FAQ - SFOP0009856 - Ukraine IDP Integration (v20230810).pdf

UNCLASSIFIED

SFOP0009856

Ukraine Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Integration

Department of State

Bureau of Conflict Stabilization Operations

AN INCOMPLETE APPLICATION PACKAGE WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE ALL

DOCUMENTS REQUESTED WITH THE APPLICATION. YOU MAY WITHDRAW and RESUBMIT

YOUR APPLICATION BEFORE THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE. ONLY ONE APPLICATION IS

ACCEPTED PER APPLICANT. MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS FROM THE SAME ORGANIZATION WILL

RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF THE ORGANIZATION.

Question Deadline: August 7, 2023

FAQ Posted: August 10, 2023

Application Deadline: August 14, 2023

Q: Is this opportunity still available?

A: Yes. On August 7, 2023, the opportunity was withdrawn and re-posted twice in order to make technical fixes in SAMS Domestic. We regret any confusion. The deadline remains

August 14, 2023.

Q: Will the question deadline by extended?

A: The formal question deadline of August 7, 2023 has passed and will not be extended, but application submission questions can still go to agency contact George Mesthos in writing via e-mail to mesthosg@state.gov.

Q: Application – If chosen, this would be my organization’s first Department of State award.

Do I need to submit the financial management survey and is there a template?

A: No. Please note that this is a change from the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and Proposal Submission Instructions. Applicants may still submit the financial management survey if they choose to do so.

Q: Application – I am not sure how to upload my application materials. What do I do?

A: Applicants experiencing difficulty uploading materials to either grants.gov or SAMS Domestic should contact ILMS by calling 1-888-313-ILMS (4567) or via Self Service Portal at https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home. CSO will accept either an omnibus word document with most elements that includes a clear table of contents or individual attachments.

Clear, numerically sequenced filenames are appreciated.

mailto:mesthosg@state.gov https://afsitsm.service-now.com/ilms/home

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Q: Application – My SAM.gov registration is still pending. Is an accommodation possible?

A: An active SAM.gov registration is a requirement to apply for this award, and is outside the control of CSO or the Department of State. While accommodations on transmission of the application are possible in appropriate circumstances for disability or national security, CSO does not consider the lack of SAM.gov registration to be an appropriate circumstance.

Q: Application – Should the application be submitted in Calibri or Times New Roman?

A: In early 2023, the Department of State changed its standard font from Times New Roman to

Calibri. The proposal submission instructions have not yet been updated. Applicants are encouraged to use Calibri, but both Calibri and Times New Roman will be accepted.

Q: Application – Can 10 point font be used for charts?

A: Yes. 10 point font can be used for charts.

Q: How do I submit the Logic Model/Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP)? Is the Logical

Model/Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) intended to be an attachment to the technical approach (as indicated on page 19 of the NOFO) or imbedded in the technical approach (as indicated on page 18 of the NOFO)?

A: Applicants must provide a Logic Model/PMP with the excel template provided that is labeled with the filename “Logic Model” as an attachment. Applicants must also include a theory of change (ToC) within the proposal narrative (see pages 16 and 17 of the Notice of Funding

Opportunity). The technical approach within the project narrative can and should draw elements from the logic model/PMP, but the entire logic model as provided in the template does not also need to be included within the technical approach. Please note that the

“intermediate outcome” referenced in the NOFO is the same as the “outcome” in the template.

Q: Application - Can an organization submit as a prime applicant on one proposal, and a sub on one or more proposals simultaneously?

A: Yes. While an eligible organization can only submit one application as a prime, it can be part of multiple consortia applications as a sub-applicant.

Q: Application - Are templates available for the Gender Analysis of Conflict (GAOC) and

Disabilities Annex?

A: Yes. On the grants.gov listing, under “related documents” the GAOC is posted under GWI

GA Template. We apologize for the labeling confusion. The GAOC should be provided as a separate attachment with elements of the analysis reflected in the proposal narrative.

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Q: Application – Can you attach the Foreign Service National (FSN) Local Compensation Plan

(LCP) to this opportunity?

A: We do not expect to provide the Ukraine LCP at this time.

Q: Eligibility – Are for-profit entities eligible to apply as the prime on this opportunity?

A: Yes. For-profit entities cannot be the prime applicant for this opportunity. For-profit entities may also be sub-awardees and/or part of a consortium.

Q: Eligibility – Are government or quasi-government institutions eligible to apply?

A: Yes organizations that qualify as a Foreign Public Entity per 2 CFR 1108.210 may apply.

Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis and cannot be pre-determined prior to application.

Q: Implementation – When is the expected start date? September 29, 2023 or 9-12 weeks after the closing of the announcement?

A: As of August 7, 2023, the expectation is that the program will begin with the chosen implementer closer to the standard 9-12 weeks, in this case late October 2023. Due to unavoidable circumstances, the earlier timeline has become less likely since the Notice of

Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was posted on June 12, 2023.

Q: Partnerships - Has the Department of State identified potential partners in Ukraine that the recipient will be working with directly? If yes, are those partners able to field questions related to the ideal partner they are searching for?

A: The Department of State has not pre-determined/identified partners in Ukraine. Per page 8 of the announcement, “the implementing partner must demonstrate extensive contacts within

Ukraine’s civil society…”

Q: Proposal – Can this program be used to provide housing to Ukraine’s internally displaced persons (IDPs)?

A: This opportunity is for non-humanitarian assistance. Building housing and shelter is generally considered to be humanitarian in nature. This area of the synopsis explains the expectation: “CSO's programming support to IDPs since 2020 has focused on local conflict resolution between IDPs and their host communities, integrating the perspectives of IDPs into local government planning, and developing the advocacy and leadership skills of IDPs, particularly youth and women. The goal of this program is to support IDPs while guiding capable and responsive support structures in Ukraine that can increase IDP resilience and support Ukraine's national recovery.”

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XI/subchapter-A/part-1108/subpart-B/section-1108.210

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Q: Proposal – Can CSO further explain its efforts with Ukraine’s internally displaced persons since 2020?

A: A publicly releasable document explaining CSO’s efforts supporting Ukraine’s IDPs since

2020 will not be available prior to the application deadline.

Q: Proposal – Can the implementation plan and/or research methodology be provided as a separate attachment so as not to count against the ten-page limit?

A: No. Applicants cannot remove application elements such as the implementation plan or research methodology from the ten page limit, and submit as an annex. The expectation is that applicants will provide a reasonable synopsis as part of the elements identified in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The implementation plan should be complemented by the required GANTT chart, with the GANTT Chart submitted as an attachment with the provided excel template.

Q: Proposal - Are there any geographical restrictions on where the help would be delivered?

Do geographies need to be proposed or will they only be decided upon later?

A: Per page 8 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity, the activity is limited to Government of

Ukraine-held areas and that applicants must demonstrate extensive contacts. While CSO and the chosen implementer will determine activity locations together, page 13 of the Notice of

Funding Opportunity states that proposed activities should include target areas. Page 7 of the

NOFO explains the geographic focus. Areas may be changed in consultation with the Grants

Officer based on conditions in-country.

Q: Proposal – On pages 8 and 16 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) there are two references to a risk assessment/mitigation plan, however a risk assessment and mitigation plan is not listed as a requested attachment. Is only the successful applicant required to submit the risk assessment/mitigation plan?

A: There are two primary areas where risks are to be described, neither in its own attachment;

(1) the organization’s approach to “Do No Harm” which is expected to be in the implementation plan section of the proposal narrative (pg. 14 of the NOFO) and (2) the Risks and Assumptions within the Logic Model/PMP. These two areas should address each other and likewise should be informed by the Gender Analysis of Conflict (GAOC).