FY2024 Food For Progress Notice of Funding Opportunity.pdf

FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICE

International Food Assistance Division

Global Programs

FOOD FOR PROGRESS PROGRAM

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FISCAL YEAR

Request for Applications and Instructions

Application Submission Deadline: July 1, 2024

April 25, 2024

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

ABC American Business Club ABSSA l’Agence Béninoise de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments AI Artificial Insemination

APEMBA Agricultural Project for Enhancing Sorghum, Millet, and Peanuts Business Activity in Madagascar

APHIS Animal and Plant Health Inspections Service APIEX Agence Pour La Promotions des Investissements et de Exportation ASA Agriculture Seed Agency ASDPII Agricultural Sector Development Programme II

CACAM UNICECAM

CAGE Commercial and Government Entity CCC Commodity Credit Corporation CCN Cooperating Country National CFR Code of Federal Regulations CLA Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting COI Conflict of Interest COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa COP Chief of Party CPAR Contractor Performance Assessment Report CSA Climate Smart Agriculture CTB L’Collectif des Confederations des Transporteurs de Marchandises du Benin CV Curriculum Vitae DID Difference in Difference EAC East African Community EBIZ e-Business ECOWAS Economic Community of West Africa States ESIGN Act Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act FAIS Food Aid Information System FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAS Foreign Agricultural Service FASA Financing for Agricultural Small-and-Medium Enterprises in Africa FD Food Development FFPr Food for Progress FOFIFA National Centre of Applied Research in Rural Development FSMA Food Safety Modernization Act FTF Feed the Future FY Fiscal Year FYDP III National Five-Year Development Plan GAHP Good Animal Husbandry Practices

GAP Good Agricultural Practices GDP Gross Domestic Product GHG Greenhouse Gas GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GMP Good Manufacturing Practice GOA Government of Cambodia GOM Government of Madagascar GOSL Government of Sri Lanka GOT Government of Tanzania HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point HO Home Office HQ Headquarters ICR Indirect Cost Rate IFAD International Food Assistance Division IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development IFC International Finance Corporation IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ISC Institute of Standard of Cambodia IT Information Technology IVR Interactive Voice Response JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency LCCSA Laboratoire Central de Contrôle de la Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments LNS SF Lipid Based Nutrient Supplement M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MAEP Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock MAFF Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries MEF Ministry of Economy and Finance MEL Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning MINAGRI Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources MINEDUC Ministry of Education MINICOM Ministry of Trade and Industry MISTI Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation MIT Ministry of Industry and Trade MLDF Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries MOA Ministry of Agriculture MOC Ministry of Commerce MOD Market Oriented Dairy MOE Ministry of Environment MOH Ministry of Health MOT Ministry of Tourism MOU Memorandum of Understanding

MSMEs Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises MT Metric Ton(s) NAEB National Agricultural Export Development Board NCAGE North Atlantic Treaty Organization Commercial and Government Entity NICRA Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement NIRC National Irrigation Commission NOFO Notice of Funding Opportunity NSPA North Atlantic Treaty Organization Support Activity OIE World Organization for Animal Health OMB Office of Management and Budget PAMF Première Agence de Microfinance PIC World Bank Integrated Growth Poles and Corridor Sop-2 PICAS Integrated Agricultural Growth Cluster Project PMO Prime Minister Office PO-RALG President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Governments PSM Propensity Score Matching RAB Rwanda Agriculture Board RALIS Rwanda Agriculture and Livestock Inspection and Certification Services RCT Randomized Control Trial REMA Rwanda Environment Management Agency RF Results Framework RFDA Rwanda Foods and Drugs Authority RICA Rwanda Inspectorate, Competitions and Consumer Protection Authority RSB Rwanda Standards Board RUSF/MQ Ready-to-use Nutritional Food SAM System for Award Management SGM BFV - Société Générale Madagasikara SIP Port Information System SMS Short Message Service SPOC State Point of Contact SPS Sanitary and Phytosanitary Regulations TAIDF Tanzania Agro-industry Development Flagship TCDC Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission TCN Third Country National TDV 2025 Tanzania Development Vision 2025 TEE Trade Enabling Environment TLS Trade Liberation Scheme TRASE Trade of Agriculture Safely and Efficiently in East Africa UEI Unique Entity Identifier USAID United States Agency for International Development USD U.S. Dollars

USDA United States Department of Agriculture USG United States Government USN U.S. Nationals WHO World Health Organization WTO World Trade Organization

Contents A. Program Description

1. Summary

2. Funding Opportunity Numbers

3. Assistance Listing Number

4. Authorizing Legislation and Program Regulations

B. Federal Award Information C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants:

2. Multiple Applications and Awards

3. Substantial Compliance

4. Evidence of Eligibility

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Submission Dates and Times

2. Food Aid Information System (FAIS)

3. Content and Form of Application Submission

4. Specific Application Formats

5. Content Guidance

a. Cover Sheet (1 page)

b. Strategic Analysis (15 pages)

c. Plan of Operation (20 pages)

d. Organizational Capacity and Staffing (4 pages)

e. Monitoring and Evaluation (24 pages)

f. Commodity Management (10 pages)

g. Budget

6. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

7. SAM.gov Registration Instructions

8. Intergovernmental Review

9. Funding Restrictions and Indirect Costs

10. Other Submission Information

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

E. Application Review Information

1. Review and Selection Process

2. Evaluation Criteria

3. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance

4. Integrity in Performance

5. Conflict of Interest

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Notices of Funding Selection and Agreement Negotiation

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Subaward and Executive Compensation Reporting

4. Mandatory Disclosures

5. Reporting

6. Monitoring

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact

H. Other Information

1. Faith-Based Organizations

2. Extensions

3. Prior Approval

4. Budget Revisions

5. Post-award program income

6. Electronic Signatures

APPENDIX A – Application Content Checklist

APPENDIX B – Country Guidance

APPENDIX C – Budget Summary APPENDIX D – Budget Narrative Example

APPENDIX E – Results Framework and Illustrative Examples of Foundational Results

APPENDIX F – Past Performance Review Template

APPENDIX G – Potential Available Commodities

A. Program Description

1. Summary The Food for Progress (FFPr) Program provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities to developing countries and emerging democracies committed to introducing and expanding free enterprise in the agricultural sector. The commodities are generally sold on the local market and the proceeds are used to support agricultural development activities.

Food for Progress has two high-level strategic objectives: (1) increase agricultural productivity, and (2) expand trade of agricultural products (domestically, regionally, and internationally).

In FY 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has prioritized the following technical areas for the FFPr Program:

1. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA): USDA/FAS seeks to strengthen FFPr Program projects to align with the USDA climate initiatives. USDA/FAS is requiring Applicants for awards under the FFPr Program to incorporate climate smart agricultural components into all their projects wherever appropriate and respond to the increasing risks which climate change presents both to farmers and to a livable global environment.

2. Trade Enabling Environment (TEE): USDA seeks to continue its work through the FFPr Program in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), food safety, and trade facilitation, including the simplification, modernization, and harmonization of processes for the export, import, and transit of agricultural goods. To ensure long lasting impact of their proposed agricultural development interventions, Applicants should: (a) consider agricultural sectors with end market opportunities which require consistent safety and quality measures, and (b) seek to assure that their work in SPS and Trade Facilitation is science-based and contributes to the three pillars of food security in target countries (access to, affordability of, and utilization of safe and nutritious food).

3. Strengthening Food Security: USDA/FAS contributes to the global poverty and hunger initiative of the U.S. Government (USG) by aligning USDA’s international food assistance with the USG’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative. The Global Food Security Act of 2016 and corresponding FTF initiative affirm the United States’ commitment to ending global hunger, poverty, and child malnutrition. Through the FFPr Program, USDA/FAS will continue its work in food security by assisting farmers to increase their income through diversification, stronger market linkages and adoption of good agriculture practices. Applicants are encouraged to align proposed interventions with the objectives found in the FTF results framework, where appropriate, and are required to ensure that proposed activities are complementary and not duplicative.

2. Funding Opportunity Numbers USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-24(518) – Benin USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-24(554) – Madagascar

USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-24(480) – Tunisia USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-24(544) – Rwanda USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-24(303) – Cambodia USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-24(572) – Tanzania USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-24(688) – Sri Lanka

3. Assistance Listing Number

10.606 Food for Progress

4. Authorizing Legislation and Program Regulations The Food for Progress Program is authorized by section 1110 of the Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o). The program regulations are found at 7 CFR part 1499.

B. Federal Award Information

Total Available Federal Funding: $220,000,000

Anticipated Number of Awards: 7 – Each individual award is expected to be in the range of $20M-$35M.

Please refer to Appendix B, Country Guidance, for specific budget ranges for each country. Each Country Guidance includes the Award Value (Total commodity cost + CCC admin funds + freight) as well as the Anticipated Operating Budget (anticipated monetization proceeds + CCC admin funds). This Anticipated Operating Budget may also be supplemented by any cost share the Applicant proposes, which is not included in the default Anticipated Operating Budget figure provided in the Country Guidance.

Cost Share/Match Requirement: Not required, but will be positively scored. See section E.

Projected Period of Performance Start: October 1, 2024

Projected Period of Performance End: September 30, 2029

Type of Assistance Instrument:

USDA/FAS will fund Cooperative Agreement pursuant to this Notice of Funding Opportunity

(NOFO).

A cooperative agreement provides for substantial involvement in the performance of the project between USDA/FAS and the Applicant that receives the award (the “recipient,” as defined in 7 CFR section 1499.2). This may include:

• close monitoring of the successful Applicant’s performance to verify the results proposed by the Applicant;

• collaborating during performance of the work;

• in accordance with 2 CFR section 200.325, reviewing proposed procurement;

• approving an organizational chart identifying the names, roles, and responsibilities of all the Applicant’s key personnel, as well as key personnel qualifications, and any subsequent changes or absences (USDA will not select the recipient’s employees or contractors but will disallow costs for specific individuals where required by statute or regulation); and

• reviewing and commenting on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

Additional Awards or No Awards USDA/FAS reserves the right to make additional awards under this solicitation, consistent with Agency policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. USDA/FAS reserves the right to make no awards under this solicitation.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants:

In accordance with the Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o), the following entities are eligible Applicants (see 7 CFR section 1499.2 for definitions):

• The government of an emerging agricultural country

• An intergovernmental organization

• A private voluntary organization

• A nonprofit agricultural organization or cooperative

• A nongovernmental organization

• A college or university

• Any other private entity

All Applicants will be reviewed for eligibility and must meet the requirements described in this NOFO to be considered eligible.

All Applicants must have an active registration in the U.S. Government System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) before the application submission deadline of the announcement.

Applicants with inactive, expired, pending, or excluded listings will be deemed ineligible.

Exceptions, waivers, or extensions will not be considered. Please contact the program officer(s) listed in Section G, Federal Awarding Agency Contact, if you have questions about this requirement. Exceptions, waivers, or extensions will not be considered.

2. Multiple Applications and Awards An Applicant may submit more than one application in response to this NOFO and may be offered more than one award.

3. Substantial Compliance Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Part D of this solicitation or else they will be rejected. While this NOFO provides guidance regarding minimum type size, Applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in application format, including selecting a legible font type and size for use in the application.

4. Evidence of Eligibility Applicants are responsible for including documentation, if necessary, establishing that they meet the stated eligibility requirements when it is not immediately obvious. An Applicant should not presume that USDA/FAS is sufficiently familiar with its organization that this is unnecessary, and USDA/FAS will not make assumptions as to the nature of the Applicant’s organization.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml;jsessionid=8994B700ACE1C80B67BF08AB2BD19784?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title7-section1736o&num=0&saved=%7CKHRpdGxlOjcgc2VjdGlvbjoxNzM2byBlZGl0aW9uOnByZWxpbSk%3D%7C%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9dfff371eeaeee4cef83c4cee94eeee5&mc=true&node=pt7.10.1499&rgn=div5#se7.10.1499_12 http://www.sam.gov/

D. Application and Submission Information This announcement contains all information necessary to apply to this funding opportunity.

1. Submission Dates and Times Deadline for Question Submission: June 26, 2024 Applicants may submit questions up until 5:00:00 P.M. EDT on June 26, 2024 by emailing ppded@usda.gov and including “FY24 FFPr NOFO” in the subject line of the email.

USDA/FAS will consider questions submitted by the deadline to the extent practicable and post responses to questions on Grants.gov on a weekly basis as they are received. Applicants may access the responses in the “Related Documents” tab of the grant opportunity page on Grants.gov.

Application Submission Deadline: July 1, 2024 at 5:00 PM EDT (UTC -04:00)

Applications received after this time will not be accepted. Applicants are advised to make their submissions 1-2 days before this deadline in case of computer problems.

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: August 1, 2024

Anticipated Award Date September 15, 2024

2. Food Aid Information System (FAIS) Applications must be submitted to USDA/FAS through the FAIS by the Application Submission Deadline. USDA/FAS will run a report from the FAIS system showing all submissions received prior to 5:00:00 P.M. EDT on July 1, 2024. Applications received after this time will not be accepted. Applicants are advised to make their submissions 1-2 days before this deadline in case of computer problems. Any automatic response from FAIS that USDA/FAS received the application does not constitute a statement that the application is complete. Instructions for submitting the application are located on the FAIS homepage. Before a potential Applicant can view the FAIS homepage, it must first establish a FAIS account. See the following website for more information: https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system. Applicants that do not have internet access, have trouble accessing FAIS, or require assistance with any USDA-managed computer system should reach out to the program officer(s) listed in Part G: Federal Awarding Agency Contact, at least 5 business days in advance of the application submission deadline. Applicants should provide as much detail as possible to facilitate resolution of the issue.

3. Content and Form of Application Submission An Application Content Checklist can be found in Appendix A.

All applications must include the following content and forms to be considered complete:

• Cover Sheet – 1 page https://apps.fas.usda.gov/fais/webapp/ https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system

• Strategic Analysis – 15 pages

• Plan of Operation – 20 pages

• Organizational Capacity and Staffing – 4 pages o Capacity and Staffing o In-Country Registration o Curriculum Vitae for Chief of Party (4 page maximum; excluded from Organizational

Capacity and Staffing page count) o Organizational Chart (1 page maximum; excluded from Organizational Capacity and

Staffing page count) o Project-Specific Commitment Letters from anticipated subrecipients (if subrecipients are proposed) (no page limit restrictions; excluded from Organizational Capacity and Staffing page count) o Past Performance Records (no page limit restrictions; excluded from Organizational Capacity and Staffing page count)

• Monitoring and Evaluation – 24 pages o Project-Level Results Framework – 5 pages o Performance Indicators – 5 pages o Evaluation Plan – 14 pages

• Commodity Management – 10 page maximum

• Budget o Budget Summary – 1 page o Detailed Budget – no page limit restrictions o Budget Narrative – 25 page maximum o Applicant’s most recent approved NICRA agreement (no page limit restrictions) (See

Part D Section 4 g, Budget, for more on indirect costs) o Standard Form SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance, showing the Unique

Entity Identifier (UEI), and signed by the Applicant, submitted on active nonexpired form.

• An Applicant that is not a Foreign Public Entity should submit a Certification Regarding Lobbying within the SF-424. If an Applicant that is not a Foreign Public Entity is involved in lobbying activities, the Applicant is required to submit SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying.

• Single Audit (Applicant’s most recent; no page limit restrictions)

Additional details on the content of each section of the proposal are found below in Part D Section 5, Content Guidance. Applicants should review this guidance to determine which sections require data input directly into the Food Aid Information System (FAIS) and which sections may be submitted as attachments. FAS strongly discourages, and will not consider, any materials submitted by or on behalf of the Applicant other than those materials specifically requested in this NOFO.

4. Specific Application Formats Applications must:

• Be completed in English.

• Be legible and easily readable.

• Be single spaced and adhere to the maximum page limits per section for all content to be considered (see Section C.3.).

Applications should:

• Use Times New Roman size 12 font with one-inch margins.

• Be paginated with each page consecutively numbered in the footer.

• Be submitted as PDF files, unless otherwise specified in the NOFO.

• Cite any source information and provide an explanation of the analysis undertaken throughout the application.

• Be reduced in file size to the greatest extent that is reasonable.

• Not be certified, signed, or password protected.

5. Content Guidance All FFPr Program applications must include the following as attachments in FAIS:

a. Cover Sheet (1 page) Applicants must provide an introductory cover sheet with the following information:

• Applicant organization name

• Subrecipient organization(s) name(s)

• Priority country

• Award funding request, itemized by commodities, freight and admin, and operating budget.

• Number of direct beneficiaries

• A paragraph summary of the project’s technical approach

b. Strategic Analysis (15 pages)

Applicants must provide evidence of their understanding of the priority country and local context and respond to the priorities outlined in the Country Specific Guidance. This should not be general background information, but a current situational analysis of the country under the priority sector(s) and all the key agricultural conditions in the country. The Applicant should not merely repeat what is already described in the Country Guidance but should convincingly describe how the Applicant proposes to achieve the Goal and Priorities (see the respective Country Guidance), detailing the results to be achieved and the methodology employed.

Applicants must identify what needs to be addressed within the priority sector(s). Applicants must also provide a clear, cost-effective strategy regarding the proposed interventions and why those interventions are important for achieving the objectives of the project. In this section, Applicants should also:

• Describe where opportunities for lasting impact exist and why interventions at those points are the most appropriate, context specific, and replicable for creating sustainable change after the proposed project ends. Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of potential end-markets for any targeted value chains.

• Introduce the target geographic area(s) and the beneficiary group(s) and the justification of the selected areas. Applicants may include illustrations such as geographic maps, value chain maps, climate vulnerability maps, or other visualizations to support strategic analysis.

• Showcase an understanding of key private sector actors as well as existing USG and other donor funded projects and why collaboration with these various actors will contribute to the success of the proposed project.

• Highlight interventions to increase the role of youth, women, minorities, and indigenous communities in the priority sector(s) to advance gender and racial justice and equality.

Explain why such interventions would increase opportunities for these groups.

• Provide an analysis of climate conditions and pre-existing climate smart approaches in the priority sector(s) and why new or further climate smart interventions would be beneficial to sector growth and combatting climate change.

c. Plan of Operation (20 pages)

This section must build off the Strategic Analysis (see subsection b. above) and expand on how the Applicant will implement the chosen interventions to meet the needs identified in the Strategic Analysis. Applicants should convincingly articulate how proposed activities, which will accomplish the goal presented in the country guidance, are technically and politically feasible within five years. Applicants should deploy diverse and innovative approaches that are designed for the local context. While describing proposed activities in this section, Applicants should:

• Establish target geographic areas and beneficiaries per activity – Clearly indicate the target geographic area(s) and beneficiaries for each activity.

• Show clear process – Provide detailed steps for the implementation of each activity. This should include major milestones and anticipated activity completion dates.

• Create Economies of Scale – Highlight how economies of scale in both input purchases and sales can be achieved for individual smallholder farmers, such as through farmer organizations, to create more broad-based growth. Explain how chosen activities create efficiencies in the priority sector(s) that benefit smallholders.

• Foster Local Capacity, Self-Reliance, and Sustainability – Clearly outline how proposed activities will foster local capacity and national self-reliance and ensure sustainability well beyond the life of the project, including linking to end-markets.

• Partner with the private sector – Explain how the Applicant will seek to develop partnerships with responsible private sector firms while implementing the activities.

• Embrace Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles – Coordinate and collaborate activities with a broad set of appropriate local actors; test promising new approaches in a continuous search for improvement; and build on what works, while eliminating what does not.

• Address Climate Change – Highlight the integration of climate change solutions and adaptations into the activities.

• Advance Racial Justice, Equity, and Opportunity – Include explicit efforts to promote gender and racial equity and incorporate critical gender issues in project implementation.

Ensure that women, minorities, and indigenous communities are able to participate in proposed activities and there is equitable access to resources, especially in financing.

• Leverage Other Investments – Specify how the Applicant will work with other USG and development partners in implementing activities. Activities should complement ongoing projects on the ground. The project should not operate in isolation.

• Explain Subrecipients’ Roles – Clearly state subrecipients’ roles and responsibilities in these activities and provide justification for their inclusion in the project.

d. Organizational Capacity and Staffing (4 pages) Applicants must clearly demonstrate their organizational capacities to implement the proposed project across all aspects of project management. Current and past experience in agricultural projects, especially within the priority area or targeted geographic area(s), must be included in this section.

The Organizational Capacity and Staffing section should also include a staffing plan that demonstrates the technical and geographic expertise required for efficient and effective project implementation, administration, and management. The staffing plan should include a brief description of all long-term staff positions and required levels of experience. The Applicant should avoid excessive staffing and be as cost effective as possible. FAS may request changes to the final staffing plan during award negotiation or project implementation.

Applicants must also identify any proposed subrecipients and provide a description of each subrecipient’s responsibilities and capabilities. Subrecipient means an entity that enters into a sub-agreement with the Applicant for the purpose of implementing in the target country activities described in an agreement. Such an entity would receive commodities, CCC-provided funds, program income, sale proceeds, or other resources from the Applicant to use for this purpose and would be accountable to the Applicant for the use of such commodities, funds, program income, sale proceeds, or resources. The UEI for each subrecipient must be included in the description.

Applicants are encouraged to include U.S. minority- and women-owned small businesses.

Applicants must disclose their registration status in the target country. Applicants not registered must provide a clear plan to become registered and a timeline to complete the registration process including potential delays. Applicants with active registration in the target country must provide the date they became registered and any relevant information and dates regarding the expiration of their registration.

In addition, Applicants must provide the following items related to the Organizational Capacity and Staffing section. Each item will be submitted as a separate attachment to, and excluded from the page count of, the section:

• Organizational Chart and Key Personnel (1-page limit) – Applicants must include an appropriate and adequate organizational chart that identifies Key Personnel positions.

The Key Personnel would be managers with general responsibilities for implementation of an agreement, such as the country director, finance director, and Chief of Party, as well as critical technical staff for specific activities under an agreement. Should the application be selected for funding, the information on key personnel will be added to the Plan of Operation in the agreement. If subrecipient(s) are proposed, they should be identified in the organizational chart so that a clear reporting structure between the subrecipient(s) and the Applicant is established.

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) for Chief of Party (4-page limit) – The Applicant must attach, as part of the proposal, the CV for the proposed project lead, the Chief of Party. This person will provide major oversight of the proposed FFPr Program project. The CV must clearly demonstrate the project lead’s relevant work experience and qualifications.

• Subrecipient Letters of Commitment (no page limit) – A project-specific commitment letter from each proposed subrecipient should be included. Letters of support from entities that are not subrecipients must not be included with the application.

• Past Performance Reviews (no page limit) – Applicants should identify references for at least one and no more than three grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts implemented by the organization within the previous five years. For projects without a Contractor Performance Assessment Report (CPAR) on CPARS.gov, each reference should complete a Past Performance Review form (see Appendix F) and submit it to ppded@usda.gov by the closing date of this announcement. For any reference projects with an existing CPAR on CPARS.gov, the Applicant may provide that CPAR as a substitute for submitting a Past Performance Review form. Please share the CPAR information (contract number, assessment date, and UEI) in an email to ppded@usda.gov.

When selecting references to submit past performance review forms, Applicants are encouraged to select references with knowledge of the Applicant’s past performance of projects that are similar in scope and size to the programming in the Applicant’s proposal, including those projects specifically mentioned in the Strategic Analysis section of the Applicant’s proposal. An Applicant is strongly encouraged to include at least one review from a reference with knowledge of its performance of a past or active award outside of USDA’s international food assistance programs.

If a proposed subrecipient will receive 20% or more of the proposed operating budget for the project, the Applicant must submit one Past Performance Review from a reference for the subrecipient to ppded@usda.gov by the closing date of this announcement.

e. Monitoring and Evaluation (24 pages) FAS requires an Applicant to submit three monitoring and evaluation documents in its proposal:

1) a Results Framework (RF) (graphic and narrative), 2) a Performance Indicators table, and 3) an Evaluation Plan.

Results Framework (5-page limit) The project-level RF must clearly identify how the proposed project will contribute to the Food for Progress program-level results framework, as shown in Appendix E. A project-level RF has two components:

1. A graphical representation of the project’s theory of change. The suggested length of the graphical RF is 2 pages. A strong graphical RF should:

• Use the FFPr Program-level RF as the basis of the project-level RF.

• Identify which results the proposed project will contribute to, and which the proposed mailto:ppded@usda.gov mailto:ppded@usda.gov project will NOT contribute to.

o A single project is not expected to contribute to all of the results in the program-level RF. Projects typically contribute to a subset of program-level results, and may also contribute to custom results, reflecting the specific country and programmatic context of the proposed project. The number of results contributed to will not be a factor in proposal evaluation.

• Display the project’s proposed activities and align each with the result(s) the activity will help achieve. Applicants should use short, descriptive activity titles so that readers have enough information to understand how a proposed activity will logically lead to a result.

• Add custom results, beyond what is available in the program-level RF, to communicate additional results the proposed project is designed to achieve. This is particularly important for projects such as Trade Enabling Environment focused projects that typically work towards results not already displayed on the program-level RF.

2. A narrative text, articulating the project’s theory of change, describing the cause-and-effect linkages outlined in the Strategic Analysis. The suggested length of the narrative is 3 pages. A strong narrative should:

• Reference existing research to support the theory of change.

• Identify critical assumptions that support the theory of change. Critical assumptions are external conditions that are necessary for success of the project, but over which the project implementers have little or no control. Critical assumptions that have a high probability of occurring and, if realized, will prohibit the project from achieving its desired results are defined as “killer assumptions.” Generally, projects should not have killer assumptions.

• For each FFPr Program-level result to which the proposed project will not contribute, explain why.

• Provide a convincing argument that the project’s theory of change will achieve the intermediate and highest-level results and these results will be sustained beyond project completion.

o A strong narrative will tie desired results into the sustainable impact of activities proposed in the Plan of Operation. An applicant should have a plan to develop local ownership of the project and develop sustainable partnerships to maximize the potential for the benefits of the project to endure over time.

Overall, the project-level RF should reflect sound, causal thinking. The project logic should follow a chain of cause-and-effect relationships. There should be no significant causal gaps or large leaps from one level in the causal hierarchy to the next. Proposed activities should be sufficient to produce outputs, achieve initial and intermediate results, and contribute to the strategic objectives. If activities do not align with results, Applicants should remove them and revise the proposal to include activities that directly support results.

Performance Indicators (5-page limit)

Applicants must submit a table of standard and custom performance indicators for their proposed project results. Performance indicators identify how to recognize the success of the project and help to clarify results. For each indicator, the Applicant must identify a baseline value (where possible), annual targets for each year of the project, and a life of project target. Applicants should include, at a minimum, these columns in the table: Performance Indicator, Standard or Custom, Baseline Value, Year X Target, Year Y Target, etc. (numbers to correspond to each year in the project), and Life of Project Target.

Standard FFPr Program performance indicators are required, where appropriate. Each result included in the proposed project should have one or more corresponding indicators in the indicator table. If an Applicant addresses a result that has a corresponding standard indicator, it must include the standard indicator in its table. If the Applicant believes that the corresponding standard indicator is not applicable to its project, the Applicant must provide a brief explanation of why the indicator is not appropriate in a footnote at the bottom of the table. When a standard indicator isn’t available for a proposed project result, the Applicant should include a custom indicator for that result. Custom indicators proposed for a project should be a mix of output and outcome indicators, in alignment with the result level(s). As described in the Monitoring and Evaluation Policy, custom indicators should also meet the criteria of being direct, objective, adequate, and practical. USDA/FAS does not require a specific number of indicators per result;

however, the number of proposed indicators should be sufficient to monitor the proposed project’s performance in achieving each result. Applicants may consult publicly available USG indicator sets as resources for their proposed custom indicators. Examples of these resources include Feed the Future indicators (beyond those already included as standard FFPr Program performance indicators) or the State Department’s Foreign Assistance Standard Indicators.

Applicants should review the FFPr Program standard indicators carefully to propose indicators that will reflect applicable climate smart activities. For example, standard indicator numbers 2, 4, and 17 include disaggregates that reflect aspects of climate smart agriculture. If needed, Applicants can capture additional climate smart results with custom indicators, and may consult publicly available, established indicator sets such as those in USAID’s Global Climate Change Indicator Handbook.

Evaluation Plan (14-page limit) Applicants must submit a draft evaluation plan. Each evaluation plan should include a comprehensive approach to evaluating the project’s performance and impact. Please review the International Food Assistance Division’s Monitoring and Evaluation Policy or information that will shape the evaluation plan. For example, note that recipients will be required to hire external evaluators to conduct evaluations of the project.

The evaluation plan should be developed as a stand-alone document that can be shared with interested entities and the public. This evaluation plan must include, at a minimum, the following information:

• Introduction – Provide a brief description of the purpose of the evaluation plan and how it will be used by the project and other entities with which the Applicant will be https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/resources/guidance-food-aid-program-standard-indicators https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/resources/monitoring-and-evaluation-policy https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/resources/monitoring-and-evaluation-policy https://agrilinks.org/post/feed-future-indicator-handbook https://www.state.gov/foreign-assistance-resource-library/ https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.climatelinks.org%2Fresources%2Fgcc-standard-indicator-handbook&data=04%7C01%7C%7C0990841d1914479f8ff308d9e5c72c25%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C637793465986697837%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=qbvKK8HZpBDzz9j8a31afmUCQzkxSV6HY2aQB8cqW30%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.climatelinks.org%2Fresources%2Fgcc-standard-indicator-handbook&data=04%7C01%7C%7C0990841d1914479f8ff308d9e5c72c25%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C637793465986697837%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=qbvKK8HZpBDzz9j8a31afmUCQzkxSV6HY2aQB8cqW30%3D&reserved=0 https://www.fas.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2019-06/fad_mande_policy_feb_2019.pdf working.

• Project Overview – Provide a summary description of the project strategy, including the project strategic objectives and expected results. The project-level RF should be referenced here, and the overview should provide a brief description of the project activities and corresponding targeted project beneficiaries. The project overview will provide important context to the evaluation plan and methodology proposed.

• Evaluation Approach and Methodologies – Describe the overall evaluation approach, how Applicants will cooperate in the design of evaluations to ensure a participatory process, and the quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods that will be used throughout the project. An evaluation approach may include repeat cross-sectional designs or panel studies, and may also consist of direct observations, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and secondary data analysis. These methodologies should be described in detail, including sample design, expected sample sizes, and key informants.

The Applicant should also describe the strengths and weaknesses in the proposed methodology for measuring impact and assessing attribution. If the Applicant is proposing an impact evaluation, the evaluation plan should identify the proposed design (experimental or quasi-experimental) and method of attribution (e.g., a randomized control trial (RCT), difference-in-differences (DID), or propensity score matching (PSM)). If the Applicant is not proposing an impact evaluation, provide a justification for why not and describe how the methodology will assess contribution. A good evaluation plan will demonstrate why the evaluation approach is appropriate to the project context and how that evaluation design will be useful for project learning.

• Baseline Study – Provide a description of the Applicant’s plan to establish performance indicator baseline information and targets that the project will use to measure performance and report to USDA/FAS at regular intervals. Baseline data will be collected for two purposes: (1) to measure progress on performance indicators, and

(2) to assess project outcomes and impacts using evaluation methods. Specify who will conduct the baseline, the timeline, and how the project plans to use the baseline findings.

• Midterm Evaluation – Provide a description of the project’s midterm evaluation strategy and activities, if applicable. Identify the purpose and scope of the evaluation, preliminary key evaluation questions, methodology, and key audience for the evaluation. Include a timeline for the conduct of key evaluation activities and a description of how the project will use the evaluation findings and recommendations.

• Final Evaluation – Provide a description of the project’s final evaluation strategy and activities. Identify the purpose and scope of the evaluation, preliminary key evaluation questions, methodology, and the key audience for the evaluation. Include a timeline for the conduct of key evaluation activities and a description of how evaluation findings and recommendations can be used.

• Alignment with the Food for Progress Learning Agenda – USDA/FAS advises

Applicants to review the Food for Progress Learning Agenda. Applicants should include a short section in their evaluation plan explaining which questions in the Learning Agenda their proposed evaluations, special studies, or both will contribute to answering. Applicants should also explain in this section how the proposed research will contribute to answering the questions, which may include, for example, specifying the proposed methods to be used to generate evidence regarding a specific question.

• Learning – Briefly describe the project’s dissemination strategy for improving the knowledge base and sharing evaluation findings and lessons learned. Also describe how the project and the Applicant intend to use evaluation findings, ideally including examples of how findings or evidence have been used in similar contexts and referencing the Applicant’s overall learning culture.

• Special Studies (where applicable) – Proposals may include plans to conduct special studies focused on a particular intervention, sector, or technical area that may aid Applicants in identifying project effectiveness, impact, or lessons learned complementary to the required midterm and final evaluations. Proposals may also include the conduct of qualitative or anthropologic studies that help connect evaluation information, provide context to evaluation findings, or offer a better understanding of evaluation findings.

• Evaluation Management – Briefly describe an evaluation management structure that reflects standards and principles of evaluation independence and credibility. Indicate whether the Applicant maintains an evaluation unit and, if so, describe where it is located and how it will be involved in managing project evaluations. Address the roles and responsibilities of other entities with which the project will be working, and key interested parties throughout the evaluation process. More detailed descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of the Applicant’s Monitoring and Evaluation staff should be included in the staffing plan and organizational chart described in the Plan of Operation and Activities section above.

• Evaluation Budget – Applicants must allocate, at a minimum, three percent (3%) of the operating budget towards monitoring and evaluation. In the calculation of this three percent, the numerator should be the actual M&E costs and should not contain indirect costs or cost share. The denominator should be the operating budget (Grand Total Costs) minus any cost share. Indirect costs should be included in the denominator. The three percent minimum excludes salaries and travel of monitoring and evaluation staff.

Examples of items that count towards the three percent minimum investment are costs of designing a monitoring database, database licenses, infrastructure for data collection such as tablets, and external contracts for evaluations and special studies. For evaluation plans which include conducting impact evaluations, USDA/FAS expects costs to range from five to ten percent (5% - 10%) of the operating budget. The draft evaluation plan submitted with the proposal should include a short table showing the evaluation budget broken into key line items, including separate lines for the baseline, https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/resources/food-progress-learning-agenda midterm, and final evaluation costs. Applicants should also include a summary of the monitoring and evaluation budget in the General Explanatory Comments section of the Budget Narrative. (See Appendix D - Budget Narrative Example.)

f. Commodity Management (10 pages)

The funding for this award is predicated on the sale of U.S. agricultural commodities. The ability to manage the monetization of commodities is an essential element of successfully implementing a FFPr Program award. In this section, Applicants must document the reasoning for their commodity selection and demonstrate that a sufficient level of market analysis has been performed to determine the most appropriate commodity. This includes considerations of local demand, cost recovery, the impact on local production and markets, the impact on commercial sales, and any specific country concerns that would impact the potential sale.

Applicants that have experience successfully monetizing commodities should include information relevant to their capacity. If there is no prior experience, Applicants should describe their proposed plans to hire an experienced agent or third-party consultant to perform this element of the award.

Commodity List Applicants must provide the following information:

• Commodity type(s) (Applicants may consider a basket of approved commodities.)

• Commodity specifications or target grades and standards

• Commodity End Use: Specify how the commodity will be used, i.e., food sector, feed sector, or other industrial sector. What does the end use market look like in the monetization country or region?

• Quantity in Metric Tons (MT): Tonnages should be whole numbers only and in multiples of 10

• Destination Country or Region

• Estimated Delivery to U.S. Port (Month and Year)

• Estimated Sales Price per MT

• Estimated Proceeds

• Estimated Rate of Return (70% minimum is target)

Special Needs and Distribution Methods Each proposal must include detailed information on special needs and distribution of commodities. This includes information on: 1) Transportation, Bagging (if required) and Storage; 2) Processing or Packaging; 3) Duty Free Entry; and 4) Economic Impact. Please use the following guidance when completing this information.

• Transportation and Storage The purpose of this section is to provide assurances to USDA/FAS that the port, transportation infrastructure, and storage facilities are sufficient to prevent undue spoilage or waste of the commodities. Describe the following: (1) the discharge port facilities in the importing country, including offloading and storage capacity, number of discharge berths, depth of draft, and who will receive the commodities at the discharge port; (2) the mode of transport and expected routing (especially if moving to a country with no direct ocean access) used to move the commodities from the discharge port to the Applicant’s warehouse and/or to a buyer; (3) storage capacity at port of discharge and destination, and structure and level of security at the port and during inland routing; (4) steps taken to prevent undue spoilage or waste; and (5) efforts made to ensure availability of the transportation and storage resources during the entire period required, including acceptance of risk for non-performance taken by contractors providing services.

Applicants should provide the names of any third-party contractors (e.g., marine surveyors and cargo expeditors) used for this analysis and include their findings. Third-party assessments and assistance are viewed favorably.

Applicants should be advised that cargo preference applies to ocean transportation of donated U.S. commodities.

• Bagging or Packaging

If a proposed commodity requires that bags be shipped with it to allow for bagging at the destination country, this must be noted in the monetization plan.