RFI Advancing Civic Engagement in South Africa.pdf

Request for Information – Advancing Civic Engagement in South Africa

Subject: Request for Information for USAID Southern Africa to Advance Civic Engagement in South

Africa

RFI Number: 720674RFI00002

Issuance: January 7, 2025

Closing Date: February 6, 2025

Response to: pretoriaapplications@usaid.gov with a copy to sdladla@usaid.gov

Dear Prospective Respondent:

This is a Request for Information (RFI). This is NOT a Request for Proposal, Request for

Application, Request for Quotation, Invitation for Bids, Solicitation, or Notification of Funding

Opportunity (NOFO). Nor is it an indication that the United States Agency for International

Development Southern Africa Regional Mission (USAID/Southern Africa) will proceed with procurement of the items and anticipated activities contained in this RFI. This RFI is an opportunity for USAID/Southern Africa to obtain information from interested parties regarding the anticipated activities.

Responses to this RFI notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract or agreement. Responses to this RFI are strictly voluntary and USAID will not pay respondents for information provided in response to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review.

USAID posts its competitive business opportunities on www.sam.gov, www.grants.gov, and other local platforms. This RFI does not restrict the Government’s approach on a future solicitation.

Please note that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization or individual in any subsequent competition. Any/all comments provided will be strictly for information gathering purposes. USAID will not pay for any costs associated with responding to this RFI. Responses may be used by USAID without restriction or limitation and shall become the property of USAID. Therefore, proprietary information or any other information that cannot be shared should not be submitted.

mailto:pretoriaapplications@usaid.gov mailto:sdladla@usaid.gov http://www.sam.gov http://www.grants.gov

USAID/Southern Africa is requesting information that may support an anticipated design of an activity to advance civic engagement in South Africa.

Additionally, this is a Sources Sought Notification (SSN) to identify qualified organizations interested in and capable of performing the type of work described below. Responses to the

SSN should be sent using the attachment below and include organization information and past experience working in this subject area and working with relevant stakeholders on the ground.

The following background and preliminary objectives are currently considered for the design of the Advancing Civic Engagement in South Africa activity.

Background

South Africa's progressive constitutional framework promotes public participation as a cornerstone of its democracy. However, thirty years into democracy, many constitutional values remain unrealized, resulting in widespread citizen dissatisfaction. This sentiment is underscored by the increasing frequency of service delivery protests across the country and declining voter turnout. While the underlying causes of these protests are complex, they highlight a growing demand for accountability and responsiveness from government institutions—gaps that remain largely unaddressed. Similarly, the downward trend in voter turnout largely stems from growing citizen disillusionment and perception that voting does not lead to meaningful change or address issues such as service delivery, unemployment, or corruption.

The National Development Plan 2030 (NDP) emphasizes the importance of engaging citizens in their own forums rather than solely relying on state-led platforms. The NDP notes that while

South Africa has a vocal and active citizenry, government practices have reduced citizens’ incentives to be active participants in their own development. The NDP highlights that the state must act collaboratively with its people, working alongside other institutions to create opportunities that advance community interests. However, limited public understanding of constitutional rights and governance processes, coupled with inconsistent service delivery and unresponsive government systems, has eroded public trust in political processes and weakened citizens’ belief in their capacity to effect meaningful change.

This context stresses the importance of strengthening democratic participation to address South

Africa’s evolving challenges, including the Just Energy Transition (JET). The JET requires transformational changes in communities whose livelihoods are heavily reliant on fossil fuel industries. Empowering citizens with knowledge of their rights, governance processes, and mechanisms for holding leaders accountable is vital to ensuring that community voices are represented in shaping a more responsive service delivery system.

This proposed program aims to increase citizens’ motivation to engage in democratic processes by enhancing their knowledge and skills to influence governance. It intends to strengthen municipal officials’ capacity to work collaboratively with citizens and community-based organizations to integrate local priorities into municipal planning, including mechanisms like

Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). In Mpumalanga, the activity may further empower communities and municipalities to address the burdens and seize the opportunities of JET, fostering inclusive, sustainable development tailored to the needs of affected communities.

Preliminary Objectives

Objective 1: Civil society’s abilities to conduct collaborative and effective civic education activities are strengthened.

This objective will aim to strengthen the ability of civil society organizations (CSOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to effectively educate citizens about their constitutional rights and the importance of political participation, conduct public outreach campaigns, civic literacy training and produce civic education materials. Activities under this Objective may include, but are not limited to, interventions to mentor and provide technical assistance to CSOs and CBOs to conduct civic education activities to increase citizen’s knowledge of their rights and understanding of governance processes, including tools such as advocacy and public outreach campaigns and civic literacy materials and workshops and support better coordination between

CSOs and CBOs.

Objective 2: Citizens and communities’ ability to participate in local, provincial, and national governance processes and hold elected and non-elected officials accountable increased.

The objective will aim to increase citizens’ participation in decision-making processes such as

IDPs. Activities under this Objective may include, but are not limited to, interventions that facilitate active engagement between citizens and their elected officials through roundtables, town halls, reviews of IDPs, and monitoring government responses and actions.

Objective 3: Municipalities’ ability to effectively engage with communities and develop responsive policies strengthened.

The objective will aim to increase local government official’s ability to engage with communities and develop responsive policies. Activities under this Objective may include, but are not limited to, interventions that facilitate active, productive engagement between communities and municipal officials on IDPs, strengthening of ward committees and existing feedback mechanisms, and addressing the gap between policy and implementation.

Objective 4: Communities’ access to financial, human, and material resources to implement their development priorities increased.

The objective will aim to link communities with existing initiatives/mechanisms to access financial and human resources to implement their priorities. Activities under this Objective may include, but are not limited to, interventions that map existing government programs, raise awareness of the various resources available such as grants and loans, and refer communities to economic empowerment programs.

RFI QUESTIONS

USAID/Southern Africa is seeking input regarding relevant actors and approaches that would best enable investigative journalists to collaborate on cross-border reporting on corruption across Southern Africa. USAID/Southern Africa is also seeking recommendations on how to best advance civic engagement in South Africa to help address growing citizen disillusionment, poor service delivery, and low engagement between citizens and elected officials.

All organizations are strongly encouraged to provide information and comments by the closing date and time noted on the cover page. Responses should not exceed five pages.

USAID/Southern Africa would particularly value and appreciate comments in response to the following questions (answers to all questions is not required):

1. Are the preliminary objectives outlined above appropriate to effectively advance civic engagement in South Africa? Should they be changed or further refined? How and why?

2. What interventions and projects are working well to advance community engagement?

Why do you believe these initiatives or approaches are effective?

3. What are the key ongoing barriers for community engagement, including challenges for communities to engage and effect change with local-provincial-national-level officials, mining companies, investors, and other relevant stakeholders?

4. Which partnerships and stakeholders should USAID consider in its approach in order to meet the preliminary objectives outlined above? Who is often missing, yet essential, in moving the needle? For example, how, if at all, do community media, traditional leaders, faith-based leaders, the private sector, business chambers/forums, marginalized communities, unions, youth-led groups, women’s groups, educational institutions, think tanks, service providers, local influencers, etc. fit into this approach?

5. With South Africa’s commitment to JET, what are some potential pitfalls or areas of conflict when engaging with affected communities and local government authorities to help ensure that the broader community, workers impacted by the changing landscape, and Mpumalanga benefit from the transition?

6. USAID has implemented civic engagement interventions in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Limpopo, North West, and Mpumalanga through a wide variety of partnerships. Are there other geographic areas we should consider and why?

7. With local elections in 2026 and national elections in 2029, how might this activity engage around elections to advance citizens’ participation and community engagement?

8. Is there anything further you think USAID should know or consider to help advance civic engagement in South Africa?

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTIFICATION

USAID/Southern Africa seeks the following information about the interests and capabilities of organizations to implement the objectives described in the RFI. The SSN response is limited to two pages. USAID/Southern Africa is interested in receiving responses from all types of organizations (see below).

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Name of the Organization:

Address:

Contact Person:

Email:

TYPE OF ORGANIZATION:

Please indicate your organization type:

____ Local Entity: a Local Entity is defined as a corporation, a nonprofit organization, or another body of persons that:

(a) is legally organized under the laws of;

(b) has as its principal place of business or operations in;

(c) is majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of;

and

(d) managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.

____ Non-U.S. Organization

____U.S. Organization (other than small business)

____U.S. Small Business

____U.S. Organization that has received less than $25 million of USAID funding in the past five years

____Other - Please indicate: _________________________

PREVIOUS PERFORMANCE:

Please describe your organization’s experience working in relevant subject areas.

INSTRUCTIONS

Responses to this RFI are due to pretoriaapplications@usaid.gov and sdladla@usaid.gov by the closing date indicated on page 1.

Responders shall provide electronic submissions in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat, 12-point

Calibri font, single spaced with one-inch margins on the electronic equivalent of 8.5 x 11-inch paper.

Responses should not exceed a total of seven pages (Five for the RFI Questions and two for the

SSN). Please number each page consecutively. We value concise, issue-specific comments.

Please reference the email with the subject title “Responses to 720674RFI00002 Advancing Civic

Engagement in South Africa”.

FAR 52.215-3 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OR SOLICITATION FOR PLANNING PURPOSES (OCT

1997)

(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

(c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of obtaining information to inform the design of an anticipated upcoming activity to Advance Civic Engagement in South Africa. (End of provision)

Thank you for your interest in USAID’s activities. We greatly appreciate and value your insights and input.

Sincerely, Sandro Carrillo

Regional Contracting/Agreement Officer

USAID Southern Africa Mission mailto:pretoriaapplications@usaid.gov mailto:sdladla@usaid.gov