RFI-HEPS-March 14 2023.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RFI Number: 720440-HEPS-RFI Issuance Date: March 14, 2023 Response Due Date and Time: March 21, 2023, 5:00PM Hanoi Time Response Email Address: hoanguyen@usaid.gov and bmoody@usaid.gov

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Agency for International Development’s Mission to Vietnam (USAID/Vietnam) is gathering information to design the anticipated Higher Education Policy Support (HEPS) Activity.

This potential five-year award, with a potential funding of up to $15 million, aims to support Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) goals to modernize the Higher Education sector.

The purpose of this RFI is to seek expressions of interest from prospective offerors. USAID also welcomes any relevant feedback and comments that offerors may wish to share. If interested in this potential opportunity, please send a notice of interest to the above-mentioned email addresses by the response due date and time.

This is a Request for Information Only.

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) or Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) or Request for Task Order Proposal (RFTOP) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue any solicitation or notice of funding opportunity, or, ultimately, award a contract or assistance agreement on the basis of this RFI, or to pay for any information voluntarily submitted as a result of this request.

Furthermore, USAID is not at this time seeking proposals/applications and will not accept unsolicited proposals/applications. Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFTOP, if any is issued.

Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID programs. We look forward to receiving your comments.

Best Regards, /s/

Bryan Moody Agreement Officer USAID/Vietnam

Attachments: (1) How to respond; (2) Draft Statement of Objectives: (3) Activity Results Framework mailto:hoanguyen@usaid.gov mailto:bmoody@usaid.gov

ATTACHMENT 1: HOW TO RESPOND

1. Responses should include the following:

a. Organization name and address

b. Point of contact name, telephone number and email address

Comments, suggestions, and questions on the statement of objectives, not to exceed three (3) pages.

ATTACHMENT 2: DRAFT STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

1. TITLE

Higher Education Policy Support (HEPS) Activity

2. PURPOSE

USAID/Vietnam is seeking technical assistance and strategic advisory services to support Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) goals to modernize the Higher Education sector. Vietnam’s aspirations for advanced socio-economic development requires a highly skilled and educated workforce, especially in the fields of science and technology. Higher Education sector reforms are underway and have yielded some positive results including, among others, improved and accredited degree programs, a significant increase in the number of faculty with PhDs, more private universities, and enhanced international partnerships with Higher Education Institutions (HEI). While the Higher Education system is improving, neither the speed nor scale of the reforms have kept pace with the rapidly changing economy and workforce skills needed for the 4th Industrial Revolution. MOET is seeking to further modernize the Higher Education sector with a particular focus on passing a new Higher Education Law, accelerating digital transformation, and upgrading strategic university degree programs to international standards.

USAID/Vietnam is seeking to build upon its successes while making a strategic shift in its Higher Education development cooperation, by providing direct technical assistance to MOET that supports policy and systems level change. In September 2022, USAID/Vietnam and MOET signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve the quality of Vietnamese Higher Education. The MOU lays out how USAID and MOET intend to collaborate to enhance international cooperation; develop the capacity and quality of Vietnamese HEIs; and provide technical assistance for Higher Education policy analysis, development, and implementation. This new Activity, entitled Higher Education Policy Support, will advance cooperation in the areas delineated in the MOU and provide technical assistance to MOET to modernize Higher Education policies, systems, and institutions. The period of performance for the Activity is 5 years and estimated funding is $15 million.

This Statement of Objectives (SOO) describes the objectives for USAID/Vietnam’s Higher Education Policy Support (HEPS) Activity. This SOO is provided in lieu of a USAID written Statement of Work (SOW). The SOO does not state how the work is to be accomplished but provides potential Offerors with the flexibility to develop cost-effective solutions, propose resourceful approaches, and bring creativity, innovation and expertise to the activity design and implementation. This approach also acknowledges that Activity tasks need to be informed by experience, available evidence, and tailored to the unique operating environment in Vietnam.

3. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

a. Overview

Higher Education is a key to Vietnam’s continued economic and social development, and progression towards upper Middle Income Country status. It is widely recognized that continued progress towards social and economic development will require a more highly educated workforce, with relevant education and skills. MOET has introduced Higher Education reforms articulated through the revised 2018 Higher Education Law and a new Strategic Plan for Higher Education that is currently under review. The 2018

Higher Education Law and related by-laws and decrees, among other things, aim to give Vietnamese HEIs greater degrees of autonomy related to governance and organization, financing, degree programs, research, and human resource development. Two recent Higher Education reform reviews highlight some of the important accomplishments and key challenges facing Higher Education modernization.

MOET’s Report from the 2022 University Autonomy Conference summarizes key Higher Education legal and regulatory developments over the past two decades related to autonomy for Vietnamese HEIs. The Ministry report notes that the Higher Education Law and related by-laws and decrees affirm autonomy for HEIs related to organization, personnel, financing, training, science and technology, international cooperation, and quality assurance. The report reiterates that eligibility and the degree to which HEIs can exercise autonomy is determined by the capabilities, ranking, quality of academic programs and assessment results. By the end of the university autonomy pilot phase from 2014-2022, only 23 out of 232, or less than 10% of public universities were considered to be fully autonomous. Most of the autonomous HEIs are top tier universities with high quality academic programs, top performing students, well-trained faculty, and effective leadership.

The MOET Conference Report also highlights other positive developments in the Higher Education sector including improvements in international university rankings where 5 Vietnamese universities are now ranked within the top 500 universities in the world. Vietnam has also seen an increase in internationalization, with more than 400 international partnerships and collaborative training and degree programs.

Despite these accomplishments the Conference Report notes numerous challenges that are impeding the pace and scale of Higher Education sector modernization. Vietnam’s HEIs are lagging behind comparable countries in the areas of scientific research and development due to low levels of investment in laboratories and research facilities, a low number of international research publications, and complex legal and regulatory restrictions and procedures that are not conducive to innovative research.

Another key area limiting Higher Education sector development is lack of comprehensive and cohesive quality assurance standards, accountability measures, and monitoring and evaluation tools at the system and institutional levels. Work is currently underway to partially address this constraint through a World Bank supported Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) project. There is currently a patchwork of accreditation standards and governing bodies that review and ensure that Vietnamese HEIs meet defined standards of quality.

While the Higher Education Law promotes university autonomy in the areas of governance, financing and human resource development, other Government of Vietnam (GVN) laws on civil servants and public employees, procurement, financing, and construction have their own legal and regulatory requirements that often are not fully aligned with or do not create an enabling environment for HEIs to develop or follow the intentions of the Higher Education Law.

The 2020 World Bank Report, “Improving the Performance of Higher Education: Strategic Priorities and Policy Options” also identifies key sector challenges, analyzes and compares Vietnam's performance with comparable countries and globally recognized standards and benchmarks, and includes a practical guide for key policy considerations to advance and accelerate Higher Education modernization. The World Bank Report also notes many accomplishments in the Higher Education sector including access to Higher Education doubling since 2000; an increase in the number of faculty with PhDs from 47% in 2000 to 72% in 2015; and progress toward modernizing university governance through the Higher Education Law.

The World Bank Report highlights many of the same sector constraints noted in the MOET Conference Report including the need for a shift from content-based to competency-based curriculum; limited incentives for excellence and innovation in teaching; low levels of research and technology transfer due to inadequate financing; and a related lack of ICT infrastructure and utilization. Related to Governance, the Report points out that the Higher Education sector is highly fragmented, with two Ministries (MOET and MOLISA) responsible for universities and Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET), respectively, as well as multiple other Ministries with legal requirements, regulations and oversight responsibilities.

Both MOET and World Bank Reports highlight the need for greater Higher Education policy coherence and consistency across GVN legal and regulatory regimes. Both reports also underscore the need for greater attention and support for practical policy implementation. Perhaps the most significant challenge ahead for Higher Education modernization that both reports converge on is sector financing and the limited financial resources and investments in university faculties and facilities. Developing and implementing innovative financing schemes, including public and private investments for a wide range of Vietnamese HEIs, will be a key driving factor for both sustaining and modernizing the Higher Education sector.

b. USAID Higher Education Program in Vietnam.

Over the past decade, USAID/Vietnam’s support for Higher Education Activities has been successful in upgrading curriculum, teaching practices, advancing accreditation and forging academic and private sector partnerships at 23 selected Vietnamese HEIs. While USAID Activities have impacted particular academic programs, faculty, and partnerships, few interventions have been scaled beyond the Activity-supported scope and the lessons learned, models and methods developed and utilized had limited impact on policy and systems level improvements. The HEPS Activity provides an opportunity for USAID to provide more strategic and systems level support to MOET and reform oriented HEIs. The following section provides a brief summary of USAID/Vietnam Higher Education program and the evolution from Activity to systems level support.

USAID Investments to Develop Higher Education Institutions and Systems

USAID/Vietnam has supported a wide range of Higher Education partnership Activities. The Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP) aimed to transform Vietnam’s engineering pedagogy from “passive, theory-based to active, project-based instruction” to produce “work-ready” graduates. The Vocational and University Leadership Innovation Institute (VULII, or HEEAP 2.0) aimed to build institutional leadership commitment and capacity for achieving higher standards in Vietnamese universities and technical colleges, and Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology (BUILD-IT) focuses on mainstream curriculum, quality assurance, and university facilities to fully align supported institutions with. In leveraging diverse government, industry, and academic partners partnership, these programs transformed engineering education in Vietnam, improved job readiness, having built the institutions and models of industry-academic collaboration to produce a technology workforce with the technical and soft skills required by industry to enable success in technology-intensive global manufacturing as Vietnam’s high-tech industry continues to grow.

The Improving Access, Curriculum and Teaching in Medical Education and Emerging Diseases (IMPACT- MED) Alliance have built successful models of engaging GVN, universities, and businesses in overhauling the curriculum and setting standards for competency-based medical education. USAID has also supported the first independent, non-profit university in Vietnam, Fulbright University, to develop and deepen its capacity to deliver and sustain high quality undergraduate and graduate education programs.

https://heeap.org/ https://heeap.org/ https://heeap.org/vocational-and-university-leadership-and-innovation-institute-vulii https://builditvietnam.org/ https://builditvietnam.org/ https://www.usaid.gov/vietnam/fact-sheets/improving-access-curriculum-and-teaching-medical-education-and-emerging-diseases-impact-med-alliance https://fulbright.edu.vn/

The Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER) Activity is intended to build on effective models, introduce innovative approaches, and develop new partnerships to assist the Vietnam National University- Hanoi (VNU-HN), Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh (VNU-HCM), and the University of Danang to become more independent, sustainable, and high quality HEIs. PHER is providing support to the VNUs for system wide improvements in governance, curriculum and teaching practices, research capacity, and strategic partnerships. PHER is USAID/Vietnam’s initial shift from support for individual HEIs to support for systems level reforms within the VNUs.

4. GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

The HEPS Activity will provide direct technical assistance and strategic support services to MOET, based in Hanoi. However, the Activity components will have varying levels of engagement with selected HEIs across Vietnam.

5. DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS/THEORY OF CHANGE

IF the Higher Education legal, policy, and regulatory system is more coherent, consistent and enabling, and IF MOET strategic plans and policies are effectively communicated and implemented, THEN Higher Education sector modernization can advance more quickly, and an increasing number of HEIs can improve their financing, governance, and the quality of their academic programs.

6. OBJECTIVES

The overall goal for this Activity is to support MOET goals to modernize and internationalize the Higher Education sector, expand access to quality Higher Education, and develop the human resources required, especially in the areas of science and technology, for Vietnam’s socio-economic development. USAID will support MOET to achieve these goals through three interrelated objectives.

Objective 1: Improve Higher Education policy analysis, formulation and implementation

HEPS will assist MOET with a comprehensive analysis of the current Higher Education Law, related policies, decrees, and regulations and how the current laws and regulations are being implemented. The policy analysis will identify the strengths, results and accomplishments that the Higher Education policies have achieved to date. The analysis will also identify weaknesses, challenges, and areas for improving Higher Education policy coherence, relevance and implementation. HEPS will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Higher Education Law and related policies and decrees, as well as deep analysis on financing, human resource development, research, and efforts to internationalize the Higher Education sector, among other areas.

HEPS will utilize the findings and recommendations from the policy analysis to assist MOET and other relevant government entities, to review and develop a new Higher Education Law, currently planned to be presented to the National Assembly for review in 2025-2026. HEPS will provide strategic support services to develop the new Higher Education Law and related implementation guidelines, roadmaps and benchmarks to assist MOET and Vietnamese HEIs with policy implementation and oversight. HEPS will provide technical assistance, capacity strengthening for policy formulation and other development interventions to MOET, HEIs, and other relevant agencies and institutions involved in the Higher Education policy process. HEPS will also provide facilitation and communication services to ensure that all relevant Higher Education stakeholders and key decision makers are appropriately engaged in the policy analysis, formulation and implementation processes. Whenever possible, HEPS will seek to build individual, https://www.usaid.gov/vietnam/fact-sheets/partnership-higher-education-reform https://www.usaid.gov/vietnam/fact-sheets/partnership-higher-education-reform http://vnu.edu.vn/eng/ http://vnu.edu.vn/eng/ https://vnuhcm.edu.vn/ http://www.udn.vn/english http://www.udn.vn/english institutional, and systems capacity within Higher Education to reduce barriers and maximize opportunities to promote evidence-based decision making and uptake.

Objective 2: Accelerate progress on Higher Education digital transformation.

HEPS will assist MOET and other relevant entities to conduct a rapid analysis of how technology is currently being used within the Higher Education system for systems and institutional management, instructional delivery, quality assurance, research, and professional development. HEPS will utilize the findings from the technology analysis to develop a strategic plan and roadmap for accelerating digital transformation. The strategic plan and roadmap should be comprehensive and realistic, and include detailed information on the financial, human resources, legal, technical and institutional conditions required for effective deployment of technologies to support and improve Higher Education systems management, administration, professional development, research, instruction, learning, and assessment.

HEPS will provide technical assistance to MOET to enhance utilization of the World Bank supported HEMIS.

HEPS will provide technical assistance and support services to MOET and selected HEIs to pilot and rigorously test technology solutions that have the potential to improve management, administration, research, and teaching and learning, among other areas. HEPS will support pilot activities that have the highest likelihood for being sustained, scaled, financed, and managed by MOET or HEIs. In consultation with MOET and USAID, HEPS will identify and develop strategic partnerships with private sector tech experts and organizations that can provide advisory services, training, and technology solutions to advance MOETs digital transformation goals.

Objective 3: Internationalize targeted undergraduate and graduate degree programs in an increasing number of HEIs

HEPS will provide technical assistance to MOET and selected HEIs to review, upgrade and modernize curriculum, learning objectives, faculty knowledge, teaching practices, and research collaboration in key strategic areas such artificial intelligence, automation, green energy and legal education, among others. HEPS will facilitate strategic academic and industry partnerships between MOET, Vietnamese and U.S. HEIs and the private sector. HEPS will provide technical assistance to upgrade academic programs that will be aligned to meet both industry workforce qualification requirements and academic accreditation standards. HEPS will provide technical assistance to MOET and selected HEIs for research collaboration with the U.S. HEIs and other U.S. research facilities in key strategic areas. HEPS will also provide technical assistance to MOET to develop legislation, regulations, guidance, and other policy documents necessary to implement best practices, pilots, and innovations in these strategic academic areas.

HEPS will support modernizing undergraduate legal education in Vietnam, including assistance on improving legal skills courses on topics such as mock trial and lawyering; sponsoring skills-based competitions; and facilitating international collaboration initiatives.

7. GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR HEPS DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

The Contractor should propose interventions that are reflective of, and responsive to, the following general Activity design and implementation principles:

Strengthened US-Vietnam University Partnerships. HEPS will utilize the significant experience and expertise of U.S. HEIs, research institutions, and accreditation bodies in all aspects of its work, and will establish equitable and sustainable partnerships between Vietnamese and American institutions in pursuit of mutual development goals. This should include partnerships with MOET for policy support and reform oriented Vietnamese HEIs.

Private Sector Engagement. The USAID Private Sector Engagement Policy outlines the value of aligning the interests of the private sector, the host government, and the donor community. USAID is committed to increasing the sustainable impact of our development assistance programs through strategic partnerships with the private sector. The Contractor will reach out to the private sector and explore ways in which collaboration with USAID, MOET, and selected HEIs might help each partner to more effectively solve key problems, advance our respective interests, and achieve far greater development results and impacts. The Contractor is expected to facilitate university-industry linkages in areas relevant to achieve the Activity objectives.

Capacity Development. The Contractor is expected to have an intentional approach to local capacity development of actors engaged in Higher Education sector modernization. As defined under USAID’s Local Capacity Development Policy, USAID/Vietnam defines local capacity development as: “improving the performance of local systems and stakeholders—including civil society, government, the private sector, academia, and more—to achieve results.” The Contractor’s capacity building approach should:

• Recognize that there is always a system and there are capacities at many levels within the system

• Develop diverse capacities by responding to local priorities and leveraging local strengths/assets

• Be mindful of, and mitigate, the unintended consequences of our engagement

• Nurture local ownership of capacity development through partnerships based on mutuality

• Measure performance and monitor for improvement over time

• Be in service of the Activity purpose to modernize the Higher Education sector

Sustainability. HEPS will work with local institutions to further strengthen local capacity, ownership, and leadership in pursuit of mutual development objectives. HEPS will establish mechanisms for continuous involvement of the selected relevant government agencies, universities, and industry partners in designing, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the Activity throughout the performance period. The Contractor will support both institutional policies that are required to implement innovative reforms and the capacity of human resources necessary to implement the reforms.

Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting. The Contractor will adopt an Activity approach that contributes to the USAID/Vietnam’s commitment to a multifaceted Collaborating, Learning & Adapting8 (CLA) approach to development. The CLA approach is based on the understanding that development efforts yield more effective results if they are coordinated and collaborative; test promising, new approaches in a continuous yet also rapid, targeted search for generating improvements and efficiencies; and build on what works and eliminate what does not.

A sufficient and reasonable portion of the budget should be allocated for collaboration, learning, and adaptive management. That includes allocating funds for CLA related activities or processes, such as convening partners, facilitating knowledge capture and sharing, or investment in organizational development and adaptive management skills. The commitment to CLA is expected not just during implementation, but as part of the overall design and administration of this Activity.

Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI). GESI will be a cross-cutting theme in all stages of Higher Education modernization and will be maintained throughout Activity implementation. HEPS activities will foster equitable participation for both male and female GVN and HEI leadership, administrative staff, faculty, students and youth. The Activity will also prioritize, where feasible, populations and institutions traditionally excluded from Higher Education and skills training programs such as persons with disabilities and other marginalized populations.

Universal Design for Learning. UDL is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. UDL’s goal is to support learners to become “expert learners” who are, each in their own way, purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, and strategic and goal driven. Instead of changing the learner, UDL aims to change the design of learning environments to reduce barriers so that all learners can engage in rigorous, meaningful learning. The UDL Guidelines provide a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities. The proposed Activity should use the UDL Guidelines in designing and implementing interventions to ensure an inclusive learning environment for all, particularly in areas of curricula and pedagogy reform.

Shock-Responsiveness. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for MOET and Vietnamese HEIs to respond and adapt to emergent shocks and sudden changes. The Contractor will factor shock-responsiveness and mitigation strategies into Activity planning, design, and implementation. The Contractor is encouraged to look beyond challenges for potential opportunities as universities adopt modern governance structures and education innovations. The Shock Responsive Programming and Adaptive Mechanisms guide can help inform how to develop an Activity that can be responsive to a context subject to emergent or recurrent crises or conflict.

International Development Community Coordination and Collaboration. There is an active international development community that supports Higher Education in Vietnam. HEPS will work closely with other development partners to create synergy in investments and avoid duplication. When possible, the Activity will play a leading role in creating a platform for convergence and coordination in its priority areas and will seek out partnerships to leverage other development partners’ investments in the program areas.

8. PROGRAMMATIC AND STRATEGIC LINKAGES

U.S. Government Policies and Frameworks.

USAID/Vietnam CDCS. The Activity will contribute to the Mission ‘s CDCS Goal for an open, prosperous and secure Vietnam that is inclusive in tackling its own development challenges. The new Activity will directly contribute to the CDCS development objective 1: Economic Competitiveness increased;

Intermediate Result 2: Targeted Higher Education Institutions modernized.

USAID Indo-Pacific Framework. This Activity will contribute to the Administration’s priority to engage comprehensively with partners in the region and will directly contribute to the USAID Framework for Advancing America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy by working with Vietnamese HEIs and government entities to ensure that a skilled workforce and emerging leaders in the Indo-Pacific region are empowered and supported by stronger education institutions and connected by effective national and international networks.

https://www.resiliencelinks.org/system/files/documents/2020-02/shock_responsive_programming_guidance_compliant.pdf https://www.resiliencelinks.org/system/files/documents/2020-02/shock_responsive_programming_guidance_compliant.pdf

USAID Education Policy. This Activity will support the 2018 USAID Education Policy goals for Higher Education programming to support socio-economic development goals. In line with the recently released USAID Higher Education Program Framework, USAID/Vietnam, seeks to leverage expertise and interventions that address the following components of Higher Education system and institutional reform:

evidence based policies; platforms for Government-Industry-Higher Education collaboration; intensive management coaching to university leaders; curriculum and pedagogy innovations to shift the focus to learners; faculty increase capacity to develop innovative curriculum and design new pedagogical approaches to teaching, and impart the value of continuous improvement, deploy learning technology, autonomous vision, student centeredness, and global standards recognition.

USAID Climate Strategy. HEPS will be cognizant of USAID’s new Climate Strategy (2022-2030) which “takes a ‘whole-of-Agency’ approach that calls on all corners of USAID to play a part in the response. In its environmental risk management and mitigation plan, the Activity will propose activities and metrics that will be responsive to the goals of the Climate Strategy, such as Higher Education policies, and upgraded academic degree programs that contribute to strengthening capacities of HEIs to be more resilient in the face of climate change impacts and developing the knowledge and workforce skills needed for the “green” and “blue” economy.

https://www.edu-links.org/sites/default/files/media/file/Higher%20Education%20Framework_Oct%202020.pdf

ATTACHMENT 3: ACTIVITY RESULTS FRAMEWORK

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION