72051418R00006_(01)_-_Q&A.pdf

Attachment 1 – RFP No. 72051418R00006 (01)

MEL Questions and Answers

1. Section L.6.5, Page 103: Annex C must include a list of Past Performance Information with a maximum five (5) of the most relevant and recently performed or current contracts (or assistance instruments such as cooperative agreements/grants) for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal… In accordance with FAR 15.305 (a)(2)(iii), will the Government take into account past performance information regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience, or subcontractors that will perform major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant to the instant acquisition?

ANSWER: The Government will only take into account relevant past performance of the prime entity that is submitting the proposal.

2. Section L.6.5, Page 103: Annex C must include a list of Past Performance Information with a maximum five (5) of the most relevant and recently performed or current contracts (or assistance instruments such as cooperative agreements/grants) for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal. In light of recent GAO rulings, please confirm that the Government will permit the use of sister company experience and past performance if a meaningful relationship is documented in a commitment letter.

ANSWER: No, sister company experience will not be allowed as past performance under this solicitation.

3. Section L.8, Footnote 1, Page 105: ¹In order to guarantee legibility of the proposed budgets, this part

[Part 2] may be presented in 11” x 17” paper (297mm x 431.8mm). Will the Government also allow for the use of 11x17 size paper for the Organizational and Management Chart to ensure legibility? If so, will you allow for each 11x17 fold-out to count as one page?

ANSWER: No. This specification applies only to the budget proposal.

4. Sections L.6.2 and L.6.4, Pages 101 and 102-103: “The following are to be included in the TECHNICAL PROPOSAL as annexes:

● Annex A: CV/Resumes for proposed Key Personnel…

● Annex B: Organizational and Management Chart…” “In Annex A – Organizational Chart…Annex B - CV/Resumes for proposed Key Personnel. Please clarify the titles and contents of Annexes A and B.

ANSWER: Annex A is Organizational and Management Chart and Annex B is CV/Resumes for proposed Key Personnel. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

5. Section L.6.4.2, Page 103: “The Offeror must provide three (3) references for each Key Personnel. The references must include a description and include the name, title, e-mail, and phone number of the person being contacted. The Offeror is required to confirm the accuracy of the references’ contact information to ensure that USAID can reach each individual listed as a reference.” Please confirm that Key Personnel references should appear in the appropriate Annex following the individual’s resume.

ANSWER: Yes, reference information should be included in the same Annex as the individual’s CV/Resume, as stated in Section L.6.2 Format, Page Limitation and Content.

6. Section L.6.5, Pages 104 and 117: Describe any quality awards or certifications that indicate exceptional capacity to provide the service or product described in the statement of work. This information may be included in an annex and is not included in the page limitation. While L.6.5 states that descriptions of quality awards or certifications are not included in the page limitation, Attachment 1 includes a row to discuss the topic. Please confirm that any responses to this item will not be included in the five page limitation on Past Performance citations.

ANSWER: Yes. This does not need to be included in the page limit.

7. Section L.6.5, Pages 103 and 117: Annex C must include a list of Past Performance Information with a maximum five (5) of the most relevant and recently performed or current contracts (or assistance instruments such as cooperative agreements/grants) for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal for the Offeror and up to three (3) for each major sub-contractor using the template provided in ATTACHMENT 1. Attachment 1 is provided as a 1-page pdf. Will the Government allow offerors to format the Past Performance Information table so that it fits the contents of the citation(s) provided?

ANSWER: All offerors are required to use the template provided in Attachment 1.

8. Attachment 4, Volume-II Workbook Summary Budget Tab: The summary budget tab implies that CLIN

0001 should be priced for five years and CLIN 0002 for seven. The RFP specifies a five-year period of performance. Please indicate why the CLIN 0002 cost summaries are highlighted in blue for seven years while CLIN 0001 price is only highlighted for five.

ANSWER: CLIN 0002 has been removed from the template. Only one CLIN will be used for this Activity.

9. Page 106, Section L.8. Part 2: The Summary Cost Worksheets provided must include separate worksheets for the prime and all subcontracts. This will be used to analyze proposals and determine best overall value. The worksheets provided include totals for subcontractors in item F of the summary budget tab as well as a separate subcontractor tab detailing the breakdown of subcontractor cost. Along with any addition supporting workbook tabs that may be added in support of the subcontractor cost information cited above, is the Government also requesting an entirely separate workbook that would convey subcontractor cost only? Or can these subcontractor related items be added and clearly delineated within the same workbook submittal?

ANSWER: Subcontractor budgets should be included with different tabs within the same workbook.

10. Attachment 4: Volume-II Workbook: Detail Budget Tab The government is requesting detailed pricing and costs breakdowns for a CLIN 0002 in the same format as CLIN 0001. The RFP does not mention clear details with regards to what is being priced in CLIN 001 and CLIN 0002. Can the government please confirm what costs and statements of work are to be associated with each CLIN?

ANSWER: See answer 8.

11. Page 53, Section H.8(c)A: The Contractor further agrees to insert in all subcontracts hereunder to which the DBA is applicable, a clause similar to this clause, including this sentence, imposing on all subcontractors a like requirement to provide overseas workmen's compensation insurance coverage and obtain DBA coverage under the USAID requirements contract. Please confirm for the purpose of this cost proposal that all bidders are required to use the DBA rates provided in table A. RATES.

ANSWER: Yes.

12. Solicitation Cover Letter, Section L.4(a)USAID anticipates awarding one (1) contract as a result of this solicitation through full and open competition. While this solicitation has been listed as a small business set-aside, the RFP twice mentions full and open competition. Can the Government please clarify?

ANSWER: The MEL Activity is a Total Small Business Set-Aside. The Solicitation has been modified accordingly.

13. Page 8, Section B.2 Contract Type and Services: USAID/Colombia has incorporated Section B.8.

MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT AND CANCELLATION CEILING. Is it appropriate to conclude that this is a multi-year contract? If so, FAR 17.104 (a) Multi-year contracting is a special contracting method to acquire known requirements in quantities. While Section C lays out in general terms the statement of work and expected results, we note that expected results for program year are not identified. Will USAID/Colombia provide yearly expected results?

ANSWER: The MEL Activity will be implemented under a multi-year contract. The general expected results of the whole contract are listed in section C.5. The disaggregation of those results per year will be determined in the semi-annual work plans (SWAPS).

14. Page 8, Section B.3.1 Payment of Fixed Fee: Payment of fixed fee will be made upon receipt of a proper invoice and must directly correspond to the percentage of allowable costs being paid. Pursuant to FAR 16.306(d), the fixed fee payable under completion type contracts is tied to the completion of contract deliverables. Would USAID/Colombia consider changing the fixed fee payment provision? If so, would USAID/Colombia consider inclusion of a Fee payment Schedule?

ANSWER: A fixed fee schedule will not be used for this Activity.

15. Page 8, Section B.4 Contract and Budget Ceilings, Budget format: Is USAID/Colombia’s expectation for offerors to submit costs per contract year? Is USAID/Colombia’s expectation to have a line item covering cancelation costs per contract year?

ANSWER: Yes, costs should be budgeted by year.

16. Page 13, C.2.2 USAID/Colombia Programs, CDCS. Will USAID/Colombia indicate the expected date for the needs assessments for the CDCS?

ANSWER: The needs assessment (or other type of study serving as an input for the CDCS) will be one of the first products that the Contractor must deliver. It is expected to be developed within the first five months after the contract is signed.

17. Page 18-24, C.3.2.1 Activities for Impact Evaluations. Will USAID make available the list expected deliverables per contract year and per activity identified, including contract year when these deliverables are expected to be submitted. This question flushes to Section F.5.1 which indicates the requirements for reports and services per year, yet these requirements are not presented in relation to the specific activities under C.3.2.1.?

ANSWER: The expected deliverables per contract year and for each activity will be determined in the Semi Annual Work Plan (SWAP). As mentioned in section F. 5.1, it is estimated to be an average of three to four performance or impact evaluations per year. The activities for which these evaluations will be carried out include those listed in section C.3.2.1 and C.3.2.2, as well as other activities that will be determined in the SWAPs.

18. Also, how does USAID/Colombia envision determining costs or ordering additional services such as those identified in the “Semi Annual Work Plan”?

ANSWER: The costs for each SWAP must be linked to the tasks and services outlined in the

SWAP.

19. Page 25, Section C.5. EXPECTED RESULTS: Due to the contract type, does USAID/Colombia envision providing a list of results per contract year?

ANSWER: The general expected results of the whole contract are listed in section C.5. The disaggregation of those results per year will be determined in the SWAPs.

20. Page 26, C.6.2 Gender and Social Inclusion: Please clarify to which "activity" USAID/Colombia refers to in relation to “ensure that all USAID policies and strategies… are applied during implementation of the Activity” or is USAID/Colombia’s intent is to require the Contractor to capture IPS’ compliance with these requirements?

ANSWER: “Activity” refers to the MEL Activity, as stated in Section B.1 of the RFP.

21. Section H.6. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PERSONNEL COMPENSATION: Considering that the LCP is specific to the Mission, will USAID allow the successful contractor to propose its own LCP, taking into consideration the salary ranges contained in Attachment 9 of the solicitation?

ANSWER: The Local Compensation Plan is for use of the United States Embassy in Colombia.

Offerors should follow their own policies and procedure within the salary ranges provided in the solicitation. However, locally hired staff may not exceed the maximum allowable annual rate of COP$232,408,126.00 unless Mission Director approval is provided in accordance with AIDAR

722.170. The latter does not apply to Consultants.

22. Page 53, Section H.8. DEFENSE BASE ACT INSURANCE For contract years 3, 4 and 5, may DBA escalated rates be proposed?

ANSWER: DBA Insurance is limited to 2%.

23. Section B.2, Page 8: This is a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) completion contract. USAID/Colombia has incorporated Section B.8. MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT AND CANCELLATION CEILING. Is it appropriate to conclude that this is a multi-year contract?

ANSWER: Per FAR 17.103, “Multi-year contract” means a contract for the purchase of supplies or services for more than 1, but not more than 5, program years. A multi-year contract may provide that performance under the contract during the second and subsequent years of the contract is contingent upon the appropriation of funds, and (if it does so provide) may provide for a cancellation payment to be made to the contractor if appropriations are not made. The MEL Activity will be implemented under a multi-year contract.

If so, FAR 17.104 (a) Multi-year contracting is a special contracting method to acquire known requirements in quantities. While Section C lays out in general terms the statement of work and expected results, we note that expected results for program year are not identified. Will USAID/Colombia provide yearly expected results?

ANSWER: See the answer to question No. 13.

24. Section L Part 2 C), pages 105-106: USAID encourages the use of competitively awarded fixed price subcontracts for services that can be defined objectively and for which the risk of performance is manageable. Each cost-reimbursement, time-and materials, labor hour, or sole source fixed price subcontract must be supported in a similar manner consistent with the instructions provided in this section. Prospective subcontractors may submit proprietary information other than cost or pricing data directly to the Government no later than the date and time specified in the instructions for receipt of offers for this RFP. Please confirm that subcontractors are not required to submit a separate, sealed package but have the option to do so for proprietary information not related to cost or pricing data.

ANSWER: Yes, subcontractors are not required to submit a separate, sealed package but have the option to do so for proprietary information not related to cost or pricing data. Note that only major subcontractors, as described in Section L.6.5 of the RFP, are required to provide past performance information.

25. The opportunity was posted as a Total Small Business, and now that it is published, the letter and body of the solicitation states that the opportunity is a full and open competitive process. Please let us know what the government's intent is in this regard.

ANSWER: See the answer to question No. 12.

26. Attachment 4 – Budget Template includes CLIN 001 and CLIN 002. It is not clear how these CLINs differ from one another. Can USAID please clarify whether CLINs are required and if so, what information should be include in each CLIN?

ANSWER: See the answer to question No. 8.

27. Given the tasks within each component are illustrative and the activities will be determined during implementation, please provide guidance on how the contractor should budget for the level of effort and other direct costs for the to-be determined individual activities? Should the offeror simply base illustrative activity budgets on explicitly stated assumptions about LOE and ODCs for illustrative activities since the specific evaluations and other activities are not known a priori?

ANSWER: Section F. 5.1 mentions the estimated budget amount of evaluations and studies per year. Each offeror should budget according to that information. A useful reference may be the estimated budget of the Mission’s current mechanisms: six have Total Estimated Cost (TEC) values that are in a range between $50 and $80 million USD dollars; six in the range between $20 and $50 million; 7 in a range between $10 and $20 million; 6 in a range between $5 and $10 million; and 12 below $3 million. The mechanisms in the first two ranges have an average of four regional offices.

28. Section L.6.2 states Annex A: CV/Resumes for Proposed Key Personnel and Annex B: Organizational and Management Chart. However, Section L.6.4 states Annex A: Organizational Chart and Annex B:

CV/Resumes for Proposed Key Personnel. Can USAID please clarify which content should be included in Annex A and B?

ANSWER: See the answer to question No. 4.

29. Section L.6.2 states that Annex C: Past Performance Information should not exceed five pages. Section

L.6.5 states that the offeror should include up to five contracts. Past performance information sheets for contracts often exceed one page. Can USAID please eliminate the page limit for Annex C?

ANSWER: The page limit for past performance (Annex C) has been changed to 1 page per reference. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

30. Can USAID please clarify if Annex F of the technical proposal should present personnel to conduct the

Performance Evaluation of the Justice for a Sustainable Peace Program (JSP)?

ANSWER: Yes. It should include a brief description of the key personnel functions and qualifications of the evaluation team.

31. Page 101, Section L.6.2 says the given page limit for the Branding and Marking plan annex is 2 pages, but the template provided in Attachment 3 is 8 pages long. Please clarify how many pages the Branding and Marking plan should be.

ANSWER: The page limitation for Annex D is now 8 pages. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

32. Page 105 says cost proposal annexes are strictly limited to the items listed in Section L.8, though none of the annexes listed includes Cost Evidence, ie NICRA and biodata. Please clarify where this should be included in the annexes.

ANSWER: Such cost evidence information should be included within the Cost Narrative, described in full in L.8, PART 2 – PROPOSED COSTS/PRICES/DETAILED BUDGET

NARRATIVE.

33. Page 105, Section L.8, lists Part 9 of the cost proposal items with the heading: “Letters of Commitment

(Major Subcontractors)” though the text requests a letter of commitment from each subcontractor. Please clarify whether this is needed for each subcontractor or only major subcontractors.

ANSWER: Letters of commitment are only required for major subcontractors. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

34. Page 100, Section L.6.2 says that the text in any text boxes included within the technical proposal must not be less than 12 points in size. However, in the same paragraph it says that “text in graphs, charts and text boxes may be less than 12 points in size but no less than 8 points.” Could you please specify the font size?

ANSWER: Text in graphs, charts and text boxes may be less than 12 points in size but no less than 8 points and must be legible. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

35. Page 102, Section L.6.4, says that “In addition to the key personnel and LT/ST positions mentioned in

Section F.6.2, the Offeror will propose a coherent management plan that demonstrates superior technical expertise…” Could you please specify what this sentence mean? These ST positions in Section F.6.2 are illustrative. Is the Mission looking for CVs for these experts? If yes, in which annex should they go?

ANSWER: Paragraphs 4 (“The description….) and 5 (Organization Chart: the Oferror…) of page 102 describe what is expected for a coherent management plan. Superior Technical Expertise should be supported by the key personnel proposed, by estimating the Level of Effort (LOE) for each technical position (key and non-key senior technical positions), listing the type of consultants that will be hired, and by specifying “the profile of the short-term consultants it envisions recruiting” in the Organizational and Management Chart Annex. CVs of experts are not needed, although in that same Annex, Offerors can include short resumes of the primary experts that are planned to be hired.

36. Page 102, Section L.6.4, says that in Annex A- Organizational Chart, the Offeror should “specify the profile of the short-term consultants it envisions recruiting, the balance between permanent staff and short-term consultants, the anticipated duration of short-term consultancies…” Please clarify if this information that needs to be included is related to the evaluations included under Component 2.

ANSWER: These types of consultancies may be needed for evaluations as well as for the other four components.

37. Page 101, Section L.6.2 lists CVs as Annex A and Organizational Chart as Annex B, but page 102, Section L.6.4, lists them in the reverse order. Please specify the order.

ANSWER: See the answer to question No. 4.

38. Given what is required under Annex B, Organizational and Management Chart, would the Mission consider increasing the page limit to 6?

ANSWER: The page limitation has changed to 2 pages per Key Personnel, not including reference list. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

39. Page 101, says that Annex C, Past Performance Information, should not exceed 5 pages. However, we are required to submit 5 PPRs for the prime and 3 PPRs for the major subcontractor. Would USAID increase the page limit to at least 8?

ANSWER: See the answer to question No. 29.

40. Page 52, Section H.6, (e). Consultants, states that the Contractor is required to submit a Pay Scale. Can USAID provide a format for submitting the consultant pay scale?

ANSWER: There is no particular format. Each offeror should develop its own scale in accordance with their policies and procedures.

41. Page 53, Section H.8, DBA Insurance makes a reference to Option years 1, 2 and 3. Please confirm that the period of performance doesn’t include option years.

ANSWER: Language referring to option years has been removed. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

42. Section H.8 mentions that the consultant rates should be costed as blended daily rates. This is contrary to

Section H.6 which states a pay scale is required that should not exceed the maximum daily salary rate as described in ADS 302. Please clarify and advise accordingly.

ANSWER: Consultants are not considered to earn salaries as they are not employees but rather contractors.

43. Page 108, Section L.8, says that the Cost/Business Proposal requires that the Cost Proposal include resources for Environmental Management Approach by way of separate budget line. This is contrary to categorial exclusion mentioned in Section H.23 Environmental Compliance. Please clarify.

ANSWER: Correct, no EMA is required. This section has been removed from the solicitation.

44. In Attachment 4, the Budget Template mentions CLIN 2 in Summary, Detailed & LOE sheets.

However, there is no guidance in the RFP on activity(s) under CLIN 1 and CLIN 2, please advise if the budget for CLIN 2 would be a certain percentage of the total budget for CLIN 1 and CLIN 2 and what activity(s) would be covered under CLIN 2.

45. In Attachment 4, the Budget Template mentions the period of performance as 7 years whereas Section F in the RFP mentions period of performance as 5 years. We would appreciate sending us the revised budget template as necessary.

ANSWER: The MEL Activity is a five (5) year contract. Offerors should remove Years 6 and 7 from the template.

46. On page 142, Attachment 9, there may be typographical errors on Salary Amount for different position levels. Please clarify.

ANSWER: One period has been changed to a comma in the amended solicitation.

47. Can USAID provide us the 2018 local compensation plan for Colombia?

ANSWER: The LCP is for internal United States Embassy use.

48. Does the Mission have an existing GIS system or access to the USAID GEOcenter ARCGIS instance to manage GIS files and data?

If yes, what is it and what level of access will our team have to access, manipulate and upload GIS data?

If no, is this something that USAID wishes the contractor to provide or propose?

Does the staff at USAID have ArcGIS or other GIS analysis desktop tools?

ANSWER: USAID/Colombia doesn’t have an existing GIS system. On limited occasions, the Mission has requested help from the GeoCenter, although our internal capacity is not fully developed to take advantage of it. This capacity is expected to be strengthened by the support of the MEL Activity.

The only GIS tool the Mission has is ArcMap (5 licenses). Our performance management system (Monitor) collects information at a second administrative level (municipality) and the Mission then analyzes that information using ArcMap. The Mission doesn't carry out other types of analyses, and as mentioned above, in general, our GIS analysis capacity is limited.

49. Monitor Colombia is the M&E system used by the Colombia mission, currently managed by a local firm. Can the mission confirm that we will not be expected to modify or manage this system, but rather contribute ideas, requirements and business process identification, and visualization designs to the existing contractor who will be responsible for implementation, if the designs require code level changes?

ANSWER: USAID confirms that offerors are not expected to modify or manage this system

50. Does the mission support Tableau for data analysis by Mission staff? If so, is supporting the usage of

Tableau a probable channel for support to the Mission for data analysis?

ANSWER: The Mission has recently begun using Tableau, to a limited extent. Support for using Tableau is a possible channel for support to the Mission, although it is not required.

51. Can the Mission please provide information on access and permission rights to existing knowledge management and data repository information which this contract may be required to use, such as Monitor and Inside USAID or others? Will access to these tools require public trust or other similar background clearance checks?

ANSWER: The Implementer of the MEL Activity will have access to the knowledge management and data repository information of the Mission, to comply with the contract requirements as necessary. Clearances will be required for staff to access these systems.

52. Per Section L.8, Part 2, e, the Cost Volume must be submitted in the Budget Template format provided.

The Budget Template has two CLINs; please confirm that the Offeror is not required to split budget costs into separate CLINs.

53. The term “Consultant” in Section L, Part 2, 4, does not correspond with the Budget Template. Please confirm that offerors may present Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) in three categories:

Expatriate STTA, Home Office STTA, and Local STTA

ANSWER: Yes, offerors may present STTA in three categories: Expatriate STTA, Home Office STTA, and Local STTA.

54. Sections L.8, Part 2, (5) Travel (10) Monitoring and Evaluation, and (14) Security Costs, require substantial budget detail. May offerors include additional budget sheets in the Budget Template and link those sheets back to the Main Detailed Budget, appropriately splitting costs between Salaries and Wages and other line items

ANSWER: Yes, offerors may include additional budget sheets as needed.

55. Section L.8, Part 2, 5, requires a consolidated travel chart, which is not included in the Budget Template.

Could USAID provide a template of the consolidated travel chart

ANSWER: Offerors may create their own travel charts in the budget spreadsheet which must be linked to the detailed budget sheet.

56. In Section F.5.2, the RFP states that “several of the services demanded under this contract will be ad-hoc and on a short-term basis.” Is it reasonable to assume that in the Cost Volume that the Offerors may in some cases propose pools of funds for activities to provide for flexibility in providing ad hoc and short term services?

57. Section L.8, Part 2, 10, Costs of Branding and Marking, the RFP indicates that LOE will be designated to manage and implement these plans. We propose that the associated LOE be budgeted in Salaries and Wages in the Budget Template and that the associated costs of the Branding and Marking Plan be budgeted in Other Direct Costs (ODCs). Similarly, we would request that the labor associated with the Communications and Outreach Plan and the Environmental Management Approach also be budgeted under Salaries and Wages in the Budget Template, while other associated costs be included in the ODCs.

ANSWER: It is up to each offeror to structure their cost proposals in accordance with their policies and procedures.

58. The table of contents of the Cost/Business Proposal does not include a section for the Security Budget that is listed in Section L.8, Part 2, 14. Please indicate confirm where that should be included in the proposal. Section L.8, Part 2, 14: Please confirm that the security budget is part of the overall budget and would count towards the total costs.

ANSWER: Any costs related to security should be included in the offerors proposed budget.

59. With regards to the local salaries in Attachment 9, would local STTA rates been expected to fall within the same ranges?

ANSWER: No, STTA/Consultants are not subject to salary ranges.

60. Per page 113, Monitoring & Evaluation: Given that M&E is incorporated into numerous aspects of the MEL project, can USAID provide additional guidance in regard to the requirement for a separate line item for M&E?

ANSWER: The requirements of the solicitation regarding M&E are exposed in the descriptions of Components I and II of the MEL Activity (Sections C.3.1 and C.3.2)

61. On page 101, the RFP states: “Annex C: Past Performance Information (maximum 5 pages).” Given that the template itself is almost a page, and there can be five PPIs for the prime, plus 3 PPIs for each major subcontractor, could we please request that two pages are allowed for each PPI?

62. On page 17, section C.3.1, one of the illustrative tasks listed under Monitoring and Support Services is the development of Data Quality Assessments (DQAs). Can USAID provide the expected number of DQAs to be supported each year?

ANSWER: USAID expects that this activity will support DQAs for 15-20 indicators per year.

63. On page 17, section C.3.1, one of the illustrative tasks listed under Monitoring and Support Services is the construction of tables and dashboards for context indicator data. Can USAID provide details about the type of information system currently being used by USAID/Colombia for monitoring indicators and performance of supported Activities?

ANSWER: The Mission is currently in the process of improving the collection of context indicator data. This data comes from secondary sources and from the assessments and evaluations done by the Mission through the current EVAL mechanism and from assessments and surveys done by other mechanisms. The Mission has the data sets and corresponding dictionaries for this data, although there isn’t an information system for this data. We have an Excel database not linked to our MONITOR System (which covers only performance indicators).

The MEL activity will continue to develop (design and implement) this collection, organization, validation and dissemination of context data.

64. On page 22, under section C.3.4 Component IV - Geographic Information System (GIS) related services, can USAID provide any information regarding any GIS tool currently being used by USAID?

ANSWER: The only GIS tool the Mission uses is ArcMap. We also do very limited and basic mapping through Tableau.

65. On page 25, under section C.4 Supplemental Technical Assistance, the RFP mentions that additional requirements will be identified within the scope of this contract. Considering that the USAID MEL Activity will use a CPFF Completion contract, what type of mechanisms will USAID use for these requests that will require additional resources?

ANSWER: No increase to the Total Estimated Cost (TEC) is expected for the Supplemental Technical Assistance. The offeror must include in the cost proposal an estimated budget related to this supplemental assistance. As described in section C.4, the expected services for that element of the scope of work may be linked to the five components of the contract. This would usually be linked to unplanned requests outside the scope of the services determined in the

SWAP. The cost for that supplemental assistance must be estimated according to illustrative activities and the corresponding level of effort. According to the Mission’s experience, these requests should not exceed two per year and they usually consist of short assessments or specific CLA workshops.

66. On page 28, section C.6.6, what is the number of implementing partners and other stakeholders with which the Contract is expected to coordinate? Will USAID provide the list of implementing partners currently working in Colombia that are supported by USAID?

ANSWER: The following is a list of all current implementing partners in Colombia:

Office Implementing Partner End Date Name of the Activity

RIO ACDI/VOCA 5/30/2020 Reconciliation Activity

RED ACUMEN FUND INC 9/30/2019 Investing for Peace Activity

RIO CENTRO COLOMBO

AMERICANO - MLK

PROGRAM

12/10/2020 Fellowship Program - Scholarship (Afro-Colombian and Indigenous)

DRG CHEMONICS

INTERNATIONAL, INC.

4/4/2019 Human Rights Activity (HRA)

RED CHEMONICS

INTERNATIONAL, INC.

8/2/2020 Rural Finance Activity

ENV CHEMONICS

INTERNATIONAL, INC.

9/22/2020 Oro Legal - Artisanal Gold Mining - Environmental Impact Reduction

Activity

DRG CHEMONICS

INTERNATIONAL, INC.

2/6/2021 Justice for a Sustainable Peace Activity

(JSP)

ENV CHEMONICS

INTERNATIONAL, INC.

3/27/2024 Natural Wealth Activity

RIO CODHES - CONSULTORIA

PARA LOS DERECHOS

HUMANOS Y EL

DESPLAZAMIENTO

7/10/2018 Civil Society Participation Project

RIO DEMOCRACY

INTERNATIONAL

3/29/2021 Complexity -Aware Monitoring & Evaluation (C-AM&E)

RED FINTRAC, INC. 3/2/2022 Producers to Markets Alliance

ENV FONDO PARA LA ACCION

AMBIENTAL Y LA NIÑEZ

7/30/2020 Environmental Peace Initiative - Colombia

ENV FONDO PATRIMONIO

NATURAL

7/31/2020 Environmental Peace Initiative - Caquetá

RIO FULBRIGHT COLOMBIA 12/29/2020 Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Scholarship and Leadership Activity

ALSP II

RIO FUNDACION ARCANGELES 6/30/2018 Sport Power 2

PRO FUNDACION PARA EL

DESARROLLO INTEGRAL DEL

PACIFICO (FDI PACIFICO)

6/7/2019 Efficient Management of the Valle del Cauca's Health System in the Post-

Conflict Period RIO HEARTLAND ALLIANCE (HAI) 9/30/2020 Victims of Torture Treatment Program

PRO HEINSOHN BUSINESS

SERVICES

3/10/2019 Monitor M&E Management Services

RIO INTERNATIONAL

ORGANIZATION FOR

MIGRATIONS (IOM)

4/28/2020 Victims Institutional Strengthening Program (VISP)

RIO INTERNATIONAL

ORGANIZATION FOR

MIGRATIONS (IOM)

10/1/2018 Reintegration Activity

RIO INTERNATIONAL

ORGANIZATION FOR

MIGRATIONS (IOM)

11/15/2020 Inclusion for Peace Activity

PRO MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

INTERNATIONAL (MSI)

8/28/2018 Evaluation and Analysis for Learning (EVAL) Project

DRG MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

INTERNATIONAL (MSI)

12/21/2019 Regional Governance Activity (RGA)

DRG MISION DE OBSERVACIONES

ELECTORAL (MOE)

12/20/2019 Electoral Processes Activity (MOE)

RIO OASS/MAPP 6/29/2018 PIO Grant to OAS-MAPP

PRO OLGOONIK TECHNICAL

SERVICES, LLC.

8/18/2019 Consultant and Advisory Services for Colombia (CASC) Program

RIO PROFAMILIA 10/31/2018 Strengthening Access to Health for Population in Condition of

Vulnerability Caused by the Armed Conflict in the Municipality of

Fundación, Magdalena

DRG SECRETARIADO NACIONAL

DE PASTORAL SOCIAL (SNPS)

5/19/2019 Strengthening Civil Society Activity

(SCSA)

RED SEAF- SMALL ENTERPRISE

ASSISTANCE FUNDS

3/18/2020 SEAF Colombia Agribusiness Fund

(SCAF)

RED STARBUCKS COFFEE

TRADING COMPANY

6/8/2018 Colombia Coffee Yield Improvement Project

RED TETRA TECH ARD, INC. 7/24/2019 Land and Rural Development Program

DRG UN-HR UNITED NATIONS

OFFICE OF THE HIGH

COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN

RIGHTS

10/31/2019 United Nations - Human Rights (UN-

HR)

PRO UNITED NATIONS WOMEN 1/1/2020 Overcoming Gender-based Violence (GBV) to Ensure Women´s Full

Enjoyment of Rights”

RED USDA-UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURE

1/14/2021 Cacao for Peace (CFP)

DRG UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS

ANDES

1/20/2021 Public Opinion Activity (POA)

RED TETRA TECH ARD, INC.

(CDLO)

8/22/2024 Community Development & Licit Opportunities (CDLO)

RIO FUNDACION IDEAS PARA LA

PAZ (FIP)

9/25/2019 Reconciliation and Business Laboratories

RIO PROANTIOQUIA 10/18/2020 Ser+Maestro

DRG SANTIAGO VILLAVECES 7/20/2018 Political Economic Assessment Citizen Security

PRO PAN AMERICAN HEALTH

ORGANIZATION

11/16/2018 OFDA-Health Needs in the Colombian- Venezuelan Border

ENV CHEMONICS

INTERNATIONAL, INC.

3/23/2025 Paramos and Forest Activity

67. On page 36-37, section F.5.9 Final Report, would USAID be open to submission on a hard drive rather than CD-ROMs?

ANSWER: No, The United States Embassy does not allow entrance of non-government computer hardware such as hard-drives into the compound.

68. On page 38, there is a mentioning that the Chief of Party and the Lead Evaluation Expert have been identified by USAID. Can USAID confirm that these two key positions have been already identified? If so, can USAID confirm that offerors are not required to identify and provide further documentation of these two key positions as USAID has already identified two individuals for these positions?

ANSWER: This section refers to the positions, not the individuals. Each offeror is required to propose the individuals that would fill those key positions.

69. On page 52, section H.6 Additional Requirements for Personnel Compensation, subsection (e)

Consultants outlines the submission of a Pay Scale. Is the Pay Scale due at the time of the proposal or post submission?

ANSWER: The pay scale is due after award.

70. Please clarify if the Rural Financial Services (RFI) impact evaluation mentioned in C.3.2.1 will undergo midterm and final evaluations or just the latter.

ANSWER: The noted impact evaluation would undergo both midterm and final evaluations

71. Please clarify if the JSP, IPA, and MOE activities have undergone baseline evaluations.

ANSWER: There are no baselines studies for these activities. JSP and IPA conducted initial assessments and surveys from which they obtained the data for the baselines of some indicators.

72. The budget template provided is divided into CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002. Per the RFP page 106 Section

L PART 2 (e) it states that ‘The budget must be completed in the format included in Attachment 4 –

BUDGET TEMPLATE’. However the RFP has no reference of CLIN 0001 and CLIN 0002. Please clarify.

73. RFP page 17, Section C.3(1) refers to “impact indicators” in the 4th bullet under Illustrative Tasks for the Monitoring Support Services Component. Question: How does the Mission define these indicators as they are not defined in the ADS?

ANSWER: The Mission considers impact indicators to be those linked to changes of phenomenon at a higher level of development in the areas of USAID’s intervention. Although these high level indicators are related to USAID efforts, the Agency cannot claim attribution for them. USAID doesn’t control all the factors that impact such indicators. In some cases, this type of indicator may be linked to the Development Objective of the CDCS. The Mission tracks this type of indicator but does not approach them as performance indicators and hence doesn’t establish targets for them.

74. RFP page 18, Section C.3(2)(1) states that USAID collected baseline data for an impact evaluation in

2017 and implies that the impact evaluation will continue into the proposed MEL Activity.

Question: Could USAID/Colombia please provide additional information on the design and baseline study for that impact evaluation, as it will impact the cost of remaining data collection and analysis needs?

ANSWER: The baseline was developed from a survey of inhabitants in five treatment municipalities. These five targeted municipalities had been the subject of an RFI intervention for a maximum of three months, and so it was expected that the Initiative had made only incipient progress. The baseline also selected a group of five control municipalities. These municipalities were selected based on a matching model using a group of relevant variables. In order to create this baseline, a total of 3,047 surveys were conducted: 1,519 of inhabitants in treatment municipalities and 1,528 in control municipalities; 41% of the surveys were conducted of inhabitants in rural areas, and the remaining 59% were conducted of inhabitants in municipal centers. 56 in-depth interviews were also conducted.

75. RFP page 24, Section C.3(4) and page 67, Section H.28 reference USAID/Colombia’s monitoring system MONITOR, but no further details about its functionality and technical specifications are provided. Question: Given that the MEL Activity may be asked to support such as a performance management information system, could USAID/Colombia please provide any relevant information on existing systems that implementers may need to work with?

ANSWER: MONITOR is a web-based management information system that provides comprehensive information on the status and progress of all USAID/Colombia activities. It is also a system where Environmental Compliance information is reported as well as other programmatic information such as direct investments and partners. A considerable amount of the information is reported at the municipal level and for direct interventions (sub-activities). The system also provides several reports useful to the Mission and other stakeholders. Another separate mechanism (different from the MEL Activity) is in charge of the programing, maintenance and tracking of operational issues on this system. The support of the MEL Activity in Monitoring will include contributing to the development of the GIS functionality of USAID/Colombia’s monitoring system.

76. Related to the above, Page 24, Section C.3(4) also references that MEL activity will be asked to contribute to developing GIS functionality of USAID/Colombia’s monitoring system. Question: Could USAID/Colombia provide more details about its vision for integration of GIS with the performance management information system and specific functionalities envisaged?

ANSWER: Recently, the Mission has started to explore the possibility of conducting geographic analysis of the data in MONITOR. The support of the MEL Activity in improving this GIS functionality may entail data validation, building IPs’ capacity, specialized analyses, and usage of other secondary sources layers.

77. RFP page 25 onward, Section C.5. includes a list of illustrative outcome indicators, several of which refer to the “number of measures adopted”, but it is unclear what measures are being referred to here.

Question: Could USAID/Colombia please clarify?

ANSWER: Measures include actions USAID staff, Implementing Partners and other Stakeholders adopted according to the findings, conclusions and recommendations coming from the evaluations, assessment and CLA activities developed by the MEL Activity. It may include decisions on actions related to the design, redesign, planning and implementation of the activities, projects and strategy. Tracking these results may require regular surveys online.

78. RFP page 46, Section H.1. - subsection (a) appears to be missing. Question: Could USAID/Colombia please clarify whether there is a subsection (a)?

ANSWER: Subsection (a) has been named. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

79. RFP page 76, Section I.1., Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), AIDAR Clauses (48 CFR Chapter 7) lists 752.209-71 Organizational Conflict of Interest Discovered After Award. Question: Can USAID/Colombia confirm that all organizations (Prime and Subcontractors) involved in the implementation of current projects, but also awarded during the life of the MEL project and subject to an evaluation would be considered to have an organizational conflict of interest?

ANSWER: Yes, any organization implementing an activity with USAID/Colombia would not be able to be evaluated by itself. In that situation, evaluations of current projects would be evaluated outside of the MEL Activity.

80. RFP page 101, Section L.6(2) lists the required annexes to be included in the technical proposal. There is no Annex E listed. Question: Could USAID/Colombia please clarify whether there is an Annex E?

ANSWER: There is no Annex E.

81. RFP page 101, Section L.6 (2) states that Annex G: Relevant graphs and charts referenced in Technical Proposal should be not more than 3 pages. Question: Could USAID/Colombia please consider increasing the page limit to be able to incorporate additional tables not included in the list of the required annexes (ex., the STTA matrix)?

ANSWER: The page limitation for Annex G remains the same. Each offeror should determine what relevant information should fit into the three pages.

82. RFP page 101, Section L.6 (3) states, “The technical approach in response to this solicitation must include: A succinct description and explanation of the proposed strategic vision, planned interventions, technical approaches, methodologies, criteria and tools used to address the purpose, components, activities, services and supplemental technical assistance described in Section C. Question: Could USAID/Colombia please clarify what is being referred to as “criteria” in this sentence and how it relates to approaches, methodologies, and tools?

ANSWER: It refers to the criteria used to select the appropriate technical approaches, methodologies, tool and types of interventions for addressing the services.

83. RFP page 102, Section L.6 (3) states that the Offeror must submit in annexes the summary of the

Technical Approach to develop a Mid-Term performance evaluation of the Justice for a Sustainable Peace Program (JSP) described in ATTACHMENT 9. Question: Attachment 9 includes the salary ranges. The JSP is described in Attachment 8. Will USAID/Colombia please make appropriate changes to reference the right attachment?

ANSWER: This discrepancy has been corrected in Amendment 1 of the Solicitation.

84. RFP page 103, Section L.6 (4)(2) notes that the references for the proposed key personnel must include a description and include a name, title, e-mail, and phone number of the person being contacted.

Question: Could USAID/Colombia please clarify what kind of description it anticipates? Is it the description of the candidate or the description of the person being contacted?

ANSWER: The description refers to the candidate being proposed.

85. RFP page 106, Section L.8., Part 2. (e) state that Summary Cost Worksheets provided must include separate worksheets for the prime and all subcontracts. Question: Could USAID/Colombia please clarify whether the Prime should use the format provided in the Subcontracts tab of Attachment 4?

ANSWER: Offerors are required to use the budget template in ATTACHMENT 4 of the Solicitation.

86. RFP page 106, Section L.8., Part 2. (e) requests that the Offeror’s detailed worksheets in support of the

Summary Cost Worksheets be provided in one large spreadsheet with linkages to the summary worksheets. Question: In terms of the detailed worksheet, should the Offeror only be submitting one detailed worksheet?

87. RFP Page 108, Section L.8., Part 2 (10) states that the Offeror must include costs of M&E Staff, data collection, analysis, and reporting as a separate line item in the budget to ensure that adequate resources are available. Question: Regarding presenting these costs as a separate line item in the budget, can this requirement be removed since costs associated with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) will be a significant part of the budget since the purpose of the contract is to implement MEL?

ANSWER: The paragraph that references Monitoring & Evaluation costs in Section L.8., Part 2

(10) has been removed. The RFP has been modified accordingly.

88. RFP page 110, Section L.8., Part 6 states that if parties will perform the contract as a single entity, then documents such as Corporate Charter, By-Laws, or Joint Venture or Partnership Agreement must be submitted as an attachment to the Cost/Business Proposal. Question: What specific documents are required as an attachment to the Cost/Business Proposal if the parties have formed a joint venture that will not operate as a single entity?

ANSWER: Irrespective of how an offeror presents the division of labor, if two or more parties have formed a joint venture (JV) entity and that entity is a listed offeror under the solicitation then offerors should view the proposal as though the parties will perform the contract as a single entity and present all the documents listed from the JV and/or the entities entering into the JV.

89. RFP 113, Section M.2. states, “Subfactors are of equal importance under each Factor.” Question: Could

USAID/Colombia please confirm that Subfactors refers to the eight elements under M.2(1) Technical Approach, M.2.2 Management Approach and Capability, and M.2(3) Past Performance (ex: a) The extent to which the Offeror provides a clear, logical, technically sound, innovative and feasible approach that responds to the purpose, components and special considerations stated in section C)?

90. RFP page 142, Attachment 9 provides the position level and annual salary range. Question: If a Local

Compensation Plan (LCP) is available for Colombia, can USAID/Colombia please provide it?

ANSWER: See the answer to question No. 21.

91. The list of annexes on page 101 indicates that the Past Performance Information annex should be a maximum of 5 pages in length. The instructions in section L.6.5 on page 103 notes that the offeror can provide up to 5 past performance reports (PPRs), and each major subcontractor can provide up to three PPRs. Please adjust the length limit of Annex C to reflect that fact that more than 5 PPRs may be included.

92. The first sentence of Section L.6.4.2 Key Personnel says that offerors must “describe capacity to offer a wide range of local expertise in the technical and administrative areas of the contract.” Similarly, the last sentence of this section says that “USAID/Colombia expects that throughout the implementation of this contract, the Contractor will use a judicious mix of Colombian and international short-term consultants.”

We are unclear as to why the section on the two Key Personnel would include this type of information and suggest that it would fit better under the Management Approach section and/or the Organizational Chart Annex. Please clarify whether the section on Key Personnel should include information on positions and candidates other than the two designated key personnel positions.

ANSWER: USAID decided that Key Personnel are separate from other staff and that the latter better fits under Management Approach.

93. Component IV lays out multiple illustrative GIS tasks. For budgeting purposes, does the Contractor need…