72065623RFI00001 - SPCPS small grants activity Request for Information (RFI).pdf

SOLICITATION TYPE: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RFI NUMBER: 72065623RFI00001

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM NAME: Stability Through Economic Progress, Unity and

Peacebuilding (STEP UP)

ISSUANCE DATE: March 28, 2023

DUE DATE: April 21, 2023; 05:00 PM (MAPUTO TIME)

TO: ALL INTERESTED PARTIES

Dear Potential Offeror/Applicants, Thank you for your interest in USAID/Mozambique’s Stability Through Economic Progress, Unity and Peacebuilding (STEP UP). The purpose of this communication is to obtain industry comment on the attached DRAFT Statement of Objective (SOO). To that end, information obtained through this RFI will be held in confidence and will not be disclosed to the public unless specifically requested by responding sources.

This Request for Information (RFI) relates to an activity design with the preliminary title of “Stability Through Economic Progress, Unity and Peacebuilding (STEP UP)” in support of the USG Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS). The purpose of this RFI is to:

1. Obtain details concerning interest in USAID’s anticipated requirements; and

2. Obtain public comments on the Questions to inform the design process.

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for planning and information seeking purposes. This RFI is open for comments from any interested US and Non-US Organizations.

This is not a solicitation/funding opportunity or a call for proposals/applications. Please do not submit proposals, resumes or promotional materials, as they will be discarded.

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 15.209(c), the following clause is incorporated into this RFI:

“FAR 52.215-3 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OR SOLICITATION FOR PLANNING PURPOSES (OCT

1997)

(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as

72065623RFI00001 – STEP UP RFI

provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

(c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of gathering information and comments to the SOO Draft attached to this document.

NOTICE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. The RFI is solely issued to gather information for planning purposes as an attempt to identify capabilities of potential contractors and to gain feedback on the draft Statement of Objectives (SOO). Therefore, respondents are advised that any information submitted may be used to inform the development of the anticipated Statement of Objectives (SOO).

All submissions shall be made by the closing date and time noted on page 1 of this notice. Only submission via email is required; no hard copy delivery will be accepted. E-mail submissions shall be sent to Mr. Jean-Jacques Badiane, at jbadiane@usaid.gov and Ms. Judite Caetano, at jcaetano@usaid.gov.

Interested parties shall prepare their submission in English and shall address the information requested below. All submissions must include Section I “Cover Page”, Section II “Comments/Questions” and Section III “Capability Statements” (applicable to U.S. Small Businesses only). Submissions shall use only 8.5 inch by 11-inch paper, single-spaced pages for all narrative documents and each page numbered consecutively. Interested parties must use Times New Roman font 11 or a similar size typeset and should be provided in MS Word or PDF format.

I. Cover Page with Business Information (1 page)

● Organization/firm: name, address, contact information.

● Point of Contact(s): name, title, phone number, address, e-mail address.

● Statement of self-certification of business size and socio-economic status of the

Organization/firm.

II. Comments/Questions (4 Page Limit)

Comments and Questions not to exceed 4 pages will be accepted from all interested parties regarding the Draft Statement of Objectives and possible forthcoming solicitation. This is not a formal solicitation Q&A period; therefore, the government will not be providing responses. All comments and questions will merely serve to inform the government on current market trends and further refine the Statement of Objectives. Comments may include but are not limited to feedback on the Draft Statement of Objectives requirements, recommendations on instrument type (Acquisition or Assistance), anticipated demand in beneficiary geographic areas and suggested targeting, NAICS code designation, other market considerations, etc.

mailto:jbadiane@usaid.gov mailto:jcaetano@usaid.gov

In order to maximize the potential of this activity, USAID is seeking to receive feedback on the project approach, including opportunities and potential barriers to implementation, and individual or institutional perspectives on programs, policies, research, data, activities, and/or development approaches that might be useful for the project design, including past successes and failures, opportunities to leverage existing efforts and resources, gaps that need to be addressed, sectoral and geographic focus, and contextual insights into the operating environment.

Please ensure that comments are concise and specific to the information within this RFI. Brevity is appreciated.

The page limitation includes any attachments. The Government will not review any information, including attachments, more than the five (5) pages, unless otherwise stated in this section.

We look forward to your responses to this Request for Information.

Sincerely, Jean-Jacques Badiane Agreement/Contracting Officer

DRAFT STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

I. Overview

USAID/Mozambique intends to design an activity that will support grants and capacity development to innovative local businesses and groups, with a focus on areas prone to conflict, including but not limited to Cabo Delgado. The purpose of the activity is to allow communities to participate more actively in their own development through directly providing opportunities and tools. The activity would create various grant challenges for business and social cohesion, reach out to entrepreneurs, businesses and civil society organizations with opportunities to apply for the grants, uphold a rigorous progress for selecting recipients, and provide targeted support to support recipients' implementation and achievement of results.

This activity will be designed in line with the USG Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote

Stability (SPCPS) which outlines a 10-year, evidence-based, whole-of-government effort to foster peace and long-term stability through integrated U.S. diplomacy, development, and security sector engagement. The SPCPS focuses on four areas: 1) Prevention of violent conflict before it erupts; 2) Stabilization through inclusive processes to resolve ongoing conflicts; 3)

Partnerships to foster conditions for long-term regional stability and private sector-led growth;

and 4) Management to realize effective outcomes through improved prioritization, integration, and efficiency. This activity will be one of many initiatives that USAID will use to fulfill the strategy, contributing towards SPCPS objectives 2 and 3 and indirectly supporting objective 4.

This activity’s goal will be to increase empowerment of local communities to drive their own social and economic development. The Mission envisions three intermediate results (IR) toward this activity’s goal:

● IR1 - Increased Opportunities for Economic Growth and Diversification

● IR2 - Increased Social Cohesion within Communities

● IR3 - Increased Capacity of Local Organizations and Businesses to Manage Small Grants

Through this RFI, the Mission intends to gather information about potential partners and the operational landscape in terms of existing opportunities, barriers, grant making considerations, and capacity building and institutional development concerns.

II. Input Requested

USAID/Mozambique is interested in the following topics and specific questions related to the above background:

1. Opportunities to leverage

a. Based on your knowledge of the situation in conflict prone areas of the country, which types of activities and sectors are most underfunded and in need of support? What should USAID focus on that is not being addressed?

b. What types of support can encourage innovation or problem solving for businesses and civil society entities and actors?

c. Does your organization propose any geographic areas, business sectors or civil society initiatives that USAID should consider targeting within the scope of this activity?

d. Is your organization aware of any collective monitoring systems that exist for business or civil society initiatives that USAID should be aware of? Please share any comments on monitoring in this context in general.

2. Barriers to entry in development

a. USAID understands that there are a substantial number of economic and social development projects happening in the Cabo Delgado area, through the private sector, business, and donor/NGO space, but that these initiatives are not benefitting all people equally. How would your organization propose targeting and reaching underserved groups with development opportunities? Specifically, please indicate which channels/methods your organization would utilize to advertise or promote grant opportunities.

3. Conflict and gender sensitivity

a. Which community and civil society structures exist that USAID and partners should leverage in ensuring that this project causes no harm and does not further contribute to grievances among certain groups?

b. What approaches should be used to ensure equal opportunities for men and women to access and effectively manage small grant funding?

c. Are there any best practices or safeguards that should be considered to ensure that funding is not misused?

4. Capacity Development needs and opportunities

a. What type of support would the prime recipient of this planned award need to provide apart from financial management? (Ex. Provide sessions on overall grant management, reporting, etc. depending on their needs)

b. Which small business and civil society forums exist in northern Mozambique that we should be aware of in planning this intervention?

5. Grant making capacity/challenges

a. What are the main challenges for underserved communities in conflict prone areas to apply for and manage small grants?

b. The successful prime awardee of this activity would be responsible for soliciting, awarding and monitoring grants to entrepreneurs, businesses and CSOs. What challenges would organizations face in managing these types of grants? Do you have any recommendations around management of this type of award?

c. Is the objective of this activity clear? Is there anything else that your organization would like to add for USAID to consider as we design this activity?