06 95332421Q00600002 Summary of Changes.pdf

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AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended, is not extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a)By completing items 8 and 15, and returning copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE

DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment your desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER

NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15C. DATE SIGNED

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

PAGE OF PAGES

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X)

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

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Summary of Changes

Header Information

Close Date is changed from 16-JUL-21 09:00:00 to 16-SEP-21 17:00:00.

Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs

Line Item Details:

The following changes are made to line item: 1001

Option From Date is changed from 02-AUG-2022 to 30-SEP-2022.

Option To Date is changed from 01-AUG-2023 to 29-SEP-2023.

The following changes are made to line item: 2001

Option From Date is changed from 02-AUG-2023 to 30-SEP-2023.

Option To Date is changed from 01-AUG-2024 to 29-SEP-2024.

The following changes are made to line item: 3001

Option From Date is changed from 02-AUG-2024 to 30-SEP-2024.

Option To Date is changed from 01-AUG-2025 to 29-SEP-2025.

The following changes are made to line item: 4001

Option From Date is changed from 02-AUG-2025 to 30-SEP-2025.

Option To Date is changed from 01-AUG-2026 to 29-SEP-2026.

The following clauses are modified:

Clauses incorporated by full text

Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices/Costs Item Number Base Item Number

B.1 SERVICES TO BE PROVDED

MCC is looking for an AgriculturePolicy, Regulatory and Institutional Reform Advisor to support all phases of the reform activity related to the agriculture sector in Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique and any other MCC eligible country . The overall objective of this contract is to support the MCC Land and Agricultural Economy Practice Group and members of relevant MCC country teams and implementation support teams in their efforts to (i) assess proposed policy, regulatory and institutional reforms in the agriculture and related sectors (such as Environmental Policy, National Climate Change Policy in relation to impact in agriculture) to ensure a more and commercially viable, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable agriculture sector and (ii) provide support in the implementation oversight of reforms.

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform the tasks as defined in Section C of the Statement of Work.

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B.2 CONTRACT TYPE

MCC is awarding a Time and Materials type Contract. Multiple awards may be considered.

B.3 LABOR RATES

This RFQ is issued in accordance with FAR Part 12 Acquisition of Commercial Items and FAR Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

Labor Category Billing Hourly Rate

(Base)

Billing Hourly Rate (Option

1)

Billing Hourly Rate

(Option 2)

Billing Hourly Rate (Option

3)

Billing Hourly Rate (Option

4)

Agriculture Policy, Regulatory and Institutional

Reform Advisor

B.4 Other Direct Costs (Estimated)

The Government estimates the following ODCs for each contract period. As ODCs cannot be defined at this time, these estimates will be used to evaluate the offeror's price

Total Other Direct Costs

Base Period $23,145

Option Period One $27,909

Option Period Two $27,965

Option Period Three $28,532

Option Period Four $28.831

Other Direct Costs Grand Total $136,382

Section C - Description/Specifications/Work Statement

Description/Specifications/Work Statement

STATEMENT OF WORK

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Agriculture Policy, Regulatory and Institutional Reform Advisor

A. INTRODUCTION

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has a requirement for technical and project management support for agriculture projects in MCC affiliated countries. The MCC will obtain the required services through a competitive procurement to provide professional expertise.

On January 23, 2003, the United States established the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an innovative foreign assistance program designed to reduce poverty by promoting sustainable economic growth. MCC, a U.S. government corporation, is based on the principle that aid is most effective in countries that promote good governance, economic freedom, and investments in people. For more information on the MCC, please visit www.mcc.gov.

MCC's overriding objectives are to promote economic growth and a significant reduction in poverty in our partner countries.

MCC does not take it for granted that programs that stimulate growth will invariably reduce poverty. MCC looks at the likely distributive effects of projects and, to the extent that data are available to perform such an analysis, identifies the beneficiaries and estimates the impact on poverty reduction. Ultimately, MCC seeks significant and measurable increases in incomes of large numbers of poor people and significant reductions in poverty.

MCC analyzes the likely impact on economic growth of its programs by analyzing whether they are consistent with international and country evidence on drivers of economic growth and by use of economic rate of return (ERR) analysis. The essence of such an analysis is a straightforward comparison of costs and benefits, where the costs are the MCA grants, other front-end project development costs, and associated project life cycle operating and maintenance costs, and the benefits are increases in incomes in recipient countries.

B. SCOPE

MCC is looking for an AgriculturePolicy, Regulatory and Institutional Reform Advisor to support all phases of the reform activity related to the agriculture sector in Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique and any other MCC eligible country . The overall objective of this contract is to support the MCC Land and Agricultural Economy Practice Group and members of relevant MCC country teams and implementation support teams in their efforts to (i) assess proposed policy, regulatory and institutional reforms in the agriculture and related sectors (such as Environmental Policy, National Climate Change Policy in relation to impact in agriculture) to ensure a more and commercially viable, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable agriculture sector and (ii) provide support in the implementation oversight of reforms.

C. COUNTRY

Malawi and any other MCC eligible country and/or country with on-going or recently completed MCC compact or threshold program.

D. TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

Tasks:

• Work closely and proactively with MCC Technical Leads, other MCC sectoral experts and third parties (MCA counterparts, government representatives and/or other Expertsor implementers) as requested by MCC to ensure strong coordination in the development or implementation of Agriculture Reform Activities.

• Become intimately familiar with the Project, Activities, and Sub-Activities in order to provide technical advice/support in the reform efforts as needed throughout implementation.

• Review of and advise on key legal and regulatory documents, proposals, strategies, deliverables requiring MCC's clearance or non-objection.

• Travel to country to support work with counterparts at the MCA level, oversight missions for work being implemented by experts and/or missions in support of evaluation audits and follow-up.

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• Review and assess the policy and regulatory work being done by other donors and the Government of Malawi paying particular attention to how it promotes and sustains private sector investment, social and gender inclusion and sustainability of natural resources. In addition to work in agriculture policy, the Expertmay be requested to provide policy advice related tostrategies and programs to support, promote or incentivize conservation agriculture to address land degradation, soil erosion and climate resiliency.

• Assist in the definition of project scope and objectives, milestones, involving all relevant stakeholders and ensuring technical feasibility of reform work.

• Provide input in the identification of Policy and Institutional Reform (PIR) related indicators, theory of change or program logics.

• Support the development, updating and tracking of detailed reform plans to monitor and track progress.

• Support work related to estimation of costs for implementation of PIR programs including any capacity strengthening.

• Measure project performance using appropriate tools and techniques.

• Report and escalate issues or problems to MCC Technical Leads proactively.

• Provide advice and expertise for effective and successful public-private dialogue around reforms.

• Support in the identification, prevention, and management of risks in the reform activities throughout their lifecycles.

• Support in creating and maintaining comprehensive project documentation.

• Develop spreadsheets, power point presentations, summary reports, and other information for internal or external audiences,

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

The designated Expert shall be expected to coordinate with national or local authorities and MCA (Accountable Entity) responsible for MCC Compact implementation as well as other donors, where relevant. However, the designated Expert shall report directly to the designated Contracting Officer's Representative/Project Monitor (COR/PM).

Deliverables:

• COR/PM will provide technical directives for the Expert outlining specific tasks. In response to technical directives, the Expert shall provide trip reports, written technical assessments, and implementer performance assessments, reviews of other contractors or institutions' deliverables, project audits, among others.

• Trip reports to the MCC COR/PM, shall include at a minimum the summary of any consultations and meetings held, and key findings and recommendations and any next steps, as appropriate.

• Other ad hoc reports and inputs and presentations as requested by MCC COR/PM.

E. TECHNICAL DIRECTIVE

The Expert shall provide services to MCC on an as needed basis, as required. To support MCC in the flexible and timely manner needed to meet the evolving needs of Compact development, negotiation, implementation and evaluation, technical directives under this statement of work shall be issued by the COR/PM and the Expert deployed each time the Expert's services are needed over the course of this contract. No additional directive shall imply any additional costs to the United States Government (USG) beyond the amount allowed for in the initial statement of work; however, this this statement of work may be amended to reflect additional costs associated with implementation planning and oversight requirements.

In each technical directive, the COR/PM will define the specific tasks, dates and location of services, and assignment deliverable(s) at least one week prior to date of expert deployment. The technical directive will, in one paragraph to two pages, provide clear and concise instructions on tasks and deliverables requested of the expert. Upon acknowledging acceptance of the technical directive by the expert to MCC in writing (email or fax to the COR/PM is acceptable), the expert will be deployed by MCC to conduct the specific tasks described therein. The expert shall not conduct any specific work under this contract unless such a technical directive is issued and acknowledged in writing. The expert will notify the contract officer if the tasks appear to fall outside the scope given herein. The expert is expected to submit electronic copies of all written deliverables in English and to brief MCC staff verbally upon request.

Acceptance Criteria

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The deliverables will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Thoroughness and timeliness in complying with all the elements in the tasks specified.

• High quality finished products in a timely manner, and clarity of analyses and work produced.

• Timeliness and efficacy of communications with relevant counterparts at MCC, MCA, and other relevant organizations.

• All reports are to be submitted in English in hard and electronic copy (in MS Word), with tables, data and calculations in MS Excel.

F. PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

All work will be completed between the dates of the award through a base year and 4 one-year options for a total of five-year period of performance.

The estimated level of effort is estimated at up to 960 hours per year with an estimated 3 trips per year to each country. MCC anticipates this level of effort but does not guarantee this level of effort as it may increase or decrease.

The expert shall perform the services and tasks generally identified above at the expert's home facilities, periodically in MCC's DC offices, and in any MCC-eligible countries.

G. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The expert would be precluded from bidding on work and services (design, assessment, construction and supervision) to be procured by the local MCA accountable entity or using funds advanced under a Compact in the relevant country, unless the expertsubmits a mitigation plan sufficient to ameliorate any conflict of interest pursuant to the rules applicable to the procurement process.

H. SUBCONTRACTING

The expert is authorized to subcontract data collection, data preparation, social and gender analysis, and related services as needed. The overall costs for subcontracting shall not exceed 25% of the expert's total negotiated unloaded direct labor cost.

I. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Mandatory:

• Master's degree in either Public Policy, International Development, Environmental Policy, Law, Economics, or related field.

• Minimum 8 years proven experience working in policy, regulatory and institutional development of the agriculture sector in Sub Saharan Africa.

• Track record and demonstrated capacity to build relationships and consensus across state- and national-level stakeholders to institute policy reforms.

• Experience and knowledge of organizational reviews, effective governance frameworks for public agencies, policy formulation and advocacy as well as regulatory design.

• Excellent leadership and advocacy skills, excellent writing ability and strong cross-cultural interpersonal skills.

• Experience working with major donors (MCC, World Bank, EU, UK AID, DFID, etc.)

Soft Skills:

• Proactive personality and self-motivated.

• Critical thinking and strong analytical skills.

• Ability to research, understand, and apply the concepts and international good practices in policy, regulatory and institutional reform.

Preferred:

• Knowledge and experiences applying political economy analysis to reforms highly desirable.

• Experience working in the Southern/Eastern Africa highly desirable.

• Knowledge of or experience working in Malawi's agriculture sector

J. TIMING AND REPORTING

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All formal communication with MCC, including reports, will be submitted to the COR/PM. The COR/PM for this requirement will be identified via separate correspondence.

The COR/PM will have technical responsibility for monitoring the contractor's performance. The COR/PM will review and evaluate the contractor's performance, and also will coordinate any communications with relevant counterparts and other donor agencies and organizations.

Any changes in the terms of the Call Order will be made in writing and approved by the Contracting Officer. No representation of the COR/PM shall serve as a basis for an alteration in the general scope of this Call Order or of the terms and conditions of the Call Order unless confirmed in writing by the Contracting Officer. The contractor must communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters that pertain to the Contract terms. Proceeding with the work without proper contractual coverage could result in nonpayment for that work.

The designated Expertwould be expected to coordinate with local authorities responsible for MCC Compact implementation as well as other donors, where relevant. However, designated Expertwould report directly to the designated COR/PM.

K. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

International travel may be required. The Expert may be requested to mobilize on a short notice and will be expected to deliver high quality finished products in a timely manner based on the instructions of the COR/PM.

Section F - Delivery or Performance

Delivery or Performance Details:

The following changes are made to line item 0001:

Need-By Date is changed from 01-AUG-2022 to 29-SEP-2022.

Period of Performance Start Date is changed from 02-AUG-2021 to 30-SEP-2021.

The following changes are made to line item 1001:

Need-By Date is changed from 01-AUG-2023 to 29-SEP-2023.

Period of Performance Start Date is changed from 02-AUG-2022 to 30-SEP-2022.

The following changes are made to line item 2001:

Need-By Date is changed from 01-AUG-2024 to 29-SEP-2024.

Period of Performance Start Date is changed from 02-AUG-2023 to 30-SEP-2023.

The following changes are made to line item 3001:

Need-By Date is changed from 01-AUG-2025 to 29-SEP-2025.

Period of Performance Start Date is changed from 02-AUG-2024 to 30-SEP-2024.

The following changes are made to line item 4001:

Need-By Date is changed from 01-AUG-2026 to 29-SEP-2026.

Period of Performance Start Date is changed from 02-AUG-2025 to 30-SEP-2025.

Delivery or Performance

F.1 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

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The Consultant shall perform the services and tasks generally identified above at the expert's home facilities, periodically in MCC's DC offices, and in any MCC-eligible countries.

F.2 DELIVERABLES

• COR/PM will provide technical directives for the Expert outlining specific tasks. In response to technical directives, the Expert shall provide trip reports, written technical assessments, and implementer performance assessments, reviews of other contractors or institutions' deliverables, project audits, among others.

• Trip reports to the MCC COR/PM, shall include at a minimum the summary of any consultations and meetings held, and key findings and recommendations and any next steps, as appropriate.

• Other ad hoc reports and inputs and presentations as requested by MCC COR/PM.

F.3 DOCUMENT OWNERSHIP AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

All documents produced and/or collected by the contractor, electronic and hard copies, shall be the sole property of MCC. The Contractor shall establish and maintain a comprehensive electronic data base and reference index of all relevant documents reviewed, produced, and/or edited by the Contractor. Any and all such documents will be electronically compiled in usable form and delivered to MCC, in an organized electronic format acceptable to MCC, at the end of the contract, and if requested by MCC also in hard copies. The Contractor shall provide a document management system acceptable to MCC. MCC, at its sole discretion, may provide such system as SharePoint or similar in addition or in lieu of the Contractor's system. The Contractor shall abide by MCC required communication protocol including sharing information and reports with the MCC team, and/or other MCC consultants for efficient and timely reviews and communications as specifically requested.

F.4 ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

The deliverables will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Thoroughness and timeliness in complying with all of the elements in the tasks specified.

• High quality finished products in a timely manner, and clarity of analyses and work produced.

• Timeliness and efficacy of communications with relevant counterparts at MCC, MCA, and other relevant organizations.

• All reports are to be submitted in English in hard and electronic copy (in MS Word), with tables, data and calculations in MS Excel.

F.6 ESTIMATED LEVEL OF EFFORT AND TRAVEL

Base Period and Option Periods

Below is the estimated level of effort by labor category.

Estimated Level of Effort

Labor Category Hours (Base) Hours (Option 1)

Hours (Option 2)

Hours (Option 3)

Hours (Option 4)

Agriculture Policy, Regulatory and Institutional Reform Advisor

960 960 960 960 960

Estimated hours shall not exceed the total of 960 hours per year.

Other Direct Costs

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In the performance of this contract the contractor may incur expenses (ODCs) mainly associated with travel, which may include domestic air fare, ground transportation, per diem etc. Information on ODCs and travel reimbursement is found in section G.

F.7 TECHNICAL DIRECTION

Performance of the work under this Purchase Order shall be subject to the technical direction of the COR/PM.

The term "technical direction" is defined to include, without limitation, the following:

a) Directions to the Contractor, which redirect the Purchase Order effort, shift work emphasis between work areas, require the pursuit of certain lines of inquiry, fill in details or otherwise serve to accomplish contractual requirements;

b) Provision of information to the Contractor, which assists in the interpretation of renderings, specifications or technical portions of the work description; and

c) Review and, where required by the Purchase Order, approval of reports, creative renderings, specifications, materials or technical information to be delivered by the Contractor to MCC under this Purchase Order.

Technical direction must be within the general scope of work stated in the contract. The COR/PM does not have the authority to, and may not, issue any technical direction which:

1) Constitutes the assignment of any additional work outside the general scope of the Task Order;

2) Constitutes a change as defined in the contract clause entitled, "Changes";

3) In any manner causes an increase or decrease in the total estimated Purchase Order costs, fixed fee, or time required for the Purchase Order performance; or

4) Changes any of the express terms, conditions or specifications of the contract.

All technical direction shall be issued in writing by the COR/PM; verbal direction, if necessary, shall be confirmed by the COR/PM in writing within five (5) working days after their issuance, with a copy to the Contracting Officer (CO). The Contractor shall acknowledge acceptance of the technical direction by submitting a letter of acceptance, via email or Fax, to the COR/PM and Contracting Officer. The technical direction will provide clear and concise instructions on tasks and deliverables requested of the Contractor's team, and designate the MCC technical contact with whom the Contractor should coordinate. The Contractor shall proceed promptly with the performance of technical directions duly issued by the COR/PM in the manner prescribed by this article and within his/her authority under the provisions of this article. If, in the opinion of the Contractor, any instruction or direction issued by the COR/PM is not within one of the tasks defined above, the Contractor shall not proceed, but shall notify the CO, in writing, within five (5) working days after receipt of any such instruction or direction and shall request the CO to modify the contract accordingly. Upon receiving such notification from the Contractor, the CO shall issue an appropriate Purchase Order modification or advise the Contractor, in writing, that in his/her opinion, the technical direction is within the scope of this article and does not constitute a change under the "Changes" clause of the Purchase Order. The Contractor shall thereupon proceed immediately with the direction given.

Section H - Special Contract Requirements

Section H

H.1 KEY PERSONNEL

The Contractor shall provide resumes of Key Personnel. Personnel identified as Key Personnel are considered to be essential to the work being performed hereunder. Before changing an individual identified as Key, the Contractor shall notify the

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Contracting Officer in no less than 15 business days and will submit written justification as to the reason for substitution.

Substitution within the first 90 days will only be considered for reasons of illness, death, or termination of employment. The Justification must include the name and qualifications of the proposed substitute(s). The proposed substitute(s) will possess qualifications equal to or superior to those of the Key person being replaced. The Contractor shall not substitute Key personnel without written consent from the Contracting Officer. No change in fixed unit prices may occur as a result of key personnel substitution. The key personnel may, with the consent of the contracting parties, be amended from time to time during the course of this contract to either add or delete personnel, as appropriate, provided that the contracting officer may ratify, in writing, such diversion and such ratification shall constitute the consent of the contracting officer. Substitutions of Key Personnel shall be equal to or have greater qualifications than the personnel being replaced.

Labor Category Qualifications/Description

Agriculture Policy, Regulatory and Institutional Reform Advisor

Mandatory:

• Master's degree in either Public Policy, International Development, Environmental Policy, Law, Economics, or related field.

• Minimum 8 years proven experience working in policy, regulatory and institutional development of the agriculture sector in Sub Saharan Africa.

• Track record and demonstrated capacity to build relationships and consensus across state-and national-level stakeholders to institute policy reforms.

• Experience and knowledge of organizational reviews, effective governance frameworks for public agencies, policy formulation and advocacy as well as regulatory design.

• Excellent leadership and advocacy skills, excellent writing ability and strong cross-cultural interpersonal skills.

• Experience working with major donors (MCC, World Bank, EU, UK AID, DFID, etc.)

Soft Skills:

• Proactive personality and self-motivated.

• Critical thinking and strong analytical skills.

• Ability to research, understand, and apply the concepts and international good practices in policy, regulatory and institutional reform.

Preferred:

• Knowledge and experiences applying political economy analysis to reforms highly desirable.

• Experience working in the Southern/Eastern Africa highly desirable.

• Knowledge of or experience working in Malawi's agriculture sector

Section L - Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors

Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors

L.1 REQUEST FOR QUOTATION

This is a Request for Quotation (RFQ), under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 12 Acquisition of Commercial Items and Part 13 Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

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L.2 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.2.1 QUOTATION FORMAT

The quotation shall be prepared to meet the following format requirements:

· 8.5 x 11 paper, with the exception of charts (such as Gantt or project projections) that can be presented on folded 11 x 17 pages, if needed;

· Single-spaced or 1.08-spaced typed lines, including figures and glossaries;

· 1 inch margins;

· 12-point (Times New Roman font) in the text;

· 10-point (Times New Roman font) for all tables;

· In Microsoft Word, and/or Microsoft Excel-compatible software, or in PDF format;

· All quotation pages must be numbered.

L.2.2 SUBMISSION OF QUOTATIONS

Offerors are responsible for submitting electronic documents, and any modifications or revisions, so as to reach the Government Official by the time and date specified below:

Date:Thursday, September16, 2021

Time:5:00 PM Eastern Time

Location: Millennium Challenge Corporation

Attn:Anna Oberoi, Senior Contract Specialist (contractor),oberoia@mcc.gov

General Instructions. A complete quotation shall consist of a cover letter, a technical submission, a past performance submission, and a price submission, as detailed below. Incomplete quotations will be considered non-responsive and will not be further evaluated.

Quotations submitted in response to this solicitation shall be furnished in the following form:

1. Quotations shall be submitted in three volumes:

· Volume I Technical

· Volume II Past Performance

· Volume III Price (NOTE: Volumes I and II can be combined).

Volumes I and II must not contain pricing information; however, resource information (such as data concerning labor categories, subcontracts, etc.) must be contained in the technical quotation so that the offeror's understanding of the Statement of Work may be evaluated.

2. The Government will evaluate quotations in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in Section M of the

RFQ.

3. Offerors shall submit their quotations in the following format and the quantities specified:

a. COVER LETTER via email to Anna Oberoi at the email address specified in L.2.2. The Cover Letter must be signed by an individual authorized to commit the company to the quotation. The cover letter must include the Company's Name, Address, Point of Contact, Phone Number, Email and DUNS number and identify all enclosures included in the quotation. In addition, the offeror must provide the company CPARS point of contact name, number and email address. Any assumptions forming the basis of the submittal must be clearly identified in the cover letter. The letter shall reference the solicitation number and acknowledge that it transmits an offer in response to the solicitation and amendment(s). It shall state:

Quotation validity for 90 days after submission.

b. VOLUME I TECHNICAL and VOLUME II PAST PERFORMANCE via email to Anna Oberoi at the addresses specified in L.2.2.

c. VOLUME III PRICE via email to Anna Oberoi at the addressed specified in L.2.2.

mailto:oberoia@mcc.gov

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L.2.3 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONVIA EMAIL

All electronic submissions should comply with the FAR in regard to timeliness. The electronic submissions of quotations shall state 95332421Q0060Agriculture Policy, Regulatory and Institutional Reform Advisor.

L.2.4 QUOTATION CONTENT AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Quotations should clearly demonstrate the qualifications per the Statement of Work (SOW). Clarity and completeness of quotations are of the utmost importance. Therefore, quotations must be written in a practical, clear and concise manner.

The technical quote shall provide the Government with a reasonable assurance that the Offeror and the proposed Key Personnel have the relevant experience, capacity and capability required to meet the requirements. A restatement of the Statement of Work will be deemed unacceptable and not advantageous.

L.3 QUOTATIONPREPARATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

L.3.1 TECHNICAL (VOLUME I)

Offerors must submit a technical quotation of no more than ten (10) pages. Including Cover Letters and Resumes or CVs.

The technical quotationshould address the qualifications of Section C Statement of Work of this RFQand will be evaluated a ccording to the criteria in Section M of thisRFQ. Pricing information must not be included in any part of Volume I.

MCC will evaluate the proposed personnel in terms of their 1) qualifications 2) availability and 3) experience producing relevant work products in similar developing country contexts. The contractor must be available for travel once conditions permit, as necessary to complete work described in this RFQ.

The Offerorwill provide a complete and current resume, detailing the requisite qualifications and experience of the individual and references with contact information. Qualifications, experience and skills, may be placed in chronological order starting with most recent information.

MCC may request interview/oral presentation from technically capable offeror(s).

L.3.2 PAST PERFORMANCE/REFERENCES(VOLUME II)

The Offeror must provide three (3) professional references or recommendation letters with contact information that can be used to verify and ascertain their experience and knowledge relevant to this requirement. Past Performance shall not exceed six pages, two pages for each past performance example. The Past Performance information may be included in an annex which does not count against page limitations.

The Offeror must submit a minimum of three (3) references of professional contacts within the last three years, with complete current contact information, preferably including email addresses, for each proposed personnel candidate.

L.3.3 PRICE QUOTE (VOLUME III)

The Price Quote (Microsoft Excel format - no page limitation) shall include at a minimum, the following:

Labor

a) Fully-loaded hourly rates in similar format to B.3 Labor Rates.

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L.3.4 QUESTIONS/REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION

Questions regarding this RFQ should be addressed to Anna Oberoi oberoia@mcc.gov. The closing time for submission of questions during the quote preparation period is 11:00am ET, Thursday,September 9, 2021.

TO ASSURE TIMELY AND PROPER HANDLING, QUESTIONS AND QUOTES SENT ELECTRONICALLY SHALL STATE " 95332421Q0060Agriculture Policy, Regulatory and Institutional Reform Advisor." IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

The Government does not guarantee that it will answer any question or request for clarification (RFC) received later than the date and time listed above. Questions or requests for clarification that result in specific information necessary to submit quotations will be provided to all contractors. Therefore, questions/comments shall not be marked with a restrictive legend and shall not include proprietary information. The Government is not obligated to provide responses to all RFCs but will consider them and incorporate changes into the solicitation as deemed necessary.

L.3.5 DISCUSSIONS

The Government reserves the right to award without discussions. Therefore, Offerors are encouraged to submit sound technical quotations supported by competitive pricing.

Offerors are cautioned that failure to provide all the required information may make the offer non-responsive and may result in elimination of the quotation from further consideration for award.

Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award

Evaluation Factors for Award Evaluations will be conducted in accordance with FAR Part 13 – Simplified Acquisition Procedures.

M.1 BASIS OF AWARD

The Government intends to award one or more award(s)on a best value basis to the quotation that is determined to be the most advantageous to the Government. Offerors are cautioned that an award may not necessarily be made lowest-priced quotation or the highest technically-rated quotation. However, price factors will be evaluated in determining best value. The Government reserves the right to award without discussion; therefore, it is incumbent upon all Offerors to submit their best quotation.

M.2 EVALUATION FACTORS AND SUBFACTORS

All quotations will be evaluated based on the evaluation factors listed below.

The following evaluation factors and sub factors are listed in descending order of importance, (1) Technical; (2) Past Performance/References; (3) and Price.

FACTOR 1: TECHNICAL

MCC will evaluate the proposed personnel in terms of the 1) mandatory qualifications 2) availability and 3) demonstrated experience as it relates to the SOW. Proposed personnel must be available for travel once conditions permit, as necessary to complete work described in this RFQ and included in the quotation.

Mandatory:

• Master's degree in either Public Policy, International Development, Environmental Policy, Law, Economics, or related field.

• Track record and demonstrated capacity to build relationships and consensus across state- and national-level stakeholders to institute policy reforms.

mailto:oberoia@mcc.gov

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Soft Skills:

• Proactive personality and self-motivated.

• Critical thinking and strong analytical skills.

• Ability to research, understand, and apply the concepts and international good practices in policy, regulatory and institutional reform.

• Excellent leadership and advocacy skills, excellent writing ability and strong cross-cultural interpersonal skills.

Note: The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting MCC's processes. As of this solicitation posting, the extent of impact is unknown.

Due to this uncertainty, various aspects of the requirement terms may change, e.g. the scope, period of performance, etc. The Government will determine the materiality of these changes in evaluating the quotations and determining if further discussions regarding any quotation are merited.

FACTOR 2: PAST PERFORMANCE/REFERENCES

Mandatory:

• Minimum 8 years proven experience working in policy, regulatory and institutional development of the agriculture sector in Sub Saharan Africa.

• Experience and knowledge of organizational reviews, effective governance frameworks for public agencies, policy formulation and advocacy as well as regulatory design.

• Experience working with major donors (MCC, World Bank, EU, UK AID, DFID, etc.)

Preferred:

• Knowledge and experiences applying political economy analysis to reforms highly desirable.

• Experience working in the Southern/Eastern Africa highly desirable.

• Knowledge of or experience working in Malawi's agriculture sector

Offerors will be evaluated on the mandatory criteria above as well as their performance under existing and prior contracts for similar experience. The Government will focus on information that demonstrates quality performance relative to the size and complexity of the requirement under consideration.

The Government reserves the right to consider information from any other sources when evaluating past performance relative to any quotation.

FACTOR 3: PRICE

The Government will examine price quotations for reasonableness and completeness.

Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government's best interests, the Government will evaluate quotations for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement.

This includes options under FAR clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, which applies to this solicitation. Evaluation of options under FAR 52.217-8 will be accomplished by using the rates and level of effort offered for the last option period to determine the price for a 6-month option period, which will be added to the base and other option periods to arrive at the total price. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

M.3 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

A purchase order will be awarded to the offeror whose quotation conforms to the requirements outlined in this RFQ and are most advantageous to the Government based on the best value determination. The Government will assess and document the advantages and disadvantages of each quotation as related to the evaluation factors above.

In terms of relative weights, technical is more important than past performance and price individually.

Potential risk to the Government will also be evaluated. Technical and performance risk, based upon the offeror's evaluated technical and past performance, will be considered during the evaluation as well as any possible pricing risk. Subjective judgment on the part of the Government evaluators is implicit in the entire process. Throughout the evaluation the Government will consider "correction potential" when a deficiency is identified.

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Millennium Challenge Corporation, Contracts and Grants Management Division, 1099 Fourteenth St NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC, 20005-3550, US