NOFO-Ethiopia surveys 2019 v6.19.21 FINAL (2).docx

United States Department of State Notice Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0006000 Notice Funding Opportunity for Organizations Qualified Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY OVERVIEW

Catalog of Federal Domestic

Submission Due Date: Complete proposal packages must be submitted through www.grants.gov, or SAMS by August 5, 2019; 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time.

This funding opportunity is posted on SAMS Domestic and may be amended. Answers to questions from potential applicants will be posted as an attachment to this NOFO. Applicants should regularly check the websites for the most recent information pertaining to this NOFO. Department of State bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes associated with electronic submissions Incomplete application packages will not be considered. E-mailed, faxed or mailed documents will NOT be considered.

Applicants must provide a Unique Entity Identifier, or Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), when submitting application in response to this NOFO.

SAM.gov registration (www.sam.gov) is required. Applicants that do not have a valid DUNS number and completed www.sam.gov registration will NOT be eligible for consideration.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application package has been received in SAMS Domestic in its entirety. Incomplete applications will be considered ineligible. Individual e-mailed or faxed documents will not be considered.

The decision for the final eligibility and award determination rests with the Grants Officer.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CSO’s mission is to anticipate, prevent, and respond to conflict that undermines U.S. national interests. The bureau implements this mission in two complementary ways: through data-driven analysis and forward deploying stabilization advisors to conflict zones. The objective is to inform U.S. strategy, policy, and programs on conflict prevention and stabilization.

CSO announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for public opinion research addressing inter-communal conflict and other drivers of political instability in Ethiopia.

Pending availability of funds and satisfactory performance, including compliance with the award’s terms and conditions, CSO may consider adding funds to the award. CSO intends to support one (1) award as a result of this NOFO.

Department of State reserves the right to fund any or none of the proposals submitted and reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase the budget in accordance with the needs of the project and the availability of funds.

The Federal award signed by the State Department Grants Officer is the only authorizing document.

This NOFO consists of the Overview and Executive Summary, plus the following sections:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Ethiopia is preparing for democratic elections, currently scheduled for May 2020, amidst a broader transition to a more open political and economic system. Ongoing conflict between state security forces, non-state armed groups, and civilians, threatens the credibility of these elections and the success of current liberalization reform efforts.

Ethiopia is a key regional security ally and economic partner, and it is therefore a high priority country for the National Security Council, the State Department, and the Interagency. Findings from this project will be shared directly with the Ethiopia’s Ministry of Peace and like-minded partners (such as the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada). CSO’s advanced analytics team will also analyze the data to inform future U.S. Government programming that aims to help Ethiopia move to a more stable and prosperous path.

A successful project will result in 1) focus groups that provide insights into the causes of inter-communal conflict in Ethiopia and how it might be ameliorated; 2) help shape an effective questionnaire utilizing information from focus groups; and 3) surveys that accurately capture the nature and distribution of political and social grievances in society, even among relatively small ethno-linguistic groups, as well as attitudes about the upcoming political transition (in the first survey) and its aftermath (in the second).

Research Objective(s) and Methodology: CSO seeks to commission approximately 12 focus groups across four locations in Ethiopia, complemented by two nationally-representative surveys. Each survey should include approximately 2,000 voting age nationals, with an oversample of approximately 1,500 voting age nationals so that inferences about attitudes among relatively small ethnic groups can be made. Further details are provided in the Program Objectives and Activities section below.

PROJECT GOAL

The goal of this project is to produce high-quality survey data that speaks specifically to the CSO priority of addressing political instability in Ethiopia, an important regional security and economic partner of the United States. CSO’s Office of Analysis, Planning, Programs, and Learning will analyze the data to help inform future U.S. government programming that aims to help Ethiopia move to a more stable and prosperous path.

Ethiopia presents a difficult survey environment for several reasons. First, there is no recent census data, and there has been much population displacement over the last year. Second, the country is linguistically diverse, and some languages may not be commonly written and read, greatly complicating the process of questionnaire translation and consistent question presentation. Third, this is a politically sensitive time in Ethiopia, so caution will need to be taken to ensure the safety of the interview team. CSO seeks an implementing partner that is able to work effectively to overcome these challenges.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES & ACTIVITIES

Objective 1: Focus Groups The Recipient should conduct roughly 12 focus groups across four locations, with specific locations to be decided collaboratively between CSO and the Recipient following the award.

· CSO will provide an English-language discussion guide. The Recipient should provide feedback on the guide, and after reaching agreement, translate the guide into a colloquial form of the appropriate local languages. Note that many translations may be needed, as CSO seeks to speak with Ethiopians of average education from a variety of groups. Languages may include, but are not limited to: Afan-Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya, Hadissa, Sidama-Afo, and Wolayttato.

· The Recipient should recruit and compensate approximately eight participants for each group, with specific demographic breakdowns to be decided after the award. Participants should not be friends or relatives of the local implementer. Participants should be selected in a manner designed to maximize representativeness and minimize bias. The Recipient should propose to CSO a recruitment plan.

· The Recipient should provide adequate facilities for anonymous observation, as well as simultaneous translation services and equipment. Representatives of the State Department are likely to be present for observation and feedback purposes.

· CSO prefers verbatim transcripts from audio and/or video recordings, as well as English-language translations of these transcripts.

Focus group deliverables should include, but are not limited to:

· A final discussion guide in English (based on CSO discussion guide) and local translations.

· Participant lists at minimum one week prior to the start of the groups, including relevant demographic characteristics, such as level of age, education, occupation, gender, and ethnicity.

· Verbatim transcripts from audio and/or video recordings, as well as English-language translations of these transcripts.

· A written report of the key findings.

Objective 2: Survey The Recipient should conduct two nationwide face-to-face surveys, one before and one after the anticipated May 2020 elections. Each survey should include approximately 2,000 adult nationals, distributed in a nationally representative way, and an oversample of roughly 1,500 adult nationals to provide more information about the perspectives of people from relatively small ethnic groups. The precise distribution of the oversample will be determined in collaboration between CSO and the Recipient following the award. Cluster size should be about 10. The questionnaire should take roughly 30 minutes, with no more than 3 open-ended questions. For each survey, CSO suggests the following:

Sampling The Recipient should propose methods for selecting the national sample and oversample of small ethnic groups. Given the lack of a recent census and large population movements in recent years, CSO prefers a probabilistic geo-sampling method in which the respondent’s probability of selection can be calculated. CSO prefers the possibility of three callbacks per selected respondent. CSO must approve of the sampling plan before fieldwork can begin.

Questionnaire CSO will provide an English-language questionnaire. The implementing partner will then develop and finalize (with CSO’s approval) a questionnaire that should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. There will be no more than 3 open-ended questions. The Recipient should provide feedback about the questionnaire and after reaching agreement with CSO, translate it into a number of local languages. Note that translation into at least 6 languages will likely be necessary, and it is possible that not all local languages are commonly read. The proposal should discuss translation options and recommendations in detail. CSO must approve the questionnaire before fieldwork can begin.

Pre-Test The Recipient should pre-test the questionnaire in all languages of translation, though this pre-test may be conducted in one location. CSO prefers a total of 20 pre-tests. Pre-test participants should be representative of the general respondent population (i.e., they should have an average level of education and no political involvement or agenda beyond what is typical for Ethiopians). Pre-testing should NOT be a part of interviewer training. CSO prefers detailed comments and suggestions on the questionnaire following the pre-test. CSO must approve changes to the questionnaire before fieldwork can begin.

Interviewers The Recipient should recruit and train a capable team of interviewers. CSO prefers that interviewers should be near equally male or female or the Recipient provides justification for why this is not appropriate or possible. CSO anticipates that some interviewers will be let go during training. The final interview team should be large enough that no interviewer completes more than 5% of total interviews. The team should have members from all regions of the country and with native language skills in all survey languages. The Recipient should provide demographic and professional information—i.e., home region, ethnicity, first language, second language (if any), level of education, and survey experience—about each interviewer prior to the beginning of fieldwork. CSO anticipates that interviewer training will take about a week. CSO reserves the right to observe interviewer training.

Data collection CSO prefers a CAPI method of data collection. The Recipient should provide all software and hardware needed for data collection. The Recipient should program the questionnaire and train the interviewers to use the software. CSO anticipates that no interviewers will conduct more than 6 interviews per day if all sampling procedures are followed. The local implementers’ compensation structure should incentivize them to encourage their interviewers to follow the sampling plan and conduct high-quality interviews.

Quality control CSO places high importance on quality control. The Recipient should work with CSO to design quality control measures, including but not limited to: automatic timestamps throughout the questionnaire, automatic location stamps, and variables that speak to the sampling plan such as household size, list of adults living in the household, number of the randomly selected adult, contact attempts, outcomes of contact attempts, and reasons for incomplete interviews (including language mismatch). CSO anticipates that data quality will be tracked daily, as well as by interviewer over time. CSO prefers to be able to monitor the raw data as it comes in.

Deliverables for each survey should include, but are not limited to:

1. Pre-test report and datafile with substantive responses, demographics, sampling and design variables, and quality control indicators.

2. A final version of the questionnaire in English and all of the survey languages.

3. Interviewer information and interviewer training report.

4. Interview data. The Recipient should deliver a clean, English-language datafile with all completed interviews. The datafile should be in .csv, R, and SPSS formats. The datafile should include substantive responses, demographics, sampling and design variables, quality control indicators, and population weights.

5. Methods report: The methods report should include (not necessarily in this order):

a. A detailed description of the sampling plan

b. The response rate, and the information used to calculate it

c. A breakdown of reasons for non-response and incomplete interviews

d. A detailed description of how the weights were calculated

e. Information about the interview team

f. Description of key quality control indicators and findings, including the number of interviews dropped for quality-control reasons

g. Description or list of incidents that may have affected data collection or responses

6. PDF slides showing the response distribution for each question

7. Analytic report, to be designed in collaboration with CSO

In selecting the Recipient, CSO will prioritize the quality of the methods proposed to ensure representative samples and high-fidelity response data.

PROJECT CONSIDERATIONS

Target groups – The focus groups and surveys should strive to be nationally representative, with an oversample of small ethnic groups.

Risk Mitigation – Given security issues and political sensitivities in Ethiopia, the Recipient should propose a risk mitigation plan to protect both interviewers and respondents. The Recipient should provide feedback to CSO during the sampling design and questionnaire development phases about which topics and/or geographic areas may be off-limits from a safety perspective. Note that while personally identifiable data will not be shared outside CSO, general findings from the surveys and focus groups will be shared with the Ethiopian government.

Women, Peace, and Security – Per the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, the United States is committed to the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, management, and resolution which is critical to the long-term stability of countries and regions. This includes promoting the physical safety of women and girls, collecting and analyzing sex-disaggregated data for the purpose of developing and enhancing early warning systems for conflict and violence, and integrating the perspectives and interests of affected women into conflict-prevention activities and strategies. In addition, U.S. government programs should improve outcomes in gender equality and the empowerment of women. The focus groups and survey should provide equal representation of men and women.

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

CSO expects to award one (1) cooperative agreement based on this NOFO and in an amount not to exceed the total ceiling amount of $691,250. The period of performance is 12 months with an anticipated start date of September 16, 2019. CSO may extend the award up to 12 months contingent on CSO priorities, good performance of the recipient, Department of State management approval, and funding availability.

The U.S. government may make the award on the basis of initial applications received, without discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the applicant's best terms from a cost and technical standpoint.

Cooperative Agreement: This cooperative agreement will include substantial involvement by CSO. For example, CSO will work closely with successful applicants to select oversample populations, design quality control measures, and provide research questions for the analytic report, working to ensure an approach that benefits the wider conflict community. Additionally, CSO seeks to ensure that qualitative and quantitative information from the program is shared with CSO in ways that can feed into the broader analysis of conflict dynamics at subnational, national, and regional levels. As a result, CSO will work with the Recipient to develop a documentation and reporting plan that meets those needs.

Due to various sensitivities in Ethiopia, including upcoming elections and ongoing security issues, any decisions to change the scope or purpose of activities in the statement of work, to bring in other organizations to assist with activities and to engage with media will be made in consultation with CSO, Embassy Addis, and with Host Nation authorities as appropriate. CSO also expects to assist with the development of in-country partners who would be interested and capable of continuing this effort beyond the duration of the cooperative agreement.

Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government. CSO reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase application budgets in accordance with program evaluation requirements. In the event of an award, CSO reserves the right to terminate the agreement in accordance with 2 CFR 200 and the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions. Specifically, an award may be terminated if the Recipient is not meeting the objectives of the program or if the program no longer is consistent with the national security or foreign policy interest of the United States.

All applicants should be familiar with OMB Circular 2 CFR Part 200.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Applicant must have acute awareness of conflict-related sensitivities in Ethiopia, through prior work in Ethiopia or through thematic expertise. Applicants are encouraged to partner with relevant organizations with the ability to execute such programming throughout Ethiopia.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Please refer to the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI) for more information and complete instructions on how to apply to this NOFO, including information on proposal’s content and formatting. Please use both the PSI and the NOFO to ensure that the proposal submission is in full compliance with the requirements. Proposal submissions that do not meet all of the requirements outlined in the NOFO and PSI will NOT be considered.

PROPOSAL NARRATIVE

The Proposal should be organized into the following components:

Approach and Methodology:

· For the focus groups:

· Please identify a potential local partner(s). Describe any previous experience working with them and their general qualifications

· Describe how respondents will be selected

· Discuss the feasibility of conducting focus groups in a number of local languages

· Confirm deliverables, or propose and explain any suggested modifications.

· For the surveys:

· Please identify a potential local partner. Describe any previous experience working with them and their general qualifications

· Provide a detailed description of the sampling methodology, or explain various options

· Discuss the feasibility of translating and interviewing in at least six languages, some of which may not be commonly read. Describe any experience dealing with this type of challenge.

· Confirm that pre-test requirements can be met, or explain other options

· Discuss methods of interviewer recruitment and confirm that requirements can be met

· Describe CAPI hardware and software to be used.

· Describe how the local implementer will be incentivized to follow the sampling plan and conduct high-quality interviews.

· Describe quality control measures, and which the applicant thinks are most effective.

· Confirm deliverables, or propose and explain any suggested modifications.

· Analysis of Conflict Related to Women and Men: Please discuss to what extent, if any, issues related to women and men will need to be a consideration in survey design. For example, if it is more appropriate for men to interview men and for women to interview women, please explain and discuss how the methodology will accommodate this dynamic. Or if it is more difficult to find female respondents, please describe the issue and discuss how the methodology will accommodate.

· Risk mitigation plan: Please discuss to what extent, if any, focus group facilitators, interviewers, or respondents might be at risk due to participation in this study, and what measures will be taken to ensure their safety. This may include everything from transportation arrangements to survey topics.

Timeline

· CSO anticipates that focus groups will take place in November 2019 and that survey data collection will begin in January 2019, though we are somewhat flexible on this timeline. Please indicate feasibility of this schedule, and proposed timeline for various components of the work.

Budget

· Provide a detailed budget or budget options (see Budget Components, below).

Institutional Capabilities and Past Performance

· Relevant Programmatic and Thematic Experience: Applications should demonstrate the ability to develop and implement projects of the kind outlined in this proposal. Previous experience designing and implementing similar projects is highly desirable and should be detailed and documented in the application. Applicants should demonstrate how organizational resources, capabilities, and experience in this type of endeavor will enable the applicant to achieve the program’s stated objectives.

· Regional/Country Experience: Applicants should specify relevant experience in the country identified in the proposal, or in similar situations in other countries. Applicants should be able to legally operate in the country where they propose to work. Identify in-country partners; the successful applicant will already have in place at least one partnership with regional institutions and/or organizations. Specify the expertise that each partner brings.

· Key Program Staff: Applications should highlight key staff, their positions, percentage of time devoted to this program, and management structure for the project. The resumes of key staff should highlight relevant educational and field experience and be included as an appendix (see additional attachments below). The person(s) principally responsible for project design and technical oversight should be included. The resumes should be no more than two pages and should all follow a consistent format. The applicant should also clarify roles for local partners and staff.

Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan:

· CSO considers monitoring to be essential for responsible program management. Successful applicants will submit a draft monitoring plan—i.e., planned deliverables and expected timeline for the work—within 15 days of award notification. After CSO review, a final monitoring plan must be submitted within 30 days of the award notification.

Before grants are awarded, the Bureau reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the Bureau’s program needs and availability of funds.

ADDITIONAL ATTACHMENTS AND BUDGET COMPONENTS

Additional attachments listed below, budget components, and the SF-424s are not part of the proposal.

Additional Attachments:

· Key Personnel: Please include CVs of key personnel that highlight relevant professional experience (not to exceed two [2] pages each).

· Past Performance References (minimum of 3): When past performance information is present, applicants shall furnish award numbers and other details with contact information for no more than three similar programs funded over the past three years by the State Department, or any other government entity or third party source. The details shall include the following: name of the organization or agency which funded the program(s), award number, point of contact‘s name, mailing address, email address and phone number, and the overall dollar value of the program. The applicant must include information on any problems encountered, and the applicant’s corrective action(s). Applicants must not provide general information on their performance. Applicants may describe any quality awards or certificates that indicate exceptional capacity to conduct the program described in this NOFO. Please use the PPR template provided.

Budget Components:

· Budget Appropriateness: Budgeted items are necessary and sufficient to the achievement of the goal, objectives, activities and program monitoring as presented in the proposal. This should consist of both an Excel budget breakdown and a budget narrative attached as an annex. The budget narrative must include clear, substantive explanations for each line-item and how the amounts were derived, as well as the source and description of all cost-share offered. Refer to the Excel Budget Template for guidance on compiling a budget and associated budget narrative.

· Cost-effectiveness: The Department of State must determine that the costs paid for this award are reasonable, allowable, and allocable to the proposed program activities. This will consist of a review of the Budget to determine if the overall costs are realistic for the work to be performed, if the costs reflect the applicant’s understanding of the allowable cost principles established by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2 CFR 200 (OMB Circular A-122), and if the costs are consistent with the program narrative. Programs should seek to produce innovative and cost-effective outcomes that reach more beneficiaries. As per Section C2 of 2 CFR 200, cost-share is not required, but funding contributed by the applicant and other partners shows a commitment to the success of the program. Applicants may incorporate cost-share through leveraging existing programs, partnering, and/or providing in-kind goods and services.

Include a PDF file copy of your organization’s most recent program (A-133 /2 CFR 200) audit, if applicable. If not, please include a copy of your most recent independent audit, if available.

V. APPLICATION EVALUATION AND SCORING

The U.S. government may issue an award resulting from this NOFO to the responsible applicant whose application is the most responsive to the goals and objectives set forth in this NOFO. The U.S. government may (a) reject any or all applications, and/or (b) waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received.

The U.S. government may make an award on the basis of initial applications received without discussion or negotiations. Therefore, applications should contain the applicant’s best terms from a cost and technical standpoint.

U.S. government also reserves the right, but is not obliged, to enter into discussions with an applicant in order to obtain clarification, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the program’s description, budget, or other aspects of an application.

Applicants should note that the following criteria will serve as a standard against which all applications will be evaluated. Department of State will issue an award to the applicant whose proposal represents the best value to the U.S. Government on the basis of technical merit, efficient use of USG funds, and satisfactory organizational capacity. In addition, each application will be evaluated and scored on the Proposal Components using a 100-point scale by a peer review committee of Department of State.

CSO will conduct a merit review of all eligible applications as outlined in this NOFO. Applications will be reviewed by an independent review panel consisting of qualified representatives from other DoS bureaus, offices, and Posts. Final approval resides with the relevant CSO office.

The point value for each section outlined below indicates its relative importance in the application review process. Evaluation values are based on five narrative components and two budget components.

Based on eligible applications that are responsive to the requirements outlined above, the review panel will use the following criteria when rating proposals:

Focus Groups – 30 points

· Experience of project team (4)

· Experience and qualifications of local partner (4)

· Participant recruitment and compensation plan maximizes representativeness of participants (4)

· Plan for addressing linguistic diversity maximizes ability to conduct focus groups across different ethnic groups in their first language (4)

· Project timeline is reasonable (3)

· Costs are reasonable for the work proposed (3)

· Deliverables and requirements are met or exceeded (8)

Surveys – 70 points

· Experience of project team (6)

· Experience and qualifications of local partner (6)

· Sampling plan maximizes degree to which probability of selection is known and minimizes bias (7)

· Plan for addressing linguistic diversity maximizes ability to interview whomever is selected according to the sampling plan (7)

· Interviewer recruitment plan maximizes ability to interview whomever is selected according to the sampling plan (6)

· Plan to incentivize interviewer or local partner performance maximizes data quality (5)

· Data collection methods maximize data quality and minimize bias and error (6)

· Quality control measures maximize data quality and fidelity to the sampling plan (7)

· Project timeline is reasonable (4)

· Costs are reasonable for the work proposed (5)

· Deliverables and requirements are met or exceeded (11)

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION:

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute a commitment on the part of the Department of State to issue an award nor does it commit the U.S. Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application. Furthermore, award cannot be issued until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated, and committed through internal DOS procedures. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements. All preparation and submission costs are at the applicant’s expense.

Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.400 g, it is U.S. Department of State policy not to award profit under assistance instruments.

2 CFR §200.501 requires domestic/US non-federal entities that expend $750,000, or more, in federal assistance during organization’s fiscal year to have a single or program-specific audit conducted for that year. In addition, the entity must report the collected audit data elements on the form SF-SAC and submit it to the FAC. Any findings such as material weaknesses, significant deficiencies, or material noncompliance are reported on the SF-SAC.

The Federal award signed by the Grants Officer is the only authorizing document.

Reporting Requirements Recipients will, at a minimum, be required to submit Quarterly Progress Reports and Quarterly Financial Reports (SF-425) describing key activities undertaken during the preceding month towards accomplishment of the stated objectives. Progress Reports will compare actual to planned performance and indicate the progress made in accomplishing each assistance award task/goal noted in the grant agreement and will contain analysis and summary of findings, both quantitative and qualitative, for key indicators. Financial Reports will provide a means of monitoring expenditures and comparing costs incurred with progress. In difficult environments, CSO may require additional reporting and briefings in order to monitor program developments. Applicants should account for this in their M&E staffing plans.

NOTE: It is Department of State policy that English is the official language of all documents. If reports or any supporting documents are provided in both English and a foreign language, it must be stated in each version that the English language version is the controlling version.

U.S. dollar is the controlling currency.

Mandatory Disclosures (2 CFR 200.113) The non-federal entity or applicant for a federal award must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to the federal awarding agency or pass-through entity all violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. Non-federal entities that have received a Federal award including the term and condition outlined in Appendix XII of the 2 CFR 200 – Award Terms and Conditions for Recipient Integrity and Performance Matters – are required to report certain civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings to SAM (www.sam.gov). Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in §200.338 Remedies for Noncompliance, including suspension or debarment.

Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) A federal awarding agency, prior to making a federal award, will review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently FAPIIS) (see 41 U.S.C. 2313). Applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through www.sam.gov. Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance.

Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in §200.205 Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.

Other Information Applicant organizations must demonstrate adherence to equal opportunity employment practices and commitment to non-discrimination with respect to beneficiaries. Non-discrimination includes equal treatment without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliation. Applicants are reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with or support to individuals or organizations associated with terrorism.

Proposals that reflect any type of support for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization or narcotics trafficker, including elected members of government, will NOT be considered. This provision must be included in any sub‐awards/sub-contracts issued under this award.

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Any prospective applicant desiring an explanation or interpretation of this NOFO must request it in writing by the deadline for questions specified in the cover letter to allow a reply to reach all prospective applicants before the submission of their applications. Any information given to a prospective applicant concerning this NOFO will be furnished promptly to all other prospective applicants as a Questions and Answers attachment to this NOFO, if that information is necessary in submitting applications or if the lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective applicants.

Any questions concerning this NOFO must be submitted in writing by email to:

U.S. Department of State Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) c/o Amanda Pinkston PinkstonAX@state.gov 202-472-8626

UNCLASSIFIED