ATTACHMENT_ONE_-_TO_II_SOO.pdf

ATTACHMENT ONE

DRAFT STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

FOR TASK ORDER TWO OF THE ECONOMIC REFORM ACTIVITY

1. PURPOSE

The Economic Reform Activity (ERA) Task Order (TO) Two will enable the Government of

Jordan (GoJ) to independently prioritize and implement its economic reform agenda through the effective operation of a GoJ Reform Secretariat.

Jordan’s Renaissance Plan and Five-Year Growth Matrix, along with other GoJ-developed reform agendas, necessitate that the GoJ expand its capacity and potential to guide and implement reforms. TO Two will focus on developing Jordanian capacity, organized within the

Reform Secretariat, to directly pursue, prioritize, and implement economic reforms. TO Two will further augment the efforts underway in TO One to develop sustainable capacity within the GoJ and Jordanian private sector to drive economic reform in the Kingdom.

The Task Order Contractor will work with the GoJ and the Jordanian private sector to support a functioning Reform Secretariat that will provide clear leadership, coordination, internal capacity development, develop mutual accountability measures, and create strategic communications with all stakeholders to implement reforms.

The Task Order Contractor will provide:

A) Resources to build the Reform Secretariat’s capacity to pursue public procurement, navigate government processes, develop the capacity of other GoJ institutions to support the reform agenda, enable the Secretariat to monitor and learn from the reform process, improve implementation, and create a structure for mutual accountability tracking.

B) Assistance to ensure that GoJ reform priority action planning is dynamic and up-to-date and will provide technical and legal assistance to move reforms forward.

C) Support to: generate, coordinate, and guide donor support for reform activities; establishment of appropriate funding facilities where funds are channeled through host country systems; and build internal systems and capacity to enable direct implementation.

2. SCOPE

This Statement of Objectives (SOO) describes the objectives of USAID/Jordan’s ERA, Task

Order Two, for the purpose of pursuing, prioritizing, and enabling policy reform and implementation in support of the Government of Jordan’s Renaissance Plan and Five-Year

Growth Matrix. This SOO provides Offeror(s) the flexibility and responsibility to propose cost-effective, innovative approaches to support Jordan’s reform agenda to reach reform implementation and the desired GoJ economic growth targets.

The Offeror(s) will propose where and how to build host country capacity, promote sustainability, and enable self-reliance, with a clear exit strategy, guaranteeing full ownership and leadership from GoJ. The resulting Performance Work Statement submitted in response to this SOO must enable USAID to assess the performance of the work against specific, clear, and measurable performance standards (i.e., quality, quantity, timeliness), that must be proposed by the offeror in their Quality Surveillance Plan, and show the method of assessing contractor performance against the performance standards.

3. PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance for this TO will be five years starting from the date of the award. The place of performance for this activity will be The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Jordan).

4. BACKGROUND

Jordan has endured slow growth and widespread economic stagnation over the past decade. The country’s recent economic decline was spurred by the global financial crisis in 2008, the Arab

Spring in 2011, and was further compounded by plummeting oil prices in 2014, which severely reduced Gulf state contributions, and the growing threat of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in the region. While these elements have pressured the economy in recent years, structural challenges, including a lack of exploitable natural resources, a labor force with mismatched skills and expectations of labor quality, and a perennial reliance on aid, have limited the growth and independence of the economy for far longer, despite domestic commitment to finding pathways to greater economic self-reliance. These challenges have limited Jordan’s ability to focus on its reform agenda and have led the country to become more reactive than proactive.

While the challenges are robust, the opportunities and domestic potential give rise to a hopeful future. The GoJ has taken a proactive role in attempting to spur investment, support export promotion, and build national capacity.

The private sector has pushed forward with new gains in increased formalization and growth of the home based business sector. Working together, backed by the support of the international community, the GoJ and Jordanian private sector can jumpstart the economy.

Recognizing these economic challenges, Jordan has established agendas and action plans to reach desired economic growth targets, including the Renaissance Plan and the Five-Year

Growth Matrix. There is considerable overlap in the various agendas, highlighting a convergence of thinking on reform prioritization. The Renaissance Plan and the Five-Year Growth Matrix, along with other GoJ-developed reform agendas, seek to strategically grow the economy.

5. LINK TO MISSION STRATEGY AND US GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES

The Economic Reform Activity Task Order 1 supports the USAID/Jordan Country Development

Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) goal of Development Objective (DO) 1 “Accelerate broad-based, inclusive economic development in Jordan” by contributing to Intermediate Result (IR) 1.1, “Private sector competitiveness increased,” and IR 1.2, “Economic opportunities increased, including for women and vulnerable groups.” While the Mission is currently in the process of preparing for its next five-year strategy, the Economic Reform Activity and this Task Order are expected to likewise support the DOs and IRs of the next strategy, as economic growth and stability will continue to be a top priority of the USG in Jordan.

6. LINK TO GOVERNMENT OF JORDAN PRIORITIES

Jordan’s economic reform agenda has been explored and enumerated through multiple documents. The GoJ Renaissance Plan, the Five-Year Growth Matrix, and any subsequent prevailing reform agendas, will guide implementation (all can be found here:

https://jordankmportal.com/collections/economic-reform-in-jordan as well as through the GoJ).

Task Order Two will help Jordan pursue, prioritize, and implement the reform agenda Jordan set for itself and will focus on developing sustainable domestic capacity to carry reforms forward.

7. GENDER

Gender must be at the forefront of each of the planned interventions for the below objectives.

The Offeror’s approach will consider gender disparities, priorities, and norms within the context of the activity to ensure that economic reform approaches mitigate and do not perpetuate or escalate gender challenges and work to unlock gender constraints.

Jordan continues to face significant gender equity and equality issues, including low rates of female participation in the labor market, persistent gender stereotypes about the role of females and males, and conservative norms that restrict the ability of females to make decisions about their lives. The Task Order Contractor will frame their full proposal through a gender lens and identify how they will thoughtfully incorporate gender considerations relative to the reform agenda throughout all interventions. Gender considerations cannot be an afterthought.

8. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Jordan-led Economic Reform for Self-Reliance Enabled

To execute the reform detailed in the various reform agendas, Jordan needs an effective, efficient reform governance structure to prioritize and ensure implementation of key reforms. A Reform

Secretariat, designed to provide clear leadership, coordination, internal capacity development, and strategic communications with all stakeholders, was proposed by the GoJ. USAID, through the Task Order Contractor, seeks to assist Jordan in bringing this proposal to fruition. Prior

Jordanian economic reform efforts have benefited from substantial donor engagement and support and as this new generation of reform implementation is pursued, a commitment to develop domestic capacity must be enabled.

https://jordankmportal.com/collections/economic-reform-in-jordan

USAID is committed to providing support to build the capacity of the GoJ to implement reforms directly and explicitly seeks to move toward more sustainable assistance and away from successive USAID activities.

Outcome 1.1: GoJ Reform Secretariat Functioning

In close coordination with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and other GoJ entities involved in the set-up of the Secretariat, the Task Order Contractor will support the establishment of a functioning Reform Secretariat which will lead the implementation of the prioritized economic reforms from following:

The GoJ Renaissance Plan;

The Five-Year Growth Matrix; and

Future GoJ developed reform agendas.

The Task Order Contractor will provide support and resources to build the Secretariat’s capacity to lead Jordan through its journey for economic growth and beyond to self-reliance. The Task

Order Contractor will invest in the capacity of the Secretariat to pursue public procurement, navigate government processes, and develop the capacity of other GoJ institutions to support the reform agendas.

The Task Order Contractor will enable the GoJ Secretariat to monitor and learn from the reform process and improve implementation. The Task Order Contractor will pursue interventions that enable the GoJ to independently move their reform agenda forward. While considerable support and resources will be provided, the independent ability of the GoJ to procure and implement reforms must be the ultimate outcome of interventions with the Secretariat. Wherever applicable the Task Order Contractor will embed exit strategies and a focus on building local capacity, to ensure long term sustainability for all of the activities under this sub-component, in addition to creating the standalone Exit Strategy required under the Task Order.

The Task Order Contractor will work alongside the GoJ Ministry of Planning and International

Cooperation to accomplish:

Secretariat established with clear mandate and governance structure

Secretariat staffed, with innovative solutions deployed that ensure long term sustainability of appropriate GOJ-staffing of the Secretariat

Secretariat staff resourced and capacity built

Existing institutions and systems utilized and parallel systems reduced

Communication established and functioning with the Cabinet, line ministries, relevant government counterparts, private sector, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders

Communication and marketing tools developed for interaction with the public

Exit Strategy for external assistance to the Secretariat developed

Monitoring and Evaluation Framework developed, including a mutual accountability component

Outcome 1.2: Priority reforms independently advanced and institutionalized

The Task Order Contractor will assist the GoJ and the Jordanian private sector to ensure that their reform priority list is dynamic and up-to-date and will provide technical and legal assistance to move reforms forward. The Task Order Contractor will facilitate the review of reform progress and provide consistent feedback to the GoJ and USAID. Capacity will be built in monitoring and learning from the reform process to improve onward implementation.

It will ultimately be a function of the Secretariat to manage the economic reform priorities of the

GoJ and the Jordanian private sector, keep the reform agenda moving forward, and respond to priority shifts. The Task Order Contractor will support investments in building internal technical capacity, to complement the leadership capacity, and to allow for sustainability beyond the life of the activity.

In all interventions, the Task Order Contractor will enable the GoJ to do reform implementation work independently, understanding that it may be less efficient and require greater upfront human and financial resource investment. The sustainability and institutionalization of new processes and faculties within the GoJ is paramount in all interventions, as is improving the working relationship and mutual respect between the GoJ and the Jordanian private sector for the purposes of advancing implementable policy.

The mandate of Reform Secretariat will include coordination with relevant line ministries and public institutions to implement. Additionally, the Secretariat must coordinate technical assistance provided by various partners to assist the GoJ in reform implementation. The Task

Order Contractor will assist the GoJ, through the Reform Secretariat, to develop this coordination capacity.

Outcome 1.3: Donor and stakeholder resources and engagement coordinated

The work comprised within the reform agenda is extensive and will demand copious funding, which will come from numerous and varied sources. The Secretariat will be responsible for coordinating those resources and, at a future point, independently manage some of those resources through GoJ systems to ensure the funds are well directed, designed, and executed.

The Task Order Contractor will assist the Secretariat to build their capacity to independently generate, coordinate, and guide donor support for reform activities and establish appropriate funding vehicles or facilities to conduct direct implementation and build internal systems and capacity to support that will enable that direct implementation.

Communications activities will be integrated into the entire process for each reform measure and creative communications tools will be developed and utilized to generate a critical mass of public consensus and a dynamic feedback loop for decision making.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Co-Work Planning with Complementary USAID/Jordan Activities and Other

Coordination

The Task Order Contractor will conduct, at a minimum, annual co-work planning with complementary USAID/Jordan activities. The co-work planning partner activities are expected to include, but are not limited to, the Jordan Enterprise Support Activity (JESA) and the Women’s

Economic Empower and Leadership Activity (WEELA). The Task Order Contractor(s) will propose a co-work planning approach for coordination with JESA and WEELA.

Other donors active in the economic reform sector throughout Jordan include the World Bank, the United Kingdom's Department for International Aid, the European Union, Germany’s

Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, the Canadian International Aid Agency, and others. The Offeror’s technical approach will address how to engage with these other entities to avoid potential duplication of effort, to leverage other activities, and to coordinate implementation with the broad stakeholders invested in economic reform.

Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA)

As a key feature of the Task Order 2 MEL Plan, the Task Order Contractor will propose how

Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptations principles will be reflected throughout their proposed interventions. The Task Order Contractor will propose an adaptation approach for priority reform progress that includes, at a minimum, quarterly review of progress on each reform undertaken, methods for moving stalled reforms, and adding or discontinuing specific reforms. The Task

Order Contractor will build on previous investments, studies, assessments, surveys, done by

USAID in Jordan. The Task Order Two MEL Plan will include a learning agenda which includes key knowledge gaps and structures the CLA elements described above for implementation. This will include tracking of assumptions and risks, critical context factors and events which may affect the results, constraints and opportunities, cross-cutting issues of gender and youth, as well as other special topics relevant to the success of ERA results.

Sustainability and Self-Reliance

Sustainability is critical to ensuring the lasting impact of this activity and enabling Jordan’s journey towards self-reliance. Sustainability for this activity may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to public sector commitment to reform, public sector internal collaboration, private sector willingness to embrace reform, increased working relationships between the public and private sectors, civil society input and buy-in to reforms, and the ability to coordinate donors in a manner to address key reforms. The Task Order Contractor will maximize ERA's impact and sustainability of results in the Jordan context.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Reporting

The Task Order Contractor will develop an Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

(MEL) Plan with a theory of change and logic model such as a results framework to measure progress toward the Task Order Two contract’s purpose, objective, and outcomes. Indicators at the objective and purpose level will be outcome-focused to the maximum extent possible and will be linked to the Reform Secretariat’s MEL plan.

The Plan will explain the contribution of the Task Order Two results to the overall IDIQ results framework, how results will be monitored, data flow, including staff roles and responsibilities, why specific indicators were chosen, how data baselines and targets will be established and how data will be collected over time.

The Task Order Contractor will include in the Task Order Activity MEL Plan at least one indicator from the Department of State’s Office of Foreign Assistance (F) indicators list, or propose custom indicators for each major component/result of the Task Order’s activity.

Additional indicators will be proposed. Possible custom indicators will include at least one that measures policy reform, and could be:

Number of enabling environment policies analyzed, consulted on, drafted or revised, approved, and implemented with USG assistance.

The Task Order Contractor will assure that all data collected meets USAID’s data quality standards and any person level indicator is disaggregated by sex, at a minimum.

The Task Order Contractor will fully support and provide all necessary data to facilitate monitoring and verifications, including full access and timely information on activities, locations, and issues. Evaluations will be conducted externally. The Task Order Contractor will, therefore, ensure full cooperation with external evaluation partners.