RFI - ENG - Local Organizations Capacity Strengthening Platform.pdf

RFI-72052724RFI00004

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

ISSUANCE DATE: June 11, 2024

CLOSING DATE: July 19, 2024, 5:00 pm (Lima Local Time)

SUBJECT: Request for Information (RFI) - New Activity: "Local Organizations Capacity Strengthening Platform".

The United States Government, represented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Republic of Peru, is designing an activity that aims to provide a demand-driven mechanism to help USAID empower local organizations that are current partners or prospective partners to effectively mobilize development funding and manage it to global standards, while successfully delivering strong development outcomes. According to USAID regulations, a “local” entity is: an individual, company or organization that (1) is legally organized under the laws of one of the above countries; (2) has its principal place of business or operations in one of the above countries; (3) is majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the above countries; and (4) is managed by a governing body the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the above countries.

This Request for Information (RFI) is not restricted to any organization category.

This RFI has the following purposes:

1. Gather ideas, strategies, and/or approaches on how to facilitate the empowerment of local organizations, thus contributing to the locally-led development in Peru.

2. Request capability statements from interested entities capable of performing the work described in Section II.

Sincerely, Chong Hun Park Regional Contracting & Agreement Officer

RFI No. 72052724RFI00004

SECTION I. PURPOSE

USAID is conducting market research to collect information from local and foreign organizations with knowledge and experience in capacity building of different types of organizations (public, private, civil society, non-government organizations, etc.) focused on organizational strengthening.

USAID/Peru plans to use the information gathered through this RFI to assist in designing an activity that aims to provide a demand-driven mechanism, empowering both current and prospective partners to effectively mobilize development funding and manage it to global standards, while successfully delivering strong development outcomes.

Peru is one of USAID’s priority Missions for localization efforts. RFIs are a tool that USAID uses for market research. If findings of this RFI demonstrate local capacities are available, USAID might choose to restrict the solicitation to local organizations.

It is anticipated this will be an acquisition instrument.

This is not a request for applications or proposals. USAID/Peru is interested in understanding the critical factors involved in carrying out local capacity strengthening of local entities to improve the performance of a local system to produce locally valued and sustainable development outcomes.

SECTION II. DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY

Introduction

USAID is re-doubling its commitment to transfer greater leadership responsibility in the areas of priority setting, project design, implementation, and outcome measurement to the people and institutions within their own countries and communities who possess the necessary capabilities and credibility to drive change. When USAID empowers local actors—and its efforts are responsive to local priorities, draw upon local capacities, diverse networks, and resources, and are accountable to local communities—USAID expects that results are more likely to be sustained by local organizations and institutions.

A key line of action to advance localization is local capacity strengthening—a set of approaches that supports local actors achieve their own mission; take actions to design and implement equitable responses to local challenges; learn and adapt;

and innovate and transform over time. USAID is also looking to channel a larger portion of assistance directly to credible local partners while ensuring accountability for the appropriate use of funds and achievement of development and humanitarian results. USAID will take steps to ensure that by 2030, 50 percent of its programming will place local communities in the lead to co-design projects, set priorities, drive implementation, and/or evaluate the impact of its programs.

More information can be found in the Locally-led development fact sheet.

The Local Capacity Strengthening Policy helps USAID advance its vision of localization as one of the guiding technical policies. Local capacity strengthening is a strategic and intentional investment in the process of partnering with local actors—individuals, organizations, and networks—to jointly improve the performance of a local system to produce locally valued and sustainable development outcomes. It includes a set of Principles for Effective Local Capacity Strengthening, as well as Principles for Equitable Partnerships in Local Capacity Strengthening.

Objective

The purpose of the USAID Local Organizations’ Capacity Strengthening Platform is to provide a demand-driven mechanism to help USAID empower local current partners and prospective partners to effectively mobilize development funding and manage it to global standards, while successfully delivering strong development outcomes.

To achieve this, as directed by USAID, the intention will be to help identify and engage with the targeted local organizations and provide tailored training and capacity-strengthening support while developing tools, resources, and models to advance localization and inclusive development.

Context

The landscape of local organizations in Peru is highly fragmented. According to the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI by its acronym in Spanish) https://www.usaid.gov/documents/what-locally-led-development-fact-sheet#:~:text=Locally%20led%20development%20is%20the,make%20those%20solutions%20a%20reality https://www.usaid.gov/policy/local-capacity-strengthening under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which manages the registration of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), over 1,700 NGO entities working bilaterally and regionally were registered as of 2023. Between 2011 and 2015, USAID/Peru worked directly and indirectly (sub-awardees) with 155 local organizations in the areas of health, education, democracy, alternative development, economic growth and environment. According to USAID’s data from this time period, there were a total of 88 direct awards to local organizations representing 22.5 percent of the program budget in Peru.

The technical capacity of many local entities in Peru is very high and the vast majority of key personnel and staff of even USAID’s US-based implementing partners are Peruvian. The challenge is that local entities have limited experience directly managing USAID awards and thus limited familiarity with USAID’s rules and requirements. Although there is some local capacity with experience and capabilities to effectively implement, manage, and account for USAID programs in Peru, there is also a significant number of local organizations that need to strengthen their organizational capabilities to manage funds. Common constraints include limited financial resources, weak management skills, an absence of transparency and accountability, and a lack of internal democratic governance, among others. Finally, even though the number of applications to USAID funding opportunities in Peru from local organizations have increased, many lack the design quality to move forward from concept stages into full applications and/or co-design processes.

SECTION III. INSTRUCTIONS AND QUESTIONS

Responses to the RFI must be submitted to limasolicitations@usaid.gov no later than July 19, 2024.

Electronic submissions must have as the subject line, "Response to RFI No.

72052724RFI00004 - Local Organizations Capacity Building Platform".

Submissions must be in Microsoft Word, Calibri font, size 14. Responses may be submitted in English or Spanish.

For information: If/when a solicitation is posted, as a result of our market research, the control language will be English. A courtesy copy may be given in

Spanish, but applications or proposals must be in English.

mailto:limasolicitations@usaid.gov

Responses may not exceed eight (8) pages, with a maximum of five (5) pages for

Capability Statements and three (3) pages for Technical Information. Opinions and comments may include:

● Innovative ideas and/or strategies for local capacity strengthening of local organizations.

● Recommendation of other actors or stakeholders that should be consulted or included in future interventions.

● Additional actions or areas of focus that should be considered to successfully carry out organizational capacity building to strengthen local entities.

Capability Statement.

The maximum number of pages is five (5) for the capability statement. This statement may include the following categories of information:

1. Organization/company name

2. Name of contact person, position, and e-mail address.

3. Confirm your organization’s location, and if your organization satisfies the definition of “local” entity provided in the cover letter to these instructions.

4. Confirmation of whether or not your organization is registered in the

System for Awards Management (SAM)1 and in the Peruvian Agency for

International Cooperation (APCI) system. This is desirable, but not required to respond to this RFI.

5. The capacity of your organization to receive and manage bilateral/multilateral or other donor funding and amounts.

6. Brief financial presentation of your organization. This section should cover the last 5 years and include overall budget, reference to any independently conducted financial audits, and any other information deemed relevant.

7. Overall management and leadership capacity, i.e., core competencies, differentiators, operations, procurement, staffing, certifications, etc.

8. Your organization’s capacity and/or experience to operate across Peru.

1The System for Award Management (SAM) is the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS.

https://sam.gov/content/home

9. Your organization’s experience in delivering services and/or managing activities/projects related to capacity building, organizational development and training, international cooperation, mobilization of resources, and advancing the Objective described in Section II.

10.Your organization’s capacity and/or experience in establishing partnerships with other potentially relevant organizations or firms, including in the public and private sectors, to advance the Objective described in Section II.

11.Your organization’s experience and/or skills and knowledge of individual members of your organization in the management of funding from international development organizations such as USAID.

12.References.

Technical Information.

Responses are welcome to any and all of the following technical questions. It is not necessary to answer any or all of the following questions. The maximum number of pages for the technical information is three (3).

1. What are the main challenges for local organizations to effectively assume leadership responsibility in the areas of development priority setting, project design, implementation, and outcome measurement in Peru?

2. What are the most important organizational capacities and competencies that should be built among local organizations working to better their communities in Peru? Just as examples: Resources mobilization from international donors, financial management, proposal and concept paper writing, budget development and preparation, partner identification and partnerships, stakeholder engagement, organizational development, and capacity building.

3. What are significant gaps among local organizations in understanding how to work with USAID?

4. What does a well-designed and well-articulated organizational capacity strengthening program for local organizations look like? What training approaches/mechanisms should it include?

5. Identify any local organizations in Peru that might have the capacity to deliver the services described in your response to the previous question and/or needed to advance the Objective described in Section II.

6. Are there any specific groups or types of local organizations that a program designed to advance the Objective described in Section II should target or prioritize?

DISCLAIMER

This RFI is issued solely for gathering information and market research for design planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposals nor

Applications.

This RFI must not be construed as the U.S. Government commitment to issue a solicitation. Respondents are directly and fully responsible for bearing all incurred expenses associated with preparation and submission of their RFI responses.

USAID reserves the right to use some, all, or none of the information submitted in response to this RFI in a future solicitation/funding opportunity. Respondents must clearly mark or label all proprietary information in their submission. USAID will not disclose proprietary information unless required by law. Failure to mark or label proprietary information may result in improper use.

If a solicitation/funding opportunity is issued,it will be announced on www.sam.gov or grants.gov at a later date, and all interested parties should respond to that solicitation/funding opportunity announcement separately from any response to this announcement.

[END OF RFI No. 72052724RFI00004] http://www.sam.gov http://grants.gov