DYSC NOFO amendment 0005 to respond to questions and to change the applications submission date for Phase II final.pdf

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Amendment 0005 for the NOFO # 95332418N0004

Data for Youth Services Collaborative Project in Côte d’Ivoire

Subject: To respond to questions and to change the applications submission date for Phase II

The purpose of this Amendment 0005 is to (I) Provide a summary of the guidance relayed to applicants during the

February 2, 2018 Phase II pre-application teleconference call; and (II) Respond to questions received during and after the call.

I. Guidance to Phase II Applicant

The following guidance was given to applicants during the above-referenced teleconference call:

1. Quality of technical personnel. A critical component of DYSC’s success will be the effectiveness and availability of key personnel, and in particular, a strong, experienced, and capable team leader. These key personnel should be identified as part of the Phase II application. Moreover, and especially relevant in light of the multiple concurrent projects that the prime applicant is involved in in Côte d’Ivoire, it is incumbent upon the team to ensure that designated staff are available and effective in executing the tasks of this award, particularly during start-up. Finally, while it is true that the prime of this award may be international, the expectation is that this project will still be heavily Ivorian-led.

2. Supporting innovation. This cooperative agreement serves as an opportunity to augment traditional and already-tested approaches with untested and innovative ones. While we still need to do the “traditional” work of open data and data policy, this presents a unique opportunity to innovate, including through the establishment of partnerships (Outcome #4 in NOFO). This thinking also applies to resources: While DCLI brings PEPFAR funding to this work, we encourage the applicant to leverage other funding sources and in-kind actors, including in the private sector, who can contribute and/or complement efforts to strengthen the data ecosystem.

3. Youth, social inclusion, and women’s economic empowerment. Youth and adolescent girls and young women

(AGYW) represent important populations to PEPFAR because of their high risk of HIV/AIDs infection, so to the extent they are involved in and beneficiaries of the program, this helps to advance PEPFAR priorities.

Similarly, the economic empowerment of women is critical to enabling sustainable economic growth, and gender and social inclusion will therefore be an important lens through which DYSC will need to operate.

These priorities were reflected by Ivoirian stakeholders during the consultative design of DYSC, including one who had written a blog post on the subject. Given these priorities, DYSC’s connections to youth and marginalized populations should be clearly planned out, including the methodology that will be used to engage them (Phase II scoring criterion: Sound strategy is presented to achieve project outcomes and build a sustainable data ecosystem in Cote d’Ivoire through the inclusion of youth, women, and other marginalized groups.)

4. Subnational locations. The proposal for DYSC should include a coherent plan to determine where – and especially how – subnational penetration of data science and data literacy will take place. Whether this means working with existing organizations, leveraging Data Fellows, working with YALI alumni, etc., the subnational presence of the DCLI program is a critical component to reaching youth and marginalized populations in high priority areas, and DYSC is driving this effort. It is important to be specific as to the capabilities of the consortium at the local/sub-national level and clearly articulate the methodology.

https://yali.state.gov/yali-voices-how-can-we-inspire-young-people-to-use-technology-for-promoting-transparency-and-accountability-in-west-africa/

5. Data fellowship design. In keeping with the sub-national focus, one particular need of PEPFAR’s is a number of data-capable people available to go into field jobs in health facilities and sub-national areas. Accordingly, one of the key outcomes for DYSC is to nurture a cohort of people with significant skills in data cleaning, analysis, and visualization, as well as analytical skills to investigate and ask the right questions. The structure, organization and design of a fellowship program to respond to this need will the responsibility of the DYSC project. DAC will be responsible for the development and delivery of a data fellowship curriculum. The success of the fellows program will require close coordination between DYSC and DAC, but a coherent plan for DYSC’s contribution should be presented in the Phase II application.

6. Grants. The Strategic Response Grants under this project are an important component to remaining flexible and adaptable to the changing contexts on the ground. Sub-granting USG funds can be complicated, and detailed accounting of past performance in managing and distributing sub-grants, particularly to multiple grantees, is critical to ensuring this capability. Note also that these grants will fill programmatic needs requiring a higher capacity with greater definition than you would find in a standard innovation challenge.

7. Communications and identity. DYSC will have minimal online presence and branding of its own and instead will be expected to focus on strengthening a diverse set of sites, such as that of the DAC, the GoCI open data portal, products arising from the OpenDCH effort, organizations requiring assistance to publish data and data-related research, and others. However, the project should nevertheless develop an Ivoirian identity/name to replace the “DYSC” codename.

8. Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. Several Ivoirian government stakeholders have expressed an interest in potentially joining the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. DCLI will explore this potential with support from the Global Partnership, and if Côte d’Ivoire decides to join the GPSDD, DYSC would be expected to support follow-on efforts. For example, it could be involved in helping to mobilizing indicator data to advance progress on specific SDGs connected to PEPFAR (or MCC work), such as SDG 3

(Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and

Economic Growth).

9. AO responsibility determination and related documents. Please send the following documents for the AO’s responsibility determination: two latest audited financial statements and updated indirect costs calculations. For the budget submission, please conduct market research and insert informed figures for your budget estimated expenses, including a budget for each partner separately, a summary budget, and percentages allocations budget.

II. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Indirect cost rate and NICRA: If prime has a justified rate but doesn't have a NICRA at the moment, can they move forward with their rate or do they have to use 10%?

Answer: Please use guidance in 2 CFR 200.414 f) de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs

(MTDC) for your budget application.

2. Choosing locations and key personnel: How much of the location and key personnel selection should be collaboratively decided with MCC/PEPFAR input versus determined prior to submission of the Phase II application?

Answer: Lead personnel should be defined in the application submission as much as possible. For location selection at a subnational level, clear vision is expected in the Phase II response in order to move forward quickly with the project.

3. What is the balance between the NOFO’s focus on data supply and availability (long-term wins) versus quick wins?

Answer: There are aspects of both quick wins and more long-term projects expected in the proposal, probably in different work streams. Quick wins to get buy-in, and there are a crucial part of building support for the project and for data-driven decision-making more largely at both the community level and with national/government players. However, making a meaningful impact on the national ecosystem will require a more concerted, strategic, and long-term effort. In the NOFO, we have included areas where quick wins are possible (e.g. related to PEPFAR 2018 COP priorities once this plan is announced – and/or pre-Entry

Into Force MCC MCA efforts, such as those related to the development and adoption of a Gender Policy by the Government).

4. Will the deadline be extended to allow for identification of key personnel?

Answer: During and after the call, it was agreed that the deadline of February 15th would be maintained for both the technical and cost proposal; but, that the applicant would be able to take some additional time in order to hire remaining key personnel (with the possible exception of the Communications and M&E lead, if so desired by the DYSC applicant, see answer to question 5 below). The applicant confirmed that it is aware of competitive salary ranges and that it’s cost proposal would not be altered by the hiring of the key personnel.

Finally, while, MCC understands that they key personnel may not be on board by the proposal submission deadline, MCC would like to make sure such personnel are in fact contracted prior to making the award.

5. How should the shared positions between DYSC and DAC be handled? Should DAC be involved in the recruitment?

Answer: MCC agrees that recruitment of these individuals such as the Communications and the M&E leads would benefit from the participation of the DAC partner – and can therefore be completed at a later date.

However, the application should include a cost that is consistent with market for such roles and qualifications levels.

Taylor Wolf, Agreement Officer

End of Amendment 0005