RFP___72052418R00001_IDEAS_LOCALES_2018_01_3.pdf

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

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PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

A SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM I CONTRACT CLAUSES

B SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

C DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

D PACKAGING AND MARKING PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

G CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA L INSTR., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

K

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

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10. FOR INFORMATION CALL:

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

STANDARD FORM 33

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD

SOLICITATION

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

AWARD (To be completed by Government)

1 N/A 168

72052418R00001 X

01/03/2018

USAID/Nicaragua

Embajada Americana

Km 5.5 Carretera Sur, Frente al Parque las Piedrecitas

Managua, Nicaragua

Electronic only

Supervisory Contracting Officer oaanicaragua@usaid.gov

X 1

X 3-6

X 7-24

X 25-26

X 27

X 28-37

X 38-42

X 43-63

X 64-104

X 105

X 106-122

X 123-146

X 147-152 mailto:oaanicaragua@usaid.gov mailto:oaanicaragua@usaid.gov

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this activity is to enable citizens to enhance local development through effective engagement and advocacy with local authorities and other relevant actors on community-driven needs utilizing pluralistic citizen participation. This activity will be evaluated for impact through a randomized control study.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE

This is a Cost Plus-Fixed Fee (CPFF) completion type contract. The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, materials, equipment, supplies, facilities, services, etc. and perform all activities necessary for, or incidental to, the performance of work described in Section C and other sections of the contract.

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, if any, is $TBD and the estimated cost plus all fixed fee, if any, is $TBD.

(b) Within the estimated cost plus all possible fee (if any) specified in paragraph (a) above, the amount currently obligated and available for reimbursement of allowable and allocable 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 entitled “Limitation of Funds”

(FAR 52.232-22) as indicated in Section I of this contract.

(c) Funds obligated hereunder are anticipated to be sufficient through [TBD]

B.5 CONTRACT BUDGET

As the period of performance for this contract is five (5) years, the budget structure is broken out into five, one-year increments, of which the first three years consist of the base period and the remaining two years are the option years as follows:

Cost Element Base

Year 1

Base

Year 2

Base

Year 3

Option

Year 4

Option

Year 5

Total

Direct Costs

Indirect costs

Grants under

Contract

Total Fixed Fee

Total estimated costs: $TBD

The estimated range for this Activity is $10-$15M including the two Option Periods and the Fixed Fee.

B.6 INDIRECT COSTS

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

Description Rate Base Type Period

TBD TBD 1/ 1/ 1/

1/Base of Application:

Type of Rate: Predetermined

Period:

B.7 CEILING ON INDIRECT COSTS

Reimbursement for allowable indirect costs shall be at final negotiated rates but not in excess of the following ceiling rates:

Description Rate Base Type Period

TBD TBD 1/ 1/ 1/

1/Base of Application:

Type of Rate: Predetermined

Period:

The government will not be obligated to pay any additional amount on account of indirect costs above the ceiling rates established in the contract. This advance understanding will not change any monetary ceiling, cost limitation, or obligation established in the contract.

B.8 COST REIMBURSABLE

Allowable costs will be limited to reasonable, allocable and necessary costs determined in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment, FAR 52.216-8, Fixed Fee, if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003, Documentation for Payment.

B.9 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE

Pursuant to FAR 16.306 (d), the fixed fee payable under this contract will be tied to the completion of the reports and deliverables specified in Section C and Section F of this contract and in accordance with approved Fee Schedule below.

Deliverables: The fee payments will be determined according to the following Fee Schedule:

[The following is an illustrative table which will be filled in at time of award]

Upon successful achievement of the deliverable, the Contractor shall provide evidence of its achievement to the Contracting Officer’s Representative and the Contracting Officer. Upon acceptance by USAID and issuance of a written approval by the Contracting Officer, the

Contractor shall submit an invoice for the amount associated with the fee.

B.10 MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT

This contract is considered non-severable, and is therefore a multi-year contract as defined in FAR

17.103. Therefore, this contract is subject to the requirements of FAR 17.106.

Cancellation Dates:

Contract Year 2: DATE TBD, 2020

Contract Year 3: DATE TBD, 2021

Contract Year 4: DATE TBD, 2022

Contract Year 5: DATE TBD, 2023

Cancellation Ceiling:

This is a contract type consisting of a CPFF completion where the contractor is authorized to be

YEAR/DELIVERABLES Completion

Date

Percent

Fixed Fee

Amount of

Fixed Fee

Cost Element

Deliverable (TBD) % $

Deliverable (TBD) % $

Deliverable (TBD) % $

Deliverable (TBD) % $

Deliverable (TBD) % $

Deliverable (TBD) % $

Deliverable (TBD) % $

Deliverable (TBD) % $

Total reimbursed for all costs which are allowable in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, “Allowable Costs and Payment”. Therefore, the contractor will not incur any costs which would have been amortized over the life of the contract should the contract be cancelled in accordance with FAR

52.217-2. Therefore, the cancellation ceiling for each cancellation date is [TBD].

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT

C.1 BACKGROUND

Nicaragua’s experiment with democracy started with the electoral defeat of the Sandinista

National Liberation Front (FSLN) in 1990, but has experienced challenges since President Daniel

Ortega returned to power in 2007. Since that time the constitution was changed to allow unlimited presidential terms, resulting in President Ortega being re-elected in 2011 and 2016. The latter election also resulted in his wife, Rosario Murillo, winning the Vice Presidency. Throughout the last ten years space for civic participation has waned, available government information has been significantly reduced, independent media has shrunk, and citizens’ support for democracy has suffered.

According to the 2016 Americas Barometer Latin America Public Opinion Poll (LAPOP), the percentage of Nicaraguans that support democracy fell from 74% in 2012 to 62% in 2016.

Additionally, 63% of Nicaraguans, a disproportionate number of them being women and youth, expressed fear to openly discuss politics with their friends and family. Citizens perceive politicians to be largely corrupt, as indicated by 73% of respondents in the 2016 Americans Barometer. These numbers partly explain the decline in trust of democratic institutions over the past few years.

Citizens also lack knowledge about democratic concepts and process, including rule of law, division of powers, and the difference between national and local governance structures. Citizens therefore do not understand their rights, including those relating to monitoring public expenditures and accessing public information. Further complicating this reality is the emergence of political capture, whereby political elites and parties supercede State institutions. Services traditionally provided by municipal governments and national institutions are in some cases administered by political brokers, blurring roles between politics and the State, and contributing toward the development of clientelistic networks that provide for service delivery.

Specific to Nicaragua, participatory citizen channels at the municipal level are becoming politicized, undermining principles established in the Nicaraguan constitution and the 2003 Citizen Participation Law.

In addition to these challenges, generational divides, machista culture, and political polarization disproportionately impact youth and women, further marginalizing them from community decision making processes. At the community level, decisions are made mostly by older males.

According to an NDI national survey, only 14% of women responded that they were considered in community decision-making processes. Much of this exclusion also exists within households, where men overwhelmingly decide on financial matters. In marginalized communities it is common for male family members and figures to closely control opportunities for girls and women, including restrictions on attending workshops, community meetings, or becoming involved in political and economic activities.

At the national level, Nicaragua continues to suffer from low human development indicators on gender equality. For example, women lack access to (1) equal work for equal pay (in rural areas

For more information, please refer to: Decentralized Governance and Accountability: Academic Research and the Future of

Donor Programming, Chapter 9: Clientelism in Decentralized States (Authors: Jonathan Rodden and Erik Wibbels).

alone women earn $0.25 for every $1 earned by men ); (2) quality sexual and reproductive health services (more than 30% of the population surveyed identified that women had significantly lower access to quality health services ); (3) protection from gender based violence (the index of violence against women is 44% higher than for men ; and, (4) natural, human and capital resources.

Youth in Nicaragua regularly express concern about entrenched generational divides with adults, arguing that the older generations have failed to invest in youth leadership and instead prevent opportunities for youth involvement in traditional civil society organizations and institutions.

The exception is the ruling party, which has successfully integrated young people within their ranks, delegating some service delivery responsibilities as well.

C.2 COLLABORATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA (GON)

USAID/Nicaragua does not have a bilateral assistance agreement with the GON and does not directly provide funds to the central government. USG funds are provided to international and domestic implementing partners to work with community leaders, students, vulnerable populations and civil society members.

C.3 IMPACT EVALUATION

Since 1990, USAID/Nicaragua has invested significantly in community advocacy and leadership development, and through Ideas Locales, intends to evaluate the impact of advocacy and leadership investments. USAID/Nicaragua is working in conjunction with USAID’s

Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Learning Division in the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, and professors from Harvard and Columbia Universities to develop a randomized control study that will measure the impact of Ideas Locales. For a detailed overview of the impact evaluation design, including parameters around the definition and selection of communities that will impact the scope, please review Annex 1.

C.4 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

USAID/Nicaragua’s 2013-2017 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) was approved in August 2013, and in April 2017 was extended through August 2018. The CDCS recognizes that: a) local, municipal-level activities represent a key component of USAID’s long-term democracy strategy in Nicaragua; b) USAID/Nicaragua’s municipal level activities help to improve local governance with a common goal of building a responsible and engaged citizenry at the local level; c) empowered and capable leaders working with a strong civil society together form a solid foundation for a culture of engagement and promotion of democratic and transparent governance; and, d) support for civil society groups will ensure a greater competition of ideas, improved dialogue, and advocacy for policy reform, and more effective oversight of government

Alianza para la Justicia Fiscal, “Bono Demográfico, Bono de Género y Carga Tributaria”, October, 2015

Gallup/CID, “Investigación de Mujeres y Liderazgo” August, 2015

Gallup/CID, “Investigación de Mujeres y Liderazgo” August, 2015

USAID/Nicaragua Gender Analysis, November 2012

USAID/Nicaragua Youth Analysis for Strategic Planning, September 2017

USAID/Nicaragua Youth Analysis for Strategic Planning, September 2017 institutions. This activity falls under Development Objective 1 (DO1) of the CDCS: Citizens’

Ability to Engage in Democratic Governance Increased. Development Objective 2 (DO2) is:

Safety and Competitiveness of At-risk Children and Youth in Target Areas Improved.

This activity will focus on Intermediate Result (IR) 1.1: Effectiveness of Local Governance

Improved and IR 1.2: Advocacy for Democratic Processes Increased of DO1. Despite the diminishing democratic voice, USAID/Nicaragua sees opportunities to maintain and even increase political space at the local or community governance level.

Ideas Locales will be expected to build upon successes of previous USAID programming, including the Municipal Governance Program and the Democratic Leadership Development

Program, by working at the community level and engaging the cadre of trained young leaders into the activities at the community and regional levels whenever possible. The activity should also seek to utilize independent media outlets (radio, print and television) in support of USAID

Nicaragua’s CDCS IR 1.3: Dissemination of Independent Information Increased to increase access to content and information generated by local communities through Ideas Locales.

C.5 SCOPE OF WORK

Activity’s Goal

Ideas Locales will enable citizens to enhance local development through effective engagement and advocacy with local authorities and other relevant actors on community-driven needs utilizing pluralistic citizen participation. The contractor will achieve this goal through two objectives: (1)

Citizens’ ability to prioritize their development needs and advocate for change utilizing democratic processes strengthened, and (2) Leadership capacity of targeted women and youth expanded.

Theory of Change

If citizens’ ability to prioritize their needs and effectively engage with local authorities utilizing democratic processes is strengthened AND the leadership capacity of women and young members is expanded, THEN citizen influence in municipal government decision making on community development issues will increase.

The theory of change underpinning this intervention is informed by existing work globally on community-driven development as well as by the Mission’s experience with past programming.

The Mission requires that Ideas Locales will contribute to greater development of youth and women within the target communities, unleashing leadership potential and ultimately empowering communities to participate and monitor local development.

Recent years have seen an increase in donor supported community-based approaches to activity delivery, broadly known as Community-Driven Development (CDD) (Dongier et al. 2002;

Mansuri and Rao 2012; Wong 2012). These interventions emphasize community-level civic engagement around development decisions geared towards activities that address specific needs.

Women that are 30 (or more) years old.

Youth that are between 16 and 29 years old.

As of 2012, the World Bank supported approximately 400 CDD activities in 94 countries (Wong

2012). The goal of this work is to increase the quality of local governance through increased citizen engagement, as well as in a few instances the development of new leaders in the recipient communities (Baldwin et al. 2016; Fung and Wright 2003).

Ideas Locales is a comprehensive CDD activity intended to foster community engagement, leadership skills and a sense of empowerment in order to tackle development problems with local government and other entities. There should be an initial focus on problems that may be resolved more quickly, since not all require government participation and rely on community involvement.

Lastly, Ideas Locales will develop leadership among youth and women (See Gender section below).

Coordination

USAID’s Democracy and Governance (DG) office implements its activities through a variety of cooperative agreements and contracts. The contractor will work in coordination with

USAID/Nicaragua to prevent duplication of efforts. Provided that there are other USG programs supporting public policy dialogues and/or citizen participation and accountability at the regional and local levels, IL must work in close coordination with USAID and these programs in order to avoid coinciding in the same communities, which would hamper the integrity of the impact evaluation. USAID encourages offerors to propose initiatives to engage vulnerable populations

(rural, indigenous, disabled, LGBTI) as appropriate..

Grants under Contract

USAID requires the contractor to partner with Nicaraguan Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working at the municipal or regional level to co-implement this activity, which will cover a projected amount of 420 communities across the country (210 in base period, 210 in option period). Local CSOs have the advantage of providing increased sustainability of results and experience on the ground. Provided that in both periods of the activity (base and option) the contractor will assist a total of 420 communities, it is estimated that the sub-grants to CSOs will be around 52% of the overall budget. It is anticipated that the sub-grants will have a duration ranging from three months to two-years with an investment range from $25,000 to $450,000 depending upon the number of targeted communities that fall within a specific grant awarded.

The development of criteria for selection of CSOs will be done by the contractor in coordination with the USAID Mission through the designated Contracting Officer Representative (COR). CSO sub-grant recipients should have a presence in the identified municipalities whenever possible to ensure sustainability of efforts. The CSOs selected to co-implement this activity may require some capacity-building. While Ideas Locales is not an organizational development (OD) activity, USAID understands that some CSOs may have OD needs to be addressed. The contractor in collaboration with the COR will determine CSO OD capacities that require enhancement, if any.

Please find below each objective and its components with their illustrative activities, minimum required results and illustrative indicators. Even though a small list of indicators is presented per each component, these are presented as a starting point for the offeror to propose additional indicators.

OBJECTIVE 1: Citizens’ ability to prioritize their development needs and advocate for change utilizing democratic processes strengthened

Component 1A: Participatory community development practices enhanced

This component will form the base of the entire activity, and will therefore be the primary focus of the first six months of implementation. This component will focus on selection of beneficiaries and community structures that will identify community problems. Required aspects of the methodological approach are outlined below. The contractor will be required to work in 210 communities during the base period, and in 210 additional communities in the option period, for a total of 420 communities.

The contractor, working closely with the Mission and the Impact Evaluation team, will select the beneficiary municipalities and communities for the activity. Once the selection is final, the contractor will do an initial community mapping covering: community relationships, power dynamics, formal organizations, population density of community subdivisions, social interactions, traditional problem solving practices, respected (“notable”) community members and community facilitators or “catalysts”. The inclusion of vulnerable populations such as disabled, ethnic groups, LGBTI, women and youth and their interests within the target locations should be incorporated in the identification of community members and catalysts referenced in illustrative activities below.

Once the selection of stakeholders is completed, the contractor will design and implement targeted training. The contractor shall ensure that the contents of the trainings and their methodology, and delivery are consistent across all communities. The contractor will propose mechanisms through which training will be provided (e.g. directly by the implementer, through a sub-grant to a specialized CSO, or by an academic institution). The recipients of the trainings should comprise a subset of the respected community members and identified catalysts. Furthermore, the trainings must incorporate innovative techniques and be tailored to a variety of skill levels with sufficient testing for retention and application of skills. Community members may, for example, receive training in advocacy skills, negotiation techniques, municipal legislation, conflict resolution, basic civic duties and rights to be involved in local and national decision-making processes, access to information, budget cycle and networking. Catalysts will receive additional training on consensus building, advance negotiation skills, organizational management and strategic communications.

Once trained, catalysts will branch out into community subdivisions (i.e. pueblos, villas, caseríos) to further dialogue with community members regarding community needs and concerns, and document them by priority and by subdivision. Through these dialogues, catalysts will support the identification of local needs at the grassroots level. Contractor and sub-grantee CSOs will work closely with catalysts to ensure that they do not influence or co-opt citizen participation and that

Nicaragua’s legal framework does not have a definition of communities except for the Caribbean Coast which mentions ethnic communities per Law 445. In Nicaragua’s Pacific and Central regions the municipalities’ subdivision term established by the Nicaraguan Territorial Studies Institute (INETER) is “comarcas” through a

“Comarcas’ Municipal Division Guide” published on February of 2009. However to date, only a handful of departments have followed this guideline. For this reason for the purposes of this project it will be accepted to define communities by either of the terms: “ pueblo, villa or caserío” which are defined by decree 78 - 2002. Furthermore, some municipal governments use the terms “micro-region” or “zones” instead, to further divide their municipal territory.

there is plurality and inclusion of all vulnerable groups (disabled persons, ethnic groups, youth, females and LGBTI). To the extent possible, local needs identified should allow communities to coalesce around common issues.

Following the subdivision dialogues, community members and catalysts will convene in a

Community Assembly (CA) as a primary source of feedback for community needs. The community subdivision representatives will present their prioritization of problems (identified above with the help of catalysts) and will develop a five-year community agenda, which will identify the problems, their possible causes, and solution proposals.

Once the agenda is finalized, a minimum of one “Solution Group” (SG), comprised of four to six community members, will be established. The SG members will be volunteers (or nominated) by the community. SGs will convene to solve problems through a participatory process. Selection of members must ensure that SGs are politically plural and preferably composed of people affected by the problems identified. A portion of assisted communities’ SGs will have fixed membership while others will have mandatory female and youth participation. Please refer to the Impact

Evaluation design described in Annex 1 for more details.

The SG members will receive training in advocacy skills, strategic planning, budget cycle, communications and social media focused on their problems at hand. Training will also help ensure that SG members better understand the root causes and effects of the problem to get support in their advocacy efforts. For example, if the problem is gender-based violence, training could focus on access to justice, human rights, protection mechanisms, new masculinity, and the law against gender-based violence.

Illustrative Activities:

● Establish selection criteria for a small group of respected (“notable”) community members and catalysts.

● Select community members and catalysts.

● Conduct community mapping to determine internal political, social and economic dynamics.

● Catalysts conduct dialogues within each community subdivision.

● Community members, catalysts and subdivision representatives conduct community assemblies leading to the development of a five-year agenda for each community.

● Support the establishment of SGs.

● Identify additional training of SG members to better address community needs.

Component 1A Minimum Required Results:

● Base Period (three years): Complete community mapping for 210 communities within the first six (6) months of implementation.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to complete community mapping of an additional 210 communities in the last six months of the Base Period.

● Base Period (three years): At a minimum one (1) dialogue per each community subdivision under each of the 210 communities facilitated by catalysts.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to ensure that catalysts facilitate a minimum of one (1) dialogue per each community subdivision under each of the 210 additional communities.

● Base Period (three years): 210 communities finalize a five (5) year agenda during community assemblies.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor that the additional 210 communities finalize a five (5) year agenda during community assemblies.

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of one (1) community assembly every six (6) months in each of the 210 assisted communities is convened.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to convene a minimum of one (1) community assembly every six (6) months in each of the additional 210 assisted communities.

● Base Period (three years): Establish and support a minimum of 735 Solution Groups

(SGs) in 210 selected communities (630 in the non- fixed SG model, and 105 in the fixed

SG model)

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to establish and support a minimum of 735 Solution Groups (SGs), in the additional 210 selected communities (630 in the non fixed SG model, and 105 in the fixed SG model)

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of 6,000 community members trained. This group will be comprised of a combination of members from the communities, catalysts and SG members.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to train a minimum of 6,000 community members in the additional 210 selected communities. This group will be comprised of a combination of members from the communities, catalysts and SG members.

Component 1A Illustrative Indicators:

● Number of community members who have completed civic education programs

(disaggregated by type of member and by demonstrated skills retention and those that did not retain skills)

● Number of dialogues at the community subdivision level facilitated by catalysts completed

● Number of community assemblies completed in the 210 targeted communities

● Number of problems with action plans developed (disaggregated by sector)

● Number of problems resolved by solution groups (disaggregated by sector)

● Number of SGs established and supported

Component 1B: Community driven development initiatives proposed to decision makers increased

This component will support communities’ participatory and pluralistic processes to solve problems identified in the community agendas. It will also support the drafting of action plans for each problem to be addressed, which may include a variety of actions (depending on the complexity of the problem) such as: petition drives, issue-based research or public awareness and education campaigns. The work under this component will support increased citizen attendance at municipal “cabildos” (town-hall meetings) and increased engagement of citizens in community affairs. SGs will lead the development of action plans. The plans will mainly target local government authorities, however, they can also identify creative ways to solve problems such as through private sector partnerships, sister-city initiatives, or with their own resources.

Illustrative Activities:

● Assist SG members in drafting action plans for each identified problem (classified as

“significant” or “minor”)

● SG members present action plans by problem addressed to the members of the community affected and to community assembly members for buy-in and feedback as a prerequisite to begin advocacy work.

● SG engagement with decision makers (and others as/if appropriate) to solve the problem.

● SG design and implementation of low-cost advocacy and/or educational campaigns as/if appropriate (dependent upon the need being addressed).

● SG and community members attend all annual municipal budget consultations and budget accountability sessions to jointly present their requests and to monitor municipal annual budget implementation.

● SG and community members periodically inform the community assembly members about their progress.

Minimum Required Results:

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of one (1) action plan finalized per each significant problem identified.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to finalize at a minimum, one (1) action plan per each significant problem identified in the additional communities to be assisted.

● Base Period (three years): The percentage of community members participating in budget consultations and budget accountability sessions increased by 15% each year.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to increase by 15% the percentage of community members participating in budget consultations and budget accountability sessions in the additional communities to be assisted.

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of 280 small-investment advocacy or public educational campaigns conducted with program support in 210 target communities.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to carry out a minimum of 280 small-investment advocacy or public educational campaigns in the additional communities to be assisted.

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of 60% of the total problems addressed by SGs are presented to local government in the 210 target communities.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to ensure that a minimum of 60% of the total problems addressed by SGs are presented to local government in the 210 additional target communities.

● Base Period (three years): SGs addressing community needs present their progress reports at a minimum of two (2) community assemblies per year.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to ensure that SGs present their progress reports during at a minimum of two (2) community assemblies per year in the additional communities to be assisted.

Component 1B Illustrative Indicators:

● Number of action plans finalized by SGs with USG support.

● Number of requests to local governments presented by citizens per year.

● Number of people participating in citizen dialogues, assemblies, budget consultations and budget accountability sessions (disaggregated by meeting type).

● Cross-cutting indicator: Number of advocacy and educational campaigns supported by

USG (disaggregated by type).

● Percentage of citizen requests to local governments that have a positive response (included in annual municipal budgets).

● Number of community assemblies in which SG members present their progress on each problem addressed.

Component 1C: Ability to monitor public resources and hold local governments accountable strengthened

In order for local governments to be considered effective and responsive to the needs of their constituents, citizens must present their needs and monitor local government decisions responses.

Thus, citizen contributions to planning and decision-making processes (Component 1B) and oversight of government activities (Component 1C) are required. The activities under this component aim to promote greater transparency and accountability of local governments by enabling citizens at the community level to actively monitor their performance (e.g., follow up on campaign promises, development plans, transparency in procurement and budget implementation) and hold local governments accountable.

Illustrative Activities:

● SG members gather and document supporting evidence of problems identified by the community for inclusion in advocacy campaigns and/or to conduct follow up. Such evidence may include: personal testimonies, photographs, and videos. Collection of evidences should be conducted utilizing a “do no harm” approach

● On a need basis, SGs and community members submit requests for access to public information to the national and local governments.

● SGs and community members conduct social audits of their activitys presented and approved in annual local budgets. This will allow communities to monitor activity implementation such as: procurement processes’ efficiency and transparency, use of public resources, end-user satisfaction and compliance with specifications.

Minimum Required Results:

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of 25% of the total community problems addressed by SGs are documented to support SGs work.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to ensure that a minimum of 25% of the total community problems addressed by SGs in the additional communities to be assisted are documented to support SGs work.

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of 250 access to public information requests are submitted in the 210 target communities.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to ensure that a minimum of 250 access to public information requests are submitted in the additional 210 target communities.

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of 80% of the total number of problems solved by local governments are monitored by SGs through social audits.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to ensure that a minimum of 80% of the total number of problems solved by local governments in the additional communities to be assisted are monitored by

SGs through social audits.

● Base Period (three years): Annual local budgets implementation are monitored by at least

40% of the total SGs

The beneficiaries’ collecting the information and those providing testimonials or signatures’ well being has to be considered in this process. So for example, if a personal testimony could potentially endanger the beneficiary, the SG must collect the information in a way that protects his/her identify.

contractor to ensure that at least 40% of the SGs in the in the additional benefiting communities monitor annual local budgets.

Component 1C Illustrative Indicators:

● Percentage of problems addressed by SGs documented over time with photos, video or other measures

● Number of social audits conducted by community members in participating localities.

● Percentage of SGs monitoring annual local budget modifications and implementation.

● Number of access to public information requests made by citizens in participating communities that receive a response.

Objective 2: Leadership capacity of targeted women and youth expanded.

Women and young individuals are frequently excluded from community decision-making processes, thus leaving untapped potential to enhance overall development of the community. By focusing on strengthening the leadership capacity of women and young community members, the activity attempts to counteract the barriers they face as traditionally excluded groups in participatory processes. This line of effort will also allow women and young community members participating in SGs to seek assistance from the activity when facing additional challenges originating from the conservative Nicaraguan context dominated by older men. This assistance may have the form of training, coaching and financial support to increase capacities to support SGs and to finance small “socially innovative” initiatives.

Component 2.A: Knowledge of democratic rights and practices increased

This component seeks to ensure that community development reaches females and young individuals, while harnessing their leadership capacity to achieve even greater community development (enhanced effectiveness) through a leadership development program covering topics such as: leadership, advocacy, networking, democratic values, gender, human rights, citizen participation, relevant legislation, qualitative research, innovative approaches to community development and dialogues.

Illustrative Activities:

● Create and implement a leadership development program for women and young individuals.

● Provide coaching to women and youth on a variety of topics on an as-needed basis.

● Provide financial support through fellowships or in-kind grants to “socially innovative” initiatives proposed by women and youth.

● Strengthen youth facilitation skills to host intergenerational/intersectoral dialogues and to strengthen relationships among community members on key issues.

Minimum Required Results:

● Base Period (three years): Design and implement a leadership development program to train at least 800 women and 800 young individuals.

contractor to implement a leadership development programs to train at least 800 women and 800 young individuals in the additional communities to be assisted.

● Base Period (three years): Coaching to at least 200 women and 200 young individuals provided.

○ Option Period (two years):. If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to provide coaching to a at least 200 women and 200 young individuals in the additional communities to be assisted.

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of 100 young individuals working in a minimum of

100 SGs will conduct intergenerational dialogue events.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to ensure that a minimum of 100 young individuals working in a minimum of 100 SGs conduct intergenerational dialogue events in the additional communities to be assisted.

● Base Period (three years): A minimum of 200 leadership program recipients (100 young individuals and 100 women) provided with financial support for their “socially innovative” initiatives.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to provide financial support to at least 200 leadership program recipients

(100 young individuals and 100 women) in support to their “socially innovative” initiatives in the additional communities to be assisted.

Component 2.A Illustrative Indicators:

● Number of individuals trained in political leadership with USG assistance (disaggregated by women and youth).

● Number of individuals receiving coaching with USG assistance (disaggregated by women and youth).

● Number of intergenerational community dialogues or events organized by targeted youth.

● Number of women and youth-led “socially innovative” initiatives financed by the USG.

● Percentage of leaders who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/programming (disaggregated by women and youth).

Component 2B: Skills to support Solution Groups expanded

In addition to providing women and young individuals skills to further develop their leadership skills, through this component they will receive additional administrative capacities and resources to provide assistance to SGs work. They will be able to implement managerial, educational, and communication activities to support SG activism, advocacy, and public awareness efforts.

Illustrative Activities:

● Women and youth receive training to provide support to SGs in management, communication and networking.

● Provide small fellowships for women and youth participating in SGs to plan and implement innovative advocacy activities in support of the SGs. Activities may include:

organizing small ideathons, hosting contests, producing public awareness and education campaigns using social media or mobile phones.

● Young participants and women lead SGs’ documentation efforts to be included in advocacy work with local government and other entities.

Minimum Required Results:

● Base Period (three years): Design and implement a training program for a minimum of 600 women and 600 young individuals to strengthen their capacity to support SGs.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requiress the contractor to implement a training program for a minimum of 600 women and 600 young individuals to strengthen their capacity to support SGs in the additional communities to be assisted.

● Base Period (three years): At least 150 young participants and 150 women are provided financial support to implement low-cost innovative advocacy activities in support of the

SGs.

○ Option Period (two years): If USAID exercises the option, then it requires the contractor to provide financial support to at least 150 young participants and 150 women to implement low-cost advocacy activities in support of the SGs in the additional communities to be assisted.

Component 2B Illustrative Indicators:

● Number of individuals trained with USG funding to better assist SGs work (disaggregated by women and youth)

● Number of USG-funded women and youth-led advocacy activities in support of the SGs.

Gender Considerations

The contractor is required to incorporate, where applicable, gender gaps identified in

USAID/Nicaragua’s Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis completed in October 2017 and

USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy in the design and implementation of this activity (Annex 2). This policy is aimed at achieving the following three overarching outcomes:

● Reduce gender disparities in access to, control over and benefit from resources, wealth, opportunities and services - economic, social, political, and cultural;

● Reduce gender-based violence and mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities;

● Increase capability of women and girls to realize their rights, determine their life outcomes, and influence decision-making in households, communities, and societies.

USAID’s 2017 Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis Report found that the number of “women and minority leadership, membership, and volunteers of NGOs has declined, but this is not due to the lack of interest. Therefore, USAID’s [future] leadership training activities have an opportunity to more effectively engage and nurture a broader base of potential community leaders.” In every rural, indigenous, and traditional area of Nicaragua, it is common for fathers, male partners, husbands, brothers, and boyfriends to restrict movement and opportunities for girls and women, such as prohibiting a young woman from attending workshops, community meetings, or undertaking political and economic activities. Thus, women’s time burden within households and limited mobility in more traditional rural or ethnic/linguistic minority areas will require gender considerations to effectively reach and engage female beneficiaries.

While a significant aspect of the activity is focused on enhancing the role of women leaders at the community level, the contractor shall conduct a detailed gender analysis and prepare a gender strategy describing how gender will be integrated into all phases of the work, outline any gender considerations of the overall intervention, paying attention not only to women but also teenage girls and female children and the transgender population where there may be opportunities to engage. This activity contemplates that the SGs of two thirds of the communities have the presence of at least one female participant. Females supported under Objectives 1 and 2 are expected to feel more empowered and evidence a greater sense of self-efficacy as a result of the activity. The contractor should identify gender-based constraints to political participation and propose strategies and activities to address these gaps during the implementation of the activity.

Progress and results for the activity gender strategy proposed should be included in every quarterly report and in the final report. The following questions, at a minimum, should be addressed:

● Do women and men have the same opportunities to participate in the activity being undertaken?

● If not, is it possible to adjust the activity to ensure equal opportunity?

● Are women and men treated differently by the activity or the work to be undertaken?

● Are women and men affected differently by the activity or the work to be undertaken?

If so, would this difference be an important factor in managing the activity to ensure sustainable activity impact?

● Can the activity be adjusted to help empower groups that otherwise might be disadvantaged in terms of decision-making and leadership roles?

The proposal must describe how the above concerns will be addressed, and how gender considerations can be mainstreamed into activity implementation. To increase the effectiveness of activities, the proposal should consider in its approach gender differences and constraints as identified when considering the questions above. The contractor may also propose adding indicators targeting gender issues.

Youth

An estimated 48.5% of Nicaraguans are under the age of 25

, yet as noted above young people often do not have a voice in the development of their communities. Given the generational divides and prevalent culture of adultism in Nicaragua, young people do not have enough opportunities to

“CIA World Factbook: Nicaragua”. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nu.html exert leadership abilities and when they do, they are not always taken into account. USAID’s

Youth Policy goal is to improve the capacities and enable the aspirations of youth so that they can contribute to and benefit from more stable, democratic, and prosperous communities. This goal is aligned with Objective 2 of this activity.

In order to broaden the participation of youth, the contractor and its sub-grantees shall explore strategies for understanding and dealing with generational/political power imbalances, making sure that there is a diverse…