AID-RFI-641-16-000001-Petty_Corruption_Survey.docx

Request for Information

This is a Request for Information on the Petty Corruption and Bribe Paying Measurement Mechanism. This is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP)/ Application (RFA)/ Quotation (RFQ), an Invitation for Bids or a Solicitation, and is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue any solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunity, or ultimately award a contract or assistance agreement on the basis of this RFI, or to pay for any information voluntarily submitted as a result of this request.

This RFI is an opportunity for USAID/Ghana to obtain information from interested parties regarding the Statement of Work.

USAID posts its competitive business opportunities on www.fbo.gov or www.grants.gov. It is the potential offeror’s/applicant’s responsibility to monitor these sites for announcements of new opportunities. Please note that responding to this Request for Information (RFI) will not give any advantage to any organization or individual in any subsequent competition. Responses may be used by USAID without restriction or limitation, therefore proprietary information should not be sent. Responses to this RFI will not be returned and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. If a Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued, it will be announced on www.FBO.Gov at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that RFP/Solicitation announcement separately from any response to this announcement. This RFI does not restrict the Government’s acquisition approach on a future Solicitation.

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback on the national level petty corruption and bribe paying survey project proposed in the draft Statement of Work below. USAID is looking for additional information on feasibility, timing, cost, structure and personnel. The purpose of this study would be to obtain a base line on corruption in Ghana by measuring of petty corruption, identifying the beneficiaries of bribes, identifying the key points and risk zones in which the USAID program should focus. USAID/Ghana may use feedback and comments from this RFI to refine the approach and focus areas for a future Requests for Proposals. If a Request for Proposals is issued, USAID/Ghana intends to make one award with an estimated duration of 6 months. It is anticipated the type of award will be a contract.

INSTRUCTIONS

Responses (comments, questions, suggestions, and enhancements) to this RFI are due to the email address above by Friday, August 4, 2016 at 2:00pm (14:00) Ghana time. Responders may provide responses through email or through attachments to email in Microsoft Word compatible format or Adobe Acrobat formats. In order to maximize potential impact, USAID is seeking feedback on the project approach in Ghana including projected levels of effort and cost and seeks additional information on research, data and activities that might be useful for the project design.

DRAFT DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

TITLE: Petty Corruption and Bribe Paying Measurement Mechanism

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

USAID wants to conduct a study and obtain a base line on corruption in Ghana in order to inform the next phase of our development strategy. Through this assessment on bribe paying and corruption in Ghana, we hope to identify the sectors and regions it effects the greatest and determine if national, sub-national, district, community corruption is negating interventions and our own development objectives.

The Petty Corruption and Bribe Paying survey will:

· Measure petty corruption in Ghana

· Detect beneficiaries of bribes (by region, sector, institution and wherever possible)

· Pinpoint key points and risk zones (notably in places of ongoing USAID programming)

· Identify elements for strategic designs, citizen participation and public policies

· Quantify household economic affectation and level of co-responsibility

· Propose interventions for corrective measures

· Provide a base line and indexes to measure the impact and success of the USAID program

BACKGROUND

USAID/ Ghana, in partnership with the Ghanaian Government, is preparing consultations and assessments to inform the Mission’s next Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). A CDCS is a five-year strategy that focuses on USAID-implemented assistance and related USG non-assistance tools. USAID Missions work closely with host country governments and citizens, civil society organizations, the private sector, multi-lateral organizations, other donors, the State Department, and other USG agencies to develop a strategy that takes into account the needs, rights, and interests of the country’s citizens; and focuses on achieving development results that have clear and measurable impacts.

Corruption has been high on the global governance reform agenda for decades because it constrains development, causes and exacerbates conflict and is one of the biggest obstacles to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (MDGs). Corruption is rumored and cited to permeate throughout the Ghanaian sectors, however, it has yet to be determined its true impact as a whole and its detrimental impact on development programming. The following explains the situation based on the data available to the USAID mission.

For businesses, corruption is a problem in certain sectors but it remains low compared to other African countries. Based on international indicators, Ghana was ranked 56/168 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, scoring a 47 out of a possible 100 (2015). Ghana scored in the 60th percentile in the Control of Corruption index.

Low-level government employees are known to ask for a 'dash' (tip) in return for facilitating licensee and permit applications. The Public Procurement Act, the Financial Administration Act and the Internal Audit Agency Act have been introduced to promote public sector accountability and to combat corruption. The government has a strong anti-corruption legal framework in place but faces challenges of enforcement. There is no law governing gifts and hospitality offered to civil servants, and facilitation payments are not defined in law. Ghana's police is perceived to be among its most corrupt institutions. Businesses believe Ghana's police services do not reliably enforce law and order. The traffic police are known to extract unofficial fees directly from drivers, and police officials in Ghana are criticized for corruption or negligence of their duties. Low salaries, which are sometimes not paid on time, contribute to police corruption. More than half of Ghanaian households perceive the police to be corrupt.

The Criminal Code criminalizes corruption in the form of active and passive bribery, extortion, willful exploitation of public office, use of public office for private gain and bribery of foreign public officials. Corruption is illegal and both agent and principal are liable; the nationality of the person who is bribing or being bribed is irrelevant. The Anti-Money Laundering Act 2008 criminalizes money laundering, and the Code of Conduct for Public Officers provides guidelines on conflict of interest for civil servants. There is no law governing gifts and hospitality offered to civil servants. The Public Procurement Act, the Financial Administration Act and the Internal Audit Agency Act promote public sector accountability and seek to combat corruption. The government has a strong anti-corruption legal framework in place, but faces challenges of enforcement. A freedom of information bill has been in the legislative pipeline for some time but has not yet passed. Ghanaians are generally wary about blowing the whistle on corruption for fear of retribution and concern about their personal and job security, despite protection under the Whistleblowers Law (Act 720).

Ghana has ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption and is a signatory and contracting state to the New York Convention 1958.

OBJECTIVES OF THE Petty Corruption and Bribe Paying Measurement Mechanism The above described the state of corruption at a national level in Ghana, however, to gauge the true cost to development beneficiary, USAID must quantify and identify the petty corruption throughout the sectors. The overall goal of the Petty Corruption and Bribe Paying Measurement Mechanism will be to prove USAID Ghana national and regional estimation of corruption in Ghana. To be able to understand the situation more fully, the contractor will construct the following:

· National Corruption Index for GHANA: This index would provide a calculation of the proportion of bribe transactions overall transactions to obtain a national corruption index, region indexes, main cities indexes, comparative indexes with other countries, indexes by households, indexes by enterprises, indexes by transactions, percentage of households and enterprises that do each transaction.

· Amount Involved in Corruption: The amount of money paid in bribe transactions to obtain a national amount, comparative data with other countries, amount paid by regions, amount paid by main cities, amount per transaction, and mean amount by transaction.

· Perception, Attitude and Behavior Indexes: Global perception of Institutional fight against corruption at national and region level, perception on law and rules, best practices against corruption, reasons for corruption, responsibility for fighting corruption, denouncing procedures

· Global Measures: Expectative index, Attitude index, Values and principles index at national and regional level

· Household Affectation Index: The impact that corruption has in households, to obtain indexes at national and regional level, by demographics, and comparative data with other countries; and co-responsibility level index (how much Ghana citizens are involved in anti-corruption fight)

· Impact and Behavior Model: Mathematical Impact Model linking above indexes in a multivariable analysis in order to obtain key elements, priority actions and risk zones.

· Reports

· Methodology report with specification of instruments, sample design, variable definition

· Field report

· Executive report

· Analytic report with recommendations

· Power point presentation

· Geographic System Information with all indexes for spatial analysis The Petty Corruption and Bribe Paying Measurement Mechanism will target Ghanaian households chosen to represent national and regional assessment in Ghana (see sampling). The survey will target the main person in economical household support. The household study will be conducted at national level (urban and rural areas) USAID Ghana anticipates the survey and reporting will occur in three phases with the total time allocation being 12 weeks. The phases include:

· Planning and design

· Data collection

· Data Analysis and reports.

OBJECTIVE 1: Plan and design a survey mechanism to accurately capture the petty corruption and bribe paying situation in Ghana (estimated 2 weeks) The Planning and Design phase will be working with USAID as the client. The purpose of this phase will be to analyze in depth the state of corruption and bribe paying in Ghana using existing reports, interviewing civil society organizations and trying to identify key questions to ask households to accurately capture the financial cost and societal cost of corruption in Ghana. During this phase, the lead will clarify goals, products, define responsibilities and trace a timetable. Please note design and methodology described in this Request for Information should act as suggested guidelines. The mission would welcome any additional method to track actual bribe payments made by members of household including mobile apps.

Secondary information will be collected and a series of focus groups and in depth interviews will be conducted in order to define transactions that will be measured in the instruments. In addition, sampling and instruments will be designed and pretested.

Prior to sampling, USAID anticipates the usage of at least six focus groups segmented by social economical level. At least two groups will be done in the capital city, 2 groups in an intermediate city, and 2 in rural area. USAID anticipates the length of these focus groups be 1 hour and 30 min.

The Contractor will also organize appropriate In-Depth Interviews. USAID estimates at least 12 in-depth interviews with key informants on corruption, as well as, 4 with officials of the government, 4 with specialists, and 4 with international organizations or NGOs.

Guidelines for in-depth interviews and focus groups as well the questionnaire for quantitative study will be delivered by the Contractor. Questionnaires will be pretested in at least 60 cases per urban zones and should not last longer than 40 minutes.

Sample Methodology: USAID has put together a sample methodology, described below; however, is willing to consider different techniques.

For the quantitative study, the sample will be 3800 households separated to ensure region estimations are statistically viable. For a national level statistic we also hope for estimations of rural and urban households.

Sample Stratification for Household Study

· By province: At least 400 cases Greater Accra., at least 200 cases for each of the other 8 regions

· By size of cities or towns: according to last census distribution (sample: 40% in towns over 20.000, 20% in towns from 2000 to 20000, 20% in towns between 500 and 1999, and 20% in towns below 500 habitants).

USAID anticipates the planning and design phase of the petty corruption survey will last two weeks.

Deliverables for the phase include:

· Analyze the Project

· Collect secondary information

· Review previous information

· Define timeline

· Define responsibilities

· Qualitative Study

· Local adaptation of Instruments

· Pre Test instruments

· Select the sample

· Train interviewers

· Approve work plan

· Select counterpart team

· Approving “qualitative sample”

· Schedule activities

· Agree to timeline and responsibilities

· Approve guides and instrument

OBJECTIVE 2: Information/Data Collection (6 weeks) USAID anticipates field work of the contractor would take 6 weeks. Deliverables for the phase include:

· Date interviews

· Field work

· Develop an analysis plan

· Select analysis methodology

· Brief Study report

· Approve analysis plan

· Assist study briefing

· Supervise field work OBJECTIVE 3: Analysis and Reports (3-4 Weeks) Data will be introduced in Accra by the team and the primary point of contact will review the database. All analysis and reports will be done by the primary contractor. A draft will be presented to the client, and afterword, a final report and power point presentation.

USAID anticipates the analysis of the information collected and the report writing will take 3-4 weeks. Deliverables for the phase include:

· Validate data

· Conduct analysis

· Prepare reports

· Send Reports

· Do presentation

· Review Report

· Approve report

· Data presentation

Total Timeline: 12 weeks Recruitment and Field Work USAID projects the most effective technique for this type of survey would be for experienced survey designers in corruption and bribe paying to subcontract to a Local Company and task that firm with recruitment. Recruitment is vital for study purpose. The Contractor will be in charge for checking appropriate personnel selection.

Recruitment could include:

· Monitors for focus groups and facilitators for in-depth interviews who will receive a brief from the contractor

· Contract Interviewers for the quantitative study who will be trained and supervised by the Contractor.

Professional and full time personnel will facilitate the field work. The contractor coordinates with the various enumerators associated with Ghanaian universities or local organizations. Data will be collected by a team of enumerators, one team per region. Each team will be managed by the selected service provider’s Statistician assisted by field supervisors. The selected service provider’s survey team will train field enumerators, supervisors, Quality Control team, and editors. After identifying willing and available households to interview, data collectors will read and get informed consent from the respondents. A signed copy of the informed consent form will be left with the household with a telephone number they can call with follow-up questions or concerns.

STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE

This section defines the performance requirements to which the Contractor shall be held; establishes the performance levels or standards; and defines how these performance standards will be measured. Measurable performance standards will be established for individual assignments. These performance standards will be consistent with the objectives of “PERFORMANCE”, including the following general performance standards:

Technical competence: Performance may be measured by the Contractor's effectiveness on the assignment. Effective technical assistance will produce reports that contain actionable recommendations that can be successfully implemented by the client, USAID Ghana. Ineffective technical assistance is marked by superficial, unsubstantiated or theoretical findings and recommendations, which are irrelevant or cannot be implemented.

Ability to assemble or prepare effective expertise through subcontracts: Performance may be measured in several different ways. For example, superior contractor recruitment ability goes beyond a simple review of candidates’ resumes before submission to USAID. Some candidates might appear qualified on paper, but may lack effectiveness in action. Superior recruitment processes shall be based on references and first-hand contacts with the technical expert proposed. Similarly, in team building, superior contractor performance will be demonstrated by assembling teams that function smoothly in accomplishing the required task. Superior contractor performance shall take into consideration how each individual will contribute to create positive group chemistry when assembling teams. Inferior performance is marked by disruptive team relations, notwithstanding the sometimes stellar reputation of individual members on the team.

Contractor responsiveness: Performance may be measured by the Contractor's ability to maintain open, direct, and responsive communication channels with the USAID/Ghana Program Team. Superior contractor performance is marked by a rapid, helpful response to the client without undue delays.

Client satisfaction with the finished product: Performance may be measured in many ways. Superior contractor performance is distinguished by the quality of the final deliverable. High quality deliverables should be clear, concise, accurate, well structured, and easily comprehended. Clear and concise causal relationships between evaluation questions, evidence, and conclusions should be readily apparent and easily read. Evaluation jargon must be explained in layman’s terms so that the report is accessible to a wide audience. Client satisfaction may be measured by the amount of input needed from and revision demanded by the client.

Proficiency of the client: Performance may be measured based on the increased ability of the client to understand and act on the technical subject matter subsequent to Contractor's provision of services.

Adherence to the proposed subcontracting plan: This relates to the Contractor's ability to assemble or prepare effective expertise (noted above). USAID expects to be able to benefit from access to the full range of experience and expertise. The Contractor's adherence to the proposed sub-contracting plan constitutes part of the basis for the evaluation of contractor performance.

COST

USAID is estimating a range of $200,000 to $350,000 for the successful completion of the entire scope of work in the estimated given timeframe of twelve (12) weeks.

USAID/Ghana is anticipating that any follow-on announcement will be in the form of a Request for Proposals (RFP), indicating a contract vehicle. The estimated budget for any potential activity will be between $200,000 to $350,000 dollars.

REFERENCES

· World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015.

· US Department of State: Investment Climate Statement - Ghana 2014.

· Freedom House: Freedom in the World - Ghana 2014.

· Afrobarometer: News Release - Ghana 2014.

· Bertelsmann Foundation: Transformation Index - Ghana 2014.

· World Economic Forum: Global Enabling Trade Report 2014.

· Freedom House: Freedom of the Press 2014.

· AsokoInsight: 'Citizens scared of blowing the whistle on corruption', 9 December 2014.

· Heritage Foundation: 2014 Index of Economic Freedom – Ghana.

· Enterprise Survey: Ghana 2013.

· USAID-UEMOA: 24st Road Governance Report-UEMOA draft 2013.

· US Department of State: Human Rights Report - Ghana 2013.

· Global Integrity: Ghana Country Report 2011.

· GhanaWeb: 'Petroleum Revenue Management Bill Promises Greater Transparency And Accountability', 7 March 2011.

· Transparency International: 'Overview of corruption and anti-corruption in Ghana', 22 February 2011.

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