72016821RFI001 LRO Assistance RFI.docx

Request for information # 72016821RFI001

This Request for Information (RFI) is to inform interested organizations of an upcoming “USAID’s Local Works – Local Resource Organizations Assistance Activity” (LRO Assistance Activity) and will be used as a market survey to determine availability of organizations who are interested in and capable of coordinating and implementing this new Localworks activity in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), as described below.

This RFI also seeks comments mainly from, but not limited to local resource organizations engaged in providing resources and services to other local organizations and individuals in their respective communities, as final beneficiaries of these activities.

This RFI is not a request for proposals, proposal abstracts, applications or concept notes or quotations.

If interested in this RFI, please provide an expression of interest, expression of eligibility, experience in implementation of similar interventions, and whether your organization can accomplish the work listed in the Activity Requirements.

Comments on the RFI from non-eligible organizations (see Section II. Limitations Pursuant to Localworks Legislation) are also welcome.

I. Purpose and interventions of LRO Assistance Activity The purpose of this LRO Assistance Activity is to support Local Resource Organizations (LROs) throughout BiH that command trust and respect among other local development actors to work together to empower and support communities to mobilize resources and implement their own solutions to local problems.

LRO Assistance Activity is part of USAID/BiH’s larger efforts under the Local Works umbrella portfolio which is based on the recognition that local leadership and local partnerships make our work sustainable and effective, and that through partnerships with local actors, we become more context aware and can better facilitate the Agency’s strong focus of supporting the Journey to Self-Reliance. USAID defines Self-Reliance as a country’s ability to plan, finance, and implement solutions to solve its own development challenges. For additional information please see https://www.usaid.gov/selfreliance.

For USAID, self-reliance begins with locally-led development and USAID’s Local Works is a unique program designed to advance locally-led development and enhance the Agency’s ability to empower local actors to take the lead in addressing their own development challenges. You can learn more by visiting the USAID Local Works page at https://www.usaid.gov/localworks.

USAID/BiH Localworks portfolio aims to increase trust among different local actors, develop local capacity required for sustainable growth and more vigorously mobilize available local resources.

To reach the stated goal, USAID plans to award one award for the following interventions:

Intervention 1: Provide support to Local Resource Organizations (LRO) In late 2019, USAID began a procurement process for selecting Local Resource Organizations (LROs) that already provide resources and services to other local organizations and individuals in their communities. LROs include but are not limited to NGOs, philanthropies, faith-based organizations, academic institutions, private companies, and professional associations. In August 2020, USAID/BiH issued two LRO awards to Tuzla Community Foundation and the Center for Civic Cooperation in Livno.

The prospective LRO Assistance Activity is designed to expand the pool of supported LROs, starting from those that already went through the procurement process with USAID and were identified as potentially successful applicants, with a few additional adjustments. Furthermore, this activity will identify new LROs that act as hubs and community-based organizations in their respective communities. Through LRO Assistance Activity, USAID/BiH is interested to partner with an eligible local/regional organization which will administer support to additional LROs and help them strengthen their role as resource hubs in their respective communities.

Intervention 2: Collaborate with other USAID/BiH Localworks partners LRO Assistance Activity is designed to be an integral part of USAID/BiH Local Works portfolio and as such is expected to closely collaborate with all other USAID/BiH Local Works activities and areas described below:

Network Development Activity In July 2019, USAID/BiH awarded the Network for Building Peace with a six-year grant to develop and launch an online platform that will map and link local actors and stimulate them to work together. This platform has already started on snagalokalnog.ba, and it has over 1,000 local actors linked. This platform provides various information that helps its members get information on different topics, such as international and local donors' Directory with grant opportunities, seminars, interesting articles, extensive database of CSOs, mailing list with over 4,000 addresses, Google map of CS COVID-19 response activities.

LRO Assistance Activity will closely collaborate with the Peace Building Network and utilize Network Development platform to collaborate with other Local works partners.

Capacity Development Platform In August 2020, USAID/BiH awarded the Institute for Youth Development KULT with a five-year cooperative agreement to strengthen the capacity of local partners to obtain sustainable growth. In the next five years, this platform will serve local development actors through one-on-one capacity building support (helping them to identify capacity needs, define performance improvement priorities, create individual organizational development plans) and through general training on organizational capacities in order to implement customized performance improvement solutions.

LRO Assistance Activity will closely work with KULT to coordinate assistance to LROs and their partners in enhancing local capacity required for sustainable growth.

Local Resource Organizations (LROs) In August 2020, USAID/BiH awarded two LRO grants to Tuzla Community Foundation and the Center for Civic Cooperation in Livno. Both local partners will receive support to continue acting as resource hubs in communities, provide resources/services to other local organizations and individuals to address community issues. These two organizations will use USAID Local Works assistance to cover the following geographic areas: entire Tuzla Canton, Canton 8 and 10: Livno, Ljubuski, Grude, Posusje, Siroki Brijeg, Tomislavgrad, Kupres, Bosansko Grahovo, Glamoc and Drvar.

LRO Assistance Activity will closely collaborate with already awarded LROs, and ensure that close collaboration is established and maintained among newly identified LRO.

Community Philanthropy In order to increase local giving as a way to mobilize local resources and make them better targeted, more visible and engaging, USAID will support two activities that will

1) improve the legal and policy environment for community philanthropy, and

2) increase philanthropic activities in the society.

The first activity “Improving the Legal Framework for Philanthropy” was awarded in August 2020, to Mozaik Foundation which will, with several local and regional partners (Pomozi.ba, Hastor Foundation, Network for Building Peace, Catalyst Foundation and Trag Foundation), enhance the legal and policy environment for community philanthropy in BiH through improved cross-sectoral collaboration on policy and legal environment and legislative advocacy. The second activity is planned for 2021 and will support actual fundraising actions that aim to raise public awareness and public support.

LRO Assistance Activity will collaborate with both Community Philanthropy activities by encouraging its local LRO beneficiaries to get engaged in defining the policy/legal challenges to enhance local giving in BiH, provide technical expertise in specific legislations/policies (i.e. Law on foundations; Tax / custom regulations; New payment mechanisms for faster donations;), and to engage directly in fundraising campaigns to mobilize local resources in public good.

II. Limitations pursuant to Localworks Legislation (Section 7080 of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235)

To be eligible for this Activity, organizations must not have received $5 million or more in direct assistance from the U.S. Government during the past five-year period. This does not apply to sub-awards or other indirect assistance. This legislative requirement is meant to encourage support for local, new, and/or nontraditional partners. USAID welcomes expressions of interest from new partners that have not previously received financial support from USAID.

III. Comments and Capability statement submission instructions:

Please submit your capability statement demonstrating that you possess the requisite capacity for implementing the above interventions. The statement should also contain the affirmation that you are an eligible entity as set forth under Section II. above Limitations Pursuant to Localworks Legislation. The statement should be no more than three pages. Submission deadline is December 3, 2020, 14:00 local Sarajevo time. Please submit the requested document to Sarajevooaa@usaid.gov. The e-mail should contain the following in the subject: (NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION) Capability Statement in response to RFI # 72016821RFI001.

USAID also seeks comments on this RFI. Please submit your comments and suggestions no later than December 3, 2020, 14:00 local Sarajevo time to Sarajevooaa@usaid.gov. The e-mail should contain the following in the subject: Comments in response to RFI # 72016821RFI001.

If you are submitting both comments and the capability statement, you can combine them in one submission. The subject line of your e-mail should read (NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION) Capability statement and comments in response to RFI # 72016821RFI001. Capability statement and comments should be two separate e-mail attachments. Maximum size of attachments in a single e-mail message is 25MB.

This is not a Request for Proposal or a Request for Application (RFA) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue any solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunity, or ultimately to award a contract or assistance agreement on the basis of this RFI, or to pay for any information voluntarily submitted as a result of this request.

USAID does not seek questions at this time, only comments. Please note that telephone enquiries will not be entertained.

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