RFI 72036723RFI00001 - USAID Resilience in Education.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RFI number: 72036723RFI00001 Release date: May 10, 2023 Response due date: May 31, 2023 at 5pm EST

The United States Agency for International Development in Nepal (USAID/Nepal) is in the process of gathering information to support anticipated activity design for the USAID Resilience in Education Activity.

This Request for Information (RFI) intends to offer the opportunity to collect written information about the capabilities of local Nepali organizations, specifically those engaged in, or capable of, providing services to strengthen the education sector and its ability to prepare for and recover from emergencies. Interested local organizations could potentially serve as a prime grantee, a sub-prime, or as a prime with international consortium members under this anticipated activity.

USAID is not seeking technical or cost applications/proposals at this time. Responses to this RFI are voluntary and are limited to three pages. Respondents may address any or all of the below items, as well as provide additional information that is relevant to meeting the objectives in paragraph two above. USAID reserves the right to use information provided by respondents through this RFI. Proprietary information must not be submitted. Any future solicitations of funding opportunities related to USAID Resilience in Education will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website at www.sam.gov or at www.grants.gov at a later date.

Please note that issuance of this RFI does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of comments.

Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, Maria Televantos Contracting / Agreement Officer USAID/Nepal http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

1. BACKGROUND

USAID/Nepal’s Education Development Office is gathering information to support the design of USAID Resilience in Education, a new activity for the Mission. USAID has been supporting the Government of Nepal (GON) to build the resilience of the education system to respond to crises and ensure students’ access to safe learning spaces. For example, after the disastrous Gorkha earthquake in 2015, USAID helped build Temporary Learning Centers (temporary bamboo structures) and Transitional Learning Structures (semi-permanent steel structures) benefitting over 300,000 students. USAID also responded to the recent COVID pandemic, which disrupted schooling of millions of children in Nepal for almost two years. Finally, there are other kinds of natural disasters, such as flooding, landslides, extreme heat and cold weather, which often result in school closures in Nepal.

To proactively address possible challenges like those mentioned above, USAID is designing USAID Resilience in Education to support the preparedness for and assurance of continuous learning for students during potential emergencies. This activity will support the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) in the roll out of their Comprehensive School Safety Plan; seek innovative new solutions for increasing the preparedness of schools to respond to future disasters; and support municipalities to ensure continuity of schooling and prevent learning loss in the case of shocks. USAID is striving to shift more leadership, ownership, decision making, and implementation to local people and institutions, thus USAID values partnering with local organizations as prime recipients of this award. The activity(ies) will be implemented in Madhesh and Karnali Provinces.

We expect that the ideal local organization, or a consortium of organizations where a local entity is the prime partner, must have the capacity to directly manage and administer a $5 million activity. However, USAID is also considering the possibility of issuing two awards (about $2.5 million each) - one in Madhesh and one in Karnali Province. Hence, as noted below, please indicate in your response whether you would be interested in managing the whole activity, or just in one of the provinces, and note the province.

2. CAPABILITIES OF LOCAL ORGANIZATION:

USAID/Nepal is interested in collecting written information about the capabilities of local Nepali organizations engaged in, or capable of, providing services to strengthen the education sector’s ability to prepare for and recover from emergencies. The local organization, or a consortium of organizations where a local entity is the prime partner, must have the capacity to directly manage and administer the USAID Resilience in Education activity(ies) ($2-$6 million).

Local organizations or a consortium of organizations must be practicing sound financial management and internal control systems that comply with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., the cooperating country, or by the International Accounting Standards Board. Organizations must also have the ability to engage with various levels of GON institutions, comply with USAID regulations, and hire and manage appropriate staff.

USAID/Nepal is interested in understanding which local organizations might be well placed to serve as a lead partner that manages a consortium of organizations that as a team possess the operational structure, demonstrated experience, and systems to recruit and manage the necessary personnel and/or sub-partners in order to meet the USAID Resilience in Education requirements. Please note that subpartners could include both local and international entities, as long as the prime organization is local.

To be considered a ‘local’ Nepali organization, an entity must:

3. be an entity that is legally organized under the laws of Nepal;

4. have its principal place of business or operations in Nepal;

5. be majority owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Nepal; and

6. be managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Nepal.

3. INFORMATION REQUESTED/SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The following information on interest, adequacy and capability should be provided in no more than three pages.

● Provide a table that contains the following information:

❏ Organization name and address ❏ Organization point of contact, title/position, telephone number(s), email address ❏ Organization’s incorporation/registration details with information on ownership/governing body/management structure ❏ List the annual expenditures of your organization for the last five years, including the portfolio you are currently implementing.

❏ Scope: Indicate whether your organization would be interested in managing the whole activity or just in one province only, and which province.

● Respondents may also include the following information:

a. What is your technical expertise or background related to the objectives of this project mentioned above? Describe briefly.

b. What is the potential geographic reach of your organization? Provide the number of municipalities and/or schools as relevant.

c. Describe how you have been collaborating with other local organizations, communities, local governments or municipalities, while implementing your activities.

d. What is your experience designing and implementing outcome-oriented activities or programs?

e. Please share a list of potential partners that could serve in your consortium (note whether they are local or international).

All comments and recommendations must be submitted electronically with the title “72036723RFI00001 USAID/Nepal - Resilience in Education Activity” to Ms. Lesley DeRosa, Acquisition and Assistance Specialist, lderosa@usaid.gov, with a copy to Ms. Maria Televantos, Contracting / Agreement Officer, at mtelevantos@usaid.gov. Responses to this RFI will be accepted through the date and time indicated above.

The submitted response should include:

Reference number: RFI No. 72036723RFI00001 USAID/Nepal - Resilience in Education Activity [Date] Name/Email Affiliation/Organization Address

Attachments: Please attach any documents that support your comments to the above questions. Respondents may also include information about themselves, or their organization, including past experience working on this subject area, experience working with other stakeholders, and/or capacity information.

You will only receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response, but will not receive individualized feedback on any suggestions. No basis for the claims against the U.S.

Government shall arise as a result of a response to this request for information or from the Government’s use of such information. Specific questions about this RFI should be directed only to the email addresses identified above.

Your responses to the information requested will serve as market research to assist USAID in planning the solicitation strategy and will not be released publicly.

USAID/Nepal is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information, answer questions, or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

Please note issuance of this RFI does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, and in accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Do not submit pricing information in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any are issued.

Organizations are encouraged to review the following website to learn more about working with USAID: https://www.workwithusaid.org/. Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID programs.

[END OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION NO. 72036723RFI00001]

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