ATTACHMENT_J.5_CASE_STUDIES_FOR_TASK_ORDER_2.pdf

RFP 72026818R00001

USAID/Lebanon Attachment J.5

ATTACHMENT J.5 CASE STUDIES FOR TASK ORDER 2

Case Studies

The Offeror will assess and critique each of the case studies and apply the proposed methodology as they would if they had gathered the information and encountered these cases in the field. Analysis of the case studies by the offeror must include (but is not restricted to) the steps the Offeror would take to evaluate each case, identification of opportunities and issues in each case, identification of any important missing information that the offeror will need to obtain, conclusions on whom and how to assist or not to assist in each case study, identification of partners, and shortlist assistance activities in line with IDIQ objectives. The Offeror must also list the steps that will be taken in implementing the assistance activity identified as the most important by the Offeror in each case study.

The offeror will utilize the case studies to demonstrate the viability of their proposed methodology with respect to Components 1 and 2 and to demonstrate its knowledge and vision towards Component 3. The Offeror’s response must not exceed two pages (Times New Roman Font size 12, single space) for each case study.

Note: The term ‘Municipality’ refers to the subnational government entity; while the term ‘village’ is broader and refers to the general village community. A ‘town’ is more populated than a ‘village’.

Case Study 1

Municipality 1 in South Lebanon has approached the Contractor for assistance to establish a three-story events venue which will host various events for the community and the village. The municipality intends to provide a parcel of municipal land on which the event venue will be constructed. The event venue will include an auditorium (stage and seating) for 500 persons, a conference room, a computer library, a kitchen, bathrooms, an outdoor landscaped venue that can host weddings and other widely attended occasions and exhibits. The municipality has paid $500 for a local architect to quickly prepare construction designs for the three story facility, and has roughly estimated the construction of the center to cost $250,000 of which the municipality is ready to provide $100,000 as a contribution in construction works. The municipality has indicated that the establishment of the center (from start to finish) can be undertaken in 12 consecutive calendar months. The municipality has indicated that all the residents of the village will benefit from the center through the cultural activities that will be hosted there. In addition, the venue will create three permanent jobs and boost the sales of 70 community microenterprises on an annual basis through some of the events that can be conducted at the venue. The municipality also intends to rent out the venue for events to interested entities for a reduced rental fee as an extra income generation source.

Village 1 that is governed by Municipality 1 is a small village with 2000 residents; almost all the residents rely on agriculture as an extra source of income in addition to their main source of income which is employment in the public sector. The village has limited enterprises and suffers from up to 12 hours of electricity black outs per day. The village irrigates its land from a village well and uses a diesel generator to pump water for the residents for irrigation and household use.

The great majority of residents still irrigate with earthen canals. Water is not regularly available, leading to frequent conflicts between residents for access to more water. The residents have demanded that the municipality to provide them with regular and frequent access to water. The municipality also operates a diesel generator to provide backup electricity for the village households and collects fees from households. The village has 600 refugees for which the municipality is providing backup electricity, trash collection, and water supply. The municipality is directly managing its water supply and distribution and has been coordinating with the regional water establishment, which is in compliance with established procedures.

The municipal council is composed of 9 members. Their latest municipal elections witnessed a power struggle between families and political parties prevalent in the area. The municipality’s annual budget is $60,000 per year, and is mostly expended for operating and maintaining the water pumping diesel generator, keeping the streetlights on poles lit during blackouts, solid waste management, the salary of two municipal employees, and maintenance of internal roads and main irrigation water distribution canals in the village, as well as some donations to the local NGO (discussed below.) The municipal council does not have its own municipal office and operates from a small premises provided by the religious authority in the village. There is one full time municipal employee and no part time employees, due to budget constraints.

The village has a local NGO that was established nine years ago. The NGO’s past activities mainly include about five cultural and social events per year focused around special occasions and holidays celebrated in the area. The annual budget of the NGO is $7,000 dependent on fundraising from local community through the scouts and other donations. The municipality intends to partner with the NGO and the Scouts Association in the area to manage, operate, and maintain the events venue which currently does not have a preliminary schedule of events.

Case Study 2

Village 2 is located in the remote borderline area of the Bekaa and has around 13,000 residents.

There are five public schools and five private schools that include a total of 4,000 Lebanese students. The village has no hospitals and two health clinics, with one managed by the municipality and another by a local charitable NGO. Most residents’ incomes are well below the minimum wage. The average family size is 8 persons. Sixty percent of the residents are involved in agriculture, quarrying, and commerce; 10% are employed in the public sector. The unemployment rate is more than 25% and has risen in the past few years due to borderline conflicts as a result of the Syrian crisis. The main agricultural activities are focused on tree fruit production, grape production, sheep herding, and agro processing at a household level. The mean annual rainfall is 250mm (low) yet the village is subject to flash floods during the rainy season.

An academic institution assisted the village to map areas where rainfall collection lakes can be sited. The institution has also helped the village secure funding for one out of these six lakes which has proved to be useful in irrigating more lands and planting more orchards. Some women have acquired the skills of traditional clothing production and have sold some of their products on few occasions through donor assistance to upscale customers in Beirut. The women would like to sell and market more but long distances and lack of marketing knowledge and know how has deterred them. Some informal women’s groups are interested in beginning a small-scale mushroom production business because they heard from a number of people that this production is a good source of income generation. There are recent media reports that the village is experiencing more regional conflicts, and thus, living conditions have worsened; the media reports seem to implicate certain municipal council members in some of these conflicts. There are more than 1400 refugees in the village, mostly children and women; refugees have placed additional burdens on public schools, water needs, the electricity supply, other municipal infrastructure, and the health clinic.

Case Study 3

There are three villages, 3X, 3Y, and 3Z, in Akkar who have approached the Contractor for assistance to implement local development activities. Village 3X is requesting assistance in the amount of $300,000 to establish a solar powered street lighting system to light the village streets in order to enhance the security system in the village. Village 3Y is requesting the same amount to establish solar powered streetlights in the market place (comprising 45 small shops and street vendors). This will be important to keep the marketplace lit during evenings and encourage longer and more secure business opening hours. Village 3Z is farther away and has requested assistance in the estimated amount of $300,000 to establish a solar farm to provide back-up electricity for 300 households. The Municipality of 3Z currently operates a diesel-powered generator system that provides backup electricity to subscribing households at a fee of $50 per household per 5 Amperes subscription (the municipality pays on behalf of some of the households that are very poor). Further, the Municipality of 3Z supplies the municipal street lights mounted on poles with backup power when the national electricity supply is out. Village 3Z has a land parcel of more than 3000 square meters next to the village generator and is ready to contribute that to the solar farm project which needs to supply electricity to all households.

Each of the villages 3X, 3Y and 3Z have approximately the same number of residents and the same number of Syrian refugees residing in host communities. All villages have similar community economics profiles which are well below the minimum wage.