72036722R00003_EGL RFP_Final 01312022.pdf

Issuance Date: January 31, 2022 Closing Date/Time for Questions: February 8, 2022, 9:00 a.m. Nepal Time Closing Date/Time for Receipt of Phase 1 Proposals: March 3, 2022, 9:00 a.m. Nepal Time

Subject: Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 72036722R00003 USAID's Early Grade Learning (EGL) Activity

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking proposals to provide technical assistance and support to USAID/Nepal’s Education Development Office to strengthen the capacity of federal, provincial, and municipal governments to improve learning outcomes in Grades 1-3, as described in the attached Request for Proposals (RFP). USAID anticipates the award of a Cost-Plus-Fixed Fee (CPFF) Completion type contract for an anticipated five-year period. The overall estimated cost of this procurement is between $35 million and $40 million.

USAID invites all interested and responsible organizations to submit offers in accordance with the requirements of this solicitation. USAID will conduct this procurement as a full and open competition. The procedures set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) Part 15 will govern the procurement. Proposals will be accepted from eligible organizations. USAID encourages participation to the maximum extent possible of small business concerns, small, disadvantaged business concerns and women-owned small business concerns in this activity as prime contractor or as a subcontractor, in accordance with Part 19 of the FAR. The geographic code for this procurement is 937, and the NAICS code is 611710 Educational Support Services.

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, 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. Section M states the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated. Faxed proposals are not acceptable, nor will they be reviewed or evaluated. Pursuant to Block 12 of Standard Form 33 of this RFP, offers must remain valid for 220 days.

Any questions regarding the RFP’s requirements must be submitted no later than the time and date stated above to Contracting Officer, Maria Televantos, at mtelevantos@usaid.gov, and Acquisition and Assistance Specialist, Nalinee Wichetthumsak at nwichetthumsak@usaid.gov.

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.sam.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/-- Maria Televantos Contracting Officer USAID/Nepal mailto:mtelevantos@usaid.gov mailto:nwichetthumsak@usaid.gov http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.fedbizopps.gov/

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD 1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED ORDER

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

RATING PAGE OF PAGES

2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER 4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION 5. DATE ISSUED 6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NUMBER

CODE7. ISSUED BY 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than item 7)

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

SOLICITATION

copies for furnishings the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in item 8, or if hand carried, in the depository located in

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.

10. FOR

INFORMATION

CALL:

A. NAME B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS)

AREA CODE NUMBER EXTENSION

C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

A B C D E F G H

I

J

K

L

M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

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

CONTRACT CLAUSESSOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT

PACKAGING AND MARKING

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

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)

12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted 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 set opposite each item, delivered at the designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See Section I, Clause No. 52.232-8)

14. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the SOLICITATION for offerors and related documents numbered and dated):

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

DATEAMENDMENT NO.AMENDMENT NO. DATE

15A. NAME AND

ADDRESS

OF OFFEROR

CODE FACILITY 16. NAME AND THE TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN

OFFER(Type or print)

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER

AREA CODE NUMBER EXTENSION

15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS IS

DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE - ENTER SUCH

ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE.

17. SIGNATURE 18. OFFER DATE

AWARD (To be completed by Government)

19. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED 20. AMOUNT 21. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL OPEN COMPETITION:

10 U.S.C. 2304 (c) ( )41 U.S.C. 3304(a)

24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7)

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

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

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

Previous edition is unusable

23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN

(4 copies unless otherwise specified)

25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

28. AWARD DATE

CODE

ITEM

STANDARD FORM 33 (REV. 6/2014)

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

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

(Hour) (Date)

PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

REQ-367-22-000004

720367

USAID/Nepal Office of Acquisition and Assistance

72036722R00003

9. Phase 1 Proposals in original

Nalinee Wichetthumsak nwichetthumsak@usaid.gov

49 137 a9.00 m.until local time 3/3/2022

1/31/2022

Maria Televantos by email

2 162 nwichetthumsak Highlight

USAID's Early Grade Learning Activity Solicitation No.: 72036722R00003

Table of Contents Table of Contents 3

PART I-SCHEDULE 8

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS 8

B.1 PURPOSE 8

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE 8

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, FIXED FEE, AND OBLIGATED AMOUNT 8

B.4 BUDGET 8

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS AND ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING ON CEILINGS 9

B.6 COST REIMBURSABLE 9

B.7 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE 9

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK 11

C.1 TITLE OF PROGRAM 11

C.2 PURPOSE 11

C.3 BACKGROUND 11

C.4 ACTIVITY SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES 17

C.5 OPERATING PRINCIPLES 21

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING 23

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993) 23

D.2 BRANDING STRATEGY 23

D.3 BRANDING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (BIP) AND MARKING PLAN (MP) 24

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 25

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 25

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 25

E.3 RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL 25

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE 26

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 26

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE 26

F.3 AUTHORIZED WORK DAY/WEEK 26

F.4 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE 26

F.5 REPORTS, PLANS, AND OTHER DELIVERABLES 26

F.6 REPORTING AND DELIVERABLE MATRIX 35

F.7 PROGRAM DELIVERABLES 38

F.8 KEY PERSONNEL 39

F.9 PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND STANDARDS 42

F.10 AIDAR 752.242-70 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (OCT 2007) 42

F.11 AIDAR 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

DOCUMENTS (SEPT 2013) 43

SECTION G—CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 44

G.1 AIDAR 752.7003 DOCUMENTATION FOR PAYMENT (NOV 1998) 45

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S AUTHORITY 46

G.3 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE 46

G.4 PAYING OFFICE 46

G.5 INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS 47

G.6 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) 47

G.7 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID 47

G.8 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA 49

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 49

H.1 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE 50

H.2 ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS SYSTEM 50

H.3 LIMITATION ON ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (April 2018) (DEVIATION

NOs. M/OAA-DEV-FAR-20-3c and M/OAA-DEV-AIDAR-20-2c) (APRIL 2020) 51

H.4 LOGISTICS SUPPORT 52

H.5 ADS 302.3.5.19 USAID-FINANCED THIRD-PARTY WEB SITES (NOV 2017) 52

H.6 RESTRICTIONS AGAINST DISCLOSURE (MAY 2016) 53

H.7 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE 54

H.8 ADS 302.3.5.21 SUBMISSION OF DATASETS TO THE DEVELOPMENT DATA LIBRARY (DDL)

(October 2014) 55 H.9 AIDAR 752.228-3 WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE (DEFENSE BASED ACT) (DEC 1991)

H.10 PROHIBITION OF ASSISTANCE TO DRUG TRAFFICKERS 58

H.11 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING 58

H.12 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES (JAN 2002) 59

H.13 LIMITING PLASTIC POLLUTION AND MISMANAGED WASTE (MARCH 2020) 59

H.14 CONSENT TO SUBCONTRACT 59

H.15 EXCHANGE VISITORS AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES 60

H.16 AIDAR 752.222-70 USAID DISABILITY POLICY (DEC 2004) 60

H.17 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 61

H.18 DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION 62

H.19 AIDAR 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL AND NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

(APR 2014) 63

H.20 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL 63

H.21 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS 63

H.22 PRESS RELATIONS 63

H.23 STANDARDS OF CONDUCT -- IMPROPER BUSINESS PRACTICES 64

H.24 ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

ACCESSIBILITY (APRIL 2018) 64

H.25 LOCAL TAXES 65

H.26 EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE PLAN (EPRP) (M.O. No. 304.1) 65

H.27 GRANTS UNDER CONTRACT 67

H.28 SEXUAL MISCONDUCT (DECEMBER 2020) 69

H.29 PERSONNEL COMPENSATION (JULY 2007) 69

H.30 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PERSONNEL COMPENSATION 70

H.31 AIDAR 752.231-71 SALARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR HOST GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (MAR

2015) 71

H.32 GENDER CONSIDERATION 71

H.33 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND DISCLAIMER (DECEMBER 1991) 72

H.34 SUBCONTRACTING PLAN AND REPORTING 72

PART II – CONTRACT CLAUSES 73

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES 73

I.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 73

I.2 FAR 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 73

I.3 AIDAR 752.252-1 AIDAR SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (MAR

2015) 76

I.4 FAR 52.203-13 CONTRACTOR CODE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CONDUCT (NOV 2021) 77

I.5 FAR 52.204-1 APPROVAL OF CONTRACT 80

I.6 FAR 52.222-36 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES (JUN 2020) 80

I.7 FAR 52.222-50 COMBATING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (NOV 2021) 81

I.8 FAR 52.223-99 ENSURING ADEQUATE COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR FEDERAL

CONTRACTORS (OCT 2021) (DEVIATION #M/OAA-DEV-FAR-22-01c) 87

I.9 52.229-8 TAXES – FOREIGN COST-REIMBURSEMENT CONTRACTS (MAR 1990) 88

I.10 AIDAR 752.229-71 REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (JULY 2007) 88

I.11 AIDAR 752.231-72 CONFERENCE PLANNING AND REQUIRED APPROVALS (AUG 2013)

[DEVIATION (APR 2020)] 90

I.12 AIDAR 752.245-70 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY – USAID REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (OCT

2017) 92 I.13 AIDAR 752.7013 CONTRACTOR-MISSION RELATIONSHIPS (OCT 1989) [DEVIATION (JUN 2020)]

PART III—LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS 95

SECTION J—LIST OF EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS 95

PART IV – REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS 96

SECTION K – REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF

OFFERORS 96

K.1 NOTICE LISTING FAR SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 96

CERTIFICATION AND DISCLOSURE REGARDING PAYMENTS TO INFLUENCE CERTAIN

FEDERAL TRANSACTIONS 96

K.2 FAR 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (SEP 2021) 96

K.3 FAR 52.204-20 PREDECESSOR OF OFFEROR (AUG 2020) 101

K.4 FAR 52.204-24 REPRESENTATION REGARDING CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT (NOVEMBER 2021) 102

K.5 FAR 52.204-26 COVERED TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT OR SERVICES-

REPRESENTATION (OCT 2020) 104

K.6 FAR 52.209-5 CERTIFICATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (AUG 2020) 105

K.7 FAR 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (OCT 2018) 107

K.8 FAR 52.209-11 REPRESENTATION BY CORPORATIONS REGARDING DELINQUENT TAX

LIABILITY OR A FELONY CONVICTION UNDER ANY FEDERAL LAW (FEB 2016) 108

K.9 FAR 52.209-12 CERTIFICATION REGARDING TAX MATTERS (OCT 2020) 109

K.10 FAR 52.222-22 PREVIOUS CONTRACTS AND COMPLIANCE REPORTS (FEB 1999) 109

K.11 FAR 52.222-25 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMPLIANCE (APR 1984) 109

K.12 FAR 52.230-1 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION

(JUN 2020) 110

K.13 FAR 52.230-7 – PROPOSAL DISCLOSURE-COST ACCOUNTING PRACTICE CHANGES

(APR 2005) 112

K.14 FAR 52.232-40 PROVIDING ACCELERATED PAYMENTS TO SMALL BUSINESS

SUBCONTRACTORS (DEC 2013)[(DEVIATION JUN 2020)] 113

K.15 INSURANCE – IMMUNITY FROM TORT LIABILITY 113

K.16 AUTHORIZED NEGOTIATORS 113

K.17 SIGNATURE 113

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS 115

L.1 FAR 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 115

L.2 FAR 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984) 115

L.3 FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006) 116

L.4 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS 116

L.5 PROPOSAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS 119

L.6 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION OF THE PHASE ONE PROPOSAL 120

L.7 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE PHASE TWO TECHNICAL PROPOSAL 121

L.8 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE COST/BUSINESS PROPOSAL 125

L.9 GOVERNMENT OBLIGATION 135

L.10 WAIVERS UNDER FAR PART 4.2101 PROHIBITION ON COVERED TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES AND EQUIPMENT (DECEMBER 2021) 135

SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD 137

M.1 GENERAL INFORMATION 137

M.2 PHASE ONE - ADVISORY EVALUATION FACTOR 137

M.3 PHASE TWO - TECHNICAL PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA 138

M.4 COST EVALUATION 139

M.5 DETERMINATION OF THE COMPETITIVE RANGE 140

M.6 SOURCE SELECTION 140

M.7 CONTRACT AWARD 141

ATTACHMENT J.1 - GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION (GESI) ANALYSIS FOR EDUCATION

PROGRAM 142

ATTACHMENT J.2 - REQUEST FOR CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION - #ASIA 21-120 157

ATTACHMENT J.3 - ASIA BUREAU AND OFFICE OF AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN AFFAIRS (OAPA)

PROGRAMMATIC INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION (PIEE) – EMERGING

THREATS (COVID 19) - #ASIA 20-042 158

ATTACHMENT J.4 - PAST PERFORMANCE MATRIX 159

ATTACHMENT J.5 - FINAL PROGRESS REPORT: USAID’S EARLY GRADE READING PROGRAM (EGRP)

IN NEPAL 160

ATTACHMENT J.6 - ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT: USAID’S EARLY GRADE READING PROGRAM II

(EGRP II) IN NEPAL 161

ATTACHMENT J.7 - USAID SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN TEMPLATE AND

ATTACHMENT A: SMALL BUSINESS UTILIZATION PLAN TEMPLATE 162

PART I-SCHEDULE

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this Contract is to provide services that fall within the Statement of Work (SOW) specified in Section C of the USAID's Early Grade Learning Activity.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE

This is a cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) completion type contract. For the consideration set forth in the contract, the Contractor must provide the deliverables or outputs described in Sections F in accordance with the performance standards specified herein.

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

(a) The estimated cost for the performance of the work required hereunder, exclusive of fixed fee, if any, is

TBD. The fixed fee for the contract period is TBD. The total estimated cost plus fixed fee is TBD.

(b) Within the estimated cost plus fixed fee specified in paragraph (a) above, the amount currently obligated and available for reimbursement of allowable costs incurred by the Contractor (and payment of fee, if any) for performance hereunder is TBD. The Contractor must not exceed the aforesaid obligated amount unless authorized by the Contracting Officer pursuant to the clause of this contract titled “Limitation of Funds” (FAR 52.232-22).

B.4 BUDGET

(a) The budget for this contract is as follows:

Line Item Total

Direct Costs Subcontracts Grants under Contract $10,000,000 Indirect Costs Total Estimated Cost Fixed Fee Total Cost plus Fixed Fee

(b) The inclusion of any costs in the above cost categories does not obviate the requirement for prior approval by the Contracting Officer of cost items designated as requiring prior approval by any of the terms and conditions of this contract, including the applicable cost principles (see FAR § 52.216-07, “Allowable Cost and Payment”); nor does it constitute a determination of allowability by the Contracting Officer of any item of cost, unless specifically stated elsewhere in this contract. Also, these amounts may not be adjusted without a written modification signed by the Contracting Officer. The

Contractor must not bill any amounts against this contract in excess of the amounts specified for each line item.

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS AND ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING ON CEILINGS

Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, allowable indirect costs shall be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases for the Contractor:

Contractor Fringe Rate %

Overhead Rate %

Overhead Ceiling Rate%

G&A Rate %

G&A Ceiling Rate %

PRIME (Insert Name) Base of Application Source: (insert) Period: (insert)

NOTE: Insert additional indirect rates as needed for the Contractor in the above table.

*Special Note: The un-shaded columns in the indirect cost table are the current approved indirect cost rates for the Contractor.

The Contractor will make no change in its established method of classifying or allocating indirect costs that impacts this contract without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

Reimbursement for indirect costs must be at final negotiated rates, but not in excess of ceiling rates specified above.

The Government must not be obligated to pay any additional amount associated with indirect costs above the ceiling rates established in the contract. This advance understanding must not change any monetary ceiling, cost limitation, or obligation established in the contract.

Note: Contractors are allowed to recoup indirect costs (OH, 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 NICRA.

B.6 COST REIMBURSABLE

The U.S. dollar costs allowable must be limited to reasonable, allocable and necessary costs determined in accordance with FAR 31 (Contract Cost Principles), FAR 52.216-7 (ALLOWABLE COST AND PAYMENT), FAR 52.216-8 (FIXED FEE), if applicable, and USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR) 752.7003 (Documentation for Payment).

B.7 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE

Pursuant to FAR 16.306(d) “Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Contracts”, a percentage (70%) of the payment of the fixed fee under this contract is tied to the completion of the deliverables described in Section C and F.7 of this contract and in accordance with the approved Fee Schedule below.

[Table to be completed by the Offeror and incorporated into the award in accordance with Section L.8]:

Deliverables Due Date % of Fee Fee ($)

TBD TBD TBD TBD

TBD TBD TBD TBD

TBD TBD TBD TBD

Upon successful completion of a deliverable, the Contractor must provide evidence of its achievement to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the Contracting Officer (CO). Upon COR receipt and written acceptance of a deliverable, the Contractor must submit an invoice for the amount of the associated fee including evidence of completion of the deliverables for which fee is claimed.

Payment of the remaining (30%) of fixed fee, subject to the terms stated in FAR 52.216‐8, may be made upon receipt of a proper invoice. Subject to FAR 52.216‐8, Fixed Fee, payment of fixed fee shall be allocated based upon the proportion of the invoiced amount in the period covered by the invoice to the total estimated cost of the periods of the contract not including fixed fee.

In the event of discontinuance of the work in accordance with the clause of the contract entitled “Termination (Cost Reimbursement)” (FAR 52.249-6), the fee must be re-determined by mutual agreement equitably to reflect the reduction in the work actually performed. The amount by which such fee is less than, or exceeds, payments previously made on account of the fee must be paid to, or repaid by the Contractor, as applicable.

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 TITLE OF PROGRAM

The title of this program is USAID's Early Grade Learning (EGL) activity.

C.2 PURPOSE

The purpose of EGL is to strengthen the capacity of federal, provincial, and municipal governments to improve learning outcomes in Grades 1-3.

C.3 BACKGROUND

C.3.1 Country Context

Nepal has made tremendous progress in enhancing access to school education. In particular, the net enrollment rate (NER) at the Basic Education Level (Grades 1-8) is 93.8 percent. The NER for Grades 1-5 is even higher at 97.2 percent. The Gender Parity Index1 in the NER has been achieved at all levels of school education2. The enrollment rates of students from marginalized communities is similar to those of students belonging to Brahmin, Chettri, and Newar communities. The 2021 Education Sector Analysis shows that the rate of out-of-school children of lower basic school age (5-9 years old) decreased from 12.3 percent in 2015/16 to nine percent in 2018/19 (MOEST, 2019). However, gains in enrollment have not yet translated into quality learning outcomes for students. Furthermore, continued school closures due to the COVID pandemic for most of the 2020 and 2021 academic years are likely to have a negative impact both on overall enrollment and learning outcomes. There remains a persistent number of out-of-school children in Nepal.

Government of Nepal (GON) initiatives have resulted in impressive gains of improving access to school education. In particular, Nepal has guaranteed free and compulsory basic education to all citizens in the 2015 Constitution of Nepal. The Free and Compulsory Education Act and Regulation requires that students not be charged for: (i) admission fees; (ii) monthly tuition fees; (iii) examination fees; and (iv) textbooks fees. In addition, the act has given authority to municipal governments to provide mid-day meals, educational materials, and scholarships to students (GON, 2018).

However, the quality of education as measured by the learning outcomes of students is lagging. Findings from the nationally representative National Assessment of Student Achievement (NASA) for grades 3 and 5, the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), and the National Assessment for Reading and Numeracy (NARN) for Grade 3 indicate low education outcomes for children in early grades in subjects tested. In particular, NARN survey 2020 results show that only 8.41 percent of Grade 3 students are reading at grade level and the average achievement of grade 3 students is 37.2 percent. This low level of reading ability continues to hinder children as they attempt to master the skills required in other subjects and as they move to higher grades. This is evident in the low learning outcomes for students of higher grades as demonstrated by NASA findings for various grades, as well as from results of national level board examinations for grades 10, 11, and 12.3 As a result, the average learning adjusted years of schooling (LAYS) for youth aged 18 years

1 Gender Parity Index is 0.98 for grades 1-8 and 1.01 for grades 9-12.

2 School education is the term in Nepal used for grades 1-8.

3 The mean score obtained by grade eight students for Nepali, Mathematics, and Science subjects is 504, 492, and 499 respectively. Around one-third of students in grade 10 received GPA less than 2.0 in 2018 SEE.

is only 6.9 years although students attend an average of 11.7 years of school.4 Furthermore, natural disasters, such as the April 2015 earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic, likely have increased learning loss for students, especially for those belonging to marginalized communities. Furthermore, there is a risk of reversing the progress made in enhancing equitable access to education due to such crises. The World Bank study5 has estimated that 5 months of school closures can result in a learning loss equivalent to 0.6 years of schooling.

Nepal’s 2015 constitution delegated authority and management of school education to municipal governments. However, in the absence of the federal education act, there has been confusion among the three tiers of government in discharging their duties. Although the availability of human resources at the municipal level has increased compared to 2018, not all municipal governments have at least one education officer. Around 80% of local education units have at least one designated education officer appointed. There are a significant number of municipalities that do not have all education officer positions fulfilled.

Consequently, municipalities are using former Resource Persons or current teachers teaching at the secondary level to undertake the roles and responsibilities of Local Education Unit (LEU) officers for planning, budgeting, monitoring, supporting schools, and reporting to the federal government. While the financial reporting has significantly improved with 750 out of 753 municipal governments using the Sub-national Treasury Regulatory Application (SuTRA) to report financial progress, the number of municipal governments reporting physical progress is very low.

USAID and Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MOEST) began implementing early grade reading reforms in 2014 through USAID-supported interventions (EGRP and EGRP II) and through Government-to-Government assistance to the national budget. USAID’s EGRP supported the GON to: (1) develop teaching and learning materials; (2) develop and implement teacher training and classroom support;

(3) increase community involvement in raising awareness on importance of reading, developing capacity of School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent Teacher Association (PTAs) to monitor reading progress, and increase parent engagement in reading; (4) develop and conduct student assessments systematically; (5) design and implement monitoring and evaluation; and (6) produce and distribute leveled readers and books to ensure classrooms have book corners and a print rich environment.

The EGRP impact evaluation results revealed improvement in the reading outcomes of students in supported schools compared to schools from the comparison group. The percentage of students from supported schools meeting the reading benchmark (45 correct words per minute / 80% of comprehension) has increased at the endline for both grades two and three when compared to students from comparison schools. For example, the percentage of students from grade 3 meeting the benchmarks reached 9.4 percent from a baseline of 5.9 percent.

Building on interventions under EGRP, EGRP II continues to support the GON to scale up the National Early Grade Reading Program (NEGRP) to 38 districts. EGRP II supported the GON to revise teacher training guidelines, revise teacher professional development guidelines, conduct training of Master Trainers on integrated curriculum, conduct capacity building activities for preparing municipal level costed education

4https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/hci/HCI_2pager_NPL.pdf

5 World Bank (2020). “Simulating the potential impact of COVID-19 School Closures on Schooling and Learning Outcomes: A Set of Global Estimates .” Washington, DC: World Bank. Available from: https://joserobertoafonso.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lkab003.pdf https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/hci/HCI_2pager_NPL.pdf https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/hci/HCI_2pager_NPL.pdf https://joserobertoafonso.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lkab003.pdf plans (i.e., plans that take into account the financial resources required for implementation), and develop digital learning materials. USAID has also supported the development of early grade learning through direct budget support to the GON through a bilateral agreement and through a multilateral agreement with USAID and other donor support. The NEGRP has reached more than 14,000 schools, nearly half of all community primary schools in Nepal.

C.3.2 Technical Need

The recent 2020-2021 Education Sector Analyses conducted by the MOEST to inform the next education sector plan identified the following areas to prioritize in order to improve educational outcomes in the early grades:

● Increase learning achievement of students in the early grades;

● Address lack of child-friendly spaces at school;

● Increase resources to ensure Prioritized Minimum Enabling Conditions (PMEC)6;

● Create policies and systems that more effectively use technology; and

● Improve policies and systems for teachers professional support.

In addition, through stakeholder consultation and assessment of the ongoing NEGRP program, the following areas were noted as critical and/or in need of development to continue to support improved learning outcomes in the early grades:

Teacher Professional Support: There is universal (national to school-level) awareness of and support for increasing Teacher Professional Support (TPS) to improve learning outcomes. Mayors and LEUs have expressed support for education reforms, but in many cases they do not have an adequate understanding of the type of support required to advance learning outcomes, such as Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for teachers and improved LEU capacity. Also, mayors were unaware of ways to leverage local funds to support the approaches needed to improve education outcomes. Furthermore, the implementation of federalism has created challenges for effective teacher training and professional support with the discontinuation of Resource Persons as a method of teacher pedagogical support and by reducing the number of Education Training Centers (ETCs) from 29 to 7.

Community Engagement: One of the strongest and most consistent themes observed in the consultations was the need to continue to provide mechanisms that engage communities, educate and empower parents and school management committees, and link those efforts to improving learning outcomes, particularly to increase participation and involvement of parents from marginalized communities. The Education Regulation (ninth amendment) has required at least two females in the School Management Committee (SMC) and at least one differently-abled person as a SMC member in special schools and schools with resource classes.

Mayors and head teachers reported that, when in place, specific activities allowed for them to engage with more informed and motivated parents, leading to better learning environments.

Federalism and the Importance of Local Government Ownership: Nepal has embarked upon a complex, but strategic, transition to bring democracy closer to the people via federalism. The MOEST largely has a role in setting standards and norms, providing technical assistance, and determining focus areas through conditional grants to LGs in the education sector while LGs are now implementing agencies in school

6 PMECs are a set of five indicators (trained teachers, availability of textbooks on time, book corner, sufficient classrooms, separate girls toilets) that all schools are expected to meet by using resources available to them from various sources.

education. This devolution presents both an opportunity and challenge as local governments are eager to partner to improve systems, but have low capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated local government capacity gaps.

Local government ownership of basic education service delivery is even more critical within the context of federalization. The importance of finding more effective ways to engage, educate, capacitate, and most importantly, empower local education leaders - especially mayors - was recorded during consultations with education stakeholders. Schools located in areas with local governments’ mayors that had interest and committed to leading school-level reforms in their municipalities observed improved teaching performance and student learning. There is a need to support Mayors and empower them to engage school heads and local education staff to prioritize learning outcomes above other (more visible) indicators of education reforms such as investments in infrastructure. Furthermore, there is a need to strengthen the capacity of head teachers to evaluate teacher performance and strengthen the SMC’s role in school and teacher accountability to improve teaching and learning processes that ultimately improve students’ learning outcomes.

Early Grade Reading: Reading is a foundational skill for all other learning and is a major determinant of whether a child stays in school and is able to learn. USAID and other development partners have invested heavily in improving early grade reading outcomes in Nepal by supporting the GON to roll out NEGRP to 38 districts and nearly 14,000 schools. To date, the GON has only implemented NEGRP in half of all districts in Nepal. The GON needs to continue to work to institutionalize and adapt NEGRP in the federal context and ensure that second language learners are not left behind.

Early Grade Math (EGM): Foundational mathematics skills are also predictive of future academic success,7 as well as economic well-being in adulthood.8 Accordingly, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the GON have embarked on the development of student learning materials and teacher guides for mathematics, enhancement of primary school teachers' capacity in teaching mathematics, and strengthening of the support for quality of education in schools by local municipal governments. The GON should ensure lessons from the implementation of NEGRP are integrated into the roll out and scale up of EGM to ensure that there is appropriate teacher training, pedagogical support in the classroom, and assessment, in addition to the revised materials.

Early Grade English Language: Communities and parents demand that their children be proficient in the English language and often support English as a medium of instruction. Evidence shows that there is no correlation between the medium of instruction in English and the level of proficiency of students in the English language. Currently, there is a gap in meeting this demand in community schools and a need to eliminate confusion related to English as a medium of instruction.

Universal Design and Equity and Inclusion: Education programs should be designed to address the needs of students with disabilities as well as marginalized and vulnerable groups so that programs can lead to gains in learning outcomes and socio-emotional well-being for all children in the classroom. Through the USAID supported Reading for All (R4A) activity, MOEST has developed a subsystem of the education management information system to screen for functional limitations in children to ensure that children are provided appropriate learning supports in the classroom and referred for other health and social supports. Similarly, the MOEST is focusing on institutionalizing tools and approaches developed such as early grade reading

7 https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/dev-4361428.pdf 8 Ritchie SJ1, Bates TC.(2013). Enduring links from childhood mathematics and reading achievement to adult socioeconomic status. Psychol Sci.

2013 Jul 1;24(7):1301-8.

assessment tools and individualized education plans so that teachers and students can adapt their teaching practices to better support CwDs throughout the country. The MOEST is developing a Disability Inclusive Education roadmap, intended to provide guidance to scale up inclusive education approaches under the new Education Sector Plan. To date, MOEST activities have focused on enrollment or re-enrollment of children rather than quality of learning in the classroom.

The quality and relevance of education plays a pivotal role in retaining marginalized children in school. Girls and boys from marginalized groups have lower attendance rates, higher dropout rates, and higher repetition rates. Studies on educational outcomes for children with disabilities (CwDs) in Nepal point to high drop-outs and comparatively lower learning achievement for CwDs in rural areas. Mild disabilities, such as eyesight, hearing issues, and learning disorders (e.g., dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc.) are not identified in school, which are significant obstacles for learning achievements in school in Nepal. Children with undetected disabilities may attend school, but face difficulties learning and are not able to achieve the expected learning outcomes. The lack of a quality and relevant learning environment not only de-motivates children to attend school but also parents start losing interest in sending their children to school.

Implementation of Integrated Curriculum (IC): The Curriculum Development Center (CDC) revised the early grade (Grades 1-3) curriculum from a subject-based curriculum to an integrated curriculum. The CDC planned to roll out the curriculum in a phased manner. Accordingly, the CDC rolled out Grade 1 curriculum nationally during the 2020-2021 school year after having piloted it during the 2019-2020 school year. The curriculum revision process for Grades 2 and 3 has been completed and is being rolled out during the academic year 2021/22. Currently, USAID/Nepal’s EGRP II is providing support to the GON in conducting a study to examine the effectiveness of the IC roll out for the first grade and to provide recommendations on improving implementation of the IC.

Disasters and Shocks: Nepal is routinely struck with disasters and shocks that erode gains made in the education sector, reduce the effectiveness of education service delivery institutions, and exacerbate exclusion. Shocks can be slow-onset like drought, or relatively rapid onset like flooding and disease outbreak.”9 COVID-19 and its secondary and tertiary effects on education services is the most recent and severe shock that has led to schools closing for nearly ten months initially and again during the 2021 academic year. With only a fraction of schools able to effectively use digital and distance platforms, school closures have resulted in tremendous learning loss, especially among those most vulnerable. Currently, a Nepali student attending school for 11.7 years, when measuring learning-adjusted years of schooling, only receives about 6.9 years of education.10 Given the disruption of COVID-19 to the education system, this is projected to decline even further.

C.3.3 RELATIONSHIP TO CDCS

The EGL activity will directly support USAID/Nepal’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) strategic approach to support the transition to federalism, advance inclusion, and integrate resilience into outcomes. Specifically, USAID’s EGL will support Development Objective 3: Inclusive Health and Education Systems Strengthened, and all of the associated intermediate results. This approach will reinforce country ownership, strengthen coordination, utilize local systems, and focus on results. EGL will strengthen GON capacity and systems required for implementing early grade learning in the context of roll out of

9 Sagara, B. (2018). Resilience Measurement Practical Guidance Note Series 2: Measuring Shocks and Stresses.

10 World Bank. 2018. The Human Capital Project https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CDCS-NEPAL-DECEMBER-2025-EXTERNAL_030821.pdf https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/30498 integrated curriculum, federalism, and the learning loss resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

USAID/Nepal will provide support to the MOEST at the provincial and local governments to implement EGL interventions with limited support to the central level.

C.3.4 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER USAID ACTIVITIES

The EGL Contractor must coordinate closely with both Education Development Office (EDO) led interventions as well as with USAID/Nepal’s Offices of Health, Environment, Resilience and Democracy and Governance ongoing interventions so that investments will be complementary.

The EGL Contractor must collaborate with USAID/Nepal's interventions in education to support the Government of Nepal in reducing out-of-school children, improving learning outcomes for marginalized students, providing continuity to teaching and learning during emergencies, and strengthening the GON education system so that quality education services are delivered at all times. Specifically, the EGL Contractor must learn from and coordinate closely with the Reading for All activity to build off lessons learned and successes in disability inclusive education. The EGL activity must also complement USAID’s Government to Government (G2G) support through the Multi-Donor Joint Financing Arrangement (JFA) to support implementation of the GON’s new education sector plan and in scaling up NEGRP and numeracy foundational skills under the integrated curriculum. The EGL activity must also complement JFA’s interventions of supporting the MOEST to roll out multimodal learning programs during school closures, including provision of online and offline learning materials to students, and to promote alternative learning mechanisms such as community and home-based learning.

C.3.5 RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER PROGRAMS

Government of Nepal: The Contractor must coordinate closely with the GON, specifically the MOEST and relevant local level government officials. As the Contractor employs technical assistance to strengthen GON systems and capacity, a collaborative relationship with the government is essential. The Contractor must provide technical assistance to the MOEST in expanding early grade learning services in the targeted districts. MOEST, under its education sector plan, allocates budget to schools through local governments to ensure schools have minimum enabling conditions such as constructing separate girls toilets, play grounds, ramps for CwDss, and distribution of sanitary pads to females. The Contractor must work effectively with MOEST and other development partners to support the education sector plan. USAID’s support through EGL will be related to supporting MOEST in scaling up NEGRP and numeracy foundational implementational skills to improve learning outcomes, ensuring the most marginalized groups have access to education through “pro-poor” school interventions, supporting the expansion of ICT services, and supporting the MOEST in its efforts to provide continuity to teaching and learning during crisis such as COVID-19. Furthermore, the Contractor must closely work with the MOEST in supporting municipal governments so that schools meet PMECs indicators (sufficient number of trained teachers, availability of textbooks on time, book corner, sufficient classrooms, separate girls toilets) by using resources available to them from various sources. Of the PMECs, USAID’s support through EGL will be related to teacher training and support, setting up book corners, and timely availability of teaching and learning materials.

Non-Government Entities/Civil Society: The Contractor must coordinate, link with, and leverage ongoing global, regional, national, sub-national, district, and civil society efforts and resources to promote early grade learning. Finally, the Contractor must work with USAID to coordinate activities with other development partners. The Contractor must also maintain close collaboration with development partners engaged in early grade learning, such as the World Bank (WB) and JICA, to ensure that development partner supported activities are fully coordinated.

USAID is the leading donor and coordinating partner in the EGL space. USAID leads the EGR Technical Working Group (TWG) along with the GON that has developed the national standards, minimum package, materials and benchmarking for early grade reading. All development partners supporting early grade reading are aligned around this work. Currently, there are five donors working in EGL. These include USAID, the European Union (EU), WB, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), UNICEF, and JICA. The EU and WB/GPE supports this area through direct assistance to the GON. UNICEF is providing support to ECD.

JICA is providing central support to Center for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD) revision of mathematics curricula for early grades. Similarly, development partners such as UNICEF and Norway are supporting the GON in the implementation of child-friendly activities such as appointment of gender focal persons, formation of child clubs, and establishment of suggestion boxes in schools to reduce discriminatory practices in schools.

C.4 ACTIVITY SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

Activity Scope: The Contractor must work with all three tiers of government to strengthen education institutions so that they are capable of delivering quality early grade learning services. The Contractor must also be “shock responsive” to appropriately respond to the impacts of emergencies and disasters in the education sector.

Geographic Focus: The primary focus of the activity will be to continue providing technical assistance in the 38 districts that USAID previously supported and the GON is rolling out the NEGRP minimum package, and expand the assistance to 10 new districts. The selection of 10 new districts will be decided in consultation with the GON and will be guided by the GON’s plan to scale up early grade learning activities as outlined in its Education Sector Plan. The Contractor must continue providing support to the 38 original districts to ensure continuity of EGRP II’s gains and provide more intensive support to the 10 expansion districts in the areas of early grade reading. The activity must cover 100 percent of schools within the districts/municipalities where it works. While this is the primary focus, the activity must have the ability to reach other districts as necessary particularly as it relates to disaster and shock responsiveness.

Development Hypothesis: This activity’s development hypothesis is that: IF government capacity to deliver inclusive basic education service delivery at the national, provincial, and municipal levels is strengthened AND necessary technical assistance and resources are made available and effectively and equitably utilized in schools, THEN children’s learning outcomes in the early grades will improve.

Building on USAID’s previous investments, this activity must achieve the following objectives:

Objective 1: Build federal, provincial, and local levels capacity for delivering EGL services

Objective 2: Improve local governments’ ability to provide teacher professional support, coaching, mentorship, and supervision

Objective 3: Support local level governments in improving access to and quality of education services in early grades

Objective 1: Build federal, provincial, and local levels capacity for delivering EGL services

USAID interventions through EGRP and EGRP II have supported the GON in: strengthening the education system through the development of the NEGRP strategy document; devising and costing the NEGRP Minimum Package; and establishing standards, benchmarks for early grade reading curriculum, materials, instruction and assessment, local-level planning, and supporting schools in implementing teacher professional support. EGL must build on the results and lessons learned under EGRP I and EGRP II, and apply those more broadly to early grade learning. This activity must move away from direct service delivery, (e.g., the production, printing, distribution of materials; training) and instead focus on supporting the provincial and municipal governments, with a limited focus on the national level, in their efforts to ensure continued quality implementation in early grades. With the shift to a federalist structure, there are several emerging gaps in the education system.

The Contractor must identify and remediate these gaps. The Contractor must also support the Center for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD) in revising the NEGRP minimum package and ensure teachers can implement tested teaching methods both in the class and while teaching remotely. The Contractor must work closely with municipalities to orient their staff, and train them so that they can support schools in delivering education services, especially in early grades. The Contractor must support local government (municipalities) to develop or revise their costed education plans and incorporate scenario planning to account for times of crises. EGL must work with the MOEST and municipal government to strengthen the education system by revising and integrating tools and approaches developed under the R4A project in all supported schools. The Contractor must also provide support to local education units of municipal governments to implement the GON’s gender responsive budgeting as applicable under EGL. The Contractor must also provide support to local education units of municipal governments to track benefits accrued to CwDs.

Minimum Expected Outcomes:

● All targeted LEUs develop and maintain EMIS profiles that include data on learning outcomes, students with disabilities, teacher training status, coaching frequency, and language profiles of students and teachers.

● Municipal governments are using school report cards to improve learning outcomes of students and increase accountability of teachers and schools towards students, parents, and communities.

● All targeted municipalities have formulated/updated education policies and have costed action plans that use gender responsive budgeting, which reflect early…