Posted Notes for June 7 Open Meeting.doc

Regional Contracting Office

Leopoldo Navarro #12, Gazcue

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Serving Dominican Republic, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica

REQ 532-USAID-JAMAICA_DG_PROGRAM

Special Notice - Request for Comments

Due June 18, 2010

On June 7, 2010 a second open meeting was held for prospective commenters at the U.S. Embassy Jamaica to discuss the proposed Scope of Work for the Democracy and Governance Program on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica.

Notes from that session are as follows:

Meeting Facilitators:

Dr. Karen Hilliard Mission Director USAID/Jamaica

Mr. Sean Osner Program Officer USAID/Jamaica

Ms. Christina Davis Democracy and Governance Officer USAID/Jamaica

Summary of Introduction by Mission Director Karen Hilliard:

“This is basically meant to be a repeat of the previous meeting due to some technical difficulties and the fact that some people did not receive information in time to attend the meeting.

“Of course, a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. The events at the end of May just re-confirmed the Democracy and Governance (DG) Scope of Work and the importance of the sector. It also points to the accuracy in which the scope addressed the important issues.

“Before these last couple of weeks, Jamaica was somewhat ignored in terms of a place with crises and safety and security issues, but we recently applied for more funds from Washington in the form of Crisis Funds, because people are now recognizing that Jamaica IS a place of crises.

“Peace and Security is priority #1. This priority is evident in reading the Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), which is a joint United States Government (USG) strategy. But, the CAS grew out of broad consultancy process which included the private sector, public sector, Local Non-Profit Organizations, and, of course, the Government of Jamaica. The CAS covers three other areas besides Peace and Security: creating a positive economic opportunity, which includes Agriculture and Economic Growth; Education; and HIV/AIDS. Of course, they are all affected by peace and security, or lack thereof. All four of the areas are interconnected.

“There is mutual interest in the area of Peace and Security for the U.S. Government due in part to the fact that 90% of the guns in Jamaica come from 2 counties in Florida.

“Previously, a large part of the DG portfolio was focused on rolling out the Community Based Policing (CBP) and encouraging adoption of the CBP philosophy. Now, it is the accepted JCF philosophy, so we are moving forward from there to a larger, more comprehensive DG portfolio.

“You’ll notice that the SOW has a very ambitious agenda with a modest budget. We will work to get you the money, while you work on implementing the program.

“Recently, all of the sectors were evaluated so we have no weak projects. Any project we have that is weak, we get rid of. We are not interested in 2nd stringers, so only the A-list is going to “cut it” here. Therefore, competition is stiff.

“Just to give you an idea, USAID/Jamaica is a small mission, and as a result, we are very flexible. Our mantra is teamwork and flexibility. As you think about bidding on the proposal, keep in mind that you will be working with the public and private sector, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), other IDPs (International Donor Partners), as well as other stakeholders, but it is important that you remain flexible with changes that come about.

“Due to the limited budget, cost effectiveness and having a high impact is absolutely imperative. USAID/Jamaica is known for being responsive to the needs in Jamaica—we’re going to keep it that way because it serves development well and it is important for the USG. We have extremely good bi-lateral relationships, so keeping that up is imperative.

“It is important to work with staff and work very collegially with all counterparts. We look forward to working with you.

End of Comments by Mission Director Karen Hilliard

Summary of comments by Sean Osner:

“The objective of this meeting is to give potential bidders an opportunity to comment on the SOW and Design and to give everyone a chance to comment. It is also a time when any questions about the SOW can be clarified. But, again, this is NOT a bidders’ conference—it is simply a comments session.

Question: How will the offerers be expected to engage with other USG partners?

Answer: On a strategic level, USAID will do that, but you may sit down with NAS (Narcotic Affairs Section) or ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to operationalize, strategize or collaborate. For example, the Chief of Party (COP) very well may sit down with NAS to figure out where they can synergize. You may also sit down with other IDPs, as well. Donor coordination is good here—it’s not perfect, but we do share what we’re doing and support each other. The Security International Donor Partner meetings are chaired by UNDP. So, again, the COP may work with them, as well.

Question: Around the world, Information Technology is being used to strengthen the capacity of police. Are IT based solutions a priority for USAID?

Answer: If IT is used to enhance the capacity or achieve the goals and objectives of the project, fine. Anything that enhances the capacity of the program is looked on favorably. While it is not in the SOW specifically, IT could be used to enhance every component.

Question: The connections between politics and organized crime and the fact that garrison communities were set up for political reasons, changing the structure of political system must be addressed.

Answer: The interventions listed in the SOW are building on what has been done in the past decade and learning from lessons learned, etc. Keeping the recent events in mind, it is important to strengthen the capacity of institutions.

Question: Youth is not really addressed here, but to create generational and culture change you need to address youth. Also, in terms of sustainability, does the government take over after the project ends?

Answer: We work hand in hand with the government, so they are aware of everything that we do. As for the youth, it is a cross-cutting issue. While there is not a separate component for youth, it is intertwined and evident in every component, with the exception, perhaps, of component #1. We recognize and understand the importance of involving youth in every way possible.

Question: How will you make sure the culture is changed?

Answer: By building institutions and working to encourage good policy decisions.

Question: The cost of crime to the formal sector is well recognized and understood. But, crime many times benefits the informal sector. How do you address that?

Answer: It is a huge challenge to turn the informal and illegitimate sectors into formal and legitimate sectors. We all know that about 47% of the economy is informal, but decreasing crime benefits everyone in the long run.

Question: It is important to understand the risk of engaging with the government since many are entrenched in crime.

Answer: Yes, one must be cognizant of political will, but there are places where we can gain traction. One such area where we have had success because of an anti-corruption champion is in customs. There are some sectors where we might not be able to work, but there are opportunities in other areas to make a huge impact. This is not to say that we don’t take any risks, but we must be cognizant of what we can and cannot do.

Question: The newspapers say that taking down the dons will create a social services void. How does USAID address the void created? How will USAID help the government fill this void?

Answer: You’re right. The state is weak or absent in many garrison communities. You can re-insert or strengthen the state where it makes sense by making sure all citizens’ voices are heard. However, there is not a component to deliver social services. In no way, shape or form is our goal to take the place of government. Our goal is to help build their capacity and help strengthen institutions so that they can provide services effectively and efficiently.

Question: Many donors have provided money to CSOs, but then when the money dries up, the CSO fails. How can contractor address that?

Answer: It is important to find the right formula for grants to make sure they are sustainable. For example, waste management—is the role of the government or private sector or the civil society to provide those services. What role do citizens play and how can those folks be mobilized? These are all questions to ponder.

Question: Entrepreneurship is not really addressed here. Why not?

Answer: It is not addressed directly because other sectors are addressing it such as our agreement with Junior Achievement and with UNDP (alternative livelihoods program). Moreover, to really thoroughly address entrepreneurship takes a huge amount of time, money and effort. Also, to make entrepreneurship more attractive, the security issue must first be addressed.

Question: Everything in the SOW seems to only operate on the institutional or higher level. Is that how it is intended?

Answer: If you look at the various components, you’ll notice that component two is really on the grass roots level, while other components, such as 1 and 3 are at a higher level. We have come to realize that if you ONLY address things at the grassroots level, without working at the institutional level as well, it is not sustainable. Therefore, the SOW attempts to work at the institutional or “higher” level as you call it, as well as the grassroots level.

Question: How do you see Public/Private Partnerships (PPPs) working within the SOW?

Answer: We have had successful PPPs in the past, such as GoGSAT, where we funded part of it, along with the company GoGSAT. 1800Corrupt line is another example where Digicel pays for the line, while we pay for advertising. Therefore, we welcome any potential PPPs.

Question: When will the RFP come out? When will this project start?

Answer: We are hoping to get the RFP out this summer, with the hope that the project will be on the ground in January. Of course, as always, some things are beyond our control. It will be full and open competition.

Question: I assume there will be a small business requirement?

Answer: As required by USAID, yes.

Question: How do you see CBSI money interplaying with this SOW?

Answer: The scope of work has already integrated the possibility of CBSI monies into the proposal. For example, in the original scope of work, juvenile justice was not a component, but when we learned that we would probably be receiving Juvenile Justice CBSI money, we added that component. Furthermore, we intentionally “regionalized” the Community Based Policing activity, as well as the anti-corruption component since we are assuming and hoping to get money for those two areas under CBSI.

Question: I do not see a property rights component or program here. Why not?

Answer: We have not really gained a lot of traction in land tenure and property rights at USAID. It is just not a priority right now. There is a small land tenure component in Economic growth sector, but there is just not a lot of political will.

Question: What kind of organizational structure do you envision?

Answer: That is totally and completely up to you. In the SOW, you’ll notice we require you to have a few positions, such as Chief of Party, but the rest is up to you.

Any other questions?

Thank you for attending.

The open meetings for the comments phase of the solicitation have been concluded. Please provide comments to the scope of work in writing according to the directions in the Special Notice.

All questions concerning this Special Notice should be sent to the Regional Contracting Officer Susan Scott-Vargas at sjscott-vargas@usaid.gov. No telephone calls will be accepted at this time.

The full RFP is expected to be posted in Summer 2010.