fiscal year 2015 request for applications (rfa) for title ii development food assistance programs in bangladesh and mali 5-21-2015.pdf

Issuance Date: Friday, April 3, 2015

Closing Date: Thursday, May 28, 2015

Closing Time: 11:59 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time)

CFDA Number: 98.007

Subject: Request for Applications for Title II Development Food Assistance Projects for

Bangladesh and Mali

Title: Fiscal Year 2015 Title II Development Food Assistance Projects for Bangladesh and Mali

The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Food for Peace (FFP) is seeking applications for funding for development food assistance projects.

Private voluntary organizations or cooperatives that are, to the extent practicable, registered with the USAID Administrator may apply. This includes U.S. and non-U.S. nonprofit organizations. Intergovernmental organizations are also eligible to apply.

Subject to the availability of funds, under this Request for Applications (RFA), FFP plans to enter into up to the number awards as described in detail in the Country Specific Information

(CSI). Please refer to the CSI for a complete description of possible locations and projects.

USAID reserves the right to use any assistance mechanism available to this agency (e.g., grant, cooperative agreement, leader with associates, etc.), and to adjust the number of awards, funding levels, sources of funding, and/or procedures. If Community Development Funds (CDF) are not stipulated in the CSI, applicants may consider requesting section 202(e) funds. Monetization, if appropriate, will be authorized in the CSI. Levels of resources are driven by the applicants’ project designs, but set by FFP for successful applicants. Successful applicants will be notified of any changes or updates, accordingly.

Applications are submitted at the risk of the applicant, and all preparation and submission costs are at the applicant's expense. This includes the completion of all required documents for USAID awards.

Issuance of this RFA does not constitute an award commitment on the part of USAID. Final awards cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, apportioned, allocated, and committed. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award.

For the purposes of this project, this RFA is being issued and consists of this cover letter and the following:

FY15 FFP Development Food Assistance Projects for Bangladesh and Mali RFA

SECTION I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION 3

SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION 4

SECTION III – ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 6

SECTION IV – SUBMISSION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION 7

SECTION V – APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 20

SECTION VI – AWARD AND ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 26

SECTION VII - AGENCY CONTACTS 26

SECTION VIII – OTHER INFORMATION 27

ANNEX I: Definitions 30 ANNEX II: Past Performance Reference Questionnaire 35

To be eligible for the award, the applicant must provide all required information in its application, including the requirements found in any attachments to this opportunity on www.grants.gov. Any future amendments to this RFA can be downloaded from www.grants.gov. This information may also be posted on the FFP website, but it is the responsibility of the applicant to use the most up-to-date versions of all of the documents related to this RFA.

This year’s draft FY15 RFA does not contain significant technical information. FFP developed

Technical References for potential applicants’ review and reference. Also new, FFP is using the term “participant” instead of “beneficiary” throughout these documents.

USAID policy is not to award profit under assistance instruments. However, all reasonable, allocable, and allowable expenses, both direct and indirect, which are related to the agreement activity and are in accordance with applicable cost standards may be paid under the agreement.

USAID may (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept other than the lowest cost application, or (c) accept more than one application (see Section V - Application Review

Information). USAID intends to award predominantly cooperative agreements, but reserves the right to award any other form of assistance agreement. USAID may waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received.

In the event of any inconsistency between this RFA and the referenced documents in the RFA, or any inconsistency in the sections composing this RFA, note that the RFA shall take precedence over any referenced documents (including the Technical References), except statute, regulations and CSI. In the event of an inconsistency among the RFA documents, it will be resolved at the discretion of the Agreement Officer.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, /S/

Dina Esposito

Director, Office of Food for Peace http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

SECTION I – FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

1. General Description

The Office of Food for Peace (FFP), in USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and

Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA), is the U.S. Government leader in international food assistance. Through FFP, USAID provides multi-year development food assistance to reduce hunger and extreme poverty in vulnerable populations by addressing the underlying causes of chronic food insecurity. USAID also provides emergency food assistance to address needs arising from natural disasters and complex emergencies often characterized by insecurity and population displacement. More information on USAID food assistance projects can be found on the USAID website.

This Request for Applications (RFA) provides information on funding opportunities for multi-year development (nonemergency) food assistance projects. Nonemergency projects are mandated in the Food for Peace Act, as amended by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (FFP Act).

The projects are designed to improve food access and incomes through agriculture and other livelihoods initiatives; enhance natural resource and environment management; combat under nutrition, especially for children under two and pregnant and lactating women; and mitigate disaster impact through early warning and community preparedness activities. They are intended to build resilience in populations vulnerable to chronic hunger and repeated hunger crises, and to reduce their future need for ongoing or emergency food assistance. They are increasingly integrated with other USAID efforts to promote resilience and reduce extreme poverty. Multi-year development food assistance projects support the President’s Feed the Future initiative

(FTF), and in FTF focus and aligned countries, whenever possible, every effort is made to jointly fund these projects with community development funds (CDF) from USAID’s Bureau for Food

Security—increasing program flexibility and reducing the need to monetize Title II commodities.

Note that assistance made available pursuant to this RFA may be used to meet emergency/exceptional circumstances as provided in accordance with the terms of those awards and 22 C.F. R. 211.5(o).

More specific information on the objectives, activities, geographic locations targeted within the countries, and/or funding levels and types covered by this RFA may be found in the CSI posted on the Country Fact Sheets page of the FFP website1. It is essential that applicants review this

CSI carefully because details contained in the CSI take precedence over the generalities contained in this RFA. Please refer to the Agreement Officer’s introductory letter for order of precedence.

If conditions permit, as determined by FFP, the application process will include two phases. The first phase is the submission and review of an initial application (technical application and budget). Successful first-phase applicants will receive letters of invitation to present their

1 For food aid distribution and monetization projects, applicants must demonstrate that (a) proposed distribution and monetization commodity levels will not result in disincentives to or interference with local agricultural production or marketing and will not disrupt commercial markets and (b) importation of agricultural commodities and the use of local currencies generated under the proposed award will not have a disruptive impact on the farmers or the local economy of the recipient country.

http://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/agriculture-and-food-security/food-assistance http://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/agriculture-and-food-security/food-assistance/quick-facts/country-fact-sheets projects orally, and to address “topline” issues identified during the initial review of their applications. If they occur, oral presentations will constitute the second phase of the technical review process and will be a condition of the award. After discussions have concluded, the successful applicant(s) will receive a final issues letter, if necessary, and will be required to submit final technical and cost applications.

2. Authorizing Legislation

The FFP Act, Section 201 (7 U.S.C. 1721) General Authority, authorizes the USAID

Administrator to establish programs to provide agricultural commodities to foreign countries on behalf of the people of the United States to address famine and food crises; combat malnutrition, especially in children and mothers; carry out actions that attempt to alleviate the causes of hunger, mortality and morbidity; promote economic and community development; promote food security and support sound environmental practices; carry out feeding interventions; and build resilience to mitigate and prevent food crises and reduce the future need for emergency aid.

The Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) authorizes USAID to provide development assistance.

Certain funds appropriated for this purpose have been made available to FFP. These funds are referred to as Community Development Funds (CDF) and may be used to support the development projects, when signaled in the CSI.

For more information, particularly concerning eligible uses of Section 202(e) funding, please refer to Food for Peace Information Bulletin (FFPIB) 14-01.

3. Project Eligibility Requirements

Applications which do not include the direct distribution of food commodities will be considered provided that applicants otherwise propose a sound approach to addressing high rates of wasting, stunting, and food insecurity. Any proposed direct distribution of Title II and/or locally/regionally procured (LRP) commodities must clearly support interventions that sustainably reduce vulnerability to food insecurity, including increasing the availability of, nutritious food, building incomes/assets to increase year-long access to a diverse and adequate diet, and/or improving knowledge and behaviors to ensure that food consumption supports health and healthy growth.

4. Award Administration

Awards will be made and administered in accordance with the FFP Act, FAA, as applicable, and

U.S. Government regulations. Specifically, the award will be administered under 22 C.F.R. 211, 22 C.F.R. 216, 2 C.F.R. 200, 2 C.F.R. 700, USAID Standard Provisions, and FFP information bulletins which are available on the USAID website. Notwithstanding the foregoing, because intergovernmental organizations are subject to different requirements, USAID reserves the right to make awards to such organizations on different terms and conditions than those made to private voluntary organizations and cooperatives.

SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION

http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/FFPIB%2014-01%20Draft%20for%20comment.pdf

1. Estimate of Funds Available

Subject to the availability of funds under this RFA, FFP plans to enter into up to a number of awards as specified in the CSI that has been posted on the FFP website. A separate or amended

RFA will be issued for any additional countries.

Note that not all funding is interchangeable and some budget adjustments may need to take place. USAID reserves the right to adjust the number of awards, funding levels, and/or sources of funding. Successful applicants will be notified of any changes or updates accordingly.

2. Anticipated Start Date and Performance Period

The anticipated start date is Thursday, August 27, 2015. Typically, the award will be issued for a performance period of five years, unless otherwise noted in the country-specific information.

3. Assistance Awards

USAID may make an award resulting from this RFA to the responsible applicant(s) whose application(s) conforming to this RFA offer(s) the greatest value. USAID may (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept other than the lowest cost application, or (c) accept more than one application. USAID intends to award predominantly cooperative agreements but reserves the right to award any other form of assistance agreement. USAID may waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received.

USAID may award the resulting assistance award(s) on the basis of initial applications received, without discussions, negotiations and/or oral presentations. Therefore, each initial application must contain the applicant's best terms from a technical and cost standpoint. As part of its evaluation process, however, USAID may elect to discuss technical, cost, or other pre-award issues with one or more applicants. Alternatively, USAID may proceed with award selection based on its evaluation of initial applications received, use an alternative process (e.g., keep or drop oral presentations), and/or commence negotiations solely with one applicant.

4. Authorized Geographic Code

The anticipated authorized geographic code for procurement of goods and services under the prospective award(s) is 935; USAID reserves the right to modify this.

5. Substantial Involvement

In accordance with ADS 303.3.11, the cooperative agreement will require the following elements of substantial involvement by USAID/FFP, if applicable to the project design:

Approval of the Awardee's Implementation Plans

Approval of Specified Key Personnel

Agency and Awardee Collaboration or Joint Participation o Collaborative involvement in selection of advisory committee members o Concurrence on the substantive provisions of sub-awards o Approval of the awardee's performance management and/or monitoring and evaluation plans o Monitoring to authorize specified kinds of direction or redirection because of interrelationships with other projects

Agency Authority to Immediately Halt a Construction Activity

For specifics and additional detail, please refer to Automated Directives System (ADS) Part

303.3.11 - Substantial Involvement.

SECTION III – ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for an award, the applicant must be a private voluntary organization or cooperative that is, to the extent practicable, registered with the USAID Administrator, or an intergovernmental organization, such as the World Food Program. This includes U.S. and non-

U.S. nongovernmental organizations as defined in Section 402 of the Food for Peace Act and as described in the Private Voluntary Organization Conditions of Registration on the USAID website.

In the case of a consortium, the applicant must be the consortium lead and must identify any other members of the consortium or individuals tied to the implementation of the project as described in the application, along with all sub-awardees. The respective roles of any other members of the consortium or individuals, including all sub-awardees, must be described and separate budgets must be attached for each.

2. New Partners

USAID encourages applications from potential new partners, i.e., those who have not received any USAID funding previously.

3. Cost Share

Cost share is not required for FY 2015 applications.

4. Minimal Qualification Requirements

USAID has no additional minimal qualification requirements.

5. Limit on Number of Applications

An applicant, defined as a submitting organization, may only submit one application per country under this RFA. However, an applicant may be a sub-awardee on applications submitted by other organizations.

http://idea.usaid.gov/ls/pvo

SECTION IV – SUBMISSION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION

1. Submission

The application submission deadline is Thursday, May 28, 2015, 11:59 a.m., Eastern Daylight

Time. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the electronic application is received by the due date and time specified.

FFP is requesting that applicants use Food for Peace’s Management Information System

(FFPMIS) to apply for a Title II development food assistance project under this RFA. FFPMIS can be accessed at https://usaid-ffp.entellitrak.com/.

User guides and additional FFPMIS resources can be found on the Technical and

Operational Performance Support (TOPS) site.

Any technical questions on use of FFPMIS must be emailed to

FFPMIS_Support@devis.com.

The FFPMIS helpdesk is staffed from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Potential applicants are encouraged to start the submission process early, as new account creation and answers to technical questions may take more than one business day.

FFPMIS submission will require a combination of data entry and document uploads. All uploaded documents must be completed in accordance with the format detailed in this RFA and must adhere to the following:

Written in English and in 12-point Times New Roman font;

Text in tables or charts may be 10-point Arial Narrow font;

Narratives must be prepared in Microsoft Word with print areas set to 8.5 x 11 inch, letter-sized paper and one-inch margins, left justification and a footer on each page including page number, date of submission, proposed country, and applicant name;

Spreadsheets must be prepared in Microsoft Excel, with print areas set to 8.5 x 11 inch, letter-sized paper;

Official (signed) documents, memoranda, and certifications may be submitted as Adobe

PDF files, and one-inch margins;

Emailed, faxed and hard copy applications are not acceptable.

If any of the necessary documents listed in the RFA are not submitted according to the format and/or deadline referenced in the RFA, FFP will consider the application incomplete. Late or incomplete applications will be considered at FFP's sole discretion. Please note that FFPMIS will not let applicants submit applications after the closing time.

2. Point of Contact

Any questions concerning this RFA, its annexes, any CSI(s), and Technical References must be submitted in writing at least 15 days – at the latest – before the closing date of the application to Ms. Juli Majernik, FFP grants manager, at jmajernik@usaid.gov with a copy to

FACG@amexdc2.com or via mail to AMEX International at the address below:

https://usaid-ffp.entellitrak.com/ http://www.fsnnetwork.org/document/food-peace-management-information-system-ffpmis-resources mailto:FFPMIS_Support@devis.com mailto:jmajernik@usaid.gov mailto:FACG@amexdc2.com

AMEX International

Attention: FY201X Title II Development Food Assistance Projects RFA

USAID Food for Peace Institutional Support Project

Ronald Reagan Building, North Tower

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Suite 270

Washington, DC 20004, USA

Note: please include “FY2015 RFA” in the subject line for email correspondence.

Any questions concerning submission of applications or FFPMIS must be submitted in writing to FFPMIS_support@devis.com with a copy to FACG@amexdc2.com.

FFPMIS Helpdesk hours are Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

3. Budget Information

A sample budget format is available on the USAID website. The sample budget format shows six fiscal years because, given the anticipated start date, projects will cross six fiscal years. All budgets must be completed on a fiscal year basis. (An implementation year equals a fiscal year.)

In addition, applicants may use budget formats they have developed that contain the requested information or use budget formats, as appropriate, from other sources such as grants.gov.

In detailed budgets, all costs must be associated with an applicable funding source and program element (see Annex I for definitions).

For additional budget and commodity information requirements, see 5. Application Format, d)

Management and Logistics, and f) Budget.

4. Pre-Award Certifications, Assurances, and Other Statements of the Recipient

Successful applicants must provide a signed copy of Certifications, Assurances, and Other

Statements of the Recipient and Solicitation Standard Provisions as described in ADS 303.3.8 on the USAID website in response to the issues letter.

5. Application Format

The application must be specific, complete, and concise. Applications that do not meet the requirements of this RFA will not be considered for award. The application shall be divided into the following sections, with the maximum number of pages given per section, excluding the table of contents, but including any endnotes and/or footnotes, as follows:

Cover Page (1 page)

Executive Summary (2 pages maximum)

Project Description (35 pages maximum) mailto:FFPMIS_support@devis.com mailto:FACG@amexdc2.com http://www.usaid.gov/documents/1866/fy-2014-rfa-budget-template#overlay-context= http://www.grants.gov/ http://transition.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/303sad.pdf http://transition.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/303sad.pdf

Management and Logistics (8 pages maximum)

Past Performance (4 pages maximum)

Budget (no page limit, see requirements in section f)

Annexes (see section g)

The above bullets correspond to the sections of the RFA described below and constitute the general application format. If submissions exceed the page number maximum, only the pages up to the limit will be reviewed, and pages exceeding the maximum will not be considered.

a) Cover Page (1 page)

The cover page must have the following:

Name of the applicant’s organization and country involved in the proposed application;

Name and title of the organization’s representative who has signatory authority and authority to submit the application;

Name, title, and contact information of the organization’s point of contact with whom

USAID will coordinate on matters related to the application (if different from the organization’s representative with signatory authority and authority to submit the application). Contact information should include mailing address, e-mail, and telephone and fax numbers;

Title II food assistance request, if any, in metric tons by direct distribution and/or monetization with the percentage of total metric tons requested for monetization, if applicable;

Total funds requested (in U.S. dollars), including CDF/Section 202(e), cost share, and, if relevant, ITSH, plus include monetization budget request in U.S. dollar equivalent, if applicable;

Valid Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number;

Registration date in System for Award Management (SAM) – Note that successful applicants must maintain SAM registration.

Participant information as requested in the table below:

Number of Project Participants

Total Direct Project Participants2

Direct Project Participants by Program Element

Program Element3 Participant Numbers4 Cost per Direct

Participant5

Maternal and Child Health

Nutrition

Agricultural Sector Capacity

Capacity Building, Preparedness and Planning

b) Executive Summary (2 pages maximum)

The executive summary must have the following:

Problem Statement, including the underlying causes of food insecurity to be addressed;

Underlying theory of change (ToC) that describes the hypothesized series of changes to achieve the project’s food security objectives considering the context and proposed set of interventions.

Separate from the executive summary, a life of award Executive Summary Table (EST) is required with 6 fiscal years of data. The EST will be data entered through FFPMIS.

c) Project Description (35 pages maximum)

The project description must have the following:

1. Adherence to Country-Specific Information. Provide an explanation of how the proposed project adheres to the information within the country-specific information as indicated in Section VIII – Other Information of this RFA, 1. Country-Specific

Information.

2 The applicant must indicate the total number of individuals that will directly participate and benefit from the project over the life of the award. One participant may benefit from interventions in more than one program element.

However, when reporting on the total number of direct project participants, this individual should only be counted once.

3 The definitions of program elements come from the U.S. Foreign Assistance’s Standardized Program Structure

(SPS), which was jointly developed by the U.S. Department of State and USAID. The SPS and definitions establish a consistent way to categorize and account for State- and USAID-managed assistance, including a set of commonly agreed definitions.

4 An individual who participates and benefits directly from multiple interventions within a program element should only be counted once. An individual who participates in interventions in more than one program element should be counted once in each program element from which s/he received benefits.

5 Cost per direct participant equals the total budget for the program element divided by the number of direct participants for that program element over the life of the award.

2. Underlying causes of food insecurity. This must have the following:

Rationale for geographic and participant targeting;

Brief analysis of the underlying causes of food insecurity (including food access, availability and/or utilization/consumption) in the targeted geographic area and how these causes impact the vulnerable population in the proposed target area. At a minimum, this analysis must include and/or reference appropriate and current data, major determinants and underlying causes of food insecurity and under-nutrition, sources of risk and vulnerability, especially as linked to gender and the environment, along with a specific description of the area of intervention

(including a map and exact geographic location).

3. Project Design. This must have the following:

Required Analyses:

a) Climate Change, Environmental Safeguards and Compliance: In light of

USAID’s guidance in ADS 204, 22 C.F.R 216, and the Executive Order

13766 (Climate-Resilient International Development), describe how activities will address negative and unintended environmental consequences and respond to climate change and climate variability. Describe specific strategies to reduce environmental and climate risks and strengthen resilience to food insecurity shocks. (A description of essential environmental considerations can be found in the Technical References under Environmental Safeguards and Compliance.)

b) Gender Equality and Integration: In light of USAID’s guidance in ADS 205 and the new Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy, describe how the project will address gender inequalities and promote female empowerment to achieve project purposes and goal. Describe specific strategies to reduce gender inequalities to achieve nutritional outcomes and strengthen resilience to food insecurity shocks. (A description of essential gender project considerations can be found in the Technical References on Gender.)

Theory of Change (ToC): Every FFP award applicant should include a ToC in the project. A ToC describes the hypothesized series of changes that are expected to occur in a given context as the result of specific activities. In the context of FFP programing, it makes explicit how a project design team thinks outputs from the proposed activities will interact with other concurrent activities and contextual conditions to stimulate or enable a series of outcomes that will ultimately lead to the achievement of desired objective(s). A complete ToC would define all of the necessary and sufficient conditions to effect change at each level, including, for example, policy and institutional requirements, systemic conditions, and complementary activities. It is likely that FFP will not support all of the interventions required to assure outcomes in the ToC, but the ToC must identify where external action is necessary and explain how the project will help ensure that other actors undertake these actions in the required timeframe. (A description of required elements for a ToC and brief guidance can be found in the Technical

References on ToC.)

Logical Framework (LogFrame): FFP requires that all applicants submit a

LogFrame in the project application. LogFrame is a tool that summarizes the ToC and presents the project design in a standard format. It shows the causal linkages between outputs, outcomes and goal, identifies the necessary conditions that are external to the project but necessary to achieve the objectives, potential risks and contextual factors that are critical to the success of a project and the indicators that would help to measure and track project performance. The LogFrame consists of a matrix with four columns and many rows, summarizing the key elements of a project, namely:

a) Narrative summary: The project’s hierarchy of objectives (Goal, Purpose, Sub-purpose, Intermediate Outcome, and Outputs);

b) Assumptions: The conditions external to the proposed project but necessary to achieve project results; and contextual environment and key external factors critical to the project’s success;

c) Indicators with targets: How the project’s achievements will be monitored and evaluated. In identifying indicators to measure results, applicants must review the Food for Peace Indicators. While all outcome indicators are required, FFP does not require applicants to list all output indicators in the

LogFrame. Including only FFP required output indicators in the LogFrame should be adequate. FFP requests applicants to provide targets only for baseline indicators. Targets must be linked to the context, food security and nutritional analysis, and ToC. Targets have to be ambitious yet achievable and linked to FFP’s targets; FFP aims to achieve a minimum of 2 to 2.5 percentage point annual reduction of prevalence of stunting, a minimum of 3 to 4 percentage point annual reduction of prevalence of under-weight and a minimum of 4 percentage point annual reduction of depth-of-poverty. For all other indicators, targets must be ambitious yet achievable.

Note: The IPTT is required for successful applicants after the M&E workshop.

d) Data sources: Where the indicator data will come from, and when it will be collected.

The LogFrame also provides the basis on which resource requirements (inputs) are determined. FFP requests that the applicant follow the following logical hierarchy of narrative summary in developing the LogFrame: Goal < Purpose < Sub-purpose < Intermediate Outcome < Outputs. Applications include the

LogFrame in the project design section and attach as an annex. (A description of required elements of a LogFrame can be found in the Technical References on

LogFrame.)

Technical Interventions. Applicants should explain how the proposed technical interventions address country-specific causes of food insecurity. Proposed interventions should be described in sufficient detail to assess their operational and http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/FFP%20Indicators%20List_Revised%20on%20Jan%2013,%202015.pdf technical appropriateness and feasibility. This must include, at a minimum, the following:

o Type, purpose, location, and feasibility of activities;

o Systematic description of the links among implementation activities, outputs, immediate outcome, sub purpose, purpose and goal. This section must identify the assumptions at each level of results to complete the logical links, basis for the assumptions, and applicant’s plan to track the assumptions;

o Detail of how each activity will be implemented and by whom;

o Description of the target population for each activity, direct participants within the target population, including selection criteria and the proposed activity’s graduate direct participants;

o Description of how gender and social inclusion will be integrated as a cross-cutting theme. Under each purpose, applicants should provide detailed information sufficiently describing how gender and social inclusion will be integrated.

o Description of how climate-screening and environmental safeguards will be integrated as a cross-cutting theme. Under each purpose, applicants should provide detailed information sufficiently describing how these factors will be integrated.

o Details of and justification for ration size, selection of commodities, if any is proposed, either imported or locally procured, and the commodities’ nutrient contribution to the diet (in the case of rations for pregnant and lactating women and children under age two); If no ration is proposed, details of how the project proposes to address immediate consumptions gaps and/or asset depletion along with quality nutrition gaps for the most vulnerable, particularly children <24 months and pregnant and lactating women, which characterize chronically food insecure households.

o Description of approach and proposed activities for the promotion of recommended behaviors and practices.

o Description of an overall implementation strategy that seeks to create self-financing and/or self-transferring models that will continue to spread under their own momentum both during and after the activity.

Coordination and linkages: Describe how the proposed project will (1) leverage existing public, private and donor investments to achieve the project goal; (2) complement the activities of the local government, and donor facilitated health, nutrition, agriculture, natural resources management and climate change interventions; and (3) support proposed strategies to leverage Feed the Future investments in the region to reduce hunger and extreme poverty in vulnerable populations.

Sustainability and Exit Strategies: Describe how sustainability and exit strategies are incorporated into the project design. Which capacities, practices, behaviors, systems and linkages are identified to be sustainable? Include a brief description of the strategies that would promote sustainability. (A description of required elements related to sustainability and exit strategies can be found in the

Technical References on the subject.)

M&E Plan: An abridged M&E plan that describes applicant’s planned M&E approach. Building upon the ToC and LogFrame included earlier in the project description, the M&E plan should illustrate applicant’s approach to annual monitoring, M&E staffing and organizational chart; strategy to strengthen M&E capacity and summary budget for M&E that includes budget for baseline study, midterm and final evaluations; and monitoring. FFP may contract and manage a third-party firm to conduct the project’s baseline study and final evaluation. If FFP decides to do so, the budgets will be adjusted and finalized as necessary in the final negotiation process with successful applicants. (A description of required elements related to the M&E plan can be found in the Technical References on M&E.)

Learning, Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Strengthening. Applicants must develop a project learning plan that identifies how the project will: (1) ensure robust partner engagement with local government, civil society, other donor funded projects, and local researchers and academics; (2) identify and fill knowledge gaps, including ongoing efforts to understand and assess local context, and community needs and capacities, (3) ensure analysis and application of knowledge to improve project effectiveness, (4) capture and share results, lessons learned and promising practices, and (5) strengthen capacity of staff, partners and communities based on best practices and program learning.

d) Management and Logistics (8 pages maximum)

The management and logistics section of applications must include the following:

1. Management Structure. The management structure should ensure the efficient use of resources and strong and effective management, technical implementation, and administrative support. Include any details of consortium arrangements, including anticipated sub-awardees or sub-contractors. If a consortium is proposed, letters of commitment from consortium members must be included. The applicant should explain the management structure presented in the organizational chart (see Staffing below), with relationships among the individual positions described; logistical support; personnel management of expatriate and local staff; procurement arrangements for goods and services; and lines of authority and communications between organizations and staff.

Also include a brief description of each staff member's role, technical expertise, and estimated time (level of effort) each will devote to the project. USAID requires the key personnel function at 100 percent level of effort (defined as 40 hours/week).

2. Staffing. This section describes the applicant’s staffing plans for all activities with descriptions of the number and type of staff and their roles and responsibilities. The staffing plan should specify the composition and organizational structure of the entire implementation team (including home office support). It should also include an organizational chart and the curriculum vitae (CV) of the proposed Chief of Party (COP) as annexes. FFP’s minimum requirements for a COP include:

Master’s degree in development studies, international relations, agriculture, nutrition, public health or related field.

Minimum of ten years of progressively increasing management responsibility in international development projects.

Prior experience managing USAID-funded assistance projects of a similar size and scope in developing countries; experience managing multi-sectoral projects including agricultural development and maternal child health and nutrition.

Proven leadership skills. Demonstrated experience recruiting, developing, and managing staff.

Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and partners.

Experience managing programmatic and financial reporting requirements.

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and other language(s), as required.

Ability to travel within the country and internationally, as required.

Appropriate references.

During the issues letter phase, successful applicants may be requested to identify and provide CVs for key technical staff; possible key technical staff includes those responsible for nutrition and health, gender, environmental compliance, M&E, agriculture, natural resource management, agribusiness, marketing, and/or economics. If sub-recipients or a consortium management model are proposed, applicants should describe how the partnerships will be organized and managed to use the complementary capabilities of proposed partners most effectively, so as to minimize duplication of home office and local office management structures with attendant costs to the government.

Specify the responsibilities of all principal organizations and the rationale for their selection, and proposed staff and reporting relationships within and between each of these organizations. The applicant should also describe how they will ensure that standard approaches and procedures for engaging government and local authorities in implementation of activities will be utilized by the applicant and all sub-applicant organizations. Examples could include requiring standard procedures, qualifications, and criteria for hiring project staff across prime and sub-applicant organizations. Indicate timing of engagement of personnel based on anticipation of program needs across the life of project. Include location where proposed staff will be based.

3. Logistics Plan. This section includes an overview of the proposed food assistance commodity use, if any, along with commodity-related issues concerning direct distribution and monetization including, but not limited to, commodity requests, commodity substitutions (if select planned commodities are not available from the US or through LRP), commodity certificates, port/warehouse/road/rail infrastructure, commodity management, including fumigation6, and commodity transportation

(including inland and internal transport). The applicant is required to include an Annual

Estimate of Requirements and Commodity Pipeline for Title II commodities, i.e., data entered in FFPMIS. If the applicant has a current Title II award within the country they are applying, they must indicate any anticipated carry-over commodities and/or resources. Regarding Title II commodities for landlocked countries, applicants must note the designated points of entry (which are limited to four), and for special procurement or shipping requests, such as containerization or through-bills of lading, a detailed justification must be provided. Please note, for cash-only applications, only dollar amounts are entered into FFPMIS and commodity type, metric tonnage, and/or LRP, if applicable, are entered in the technical narrative or budget documents.

4. Monetization and/or Distribution Plan(s).

For information concerning the Monetization Plan, if applicable, please refer to the CSI.

For the Distribution Plan, if applicable, the applicant must discuss the local market factors and potential risks that may affect distribution of Title II and/or LRP commodities. Food assistance commodity distributions need to be planned and implemented in accordance with FFPIB 09-02 entitled, New Procedures to Determine

Compliance of P.L. 480 Title II Food Assistance Program Proposals with the Conditions of the Bellmon Amendment.

Information on the status of the Host Country Agreement must be included as well. Please see

Section VIII – Other Information, 2. Host Country Agreement.

e) Past Performance (4 pages maximum)

Applicants should provide records of relevant past performance that demonstrate evidence of their organizational capacity, relevant technical and managerial resources, and expertise to design and implement the described project. A mix of international and local organizations is encouraged, and consortium approaches will be accepted. Regardless of the architecture of organizational partnerships proposed, applicants must demonstrate experience and technical expertise in relevant sectors such as alternative livelihoods; agriculture; nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); micro-finance; climate change; and disaster risk reduction – as well as integrating gender equality, social inclusion, environmental safeguards, and climate-screening as cross-cutting themes.

If the applicant (and/or any member of a proposed consortium) has experience within the past three years in the proposed country and is submitting an application to assist participants in a region similar or identical to where it has previous experience, or in similar technical sectors in which it has worked in that country, the applicant should explicitly incorporate lessons learned from past projects into the description of Technical Interventions.

6 In keeping with requirements of the Programmatic Environmental Assessment: Commodity Protection by

Phosphine Fumigation in USAID Food Aid Programs (i.e., “Fumigation PEA”).

http://www.usaidgems.org/fumigationPEA.htm http://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/agriculture-and-food-security/food-assistance/guidance/food-peace-information-bulletins http://www.usaidgems.org/fumigationPEA.htm

The following items must be included in the Past Performance section of the application for solo applicants, the lead of the consortium, and any consortium members:

Evidence of experience in technical sectors.

Demonstrated accomplishments in implementing food security and nutrition projects.

Demonstrated compliance with FFP reporting requirements, if previously an implementing partner of FFP.

Description of past performance within the past three years implementing food assistance projects in the proposed country or other countries, if applicable;

Description of past performance within the past three years implementing nonfood assistance projects with similar sectors or actions (e.g., nutrition, agriculture, etc.) in the proposed country or other countries in the region; and

Any other evidence of the technical, financial, and managerial capability within the past three years to design, implement, and monitor the proposed interventions, including the number and size of projects managed or proposed.

In addition to the Past Performance section of the application, the applicant must include an annex of Past Performance supporting documentation. This annex should include: a list of all its

(and its consortium members’, if applicable) contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements involving similar or related programs during the past three years. The reference information for these awards must include the performance location, award number (if available), a brief description of the work performed, and a point of contact list with current telephone numbers and email addresses. Additionally, the annex must include the executive summary of final evaluations and audit reports for the past three years for those USG funded programs described above, as well as links to the full evaluations and audits. If links are not available, successful applications may be asked to scan documents and provide them electronically along with the issues letters responses. Within this annex, the applicant (either submitting on its own or as the lead of a consortium) must respond to any concerns raised in the final evaluation and/or in any audit findings of the past projects in the application for itself or for any members of the consortium to which the concerns apply. Finally, the applicant must upload their portion of the

Past Performance Reference Questionnaires directly to FFPMIS by the application deadline.

USAID reserves the right to obtain past performance information from other sources including those not named in the applications.

f) Budget (no page limit)

Cost proposals include the executive summary table, comprehensive budget, detailed budget, and budget narrative and must be submitted as a separate section, which is not subject to the page limitation of the application. Cost proposals must be in U.S. dollars only and include budget details as described below for the applicant, each member of the consortium (if applicable), sub-awardees and/or sub-contractors. Note that for restricted goods, the applicant (or prime in the case of sub-awards or lead in the case of a consortium) must ensure that they are identified in each budget and follow up with any approvals, as required.

1. Executive Summary Table for the Life of Award. Separate from the Executive Summary, an Executive Summary Table for the Life of Award must be submitted through FFPMIS. It captures dollar amounts of the proposed Title II commodity resources, if any, and various funding for the life of the award.

2. Comprehensive Budget. The comprehensive budget must incorporate all planned costs by object class category and funding type for each year of the project. The comprehensive budget will be uploaded into FFPMIS.

3. Detailed Budget. The detailed/itemized budget must list and account for individual line items within each object class and category for each program element. Object class categories are logical groupings of costs, such as staff salaries, fringe benefits, travel, capital equipment, supplies, and indirect costs. A suggested budget format is available on the FFP website. Also, if reimbursement for inland transport charges will be requested, include in the detailed budget an estimate of total U.S. dollars needed for inland transport. If this information is not yet available, please include the estimate and state in the budget narrative when the information will be submitted to FFP.

4. Budget Narrative. The budget narrative justifies proposed expenses and explains how costs were estimated. Applicants must provide their rationale for cost development, such as the methodology and assumptions used to determine individual costs. For ease of review, budget narratives must follow the order of line items in the detailed budget.

h) Annexes

The following is a list of annexes that must be included with the application.

Annex Type Methodology

1. Executive Summary Table for the Life of Award Data Entered on

FFPMIS

2. Comprehensive Budget Uploaded into FFPMIS

3. Detailed Budget Uploaded into FFPMIS

4. Budget Narrative Uploaded into FFPMIS

5. Monetization Table: If applicable, anticipated monetization proceeds and cost recovery data for all years.

See CSI for further information.

Data Entered on

FFPMIS

6. Annual Estimate of Requirements and Commodity Pipeline

(if relevant)

Data Entered on

FFPMIS

7. Log Frame (Upload the Log Frame in both places in lieu of

Results Framework & IPTT)

Uploaded into FFPMIS

8. Gender Analysis Plan (Provide information about the gender analysis plan only.) four pages maximum

Uploaded into FFPMIS

9. Environmental Safeguards Plan (Provide information about the environmental safeguards plan only.) four pages maximum

Uploaded into FFPMIS http://www.usaid.gov/documents/1866/fy-2014-rfa-budget-template#overlay-context=

10. Country Map(s) with any proposed and any ongoing

Activity Area(s) by Applicant and/or members of the consortium

Uploaded into FFPMIS

11. Past Performance Supporting Documentation, including the Past Performance Reference Questionnaire

Uploaded into FFPMIS

12. Applicant Organizational Chart (and information on consortium or sub-awardee structure, if applicable)

Uploaded into FFPMIS

13. Curriculum Vitae (CV) of Chief of Party upon submission of the application, and other key personnel CVs (based on the successful applicant’s project design) requested in an issues letter prior to the signing of the award

Uploaded into FFPMIS

14. Motor Vehicle Procurement Table Uploaded into FFPMIS

15. Letter(s) of Commitment Uploaded into FFPMIS

16. Glossary and List of Acronyms Uploaded into FFPMIS

6. Funding Restrictions

For special considerations and information pertaining to ineligible and restricted goods, services, and countries, please see the USAID Automated Directives System (ADS) Major Functional

Series 300: Acquisition and Assistance, Chapter 312 - Eligibility of Commodities.