Released RFI Sembrando Esperanza_8.4.2020.pdf

NOTICE TYPE: Special Notice – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RFI NUMBER: RFI-522-20-00003

SUBJECT: Sembrando Esperanza Activity

(Integrated Prevention of Violence and Migration)

ISSUANCE DATE: August 4, 2020

CLOSING DATE: August 18, 2020

This is a Request for Information (RFI) pursuant to FAR Part 15.201(c), (d) and (f) and FAR

Part 10.002 (b)(2)(iii). The purpose of this RFI is to:

• Invite comments regarding the acquisition strategy (including terms and conditions, expected results, and evaluation criteria); feasibility of the requirement; the availability of reference documents; and any other concerns or questions; and

• Improve the understanding of Government requirements and industry capabilities, thereby allowing potential offerors to judge whether or how they can satisfy the

Government’s requirements, and enhance USAID/Honduras’ ability to obtain quality services at reasonable prices

An additional purpose of this RFI is to increase the efficiency in proposal preparation and evaluation, negotiation, and contract award in the event USAID/Honduras elects to issue a solicitation requesting proposals. However, this is an RFI, not a Request for Proposals (RFP), and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue any solicitation or ultimately award a contract on the basis of this RFI, nor to pay for any information submitted as a result of this request, nor does it commit the Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of any comments. Proprietary information should not be sent.

USAID may use any information provided without incurring any obligations.

Please also note that this RFI does not commit USAID/Honduras to necessarily award an acquisition instrument, should an award materialize as a result of this RFI.

This RFI offers the opportunity for interested organizations and individuals to provide feedback, information, opinions, and recommendations on the prospective activity described herein, and in particular to respond to the eleven (11) questions listed below. Responses should not exceed ten

(10) pages and should focus on addressing the requirements and illustrative results described.

Interested parties should submit their name, address, contact information, and information on business size and socioeconomic status. Additional information limited to the offerors’ corporate or organizational capability statement to carry out their approach and case studies supporting the strategies in the approach may be included as an annex.

Kindly submit responses to this RFI to Brian Chang, Contracting Officer, USAID/Honduras at oaahonduras@usaid.gov with the RFI No. RFI-522-20-00003 on the subject line. Comments received prior to August 18, 2020 are more likely to receive consideration during mission planning.

USAID/Honduras will not directly provide responses or feedback to any inquiries submitted as a result of this RFI.

We appreciate and thank you for your time and assistance.

Sincerely, Brian Chang

Contracting Officer mailto:oaahonduras@usaid.gov

Sembrando Esperanza Activity (Integrated Prevention of Violence and Migration)

SUMMARY

USAID/Honduras is in the last stages of designing a challenging (Integrated Prevention of

Violence and Migration Activity) that will be known as Sembrando Esperanza. An earlier mention and concept of this activity was released for industry feedback in November 2018.

However, since then, the USAID/Honduras has made substantial changes to the expected results and has determined that this is an opportune moment to obtain feedback prior to its anticipated finalization. It is anticipated that this activity will address the violence dynamics and associated human security challenges that are driving irregular migration in Honduras. USAID investments will expand upon the best practices and lessons-learned from the violence prevention programming in Honduras in locations in which high irregular migration and high crime and/or violence overlap.

Additionally, this activity will employ strategic collaboration and partnerships with and among civil society, local community stakeholders, Government of Honduras (GOH) counterparts, academia, private sector and other USAID-funded activities. These partnerships are intended to catalyze resources in support of the objective and results stated, stimulate key changes and improve performance of local prevention systems, both at a policy as well as an operational level. Linkages and referrals between key service providers within the system that need strengthening include: migration reintegration services, community services, family support services, child protection services and mechanisms, as well as Health and Education sector resources (including mental health). The Activity will employ a robust grant fund to incentivize and facilitate critical private and public sector partnerships and investments to achieve the

Activity’s goal.

BACKGROUND

Crime, violence, and homicide rates have been at or near worldwide highs in the Central

American countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador for over a decade. Despite significant reductions in the region, these rates continue to be at endemic levels. These countries have also experienced massive irregular migration since 2014 resulting in multiple responses developed and implemented by different actors without a firm consensus on what mitigates this phenomenon. The lack of economic opportunities and violence are the critical drivers of irregular migration to the U.S. In addition, nearly 80 percent of migrants detained by U.S. authorities are under the age of 30 (USAID/Honduras 2019). Age is the single largest predictor of migration to the U.S. and the average age of a Honduran migrant is 17. Youth are also the highest age group to be either victims or perpetrators of violence.

USAID/Honduras recognizes that it cannot attribute a single cause to the migration phenomenon.

To measurably lower intent to migrate and reintegrate returned migrants, a comprehensive approach must be utilized to create sustainable gains. Furthermore, the violence phenomenon not only affects intent to migrate irregularly, but it also negatively impacts youth in Honduras and their home communities. Continuous learning is necessary to better understand how the migration and violence dynamics overlap in the same geographic areas and address it through the human security lens.

USAID posits that through this approach, entire municipalities affected by violence, as well as populations prone to migration, can benefit, and sustainable development results can be obtained.

Continuous learning for adaptive management is particularly relevant for Honduras, where the context is dynamic and is characterized by: high migration rates; regular shocks (e.g., violence after elections, yearly droughts, varying coffee prices, health-related outbreaks) which test the resilience of the population. Furthermore, low trust in government institutions and increasing citizen frustration further stimulate intent to migrate. This underscores the importance for the prospective activity to promote the intentional use of adaptive management, both internally at

USAID/Honduras and externally with implementing partners, local organizations, local governments, private sector partners, and academia. In addition, this Activity must respond to

USAID policy priorities which emphasize sustainable development results through local ownership and strengthened local systems. USAID/Honduras will foster capacity and commitment of local partners across all levels—individuals, communities, and government institutions—to eventually solve development challenges without USAID assistance.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the prospective activity is to:

● achieve sustainable and measurable impact on irregular migration,

● achieve sustainable and measurable impact on violence, and

● enhance human security in high migration/high violence areas.

The notional theory of change is:

If the human security of youth and their families at high risk of violence and/or irregular migration is improved, AND the performance of local prevention systems is sustainably increased, THEN the levels of illegal migration and violence will be measurably reduced in targeted locations.

Three (3) notional components of the prospective activity may be:

Component 1 - Collective Efficacy in Target Locations Improved. This component will enable USAID/Honduras to improve collective efficacy of stakeholders to address the violence dynamics and associated human security challenges that drive irregular migration. These interventions would be focused on a primary prevention level population, thereby reaching a high volume of citizens in different locations.

Component 2 - Comprehensive Family and Youth-centered Services Expanded. This component will capitalize on the effective, risk-differentiated interventions and expand their utilization and the knowledge base of risk levels within a family unit and at the individual level, both for the purposes of enhancing evidence-driven violence prevention interventions as well as for mitigating the risk of irregular migration. New prevention interventions for higher risk youth and their families will also be implemented through this component. These interventions would be focused on the higher risk prevention level population, thereby reaching a smaller, yet substantial, volume of citizens through proven risk identification tools.

Component 3 - Evidence-driven advisory capabilities increased. This component is aligned with USAID’s Journey to Self Reliance and the principles of the Human Security approach which foster commitment and capacity of local actors to eventually solve developmental challenges on their own. It will convene key partners, academia, and stakeholders for the purpose of reviewing evidence, advising internally and externally to the Activity itself, and advocating for relevant evidence-informed policy, processes, and interventions.

The notional Evaluation Criteria for the prospective offerors could be:

1. Technical Approach

The extent to which the technical approach uses an informed understanding of the migration and violence dynamics in Honduras, as well as the impact of risk differentiated approaches in violence prevention, which in turn supports a comprehensive, logical yet innovative, application of proven strategies versus piloting new prevention strategies that are most likely to achieve locally-led, sustainable results. The approach should be responsive to the following elements, which will be considered holistically and will not be individually scored.

● Understanding: The proposal demonstrates an understanding of the Honduran context; existing migration and violence challenges; the relationship between the context and challenges; and the advances made in migration and violence prevention in Honduras to date.

● Proposed methodology and actions: USAID could evaluate to what extent the technical proposal proposes a sound technical methodology and approach that promotes best practices and best fit approaches; describes concrete activities that are well defined, innovative, and feasible for achieving the intended outcomes within the given timeframe as described; and includes innovative and cost-effective means of building locally-led and locally sustained results.

USAID could also evaluate to what extent the proposal describes a concrete approach and activities to addressing gender and vulnerable population concerns.

● Knowledge Management (KM): USAID could evaluate the extent to which the proposal reflects a thorough knowledge and cross-cutting, feasible application of

Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) principles to foster adaptive management and learning internally to the Activity and externally with local stakeholder(s). USAID could further evaluate how the KM plan promotes a learning culture within and from the Activity.

● Quick start-up Plan: USAID could evaluate how the proposal demonstrates a feasible, sequential administrative and operational start-up within the first seven months after award such that essential elements of the technical approach are fast-tracked within the first year of the contract.

2. Management Plan The Management Plan could be evaluated to the extent that it is responsive to the following two elements, which would be considered holistically and would not be individually scored.

● Management Plan: USAID could evaluate the extent to which the proposal outlines a solid and streamlined organizational structure designed to achieve the proposed activity, including a clear description of roles and responsibilities, and internal and external communication arrangements (i.e. within the local office as well as with home office backstops, if applicable.) USAID could also evaluate the extent to which the proposed plan explains how the proposed activity would engage local organizations for activity implementation, including sub-grants, and the extent to which the plan includes an adequate mobilization schedule, including a quick start-up plan.

● Staffing Plan: USAID could evaluate the extent to which proposed staffing mix, including key and non-key personnel and short-term/technical assistance, creatively optimizes the use of resources to successfully undertake the proposed approach. This should include a description of consortiums, sub-granting and subcontracting arrangements that incorporate a broad range of demonstrated experience and expertise that address all of the programming areas set forth in this SOW or tap into the regional experience and expertise that will be critical to success.

3. Personnel

USAID could evaluate the extent to which the key positions in the management structure provide the relevant expertise which indicate the quality and adequacy of experience and knowledge that would ensure efficient technical and management oversight of the activity.

4. Past Performance

Institutional Capacity could be evaluated to the extent that it demonstrates institutional experience and capacity for implementing relevant, successful activities of similar size and complexity in the Central American (preferred) or similar operating environments. This will be considered holistically and will not be individually scored.

INFORMATION REQUESTED

USAID/Honduras is seeking feedback on the following questions:

1. Based on your organization’s experience, what type of proven interventions using the human security approach would be the most effective at measurably reducing intent to migrate and preventing crime and violence?

2. In your informed opinion, what type of measurements would you propose relating to irregular migration, (i.e., willingness vs probability of migrating irregularly)?

3. Based on your organization’s experience, what are the probable obstacles to and possible solutions for sustainably reducing intent to migrate and actual migration?

4. In your informed opinion, how would you rank (prioritize) the aspects which impede the provision of services for returnees?

5. Based on your organization’s experience, what are the opportunities for state or non-state actors to provide trauma-informed, prevention services to secondary or tertiary risk youth in

Honduras?

6. In your informed opinion, would prevention approaches for violence be the same or different for migration (returnee population in particular)?

7. Based on your organization’s expertise, would you propose changes to the notional development hypothesis outlined in this RFI?

8. What would you recommend as potential three impact/outcome indicators for this activity?

9. Based on your organization’s experience, what recommendations would you make for the evaluation criteria?

10. Based on your organization's experience, what do you think would be an appropriate organizational structure, management plan, and key personnel composition? What qualifications for key personnel would you recommend?

11. What would be your recommendation as the best mechanism for this type of approach?

Response to this RFI is voluntary. Responders are free to address any or all the above items, as well as provide additional information relevant to increase sustainable outcomes and effectiveness in Honduras or similar contexts. Please note that USAID is not seeking technical proposals/applications or cost proposals/applications at this time. Do not submit any proposal/application in response to this RFI. Only the information requested above will be considered.