AAFINAL Notice of Funding Opportunity Power to the People 040323.pdf

Issue Date: April 3, 2023

Questions Due Date: April 14, 2023, 5:00PM SAST

Concept Paper Submission Due Date May 1, 2023, 5:00PM SAST

Full Application Submission Due Date: TO BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE

Subject: Notice of Funding Opportunity Number.:

72067423RFA00008

Activity Title: South Africa Power to the People Design Services

To: All Interested Respondents/Parties:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/ Southern Africa Mission invites Concept Papers that are focused on the provision of program design analytic and consultative services for USAID/ South Africa’s “Power to the People” program. Eligibility for this award is restricted to local organizations. USAID encourages participation from potential new local partners. The geographic focus of this activity will be in South Africa’s Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces.

Subject to the availability of funds, an award will be made to the responsible applicant(s) whose application(s) best meets the objectives of this funding opportunity and the selection criteria contained herein. USAID/SA anticipates supporting one new Fixed Amount Award (FAA) within a range of $500,000 to $625,000, over a period of 24 months. USAID reserves the right to fund any or none of the application(s) submitted.

This NOFO and the assistance selection process contains three phases as follows:

- Phase I – Concept Paper Submission and Merit Review

- Phase II - Co-Creation

- Phase III – Full Application Submission and Merit Review

USAID anticipates inviting the successful applicant(s) for the Power to the People Design Services for co-creation (Phase II). Phase II will present an opportunity to discuss the concept paper and the applicant(s) technical approach and vision in detail. Following co- creation, the applicant(s) will be invited by USAID to submit a full application in Phase III. If deemed appropriate, USAID will select the application(s) for funding.

To be eligible for award, the applicant(s) must provide all information as required in this NOFO and meet eligibility standards. This funding opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov, and may be https://www.grants.gov/

NOFO NO.72067423RFA00008

SOUTH AFRICA POWER TO THE PEOPLE DESIGN SERVICES

amended. Interested Applicants should regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this notice of funding opportunity. Applicants will need to have available or download Adobe programs to their computers to view and save the Adobe forms properly. It is the responsibility of the Applicants to ensure that the entire NOFO has been received from the internet in its entirety and USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion process. If you have difficulty registering on www.grants.gov or accessing the NOFO, please contact the Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726 or via email at support@grants.gov for technical assistance.

USAID may not award to an Applicant unless the Applicant has complied with all applicable Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements. The registration process may take several weeks or even months to complete. Therefore, Applicants are encouraged to begin registration as early in the process as possible. Proposed subawardees do not need full SAM registration, they need to only obtain a UEI. Applicants need to be registered in SAM when submitting the full application. Applicants do not need to be registered in SAM when submitting a concept paper.

Any questions concerning this NOFO must be submitted electronically to PretoriaApplications@usaid.gov and Pnare@usaid.gov with a copy to LePerry@usaid.gov by no later than the time indicated above.

The concept papers (Phase I) and, at the later stage, the full application (Phase III) must be submitted electronically to PretoriaApplications@usaid.gov and Pnare@usaid.gov. The concept papers and full application must be received by not later than the time and date indicated above.

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the US Government (USG) nor does it commit the USG to pay for any costs incurred in preparation or submission of comments/suggestions or an application. Applications are submitted at the risk of the Applicant. All preparation and submission costs are at the Applicant’s expense.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, Lealie M. Perry Agreement Officer Southern Africa Regional Mission https://www.grants.gov/

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) ANNOUNCEMENT

CALL FOR CONCEPT NOTES- NOFO NO.:72067423RFA00008: SOUTH AFRICA POWER TO THE

PEOPLE DESIGN SERVICES

I. PURPOSE

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) advances locally-led development and empowers local actors to take the lead in identifying and addressing development challenges through the USAID Local Works Program. This program aims to pilot approaches and methods to strengthen local systems and community leadership, proving the theory that capable local actors can own and lead their own development.

USAID/South Africa seeks concept notes from qualified local entities to provide program design support services as described in this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), including a political economy analysis, community listening sessions, gender and youth analysis, and program design workshops to inform and facilitate the design of its new Local Works Power to the People program.

II. BACKGROUND

The launch of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP) in 2011 signaled the beginning of a unique model of grid-connected clean energy production in South Africa, requiring that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) include socioeconomic development investments that benefit local communities residing in the vicinity of the new IPP projects. While the REIPPPP’s primary mandate was to secure extra energy from the private sector, mostly through renewable energy sources, it was also specifically designed to contribute to broader national development objectives such as job creation, social upliftment, and the broadening of economic ownership. To that end, IPPs are required to invest 1.6 percent of their annual profits (estimated at $1.5 billion over the 20-year lifespan of the projects) in communities within a 50 km radius of the project sites.

Since the beginning of the program in 2011, many new IPP projects have been rolled out However, concerns have been raised regarding whether or not the private companies implementing REIPPPP have the necessary skills and appetite to integrate broader objectives such as job creation, local ownership, socio-economic development (SED), and enterprise development (ED) into the projects. After more than a decade of program implementation, there is limited compelling evidence demonstrating that IPPs have secured meaningful SED outcomes in the communities where their renewable energy projects are located. This suggests the presence of structural weaknesses, institutional barriers, and local power dynamics that affect the design and implementation of SED investments.

USAID/South Africa’s Local Works Power to the People program is designed to partner closely with the Government of South Africa’s Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme Office

(IPPO) to support community engagement, local ownership, and trauma-informed approaches to deepen and sustain the impact of renewable energy companies’ investment in local communities.

It is vital that USAID, the IPPO, and other players in the sector fully understand such structural weaknesses, institutional barriers, and local power dynamics with a view to crafting needed interventions that may turn the situation around by enabling greater engagement between the IPPs and local communities in ways that optimize SED investments.

III. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

USAID/South Africa seeks program design support services including a political economy analysis, community listening sessions, gender and youth analysis, and design workshop support to inform and facilitate the design of its new Power to the People program.

The field-based political economy analysis will focus on improving understanding of the underlying power dynamics and relationships in the IPP SED investment landscape. The political economy analysis will enable USAID and the IPPO to better address the challenges and emerging issues, take advantage of evident opportunities, and react to unexpected political and economic trends and social conditions in specific project sites. The political economy analysis will influence the design and implementation of current and future Power to the People activities.

Concurrent with the political economy analysis, the recipient will organize and facilitate a series of community listening sessions in select municipalities in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. “Listening” is an intentional, deliberative process in which development practitioners and local people come together to discuss a common theme or question. It prioritizes the voices of local participants and allows for unexpected responses and open-ended conversations. The feedback and insights generated from the listening process will enable USAID, IPPO, and other partners to (a) learn about a particular local system and its environment; (b) identify local actors, their complex relationship dynamics, and the factors that influence their interactions and behaviors; and (c) determine prospects for engagement, and opportunities that will inform and shape the overall Power to the People program design. The listening will lead to a clear understanding of the challenges that communities are facing and proposed solutions to tackle them.

After the listening has been completed and analyzed, the recipient will support USAID in designing and facilitating a series of program design workshops, including USAID, key stakeholders, and local organizations. The purpose of the workshops will be to develop a program to address the challenges and barriers to effective SED/ED community programs. The program design workshops will be interactive and enable meaningful conversation, relationship-building, and learning among participants. The successful applicant will lead the facilitation of the sessions and ensure an effective overall structure for the events, timekeeping, and flow.

Based on an opportunity mapping analysis conducted by USAID and IPPO which looked specifically at opportunities for community engagement and the greatest potential impact of socioeconomic investments given baseline conditions and resources present in a given community, all activities will focus on specified municipalities in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces.

USAID expects that the political economy analysis and community listening will overlap to maximize field-based data collection efforts and ensure key stakeholders are not overburdened with consultations. Subsequent program design workshops and gender and youth analyses are expected to build upon the foundation of learning established during listening and the political economy analysis. The activity will conclude with intentional knowledge sharing and learning, where the recipient will share back lessons learned across all activities with USAID and the IPPO.

IV. DESCRIPTION OF KEY ACTIVITIES:

Activity 1- Political Economy Analysis (PEA):

The political economy analysis should build on USAID’s Political Economy Analysis literature review (to be provided to the selected offeror upon award) completed in September 2022. The goal of the field-based political economy analysis is to improve understanding of the underlying power dynamics and relationships in the IPP SED investment landscape in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. USAID’s Applied Political Economy Analysis methodology can be used to better understand the nature and main drivers of challenges and opportunities faced when implementing the IPPs’ SED investments.

Research techniques and methods to conduct the political economy analysis could include but are not limited to primary data collection through key informant interviews; cross-sectional surveys;

focus group discussions; and other commonly used quantitative and qualitative research methods proposed by the recipient. These tools can be complemented by techniques such as photo-voice, participatory rural appraisal, and online surveys. The data collection methods and tools that will be used will be discussed in detail with USAID and the IPPO before beginning the field research.

We anticipate working in up to three municipalities in Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces;

the specific municipalities of study in the political economy analysis will be identified by USAID and the IPPO, in collaboration with the recipient.

The USAID, IPPO, and recipient team will identify core questions and sub-questions to guide the research. The recipient will coordinate closely with USAID and IPPO to ensure that activities are appropriate in the current political climate. Initial questions are listed here, but are anticipated to be refined and finalized together by USAID and the recipient.

Illustrative questions include:

● What are the key factors that determine the success or failure of the IPPs’ SED investments (i.e., challenges and opportunities)?

● What internal and external environment opportunities and threats may affect future IPPs’ SED investments?

https://www.usaid.gov/documents/1866/thinking-and-working-politically-through-applied-political-economy-analysis

Illustrative supporting questions include:

● Who are the key actors at the local and national level in South Africa’s renewable energy sector and what are their roles, concerns, and interests with regard to IPP investments?

How do these actors already engage with one another?

● What formal and informal authority and power do various actors hold to influence the implementation and performance of the IPP’s SED investments? Which stakeholder groups have the power to catalyze or impede program implementation?

● At both the national and local levels, what are some of the apartheid-related legacies/historical grievances/trauma-related factors that affect dialogue between IPPs and communities? To what extent have any efforts to overcome those factors been successful?

● What factors contribute to or inhibit trust between communities and the private sector in South Africa? What are the implications with regard to whether and how USAID can support the implementation of IPP SED investments?

Activity 2- Community Listening:

Overlapping with the political economy analysis research, the recipient will organize and facilitate a series of community listening sessions in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. The purpose of the listening sessions is to hear the concerns and problems of communities and understand how they prioritize those; understand how local people perceive, define, and address the development challenges that they are faced with; and learn how they work together to seize and meet available opportunities in their localities.

We anticipate working in up to three municipalities in each province, for a total of approximately 12-18 listening sessions (to be confirmed with USAID, IPPO, and the recipient). Listening sessions may include a combination of approaches with multiple stakeholders. The final municipalities and communities will be identified by USAID and the IPPO, in collaboration with the recipient. The listening sessions should be co-created by the recipient with USAID and the IPPO, and facilitate USAID and the IPPO engagement to build effective relationships based on mutual trust with local development partners. This will lead to a clear definition of the challenges that communities are facing and proposed solutions to tackle them.

As a first step, the recipient should meet with IPP’s Community Liaison Officers in proposed municipalities and communities to better understand the context, culture, and existing structures within each community. This insight and input may result in structuring different types of engagements for each community to ensure an effective and inclusive process. Based on input from the Community Liaison Officers, the recipient will be responsible for conducting listening sessions and collecting data through a variety of activities (forums, focus groups, individual conversations, etc.) to effectively listen to local actors in IPP target communities to understand their priorities and development challenges and gain a deeper understanding of the local context.

While selecting respondents for the listening sessions, the organization should consider the diversity of the population, especially in terms of age, gender, socio-economic status, divisions in role or position (students, homemakers, politicians/political workers, working professionals, community notables, general community, shopkeepers, etc.), ethnicity, religion, and education.

The recipient should also articulate its plans to close the feedback loop with the individuals, groups, and communities that it has collected data and information from. The selected organization should be mindful of Do No Harm principles, protection of vulnerable populations, sensitivity to trauma and distrust, and ethical considerations.

USAID has several resources on approaching listening sessions available (outlined here), and wants to ensure that the methods used acknowledge intergenerational trauma and lack of trust between community members and others (the government, donors, private sector, IPPs, etc.).

The recipient should ensure that approaches they propose are tailored to the local context and recognize and be sensitive to the aftermath of the oppressive and traumatic legacy not only of the apartheid era but also of colonialism. Other resources to draw on include Radical Listening.

The mix of listening approaches used– focus groups, forums, individual interviews - should ensure the participation of a diverse range of community members, prioritizing individuals who may be marginalized or silenced, such as women, youth, ethnic minorities, etc. The number of, location, and duration of listening sessions for each province will be confirmed through discussions between USAID, the IPPO, and the recipient. The recipient should secure the participation of IPP stakeholders in the listening sessions, as appropriate. USAID and IPPO staff will participate, when possible, as observers.

The recipient will document findings and conclusions that provide USAID and the IPPO with a) a greater understanding of local priorities, challenges, capacities, power dynamics, and opportunities for SED activities in communities; b) community-sourced ideas for strengthening relationships between IPPs and the communities, promoting better collaboration and greater trust; and c) suggestions for USAID areas of focus.

USAID also wants to ensure that information is shared back with communities. The recipient should propose an approach to summarizing and sharing this information with communities. One approach used is to develop “Community Profiles” for both USAID and IPPO’s decision-making, and to share back with communities. The community profiles briefly summarize the information heard during listening sessions on needs, priorities, and capacities in a format that is accessible to community members.

Activity 3- Program Design Workshops:

After the listening has been completed and analyzed, the recipient will support USAID in designing and facilitating a series of program design workshops that are interactive and enable meaningful conversation, relationship building, and learning among participants. This will be supported by a lead facilitator who will facilitate plenary sessions and ensure an effective overall structure for the event, timekeeping, and flow.

https://linclocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/LSP_Listening_ProgramDesign_Final.pdf https://radicallistening.org/

The program design workshops should bring together community members, IPPs, thought leaders, power influencers, IPPO, and innovative practitioners to reflect on lessons to date and to support continued engagement in collaborative planning and action that will result in a measurably improved impact of the REIPPPP’s S/ED program. The recipient will work with USAID to design highly participatory workshops in which space is created for key stakeholders, especially communities, to develop a program that supports more meaningful IPP SED investments based on their priorities and needs. The recipient should ensure that the workshop design integrates learning from previous activities (especially around trust and legacies of trauma), and plans for inclusive approaches so that all participants can meaningfully contribute.

Activity 4 - Gender and Youth Analysis:

Following the program design workshops, participants may identify no more than two potential programming activities they may be interested in advancing. The recipient will conduct Gender and Youth analyses aligned with USAID requirements (ADS 205.3.5) for these proposed activities.

The goal is to identify specific ways to advance gender, youth, and social inclusion in the proposed activities that are appropriate in the local context. Gender and youth issues are central to the achievement of equitable and sustainable development outcomes, and USAID strives to promote gender equity, where both men and women have equal opportunity to benefit from and contribute to economic, social, cultural, and political development, enjoy socially valued resources and rewards, and realize their human rights (ADS 201.3.9.3).

Conflict Sensitivity and Gender: All data collection and analyses done under this contract should be undertaken with a conflict and trauma sensitivity lens in terms of understanding the local and national context, root causes, key actors, and mitigating factors related to intergenerational trauma. When conducting the analyses and whenever relevant and feasible, the different perspectives and perceptions of women, men, and other vulnerable groups should be explored and articulated. It is also worthwhile to assess the role of socio-cultural and gender dynamics in shaping the grievances that drive conflicts in context and ensure the analytical methodology is sensitive to such variations.

Activity 5 - Knowledge and Learning Sharing

After the completion of the key efforts outlined above, the recipient should design and facilitate an internal session about their lessons learned, key takeaways, and overarching themes from across design support activities. This session will create space for USAID and the IPPO to learn directly from the recipient about their key takeaways that can inform future program design.

Additional Activities or Adaptation of existing activities

Due to the nature of the work and the dynamic situation of the energy sector and community engagement in South Africa, additional activities and services may be included that were not https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/205.pdf initially anticipated, or the above activities may be adapted to the current context and needs.

USAID will work with the recipient and other key partners to determine if there is a need for activities or services that have not been included above.

V. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Applicant Eligibility

Eligibility for this NOFO is restricted to only South African organizations as defined below. USAID welcomes concepts from a wide variety of local actors who bring an understanding of the development challenges facing their communities, countries, or regions or who demonstrate a way to determine local priorities in their approach. Concept notes should be from qualified local South African entities, such as private, nonprofit organizations (or for-profit companies willing to forego profits), including private voluntary organizations, universities, research organizations, professional associations, and relevant special interest associations.

USAID defines a local organization as one that:

a) Is legally organized under the laws of South Africa;

b) Has as its principal place of business or operations in South Africa;

c) Is majority-owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of South

Africa;

d) Is managed by a governing body, the majority of which are citizens or lawful permanent residents of South Africa.

The term “majority-owned” and “managed by” include, without limitation, beneficiary interests, and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization’s managers or a majority of the organization’s governing body by any means.

In addition, the applicant should have not received more than $5 million from USAID during the past five years as a prime awardee. This legislative requirement is meant to encourage support for non-traditional partners. The eligibility requirements only apply to the principal applicant.

USAID especially encourages concepts from Local Entities that have not worked with USAID before. While not an exhaustive list and provided for illustrative purposes only, the following types of non-U.S. entities are encouraged to participate:

● Civic groups

● Colleges and universities

● Cooperatives

● Faith-based organizations (FBOs)

● Foundations

● Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

● Private businesses

● Trade associations

● Indigenous People’s Organization

2. Desired Experience and Skill Sets

USAID will only make an award to a prime organization, but encourages eligible Local Entities interested in this opportunity to network and/or form implementing consortia with other capable entities (local or international) that can enhance and add value to their concept. USAID/South Africa recognizes that one local organization may not have experience in all of the needed capabilities. Teaming arrangements in which one local organization partners with other local organizations and/or individuals are strongly encouraged.

USAID seeks a recipient(s) who are capable of collecting and synthesizing information from local communities, key stakeholders, companies, scholars, and USAID and IPPO partners from selected IPP project sites in the Northern and Eastern Cape provinces in a balanced manner with the use of advanced data collection, research, and analysis techniques.

The team should have proven collaborative learning and facilitation experience, and must already have in place or demonstrate the capability to rapidly assemble a team and network of contacts in the Northern and Eastern Cape provinces that will enable efficient data collection and engagement with key actors in the sector. Due to the nature of the renewable energy landscape, the recipient must have the knowledge and skills needed to access most of the key actors, assess prevailing power dynamics and relationships, and their impacts on SED investment initiatives. The recipient/recipient may face access constraints to IPPs and local communities due to pre-existing hostilities and mistrust of outsiders by private corporations and local communities. USAID expects the recipient to be capable of navigating this potentially difficult terrain, managing relationships, and responding to shifting social and political circumstances when the need arises.

Desired experience includes:

● Experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research/analysis, in particular, political economy analysis;

● Understanding of dynamic and adaptive learning methods of group facilitation (e.g.

emphasis on human-centered interaction: “radical” or deep listening and empathy, collaboration, visualization of ideas and synthesizing);

● Strong awareness of the corporate social investment issues around the REIPPPP program, including SED/ED activities, and of the stakeholders involved;

● Ability to foster inclusive participation of community actors, through a highly organized, proactive and supportive approach to working with diverse groups of people and organizations;

● Strong presentation, communication (written and oral) and facilitation skills.

● Ability to provide effective translation and/or interpretation services for local communities, if needed.

VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA

USAID will follow a two-tier selection process as follows. First stage is the merit review of the concept papers. The concept papers will be reviewed by a panel of USAID employees who will determine whether the concept has sufficient technical merit, and the applicant has sufficient experience and management capacity to warrant participation at co-creation and preparation of a full application. The second stage is the merit review of a full application for potential applicants who fulfill the needed merit review factors and criteria at the concept paper stage and were invited for co-creation.

1. Concept Paper Merit Review

Concept Papers received under this NOFO will be evaluated by a USAID Selection Committee (SC) in accordance with the merit review criteria detailed below. The purpose of this review is to ensure that prospective applicant(s) bring appropriate capabilities, experiences, and potential contributions to the co-creation process and ultimately the implementation of activities. A concept paper is determined to be successful using a PASS/FAIL methodology based on the merit review criteria. Any applicant that receives a FAIL rating on any of the three criteria, will not advance beyond this phase, and will be notified via email and no detailed feedback will be provided in relation to their applications.

Criteria 1 - Technical Approach:

The extent to which the Applicant’s proposed technical approach (including proposed activities) represents a strategic, convincing, sound, and realistic approach:

a. Understanding of local contexts and communities: The extent to which the technical approach demonstrates deep knowledge of the local context, including social, political and economic characteristics of communities, priorities and development challenges of local actors related to their health, education, economic and security situations.

Criteria 2 - Institutional Experience and Past Performance:

The extent to which the Applicant demonstrates recent (within the past 5 years) experience working in various municipalities of South Africa, and relevant experience and capability in implementing activities related to the goal and objectives in the program description. This includes experience and capability in the facilitation of relationship-building and collaboration across institutions and organizations.

a. Demonstrates experience engaging with local stakeholders including local authorities, traditional authorities, religious leaders, community leaders, etc. Demonstrates understanding of the lingering impact of political, historical, economic, and other trauma experienced in communities, and how this affects interactions with authorities, institutions, and private sector actors such as Independent Power Producers.

Criteria 3 - Management Plan:

The extent to which the proposed staffing plan is made up of the right mix of experience and expertise and presents an efficient and logical structure for successful implementation. The Applicant includes partners/coalitions for activities that provide geographic diversity and promote greater inclusion and proposes a division of labor, responsibilities, and funding with partners or any potential sub-grantees, including a brief organizational and/or coalition chart.

Results of the Concept Paper Merit Review Process

USAID anticipates two (2) possible results from the Concept Paper merit review process:

● Applicant Invited for Co-Creation and Full Application Submission: USAID invites the Applicant to engage in a series of Co-Creation discussions which may be followed by a request to submit full applications for USAID’s further consideration.

Or

● Concept Paper will not move forward, and Applicant will not be further considered or be invited to Co-Creation. Applicants whose concept paper will no longer be considered will not be briefed on the merit review results and, on the decision, not to consider the concept paper further.

2. Full Application Merit Review

USAID may select concepts to proceed to the application phase. Full applications will be reviewed with the same merit review criteria stated above. Detailed submission instructions will be submitted at that time.

VII. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preparation of Concept Papers Submission:

Concept notes must be submitted in English, via email as a Microsoft Word attachment.

Concept Notes must not exceed five (5) pages, using standard page margins with a 11-point font. Concept Notes must follow the outline below. Clarity and specificity are important, as is ensuring that the Concept Note’s narrative addresses the points USAID will use to review the Concept Note

Concept Paper Outline:

a. Concept Paper Cover Page (Suggested: ½ page)

1. Notice of Funding Opportunity number

2. Title of proposed program

3. Name and address of organization

4. Contact person (lead contact name, telephone number, and e-mail information)

5. The total amount of funding requested from USAID

6. Signature, name, and title of the authorized representative of the applicant

b. Technical Approach (Suggested: 3 pages)

● A discussion of the applicant’s understanding of the local context, including a brief background on the development challenge/opportunity

● The technical approach(es) envisioned to accomplish the specific activities, (including what, where, how, and when components will take place)

● A description of the proposed approach to the inclusion of relevant stakeholders, especially women and youth.

c. Institutional Experience and Past Performance (Suggested: 1 page)

The Applicant must demonstrate recent (within the past five years) and relevant experience and capability in implementing activities related to the program description. The experience must be similar in scope and complexity. This includes the ability to work effectively with local communities; organize meetings, interviews, listening sessions; handle travel and logistics required to carry out the research and listening task; and conduct research, synthesize quantitative and qualitative data, and draft reports, assessments. The Applicant must also demonstrate experience and capability in the facilitation of relationship-building and collaboration across institutions and organizations. The Applicant must articulate how the described institutional experience and capability will enhance the likelihood of successful implementation of the objectives.

d. Management Plan (Suggested: ½ page)

● An identification of partners/consortia for activities where appropriate to broaden geographic diversity, promote greater inclusion, and increase program reach.

● An efficient and logical structure for overall program implementation, including how the applicant will divide labor, responsibilities, and funding with partners or any potential sub-grantees, including a brief organizational and/or coalition chart.

● The recipient should propose a team composed of a project manager to serve as the main liaison with USAID, as well as some combination of researchers with political economy expertise, listening/discussion facilitators with deep knowledge of the target provinces, monitoring and evaluation staff, logistics and travel coordinators, note takers and translators for local languages, or others as needed.

2. Preparation of Full Applications

NOTE: USAID IS NOT REQUESTING THIS INFORMATION AT THIS TIME. THE MOST HIGHLY RATED APPLICANT(S) WILL BE REQUESTED BY USAID TO SUBMIT A FULL APPLICATION FOLLOWING THE

EVALUATION OF THE CONCEPT PAPERS AND FOLLOWING CO-CREATION.

VIII. QUESTIONS AND FURTHER ASSISTANCE

Any questions concerning this NOFO must be submitted electronically to PretoriaApplications@usaid.gov and Pnare@usaid.gov with a copy to LePerry@usaid.gov by no later than April 14, 2023, 5:00PM SAST.