RFA 72062122RFA00002 YES.pdf

Subject:

RFA Issuance Date:

Deadline for Questions:

Deadline for Applications:

Notice of Funding Opportunity Request For Application (RFA) Number 72062122RFA00002 February 16, 2022 February 25, 2022 at 17:00 EAT April 18, 2022 at 23:00 EAT

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a cooperative agreement from qualified Tanzanian entities to implement the “Youth Empowerment and Skills (YES)” program. Eligibility for this award is restricted to Tanzanian organizations that meet USAID’s definition of local entity.

USAID intends to make one award to the applicant who best meets the objectives of this funding opportunity based on the merit review criteria described in this NOFO subject to a risk assessment.

Eligible parties interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read this NOFO thoroughly to understand the type of program sought, application submission requirements, and selection process.

To be eligible for award, the applicant must provide all information as required in this NOFO and meet eligibility standards in Section C of this NOFO. This funding opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov and may be amended. It is the responsibility of the applicant to regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this notice of funding opportunity and to ensure that the NOFO has been received from the internet in its entirety. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion process. If you have difficulty registering on www.grants.gov or accessing the NOFO, please contact the Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726 or via email at support@grants.gov for technical assistance.

USAID may not award to an applicant unless the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements detailed in Section D.6.g.

The registration process may take many weeks to complete. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to begin registration early in the process.

Please send any questions to the point(s) of contact identified in Section D. The deadline for questions is shown above. Responses to questions received prior to the deadline will be furnished to all potential applicants through an amendment to this notice posted to www.grants.gov.

Issuance of this notice of funding opportunity does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in preparation or submission of comments/suggestions or an application. Applications are submitted at the risk of the applicant. All preparation and submission costs are at the applicant’s expense.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, Sascha Kemper Agreement Officer http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov

72062122RFA00002

Youth Empowerment and Skills Program

Section A: Program Description

This funding opportunity is authorized under the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961, as amended.

The resulting award will be subject to 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and USAID’s supplement, 2 CFR 700, as well as the additional requirements found in Section F.

1. Background

USAID/Tanzania’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2020 - 2025 goal is:

“Tanzanian youth advance the country’s long-term prosperity and journey to self-reliance.” USAID envisions a future where Tanzanian youth can thrive because they have adequate education, health care, nutrition, voice, and economic opportunity. To achieve this goal, USAID/Tanzania supports three Development Objectives (DO):

DO 1: Foundational skills of children below age 15 improved DO 2: Empowerment, productivity, and engagement of Tanzanians aged 15 - 35 increased DO 3: Capacity of state and non-state actors strengthened to benefit future generations

Eighty percent of Tanzania’s population is under the age of 35. Furthermore, 64 percent of the population is under 24. They represent the largest generation in Tanzania’s history, a diverse group of people with different needs, skills, and aspirations. Worrisome is that 40.9 percent of secondary school age children are out-of-school and their unique needs and challenges in preparing for the future are not being well addressed. While out of school, youth miss opportunities to learn, access to financial opportunities, linkages to a wide network of mentors, as well as basic education. Most of the youth (78.9%) drop out after completing primary school, and therefore many lack the expected skills for individuals of their education level and age, especially when competing in the labor market. With little education and with limited skills, out-of-school youth’s opportunities for future success are limited.

Moreover, many out-of-school youth live in rural areas and/or have responsibilities tied to income generation, family obligations, and early marriage and pregnancy, making it difficult for them to reenter the formal education system or pursue other education opportunities.

In support of its CDCS goal, USAID/Tanzania has planned this integrated cross-sectoral youth activity following Positive Youth Development principles to increase the empowerment, productivity, and community engagement of youth, in particular of out-of-school youth aged 15-25. Adolescents and young adults in this age range are on the cusp of their working lives and parenthood and are most poised to benefit from skills-based interventions. This activity will integrate efforts from USAID’s traditional areas of intervention: health, education, democracy and governance, and economic growth to ensure youth are accessing the resources and opportunities that will help them become full actors in their own well-being. This activity will support a holistic youth-centered approach to youth development that is shaped and led by youth and that provides the skills development, resources, and support that youth need to thrive.

2. Theory of Change

The theory of change for this activity is that if:

1. out-of-school youth are provided with opportunities to access and develop basic skills, and if, https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Tanzania_CDCS_2020-2025_Public.pdf

2. out-of-school youth are provided with opportunities to participate in activities that foster physical and mental well-being, and if,

3. these skills are enhanced by supportive networks and meaningful opportunities to contribute to community development, then youth will become actors in their own well-being and become agents of change in their communities.

3. Geographical Areas of Interest

Under this RFA, USAID/Tanzania is looking to fund an organization that will work closely with the USAID/Tanzania Mission and current implementing partners to create and support an array of sustainable human-centered design interventions, differentiated, and tailored to the specific needs of the targeted youth between the ages of 15 and 25. Interventions will be youth-owned, youth-led, and youth-managed. They will focus particularly on out-of-school youth who have had limited opportunities to engage in the formal education sector. Interventions will be implemented in the following regions:

● Zanzibar, including Pemba

● Dar es Salaam and up to one or two additional regions from the following CDCS target areas:

● Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania:

o Iringa, o Morogoro, o Ngombe, and o Mbeya; and

● Lake Western Zone:

o Mwanza, o Shinyanga, o Mara, and o Kagera; and

4. Technical Areas of Interest

The three main objectives of the activity are to enable youth to: (1) access resources and opportunities for basic educational, life, and entrepreneurial skills; (2) participate in activities that foster physical and mental well-being; and (3) build or strengthen existing networks that support youth development and community engagement. The expected result of this activity is that youth will be more productive, engaged, and active members in their communities.

The following list reflects the illustrative areas of programming under the three objectives that applicants may consider; other innovative ideas would be highly encouraged.

1. Direct provision of basic educational, life, and entrepreneurial skills for youth aged 15-25. These skills include but are not limited to the following:

● Expanding life skills, such as nutrition, childcare, home economics, resilience, etc.

● Providing remedial literacy and numeracy skills.

● Expanding workforce readiness skills, such as interviewing, application/resume writing, accessing labor market information, persistence in achieving goals, etc.

● Identifying and accessing local youth-friendly government services and resources, such as health, nutrition, education, economic opportunities, etc.

● Identifying and accessing local youth-friendly banking services and foundational entrepreneurial skills, including registration and compliance, marketing, business plan development, access to financial products, access to land for land-based economic opportunities, understanding supply chains, etc.

● Enhancing digital literacy, helping to counter misinformation and leverage the benefits of social media.

● Registration for national identification cards, birth certificates, and voter registration.

2. Activities that foster physical and mental well-being for youth aged 15-25. Some of the activities under this objective include:

● Network referrals and direct counseling services on:

○ Nutrition: including nutrition care planning, appropriate means of nutrition interventions, e.g., nutrition requirements and feeding modalities, etc.

○ Gender-based violence (GBV): e.g., services that address prevention, protection, and responses to GBV.

○ Referral and bi-directional linkage services i.e., the connection facilitated to link service providers and youths for comprehensive health service provision.

○ Healthy development, including physical, mental, and social emotional learning.

○ Other useful health topics, e.g., HIV prevention, Malaria, Tuberculosis (TB), Sexual reproductive health education, Family Planning, etc.

○ Youth-friendly private sector and government labor market information, access to finance, and economic and job opportunities, etc.

● Activities that focus on the holistic development of adolescents and young people, teamwork, self-efficacy, leadership, creative-thinking, conflict-resolution, and problem-solving.

3. Strengthen existing youth-led networks to support their youth development and community engagement activities. Network strengthening activities will include but not limited to the following:

● Mentor, instruct, and coach network leaders and organizers, and strengthen network service provided.

● Provide demand-driven support to strengthen existing platforms or local structures supporting youth development and engagement.

● Enhancing collective youth civic and political participation.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to devise creative approaches that follow Positive Youth Development principles and coordinate with and leverage community, public, and private sector resources to maximize the impact of USAID’s investment.

In addition, the following table shows the current geographic coverage of USAID’s activities that include youth focused interventions. Integration is a key component of USAID/Tanzania’s CDCS. The

CDCS advances USAID’s core values of empowerment and inclusion and key principles of engagement which include partnership, capacity building, integration, and learning. The Mission recognizes the complexity of Tanzania’s development challenges and the value of addressing them using multiple tools and perspectives that cross sectors. Integration is defined broadly as “partnering to apply sound development principles and practices to address political, economic, social and governance factors across sectors to improve the sustainability of development investments and results.” In short, applicants should consider how to seek opportunities to partner and collaborate across sectors, especially with activities listed below, to improve the sustainability and impact of planned outcomes and results.

Figure 1: USAID/Tanzania’s current youth-focused activities’ geographic and intervention coverage.

Activity Intervention Areas Geographic Coverage

Feed the Future Private Sector Strengthening Activity (PSSA) (Expected 2022- 2027)

The purpose of the Private Sector Strengthening Activity (PSSA) is to increase economic opportunities for private sector youth and improve the business enabling environment for youth entrepreneurs, youth-led startups, and youth-led businesses, particularly within the agriculture sector and related value chains. This activity will work with private sector associations to improve the business enabling environment and expand economic opportunities for youth by removing obstacles and catalyzing private sector investments in economic growth among youth entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses. This is expected to be achieved thru two main IRs:

1. Strengthen private sector associations’ capacity to successfully advocate for implementation/ enforcement of policies that support youth entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses, particularly within the agriculture sector and related value chains.

2. Strengthen private sector associations’ capacity to increase member and youth awareness of, access to, and utilization of business and financial services and opportunities better tailored to meet the needs of youth entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses, particularly within the agriculture sector and related value chains.

Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) and Zanzibar (has implications at a National Level)

USAID Uhuru - Tuberculosis and Family Planning Facility Solutions (ends in 2025)

The activity goal is to increase TB case detection, facility and community linkage, retention into care for TB patients and increased prevalence of modern contraceptive use among young girls, adolescents, and adult male and women of reproductive age. The activity is carrying out its work along three key result areas that include

1. Access to and use of high quality, person-centered TB, DR- TB, and TB/HIV services at the facility level improved.

2. TB disease transmission and progression reduced through facility-based service delivery.

Katavi, Kigoma, Rukwa and Songwe

3. Access to and use of quality FP services at facility level strengthened.

Mwanamke Imara (2020 - 2023)

The activity aims to contribute to ending all forms of violence and discrimination against women and young people in Tanzania.

The program has been structured around four result areas:

1. Improved access to justice for women and young people on right based issues

2. Strengthened GBV protection and response mechanisms to effectively address GBV

3. Strengthened and enhanced women and young youth access to and control over resources and information

4. Amplified women and young people’s voices and participation in leadership, community decision making structures and governance

Mbeya, Njombe and Kilimanjaro

OVC -

Northeastern Zone (estimated from January 2022 to January 2027)

The awards’ key objectives are to:

1. Increase use of OVC platforms for pediatric HIV case finding, linkage to treatment, and viral suppression.

2. Increase access to HIV prevention, violence prevention, and response services for OVC and youth.

3. Improve socio-economic capacity of at-risk adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and OVC caregivers.

The following guiding principles will be mainstreamed across the awards’ interventions:

1. Support for GoT and community systems and structures.

2. Gender integration and meaningful youth engagement.

3. Routine use of data for continuous quality improvement

4. Integration with other PEPFAR programs (with a focus on clinical programs) to improve efficiency as well as compound results and investments

Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Singida, Tanga, Dodoma, Morogoro, and possibly Manyara

OVC - South Zone (estimated from January 2022 to January 2027)

Mtwara, Iringa, Njombe, Ruvuma, and possibly Lindi

End of Section A

Section B: Federal Award Information

1. Estimate of Funds Available and Number of Awards Contemplated

USAID intends to award one cooperative agreement pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity.

Subject to funding availability and at the discretion of the Agency, USAID intends to provide $10,630,000 in total USAID funding over a four-year period.

2. Expected Performance Indicators, Targets, Baseline Data, and Data Collection

The recipient will be required to report on the following performance indicators:

Objective 1 indicators

1. Number of youths trained in soft skills/life skills through USG- assisted programs (Youth-1)

2. Percent of individuals who complete USG-assisted workforce development programs (EG.6-

14)

3. Percent of individuals with new employment following participation in USG-assisted workforce development programs (EG. 6-12)

4. HL.9-4 Number of individuals receiving nutrition-related professional training through USG

Objective 2 indicators

1. Number of youths who have received health related topics (SRH, FP, Nutrition) through the activity

2. Number of youths who have accessed youth friendly services through referral and/or linkage system

3. Number of health-related cases identified at the community through the activity

Objective 3 indicators

1. Number/proportion (%) of youths who participate in civil society activities due to social or leadership skills training or initiatives from USG assisted programs (PMP Indicator 2.3)

2. Number of youths who participate in community development activities following skills development training

3. Number of initiatives led or organized by youth that contribute to development dynamics of their community (PMP 2.3)

4. Number of youths who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG-assisted training/programming

USAID may add additional indicators after award for reporting purposes if deemed necessary by USAID. For example, USAID/Tanzania may develop Integration Indicators that, once approved, will be applied to this Activity.

3. Start Date and Period of Performance for Federal Awards

The period of performance anticipated herein is four years from the effective date of the award. The estimated start date is September 30, 2022.

4. Substantial Involvement

USAID will remain substantially involved over the life of the program to assist the recipient in achieving the expected outcomes and results of the program. Substantial involvement under a resulting cooperative agreement will include the following:

a. Approval of the recipient’s annual implementation plans (workplans).

b. Approval of specified key personnel.

c. Agency and recipient collaboration or joint participation.

d. Agency authority to immediately halt a construction activity, if any.

5. Authorized Geographic Code

The geographic code for this program is 937, which means that the Recipient will be allowed to make purchases for commodities and services from the United States, the recipient country, and developing countries other than advanced developing countries, but excluding any country that is a prohibited source.

For accurate identification of prohibited sources, please refer to 22 CFR 228 entitled “Source and Nationality Requirements for Procurement of Commodities and Services Financed by USAID” and Automated Directive System (ADS) 310.

5. Nature of the Relationship between USAID and the Recipient

The principal purpose of the relationship with the Recipient and under the subject program is to transfer funds to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation of the YES program, which is authorized by Federal statute. The successful Recipient will be responsible for ensuring the achievement of the program objectives and the efficient and effective administration of the award through the application of sound management practices. The Recipient will assume responsibility for administering Federal funds in a manner consistent with underlying agreements, program objectives, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award.

End of Section B

Section C: Eligibility Information

1. Eligibility:

Only local organizations as defined below are eligible for award. USAID defines a “local entity” as an individual, a corporation, a nonprofit organization, or another body of persons that:

(1) Is legally organized under the laws of; and

(2) Has as its principal place of business or operations in; and

(3) Is majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of; and

(4) Is managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the country receiving assistance.

For purposes of this section, ‘majority owned’ and ‘managed by’ include, without limitation, beneficiary interests and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization's managers or a majority of the organization's governing body by any means.

These eligibility requirements apply to only the principal applicant.

Entities that meet the definition of “locally established partner” are not eligible to submit an application as the principal applicant.

USAID welcomes applications from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.

Faith-based organizations are eligible to apply for federal financial assistance on the same basis as any other organization and are subject to the protections and requirements of Federal law.

2. Responsibility:

Applicants must have established financial management, monitoring and evaluation processes, internal control systems, and policies and procedures that comply with established U.S. Government standards, laws, and regulations. The successful applicant may be subject to a responsibility determination assessment (Pre-award Survey) by the Agreement Officer (AO).

The Recipient must be a responsible entity. The AO may determine a pre-award survey is required to conduct an examination that will determine whether the prospective recipient has the necessary organization, experience, accounting and operational controls, and technical skills – or ability to obtain them – to achieve the objectives of the program and comply with the terms and conditions of the award.

3. Number Of Applications Per Applicant:

Only one application is allowed per eligible applicant.

End of Section C

Section D: Application and Submission Information

1. Agency Point of Contact Information

Cecilia Mambo Acquisition and Assistance Specialist cmambo@usaid.gov and

Sascha Kemper Agreement Officer skemper@usaid.gov

2. Questions and Answers

Questions regarding this NOFO must be submitted by email no later than the date and time indicated on the cover letter, as amended. Any information given to a prospective applicant concerning this NOFO will be furnished promptly to all other prospective applicants as an amendment to this NOFO, if that information is necessary in submitting applications or if the lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective applicant.

3. General Content and Form of Application

To be considered for this funding opportunity, all applicants must follow the procedures below.

USAID/Tanzania may exclude applicants from further consideration if any submission is not within these parameters. Applications and all supporting material must be submitted in English.

Preparation of Applications:

Each applicant must furnish the information required by this NOFO. Applications must be submitted in two separate parts: the Technical Application and the Business (Cost) Application. This subsection addresses general content requirements applying to the full application. Please see subsections 5 and 6, below, for information on the content specific to the Technical and Business (Cost) applications.

The Technical application must address technical aspects only while the Business (Cost) Application must present the costs, and address risk and other related issues.

Both the Technical and Business (Cost) Applications must include a cover page containing the following information:

• Name of the organization(s) submitting the application;

• Identification and signature of the primary contact person (by name, title, organization, mailing address, telephone number and email address) and the identification of the alternate contact person (by name, title, organization, mailing address, telephone number and email address);

• Program name

• Notice of Funding Opportunity number

• Name of any proposed sub-recipients or partnerships (identify if any of the organizations are local organizations, per USAID’s definition of ‘local entity’ under ADS 303.

mailto:cmambo@usaid.gov mailto:skemper@usaid.gov

Any erasures or other changes to the application must be initiated by the person signing the application.

Applications signed by an agent on behalf of the Applicant must be accompanied by evidence of that agent’s authority unless that evidence has been previously furnished to the issuing office.

Applicants may choose to submit a cover letter in addition to the cover pages, but it will serve only as a transmittal letter to the Agreement Officer. The cover letter will not be reviewed as part of the merit review criteria.

Applications must comply with the following:

● USAID will not review any pages in excess of the page limits noted in the subsequent sections.

Please ensure that applications comply with the page limitations.

● Written in English

● Use standard A4 size, single sided, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1” margins, left justification and headers and/or footers on each page including consecutive page numbers, date of submission, and applicant’s name.

● 10-point font can be used for graphs and charts. Tables, however, must comply with the 12-point Times New Roman requirement.

● Submitted via Microsoft Word or PDF formats, except budget files which must be submitted in Microsoft Excel.

● The estimated start date identified in Section B of this NOFO must be used in the cost application.

● The technical application must be a searchable and editable Word or PDF format as appropriate.

● The Cost Schedule must include an Excel spreadsheet with all cells unlocked and no hidden formulas or sheets. A PDF version of the Excel spreadsheet may be submitted in addition to the Excel version at the applicant’s discretion, however, the official cost application submission is the unlocked Excel version.

Applicants must review, understand, and comply with all aspects of this NOFO. Failure to do so may be considered as being non-responsive and may be evaluated accordingly. Applicants should retain a copy of the application and all enclosures for their records.

4. Application Submission Procedures

Applications in response to this NOFO must be submitted no later than the closing date and time indicated on the cover letter, as amended. Late applications may be considered at the discretion of the Agreement Officer. Applicants must retain proof of timely delivery in the form of system generated documentation of delivery receipt date and time.

Applications must be submitted by email to the Agency Points of Contact listed in Section D. Email submissions must include the NOFO number and applicant’s name in the subject line heading. In addition, for an application sent by multiple emails, the subject line must also indicate whether the email relates to the technical or cost application, and the desired sequence of the emails and their attachments (e.g., "No. 1 of 4", etc.). For example, if your cost application is being sent in two emails, the first email should have a subject line that states: "[NOFO number], [organization name], Cost Application, Part 1 of 2".

USAID’s preference is that the technical application and the cost application each be submitted as consolidated email attachments, e.g., that you consolidate the various parts of a technical application into a single document before sending it. If this is not possible, please provide instructions on how to collate the attachments. USAID will not be responsible for errors in compiling electronic applications if no instructions are provided or are unclear.

After submitting an application electronically, applicants should immediately check their own email to confirm that the attachments were indeed sent. If an applicant discovers an error in transmission, please send the material again and note in the subject line of the email or indicate in the file name if submitted via grants.gov that it is a "corrected" submission. Do not send the same email more than once unless there has been a change, and if so, please note that it is a "corrected" email.

Applicants are reminded that e-mail is NOT instantaneous, and in some cases delays of several hours occur from transmission to receipt. Therefore, applicants are requested to send the application in sufficient time ahead of the deadline. For this NOFO, the initial point of entry to the government infrastructure is the USAID mail server.

There may be a problem with the receipt of *.zip files due to anti-virus software. Therefore, applicants are discouraged from sending files in this format as USAID/Tanzania cannot guarantee their acceptance by the internet server. File size must not exceed 5 MB.

5. Technical Application Format

The technical application should be specific, complete, and presented concisely. The application must demonstrate the applicant's capabilities and expertise with respect to achieving the goals of this program. The application should take into account the requirements of the program and merit review criteria found in this NOFO.

Technical Applications must not exceed 20 single-spaced typed pages, utilizing Times New Roman 12-point font, typed on standard A4 sized paper with one-inch margins (both right and left) and each page numbered consecutively. All materials and supporting documentation must be in English.

The Technical Application must be structured in the following format. Unless otherwise noted, the following sections will adhere to the total page limit noted above.

i. Cover Page (not to exceed one page; does not count against the 20-page limitation)

ii. Acronym List (does not count against the 20-page limitation)

iii. Technical Approach

iv. Management Approach and Key Personnel

v. CVs of any proposed Key Personnel (limited to two pages each and does not count against the 20-page limit)

Pages in excess of the stated limitations will not be considered.

Technical Application Details:

i. Cover Page (not to exceed one page; does not count against the 20-page limitation)

Applicants to include the information required in Section D.3.

ii. Technical Approach

Applicants to include:

• A discussion of the development context, including brief background on the specific development challenge/opportunity and needs to be addressed by the application (include description of the target population and any gender integration specific challenges).

• The technical approach to be used, including the specific program activities and strategies to be conducted (what, where, how, and when) and how they will be informed by constituent priorities and existing local capacities.

• A clear and thorough delineation of the outcomes and anticipated results.

• A description of the coordination, cooperation, and inclusion of relevant stakeholders.

Additionally, applicants must take into consideration the below subject matters when preparing the technical approach:

o Gender Considerations: Applicants are required to adequately incorporate gender considerations into the planning and implementation of activities and briefly describe their approach in their applications. Efforts should be taken prior to activity design to analyze sector-specific laws, rights, policies, and/or institutions’ differential impact on people from marginalized communities, in particular young males and females, and the implications for equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from project interventions. Narratives on inclusive development should identify and articulate the potential inequalities that youth and women can face regarding access to the economic resources needed to participate in USAID activities. These can include ownership of or access to assets (land/housing), income/employment, social benefits, and public services.

o Sustainability: Applicants must describe how their program activities will achieve sustained advancements among youth, including those with disabilities. The description should include both external and internal key factors that would have influence on the sustainability of the program, technically and financially, after the USAID program is completed. The Applicant is further required to describe how they would go about dealing with these factors to maximize the positive impacts and minimize the negative ones.

iii. Management Approach and Key Personnel

Applicants to provide:

• An identification of partners for activities where appropriate.

• An efficient and logical structure for overall program implementation, including how the applicant will divide labor, responsibilities and funding with partners or any potential sub-grantees, including a brief organizational chart.

• A staffing plan that corresponds to the skills and experience called for by the applicant’s approach.

• Specified key personnel (those who are essential to the successful implementation of an award).

Below are the key personnel positions each application must have:

o Chief of Party (COP) o Deputy COP Programs o Deputy COP Operations o M&E Director

The DCOP Programs must focus on technical implementation in support of the COP while the DCOP Operations must supervise financial and administrative matters.

All key personnel must have requisite academic and professional experience to be able to carry out their roles.

The COP must not be an applicant’s executive director, chief executive officer, or other member of the executive/senior management team. Key personnel must be assigned to the program for 100% of their time.

6. Business (Cost) Application Format

The Business (Cost) Application must be submitted separately from the Technical Application. While no page limit exists for the full cost application, applicants are encouraged to be as concise as possible while still providing the necessary details. The business (cost) application must illustrate the entire period of performance, using the budget format shown in the SF-424A.

Prior to award, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation deemed necessary for the Agreement Officer to assess the applicant’s risk in accordance with 2 CFR 200.206. Applicants should not submit any additional information with their initial application.

The Cost Application must contain the following sections (which are further elaborated below this listing with the letters for each requirement):

a) Cover Page (See Section D.3 above for requirements)

b) SF 424 Form(s)

The applicant must sign and submit the cost application using the SF-424 series. Standard Forms can be accessed electronically at www.grants.gov or using the following links:

Instructions for SF-424 http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424-instructions.html

Application for Federal Assistance

(SF-424)

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

Instructions for SF- 424A http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424a-instructions.html

Budget Information

(SF-424A)

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

Instructions for SF- 424B http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424b-instructions.html

Assurances (SF-424B) https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

Failure to accurately complete these forms could result in the rejection of the application.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424-instructions.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424-instructions.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424a-instructions.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424a-instructions.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424b-instructions.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424b-instructions.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

c) Required Certifications and Assurances

The applicant must complete the following documents and submit a signed copy with their application:

(1) “Certifications, Assurances, Representations, and Other Statements of the Recipient” ADS

303mav document found at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/303mav.pdf

(2) Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)

(3) Certificate of Compliance: Please submit a copy of your Certificate of Compliance if your organization's systems have been certified by USAID/Washington's Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA).

d) Budget and Budget Narrative

The Budget must be submitted as one unprotected Excel file (MS Office 2000 or later versions) with visible formulas and references and must be broken out by project year, including itemization of the federal and non-federal (cost share) amount. Files must not contain any hidden or otherwise inaccessible cells. Budgets with hidden cells lengthen the cost analysis time required to make award and may result in a rejection of the cost application. The Budget Narrative must contain sufficient detail to allow USAID to understand the proposed costs. The applicant must ensure the budgeted costs address any additional requirements identified in Section F, such as Branding and Marking. The Budget Narrative must be thorough, including sources for costs to support USAID’s determination that the proposed costs are fair and reasonable. The Budget Narrative must be a separate MS Word (MS Office 2000 or later versions) document and must contain sufficient information to allow USAID/Tanzania to determine the reasonableness of all budgeted costs.

The Budget must include the following worksheets or tabs, and contents, at a minimum:

• Summary Budget, inclusive of all program costs (federal and non-federal), broken out by major budget category and by year for activities implemented by the applicant and any potential sub-applicants for the entire period of the program. See Annex 1 for Summary Budget Template.

• Detailed Budget, including a breakdown by year, sufficient to allow the Agency to determine that the costs represent a realistic and efficient use of funding to implement the applicant’s program and are allowable in accordance with the cost principles found in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E.

• Detailed Budgets for each sub-recipient, for all federal funding and cost share, broken out by budget category and by year, for the entire implementation period of the project.

The Detailed Budget must contain the following budget categories and information, at a minimum:

1. Salaries and Allowances – Must be proposed consistent with 2 CFR 200.430 Compensation -

Personal Services. The applicant’s budget must include position title, salary rate, level of effort, and salary escalation factors for each position. Allowances, when proposed, must be broken down by specific type and by position. Applicants must explain all assumptions in the Budget Narrative.

The Budget Narrative must demonstrate that the proposed compensation is reasonable for the services rendered and consistent with what is paid for similar work in other activities of the applicant. Applicants must provide their established written policies on personnel compensation.

If the applicant’s written policies do not address a specific element of compensation that is being proposed, the Budget Narrative must describe the rationale used and supporting market research.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/303mav.pdf

2. Fringe Benefits – (if applicable) If the applicant has a fringe benefit rate approved by an agency of the U.S. Government, the applicant must use such rate and provide evidence of its approval. If an applicant does not have a fringe benefit rate approved, the applicant must propose a rate and explain how the applicant determined the rate. In this case, the Budget Narrative must include a detailed breakdown comprised of all items of fringe benefits (e.g., superannuation, gratuity, etc.) and the costs of each, expressed in U.S. dollars and as a percentage of salaries.

3. Travel and Transportation – Provide details to explain the purpose of the trips, the number of trips, the origin and destination, the number of individuals traveling, and the duration of the trips. Per Diem and associated travel costs must be based on the applicant’s normal travel policies. When appropriate please provide supporting documentation as an attachment, such as company travel policy, and explain assumptions in the Budget Narrative.

4. Procurement or Rental of Goods (Equipment & Supplies), Services, and Real Property – Must include information on estimated types of equipment, models, supplies and the cost per unit and quantity. The Budget Narrative must include the purpose of the equipment and supplies and the basis for the estimates. The Budget Narrative must support the necessity of any rental costs and reasonableness in light of such factors as: rental costs of comparable property, if any; market conditions in the area; alternatives available; and the type, life expectancy, condition, and value of the property leased.

5. Subawards – Specify the budget for the portion of the program to be passed through to any subrecipients. See 2 CFR 200 for assistance in determining whether the sub-tier entity is a subrecipient or contractor. The subrecipient budgets must align with the same requirements as the applicant’s budget, including those related to fringe and indirect costs.

6. Other Direct Costs – This may include other costs not elsewhere specified, such as report preparation costs, passports and visas fees, medical exams, and inoculations, as well as any other miscellaneous costs which directly benefit the program proposed by the applicant. The applicant should indicate the subject, venue and duration of any proposed conferences and seminars, and their relationship to the objectives of the program, along with estimates of costs. Otherwise, the narrative should be minimal.

7. Indirect Costs – Applicants must indicate whether they are proposing indirect costs or will charge all costs directly. To better understand indirect costs please see Subpart E of 2 CFR 200. The application must identify which approach they are requesting and provide the applicable supporting information. Below are the most commonly used Indirect Cost Rate methods:

Method 1 - Direct Charge Only Eligibility: Any applicant Initial Application Requirements: See above on direct costs

Method 2 - Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) Eligibility: Any applicant with a NICRA issued by a USG Agency must use that NICRA Initial Application Requirements: If the applicant has a current NICRA, submit your approved NICRA and the associated disclosed practices. If your NICRA was issued by an Agency other than USAID, provide the contact information for the approving Agency. Additionally, at the Agency’s discretion, a provisional rate may be set forth in the award subject to audit and finalization. See USAID’s Indirect Cost Rate Guide for Non Profit Organizations for further guidance.

Method 3 - De minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) Eligibility: Any applicant that does not have a current NICRA Initial Application Requirements: Costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. If chosen, this methodology once https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/OCC_A_Guidefor_NonProfit_Indirect_CostRate_Oct31_16_Version1.01.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/OCC_A_Guidefor_NonProfit_Indirect_CostRate_Oct31_16_Version1.01.pdf elected must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as a non-Federal entity chooses to negotiate an indirect rate, which the non-Federal entity may apply to do at any time. The applicant must describe which cost elements it charges indirectly vs. directly. See 2 CFR 200 for further information.

If the applicant does not have an approved NICRA and does not elect to utilize the 10% de minimis rate, the Agreement Officer will provide further instructions and may request additional supporting information, including financial statements and audits, should the application still be under consideration after the merit review. USAID is under no obligation to approve the applicant’s requested method.

e. Prior Approvals in accordance with 2 CFR 200.407

Inclusion of an item of cost in the detailed application budget does not satisfy any requirements for prior approval by the Agency. If the applicant would like the award to reflect approval of any cost elements for which prior written approval is specifically required for allowability, the applicant must specify and justify that cost. See 2 CFR 200.407 for information regarding which cost elements require prior written approval.

f. Approval of Subawards

The applicant must submit information for all subawards that it wishes to have approved at the time of award. For each proposed subaward the applicant must provide the following:

• Name of organization

• DUNS Number

• Confirmation that the subrecipient does not appear on the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign

Assets Control (OFAC) list

• Confirmation that the subrecipient does not have active exclusions in the System for Award

Management (SAM)

• Confirmation that the subrecipient is not listed in the United Nations Security designation list

• Confirmation that the subrecipient is not suspended or debarred

• Confirmation that the applicant has completed a risk assessment of the subrecipient, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332(b)

• Any negative findings as a result of the risk assessment and the applicant’s plan for mitigation.

g. Dun and Bradstreet and SAM Requirements

USAID may not award to an applicant unless the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier (DUNS number) and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements. Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is exempted from requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR 25.110(d)) is required to:

1. Provide a valid DUNS number for the applicant and all proposed sub-recipients.

2. Be registered in SAM before submitting its application. SAM is streamlining processes, eliminating the need to enter the same data multiple times, and consolidating hosting to make the process of doing business with the government more efficient (www.beta.sam.gov).

3. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency.

The registration process may take many weeks to complete. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to begin the process early. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements above by the time USAID is ready to make an award, USAID may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

DUNS number: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform SAM registration: http://www.beta.sam.gov

Non-U.S. applicants can find additional resources for registering in SAM, including a Quick Start Guide and a video on how to obtain an NCAGE code, on www.beta.sam.gov, navigate to Help, then to International Registrants.

h. Past Performance History

Using the template in Annex 4, applicants must provide information regarding its recent history of performance for all its cost-reimbursement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other awards involving similar or related programs, not to exceed 10 awards as follows:

• Name of the Awarding Organization;

• Award Number;

• Activity Title;

• A brief description of the activity;

• Period of Performance;

• Award Amount;

• Reports and findings from any audits performed in the last 5 years; and

• Name of at least two (2) updated professional contacts who most directly observed the work at the organization for which the service was performed with complete current contact information including telephone number, and e-mail address for each proposed individual.

If the applicant encountered problems on any of the referenced awards, it may provide a short explanation and the corrective action taken. The applicant should not provide general information on its performance. USAID reserves the right to obtain relevant information concerning an applicant’s history of performance from any sources and may consider such information in its review of the applicant’s risk. The Agency may request additional information and conduct a pre-award survey if it determines that it is necessary to inform the risk assessment.

i. Branding Strategy & Marking Plan

Only the apparently successful applicant will be asked to provide a Branding Strategy and Marking Plan to be evaluated and approved by the Agreement Officer and incorporated into any resulting award.

http://www.beta.sam.gov/ http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

Branding Strategy – Assistance (June 2012)

a. Applicants recommended for an assistance award must submit and negotiate a "Branding

Strategy," describing how the program, project, or activity is named and positioned, and how it is promoted and communicated to beneficiaries and host country citizens.

b. The request for a Branding Strategy, by the Agreement Officer from the applicant, confers no rights to the applicant and constitutes no USAID commitment to an award.

c.