77344424Q0047 questions and answers_02.29.24.docx

Performance Assessment of the Effectiveness of DFC Loan Portfolio Guaranties

U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

Performance Assessment of the Effectiveness of DFC Loan Portfolio Guaranties in Increasing Access to Finance for Agriculture Enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa RFQ No. 77344424Q0047

Questions and Answers as of February 29, 2024

While assessments have been done before, this specific assessment for these loan portfolio guaranties has not been performed before.

This procurement is separate from the draft SOW, RFI, and sources sought special notice previously issued. Responses to that earlier notice will not be evaluated as part of this acquisition. Vendors interested in this acquisition must submit Phase I quotes by the respective due date to be considered for this award.

DFC has identified the commercial banks we plan to include in the study, noting that the list may change due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., non-cooperation, country crisis). DFC will disclose the names of the partner banks once they are informed of the upcoming study. Vendors shall assume that there will be one commercial bank located in each of the ten countries listed in footnote 1 in the revised statement of work, contained in attachment 1 to the solicitation.

DFC is open to recommendations on constructing a control group if it is possible to do so within the timeframe and budget. Note that DFC does not offer other types of support to these banks, which would make comparability and data collection a challenge.

DFC will be notifying the commercial banks about the study in the next few weeks and will seek approval for contacting a sample of borrowers for interviews and/or surveying before award of this contract. Vendors shall assume that all ten banks will consent to contacting their clients.

The scope of borrower engagement will depend on the willingness of the partner commercial banks to facilitate the interviews/surveys but may include all ten banks, if they agree. Vendors shall assume that all ten banks will consent to interviews/surveys with borrowers.

The ten LPGs were originated prior to implementation of the IQ, so there are no existing or preliminary IQ scores. The consultant will conduct an IQ assessment and IQ score for each LPG using DFC’s existing IQ User Guide and templates.

DFC is considering approaches to assess additionality and sustainability and would welcome suggestions on specific metrics, including those specific to LPGs.

The Steering Committee consists of at least one member each from DFC’s LPG origination team, relationship management team, impact monitoring team, agribusiness team, evaluation team, and a representative from USAID’s AgFinance team.

DFC requests that data be stored and shared in Excel.

The external written report will need to adequately protect business confidential information, which may require anonymization of commercial bank names, countries of operations, and other identifiable information. If it is not possible to adequately protect business confidential information through anonymization, the external report and presentation will need to be in the form of an abstract or other format.

Yes – please see amendment 2 to the solicitation.

DFC anticipates the value of this contract will be roughly the same magnitude or lower relative to recent evaluation work for DFC’s Portfolio for Impact (PI2) under task order no. 77344423F0114, which was awarded in June 2023 in the amount of $491,792. This task order involved a greater number of projects than the instant requirement and is only roughly comparable; as such, DFC considers the value of this past project to be the upper bound estimate for our current requirement. This estimate is not binding on vendors and is not a ceiling or floor on quotes; rather, this information is provided as a courtesy to prospective vendors. DFC may select a quote for award with a price below, at, or exceeding this figure.

Yes, there is a requirement for key personnel. Please see section (h)(2)(iv)(A) of the solicitation, as amended, regarding the oral presentation, specifically:

· (1)(c), requiring a discussion of proposed key personnel during the oral presentation.

· (3), requiring the submission of a resume for any designated key personnel, and specifying that the project manager/lead shall be key personnel while the vendor shall propose the designation of any other key personnel.

Key personnel will be evaluated under the capabilities and approach factor, as described in paragraph (i)(2) of the solicitation.

Financial intermediaries (FIs) who have signed guaranty agreements with DFC agree to share transaction and impact information on their loan portfolios. DFC also reserves the right to make reasonable requests for additional information to support an evaluation such as information on the FIs loan origination processes. However, they are not obligated to share contact information for borrowers. Some FIs may be willing to share contact information, while others may not; it will depend on their internal data privacy and protection policies. Nonetheless, vendors shall assume that all ten banks will consent to providing contact information for their borrowers.

We anticipate providing the advisory downselect notices on or about February 29, 2024March 6, 2024. This date is subject to change.

Yes – please see our answer to question #12 above.

The proposed LPGs were originated prior to the implementation of IQ, so are no ex-ante IQ assessments. We anticipate that the guaranty agreements and term sheets will help inform the development of a reconstructed theory of change and ex-post IQ scoring.

Yes, a vendor may include the experience of a proposed teaming partner/sub-contractor in the vendor’s experience paper, so long as the vendor’s experience paper makes it clear that the resources of the teaming partner/sub-contractor will affect the performance of the vendor. Please clearly label any experience information that is submitted for entities other than the proposed prime contractor such that DFC can easily discern to what entity the experience information is attributable.

Yes, a vendor may include within its three past performance references one or more past performance references for a proposed teaming partner/sub-contractor, so long as the vendor’s Phase I quote makes it clear that the resources of the teaming partner/sub-contractor will affect the performance of the vendor. Please clearly label any past performance references that are submitted for entities other than the proposed prime contractor such that DFC can easily discern to what entity the past performance references are attributable.

Yes, vendors should assume that the financial intermediaries work in the predominant local language(s) of their respective countries. The selected contractor is required to have staff fluent in both English and French, per section 7.0(f) of the Statement of Work.

No.

The period of performance will be April 8, 2024, through March 31, 2025. There are no options.

None of the Phase II dates in the solicitation or the deliverable dates in the Statement of Work are impacted by the changes in Amendment 3.