Economic_Reform_Activity_(ERA)_-_Sources_Sought_Notice.pdf

Sources Sought Notice

For: USAID/Jordan/Economic Development and Energy- Economic Reform Activity

Commonly referred to as an oasis of peace within an unstable Middle East, Jordan has endured slow growth and widespread economic stagnation over the past decade. The country’s economic decline was initially spurred by the global financial crisis in 2008, the Arab Spring in 2011, and further exacerbated by plummeting oil prices in 2014, severely reducing Gulf state contributions.

While these events have pressured the economy in recent years, structural challenges, including a lack of exploitable natural resources 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.

Background

Several factors have contributed to the enduring strain on Jordan’s economy. These include the prevailing regional instability, the stagnation of surrounding economies, a sharp reduction in financial support from oil-producing states, slower remittances from the region, and the closing of borders, leading to lower import purchases and investment among Jordan’s natural trade partners. These elements, coupled with rapid increases in refugee populations, a decrease in tourism, an unpredictable regulatory environment that hinders the business enabling environment, including trade and investment, the low sophistication of domestic enterprises, imbalanced unemployment, and disparate access to reliable infrastructure have contributed to the economic contraction affecting Jordan. This state has been further compounded by a limited tax base and ongoing corruption challenges.

While the challenges are robust, the opportunities and domestic potential give rise to a hopeful future. The Government of Jordan (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, bolstered by donor community support, the GoJ and Jordanian private sector can jumpstart the economy.

DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS & INTERMEDIATE RESULTS

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Jordan is seeking a partner(s) to implement the Economic Reform Activity (ERA) in Jordan through an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract(s). The purpose of the ERA IDIQ is to support overall self-reliance by enabling Jordan to prioritize and implement its economic reform agenda, as detailed in Jordan’s 5 Year Reform Matrix,Renaissance Plan, and other relevant documents, to increase private sector competitiveness and increase economic opportunities across the country.

The Task Order(s) of this IDIQ will rely heavily on policy development including policy analysis, consultations, drafting or revisions, approval, and implementation. The ERA implementing partner(s) will use flexible, innovative, and adaptive work planning in the event of changes in USG policy, GoJ priorities, and ERA interventions. Partnering with local institutions and consultants is encouraged in completing tasks in the implementation of activities to achieve the results below.

USAID’s ERA is in the design process and is pending approval. Upon approval, USAID intends to issue a Request for Information seeking interested offerors’ feedback on the draft requirement.

Feedback may be incorporated into the design prior to issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP).

USAID will not issue a RFP until all activity approvals are completed.

Development Hypothesis

If Jordan is enabled to prioritize and implement its economic reform agenda, then there will be increased private sector competitiveness and increased economic opportunities, thereby contributing to Jordan’s overall self-reliance.

The IDIQ will incorporate multiple task orders that will collectively lead to the implementation of many priorities from Jordan’s economic reform agenda and the testing of the above development hypothesis. The below intermediate results are anticipated at this time, though it is expected that the economic reform agenda will be dynamic, and the ability to respond to a changing reform environment will be essential.

Possible Task Order-Specific Intermediate Results

ERA will foster self-reliance and capacity development of government and private sector counterparts and will apply an integrated, coordinated, cross sectoral technical approach. ERA will work with stakeholders across three Intermediate Results (IRs):

1.) Enabled Jordan-led Economic Reform for Self-Reliance

● Establishment and capacity development of the GoJ body that will manage the reform agenda

● Further development of the reform body that can directly implement the GoJ priority economic reforms and coordinate donor support for the economic reform process

● GoJ reform body has the ability to monitor and learn from the reform process and improve implementation

2.) Improved Business Enabling Environment

● Lower time and cost of doing business across multiple sectors, with particular emphasis on the Jordan 2025 priority sectors

● More efficient and effective licensing and inspection frameworks, at lower compliance cost

● Local private sector performance increased

● Regulatory framework is less burdensome, more transparent and predictable

● Reduced cost and expanded access to digital services for the private sector

3.) Promoted Export Development and Foreign Direct Investment

● Increased domestic value and volume addition of exports

● Increased domestic, regional and foreign investment in sectors with high growth potential or growing targeted sectors

Gender

The contractor(s) will develop innovative approaches to support greater gender inclusion in economic reform activities. While some of the reforms are gender specific, a gender lens must be applied to all interventions. Gender considerations should not be an afterthought and should feature prominently in capability statements.

Sustainability

The contractor(s) will invest resources into ensuring the sustainability approach of the resulting Task Orders to best prepare Jordan for self reliance. It is expected at the conclusion of this IDIQ and resulting Task Orders that the Government of Jordan will be able to continue significant elements of economic reform implementation independently. USAID and the broader donor community have invested in Jordanian capacity for decades with varying levels of success and handover. Particular attention must be paid to finding ways to institutionalize change and efficiency

Collaboration, Learning, and Adapting (CLA)

The contractor will develop innovative approaches to support CLA efforts related to Jordan’s reform agenda, including the development of a learning agenda. There is particular need for coordinating donor support for the reform agenda and ERA will provide support to the GoJ to manage donor coordination and collaboration.

Capability Statement Requirements:

USAID/Jordan is not seeking questions or proposals at this time; only capability statements.

Interested parties must demonstrate their experience and ability to perform the economic reform services and tasks described in this notice. U.S Small Business firms are highly encouraged to provide capability statements. Firms are requested to provide capability statements that provide relevant examples of both governmental and non-governmental contracts under which the firm has performed.

The items below must be addressed in the response:

1. Up to a two-page statement describing the firm’s capability to execute the Development Hypothesis and Intermediate Results described in this notice.

2. Up to a two-page statement describing the firm’s experience in relation to the services being required, with specific emphasis on managing complex policy focused activities in a Middle East context.

3. One-page table (Sample Table A below) of this notice with a list of between three and seven past or current projects demonstrating relevant work experience in the items listed under the Development Hypothesis and Intermediate Results section above at the prime or subcontractor level.

4. For small businesses, include a statement identifying the applicable small business and socioeconomic designation in accordance with FAR 19.3.3.

TABLE A

Project Overview Country Year

(From – To)

Point of

Contact

Phone Email

Responses must not exceed five (5) pages, including Table A. Any organization responding to this Sources Sought Notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform this work.

Written capability statements must be received no later than February 14, 2019– 4 pm Jordan Time. These submissions must be sent via email ONLY to the following addresses:

contracting1@usaid.gov and bdiah@usaid.gov. In the subject line of the email write: “ERA Capability Statement” - Sources Sought Notice.

Fax and hand carried submissions will not be accepted. Phone inquiries will not be entertained.

mailto:contracting1@usaid.gov