1 - SOW.docx

Feasibility Assessment Consultant to MCC programs (threshold, compact, and concurrent/regional compacts) for the Office of Strategic Partnership

STATEMENT OF WORK

A. Introduction

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an innovative and independent U.S. foreign assistance agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty. Created by the U.S. Congress in 2004 with strong bipartisan support, MCC leads smart U.S. foreign assistance by focusing on evidence, good policies, country ownership, and results.

MCC works with some of the world’s poorest countries, but only those committed to good governance, economic freedom, and investments in their citizens. MCC provides these well-performing countries with large-scale grants to fund country-led solutions for reducing poverty through sustainable economic growth. MCC grants are designed to complement other U.S. and international development programs, as well as create an enabling environment for private sector investment. For more information on the MCC, please visit www.mcc.gov.

B. Scope

The Department of Compact Operations (DCO), Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) is seeking an independent consultant to provide due diligence and feasibility assessment support to MCC programs (threshold, compact, and concurrent/regional compacts).

Strategic partnerships need to be considered early during the design and feasibility assessment of specific MCC investments in order to have the fullest impact, to leverage technical expertise of partners, or to ensure appropriate allocation of MCC resources. Consequently, along with other practices, the strategic partnership process and perspective helps to shape the final activities that make up MCC program investments.

The consultant shall report to the Senior Director, OSP. The consultant will support OSP’s ability to apply current thinking, approaches, strategies, tools, and practices related to partnership design, oversight, and assessment during the compact and threshold program development and implementation phases and across the MCC portfolio. For more information about MCC’s partnership activities, please visit https://www.mcc.gov/work-with-us/partnerships.

This position is not authorized to supervise any Federal employees and given its focus (i.e., working with technical staff in support of feasibility and assessment efforts related to partnerships and MCC investments), is expected to be funded through due diligence funds.

C. Country

United States-based; with potential limited travel to MCC eligible countries, MCC domestic partners, and/or MCC’s headquarters in Washington, DC, and any MCC eligible country.

D. Tasks and Deliverables

Tasks:

Specific task orders shall be made within the overall percent time allocations– and include a mix of the following types of program and country-specific tasks:

· Contribute to threshold and compact program due diligence and analysis process from the perspective of partnerships that can help to shape both the technical focus of MCC activities in MCC programs as well as leverage funding.

· Work closely with OSP and select country teams involved in the development of MCC programs with potential to benefit from agency-level partnerships, members of DCO practice groups and DPE teams, and country counterparts to make recommendations on strategies and approaches to further compact/threshold program and project design activities via partnership.

· In support of specific country team partnership opportunities, work with the OSP team in order to research external partnerships opportunities (e.g., businesses, Non-Governmental Organizations, academic institutions, other donor organizations (bi- and multi-lateral), and within the interagency of the U.S. Government), support assessment of benefits and feasibility of their implementation, and define approaches to monitor and track their effectiveness once these are implemented as part of MCC compacts, threshold and/or other agency priorities and initiatives.

· While supporting country teams, apply OSP tools to assess and appraise partnership development and oversight – and contribute to optimizing them by recommending improvements to examples (e.g., case studies), partnering tools and guidance, forecasts, quick reference guides, knowledge management resources, and updates to mcc.gov.

· Support the development and monitoring of materials needed to conduct partnerships due diligence; and define approaches to monitor and track their effectiveness and leverage once these are implemented as part of MCC compacts, threshold and/or other agency priorities and initiatives.

Deliverables:

The consultant shall work under the direction of the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and spend most of her/his time working with OSP and MCC technical country teams on activities led by an OSP Project Manager (PM). Bi-weekly or weekly meetings will be used to assign specific tasks (previews sections) and track progress on resulting deliverables. Examples of deliverables include but are not limited to:

· Input into program design processes to enhance partnerships activities; working in close collaboration with DCO and DPE colleagues during project design and development.

· Documents related to partnerships and program development and oversight, such as vetting and due diligence findings of potential MCC partners, updates to mcc.gov, fact sheets and other communications collateral, Terms of Reference, bidding documents, RFPs, NOFOs, Annual Program Statement (APS) and Program Partnership Solicitation (PPS) activities, work plans, budgets, reports, deliverables as well as surveys, indicators and reports.

· Reviews and commentary on partnership concept papers and complete applications submitted by Applicants and MCC’s partner countries.

· Partnership Opportunity Statements, MoUs, MoAs, Cooperative Agreements, co-creation documents and presentations; as needed.

· Analyses of alternative approaches, options or activities to support partnership preparation, implementation and supervision.

· Training and materials to help MCC and country counterparts understand MCC’s partnership feasibility and assessment tools and resources.

· Weekly progress reports on assignments summarizing, analyzing and providing recommendations for improvement of partnerships approaches, project design, feasibility, as well as operational enhancements.

· Applying MCC’s partnership standard operating procedures and tools to support the development of partnerships in MCC country programs.

· Other tasks as needed associated with the design, evaluation, and assessment of potential partnerships in support of MCC programs under development.

E. Period and Place of Performance

All work shall be completed between the dates of the award through a two-year period of performance.

The estimated level of effort is up to 2,080 hours for the first year and 1,000 hours for the second year with an estimated 3 trips overall. MCC anticipates this level of effort but does not guarantee this level of effort as it may increase or decrease.

The consultant must be a U.S. Citizen. The consultant will primarily interact with the OSP team virtually and must be willing to align their work hours to standard Washington, DC / U.S. Eastern Time work hours.

F. Timing and Reporting

All formal communication with MCC, including reports, will be submitted to the Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COR), Program Monitor (PM), and other designated MCC personnel. The COR/PM for this requirement will be identified via separate correspondence.

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

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

G. Subcontracting

Consultants are authorized to subcontract data collection, data preparation, economic analysis, and related services as needed. The overall costs for subcontracting shall not exceed 25% of the consultant’s total negotiated unloaded direct labor cost.

H. Conflict of Interest

The Consultant will be precluded from bidding on work and services (design, assessment, construction and supervision) to be procured by the local MCAs accountable entity or using funds advanced under a Compact in the relevant country.

I. Evaluation Criteria

· US Citizen

· Bachelors’ Degree, preferably in international development/affairs, business, economics, government, public policy, or other relevant field.

· Demonstrated experience with or familiarity of MCC’s country portfolio, operating model, and agency priorities.

· Demonstrated experience and skills related to cross-sector or public-private partnerships in international development; including partnership formation, partnership management and implementation oversight, and partnership impact and effectiveness monitoring and measurement.

· Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality written products; preferably including graphics and illustrations.

· Demonstrated ability to access and analyze qualitative and quantitative data.

· Demonstrated ability to support project management, including organization of tasks and coordination of teams.

· Demonstrated ability to work effectively on cross-cultural and virtual teams.

· Demonstrated attention to detail.

· Working proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 suite of tools, excellent PowerPoint and Word skills, and working proficiency in SharePoint.

· Working proficiency in French or Spanish is preferred.