Peace_Corps_Mozambique_Literacy_Training_and_Evaluation_Services_RFP.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

# PC-16-R-002

Peace Corps Mozambique

Literacy Training and Evaluation Services

Literacy Training and Evaluation Services RFQ PC-16-R-002

Table of Contents

SECTION A – GENERAL INFORMATION

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK

SECTION D - RESERVED

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

SECTION K – REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

SECTION A - GENERAL INFORMATION

This solicitation is being issued under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12 Acquisition of Commercial Items procedures. The Peace Corps intends to award a contract for Literacy Training and Evaluation Services to the vendor that provides the best value. The period of performance is intended to be one (1) 12-month base year, with two one-year option periods.

The schedule for this RFQ is as follows:

Date Issued: 12/17/2015

Date Questions Due: 12/21/2015

Date Proposals Due: 1/5/2016

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.1 CONTRACT TYPE

The Peace Corps intends to award a Firm Fixed Price contract.

B.2 PRICE SCHEDULE

***All Peace Corps overseas contracts are fixed price contracts; however a line-item price proposal is required to be submitted in Word or Excel format. Therefore, indirect costs shall not be proposed as a single line item but must be rolled into each individual budget line item. ***

Budget constraints

Peace Corps intends to award a contract for these services for a one-year base period with two option years. Through an agreement with USAID, a maximum of $465,000 has been budgeted for such purpose over three years as follows:

• Base Year: $155,000

• Option Year 1: $155,000

• Option Year 2: $155,000

The following is general guidance regarding what Offerors should budget for:

1. Personnel costs

- This may be partial time costs of staff such as a project coordinator, driver, or administrative assistant

- It may be professional service costs for data analysis and evaluation or for a trainer

2. Supplies and training/workshop costs

- This should include any office supplies, conference supplies and equipment, a computer, power point projector, etc.

- Peace Corps will provide the venue and handle all travel/lodging/per diem expenses for Peace Corps Volunteers

(PCVs) and Counterparts, but not Contractor staff.

3. Early Grade Reading Activities—Community Library Projects (EGRA-CLP) Implementation Guide for PCVs and Counterparts

- in Portuguese and English

- 35-40 copies annually

- Any modifications and improvements to the guide

4. Travel

- Per diem and lodging costs, estimating 60-70 travel days per year for two travelers in accordance with the

Department of State’s rates per: https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78

- Vehicle usage costs for travel, including fuel, maintenance etc.

- Travel to Maputo for one person, two trips per year, for two day meetings with Peace Corps and USAID in accordance with the Department of State’s rates per: https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78 https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78

5. Materials for new sites (books, literacy supplies/kits, and trunks), projecting 20 new sites annually -

- 20 library starter sets and book display bags, and consisting of 150 books each (may not exceed $10-15 per book and $6-8 per book bag)

- 20 trunks that are needed to transport and store library starter sets/books (may not exceed $50 each)

- 20 sets of starter library supplies, such as banners, flash cards, decodable books, read-aloud books, alphabet charts etc. (may not exceed $60 per set)

- Shipment costs for trunks/books as necessary (may estimate $50 each for 30 kg shipment)

6. EGRA/evaluation tool testing materials

- This should include copying costs of the EGRA tool and any testing supplies, stopwatch etc.

7. Any office rent or other administrative support

In additional to the line item price proposal, the Contractor shall propose a payment schedule based on the following deliverables (at the time of award, the negotiated payment schedule will be incorporated into this section):

i. Proposed timeline to conduct Training of Trainer workshops for PCVs and Counterparts and the total due upon completion.

ii. Proposed timeline to purchase books and to transport and distribute library starter kits and related items for new CLPs and the total due upon delivery of each.

iii. Proposed timeline to conduct technical support site visits to each CLP. The Contractor may plan to visit two sites in one day, given the general proximity of sites and consistent with current practice; the total due upon completion.

iv. Proposed timeline for successful, complete submission of all Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)-related reports and deliverables (as outlined in the Statement of Objectives (SOO) and the total due upon delivery of each.

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES (SOO)

Literacy Training and Evaluation Services

Background

USAID/Mozambique launched a Basic Education program known as Aprender a Ler (APAL) in FY 2012 that is focused on improving early grade reading outcomes in grades 1- 3. Activities were designed to improve the quality and increase the quantity of reading instruction in the early grades through teacher and school administrator training and coaching, increased availability of effective reading materials, greater parent participation in the education process, and increased transparency and accountability to parents, students, and communities. The focus has been in Nampula and Zambezia provinces. The Basic Education program supports the Government of Mozambique’s national education strategy by addressing key priorities related to enhancing instructional quality, improving institutional capacity to deliver education services, and promoting inclusiveness and access to education for girls, orphans, and other vulnerable children.

The Basic Education program closely aligns with the global USAID Education Strategy which emphasizes the importance of widespread community engagement to support reading practice outside of the classroom. Parents and community members can facilitate activities and introduce effective community and parenting habits that foster support for improved reading skills. These include support for pilot community libraries managed by local volunteers, intra and inter-school reading competitions, after-school reading tutoring and mentoring programs, and training for parents and other family members to support the supervision of reading practice at home.

Peace Corps Mozambique, along with Mozambican partner organizations, promotes educational attainment and community health and development through trained Volunteers. Volunteers are professionals in different fields who receive ten weeks of training in Mozambique in language, cultural, and technical skills and commit to serving two years in assigned schools and organizations. Volunteers live in local communities, speak Portuguese, and have extensive community networks which extend to education personnel and community leaders. Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Mozambique since 1998, with 160 Volunteers currently serving throughout the country.

USAID and Peace Corps developed a partnership in 2013 that focused on Early Grade Reading Activities (EGRA) and the Community Library Projects (CLPs) carried out by Peace Corps Volunteers and their Counterparts. The overall goal is the improvement of early grade reading outcomes through literacy activities and services implemented by Peace Corps Volunteers and their Counterparts, and strengthened parental and community engagement. While CLPs serve children of all ages, the targeted beneficiaries are primary school students in grades 1-3 with literacy support and assistance received from older youth, parents, community leaders, community institutions, school administrators and teachers.

Since 2013, approximately 35 community libraries have been established in more rural and semi-rural areas as well as district towns in nearly every province of Mozambique. CLP sites have generally been based on where Peace Corps Volunteers are assigned to teach secondary school, which is their primary project and function. Establishing CLPs and instituting literacy activities has been a secondary project for PCVs and their Counterparts, who have varied from school personnel to faith-based institutions to other community leaders. To date, third party contractors have played critical roles in training Volunteers and Counterparts, selecting books, helping distribute starter libraries, providing technical support in literacy activities, and higher-level evaluation services using the EGRA literacy assessment tool.

USAID and Peace Corps are planning to continue this literacy program partnership for 3 more years. In the program as a whole, more importance will now be given to: a) continuity and sustainability of CLPs; b) enrichment and enhancement of existing CLPs; and c) longer term measurement of results.

General Requirements for the Contractor

Peace Corps seeks one sole Contractor to assist with both literacy training and project evaluation services. The Contractor will:

• Conduct Training of Trainer workshops for PCVs and Counterparts

• Purchase books and transport and distribute starter library kits for new CLPs

• Make technical support site visits to CLPs

• Conduct monitoring and evaluation activities

The Contractor’s focus will be on sites of PCVs and Counterparts who are newly trained by the Contractor. Some of these sites will have existing CLPs and some will be new. It is anticipated that there will be:

• 30 total sites in base year (2016); 30 PCVs and 30 Counterparts.

• 35 sites in option year 1 (2017); 35 PCVs and 35 Counterparts.

• 35 sites in option year 2 (2018); 35 PCVs and 35 Counterparts.

As such, the Contractor will train 100 PCVs and 100 Mozambican Counterparts at 100 Community Library Project (CLP) sites, some continuing and some new, over the three years (see “CLP estimates” table below for estimated number of sites). It is this group of CLPs that the Contractor will also make site visits to, ship books and supplies to if a new CLP, and conduct evaluation activities with.

In addition, in the base year, the Contractor will make site visits to a selection of CLP sites in Nampula and Zambezia provinces to carry out testing and evaluation services at up to 15 sites where PCVs and Counterparts were newly trained in 2015.

Apart from testing at these 15 sites, the Contractor will not be expected to support older continuing sites where the Contractor has not trained PCVs and their Counterparts.

Contractor minimum requirements:

• First-hand literacy project experience, with a preference for first-hand literacy project experience in Mozambique

• Training of Trainers experience

• Evaluation experience, including data collection and analysis using the EGRA tool or other literacy assessment tools

• An office in Nampula already owned or leased by the Contractor, or the ability of the Contractor to establish an office in Nampula within 30 days of contract award. (This office must include space for the PC Project

Coordinator to work when he/she is on the Contractor site in Nampula).

• Past experience with U.S. government grants/contracts, including experience working on a firm fixed price (FFP) requirement with progress payments established in advance of performance start date

• Bi-lingual English-Portuguese abilities and cross-cultural skills and abilities

Overall scope of EGRA-CLP activities and Contractor activities

A. Early Grade Reading Activities and Community Library Program: Introduction, Application, and Selection of PCVs and communities.

Peace Corps will provide a general orientation to Volunteers on how to participate in the CLP program. The EGRA-CLP program will be introduced to PCVs during the Pre-Service Training (PST) for the Education cohort in November (odd-numbered groups, Moz 25, Moz 27, and Moz 29) and during IST for the Health cohort in November (even-numbered groups, Moz 24, 26, and 28). Once at site, interested Volunteers must identify a counterpart and submit an application to Peace Corps/Mozambique by February of every year. Peace Corps will then select them to participate in the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) workshop during school break in May every year.

B. Training-of-Trainers (TOT) Workshop (May)

The Contractor will train Education Peace Corps Volunteers and their Counterparts in literacy teaching and learning methodologies. Following the training, Volunteers and their Counterparts will be able to teach other community members and teachers about the Community Library Program and model effective “Learning to Read” and “Reading to Learn” instructional methodologies based on Peace Corps’ approach to teaching childhood literacy. Training will be interactive and participatory and also include the how-to of library set-up and management.

For planning and budget purposes, the Contractor can anticipate training:

• 30 PCVs and 30 Counterparts in the base year;

• 35 PCVs and 35 Counterparts in option year 1; and

• 35 PCVs and 35 Counterparts in option year 2.

Training will take place in Nampula at a location selected in conjunction with Peace Corps. Training will last 3 full days and will be scheduled with Peace Corps, taking into account school breaks and the Peace Corps IST training schedule.

The Contractor will be responsible for the content and delivery of the TOT workshops, using methodologies approved by Peace Corps and USAID. However, Peace Corps will pay for the venue and will handle all travel and lodging expenses and per diem expenses related to PCVs and Counterparts, but not Contractor staff.

C. Literacy Activities and Community Library Project Launch

After the workshop, Volunteers and Counterparts apply their knowledge and skills in EGRA by launching a weekly Community Library Project:

• Volunteers engage youth and communities and recruit motivated and committed adults and/or young people to serve as volunteer readers and CLP facilitators.

• CLP teams provide weekly literacy programming for younger children in their communities including 1st to 3rd grade children modelling reading for pleasure and creating opportunities for learning the foundational skills for reading through coaching and literacy activities.

• Each CLP also promotes early grade reading activities through service learning activities for youth and related youth leadership development opportunities. Older girls and boys will have the opportunity to serve as role models and mentors for younger children by demonstrating and reinforcing behaviors that lead to academic success.

• The goal of these CLPs is to increase the quantity of time children practice reading outside of the classroom, a crucial factor for enhancing reading outcomes in the early grades.

• Volunteers placed in new EGRA sites will be provided with a selection of approximately 150 grade-appropriate books to ensure that children have access to a variety of print materials. It will be the responsibility of the Contractor, in consultation with Peace Corps, to purchase these books along with book bags, banners, other ambient print materials, and flashcards, and to ship them to Volunteer sites using trunks.

The Contractor may consult with Peace Corps on current practice in order to plan and budget for these costs.

Estimated costs, based on current practice, are noted in the budget guidance specified above.

Below is a list of examples of current successful literacy activities:

• Community literacy activities such as story-telling, games, reading, spelling, and/or writing competitions, and summer reading camps.

• Reading clubs throughout the academic year and book discussions.

• Read-aloud sessions during historic community events or on important holidays such as Mozambique Independence Day, Women’s Day, Workers’ Day, Earth Day, etc. These sessions can also include locally written stories about issues affecting the community such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, environment, hygiene and sanitation, etc.

D. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Use of the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) tool is required, however Peace Corps encourages Offerors to use other M&E tools in addition to fulfilling the EGRA requirement. The Contractor shall use data collection tools and methods, which must be reviewed and approved by Peace Corps staff, to report back on the following indicators agreed to with USAID:

• Increased number of learners receiving EGRA services at the primary level

• Increased number of learners receiving EGRA services with improved reading skills

• Strengthened community capacity to conduct supplementary early grade reading activities

• Increased number of community and school libraries established

• Increased number of textbooks and other teaching and learning materials provided with USG assistance.

• Gender equitable classroom practice promoted

• Improved Literacy Achievement by students receiving EGR instruction

• Establishment of a Community of Practice among PCVs, parents, and community members to share and continue supporting activities to promote EGR

As such, the Contractor will be expected to develop any surveys or questionnaires for this purpose as well as conduct site visits that both enhance facilitation of literacy activities as well as collect the data necessary for monitoring and evaluation.

The Contractor will visit all sites of implementation by PCVs and Counterparts whom the Contractor has trained. As noted under the general Contractor requirements specified above, in the base year, the Contractor will make site visits to a selection of CLP sites in Nampula and Zambezia provinces over a period not to exceed 10 days, escorted by the Peace Corps Project Coordinator, dates to be determined with Peace Corps.

In the base year also, the Contractor will carry out testing and evaluation activities at up to 15 sites where PCVs and Counterparts were newly trained in the 2015 year. In the out years, the Contractor will only carry out testing and evaluation activities at sites where the Contractor has trained PCVs and Counterparts (see “CLP estimates” table below for estimated number of sites).

Evaluation will aim to measure the extent to which early grade reading outcomes have improved among program participants in comparison to baseline data collected for the USAID Aprender a Ler (ApAL) initiative or other comparison group determined by USAID and Peace Corps. It is anticipated that testing will use the EGRA tool, as in the first two years of evaluation, but a more appropriate tool may be used, subject to the approval of USAID.

Evaluation will be focused on 1st – 3rd graders who show a measure of consistent participation in the EGRA-CLP projects at the implementation sites. Consistent participation is currently defined as participating in one CLP activity per week or three times per month, although this definition may change based on project feedback. Evaluation activities using the EGRA tool are only conducted in the year following training of PCVs and Counterparts, in order to allow for CLP implementation.

The Contractor shall evaluate approximately 25 1st-3rd graders at each CLP site. Based on estimated number of new sites, this will amount to the following estimated evaluation population:

CLP Estimates

Year Estimated CLP Implementation Sites Consistent CLP students, 1st – 3rd graders

Base (2016) 15 375

OY1 (2017) 30 (est. 10 continuing, 20 new) 750

OY2 (2018) 35 (est. 15 continuing, 20 new) 875

2019* 35 (est. 20 continuing, 15 new) 875

TOTAL 100 2,500

* Presently falls outside the project period for purposes of EGRA study/evaluation.

Evaluation will seek to answer the question: to what extent has the PC EGRA intervention improved early grade reading outcomes for students in targeted PC communities and sites?

There is no need for a randomized control trial or other typical experimental evaluation design methodologies since these methodologies are covered by the ApaL Impact Evaluation. The PC EGRA, as a “treatment” that is being implemented and evaluated, will utilize and compare itself to the baseline results of the ApaL in Nampula and Zambezia. The evaluation will use either the EGRA tool or another tool proposed by the Evaluator or USAID as long as it meets with the approval of USAID, with the aim of providing a comparison to ApaL. Currently, ApaL is being referenced as a baseline in the project. The aim is to test an adequate and representative sample to draw conclusions on early grade reading outcomes, aiming for a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error.

In large sites, the Contractor shall only test a sample of students with consistent participation in literacy activities. In small sites, the Contractor may test all the students. Peace Corps Volunteers and Counterparts will support the logistics of testing in coordination with the Contractor and with adequate planning and preparation. The Contractor will be responsible for testing/assessing, data collection, analysis and reporting.

All data will be disaggregated by sex and evaluated for any gender-related differences, which, for example, should include comparisons between girl and boy students. The Contractor will also collect qualitative data and will develop an Implementation Guide in FY 16, reflecting best practices and literacy activities, with modifications in subsequent years.

Findings should be presented as facts, be concise and supported by strong quantitative and qualitative evidence. Peace Corps is especially interested in recommendations based on observations or other data that lead to identification of best practices in CLP implementation so as to better train and support future Volunteers and Counterparts.

Peace Corps and the Contractor will be expected to be open and to adapt and modify the EGRA-CLP project as necessary upon formal review and discussion with USAID. USAID is also available to provide technical guidance to the EGRA- CLP project.

Place of performance

The place of performance will be on the contractor site in Nampula; unless otherwise indicated elsewhere in this SOO.

Project timeline

The project timeline is driven by several considerations, mainly the two-year Volunteer cycle and training activity calendar and the school calendar. Education PCVs, who are secondary school teachers, begin their service in December every year and are denoted as odd-numbered groups (Moz 25, Moz 27, Moz 29) make up the majority of Peace Corps Volunteers and the vast majority of CLP facilitators. Health PCVs begin their service in August every year and are denoted by odd-numbered groups (Moz 24, Moz 26, Moz 28). As such, these are the start dates of new groups of two-year Volunteers from which PCVs will be recruited:

Moz 24 Health August 2015; of 30 PCVs, we project 5 for CLP training in May 2016 Moz 25 Education December 2015; of 60 PCVs, we project 25 for May 2016 training Moz 26 Health August 2016; of 45 PCVs, we project 10 for CLP training in May 2017 Moz 27 Education December 2016; of 60 PCVs, we project 25 for May 2017 training Moz 28 Health August 2017; of 45 PCVs, we project 10 for CLP training in May 2018 Moz 29 Education December 2017; of 60 PCVs, we project 25 for May 2018 CLP training

Training dates are determined based on the school calendar in Mozambique, since training must take place when Education PCVs and their Counterparts are not teaching school and testing and other evaluation activities can typically not be accomplished on school break.

The following is a sample project timeline of key activities only, based on a two-year cycle of a PCV with major activities taking place in the first year of PCV service. The cycle below for Moz 24/25 groups would repeat for Moz 26/27 groups in calendar year 2017 and Moz 28/29 groups in calendar year 2018.

* In the base year (2016), the Contractor will be required to visit select CLPs in February – April 2016 as a means of gathering information and preparing for the April – May TOTs. These visits will be in Nampula and Zambezia provinces, will be escorted by the Peace Corps Project Coordinator, and will occur over a period not longer than 10 days, dates to be determined with Peace Corps.

Reporting requirements

The Contractor will submit quarterly reports and a final evaluation report. The quarterly reports should provide a review of Contractor activities, including with PCVs and Counterparts, highlight success stories and challenges, and provide any data related to monitoring progress or tracking outcomes per the indicators listed above. A format is included in the Appendix. Peace Corps Mozambique will maintain surveillance of contract performance through scheduled and unscheduled site visits to both the CLPs and the Contractor site in Nampula, as well as reviews of the various deliverables and reports submitted by the Contractor as stated herein.

Introductory session on CLP program (by Peace Corps) November 2015 PCVs (Moz 24/25) apply/selected to participate in EGRA February-March 2016 EGRA TOT for PCVs and Counterparts (3 days each) May 13-15, 2016 Book/trunk delivery April-June 2016 Moz 24/25 PCVs and Counterparts launch literacy activities/libraries May-July 2016 Tech support site visits to PCVs by Contractor and PC Year-round* On-site testing of participants, grades 1-3, using EGRA tool June-September 2016

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

RESERVED

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

52.246-4 Inspection of Services – Fixed Price (Aug 1996)

E.2 QUALITY ASSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor must develop and maintain an effective quality management program to ensure services are performed in accordance with the contract requirements. The Contractor must develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The Contractor’s quality management program is the means by which the Contractor assures that their work complies with the requirements of this contract. After acceptance of the quality control plan, the Contractor must receive the contracting officer’s acceptance in writing of any proposed change(s) to the plan before implementing such changes. The Point of Contact (POC) will maintain surveillance of contract performance by regular scheduled and unscheduled inspection at the Contractor site, as well as regular scheduled and unscheduled reviews of the various deliverables, and reports due from the Contractor as stated herein.

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F. 1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

(a) The period of performance (POP) will consist of one 12-month base period and, if exercised, two (2) 12-month option periods

F.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The primary place of performance will be on the Contractor site in Nampula; unless otherwise indicated elsewhere in the

SOO.

F.3 52.242-15 STOP-WORK ORDER (AUG. 1989)

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G. 1 CONTRACTING OFFICER´S AUTHORITY

The Contracting Officer (CO) is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes to any of the requirements of this contract, and, notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price.

G. 2 CONTRACTING OFFICER´S POINT OF CONTACT (POC)

(a) TBD is hereby designated as the Point of Contact (POC). The POC may be changed at any time by the Government without prior notice to the Contractor by a unilateral modification to the contract.

(b) The responsibilities and limitations of the POC are as follows:

(1) Responsible for the technical aspects of the contract and serves as technical liaison with the Contractor.

(2) Responsible for the final inspection and acceptance of all deliverables and such other responsibilities as may be specified in the contract.

(3) The POC is not authorized to make any commitments or otherwise obligate the Government or authorize any changes which affect the contract price, terms or conditions. Any Contractor request for changes shall be referred to the Contracting Officer directly. No such changes shall be made without the express written prior authorization of the Contracting Officer.

G.3 INVOICE INSTRUCTIONS

The Contractor shall prepare invoices monthly and shall render an electronic copy to the Point of Contact (POC) and the Peace Corps Office of Global Accounts Payable (OGAP) at the following address:

Email: gapdomesticinvoice@peacecorps.gov

For questions regarding payments, please send an e-mail inquiry, including the invoice number, contract/purchase order number, billed amount and date sent to Disbursing@peacecorps.gov

a. Invoice Certification

The Contractor’s invoice shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:

• Name and address of the Contractor

• Contract number (PC-XX-XXXX)

• Invoice date and invoice number

• Description, price(s), quantity (ies), and date of delivery of supplies for which payment is being requested including breakdown by CLIN and cumulative totals.

• Shipping and payment terms, if any

• EFT account/payment information

• Signature of the Contractor’s authorized representative mailto:gapdomesticinvoice@peacecorps.gov mailto:Disbursing@peacecorps.gov

Upon receipt of the invoices, the Peace Corps will check the invoices for correctness and appropriateness of the charges and will ensure that chargeable items appearing on the invoices have been formally accepted by the Peace Corps. In the event that the Peace Corps discovers any discrepancies in the invoice, the Peace Corps Contracting Officer and/or POC will, in addition to following the requirements of the Prompt Payment Act, take steps necessary to resolve the discrepancies with the Contractor.

b. Invoice Payment

For the purposes of this subsection, “invoice payment” is a Government disbursement of moneys to the Contractor under this contract for products and/or services which are formally accepted by the Government. Invoices are payable in accordance with the requirements of the Prompt Payment Act. Payment will be considered as being made on the day of the electronic funds transfer is made.

A summary invoice shall be submitted to the POC for all deliveries made during a billing period, identifying the delivery tickets covered therein, starting their total dollar value and supported by receipted copies of the delivery tickets.

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H. 1 RESTRICTIONS AGAINST DISCLOSURE

(a) The Contractor agrees, in the performance of this contract, to keep the information furnished by the Government or acquired/developed by the Contractor in performance of the contract and designated by the Contracting Officer or Point of Contact, in the strictest confidence. The Contractor also agrees not to publish or otherwise divulge such information, in whole or in part, in any manner or form, nor to authorize or permit others to do so, taking such reasonable measures as are necessary to restrict access to such information while in the Contractor ś possession, to those employees needing such information to perform the work described herein, i.e., on a "need to know" basis. The Contractor agrees to immediately notify the Contracting Officer in writing in the event that the Contractor determines or has reason to suspect a breach of this requirement has occurred.

(b) The Contractor agrees that it will not disclose any information described in subsection (a) to any person unless prior written approval is obtained from the Contracting Officer. The Contractor agrees to insert the substance of this clause in any consultant agreement or subcontract hereunder.

H. 2 COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAWS

The Contractor shall comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations which deal with or relate to performance in accordance with the terms of the contract.

H. 3 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

(a) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to ensure that the Contractor and its subcontractors:

(1) Are not biased because of their financial, contractual, organizational, or other interests which relate to the work under this contract, and

(2) Do not obtain any unfair competitive advantage over other parties by virtue of their performance of this contract.

(b) Scope. The restrictions described herein shall apply to performance or participation by the Contractor, its parents, affiliates, divisions and subsidiaries, and successors in interest (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Contractor") in the activities covered by this clause as a prime Contractor, subcontractor, co-sponsor, joint venture, consultant, or in any similar capacity.

For the purpose of this clause, affiliation occurs when a business concern is controlled by or has the power to control another or when a third party has the power to control both.

(c) Warrant and Disclosure. The warrant and disclosure requirements of this paragraph apply with full force to both the Contractor and all subcontractors. The Contractor warrants that, to the best of the Contractor ś knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances which would give rise to an organizational conflict of interest, as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5, and that the Contractor has disclosed all relevant information regarding any actual or potential conflict. The Contractor agrees it shall make an immediate and full disclosure, in writing, to the Contracting Officer of any potential or actual organizational conflict of interest or the existence of any facts that may cause a reasonably prudent person to question the Contractor ś impartiality because of the appearance or existence of bias or an unfair competitive advantage. Such disclosure shall include a description of the actions the Contractor has taken or proposes to take in order to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate any resulting conflict of interest.

(d) Remedies. The Contracting Officer may terminate this contract for convenience, in whole or in part, if the Contracting Officer deems such termination necessary to avoid, neutralize or mitigate an actual or apparent organizational conflict of interest. If the Contractor fails to disclose facts pertaining to the existence of a potential or actual organizational conflict of interest or misrepresents relevant information to the Contracting Officer, the Government may terminate the contract for default, suspend or debar the Contractor from Government contracting, or pursue such other remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract.

(e) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall include a clause substantially similar to this clause, including paragraphs

(f) and (g), in any subcontract or consultant agreement at any tier expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold. The terms "contract," "Contractor," and "Contracting Officer" shall be appropriately modified to preserve the Government ś rights.

(f) Prime Contractor Responsibilities. The Contractor shall obtain from its subcontractors or consultants the disclosure required in FAR Part 9.507-1, and shall determine in writing whether the interests disclosed present an actual, or significant potential for, an organizational conflict of interest. The Contractor shall identify and avoid, neutralize, or mitigate any subcontractor organizational conflict prior to award of the contract to the satisfaction of the Contracting Officer. If the subcontractor ś organizational conflict cannot be avoided, neutralized, or mitigated, the Contractor must obtain the written approval of the Contracting Officer prior to entering into the subcontract. If the Contractor becomes aware of a subcontractor ś potential or actual organizational conflict of interest after contract award, the Contractor agrees that the Contractor may be required to eliminate the subcontractor from its team, at the Contractor ś own risk.

(g) Waiver. The parties recognize that this clause has potential effects which will survive the performance of this contract and that it is impossible to foresee each circumstance to which it might be applied in the future.

Accordingly, the Contractor may at any time seek a waiver in accordance with FAR 9.503 by submitting such waiver request to the Contracting Officer, including a full written description of the requested waiver and the reasons in support thereof.

H. 4 DUPLICATION OF EFFORT

The Contractor hereby certifies that costs for work to be performed under this contract, and any subcontracts hereunder, are not duplicative of any costs charged against any other Government contract, subcontract, or other Government source. The Contractor agrees to advise the Contracting Officer, in writing, of any other Government contract or subcontract it has performed or is performing which involves work directly related to the purpose of this contract. The Contractor also certifies and agrees that any and all work performed under this contract shall be directly and exclusively for the use and benefit of the Government, and not incidental to any other work, pursuit, research, or purpose of the Contractor, whose responsibility it will be to account for it accordingly.

H. 5 TRAVEL

All travel under this contract shall be in accordance with the Statement of Objectives (SOO) and approved, in advance by the Point of Contact for Peace Corps.

H. 6 LOSS/DAMAGES

The Peace Corps does not accept responsibility for any damage or loss of the Contractor’s supplies or property, or that of the Contractor’s employees or subcontractors.

If any item is shipped to an improper destination or cannot be accounted for by the Contractor, the Contractor shall have the item reprinted and reshipped at its own expense, if required by the Peace Corps.

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES

I. 1 FAR 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The Offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this address: https://acquisition.gov/far/index.html

52.203-5 Covenant Against Contingent Fees (May 2014) 52.203-7 Anti-Kickback Procedures (May 2014) 52.203-17 Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights and Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights (April 2014) 52.204-7 System for Award Management (Jul 2013) 52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (Jan 2011) 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items (May 2015) 52.223-10 Waste Reduction Program (May 2011) 52.223-19 Compliance With Environmental Management Systems (May 2011) 52.232-24 Prohibition of Assignment of Claims (May 2014) 52.232-39 Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations (Jun 2013) 52.233-1 Disputes (May 2014) 52.246-25 Limitation of Liability -- Services (Feb 1997)

CLAUSES IN FULL TEXT

I. 2 FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items (May 2015)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

(1) 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (Nov 2015)

(2) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553).

(3) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Public Laws 108-77, 108-78 (19 U.S.C.

3805 note)).

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the contracting officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

___ (1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 2402).

https://acquisition.gov/far/index.html

___ (2) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Apr 2010) (41 U.S.C. 3509).

___ (3) 52.203-15, Whistleblower Protections under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Jun 2010) (Section 1553 of Pub L. 111-5) (Applies to contracts funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009).

_X__ (4) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jul 2013) (Pub. L.

109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

___ (5) [Reserved]

____ (6) 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements (Jan 2014) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div.

C).

___ (7) 52.204-15, Service Contract Reporting Requirements for Indefinite-Delivery Contracts (Jan 2014) (Pub.

L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

_X_ (8) 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment (Aug 2013) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

___ (9) 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Jul 2013) (41 U.S.C. 2313).

___ (10) [Reserved]

___ (11) (i) 52.219-3, Notice of HUBZone Set-Aside or Sole-Source Award (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 657a).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011) of 52.219-3.

___ (12) (i) 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Oct 2011) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer)(15 U.S.C. 657a).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jan 2011) of 52.219-4.

___ (13) [Reserved]

___ (14) (i) 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011).

___ (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2011).

___ (15) (i) 52.219-7, Notice of Partial Small Business Set-Aside (June 2003) (15 U.S.C. 644).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 1995) of 52.219-7.

___ (iii) Alternate II (Mar 2004) of 52.219-7.

___ (16) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)).

___ (17) (i) 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Oct 2014) (15 U.S.C. 637 (d)(4)).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 2001) of 52.219-9.

___ (iii) Alternate II (Oct 2001) of 52.219-9.

___ (iv) Alternate III (Oct 2014) of 52.219-9.

___ (18) 52.219-13, Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644(r)).

___ (19) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(14)).

___ (20) 52.219-16, Liquidated Damages—Subcontracting Plan (Jan 1999) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)(F)(i)).

___ (21) 52.219-27, Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C.

657f).

___ (22) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C. 632(a)(2)).

___ (23) 52.219-29, Notice of Set-Aside for Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Concerns (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

___ (24) 52.219-30, Notice of Set-Aside for Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Concerns Eligible Under the WOSB Program (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

____ (25) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755).

__X (26) 52.222-19, Child Labor—Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Jan 2014) (E.O. 13126).

___(27) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).

___ (28) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Apr 2015) (E.O. 11246).

___(29) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Jul 2014) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

___(30) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29 U.S.C. 793).

___ (31) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Jul 2014) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

___ (32) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O.

13496).

__X (33) (i) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50, (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

__X_ (34) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Oct 2015). (Executive Order 12989). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items or certain other types of commercial items as prescribed in 22.1803.)

___ (35) (i) 52.223-9, Estimate of Percentage of Recovered Material Content for EPA-Designated Items (May 2008) (42 U.S.C. 6962(c)(3)(A)(ii)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

___ (ii) Alternate I (May 2008) of 52.223-9 (42 U.S.C. 6962(i)(2)(C)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

___ (36) (i) 52.223-13, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Imaging Equipment (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-13.

___ (37) (i) 52.223-14, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Television (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-14.

___ (38) 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products (Dec 2007) (42 U.S.C. 8259b).

___ (39) (i) 52.223-16, Acquisition of EPEAT® -Registered Personal Computer Products (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-16.

__X_ (40) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging while Driving (Aug 2011) (E.O.

13513).

___ (41) 52.225-1, Buy American--Supplies (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83).

___ (42) (i) 52.225-3, Buy American--Free Trade Agreements--Israeli Trade Act (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83, 19 U.S.C. 3301 note, 19 U.S.C. 2112 note, 19 U.S.C. 3805 note, 19 U.S.C. 4001 note, Pub. L. 103-182, 108- 77, 108-78, 108-286, 108-302, 109-53, 109-169, 109-283, 110-138, 112-41, 112-42, and 112-43).

___ (ii) Alternate I (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (iii) Alternate II (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (iv) Alternate III (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

___ (43) 52.225-5, Trade Agreements (Nov 2013) (19 U.S.C. 2501, et seq., 19 U.S.C. 3301 note).

__X_ (44) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Jun 2008) (E.O.’s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury).

___ (45) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States (Jul 2013) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

___ (46) 52.226-4, Notice of Disaster or Emergency Area Set-Aside (Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C. 5150).

___ (47) 52.226-5, Restrictions on Subcontracting Outside Disaster or Emergency Area (Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C.

5150).

___ (48) 52.232-29, Terms for Financing of Purchases of Commercial Items (Feb 2002) (41 U.S.C. 4505), 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

___ (49) 52.232-30, Installment Payments for Commercial Items (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 4505, 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

__X (50) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer— System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (51) 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—Other Than System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (52) 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party (May 2014) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

___ (53) 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

___ (54) (i) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels (Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C.

Appx 1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631).

___ (ii) Alternate I (Apr 2003) of 52.247-64.

(c) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (c), applicable to commercial services, that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

___ (1) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014) (E.O. 13495)

____ (2) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67.).

___ (4) 52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards -- Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts) (May 2014) (29 U.S.C.206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (5) 52.222-44, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards -- Price Adjustment (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (6) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

___ (7) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

____ (8) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2014) (E.O. 13658).

___ (9) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations. (May 2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792).

___ (10) 52.237-11, Accepting and Dispensing of $1 Coin (Sep 2008) (31 U.S.C. 5112(p)(1)).

(d) Comptroller General Examination of Record The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of this paragraph (d) if this contract was awarded using other than sealed bid, is in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, and does not contain the clause at 52.215-2, Audit and Records -- Negotiation.

(1) The Comptroller General of the United States, or an authorized representative of the Comptroller General, shall have access to and right to examine any of the Contractor’s directly pertinent records involving transactions related to this contract.

(2) The Contractor shall make available at its offices at all reasonable times the records, materials, and other evidence for examination, audit, or…