DRAFT PWS_ILAB.docx

Request for Information (RFI) U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Technical Support and Training Services Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Contents

- GENERAL INFORMATION

Description of Services/Introduction:

The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Technical Support and Training Services (MERLTSTS) as defined in this Performance Work Statement (PWS), except as Specified in section C-3 as government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

Background:

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)[footnoteRef:2] leads the Department of Labor’s (DOL) efforts to ensure that workers around the world are treated fairly and are able to share in the benefits of the global economy. ILAB safeguards dignity at work, both at home and abroad – by strengthening global labor standards, enforcing labor commitments among trading partners, promoting racial and gender equity, and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. ILAB is comprised of four (4) offices: the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary (ODUS); Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA); Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT); and the Office of International Relations and Economic Research (OIRER). [2: For more information on the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), please visit our website: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab]

The Office of the Deputy Undersecretary (ODUS) provides leadership, direction, and guidance to the Bureau in Support of accomplishing its mission. ODUS sets priorities for ILAB offices and coordinates with the Office of the Secretary of Labor and other executive agencies to develop and promote U.S. international economic, trade, labor, and development policy that reflects the concerns and interests of workers, both in the United States and globally.

The mission of the Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) is to work to ensure that U.S. trade agreements are fair for American workers and workers around the world. OTLA uses all available tools – including negotiating strong labor provisions in trade agreements and preference programs, monitoring for compliance, enforcing trade agreement and preference program commitments, and sharing technical expertise – to make sure that U.S. trade partners fulfill their promises and play by the rules, and that American workers are able to compete on a level playing field.

The mission of the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) is to promote the elimination of child labor and forced labor through policy, research, and technical assistance projects. OCFT funds and oversees a variety of projects that promote the OCFT and broader ILAB mission in over 90 countries around the world.

The Office of International Relations and Economic Research (OIRER) leads DOL’s participation in a number of international organizations, provides technical and policy expertise on global labor and employment issues, plays a lead role in supporting labor-related diplomacy and performs research on the global economy, global labor markets, and the labor policies and conditions of other countries. OIRER’s work includes policy development and coordination, outreach efforts to stakeholders, advocacy and representation, dialogue and consultations, and economic research and analysis to inform policy deliberations.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A) are vital for ILAB to achieve its mission to promote a fair global playing field for workers in the United States and around the world by enforcing trade commitments, strengthening labor standards, and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking.

The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 ("Evidence Act"),[footnoteRef:3] signed into law on January 14, 2019, emphasizes collaboration and coordination to advance data, learning, and evidence-building and utilization in the Federal Government to inform policies and programs. OMB Memos M-19-23 and M-20-12 provide guidance to Federal Agencies to meet the requirements of the Evidence Act. To build a body of evidence, ILAB carries out different activities, such as conducting performance, thematic, and other evaluations of technical assistance projects, conducting qualitative studies, developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, providing training to ILAB staff and grant organizations, and providing ad hoc monitoring and evaluation technical support. [3: Pub. L. No. 115-435, 132 Stat. 5529]

Objectives:

To acquire high quality and cost-effective contract support services from the Professional Services Schedule (PSS) under NAICS code 541611 – Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. These contract support services serve to assist ILAB in its monitoring, evaluation, research, learning (MERL) and other evidence-building activities, including foundational fact finding, policy analysis, program evaluation, and performance measurement pursuant to the requirements of the Evidence Act.

Scope:

The Contractor shall be responsible for providing professional services to include: conducting performance evaluations of ILAB-funded projects using a variety of methodologies and approaches; conducting different types of program evaluations; conducting ad-hoc qualitative studies and research; providing training to ILAB, ILAB grantees, and key stakeholders on monitoring, evaluation and learning topics; and facilitating various types of learning and M&E-related discussions with ILAB and its grantees as part of evaluation activities. Mixed methods and qualitative capabilities may be required for evaluations.

Period of Performance:

The period of performance of the anticipated Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)/Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) vehicle will consist of a base of 12-months with four 12-month option periods.

Orders placed against the BPA/IDIQ will have their own periods of performance.

The Government reserves the right to extend the term of a contract at the prices set forth in Section B in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in clause 52.217-9 entitled, “Option to Extend the Term of the Contract”.

General Information Quality Control:

The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s quality control program is the means by which they assure themselves that their work complies with the requirement of the contract. As a minimum, the contractor shall develop quality control procedures that address the areas identified in Technical Exhibit 1, “Performance Requirements Summary”. After acceptance of the quality control plan, the contractor shall receive the contracting officer’s acceptance in writing of any proposed change to his QC system.

Quality Assurance:

The government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s).

Government Remedies:

The contracting officer shall follow FAR 52.212-4, “Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items” or 52.246-4, “Inspection of Services-Fixed Price” for contractor’s failure to perform satisfactory services or failure to correct non-conforming services.

Recognized Holidays:

The contractor is or is not required to perform services on these days Holidays:

Independence Day Hours of Operation/Place of Performance:

The primary location of the work will be the contractor’s site(s), or the sites of its subcontractors. The contractor may be required to travel as described in the Travel Requirements section below. USDOL encourages the use of local evaluator(s) and team members wherever possible, including for remote evaluations or research.

Type of Contract:

The government anticipates award of single-award or multi-award BPA/IDIQ. Allowable order types will be determined at a later time.

Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings:

The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The contracting officer, Contracting Officers Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance. At these meetings the contracting officer will apprise the contractor of how the government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the government.

Contracting Officer Representative (COR):

A COR will be delegated under separate cover.

Contract Manager:

The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the manager is absent shall be designated in writing to the contracting officer. The contract manager or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract.

Identification of Contractor Employees:

All contract personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed. The contractor personnel will NOT be required to obtain and wear badges in the performance of this service.

- DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS

2.1 Definitions

1) “Acceptable conditions of work” encompasses minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health. See 19 USC 3813(6)(E); Trade Act of 2002, Section 2113(6) (E), available at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title19/html/USCODE-2011-title19-chap24-sec3813.htm.

2) “Access” is the confluence of supply and demand; i.e., the ability and motivation of beneficiaries to consistently and equitably avail themselves of services, benefits, protections, or programs and over time, to continue to avail themselves of services that were previously subsidized, free or provided by the project or program. These services, benefits, protections or programs should be accessible in an effective, predictable, reliable and customer-friendly manner as well as in a manner that is geographically and physically accessible for all customers (including persons with disabilities, rural populations, and those with limited literacy or ICT skills, etc.).

3) “Accessibility” means the design, construction, development, and maintenance of facilities, information and communication technology, programs, and services so that all people, including people with disabilities, can fully and independently use them. Accessibility includes the provision of accommodations and modifications to ensure equal access to employment and participation in activities for people with disabilities, the reduction or elimination of physical and attitudinal barriers to equitable opportunities, a commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities can independently access every outward-facing and internal activity or electronic space, and the pursuit of best practices such as universal design.

4) “Activity” is a distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during the course of a project.

5) “Behavior” refers to the actions and mannerisms (or avoidance thereof) made by individuals or systems in conjunction with themselves or their environment, which includes the other systems around them as well as the (inanimate) physical environment. It is the computed response of the system or individual to various stimuli or inputs, whether internal or external, conscious or subconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary. A behavioral outcome captures the individual or collective adoption of behaviors of individuals or systems promoted by a project or program.

6) “Beneficiaries” is defined as the individuals, groups, or organizations, whether targeted or not, that benefit directly or indirectly, from the development intervention.

7) “Capacity” refers to the human capital (i.e., the technical knowledge, skills, information, ability to work, technological and managerial capacity) that is required in order to make use of other types of capital (i.e., financial, social, natural and physical). Human capital is necessary, though not on its own sufficient, for the achievement of workers’ rights and positive livelihood outcomes. Building high-quality technical and managerial capacity throughout the service delivery chain and ensuring mechanisms to maintain that capacity is of utmost importance. Capacity building among individual beneficiaries—to implement improved practices, and to manage their resources, technology and information flows to do so—is critical to sustained behavior change.

8) “Collective bargaining” is a fundamental right that is rooted in the ILO Constitution and is an essential element of freedom of association. It helps to ensure that workers and employers have an equal voice in negotiations and provides workers the opportunity to seek to improve their living and working conditions. Effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining can contribute to economic development and growth by increasing certainty and stability in the workplace and improving labor-management relations.

9) “Contractor” refers to a supplier or vendor having a contract to provide specific supplies or services to the government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

10) “Contracting Officer” refers to a person with authority to enter into, administer, and or terminate contracts, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the government.

11) “Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)” A representative from the requiring activity assigned by the Contracting Officer to perform surveillance and to act as liaison to the contractor.

12) “Coherence” refers to the compatibility of the intervention with other interventions in a country, sector or institution or the extent to which other interventions (particularly policies) support or undermine the intervention, and vice versa. Includes internal coherence and external coherence: Internal coherence addresses the synergies and interlinkages between the intervention and other interventions carried out by the same institution/government, as well as the consistency of the intervention with the relevant international norms and standards to which that institution/government adheres. External coherence considers the consistency of the intervention with other actors’ interventions in the same context. This includes complementarity, harmonization and co-ordination with others, and the extent to which the intervention is adding value while avoiding duplication of effort.

13) “Cooperative Agreement” refers to an award instrument where substantial involvement is anticipated between a Federal awarding agency and a non-Federal recipient entity during the performance of project activities. The level of monitoring and accountability under a Cooperative Agreement is less than what is required under a contract, but more than what is required under a regular grant.

14) “Critical assumption” is a general condition under which the hypothesis or strategy for achieving the project’s objectives will hold true.

15) “Defective Service” A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with it in the Performance Work Statement.

16) “Deliverable” is any unique and verifiable product, result or capability to perform a service that is required to be produced to complete a process, phase, or project.

17) “Demand” refers to improvements in stakeholder demand for and use of services, rights, benefits, protections, programs or mechanisms. Project stakeholders and beneficiaries must perceive that the services meet a felt need. They should be able to see notable improvements in their well-being as a result of the services provided during the project, and should understand what is required to maintain and/or see further improvements. For beneficiaries to maintain “improved” behaviors promoted during a project or to continue using project-initiated services, the perceived benefits must outweigh the perceived costs (such as time and money).

18) “Diversity” means the practice of including the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and beliefs of the American people, including underserved communities.

19) “Do no harm” means to avoid exposing people to additional risks through our action. This can mean foregoing certain activities of moderate risk or taking additional measures to minimize risks to implementers, targets, beneficiaries, and the wider public. It will often require taking a step back from the planning, implementation or evaluation of an intervention to look at the broader context and to monitor, identify and mitigate potential negative effects on the social fabric, the economy and the environment.

20) “Effectiveness” measures the extent to which the intervention achieved, or is expected to achieve, its objectives, and its results, including any differential results across groups. Analysis of effectiveness involves taking account of the relative importance of the objectives or results.

21) “Efficiency” measures the extent to which the intervention delivers, or is likely to deliver, results in an economic and timely way. “Economic” is the conversion of inputs (funds, expertise, natural resources, time, etc.) into outputs, outcomes and impacts, in the most cost-effective way possible, as compared to feasible alternatives in the context. “Timely” delivery is within the intended timeframe, or a timeframe reasonably adjusted to the demands of the evolving context. This may include assessing operational efficiency (how well the intervention was managed).

22) “Equity” means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment.

23) “Equity Lens” Application of a framework to examine how different social identity groups will likely be affected by relevant interventions of technical assistance and research, with a focus on gender, racial, and ethnic equity.

24) “Forced labor” under international standards means all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily, and includes indentured labor. ‘‘Forced labor’’ includes work provided or obtained by force, fraud or coercion, including: (1) by threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint against any person; (2) by means of any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause the person to believe that, if the person did not perform such labor or services, that person or another person would suffer serious harm or physical restraint; or (3) by means of the abuse or threatened abuse of law or the legal process. This definition is derived from ILO Convention 29 (Forced Labor). Forced child labor is also a worst form of child labor under ILO Convention 182.

25) “Freedom of association” is the right of workers and employers to organize to defend their interests, including for the purpose of negotiating salaries, benefits, and other conditions of work. It is a fundamental right that underpins democratic representation and governance.

26) “Impact” generally refers the extent to which the intervention has generated or is expected to generate significant positive or negative, intended or unintended, higher-level effects. Impact addresses the ultimate significance and potentially transformative effects of the intervention. It seeks to identify social, environmental and economic effects of the intervention that are longer term or broader in scope than those already captured under the effectiveness criterion. Beyond the immediate results, this criterion seeks to capture the indirect, secondary and potential consequences of the intervention. It does so by examining the holistic and enduring changes in systems or norms, and potential effects on people’s well-being, human rights, gender equality, and the environment.

27) “Inclusion” means the recognition, appreciation, and use of the talents and skills of employees of all backgrounds.

28) “Inputs” are the resources invested that allow programs to achieve desired outputs.

29) “Institutions” are social structures that are constructed according to the collective actions of actors in a constrained environment and are continuously altered over time. Institutions are “a set of rules governing interpersonal governance” that are not owned or possessed by a single actor; rather, they are shared by a larger group or society.

30) “Key personnel” Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that may be required to be used in the performance of a contract by the Key Personnel listed in the PWS. When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.

31) “Key stakeholders” can include, but are not limited to: parents, educators, community leaders, national and local policy makers, key opinion leaders, private sector partners, workers and employers organizations, local civil society organizations, religious institutions, think tanks, among others.

32) “Leverage points” are places that you can intervene in a system to bring about change. High-leverage points bring about lasting, system-wide change; low-leverage points bring about limited, temporary change. It is generally more effective and sustainable to act on system structures than respond to events or symptoms. Leverage points also represent opportunities where participants can have greater impact by working together than they can by working alone.

33) “Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)” M&E consists of two basic components —monitoring and evaluation— each of which serve distinct purposes. Monitoring is the ongoing and systematic tracking of data and information relevant to project outcomes, outputs, and activities to determine whether desired results are occurring as expected. Monitoring often relies on indicators, quantifiable measures of a characteristic or condition of people, institutions, systems or processes, that may change over time. Monitoring involves collecting data and information that indicate what is happening and help determine if implementation is on track or if any timely corrections or adjustments may be needed to improve efficiency or effectiveness. Evaluation is the systematic collection and analysis of information about the characteristics and outcomes of programs and projects as a basis for assessment of program effectiveness, overall performance, and/or to inform decisions about current and future programming.

34) “Non-discrimination” is a fundamental element of international human rights law. A useful definition of non-discrimination is contained in Article 1(1) ILO 111, which provides that discrimination includes: ‘Any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in the employment or occupation.’ Thus, the right to equal treatment requires that all persons be treated equally before the law, without discrimination. The principle of equality and non-discrimination guarantees that those in equal circumstances are dealt with equally in law and practice.

35) “Occupational safety and health” encompasses issues related to safe and healthy working environments and efforts to prevent workers from occupational injuries, diseases, and deaths.

36) “Organizational capacity” is the ability of an organization to effectively manage its resources and activities in order to fulfill its objective(s). Organizational capacity can include various components, including organizational culture, communication, leadership, strategy, services, products, management structure, skills, human capital, and accountability within its context – the system of other actors that an organization affects and is affected by in carrying out its mission.

37) “Outcome” is defined as the higher-level results or effects achieved by project activities, typically in the medium-term or long-term timeframe of the project.

38) “Output” is defined as the direct result of a project activity, or the goods or services produced by the implementation of an activity.

39) “Participants” are individuals that have been provided with direct services or reached by a project or program’s interventions.

40) “Partner” refers to an organization or entity that assists with implementing or coordinating activities under the cooperative agreement but is not in a subrecipient or subcontractor relationship with the recipient. A partner may also be a beneficiary.

41) “Personally Identifiable Information” Information that can be used to uniquely identify, contact, or locate a single person.

42) “Practice” refers to prevalent actions or inactions (formal or informal, permitted or not permitted) by an organization or sub-entity (e.g., department, office, team, or groups of people with the same or similar position type). A “practice” outcome captures the adoption of actions (or the avoidance thereof) of an organization or sub-entity promoted by a project or program.

43) “Process” or “process mechanism” describes a cause-effect relationship across multiple steps in a sequence of interactions in which actors engage in activities, interventions, procedures or structures (that operate in particular contexts) to generate outcomes of interest. Process mechanisms generate changes in outcome under certain context conditions and refer to empirically traceable phenomena. A long-term process outcome captures the increased service utilization resulting from process improvements and increases in level of sustained quality and access in a service delivery environment.

44) “Program” is a set of structured activities or a group of related services managed in a coordinated way that convey a benefit not available from managing, delivering or receiving them individually. A program is also a group of projects managed together in order to gain efficiencies on cost, time, technology, etc. ILAB manages foreign assistance projects through two program offices: (1) the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking; and (2) the Office of Trade and Labor Affairs. Project-level evaluation results are used to inform other projects within these programs.

45) “Project” is a set of complementary activities, over an established timeline and budget, intended to achieve a discrete result. In ILAB, foreign assistance projects are typically carried out through cooperative agreements. ILAB’s MPGs state that monitoring and evaluation requirements apply at the project level.

46) “Project Objective” is defined as the highest-level result that the project intends to achieve.

47) “Quality Assurance” Those actions taken by the government to assure services meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statement.

48) “Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)” An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of contractor performance.

49) “Quality Control” Those actions taken by a contractor to control the performance of services so that they meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statement.

50) “Relevance” is the extent to which the intervention objectives and design respond to beneficiaries’, global, country, and partner/institution needs, policies, and priorities, and continue to do so if circumstances change. Beneficiaries is defined as, “the individuals, groups, or organizations, whether targeted or not, that benefit directly or indirectly, from the development intervention." Other terms, such as rights holders or affected people, may also be used. “Respond to” means that the objectives and design of the intervention are sensitive to the economic, environmental, equity, social, political economy, and capacity conditions in which it takes place. “Partner/institution” includes government (national, regional, local), civil society organizations, private entities and international bodies involved in funding, implementing and/or overseeing the intervention. Relevance assessment involves looking at differences and trade-offs between different priorities or needs. It requires analyzing any changes in the context to assess the extent to which the intervention can be (or has been) adapted to remain relevant.

51) “Resources” are inputs and forms of natural, physical and financial capital, which may initially be provided by the project or program, but eventually must be provided by local system actors, institutions or structures, that are equipped, capable and motivated to provide and maintain replacement resources. Over time, a sustained source of resources for each input previously provided by the project is required for sustainability.

52) “Risk” refers to an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives. A risk that would have a positive effect on one or more project objectives is an opportunity. Risk mitigation is a risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to reduce the probability of occurrence or impact of a negative risk, or increase the probability of occurrence or impact of a positive risk. Risk management includes the processes of conducting risk identification, analysis, response and mitigation planning for risks on a project.

53) “Service delivery” can be defined as any interaction with the public administration or a service-providing NGO during which customers – citizens, workers, residents or enterprises – seek or provide data, handle their affairs, claim their rights or fulfill their duties. The long-term health of a system depends on dynamics and processes that operate toward desired results. These services should be delivered in an effective, predictable, reliable and customer-friendly manner as well as supplied in a manner that is geographically and physically accessible for all customers (including persons with disabilities, rural populations, and those with limited literacy or ICT skills, etc.). Effective service delivery requires that the service provider understands the need to engage and be accountable to the customer; the customer values the service being provided; effective administration in which policy objectives are put into practice coherently, through various regulatory and other mechanisms, to ensure quality public services; and where consistent and equitable access to public services is ensured.

54) “Stakeholder” is an individual, group or organization who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project or program.

55) “Stakeholder Analysis” is the process of assessing a system and potential changes to it as they relate to relevant and interested parties. This information is used to assess how the interests of those stakeholders should be addressed in a project. Stakeholder management includes the processes, procedures, tools and techniques to effectively engage stakeholders in project decisions and execution based on analysis of their needs, interests, and potential impact.

56) “Structure” is how parts of a system are organized. Structures are maintained by the values, assumptions and beliefs people have.

57) “Supply” refers to the geographic and physical accessibility and availability of services, benefits, protections or programs.

58) “Supply chain” is the chain that comprises all organizations and individuals involved in producing, processing, trading, transporting and/or distributing a product or commodity from its point of origin to the company and/or to the final retailer.

59) “Sustainability” is the extent to which the net benefits of the intervention continue, or are likely to continue. Includes an examination of the financial, economic, social, environmental, and institutional capacities of the systems needed to sustain net benefits over time. Involves analyses of resilience, risks and potential trade-offs. Depending on the timing of the evaluation, this may involve analyzing the actual flow of net benefits or estimating the likelihood of net benefits continuing over the medium and long-term.

60) “System” is a group of interdependent/interacting parts that form a unified whole to pursue a common goal. In systems thinking, a system is the group of interdependent actors and factors, both formal and informal, forming a complex social problem. No one person or organization has the ability to influence the entire system, but working together, the group can moves towards systems change.

61) “System boundaries” are the edge or limit of a system, as determined by the observer(s). It is what defines what is inside and outside of the system and should include only actors and factors necessary and sufficient for the system’s purpose. Boundaries can shift over time and should be reassessed and adjusted when needed.

62) “Systemic problem” is a complex problem that is a consequence of issues inherent in the overall system, rather than due to a specific, individual, isolated factor. A systemic problem tends to meet a few key criteria, including that relationships between the problem and its causes are indirect and not easy to identify; the problem persists or recurs despite our best long-term efforts to solve it; the actors and factors react and interact with one another and behave in different ways together than they behave individually when separate; and the problem itself reacts to our interventions, requiring us to adapt over time.

63) “Systems approach” is an approach that enables a holistic view into the context, dynamics and relationships associated with the system that are holding the complex problem in place. The role of a donor-funded project or activity in a systems approach is to facilitate and strengthen the assets that already exist in the local system and the relationships among those assets.

64) “Systems analysis” A snapshot of a system in a single moment in time. A systems lens helps us identify the relevant individuals and entities, how they interact, and the dynamics that influence and govern the system. Systems analysis can help development efforts avoid unintended consequences that may distort the system or undermine existing local capacities.

65) “Systems change” means shifting the underlying conditions that are holding the problem in place. Those shifts might include changing actor beliefs, behaviors, and relationships, and/or changing some of the factors like rules, goals, power dynamics, resource flows, etc.

66) “Underserved communities” refers to populations who have been historically underserved, marginalized, or denied equitable treatment on the basis of disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, migration status, and persons or groups otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. In accordance with Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, the term “underserved communities” refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life.

67) “Utilization-Focused Evaluation” “(U-FE)” is an approach based on the principle that an evaluation should be mindful of its intended audience throughout the evaluation and report drafting process. Under this principle, evaluations should be planned and conducted in ways that enhance the utilization of the findings, the way in which they are presented, and of the process itself to inform decisions and improve performance.

68) “Worker rights” in the context of ILAB technical assistance projects refers to both core international labor standards and acceptable conditions of work. The International Labor Organization (ILO) identifies what it calls “fundamental principles and rights at work” that all ILO Members have an obligation to respect and promote, which are: a) effective abolition of child labor; b) elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor; c) freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; d) elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. U.S. trade law adds acceptable conditions of work (ACW) with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health to that list, calling them "internationally recognized labor rights.”

2.2 Acronyms

PART 3 - SPECIFIC TASKS

3.1 Conduct Evaluations of Technical Assistance Projects or other International Labor-Related Initiatives:

The Contractor is responsible for providing qualified, professional key personnel to conduct performance or other types of evaluations of ILAB-funded technical assistance and cooperation projects. The type of evaluation, methodology, and other requirements will be specified in each Order. Evaluators shall have experience evaluating international development projects, subject-matter expertise related to the project’s activities or thematic area, and methodological expertise and experience based on the methodology and requirements outlined in the Order[footnoteRef:4]. [4: Please visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/projects for more information on ILAB technical assistance projects. ]

Performance evaluations will take place in countries where ILAB-funded technical assistance projects are being implemented. These countries may be located in any of the following regions: Asia, Middle East and North Africa, Europe and Eurasia, North America, Central America and the Caribbean, South America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Evaluations will usually cover one country and one project, but occasionally multi-country or multi-project evaluations will be required. Typically, single-country evaluations will require approximately two (2) weeks of fieldwork. Fieldwork time required will increase according to the number of additional countries visited. The technical assistance projects are usually evaluated at the midpoint and end of the implementation timeline.

ILAB may also request other evaluation types, including thematic, synthesis, systems or meta-analysis performance evaluations. Other evaluations may require fieldwork in countries where projects are implemented, desk reviews, remote fieldwork or other modalities as specified at the order level.

The Contractor shall provide final, copy-edited reports and other documents to ILAB. The report shall be provided in an electronic, Section 508-compliant[footnoteRef:5] format using ILAB’s templates, where applicable. [5: Additional information about Section 508 accessibility standards is located at https://www.section508.gov. Section 508 additional information on creating accessible documents is available at the Health and Human Services (HHS) Section 508 Accessibility Services website: https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html]

3.1.1. Travel Requirements

The Contractor shall be responsible for the costs of the evaluator’s travel, local flights, lodging, per diem, and any other costs associated with the evaluator’s travel (i.e., medevac insurance, vaccinations, visas, etc.). Specifically:

· The Contractor shall budget for and purchase fully refundable or refundable with a fee airplane tickets.

· The Contractor shall research and obtain the correct visa for conducting work in the designated country of the evaluation, if needed.

· The Contractor shall submit a travel budget outlining projected costs for travel, local flights, lodging, per diem, and any other costs associated with the travel (i.e., printing needs, medevac insurance, vaccinations, visas, etc.) to the COR for approval prior to purchasing airline tickets.

The project (Grantee) will cover costs associated with ground transportation to project locations and field sites (including vehicle rental, fuel, and driver) as well as the costs associated with interpretation, if needed, and the stakeholders’ workshop (meeting venue, travel by stakeholders, supplies, etc.). Travel and per diem expenses will be provided by the Contractor (both international and domestic) and will be reimbursed consistent with the substantive provisions of the Joint Federal Travel Regulations, and the not-to-exceed amounts specified in this contract. The Contractor shall provide the COR supporting documentation with invoices (i.e., itineraries, receipts for air/ground transportation, lodging, and each expense exceeding $75). Contractor employees are authorized to travel to Government agencies as determined necessary by the COR.

3.2 Conduct Ad-hoc Qualitative or Mixed-Method Studies and Research:

ILAB may require ad-hoc qualitative studies to examine a particular topic or project. The specific requirements for these studies will be identified at the order level, and may include, but not be limited to, conducting focus groups and key informant interviews; observational activities; institutional surveys; qualitative and contextual assessments of policies and legal frameworks; service and program mapping; government and civil society capacity assessments; and coding and analysis of qualitative data.

For some policy and capacity-building projects, in particular, ILAB may require in the terms and conditions that an ILAB-funded project work with a Contractor to conduct a specific type of qualitative study that serves as a Pre- and/or Post-situational analysis of a project. This type of study is generally qualitative in nature; however, in some cases, as outlined at the order level, ILAB may also require a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey as part of the activity and analysis. In these cases, ILAB will provide specific guidance to the Contractor.

The purpose of a Pre- or Post-situational analysis may be any or all of the following: 1) establish a qualitative baseline and/or endline for the various project components, 2) inform/refine the design and content of project interventions, and 3) identify key policy and capacity gaps in the country or environment where the project is operating, and how they may or may not have been addressed by the end of the project. A pre-situational analysis will also inform the project’s M&E framework and possible revisions to the project design and work plan. A post-situational analysis will permit an assessment of how the situation has changed during the course of the project.

3.3 Provide Training to ILAB Staff, Grantees and Other Stakeholders:

Training may be required on monitoring, evaluation, project design, and other M&E-related topics. Training may be offered to ILAB staff, Grantees and other stakeholders. Training may be offered in person or online, or a hybrid, dependent on the audience and subject matter, and occasionally in languages other than English. Specific guidance on the subject, type, format, and length of training required will be clarified in future Orders.

At the initiation of an Order for training, the Contractor will be required to submit a training plan and schedule. Subsequently the Contractor will develop draft training materials for ILAB review, and incorporate comments into the final training materials. The Contractor will also be required to develop an evaluation (or other instrument) for participants to complete at the end of the training, and will submit results to ILAB.

3.4 PROTECTION OF DATA AND INFORMATION

The Contractor agrees that particular data and information it is given access to by DOL and/or DOL grantees for performance of the contract is considered confidential and/or proprietary, and shall be clearly identified as such for the Contractor. Such information shall be used solely for the purpose of performing the contract, and the Contractor agrees to implement procedures reasonable and necessary to protect such information from unauthorized use or disclosure. The contractor shall not make or use any information obtained through this contract for any purpose outside the scope of this project. Documents provided to the contractor, if any, by DOL or other government source that are not readily available to the public, shall not be released to any individual or organizations without prior permission from the DOL COR. Any use or disclosure of information, whether during contract performance or after the term of the contract, requires written pre-approval by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor shall not make copies of such information without the pre-approval in writing by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor also agrees to return such information to DOL no later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the contract’s expiration, or if the contract is terminated, within seven (7) days of termination.

Privacy Act Information:

Portions of information disclosed during the performance of this task may be protected from disclosure by the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974; therefore, all personnel assigned to this contract are required to take proper precautions to protect from disclosure information marked as Privacy Act Information.