72051422R00006 (01) - Attachment 2 - Questions and Answers.pdf

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RFP 72051422R00006 – EQUITABLE FINANCE ACTIVITY

ATTACHMENT 2 – QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (Q&A) DOCUMENT

Technical:

1. Per Section C.1 Page 12, USAID enumerates targets including “at least 200,000 new underserved customers have been financially included in target geography. Can USAID please clarify the definition of new underserved customers?

Section C.1 (pg. 11) states EF targets rural producers and businesses with special attention to underserved populations which include women, victims, indigenous, youth, afro- Colombians, migrants and LGBT. For clarifying purposes, the 200,000 new underserved customers include all the previous population groups, including rural producers and business owners in the target geography. As stated in IR 2.2, 50% of those new customers must be women or women-owned businesses.

The RFP was amended to add the following text as footnote #1 for “new underserved customers” in IR 2.2 target: “new customers are clients accessing new and improved types of financial products or services including previously inactive clients”.

2. Per Section C.5.3, page 19, one of the “Expected Results and Deliverables” is, “At least 10 financial products that target underserved populations have been strengthened/created…” Then Per Section C.5.3 page 21, one of the “Expected Results and Deliverables” is “At least 10 digital finance products (new or existing) have been developed, deployed and/or strengthened…” Can USAID please clarify if a subset of the “10 financial products” noted on page 19 can be comprised of some of the “10 digital finance products” noted on page 21?

The 10 digital finance products of IR 2.3 are not included in IR 2.1.

3. Per Section C.8, page 29, USAID states “all GUCs must leverage third party resources” with a “minimum ratio 1:1”. Can USAID confirm how third party resources are defined?

Does this mean financial resources, or include TA/non-financial and in-kind grants?

Below is the definition taken from the Private Sector Engagement Policy:

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/usaid_psepolicy_final.pdf

"Leverage: For the purposes of this policy, the term “leverage” describes non-U.S.

Government resources, including cash and in-kind gifts and services provided through private-sector partnerships, with the exception of cost-share. Leverage directly contributes to a USAID project or activity, or augments its results by making it more sustainable or effective. Leverage must meet all of the following criteria:

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/usaid_psepolicy_final.pdf

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● It is verifiable from the records of the contributor, the recipient, or other entities that access and use the resources;

● It is measurable;

● It creates a tangible and intended impact under a project;

● Its availability is attributable to USAID’s engagement; and

● It is not counted in the approved budget as cost-share, as defined in 2 CFR 200.29.

Leverage can originate from any non-U.S. Government source, including, but not limited to, private-sector entities, foundations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), universities, or other donors”. (Source: USAID Office of Acquisition and Assistance and ADS Chapter 303)

4. Per Section C.1, page 12, USAID states an Expected Result under the Special Objective is

“facilitate the access and mobilization of at least $100 million in FINAGRO’s 2nd tier facility after agreement is reached with FINAGRO and GOC.” Does this require $100 million in new capital commitments for FINAGRO or the utilization/deployment of an existing $100 million from the 2nd tier facility?

As mentioned in the Special objective, the target is to “facilitate the access and mobilization of at least $100 million in FINAGRO’s second tier facility”; this means the already existing FINAGRO’s second tier facility.

5. Per Section C5.1, page 16: USAID sets out a Development Hypothesis. Can USAID confirm if this is different from a theory of change, and if so, how is it different?

For USAID, Development Hypothesis is the same as a theory of change.

6. Per Section C – IR 2.2, page 20: USAID includes "at least $500 million in financial services have been mobilized… ” as an Expected Result and Deliverable. Can USAID specify which products qualify towards the $500 million?

The RFP was amended to add the following footnote clarifying what formal financial services mean: “For the EF Activity, formal financial services are savings, credit and insurance.”

7. Per Section C, page 24: USAID includes "work with Colombian Development banks including FINAGRO, BANCOLDEX, FINDETER, to mobilize GOC funding through risk sharing mechanisms” as a minimum activity under the Special Objective. Can USAID clarify the phrase "mobilize GOC funding”? Is this activity referring to an existing GOC funding stream to work with DFIs?

The sentence "work with Colombian Development banks including FINAGRO, BANCOLDEX, FINDETER, to mobilize GOC funding through risk sharing mechanisms” was eliminated from this paragraph and replaced with “Explore with GOC Development Banks opportunities to leverage their resources for USAID/Colombia’s programming as outlined in the CDCS”.

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8. Per Section C.4, page 15: USAID states "USAID Subsidy Funds can be used to cover liquidity for financial intermediaries, to help address the shortfall of private equity funds and long-term funds.” Can USAID clarify the meaning of "USAID Subsidy Funds”?

As defined in this same section, “USAID Subsidy Funds” are to be used “to support the subsidies required for DFC’s guarantees in debt financing, investment funds and equity investment if required”. The EF TEC does not include USAID subsidy funds. The contractor will work with USAID/Colombia on potential utilization of DFC instruments to complement EF activities.

9. Page 12, Section C, IR 2.2: “At least 200,000 new underserved customers have been financially included in target geography. 50% of those new customers must be women or women-owned businesses.” Can USAID clarify their definition of a new customer, namely, could this include activating inactive customers or customers accessing new and improved types of products or services?

See response to Question #1.

10. Page 17: IR 1.1 includes the development of a National Finance Inclusion Strategy. Could USAID please let us know if it envisions a key counterpart in the Government of Colombia (GOC) to carry out this work?

Colombia defined in the CONPES 4005 the National Policy of Economic and Financial Education. This same document defines the GOC responsible entities for this matter.

11. Page 23, Special Objective: “The Contractor will collaborate with other USG entities, like the DFC, to structure financial deals…”. Can USAID confirm that in the proposal, the contractor does not need to indicate which are the rest of USG entities with which it will collaborate?

USAID confirms that at the proposal stage, offerors do not need to indicate which are the rest of USG entities with which it will collaborate.

12. Page 23, Special Objective: “As mentioned before, the GOC has agreed through the

Bilateral High-Level Dialogue (HLD) to work with the USG in the institutional strengthening of the Colombian National System for Agricultural Development (Sistema Nacional de Crédito Agropecuario-SNCA).” Can USAID clarify, since the other development banks such as Bancóldex and Findeter are not part of the SNCA and the scope would be working with them for the non-agricultural investments, would the agreement with the GOC also include a broader scope including such entities?

USAID confirms that currently there are no specific agreements to work with other GOC development banks. Please see response to Question #7 https://colaboracion.dnp.gov.co/CDT/Conpes/Econ%C3%B3micos/4005.pdf

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13. Pag 23, Special Objective: “Develop alternative finance instruments, like equity investment, syndicated loans, blended finance facilities and investment capital funds that support mobilization of long-term financial capital toward USAID’s priority sectors (CDCS).” Could USAID confirm if the development of financial instruments also includes the strengthening of existing funds and facilities or if it is only the creation of such instruments?

USAID confirms the development of financial instruments also includes the strengthening of existing funds and facilities.

14. Page 24, Special Objective, Minimum activities implemented by the contractor: states, “Build the capability of institutional investors, such as pension funds, investment funds, insurance companies, that have long-term resources so that they may evaluate the risk and benefits of investing in productive activities directly, with or through other financial intermediaries.” Can USAID indicate what are the alternatives to proceed in case one of the previously mentioned sectors are not willing to cooperate with the contractor or there is a lack of uptake for part of this activity?

The sentence “Build the capability of institutional investors, such as pension funds, investment funds, insurance companies, that have long-term resources so that they may evaluate the risk and benefits of investing in productive activities directly, with or through other financial intermediaries” has been deleted from the list of minimum implementation activities under C.5.5.

15. Page 24, Special Objective, Expected Results and Deliverables: “Facilitate the access and mobilization of at least $100 million in FINAGRO’s 2nd tier facility after agreement is reached with FINAGRO and GOC.”

a. Can USAID confirm if the contractor is expected to support the negotiations between FINAGRO and the GOC providing technical support?

The contractor is not expected to support the negotiations between USAID and the GOC to enhance the SNCA. The contractor will provide TA to the GOC after an agreement has been reached through USAID.

b. If the agreement is not reached between FINAGRO and GOC, can USAID confirm the $100 million threshold is expected to remain for this part of the scope, and if the contractor is expected to provide alternative approaches to mobilizing the $100 million?

As stated in Section C.5.5 (pg 23), the GOC has agreed through the Bilateral High Level Dialogue (HLD) to work with the USG in the institutional strengthening of the Colombian National System for Agricultural Development (Sistema Nacional de Crédito Agropecuario-SNCA).

c. Being able to effectively allocate resources in the landscape requires the existence of bankable projects. There will be a need to facilitate linkages between USAID, 5 / 14

GOC, and donor programs but the accomplishment of the goal can be hindered by situations outside of the scope of the project. How will success be measured in terms of access and mobilization? Is this an expectation or an actual result?

As stated in Section C.7, the Contractor is expected to implement general organizing and cross cutting principles which include cross-cutting integration, Colombian participation, adaptive management and coordination with other USAID/Colombia Activities. Access and mobilization will be measured in terms of the specific IRs Expected Results and Deliverables.

16. Page 25, Geographic Focus: “The list of specific municipalities where work will take place will be selected during the development of the Annual Implementation Plan subject to approval by the COR.” Can USAID confirm that the Contractor does not need to propose target municipalities in the proposal? Could USAID also provide a list of prioritized municipalities within the five economic corridors prioritized in the PDETs?

USAID confirms the offeror does not need to propose target municipalities in the proposal.

As stated on Section C.7 pg. 25, the list of specific municipalities where work will take place will be selected during the development of the Annual Implementation Plan subject to approval by the COR. The list will be provided by the COR upon contract award.

17. Page 26: “USAID/Colombia has already established partnerships with over 30 financial services providers that can effectively contribute towards this purpose.” Would USAID share this list?

A list of USAID Colombia financial partners has been added as Attachment J.22.

18. Page 52, Section F: Colombia’s education system provides 1.5-year post-graduate study

(specialization) programs. Will USAID accept the post-graduate degree (specialization) as an equivalent requirement of a Master’s degree?

A postgraduate degree (specialization) will not be accepted as an equivalent requirement of a master’s degree.

19. Page 53 and 54, Key Personnel: This section sets forth responsibilities for the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP), among them oversight for the four technical components of the activity, including the Special Objective. However, Page 54 states the Senior Investment Manager (SIM) will work closely with the COP to advance the Special Objective. Would USAID consider a more flexible division of technical oversight between the DCOP and COP to allow for more balanced responsibilities? Particularly, can USAID clarify if the SIM may report to the COP rather than the DCOP?

As stated on Section L.7.4 the Offeror must propose as part of the management approach the team structure including the organizational chart. The offeror has flexibility to define the most adequate division of oversight according to the proposed management approach.

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20. Can USAID please share the Performance Management plan for Colombia?

USAID/Colombia’s PMP is for internal use only.

21. Given the highly specialized roles of the key personnel in Section F.7.i (pages 53-54) of the RFP, would USAID consider allowing offerors to propose candidates without a master’s degree but with additional years of relevant professional experience?

The RFP was amended to add the following text on the Minimum Required Qualifications for the COP, DCOP and SIM positions: “If the candidate does not have a master’s degree, an additional five (5) years of relevant work experience is required.”

22. In Section C.1. Purpose, under the Equitable Finance Activity Framework and Expected Results, page 12, the expected results under the Special Objective state “Facilitate the access and mobilization of at least $100 million in FINAGRO’s 2nd tier facility after agreement is reached with FINAGRO and GOC.” Is USAID referring to an agreement that the Contractor must facilitate or some other agreement that must be reached between the GOC and FINAGRO?

See response to Question #15.

23. In Section C.4. Overall Activity Vision, page 14, USAID notes “Subsidy Funds can be used to cover liquidity for financial intermediaries, to help address shortfall of private equity funds, and long-term funds.” Can USAID kindly clarify what “Subsidy Funds” are and how large are the available funds?

See response to Question # 8. Subsidy funds are not yet specified.

24. In Section C.5.4. Objective 3: An improved ecosystem for the financial inclusion of underserved populations, page 22, the recommended activities under IR 3.1 include:

“Identify and engage those stakeholders that can contribute to developing an ecosystem for financial inclusion through digital financial services.” Can USAID consider moving this recommended activity to IR 2.3 “Expanded presence of financial service providers in target communities” which includes the other recommended activities related to digital financial services?

USAID confirms that “Identify and engage those stakeholders that can contribute to developing an ecosystem for financial inclusion through digital financial services.” activity complements both IR 3.1 and IR 2.3.

25. In Section C.5.5. Special Objective: Increased mobilization of long-term financial capital in USAID’s priority sectors, page 24, the second expected result states “Development of at least two concrete innovative/alternative finance instruments proposals...” Can USAID kindly clarify the expected level of detail for this deliverable (i.e., design, proof of concept, implementation, etc.)? Can USAID please clarify if the innovative instruments are expected to facilitate the mobilization of private or public capital, or both?

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The contractor is expected to provide proposals of at least two concrete finance instruments that facilitate the mobilization of private financial capital towards USAID’s CDCS priority sectors. USAID acknowledges the actual implementation of these proposals might require additional efforts that are outside of the scope of this contract. For this reason it has not been defined as a specific target of mobilization of funds.

26. In Section C.5.5. Special Objective: Increased mobilization of long-term financial capital in USAID’s priority sectors, page 24, the minimum activities implemented by the Contractor state “Build the capability of institutional investors, such as pension funds, investment funds, insurance companies.” Can USAID please clarify how building the capabilities of institutional investors will be measured?

See response to Question #14.

27. Section F.7. Key and Non-Key Personnel, pages 52-53, under the Chief of Party and

Deputy Chief of Party, Minimum Required Qualifications state “Fluent spoken, written and reading abilities in English and Spanish.” The Sustainable Agriculture Activity proposal also mandated written and spoken fluency in Spanish and English, but at a Level IV for the COP, and Level III for the DCOP. To remain consistent, can USAID confirm fluent spoken, written and reading abilities in English and Spanish for the COP is Level IV and for the DCOP is Level III?

The RFP was amended to further specify language Levels for Key Personnel.

28. Must we have all the contacts to consult and include in the intervention (e.g. financial entities, GOC, Finagro, etc.)?

As stated on section L.7.3 (b) The Offeror must also identify the financial and non-financial partners that it proposes to work with to accelerate, escalate and/or spur the achievement of the goals of the IR, along with the proposed roles of these potential stakeholders.

Nevertheless it is not required to include all the specific contacts that the contractor will work with during the intervention.

29. Should the supplier be responsible for securing all partners or would you provide the contacts of the partner organizations to the selected supplier?

The contractor will be responsible for engaging and securing the financial and non-financial partners that it proposes to work with to accelerate, escalate and/or spur the achievement of the goals of the IR.

30. Which government entities will intervene or are planned to intervene in the project?

The contractor is responsible for identifying the most appropriate government entities that need to be involved in the implementation of the contract.

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31. What would be USAID's specific role in the project and in the interaction with other relevant stakeholders?

USAID will work together with the contractor as required, when engaging potential relevant stakeholders through the technical guidance of the COR.

32. In terms of regulatory adoption, what is the level of scope? Taking into account the timing of approvals of such style in the country, how is this item defined as successful?

As described in page 23, the expected result for IR 3.2 is “Adoption by the GOC of at least one set of regulatory recommendations that promote underserved populations’ financial inclusion.

Business/Cost:

33. Per Section L.7.5 “Past Performance”, page 129, USAID states “List two (2) of the most recent and relevant performed contracts or on-going contracts (or assistance instruments, such as cooperative agreements/grants) for efforts similar to the work in the subject proposal for the Offeror and two (2) for each major subcontractor using the template provided in Section J.4.” Can USAID confirm that if an Offeror’s submitted Past Performance examples are listed in CPARs, the Offeror should not use the template provided in Section J.4?

Per the note in section J.4, “The form is not required if the below information is available in the Government past performance systems.”

If the Past Performance examples are listed in CPARs, how should the Offeror list their submitted examples?

Listing the two contract numbers for the Offeror and each major subcontractor is sufficient.

34. Per Section L.7.3, page 127, USAID states: "The Offeror must use terms such as the

“Contractor will” or the “Contractor must” to describe action on activities." Can USAID confirm that this means that offerors should not refer to themselves using their own name in only the Technical Approach section of the proposal, and the offerors can refer to themselves using their name in other sections (e.g. the Management Approach)?

The cited language belongs to section L.7.3 Technical Approach and therefore is only applicable to this section. Please note that section L.7.3.b also states “The Offeror must also identify the financial and non-financial partners that it proposes to work with to accelerate, escalate and/or spur the achievement of the goals of the IR, along with the proposed roles of these potential stakeholders.”

35. Per Section L.7.3, page 127: USAID requires bidders to use the term "the contractor" when referring to activities that will be assigned to a specific partner even if the subcontractor

9 / 14 will be paid via the Activity Fund. However, on page 128, Section L.7.3, USAID also requires bidders to identify financial and non-financial partners that it proposes to work with to accelerate, escalate and/or spur the achievement of the goals of the IR. Could USAID please clarify whether or not established subcontractors can be named in the proposal?

Yes, subcontractors can be named in the proposal. The intent of the language is to avoid language as “we will” or “we propose”.

36. Can USAID confirm in the Management Approach Offerors should only discuss the team structure of personnel and Key Personnel qualifications? Can Offerors discuss subcontracting arrangements and consortium structure in the Management Approach?

Yes. The RFP was amended to include the following sentence at the end of the first paragraph under L.7.4.a.: “and a description the respective roles and responsibilities of subcontractors and/or proposed partners”

37. The Activity Fund requires a minimum of $6.3M ($5M to GUCs and $1.3M to Technical

Assistance Sub-Contracts). If an Offeror allocates a greater amount than $6.3M towards the Activity Fund – how does this impact the amount allowable to GUCs vs. TA to subcontract?

It is up to the Offeror to allocate resources beyond the minimum amounts established in the RFP. As instructed in Section L.8 Part 2, numeral f., “The Offeror must submit a detailed budget and budget narrative that supports item for item the cost estimates proposed in its detailed budget.”

38. Given the relatively short timeframe of 5 weeks, would USAID consider extending the proposal due date?

The full proposal due date has been extended from May 9th to May 16th. The RFP has been amended to reflect this change.

39. Given that Semana Santa occupies one of the 5 weeks before the submission deadline, would USAID consider delaying the deadline by one week?

The full proposal due date has been extended from May 9th to May 16th. The RFP has been amended to reflect this change.

40. Page 10, Section B6: “CLIN 002 fee set forth in B.3.b is based upon furnishing the level-of-effort specified in B.6.a. The total estimated cost and fixed fee will be established in the individual Government-issued Task Order and will not exceed the amounts set forth in Section B.4.” Can USAID Colombia please ratify that you are referring to the 20% IDIQ portion of the contract mentioned under B2.

Correct. The title of Section B.6 is “LEVEL OF EFFORT (CLIN 002)”.

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41. Page 127, Section L: Could USAID confirm that Table of Contents and Acronyms lists are optional as part of the Technical Proposal (and corresponding 60-page limit)?

Correct. The section states: “The page limitation stated above for the English-language TECHNICAL PROPOSAL is inclusive of the sections listed below, as well as any other additions (i.e., table of contents, acronyms list, etc.), included by Offerors”.

42. Page 129, Section L: “Notes: Major subcontractors are those that represent 20% or more of the Total CLIN 001 Budget.” Would USAID consider revising this requirement to include a definition of all major subcontractors who represent 20% or more of CLIN 001 and 002? Or alternatively, may the Offeror submit Past Performance Information related to CLIN 002 for subcontractors that represent a significant proportion of work under that

CLIN?

USAID has considered this request and has decided that this term in the RFP remains unchanged.

43. Page 139, B. CLIN 002: “For each of the positions, qualifications include at least 5 years of relevant experience.

▪ FINAGRO Legal Banking Expert

▪ Investment Specialist

▪ Regional Coordinator for Migrants

▪ Regional Coordinator for Artisan Mining

▪ Project Finance Lead

▪ Value Chain Finance Specialist

▪ Business Development Specialist 1

▪ Business Development Specialist 2

▪ Project Finance Short Term Specialist 1

▪ Project Finance Short Term Specialist 2

▪ Project Finance Short Term Specialist 3

▪ Project Finance Short Term Specialist 4

▪ Project Finance Short Term Specialist 5”

Can USAID confirm that the Contractor is not required to present the CVs for the previously mentioned positions but only the estimation of the associated rates? Could USAID provide descriptions of the labor these positions will provide to better allocate the appropriate personnel?

Offerors are not required to present CVs for the positions listed in Section L.8, B. CLIN 002 of the RFP. Offerors must adhere to the instructions of this section. If during implementation the Contracting Officer decides to issue a RFTOP, additional information will be provided in accordance with Section F.9.

44. Page 140, Section L, Subsection B CLIN 002: “For estimating purposes, the Offeror must propose costs for a total of 2,000 person-days equally distributed across all labor categories for each year of the five-year contract.” There are 13 labor categories, which does not

11 / 14 distribute evenly over 2,000 person-days. Can USAID confirm offerors should budget

153.85 for each labor category per year? If not, can USAID provide guidance on how offerors should distribute person-days across the 13 categories?

Confirmed. Consistent with the language in this section, this is “for estimating purposes”.

45. Sections B.2 and F.6 of the RFP state that fixed fee under CLIN 001 will be paid according to completion of project deliverables, targets, or outputs. However, deliverables/targets/outputs set as part of the proposal process may change during implementation due to evolving technical needs, newly emerged opportunities, and stakeholders’ priorities. To account for these potential shifts, would USAID consider adding the following language to Section F.6: “The Fixed Fee Schedule may be adjusted during annual work planning to reprogram any unpaid fees from partially completed or non-accepted deliverables/targets/outputs from the past year into other or additional deliverables as mutually agreed to between the COR and the contractor, ensuring the fee remains fixed”? Adjusting the fee distribution plan with each annual work plan allows the contractor to readjust and reallocate effort and resources as needed to achieve the most results attainable within the total estimated cost.

This is a FAR 16.102(b) combination award consisting of a Cost-plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Completion (CLIN 001) and a single-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type contract (CLIN 002) for the purpose of providing supplemental technical assistance.

The type of award indicates the contractor is required and expected to complete the deliverables in Section C and F. If needed, FAR Clause 52.243-4 Changes, allows the Contracting Officer to modify the contract during implementation. The suggested language will not be added.

46. Per Section H.3.a of the RFP, “All Cooperating Country Nationals (CCNs) and Third

Country Nationals (TCNs) salaries must not exceed the Local compensation Plan (LCP).

Approval of the Contractor’s budget does not absolve the Contractor’s duty to request and receive Mission Director’s approval prior to hiring CCN and TCN personnel whose salaries are above the LCP.” We request that the above-mentioned salary restriction be removed from the RFP as it appears to be inconsistent with AIDAR 752.7007 Personnel Compensation, incorporated in the contract under Section H.2, which stipulates that personnel compensation accord with the contractor’s established policies, procedures, and practices, with reimbursement subject only to the USAID Contractor Salary Threshold.

The salary restriction above may preclude contractors from following their established policies, procedures, and practices, as required by AIDAR 752.7007.

This restriction will not be removed. Per AIDAR 722.170 Employment of third country nationals (TCN's) and cooperating country nationals (CCN's), (a), “It is USAID policy that cooperating country nationals (CCNs) and third country nationals (TCNs), who are hired abroad for work in a cooperating country under USAID-direct contracts, generally be extended the same benefits, and be subject to the same restrictions as TCNs and CCNs employed by the USAID Mission.” and (b) “Compensation, including merit or promotion increases paid to TCN's and CCN's may not, without the approval of the Mission Director

12 / 14 or the Assistant Administrator having program responsibility for the project, exceed the prevailing compensation paid to personnel performing comparable work in the cooperating country as determined by the USAID Mission.”

47. Section L.7.5.d.3 (page 130) of the RFP requires offerors to “provide a list of two recent contracts for which you submitted subcontract reports to eSRS (FAR 52.219-9(d)(10) and a copy of any similarly recent subcontracting reports if they were not submitted to eSRS.”

Could USAID confirm that offerors do not need to submit a copy of any similarly recent subcontracting report if they can provide a list of two recent contracts for which subcontract reports were submitted to eSRS?

Confirmed. The section reads “and a copy of any similarly recent subcontracting reports if they were not submitted to eSRS”

48. In Section H.3a. Additional Requirements for Personnel Compensation, page 63, it states that all Cooperating Country Nationals and Third Country Nationals salaries must not exceed the Local compensation Plan (LCP). Could USAID kindly share the current LCP?

49. Section H.4. Authorized Geographic Code, page 64, states “The authorized geographic code for procurement of goods and services under this contract is 937.” There are several regional and international organizations providing high quality support and working locally to mobilize investment towards Colombia’s development goals for USAID and other donor implemented projects which do not satisfy all the criteria under 22 CFR 228.12 Nationality of suppliers of commodities and services for 937. Would USAID kindly consider amplifying the Geographic Code of 937 to 935 to leverage regional investor and financial intermediary networks, which would strengthen opportunities for mobilizing international capital?

Geographic Code 937 remains. If needed during implementation, a waiver of Source and Nationality can be processed to expand the geographic code from 937 to 935.

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50. In Section L.7.5. Past Performance, page 129, states “The Offeror (including all partners of a joint venture or a consortium) must provide performance information for programs submitted within the last five years for itself and each major subcontractor in accordance with the following.” Can USAID please confirm past performance information is not required for non-major subcontractors on a contractor’s consortium?

Past Performance information for non-major subcontractors is not required.

51. In Section L.8. Instructions for Preparation of the Cost/Business Proposal, A: CLIN 001, page 135, notes that the Offeror’s cost proposal must include information on subcontracts with non-local organizations. However, attachment J.5 BUDGET GUIDANCE AND TEMPLATE does not include a budget line item for non-local subcontracts. Can USAID please clarify whether costs for non-local subcontracts should be budgeted separately from the $1.3M associated with local subcontractors under the Activity Fund?

Per the terms of the RFP, the $1.3 million is for Technical Assistance Sub-Contracts;

whether these are local or non-local is up to the Offeror, consistent with its technical approach. Additionally, per Section L.8, Part 2, (e), “The budget must include the budget associated with all proposed subcontracts.”

52. Under Section L.7.4 Management Approach, page 129, could USAID kindly confirm that names and contact information for references for Key Personnel are not required.

Names and contact information for references are not required. Per the terms of the RFP, “The Government reserves the right to obtain information on key personnel from any and all sources inside or outside the U.S. Government.”

53. Is the designated budget a maximum amount to be used or must it be used in its entirety?

The Total Estimated Cost-Plus Fixed Fee for services under this contract (CLIN 001 & CLIN 002) is estimated to fall within the range of $24.5 million and $28.5 million. Per Section L.8, “Offerors must propose costs in US dollars that they believe are realistic and reasonable for the work in accordance with the SOW and all requirements of this solicitation.”

54. Should the use of the budget specifics be identified and detailed at the time of proposal submission?

In accordance with Section L.8, Part 2, f., “The Offeror must submit a detailed budget and budget narrative that supports item for item the cost estimates proposed in its detailed budget.”

55. Is this an indefinite-quantity contract for the supplies or services specified?

This is a FAR 16.102(b) combination award consisting of a Cost-plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Completion (CLIN 001) and a single-award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type contract (CLIN 002) for the purpose of providing supplemental technical assistance.

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56. Page 126, Section L, Subsection o: “All information from appendices must be referenced in the technical proposal and summarized and included in the annex section.” Could USAID clarify what it means by this statement?

Per Section L.7.2, “The page limitation stated above for the English-language TECHNICAL PROPOSAL is inclusive of the sections listed below, as well as any other additions (i.e., table of contents, acronyms list, etc.), included by Offerors:”. If the Offeror decides to include appendices as part of the additions, these must be properly referenced.