RFI- SUB NATIONAL GOVERNANCE- 72062024RFI00005.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RFI ISSUANCE DATE: September 20, 2024

RFI CLOSING DATE: October 19, 2024

SUBJECT: Strengthening sub national governance in Nigeria

REFERENCE: RFI No. 72062024RFI00005

Dear Prospective Respondents and Interested Parties, The United States Government (USG), represented by the United States Agency for International

Development’s Nigeria Mission (USAID/Nigeria), is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to receive information on the capabilities of local organizations in Nigeria to strengthen subnational governance. USAID/Nigeria’s Peace and Democratic Governance (PDG) office would like to learn about the capabilities and experience of Nigerian organizations that focus on governance reform - specifically Public Financial Management (PFM). PDG requires insights on capacity and technical expertise to manage USG funds to support effective service delivery for citizens. Responses to the RFI's questions will play a crucial role in informing the Mission’s approach to partnering directly with organizations.

Background

Governance capacity constraints, low revenue mobilization, and a lack of political commitment pose significant challenges to establishing a viable and accountable PFM system at the subnational. Despite some progress in annual budget planning, including: integration of revenue projections, medium-term expenditure frameworks (MTEF), and sectoral strategic plans, capacity gaps hinder the development of a robust PFM structure. In addition, the Nigerian

Constitution mandates the establishment of Public Accounts Committees (PAC) within the

National Assembly and State Assemblies, as outlined in Section 85. These committees are responsible for examining audited accounts of government ministries, departments and agencies. The committee’s role is to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, helping to prevent misuse of funds and promote effective governance. The PAC also reviews reports from the Auditor-General and can summon officials to explain financial discrepancies. However, the effectiveness of these committees has been limited. This has resulted in continued lack of commitment from the executive branch of government to adhere to PFM rules and policies, thereby undermining efforts to strengthen governance and accountability.

Consistent with USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy 2020 – 2025 (CDCS), specifically Development Objective 3, which emphasizes strengthening accountable, inclusive, and responsive governance systems, in a sustainable manner, the Agency is committed to strengthening the PFM systems in Nigerian states and ensuring active citizen participation.

USAID envisions a PFM-centric governance activity where improved financial management serves as a means to measurably enhance effective delivery of basic services - particularly primary health care, basic education, and water, sanitation and hygiene. . This Activity aims to support the shared Nigeria and U.S. Government (USG) objective of reducing extreme poverty in Nigeria.

Based on the desire for locally driven reforms and solutions, we would like to understand local organization’s ability to perform part or whole of the following PFM strengthening tasks in response to this RFI:

● Strengthening institutional frameworks:

○ Provide high quality support for effective budget planning, administration, and execution by sub national entities

○ Support sub national entities to establish mechanisms for budget transparency

○ Support procurement reforms led by sub national entities

○ Build the capacity of state officials in the executive and legislative branches of government for effective auditing and oversight.

○ Support sub national entities to strengthen Internal controls and compliance

○ Support sub national entities to develop strategies for generating internal revenue

○ Build organizational capacity for monitoring and evaluation led by state institutions

● Citizen Participation and Engagement:

○ Enhance citizens’ participation in governance processes and their ability to demand transparency and accountability.

○ Empower citizens with skills to effectively engage with the Government and other stakeholders (non-governmental organizations, other funding agencies, etc.) to ensure that budgets and programs are aligned with the needs of citizens.

○ Build the capacity of civil society organizations (CSO) in policy development, budget formulation and monitoring, procurement oversight, and demand-driven advocacy.

Localization Overview:

USAID is committed to shifting more leadership, ownership, decision-making, and implementation to local people and institutions who possess the capacity, capability, networks, systems, and credibility to drive change in their own countries and communities.

Localization is the process and action that USAID will undertake to ensure our work strengthens local systems, is responsive to local communities, and puts local actors in the lead. Over the past decade, USAID has contributed thought leadership, invested in innovative processes, and elevated local leadership. We have partnered with local organizations, and provided project-based assistance to governments. However, localization is more than directing awards to local organizations. It also values the roles the local partners play, respects their commitment and integrity, and engages them as partners rather than as USAID agents and program participants. This kind of partnership emphasizes trust-building, mutuality, and long-term commitments to a shared vision.

Vision: USAID/Nigeria envisions expanding the share of its programs that are locally led, in which local actors define priorities, design projects, drive implementation, measure results, and more fully own and sustain efforts to development.

USAID/Nigeria defines a local organization as follow:

a. Legally organized under the laws of Nigeria;

b. Has its principal place of business or operations in Nigeria;

c. Majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Nigeria;

and

d. Managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Nigeria.

USAID/Nigeria Guiding Principles:

Conflict Sensitivity Overview:

Development programs play a role in shaping the political economy and conflict dynamics where they work. Conflict-blind programs—those that do not recognize and plan for this interaction—run the dual risk of doing harm and undermining their intended development gains. It is therefore important to apply a conflict sensitive approach so that USAID activities do no harm, create opportunities for peace, and ultimately achieve development goals.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Overview:

USAID is committed to a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible (DEIA) workplace where everyone has an opportunity to thrive. Effective development work requires DEIA – throughout the USAID workforce, partnerships, programming, policies and procedures.

Gender and Inclusive Development

Gender refers to a socially created set of rules, responsibilities, entitlements, and behaviors associated with being a man, a woman, or a gender diverse individual, and the relationships between and among people according to these social creations. It differs among and within cultures, changes over time, and intersects with other factors such as age, class, disability, ethnicity, race, religion, citizenship, and sexual orientation. The extent to which they intersect can deepen priviledge or marginalization.

USAID/Nigeria’s Program Overview:

USAID/Nigeria’s 2020 - 2025 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) goal is “A healthier, more educated, prosperous, stable, and resilient Nigeria.” The Mission is working to achieve this goal through a set of three broad Development Objectives (DOs) and one Special Objective:

DO 1: Broadened and inclusive economic growth, DO 2: A healthier, better educated population DO3: Accountable, inclusive, and responsive governance strengthened.

SpO: Greater stability and early recovery advanced in selected states

The Mission works across five technical teams to advance these objectives towards an overall outcome of addressing Nigeria’s development challenges. Presently, the teams comprise of: (1) Economic Growth, Agriculture and Power, (2) Education, (3) HIV and Tuberculosis, (4) Health, Population, and Nutrition, and (5) Peace and Democratic Governance. In addition, USAID addresses humanitarian crises in Nigeria through the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance.

Availability of up to date information and evidence on the progress of programs across these areas are important to the success of USAID’s support to Nigeria. Lessons learned from the operating context and evidence from program data and oversight all contribute to ensuring that USG’s development commitment to the people of Nigeria through USAID is on course. In this regard, USAID seeks a better understanding of the availability of local organizations and institutions in Nigeria that have the capacity, capability and structure to provide MEL related support to USAID in the country.

We seek to establish and maintain result-oriented, gender sensitive, inclusive and accountable partnerships and encourage responses from new and underutilized entities, local entities and locally established partners.

Submission:

Responses to this RFI should be submitted electronically via completion and submission of this

“Request for Information (RFI) Google Form” no later than the closing date and time stated above. Information collected will, at a minimum, include the firm/organization’s name, contact information, experience, past perfect ormance/sample work or projects and price listing. You will not be requested for information of a sensitive nature or personal identifiable information

(PII). Please DO NOT submit any information of this kind. USAID requests that submissions be as clear and specific as possible without exceeding 2-3 sentences, where applicable. Where requested, please provide accessible web links.

Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Responders are free to address any or all the questions in the google form. USAID reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for its purposes without restriction or limitation. Proprietary information must not be submitted.

Please note USAID is not seeking technical or cost proposals. Do not submit any proposal at this time. This RFI is issued solely for market research and planning purposes. USAID posts its competitive business opportunities on https://sam.gov. Please monitor this site for future announcements.

Issuance of this RFI neither obligates the USG to issue a solicitation or award a contract nor commits the USG to pay for any costs incurred or information resulting from this request.

Thank you for your time and interest in working with USAID/Nigeria.

Sincerely, Abdullahi Sadiq Administrative Contracting Officer https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cenEOWWB217Sq5yZZuuAmdtlUuUH966bA94Zhnv5aOc/edit https://sam.gov/content/home https://sam.gov