, codebook, data dictionary, information on sample design, setup and weights, assessment reports, performance management plans or other materials that describe the structure of the assessment and/or program, and any other information a researcher may need when working with the data;

5. Transmit supporting documents in an open and machine-readable format such as MS Office;

6. Provide information on the number beneficiaries from the activity, disaggregated by sex for each year that the activity is active; and

7. All prerequisites to providing the complete, cleaned datasets must be completed by the Contractor prior to the provision of the dataset to USAID, such as review and approval by Missions and host country governments, as appropriate.

At the end of the period of performance, the project must measurably demonstrate: “Own-Source Revenues” Increased by local governments; Greater Amounts of External Funding Accessed by local governments; Local governments’ Budget Execution Rate Increased; Decentralization Process Enhanced

F.6(l) Government Property—USAID Reporting Requirements

The contractor must comply with AIDAR 752.245-70 “Government Property—USAID Reporting Requirements (July 1997)”, which provides in full:

The term Government-furnished property wherever it may appear in the following clause, must mean (1) non-expendable personal property owned by or leased to the U.S. Government and furnished to the contractor and (2) personal property furnished either prior to or during the performance of this contract by any U.S. Government accountable officer to the contractor for use in connection with the performance of this contract and identified by such officer as accountable.

The term Government property, wherever it may appear in the following clause, must mean Government-furnished property and non-expendable personal property title to which vests in the U.S. Government under this contract. Non-expendable property, for purposes of this contract, is defined as property which is complete in itself, does not lose its identity or becomes a component part of another article when put into use; is durable, with an expected service life of two years or more; and which has a unit cost of more than $500.

Reporting Requirements: The contractor will submit an annual report on all nonexpendable property in a form and manner acceptable to USAID substantially as follows:

ANNUAL REPORT OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY IN CONTRACTOR’S CUSTODY

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[Name of contractor as of (end of contract year), 20XX]

Motor vehicles

Furniture and furnishings – Other nonexpendable property Office

Living quarters

A. Value of property as of last report B. Transactions during this reporting period

1. Acquisitions (add):

a. Purchased by contractor1

b. Transferred from

USAID2

c. Transferred from others, without reimbursement3

2. Disposals (deduct):

a. Returned to USAID

b. Transferred to USAID – contractor purchased

c. Transferred to other Government agencies3

d. Other disposals3

C. Value of property as of reporting date D. Estimated average age of contractor held property

Years Years Years Years

1Property which is complete in itself, does not lose its identity or become a component part of another article when put into use; is durable, with an expected service life of two years or more;

and which has a unit cost of more than $500.

2Government furnished property listed in this Contract as nonexpendable.

3Explain if transactions were not processed through or otherwise authorized by USAID.

Property Inventory Verifications

I attest that (1) physical inventories of Government property are taken not less frequently than annually; (2) the accountability records maintained or Government property in our possession are in agreement with such inventories; and (3) the total of the detailed accountability records maintained agrees with the property value shown opposite line C above, and the estimated average age of each category of property is as cited opposite line D above.

Authorized Signature

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[END OF SECTION F]

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SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S AUTHORITY

The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in the requirements of this contract and notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change must be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment must be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price.

All questions concerning the administration of this award must be sent to the Contracting Officer.

It is the responsibility of the Contractor to inform the Contracting Officer of requests that affect any and all sections of this award. The Contracting Officer is located at:

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Regional Contracting Office Embassy of the USA, Rr. 4 KORRIKU Nr. 25, Arberia, Pristina, Kosovo 10000 T +383 38 5959 2000

G.2 AIDAR 752.7003 DOCUMENTATION FOR PAYMENT (NOV 1998)

(a) Claims for reimbursement or payment under this contract must be submitted to the Paying Office indicated in the schedule of this contract. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) is the authorized representative of the Government to approve vouchers under this contract. The Contractor must submit either paper or fax versions of the SF-1034--Public Voucher for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal. Each voucher must be identified by the appropriate USAID contract number, in the amount of dollar expenditures made during the period covered.

(1) The SF 1034 provides space to report by line item for products or services provided.

The form provides for the information to be reported with the following elements:

TOTAL EXPENDITURES

(Document Number XXX-X-XX-XXXX-XX)

Line Item Description Amt. Vouchered to Date

Amt. Vouchered this Period

$XXXX.XX $XXXX.XX

Total $XXXX.XX $XXXX.XX

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(2) The fiscal report must include the following certification signed by an authorized representative of the Contractor:

The undersigned hereby certifies to the best of my knowledge and belief that the fiscal report and any attachments have been prepared from the books and records of the Contractor in accordance with the terms of this contract and are correct: the sum claimed under this contract is proper and due, and all the costs of contract performance (except as herewith reported in writing) have been paid , or to the extent allowed under the applicable payment clause, will be paid currently by the Contractor when due in the ordinary course of business; the work reflected by these costs has been performed, and the quantities and amounts involved are consistent with the requirements of this Contract; all required Contracting Officer approvals have been obtained; and appropriate refund to USAID will be made promptly upon request in the event of disallowance of costs not reimbursable under the terms of this contract.

BY: ______________________________________________________

TITLE: _____________________________________________________

DATE: _____________________________________________________

(b) Local currency payment. The Contractor is fully responsible for the proper expenditure and control of local currency, if any, provided under this contract. Local currency will be provided to the Contractor in accordance with written instructions provided by the Mission Director. The written instructions will also include accounting, vouchering, and reporting procedures. A copy of the instructions will be provided to the Contractor's Chief of Party and to the Contracting Officer.

The costs of bonding personnel responsible for local currency are reimbursable under this contract.

(c) Upon compliance by the Contractor with all the provisions of this contract, acceptance by the Government of the work and final report, and a satisfactory accounting by the Contractor of all Government-owned property for which the Contractor had custodial responsibility, the Government will promptly pay to the Contractor any moneys (dollars or local currency) due under the completion voucher. The Government will make suitable reduction for any disallowance or indebtedness by the Contractor by applying the proceeds of the voucher first to such deductions and next to any unliquidated balance of advance remaining under this contract.

(d) The Contractor agrees that all approvals of the Mission Director and the Contracting Officer which are required by the provisions of this contract must be preserved and made available as part of the Contractor's records which are required to be presented and made available by the clause of this contract entitled "Audit and Records--Negotiation".

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S…