RFI for Improved Diversity in USAID IP Hiring.pdf

Request for Information (RFI) on Advancing Inclusive Development (ID) & Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Practices Within Existing Activities and Structures at USAID/Ethiopia

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Ethiopia seeks to promote Inclusive Development (ID) and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in all of our policies and programs. USAID's emphasis on DEIA reflects the core values of the United States Government; the belief that the United States is at its best when our workforce and programs include and reflect the communities they serve.

By issuing this Request for Information (RFI), USAID/Ethiopia aims to consult with the community of private sector actors, public institutions, development partners, non-governmental organizations, industry associations, think tanks and academia to learn more ways in which we may advance DEIA practices and inclusive development within its existing activities and structures.

Purpose of this RFI The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek practical guidance on how USAID can systematically increase the diversity of its staff, both within USAID and our Implementing Partners (IPs).

While USAID/Ethiopia employs less than 150 staff in Addis Ababa, our IPs employ over 15,000 staff throughout the country. And while most of our awards are for a duration of 3-5 years, many IP staff, over their career, will work for multiple USAID IPs. Improving DEIA, like development, is a process. Our 15,000 staff are part of that development continuum. We want to grow the diversity of our staff, and increase their leadership, regardless if they are in the first or the thirtieth year of their career.

Committed to long-term and systematic change, USAID/Ethiopia is currently reviewing its activities to identify how to better incorporate DEIA principles into its existing structures and portfolio.

USAID/Ethiopia invites input from all stakeholders, IPs, and interested parties, to obtain comments/suggestions on how to best advance and incorporate DEIA and inclusive development into USAID/Ethiopia’s existing and future activities and structures. We are open to receiving any and all viable comments/suggestions, hence the very broad request.

Background:

USAID’s DEIA Strategy commits USAID to improving and enhancing diversity throughout the Agency, enhancing inclusion and equity for everyone in the workplace, and strengthening accountability for promoting and sustaining a diverse workforce and an inclusive Agency culture. In order for all groups to participate, we need to also ensure that they can also access our facilities and participate in field-related activities.

In order to achieve the first of these goals: enhancing diversity throughout the Agency, our Agency’s leadership will proactively address internal systems that potentially inhibit inclusive diversity efforts and access throughout the USAID employee life cycle; will develop, implement, and enhance a range of policies, programs, practices, and systems to improve and increase diversity; and will develop and implement broad outreach strategies to attract talent from diverse sources.

In order to achieve the second of these goals: enhancing inclusion and equity for everyone in the workplace, Agency leaders will champion and enable staff participation in initiatives that work toward the betterment of the Agency’s efforts in DEIA and actively engage with these groups to operationalize their recommendations and efforts. Agency leadership will establish and enhance training and capacity-building opportunities for all staff, including managers and supervisors, on diversity fundamentals, bias, and principles of inclusion -- all of which contribute to a respectful, safe, and inclusive work environment that enhances retention.

The third goal of the strategy is to achieve strengthened accountability for promoting and sustaining a diverse workforce and an inclusive Agency culture. To achieve this goal, the Agency will consistently apply DEIA principles across program and management operations; all leaders at the Agency will be required to show evidence of their support for DEIA at USAID; performance management efforts at the Agency will promote accountability to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive workplace at all staff levels; and, finally, Agency efforts to promote DEIA will be informed by workforce data and principles of transparency.

The fourth goal and final goal of our strategy is to ensure accessibility for our staff and our programs, wherever possible. In Ethiopia, experts estimate that over 17 million people have some kind of disability.

We want to ensure that these groups have the same opportunities to work for USAID and their partners.

We also want to ensure that these individuals can benefit from US government assistance in the country. We are committed to work with local governments, civil society, and the private sector to identify ways to increase the accessibility of our programming.

As Administrator Power remarked, “Too often, the burden of making a workplace more equitable, more respectful, more welcoming and inclusive, falls on under-represented and under-resourced and under-supported diverse staff.” This strategy ensures that everyone in the Agency shares the responsibility and opportunity for embracing our commitment to creating a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace at USAID and our IPs.

RFI Questions:

In responding to this RFI, please consider the questions below. You can respond to one or all of the questions. We also encourage you to add additional issues that this RFI may have missed.

Inclusive Development USAID promotes the rights and inclusion of marginalized and underrepresented populations in the development process, and leads the U.S. Government’s response to addressing the needs of children in adversity and youth. USAID implements activities that combat stigma and discrimination, promote empowerment and inclusion of marginalized or underrepresented groups, and improve the lives of populations in high-risk situations.

Currently, our ID policy targets the following marginalized groups: youth, women, indigenous populations, minority communities (both political and ethnic), disabled populations (physically and mentally), lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) populations, and children in adversity.

Please consider the following questions in your response to the RFI:

1. In your opinion, have USAID activities in Ethiopia effectively engaged these populations? Why or why not?

2. In your opinion, what are the structural barriers that have impacted USAID or our IPs to reach these populations? What are practical interventions we could use to address these structural factors?

3. How could USAID and its IPs improve the outreach and targeting of these populations?

4. What practical steps could USAID, within its bureaucracy (Contracting/Agreement Office, Technical Office, Engagement with host government, etc), take to help partners improve their targeting, outreach, and implementation of activities for these groups?

5. What other advice would you have for USAID to improve targeting these populations more effectively?

6. Does your organization have expertise in ID and/or has worked to implement the principles of ID? If yes, please elaborate.

Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention Practices USAID/Ethiopia has clear non-discrimination clauses that apply in all hiring mechanisms. This is based both on US Government law and the Ethiopian own non-discrimination law. For example, Article 25 of the FDRE constitutions stipulates the importance of the rehabilitation of people with disabilities. The Public Servants proclamation No. 1064/2017 “prohibits discrimination based on disability” and Labor Proclamation No. 1156/2019 generally prohibits “discrimination on the basis of disability.” The following language, or something similar is also required for all IPs who recruit staff with USAID-funding: “The U.S.

Mission in Ethiopia provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation. USAID/Ethiopia also strives to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs.”

Despite this language, both at the embassy and within our IPs, we have seen a lack of diversity in our staffing patterns. For example, recently, when we studied one of our Technical Offices, we noted that not ONE of their 30+ awards currently had a woman as Chief of Party. But the lack of diversity is not just related to gender diversity. Often, senior leaders within our IPs (both in the capital and in the regions) originate from Addis Ababa, not from the regions where they are implementing activities. There are also very few visually, auditory, mentally, or physically disabled staff working at USAID or with our IPs (in leadership or ANY position).

Please consider the following questions in your response to the RFI:

1. What are the main barriers that IPs face when trying to create a diverse workforce?

2. What are strategies that USAID and its IPs could engage to recruit, hire, and retain a diverse workforce? Specifically:

a. What recommendations would you have for the recruitment, hiring, and retention of a more gender-equitable workforce, specifically at the leadership and management level?

b. What recommendations would you have for the recruitment, hiring, and retention of disabled populations (visually, auditory, mentally, or physically)?

c. What recommendations would you have for the recruitment, hiring, and retention of more geographically and linguistically diverse staff?

3. Education levels and English language proficiency are often cited as barriers to hiring a more diverse workforce. It also contributes to an employer’s implicit bias. What are creative ways that USAID or its IPs could address these barriers?

4. How could USAID improve and enhance the solicitation process (Requests for Application, Notice of Funding Opportunities, Requests for Proposals, etc) to award applicants who can ensure a diverse workforce manages their USAID-funded activities?

5. What other advice would you have for USAID and its IPs to improve the recruitment, hiring, and retention of a diverse workforce?

6. Does your organization have expertise in DEIA and/or has worked to implement the principles of DEIA? If yes, please elaborate.

Response Requested Please send responses to this RFI via email to Jonta Williams at addispro@usaid.gov by 1500 Ethiopia time on August 24, 2023 with the subject title “Request for Information (RFI): USAID/Ethiopia ID/DEIA", no later than the date/time stated above. There is no page limit, but to expedite our review and also be considerate of your time, please focus on concise, issue-specific comments and responses to the questions. All responses must be in a Word Document.

Respondents will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of their response, but will not receive individualized feedback on any contributions. Responses to this RFI are voluntary and responses will strictly be held confidential. Responses may be submitted anonymously. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in responses. USAID will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion. USAID reserves the right to use any submitted information in any possible resultant solicitation(s), grant(s), or cooperative agreement(s), or in the development of future funding opportunity announcements. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)/Request for Applications (RFA), an Annual Program Statement, a Request for Proposal, a mailto:addispro@usaid.gov

Request for Quotation, an Invitation for Bids, a Solicitation, or an indication that USAID/Ethiopia will make an award from this RFI. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. We look forward to your input.

Sincerely, Adrienne Shade Contracting/Agreement Officer USAID/Ethiopia