APS #72060823APS00001- LLD APS for the Climate Change in Morocco Addendum 21 - English.pdf

Issue Date: September 27, 2023

Deadline for Questions: October 10, 2023, at 12:00 PM Rabat local time

Concepts Deadline Submission: November 3, 2023, at 4:00 PM Rabat local time

Subject: Locally Led Development Annual Program

Statement APS No.: 7200AA19APS00007

Program/Opportunity Title: LLD APS # 72060823APS00001- Addendum No 21 Morocco Local Climate Action

CFDA Number: 98.001

To: All Interested Respondents/Parties:

Pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, the United States Government as represented by The United States Agency for International Development in Morocco

(USAID/Morocco) is seeking Concepts from qualified local Moroccan organizations, as defined in

Section III: Eligibility Information, for the Morocco Local Climate Action.

Please refer to Section 2 for a complete review of the statement of objective and key approaches.

The Award(s) under this Locally Led Development Annual Program Statement (APS) are subject to 2 CFR 700 and 2CFR 200-Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit

Requirements for Federal Awards.

Subject to the availability of funds, USAID/Morocco anticipates allocating up to USD $2,000,000 for one or more awards to a prime local partner over a period of three (3) to five (5) years.

Eligible organizations interested in submitting concepts are encouraged to read this APS

Addendum thoroughly to understand the type of program sought, application submission requirements and evaluation process.

Based on the submitted Concepts, USAID/Morocco will determine whether to request a Full

Application from an eligible organization. To be competitive under this APS Addendum to the

Locally Led Development APS, Concepts and Full Application (s) must be fully responsive to all directions under the APS except when specifically noted otherwise in this APS Addendum.

Competition under this APS Addendum will consist of a multi-tier process where Applicants first submit a Concept for initial review. All Concepts received will be reviewed for responsiveness to the Application criteria specified in this APS Addendum. USAID will then request that Applicants successful in the first phase (i.e., selected Concepts), do an Oral Presentation in Phase 2, then the most highly rated Applicants in Phase 2 will be invited to the Co-creation Phase 3 and finally the

Apparent Successful Applicant(s) will submit a Full Application. The Full Application will offer the

Applicant(s) an opportunity to explain its technical approach in more detail. Applicants that are requested to submit a Full Application will benefit from USAID’s assistance in developing the Full

Application.

Please note that each Applicant (unless the Applicant has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR 25.110(d)) is required to:

● Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and provide a valid Unique

Entity Identifier (UEI) Number; and

● Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

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 many weeks to complete. Therefore, Applicants are encouraged to begin registration early in the process. Applicants need to be registered in SAM when submitting the full application in phase 4. While encouraged, SAM registration is not a requirement under

Phase 1: Concept Submissions and Phase 2: Oral Presentation. Proposed sub-awardees do not need full SAM registration, they need to only obtain a UEI.

All Concepts are due by the date and time specified above on the cover page of this APS

Addendum. Please submit any questions regarding this APS Addendum electronically to Leila

Belahcen, A&A Specialist at lbelahcen@usaid.gov and Salya Yacoubi, Sr. A&A Specialist, at syacoubi@usaid.gov with a copy to usaidmoroccocontracts@usaid.gov. The deadline for questions is shown above. Responses to questions received prior to the deadline will be furnished to all potential applicants through an amendment to this notice posted to www.grants.gov and

Tanmia.ma.

USAID/Morocco will host a virtual post-solicitation conference o/a October 16, 2023. This will be an opportunity for potential Applicants to ask questions and request clarifications on the APS

Addendum to make sure they have a good understanding of the terms of this Call for Locally Led

Development Concepts.

https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ mailto:lbelahcen@usaid.gov mailto:syacoubi@usaid.gov mailto:usaidmoroccocontracts@usaid.gov http://www.grants.gov/ https://tanmia.ma/

All interested participants are requested to register for the post-solicitation conference by

Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Rabat Time by sending an email to Leila Belahcen at lbelahcen@usaid.gov and Salya Yacoubi at syacoubi@usaid.gov with a copy to usaidmoroccocontracts@usaid.gov.

USAID/Morocco will provide further information about the post-solicitation conference upon receiving your email, including time and conference link.

In addition, Applicants who are interested in sharing their organization’s information with other organizations may share their information in this google form. After completing the form, you will receive access to view the corresponding spreadsheet with other organizations’ information.

The intended purpose of sharing organizational information is to provide an opportunity for interested parties to explore potential partnerships and partnering arrangements. This is voluntary for organizations and will not have an impact on merit review evaluations.

The Locally Led Development APS have been translated into Arabic and French at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=314757. If there are discrepancies between the English language version and the local language versions of either document, the English language version will control.

Before submitting a Concept, Applicants are encouraged to read through USAID's resources for organizations seeking funding and partnership opportunities, including How to Work with USAID and workwithusaid.org. Applicants are especially encouraged to review the Partner Readiness

Checklist to assess their readiness to be a direct partner to USAID.

Please read through the following pages for detailed information and instructions.

Issuance of this APS Addendum does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the US

Government, nor does it commit the US Government to pay for the costs incurred in the submission of a Concept or Application. Further, the US Government reserves the right to fund any or all Concepts and Application(s) received, or to negotiate separately with an Applicant, if such an action is considered to be in the interest of the US Government.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, Karla Camp

Regional Agreement Officer

USAID/MERP

mailto:lbelahcen@usaid.gov mailto:syacoubi@usaid.gov mailto:usaidmoroccocontracts@usaid.gov https://forms.gle/pezTi499WhVA7xFf9 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=314757 https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/get-grant-or-contract/trainings-how-work-usaid https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/get-grant-or-contract/trainings-how-work-usaid http://workwithusaid.org/ http://workwithusaid.org/ https://workwithusaid.org/start-here https://workwithusaid.org/start-here

Contents

Section 1: Background

Section 2: Objective, Geographic Considerations, and Key Approaches

Section 3: Eligibility Criteria

Section 4: Locally Led Development Approaches

Section 5: Local Resources

Section 6: Budget Considerations

Section 7: Merit Review Criteria

Section 8: Concept Submission and Review

Section 9: Oral Presentation, Co-creation, and Request for Application

Section 10: Sharing of Concepts

Section 11: Questions and Further Assistance

ANNEX A. CONCEPT APPLICATION FORM

ANNEX B. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA CHECKLIST

ANNEX C. LISTENING TOUR FINDINGS

ANNOUNCEMENT

CALL FOR LOCALLY LED DEVELOPMENT CONCEPTS ON MOROCCO LOCAL CLIMATE ACTION

ADDENDUM #21 TO

LOCALLY LED DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL PROGRAM STATEMENT

APS No.: 7200AA19APS00007

APPLICANTS - PLEASE NOTE: This is an addendum to an existing announcement.

All interested organizations must carefully review both this addendum AND the full announcement, which can be found here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=314757

Important information contained in the full worldwide announcement is not repeated in this specific addendum.

This program is authorized in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.

Through this Addendum to the Locally Led Development Annual Program Statement (APS) No.

7200AA19APS00007 USAID/Morocco is making a special call to local actors for the submission of

Concepts focused on driving systemic changes to build resilience to climate change impacts, especially for marginalized groups, with a focus on women and girls in Morocco. The deadline for

Concept submissions is November 3, 2023 at 4pm Rabat time.

Climate change in Morocco is intensifying water scarcity and drought and leading to low agricultural production, declines in economic growth, and social instability. The impacts of climate change disproportionately affect people living below the poverty line, women, youth, and other underrepresented populations who are often less resilient to climate shocks.

USAID/Morocco plans to support locally led climate action that takes a systems approach to address climate change impacts and creates the space for women, youth, and other local stakeholders to lead locally defined solutions in Moroccan communities.

Subject to the availability of funds, USAID/Morocco anticipates allocating up to USD $2,000,000 for one or more awards to prime local partner(s). Teaming arrangements, in which the prime local partner collaborates with other local sub-partners or forms a consortium (can be more than one or two organizations), are highly encouraged. The proposed period of performance of the activity is for three to five years beginning on/around January 2024. Prime partner eligibility is https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=314757 limited to local organizations in Morocco per the eligibility requirements in Section 3 of this

Addendum.

Unless otherwise stated herein, all terms and conditions of the Locally Led Development APS apply (https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=314757).

Section 1: Background Climate change is a significant challenge for Morocco that has a direct impact on the daily lives and livelihoods of local people. In recent years, Morocco has experienced increasing temperatures, decreasing precipitation, increased incidence of drought, sudden floods, and rising sea levels. Water scarcity is of particular concern, as it has a significant economic impact on key sectors including agriculture, which employs 40 percent of the active population.

The Government of Morocco (GoM) recognizes climate change as a significant challenge and set ambitious Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDCs) towards climate mitigation and adaptation in June 2021. USAID/Morocco partners closely with the GoM and affirmed the importance of supporting Morocco to strengthen climate resilience in the 2020-2025 Country

Development Cooperation Strategy. Further, the USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030 establishes the Agency’s goals in strengthening resilience of populations vulnerable to climate impact and empowering women, youth and other under-represented groups to lead climate action through a locally led systems approach.

From 2022-2023, USAID/Morocco undertook an ambitious process to hear directly from local organizations and individuals across the country on their experiences, challenges, and priorities related to climate change. This included a literature review of existing research; a climate action consultative workshop that facilitated exchanges among key stakeholders of climate change issues in Morocco; responses to a public Request for Information (RFI) from local and international organizations; and a climate listening tour led by a local research partner. The listening tour included focus group discussions and key informant interviews with over 1400 local participants in Beni Mellal-Khenifra, Draa-Tafilalet, Fes-Meknes, Marrakech-Safi, Oriental, and

Sous Massa in May and June 2023. Including civil society, government, academia, media, private sector, small and medium farmers, and women, youth, and people with disabilities, participants were invited to express concerns, priorities, and potential solutions. A summary of the listening tour findings is available in Annex C.

The listening tour reinforced that climate change is a key concern for local people across

Morocco, both in rural and urban settings. Water scarcity and quality was frequently mentioned as a top issue, especially in agriculturally focused areas. Disruptions due to climate change and inflation are leading to lower agriculture quality and yields, and are subsequently decreasing https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=314757 https://ndcpartnership.org/news/morocco-submits-enhanced-ndc-raising-ambition-455-percent-2030 https://www.usaid.gov/morocco/cdcs https://www.usaid.gov/morocco/cdcs https://www.usaid.gov/climate/strategy economic opportunities for local people across sectors. Importantly, the listening tour reiterated that women, youth, and other members of vulnerable communities in rural and remote areas are the ones most impacted by climate change, lack access to information, and often are not integrated into decision-making. As one listening tour participant in Meknes said, “Women are suffering the most. We work outside and inside the home as farmers and mothers, and we are responsible for fetching water. We work around the clock, including young girls.” The capacity of and connections between local associations and cooperatives, which are key to women and youth participation in local processes, can be strengthened to foster greater collective power.

Furthermore, USAID/Morocco is currently conducting a Climate Action Gender Analysis to better understand the gaps and inequities that exist in the local system between men and women related to climate change and opportunities to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment related to climate action and resilience. This listening tour and gender analysis data could serve as a baseline for any local partner selected to receive an award from USAID.

Through the Local Works program and in its localization agenda, USAID supports initiatives in which local actors lead on decision making, priority setting, management, and measurement of development solutions in their own countries and communities. In partnering with a local organization to lead this effort, USAID/Morocco will create the space for diverse local actors, including women and youth, to strengthen local systems to be more climate resilient.

Section 2: Objective, Geographic Considerations, and Key Approaches The Objective of this activity is to drive systemic changes to build resilience to climate change impacts, especially for marginalized groups, with a focus on women and girls. The activity supports locally led climate action that takes a local systems approach to strengthen resilience to climate change impacts and creates space for women, youth, and other local stakeholders to lead locally defined solutions to climate change impacts in Moroccan communities.

The Climate Listening Tour discussions emphasized a variety of climate impacts and trends.

Concepts should address some aspects of the key challenges prioritized across regions, specifically:

1. Water scarcity such as decreases in rainfall, drought, limited access to water and sanitation, reduced agricultural productivity, depletion of underground reservoirs, increased frequency of flooding, increasing demand on water resources, and limited water conservation and recycling.

2. Social impacts such as disproportionate impacts on women and women’s livelihoods, impacts on mental and physical health, youth migration to urban areas and abroad for job opportunities, disproportionate impacts on people with disabilities, and lack of awareness of climate risks, impacts, and solutions.

https://www.usaid.gov/local-faith-and-transformative-partnerships/local-works https://www.usaid.gov/localization

3. Economic impacts such as limited economic and employment opportunities, especially in green economic sectors, reduced incomes from agriculture, and limited ability to diversify income-generating activities.

The problems and issues driving climate change in Morocco are complex and interconnected. To achieve meaningful change, a holistic local systems approach that addresses some aspects of these key challenges and that engages a wide community of local stakeholders to co-create and develop, endorse, implement, and ultimately be held accountable for local solutions to local challenges is necessary.

Geographic Considerations: USAID/Morocco invites Concepts from Applicants that focus on one or more of the following regions: Fes-Meknes, Souss-Massa, and Oriental. Within the selected region(s), Applicants should propose several (i.e. three or more) local communities1 in which to pilot a local systems strengthening approach. USAID is interested in learning from approaches in diverse communities with different characteristics (i.e. mountainous areas, farmland, oases, arid areas, etc.)

The proposed activity should incorporate the following key approaches:

Approach 1: Strengthen local systems: A local system is the interconnected set of actors— governments, civil society, the private sector, universities, individual citizens and others—that jointly produce some development outcome. Using a systems lens means to understand these actors relevant to achieving meaningful and lasting results, their interrelations, and the incentives that guide them. Approaches should seek to strengthen the local systems to become more climate resilient over time. The approaches should drive systemic changes that promote meaningful participation and active leadership of women and girls in climate action and resilience, as well as catalyze climate action and build resilience, particularly for marginalized groups.

USAID has tested various systems methodologies across its global programming, including

Scale+/Whole System in the Room, the 5Rs, social network analysis, and others. This is not an inclusive list of all of the available methodologies, and Applicants should propose the approach(es) most appropriate for the local context in which they are operating and for the objectives they want to achieve. The proposed systems approach(es) should be asset-based: it

1 For this Addendum, a local community is considered as a group of individuals, households, organizations, political units (e.g., a village, municipality, sub-national government entity or any organization composed thereof), private sector firms, or other partner-country based institutions, defined by shared interest or priorities and inclusive of marginalized groups (e.g., women, youth, Indigenous groups, etc.). Local here refers to both the level of organization of the community, and the position of that community as directly affected by the development challenge.

http://scaleplus.fhi360.org/integrate.html https://www.edu-links.org/resources/5rs-framework-program-cycle builds on what already exists in local communities and strengthens existing and emerging networks, groups, and other structures to have greater collective power. Approaches should include a way to measure whether and how the system is meaningfully changing over time.

Approach 2: Inclusion: Given that vulnerable communities are the most impacted by the negative effects of climate change, empowering vulnerable communities is at the heart of this intervention. Applicants should prioritize leadership of women and youth and other under-represented groups, including persons with disabilities, to address their barriers to participation in climate change adaptation practices and to participate in decision-making processes related to the governance of natural resources and climate change. Furthermore, economic empowerment of these vulnerable communities could happen through technical and/or soft skill development, education and sensitization to climate change issues, promoting their traditional knowledge and innovative strategies for livelihoods, and/or ensuring accessibility to information, technologies and funding (loans, equity or grants). Ultimately, the Applicant’s approach should contribute to closing the major gender social and economic gaps, and ensuring women, youth, and other underrepresented groups are in the driver’s seat and active agents of change within their communities. Working with existing women-led cooperatives and youth organizations is highly recommended to optimize the program’s success.

Approach 3: Scale and Sustainability: Through this activity USAID seeks to build and strengthen local systems in a sustainable way using innovative and inclusive actions to support vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change and become more resilient. The available USAID resources are expected to minimize gaps rather than address all local needs. Therefore, Applicants must clearly identify linkages with key local stakeholders that can contribute to and scale the activity’s objectives in the longer term, including the Government of Morocco.

Applicants should propose an approach(es) to scale solutions in order to achieve broader reach beyond the life of the program. Rather, applicants should clearly indicate how they will generate learning and form connections with key local stakeholders to inform future replication/adaptation of the piloted approaches.

Approach 4: Recognizing, Leveraging, and Strengthening Local Capacity: Applicants should propose an intentional approach to capacity strengthening of:

a. The broader local system: Local capacity strengthening is a strategic and intentional investment in the process of partnering with local actors—individuals, organizations, and networks—to jointly improve the performance of a local system to produce locally valued and sustainable development outcomes.

b. Implementing partners: USAID encourages implementing partner(s) to strengthen their own capacities in key areas to better achieve their mission and contribute to development outcomes. USAID also encourages Applicants to consider what technical assistance their organization may need to strengthen capacity to diversify their funding sources and achieve long-term financial sustainability. Approaches to capacity strengthening should be tailored to organizational needs, and should follow USAID’s principles for equitable, effective capacity strengthening as outlined in the USAID Local Capacity Strengthening

Policy.

Please Note: Local actors are not required to propose a fully designed activity for this Addendum

-- a Concept that suggests a process to identify and then act on solutions from the local context is fully within the intent of the Locally Led Development APS.

Section 3: Eligibility Criteria USAID welcomes Concepts from a wide variety of local actors who bring an understanding of the development challenges facing their communities or regions or who demonstrate a way to determine local priorities in their approach. Eligible Applicants:

1. Must be local entities in Morocco. When determining if an entity is a “local entity” for the purposes of this APS Addendum, USAID will consider:

a. Whether the entity is legally organized under the laws of Morocco;

b. Whether the entity has its principal place of business or operations in Morocco;

c. Whether the entity is majority owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Morocco; and

d. Whether the entity is managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Morocco.

2. Cannot have received more than $5 million in direct funding (as a prime awardee) from

USAID in the previous five fiscal years.

3. Cannot be a U.S.-based organization. U.S.-based organizations are not eligible as prime awardees under this APS Addendum.

Note: For purposes of this definition, “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.

Section 4: Locally Led Development Approaches Applicants are encouraged to incorporate one or more of the following approaches in submissions or propose a different approach(es) that reflects the Applicant’s own locally led development learning goals.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/LCS-Policy-2022-10-17.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/LCS-Policy-2022-10-17.pdf

1. Mechanisms that improve the flow of information among the Applicant and its own constituents, partners, and USAID to strengthen accountability to local constituents for achieving and sustaining results.

2. Participatory analytical approaches, which may provide a better understanding of the complex environments in which the program will operate.

3. Participatory decision-making, which includes locally led priority-setting, collaborative design, and other means of shifting decision-making power and control to local actors, including people who have traditionally been marginalized, such as women, youth, religious and ethnic minorities, and other minorities, ensuring inclusive local leadership.

4. Mobilizing local resources, which includes local philanthropy; partnerships that leverage resources from the local private sector, faith-based organizations, government, civil society, and academia; and other sources of local skills and finances to replace those of international donors.

5. Strengthening local networks, which may include understanding and supporting existing and emerging networks of local actors, supporting the work of local organizations, market facilitation, collective action, collective impact, and other demand-driven approaches to connecting local needs with local resources.

6. Locally/community-led approaches to design, monitoring, evaluation, and learning that prioritize local/community definitions of success and enhance local actors’ role in managing and using data and learning related to development solutions, the development process, and the sustainability of results achieved.

7. Strengthening local capacity, which includes strengthening the role of local institutions and actors to sustain development outcomes with an eye toward ending the need for foreign assistance.

8. Adapting and problem solving in non-permissive environments, where uncertainty, instability, inaccessibility, or insecurity constrain the ability to operate safely and effectively. This may include environments such as those affected by natural disasters, inaccessible physical geographies, active conflict, corruption, closing political spaces, criminality, and pandemics, where local approaches are essential for long-term resilience and sustainability.

For further information on USAID’s Locally Led Development Initiatives and locally led approaches, please visit the Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships Hub website.

Section 5: Local Resources Should Applicants proceed to the award negotiation phase of the solicitation process, Applicants are encouraged to consider Cost Share or leverage for Cooperative Agreements or Leverage for https://www.usaid.gov/local-faith-and-transformative-partnerships

Fixed Amount Award grants. Discussion of Cost Share and Leverage is not requested at the

Concept phase.

Section 6: Budget Considerations As stated in its Local Capacity Strengthening Policy, USAID must consider the potentially disruptive role that foreign assistance plays in local systems and support these systems to eventually move beyond the need for international donor funding. It is not USAID’s intention to temporarily flood a local organization with funding, artificially expanding its size beyond what can reasonably be supported through local resources after an award ends. As part of Concept submissions, Applicants must propose a budget that reasonably reflects their existing resources and capacity to grow in a sustainable way (sometimes referred to as “absorptive capacity”).

Section 7: Merit Review Criteria Concepts meeting the eligibility criteria (see Section 3, Eligibility Criteria) will be evaluated based on the merit review criteria below:

A. Locally Led Development

The Applicant demonstrates a strong understanding of the local context and priorities and is transparent, accountable, and responsive to the people they serve. The proposed approach and any teaming arrangements effectively shift priority-setting and decision-making power to diverse local actors, including people who have traditionally been marginalized, such as women, youth, religious and ethnic minorities, and other minorities. The Applicant demonstrates a strong commitment to learning that advances the practice of locally led development for themselves, their constituents, and the wider development community. USAID’s investment in this work is expected to strengthen the capacity of local organizations, networks, and/or communities to deliver results beyond the end of the funded activities.

In addition, the following evaluation criteria specific to USAID/Morocco will be used:

B. Achievement of Climate Objectives

The extent to which the proposed approach has the potential to drive systemic changes that promote impactful, relevant, and feasible results in catalyzing climate action and building resilience, particularly for marginalized groups. The extent to which the proposed approach promotes meaningful participation and active leadership of women and girls in climate action and resilience. The Applicant demonstrates how its proposed approach will build solutions to the key climate challenges discussed in Section 2. The proposed approach considers sustainability of climate outcomes and proposes a viable pathway to scale climate solutions in order to achieve broader reach beyond the life of the program.

https://www.usaid.gov/policy/local-capacity-strengthening

While merit criteria are paramount, cost and organizational and financial capacity considerations may also be factors for award. Prior to award, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation deemed necessary for the Agreement Officer to assess the applicant’s risk in accordance with 2 CFR 200.206. The U.S. Government is not obligated to make an award on the basis of lowest proposed cost or to the Applicant with the highest merit evaluation score.

Section 8: Concept Submission and Review In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, which implements the Paperwork Reduction Act, USAID requires an electronic submission of the Application. Point of Contacts (POCs) information for this APS

Addendum are:

Leila Belahcen Salya Yacoubi

Acquisition & Assistance Specialist Sr. Acquisition & Assistance Specialist

USAID/Morocco USAID/Morocco

E-mail: lbelahcen@usaid.gov E-mail: syacoubi@usaid.gov

In accordance with ADS 303.3.6.1 c., USAID/Morocco will follow a multi-tiered review process with four phases: (1) Concept; (2) Oral Presentation; (3) Co-creation; and (4) Request for

Application.

Phase 1: Concept Submissions

Participation in Phase 1 is mandatory to qualify for further phases. Failure to participate in Phase

1 will preclude further consideration of the Applicant. Phase 1 involves submission of a Concept only. The Concept is a reduced and condensed format of Application with a reduced number of pages and Annex requirements, as compared to the Final Application.

Limitations on submissions: Each Applicant is limited to one Concept submission under this APS

Addendum as the prime Applicant. There is no limitation on being included as a potential sub-awardee across multiple Applications. It is not recommended that the Prime require another organization to submit an application exclusively through their own organization.

Format: Applicants must use the form in Annex A to prepare Concepts. Additional instructions are discussed in Annex A. Additionally, all applicants must submit the Eligibility Checklist, which includes Organizational and Financial Capacity Questions in Annex B. This checklist will help determine the Applicant’s eligibility under this APS.

Language: Concepts must be submitted in English, French, or Arabic. If a Full Application is requested, the Application and all other accompanying documentation must be submitted in

English.

mailto:lbelahcen@usaid.gov mailto:syacoubi@usaid.gov

Concepts should be submitted to USAID/Morocco to Leila Belahcen (lbelahcen@usaid.gov) and

Salya Yacoubi (syacoubi@usaid.gov) with a copy to usaidmoroccocontracts@usaid.gov by

November 3, 2023 at 4 pm Rabat time to be considered. The email subject line should follow this naming scheme: “Applicant Organization Name - LLD APS Addendum 21 Concept Submission”.

No additions or modifications will be accepted after the submission date. Late Concepts will not be reviewed nor considered. USAID/Morocco will confirm receipt of the Concept within one week of submission.

Concept Review: USAID/Morocco will be responsible for the review process and management of any awards issued under this APS Addendum. For the Concept Review, a selection committee at

USAID/Morocco will be formed to conduct an initial review of the Concepts according to the

Merit Review Criteria outlined in Section 7.

All Concepts will be evaluated using a go/no-go rating system based on the Merit Review Criteria.

The following Merit Review Criteria outlined in Section 7 of this APS Addendum are listed in descending order of importance:

Criteria Criteria Name Relative order of importance

Criterion 1 Locally Led Development Most Important

Criterion 2 Achievement of Climate Objectives Second Most Important

During the initial review of the Concepts, the pertinent USAID/Morocco technical office may contact the Applicant to clarify elements of the Concept, request additional information, or to discuss other related matters. USAID/Morocco may elect to communicate with selected

Applicants independently. The purpose of the initial review and related communication is to determine whether USAID/Morocco wishes to engage in further discussions and efforts.

The initial review and communication will result in one of three outcomes:

1. No Go decision: A decision not to request an oral presentation, and will instead inform the Applicant that USAID is no longer interested in the Concept and the process is ended;

2. A decision to provide the Applicant an opportunity to submit a revised Concept (this is very rare); or

3. A Go decision: Invited to the Oral Presentation: A decision to proceed with further consideration of the Concept, at which point, the Agreement Officer will send an invite with new instructions.

mailto:usaidmoroccocontracts@usaid.gov

Section 9: Oral Presentation, Co-creation, and Request for Application

Phase 2: Oral Presentation

The concepts that received a strong rating against the Merit Review Criteria will be invited to move to this phase. They will receive a formal letter from USAID with an invitation to provide an oral presentation of their Concept to USAID/Morocco. USAID anticipates the oral presentation event to be the week of December 11, 2023. The oral presentation phase will be a competitive process and an invitation to present an oral presentation is not a commitment by USAID to issue an award to the Applicant.

Applicants invited to this phase will have the opportunity to present their proposed activity in no more than 20 minutes. During the presentation, the Applicant should present and speak about their selected approach and potential results. Presentations may be conducted in English, French, or Arabic. Following the presentation, USAID/Morocco plans to allow up to 10 minutes for questions and answers with USAID staff. Further details on the oral presentation will be shared in the letter. Applicants are advised NOT to begin working on their oral presentations until they receive the letter.

Following the Oral Presentation, Applicants will be notified by the AO if their Concept has been selected to advance to the Co-Creation Phase or if USAID is no longer interested in the Concept and the process is ended.

Phase 3: Co-creation

Co-creation is an intentional design approach. It aims to foster innovative approaches to problems through a participatory process. Co-creation's goal is to jointly produce a mutually valued outcome. Co-creation is a time-limited and highly participatory process where partners, potential implementers, and end-users define a problem collaboratively, identify new and existing solutions, build consensus around action, and refine plans to move forward with programs and projects.

Under this APS Addendum, USAID/Morocco intends to apply a Co-creation approach that involves discussions with Applicants selected for Phase 3, Co-creation Phase to inform the final program description and other sections of the award, as needed. If selected to co-create an activity with USAID/Morocco, the Applicant will be contacted by an AO from USAID/Morocco and given instructions for the Co-creation period and pre-award requirements. Participation in the

Co-creation process is mandatory for the Applicant prior to submitting the Full Application.

USAID/Morocco anticipates that the Co-creation process will start around mid-January and last approximately four weeks.

USAID/Morocco may also decide to invite selected Applicants to enter a period of multi-stakeholder Co-creation, in which they will collaborate on and refine approach(es) with one another and USAID for award consideration. Prior to award, USAID/Morocco and the Applicant must have significant interaction in-person, via phone, and/or electronically to co-create the activity.

Section 9, Federal Award Information of the Locally Led Development APS, includes the requirements that an Applicant must meet if they are requested to co-create an activity and receive an award from USAID. Please note that these requirements do not have to be met in order to submit a Concept under the APS.

Note: A decision to engage in more in-depth and specific discussions is NOT a commitment to funding, nor is it a commitment to request a Full Application. It is simply a decision to move forward in the process.

Phase 4: Request for Application (RFA)

Upon completion of the Co-creation process, USAID/Morocco will issue a Request for Application

(RFA) with complete instructions for the submission and review process to the Apparently

Successful Applicant (s) (ASAs).

Note: A Request for Full Application is NOT a commitment to funding. USAID/Morocco reserves the right to make no award at any stage of the process and no cost will be reimbursed to the

Applicants for the preparation and submission of concepts notes, or for the participation in the co-creation, or for the submission of a full application.

Section 10: Sharing of Concepts If USAID identifies opportunities to strengthen or fund a Concept by connecting it with other

USAID mechanisms, other potential funders, and/or external partners, USAID may make that

Concept available internally or externally for up to one year from receipt of the Concept for appropriate consideration. USAID will consult with the Applicant before sharing any information with external stakeholders.

Section 11: Questions and Further Assistance Questions regarding the substance and objectives of this addendum must be submitted in writing via email to Leila Belahcen (lbelahcen@usaid.gov) and Salya Yacoubi (syacoubi@usaid.gov) with a copy to usaidmoroccocontracts@usaid.gov no later than 12:00 PM on October 10, 2023

(Morocco Time) as stated in the cover page and should include the subject line of “Question -

Applicant Organization name - LLD APS Addendum 21.”

mailto:usaidmoroccocontracts@usaid.gov

Any information given to a prospective Applicant concerning this APS Addendum will be furnished promptly to all other prospective Applicants as an amendment to this APS Addendum, if that information is necessary in submitting Applications or if the lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective Applicant.

Additional information on the objectives and requirements of the Locally Led Development APS, can be found at the following website: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=314757

SECTION I - ANNEXES

ANNEX A. CONCEPT APPLICATION FORM

Instructions for Submitting Concepts

Interested parties shall complete all sections of the Concept as outlined below. The Concept Application must be completed in its entirety. If an Applicant fails to complete all the sections, the Concept will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

Concepts shall not exceed five (5) pages in total length (not including the cover page). Concepts are required to be single-spaced, Calibri font size 12 in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format, and with consecutively numbered pages. Anything beyond five pages will not be considered. Please do NOT include any attachments. No addition or modifications will be accepted after the submission date.

The cover page must include the APS number: 7200AA19APS00007/LLD APS Addendum 21 in addition to the information of the organizational summary as indicated in Annex A below.

Concept Application

I. ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY INFORMATION (cover page)

A. Name and contact information of the Applicant (lead contact name, relevant telephone number, and e-mail address);

B. Organization type and country of legal registration (such as for-profit, non-profit, university, network, etc.);

C. Title of proposed activity;

D. Location of proposed activity;

E. Name, contact information, and country of legal registration for other partner organizations collaborating on Concept (if any)

F. Overall objective and locally led development approach of activity (2-3 sentences)

G. Brief description of the approach to local resources included in the proposed activity, if applicable (1-2 sentences)

H. Amount of funding requested from USAID $ _________

I. Activity duration (mm/dd/yyyy – mm/dd/yyyy)

J. Explanation of how the requested funding amount reasonably reflects the organization’s existing resources and capacity to grow in a sustainable way. (Consider: your organizations’ current budget, existing human resources, whether/how you’d like your organization to grow over the next several years, and what local resources are available to support your growth after USAID funding ends). (2-3 sentences)

II. TECHNICAL NARRATIVE (5 pages maximum)

A successful technical narrative will include a clear and logical overview of the Applicant’s proposed technical approach. It will include discussion of the components below. Please note that each component aligns with a specific merit review criterion in Section 7, Merit Review

Criteria.

A. Locally Led Development:

● What are the local challenge(s) that this Concept addresses? How do local people experience the challenge(s), and what is important to them? How do you know?

● How will you enable diverse local actors, including women, youth, other underrepresented groups, and any sub-partners, to lead priority-setting and decision-making?

● What is your approach to learning? How will you share what you learn? With whom?

● How will you strengthen the capacity of local organizations, networks, and/or communities to deliver results beyond the end of the funded activities?

● How do you propose to strengthen the organizational capacity of your own organization throughout the life of the project?

B. Achievement of Climate Objectives:

● What is your approach for strengthening local systems in the targeted areas to respond to the key climate challenges discussed in Section 2?

● How does your approach catalyze climate action and build resilience, particularly for marginalized groups?

● How will your proposed approach promote meaningful participation and active leadership of women and girls in climate action and resilience?

● How is your approach asset-based: how will it build on what already exists in local communities and strengthen existing and emerging networks, groups, and other structures to have greater capacity and collective action?

● What is the proposed pathway to scale climate solutions in order to achieve broader reach beyond the life of the program?

● How will the proposed approach ensure sustainability of climate outcomes?

ANNEX B. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA CHECKLIST

Checklist Instructions:

This eligibility information must be provided by all Applicants. Please answer each question by ticking the YES or NO column with an X. This checklist will help determine the Applicant’s eligibility under this APS Addendum.

Note: USAID/Morocco is strongly encouraging Applications that propose partnering arrangements with local organizations. However, only the prime partner is required to meet the eligibility criteria.

If the answer to any of the below questions is “NO”, your organization is NOT eligible to be considered for award and should not submit a Concept paper. If submitted, it will not be evaluated.

# Yes/No Eligibility Questions YES NO

1 Does your organization meet the definition of a local organization as outlined in page 9 of this APS Addendum, Section 3. Eligibility Criteria

2 Has your organization received LESS than $5 million in funding from

USAID in the previous five fiscal years as a prime recipient?

3 Does your organization have basic accountability, financial management, and program implementation structures in place?

4 Is your organization free from any pending disciplinary or legal action from USAID or another U.S. Government agency?

5 Has your organization (or key personnel) demonstrated skills and experience in the programmatic area in which you are proposing to work?

In addition, a certain level of organizational and financial capacity is required by USAID/Morocco to be in compliance with Moroccan law and serve as a prime partner for the Morocco Local

Climate Action. These organizational and financial capacity questions below are representative of an organization’s personnel management, financial systems and reporting, and accounting records. The answers to these questions will be considered to determine eligibility of the organization to serve as a prime partner, and to help inform the activity’s capacity strengthening approach.

# Organizational and Financial Capacity Questions YES NO Additional Comments if any

1 Are employment taxes and withholdings remitted to the appropriate agency on time, and are records of such payments kept on file?

2 Do all employees have legal employment contracts?

3 Are financial reports (ex. audited balance sheets) prepared either on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis?

4 Are debit/credit transactions recorded manually, using spreadsheets or via an accounting software?

Note: USAID reserves the right to require Applicants to submit additional documentation regarding eligibility, organizational capacity, financial capacity, and experience.

ANNEX C. LISTENING TOUR FINDINGS

[END OF LLD APS # 72060823APS00001- Addendum No 21]