Amendment__001_BAA-0AA-LLDI-2019_Addendum_03.pdf

BAA-OAA-LLDI-2019

Addendum # 03, USAID/Serbia

Innovation Driven Development in Serbia Amendment #1

Issuance Date: June 17, 2019 Questions due: July 06, 2019 17:00, Serbia local time

Open Period: June 17, 2019 to September 06, 2019 17:00, Serbia local time

** Innovation Driven Development in Serbia **

Addendum to

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

USAID Mission in Serbia Office of Democracy and Economic Growth

Broad Agency Announcement for Locally Led Development Innovation

Amendment#001

The purpose of this amendment is to change the due date for expression of Interest submission from August 16, 2019 to September 6, 2019 and to provide responses to questions received (see below):

1. With reference to the Submission Instructions section of the Addendum #3 to BAA-OAA- LLDI-2019, would organizations registered in countries other than the Republic of Serbia consider to be eligible to be included in a structure submitting an Expression of Interest?

USAID response: Yes. See the eligibility criteria in the base BAA-OAA-LLDI-2019, page 7, Section VII.E (as amended):

“Eligibility Information. USAID is looking to include all types of organizations in this process – including additional donors, resource partners, and funded partners. These different roles may be filled by any organization that brings something of value to bear on the process, including public, private, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations, as well as institutions of higher education, public international organizations, non- governmental organizations, multilateral, and international donor organizations are eligible under this BAA/Addendum. All organizations must be determined to be responsive to Addenda’ issued under this BAA and sufficiently responsible to perform or participate in the final award type” https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=5d16714b126fc3a238b5d103841f717e &tab=core&_cview=1

2. Is the scope of the Addendum #3 to BAA-OAA-LLDI-2019 restricted to the territory of the Republic of Serbia in its entirety or could an Expression of Interest be focused on a particular geographical unit (e.g. region, town)?

USAID response: USAID is not limiting potential scope of activities to any particular part of Serbia https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=5d16714b126fc3a238b5d103841f717e&tab=core&_cview=1 https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=5d16714b126fc3a238b5d103841f717e&tab=core&_cview=1

3. Is it recommendable that an Expression of Interest be sector-oriented towards a specific industry sector instead of dealing with a broad-based economic approach?

USAID response: No.

4. As we are thinking of a consortium between XXXX and XXXX, we were wondering whether a local partner would be best suited to apply as the lead of the consortium or whether the leadership could also be taken by a foreign actor like XXXX?

USAID response: USAID has no preference.

5. As for the target population, it is not entirely clear to us whether you are exclusively targeting skilled, highly educated aspiring entrepreneurs willing to create high tech business with high growth potential or whether you would also be open to initiatives aimed for instance at developing dedicated financial products and business development services (e.g training) for startups in general (including high and low tech based)?

USAID response: USAID has no preference. USAID is seeking a broad range of creative ideas to address identified challenges.

6. Would it be possible to have indicative information regarding the minimum and maximum budget amount, desirable project duration and USAID policy on co-financing if applicable?

USAID response: USAID uses the BAA process to design to solution - not to dollar or to instrument.

USAID will, however, discuss potential funding levels and timing with organizations whose Expressions of Interest have been accepted for co-creation with the Agency. Not all submitters of Expressions of Interest will be invited to co-creation.

Under this call there are no mandatory requirements for co-financing of proposed activities therefore an applicant/bidder with a proposed co-financing will not be evaluated advantageously to an applicant/bidder with no co-financing proposed. However, USAID does not preclude co-financing proposals.

7. As for the application process, we would be grateful if you could confirm that there is no specific template for the submission of the EoI aside from the formatting information listed in the call. Shall we also include a total budget estimate?

USAID response: We do not have a standard Expression of Interest template for submissions to the Addendum. Please use whatever format will work best for you so long as it meets the submission requirements in the Addendum. Budget estimates are not relevant at this stage.

8. Who is eligible for this call and are there some limitations regarding the size and country of origin of applicant organization?

USAID response: See the response to Question #1.

9. We understand that it is necessary to indicate the lead applicant, if two or more organizations (as consortia) submit one EoI? In such case, if two or more organizations submit an EoI which gets selected – will all of these partner organizations be invited to the co-creation workshop(s), or just one (and based on which criteria)?

USAID response: Pending on number of accepted EoI and venue capacity, USAID plans to invite lead applicants as well as their prospective partners.

10. What the partner status to the Group/Consortium means under this call – are the partners only entities that will receive the part of the budget? Or the partner status assumes also organizations that will participate in governing of the project and/ or be associates (that might be involved in implementation, but not necessarily receive budget)?

USAID response: At this stage of the process USAID does not require any cost/budget proposals/applications; therefore there is no segregation between partners/organizations/companies based on cost implications.

11. Should the consortia have signed consortia agreement and at which stage?

USAID response: It is not necessary for the EOI stage.

12. Are governmental organizations-institutions-bodies, as well as organizations funded by the state budget, eligible to be a partner in the consortia, and what kind of the partner?

USAID response: See the response to Question #1.

13. What is the time frame for implementation and available budget?

USAID response: USAID uses the BAA process to design to solution - not to dollar or to instrument.

USAID will, however, discuss potential funding levels and timing with organizations whose Expressions of Interest have been accepted for co-creation with the Agency.

14. In the BAA it is stated: „Each Expression of Interest should clearly address one of the two challenge areas listed above. Any applicant may submit more than one Expression of Interest, as along each Expression of Interest addresses only one challenge“. Our question is - will only one consortium be supported to tackle one challenge, or more (for the final support)?

USAID response: Given the spectrum of potential ideas, USAID cannot predict this.

15. In reference to the Expression of Interest Information Formatting, point 4c, does the Response Title refers to a custom title of the applicant’s choice?

USAID response: Yes, it refers to proposed activity title.

16. In reference to the Expression of Interest Information Formatting, point 4e, does the