RPAL RFP solicitation 7206632100016.pdf

8Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL # 72066321R00016

Issuance Date: May 18, 2021

Pre-Proposal Conference: May 26, 2021, 4:00 pm Ethiopia time

Due Date for Written Questions: June 1, 2021, 8:00 pm Ethiopia time

Closing Date for Submission of Proposals: June 28, 2021, 5:00 pm Ethiopia time

SUBJECT: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL # 72066321R00016 - Highlands Resilience

Platform for Adaptive Learning (R-PAL) Activity

The United States Government, represented by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking proposals to implement the Highlands Resilience Platform for Adaptive Learning (R-PAL) activity as described in the attached Request for Proposals (RFP) and intends to award a Cost-Plus-

Award-Fee type Contract (CPAF) type contract with a period of performance of five (5) years: with one base period and four one-year option periods. The North American Industry Classification

System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541990.

You are invited to submit a proposal in accordance with the requirements of the enclosed RFP.

Proposals must be received by the Government no later than the local time on the due date stated above and in the RFP. Only electronic submissions will be accepted, at the following two addresses:

caddis@usaid.gov with a copy to Mr. Belay Teame at bteame@usaid.gov. No other forms of submission will be accepted. Pursuant to Block 12 of Standard Form 33 of this RFP, USAID requires that offers remain valid for 210 calendar days from the RFP closing date.

Pre-proposal conference - To enable a greater understanding of the requirements USAID will host a virtual pre-proposal conference on Wednesday May 26th, 2021 at 4:00 PM Addis Ababa time.

The conference will be hosted on the Google Meet platform. You may need to download the applications for participation. The login information for the call is as follows:

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/baz-qoix-xdg

Or dial: (DE) +49 30 300195060 PIN: 591 291 403 6779#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/baz-qoix-xdg?pin=5912914036779

Interested Vendor List (IVL) - USAID will activate the IVL function with the solicitation.

USAID encourages all potential offerors to sign up on this list. The IVL will be open and viewable to other organizations.

Prior to the submission of proposals, amendments to this solicitation will be made available through the Government homepage at http://www.beta.SAM.gov . It is the offeror’s responsibility to check this site periodically for official updates and amendments to the solicitation. This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal in response hereto. Furthermore, USAID reserves the right to reject any and all offers, if such action is considered to be in the best interest of USAID.

mailto:caddis@usaid.gov mailto:bteame@usaid.gov https://meet.google.com/baz-qoix-xdg https://tel.meet/baz-qoix-xdg?pin=5912914036779 http://www.beta.sam.gov/

Highlands Resilience Platform for Adaptive Learning (R-PAL) Activity SOL #: 72066321R00016

U.S. Agency for International Development

Entoto Street Tel.: 251-111-306002 USA Address:

P.O.Box 1014 Fax: 251-111-242438 2030 Addis Ababa Place Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Website: www.usaidethiopia.org Washington, DC 20521-2030

Offerors should read the entire solicitation, which includes all pertinent technical sections and the terms, conditions and instructions required for submitting a proposal.

Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted in writing via email to the Contracting Office mailbox at caddis@usaid.gov by the date and time specified above. Oral instructions, answers or guidance from any USAID source prior to the award of the contract shall not be binding.

USAID may not award to an offeror unless the offeror has complied with all applicable unique entity identifiers and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements detailed in Section L.2. The registration process may take many weeks to complete. Therefore, offerors are encouraged to begin registration early in the process.

Final award of a Contract cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated, and committed through internal USAID procedures, including the temporary partial pause on certain foreign assistance funding for Ethiopia. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, the offeror is hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award.

The proposal is being submitted at the risk of the offeror; should circumstances prevent the award of a contract, all preparation and submission costs are at the offeror’s expense.

Thank you for your interest in USAID/Ethiopia program activity.

Sincerely, Kevin Sampson

Contracting Officer http://www.usaidethiopia.org/ mailto:caddis@usaid.gov

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND A WARD 1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED

ORDER UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

RATING PAGE OF PAGES

1 140

2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER

72066321R00016

4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION 5. DATE ISSUED

05/18/2021

6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NUMBER

REQ-663-21-000060

X

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

7. ISSUED BY CODE 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than Item 7)

CAUTION: LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: See Section L, Provision No. 52.214-7 or 52.215-1. All offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

10. FOR

INFORMATION

CALL:

A. NAME

Belay Teame

B. T ELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS) C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

bteame@usaid.gov AREA CODE NUMBER EXT.

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

(X) SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) (X) SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S)

PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

X A SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM 1 X I CONTRACT CLAUSES 23

X B SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS 5 PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

X C DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT 12 X J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS 1

X D PACKAGING AND MARKING 1 PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

X E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 1 X

K

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND

OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS 15

X F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE 15

X G CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 8 X L INSTRS., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS 28

X H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 21 X M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD 5

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within _____210_________ calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted by the offeror) from the date for receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item, delivered at the designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT

PAYMEN

(See Section I, Clause No. 52.232.8) T

10 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 20 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 30 CALENDAR DAYS (%) CALENDAR DAYS (%)

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AMEND

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the SOLICITATION f and related documents numbered a

MENTS

or offerors nd dated):

AMENDMENT NO. DATE AMENDMENT NO. DATE

15A. NAME

AND

ADDRESS

OF

OFFEROR

CODE

FACILITY

16. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER

(Type or print)

15B. TELEPHONE NU MBER 15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS 17. SIGNATURE 18. OFFER DATE

AREA CODE NUMBER EXT. IS DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE - ENTER

SUCH ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE.

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

( Date ) ( Hour ) local time until depository located in copies for furnishing the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in Item 8, or if hand carried, in the

SOLICITATION

9 . Sealed offers in original and

1700 C 06/28/2021

IMPORTANT - Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

. AWARD DATE 28

Signature of Contracting Officer ( )

. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 27

. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY 25

26 . NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER ( ) Type or print

CODE 24 . ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7)

ITEM

(4 copies unless otherwise specified )

. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN 23

U.S.C. 253 (c) ( 41 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c) (

: . AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION 22

. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION 21 20 . AMOUNT 19 . ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED

AWARD ( To be completed by government )

CODE

Kevin Sampson

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

Previous edition is unusable

STANDARD FORM 33 (Rev. 9-97) Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.214(c)

Table of Content

PART I - THE SCHEDULE: 6

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS 6

B.1 PURPOSE 6

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE 6

B.3 ESTIMATED COST AND AWARD FEE 6

B.4 CONTRACT BUDGET 7

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS 8

B.6 COST REIMBURSABLE 8

B.7 PAYMENT OF FEE 8

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT 11

[END OF SECTION C] 22

SECTION D: PACKAGING AND MARKING 23

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993) 23

D.2 BRANDING POLICY 23

SECTION E: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 24

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 24

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 24

E.3 MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING 24

E.4 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP) 24

SECTION F: DELIVERIES/PERFORMANCE 25

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 25

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE 25

F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE 25

F.4 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION 25

F.5 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS 25

F.6 DELIVERABLES AND SCHEDULE 26

F.7 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 28

F.8 AIDAR 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTS 34

F.9 KEY PERSONNEL 35

F.10 AUTHORIZED WORK WEEK FOR 38

F.11 COVERED TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT OR SERVICES – 38

REPRESENTATION 38

SECTION G: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 40

G.1 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S AUTHORITY 40

G.2 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE 40

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) 40

G.4 PAYING OFFICE 40

G.5 INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS: 40

G.6 AIDAR 752.7003 DOCUMENTATION FOR PAYMENT (NOV 1998) 40

G.7 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA 42

G.8 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID 42

G.9 AWARD FEE EVALUATION 43

G.10 AIDAR 752.216-70 AWARD FEE (MAY 1997) 47

SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 48

H.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 48

H.2 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE 48

H.4 ADS 302.3.5.5 REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (JULY 2007) 48

H.5 SUBCONTRACTING PLAN, INDIVIDUAL SUBCONTRACT REPORT (ISR) AND THE SUMMARY

SUBCONTRACT REPORT 49

H.6 CONSENT TO SUBCONTRACT 50

H.7 NONEXPENDABLE PROPERTY PURCHASES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES50

H.8 LIMITATION ON ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (DEVIATION NOs. M/OAA-DEV-FAR-

20-3c and M/OAA-DEV-AIDAR-20-2c) (APRIL 2020) 50

H.9 LOGISTIC SUPPORT 51

H.10 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS 51

H.11 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE 51

H.12 DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION 52

H.13 ADS 302.3.5.19 USAID-FINANCED THIRD-PARTY WEB SITES (AUG 2013) 53

H.14 ADS 302.3.5.20 CONFERENCE PLANNING AND REQUIRED APPROVALS (AUG 2013) 54

H.15 COMPLIANCE WITH THE TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION REAUTHORIZATION ACT (2017) 55

H.16 ADS 302.3.5.22 SUBMISSION OF DATASETS TO THE DEVELOPMENT DATA LIBRARY (OCT 2014) 55

H.17 AIDAR 752.225-70 SOURCE AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 2012) 56

H.18 AIDAR 752.7004 EMERGENCY LOCATOR INFORMATION (JUL 1997) 57

H.19 AIDAR 752.228-70 MEDICAL EVACUATION (MEDEVAC) SERVICES (JUL 2007) 57

H.20 PERSONNEL APPROVALS (AIDAR 752.7007 AND 752.7027) 58

H.21 GRANTS UNDER USAID CONTRACTS 60

H.22 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING (FEB 2002) 62

H.23 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES (JAN 2002) 62

H.24 ADS 302.3.5.14a USAID DISABILITY POLICY - (DEC 2004) 62

H.25 AIDAR 752.245.71 TITLE TO AND CARE OF PROPERTY 63

H.26 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 63

H.27 AIDAR 731.7013 CONTRACTOR-MISSION RELATIONSHIPS (JUNE 2018) 63

H.28 INHERENTLY GOVERNMENTAL AND CLOSELY ASSOCIATED FUNCTIONS 64

H.29 USAID IMPLEMENTING PARTNER NOTICES (IPN) PORTAL FOR ACQUISITION 64

H.30 ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS SYSTEM 65

H.31 AAPD 16-04 DEFENSE BASE ACT (DBA) INSURANCE FOR 2015-2020 66

H.32 752.228-3 WORKERS COMPENSATION INSURANCE (DEFENSE BASE ACT) 68

H.33 FAR Part 4.21 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Covered Telecommunications And Video Surveillance Services or

Equipment (Section 889) (January 2021) 68

SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES 69

I.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. (FEB 1998) 69

I.2 52.204-25 Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment

(Aug 2020) 76

I.3 AIDAR 752.219-8 UTILIZATION OF SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND SMALL DISADVANTAGED

BUSINESS CONCERNS (MAR 2015) 78

I.4 AIDAR 752.219-70 USAID MENTOR-PROTÉGÉ PROGRAM (JULY 13, 2007) 78

I.5 52.216-7 ALLOWABLE COST AND PAYMENT. (JUN 2013) 78

I.6 52.222-36 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES (JUL 2014) 83

I.7 52.227-23 RIGHTS TO PROPOSAL DATA (TECHNICAL) (JUN 1987) 84

I.8 52.232-12 ADVANCE PAYMENTS - (MAY 2001) - ALTERNATE II (MAY 2001) 84

I.9 752.245-70 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY – USAID REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (OCT 2017) 89

I.10 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999) 91

SECTION J - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS 92

J.1 LIST OF ATTACHMENTS 92

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS 93

K.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 93

K.2 52.209-5 CERTIFICATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS. (OCT 2015) 93

K.3 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS. (JUL 2013) 95

K.4 FAR 52.209-11 REPRESENTATION BY CORPORATIONS REGARDING DELINQUENT TAX LIABILITY OR A

FELONY CRIMINAL CONVICTION (FEB 2016) 96

K.5 52.222-22 PREVIOUS CONTRACTS AND COMPLIANCE REPORTS. (FEB 1999) 97

K.6 52.222-25 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMPLIANCE. (APR 1984) 97

K.7 52.237-8 RESTRICTION ON SEVERANCE PAYMENTS TO FOREIGN NATIONALS (AUG 2003) 97

K.8 52.204-3 TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION (OCT 1998) 97

K.9 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (JAN 2018) 98

K.10 52.230-1 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION (OCT 2015) 102

K.11 52.230-7 PROPOSAL DISCLOSURE--COST ACCOUNTING PRACTICE CHANGES (APR 2005) 104

K.12 INSURANCE - IMMUNITY FROM TORT LIABILITY 105

K.13 52.204-17 OWNERSHIP OR CONTROL OF OFFEROR (JULY 2016) 105

K.14 52.204-20 – PREDECESSOR OF OFFEROR (July 2016) 105

K.15 52.209-12 – CERTIFICATION REGARDING TAX MATTERS (FEB 2016) 106

K.16 52.222-56 CERTIFICATION REGARDING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS COMPLIANCE PLAN (OCT 2020) 106

K.17 AUTHORIZED NEGOTIATORS 107

K.18 SIGNATURE 107

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS 108

L.1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 108

L.2 52.204-7 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT. (OCT 2016) 108

L.3 52.204-16 COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT ENTITY CODE REPORTING. (JUL 2016) 110

L.4 52.215-1 -- INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS -- COMPETITIVE ACQUISITION (JAN 2017) 111

L.5 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984) 114

L.6 52.222-24 PREAWARD ON-SITE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMPLIANCE EVALUATION (FEB 1999)114

L.7 FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006) 114

L.8 QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS 114

L.9 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS 115

L.10 DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS 115

L.11 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL 117

L.12 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE COST PROPOSAL 123

L.13 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF BRANDING AND MARKING DOCUMENTS. 131

L.14 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF SUBCONTRACTING PLAN 132

L.15 REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING COVERED TELECOMMUNICATIONS 133

EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES 133

L.16 WAIVERS UNDER FAR PART 4.2101 PROHIBITION ON COVERED 133

TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES AND 133

EQUIPMENT 133

L.17 CO-DESIGN 135

SECTION M - EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD 136

M.1 GENERAL INFORMATION FOR OFFERORS 136

M.2 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA 136

M.3 EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 139

M.4 PRICE/COST PROPOSAL EVALUATION 140

M.5 DETERMINATION OF AWARD 140

PART I - THE SCHEDULE:

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide technical services that fall within the Performance Work

Statement (PWS) as specified in Section C for the implementation of the Highlands Resilience Platform for Adaptive Learnings (R-PAL) Activity.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE

This is a cost-reimbursement Cost-Plus Award Fee (CPAF) type Contract. For the consideration set forth below, the contractor must achieve the performance objectives, deliverables or outputs described in this contract.

B.3 ESTIMATED COST AND AWARD FEE

(a) ONE-YEAR BASE PERIOD

The total estimated cost for the performance of the work required for the one-year base period is $ TBD, exclusive of fee, if any. The Base Fee, if any, is $TBD and maximum award fee, if any, is $ TBD. The total estimated cost-plus-award-fee is $ TBD.

(b) FOUR YEAR OPTION PERIODS

The total estimated cost for the performance of the work required for a four year option periods is $ TBD exclusive of fee, if any. The Base Fee, if any, is $TBD and maximum award fee, if any, is $ TBD. The total estimated cost-plus-award-fee is $TBD.

(c) The total estimated cost for the performance of the work required for the base period and option period

(five years), exclusive of fixed fee, if any, is $TBD. The total fixed fee for the base period four one-year option period, if any, is $TBD. The estimated cost plus award fee for the base period and four one-year option period, if any, is $TBD.

(d) Within the estimated cost plus all possible fees (if any) specified in paragraph (a) above, the amount currently obligated and available for reimbursement of allowable and allocable costs incurred by the contractor

(and payment of fee, if any) for performance hereunder is $TBD. The contractor must not exceed the aforesaid obligated amount unless authorized by the Contracting Officer pursuant to the provisions of this contract entitled “Limitation of Funds” (FAR 52.232-22) as indicated in Section I of this contract.

(e) Funds obligated hereunder are anticipated to be sufficient through [date to be added upon award].

B.4 CONTRACT BUDGET

a) The contract budget found herein is based on the Contractor’s original proposal and/or final proposal revision, which was accepted by USAID on date_____ through award of this contract.

b) The following itemized budget sets forth the estimates for individual line items of cost: No amounts in excess of the amounts specified for each activity shall be billed against the Contract.

CONTRACT LINE-ITEM SCHEDULE

One-Year

Base Period

Four-Year Option Periods

TOTAL 5

Years (Base

Plus Option

Years)

Line-Item Description

Year 1 Option

Year 2

Option

Year 3

Option

Year 4

Option

Year 5

Direct Costs $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD

Grants Under Contract (GUCs)* $200,000 $450,000 $550,000 $600,000 $100,000 $1,800,000

Indirect Costs $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD

Total Estimated Cost $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD

Base Fee $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD

Maximum Award Fee $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD

Total Estimated Cost-

Plus-Award-Fee

$TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD $TBD

[*This amount is exclusively reserved for (GUCs) that Offeror must set aside to provide Grants Under

Contracts. This amount does not include any relevant management or administrative expenses incurred by the

Contractor]

(a) The inclusion of any costs in the above budget does not eliminate the requirement for prior approval by the Contracting Officer of cost items designated as requiring prior approval by any of the terms and conditions of this contract, including the applicable cost principles (see FAR

52.2167, “Allowable Cost and Payment”); nor, does it constitute a determination of allowability by the Contracting Officer of any item of cost, unless specifically stated elsewhere in this contract.

(b) The Contractor agrees to furnish data that the Contracting Officer may request on costs expended or accrued under this contract.

(c) Without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer, the Contractor must not exceed the total estimated cost set forth in the budget or the total obligated amount, whichever is less.

(d) Option to Extend Services: Pursuant to FAR 37.111 and to the FAR clause incorporated by full text in Section I entitled “52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999)”, the

Contractor hereby grants to the U.S. Government option to extend services under the contract for four additional one-year periods. Such extension options are to be exercisable by the issuance of a unilateral modification prior to the expiration of the contract. The four one-year extension options may be combined or exercised individually. Upon exercise of such options by the Government, the costs and fees evaluated at contract award will be used as specified above in the budget table for each option year to extend.

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS

The Contractor’s allowable indirect costs shall be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases:

Prime:

Description

TBD

Rate

TBD

Base

1/

Type

1/

Period

1/

TBD TBD 2/ 2/ 2/

1/ Base of Application: TBD Type of

Rate: TBD Period: TBD

2/ Base of Application: TBD Type of

Rate: TBD Period: TBD

Applicable indirect costs (i.e., overhead, G&A, etc.) on other direct costs (ODCs), if it is part of the

Contractor’s usual accounting procedures, consistent with FAR Part 31, and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate

Agreement (NICRA). Indirect costs shall not be allowed for organizations that do not have a NICRA; this requirement does not apply to subcontractors.

B.6 COST REIMBURSABLE

The costs allowable will be limited to reasonable, allocable and necessary costs determined in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment, FAR 52.216-8, Fixed Fee, and 52.232-20 and 52-232-22

Limitations of Cost and Limitations of Funds, if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003, Documentation for

Payment.

B.7 PAYMENT OF FEE

Payment of the base fee and award fee will be made as follows.

1. Base Fee

Payment of the base fee will be made as follows. The Contractor’s base fee is tied to the accomplishment of performance objectives and deliverables or outputs described in Sections C, D and F that are specified in

Table 1 below, subject to inspection and acceptance by USAID/Ethiopia as specified in Section E, and otherwise in compliance with the terms of the contract and in accordance with work planning approved by

USAID/Ethiopia. The contractor will be paid the amount of fee specified for each denoted performance objective, deliverable or output set forth in the table below upon acceptance by the Contracting Officer’s

Representative (COR). Because the clause entitled “Allowable Cost and Payment” (FAR 52.216-8) is incorporated into the RFP and applicable to this order, the terms and conditions of this clause apply.

Table 1 – Base Fee Payment Schedule [Amount of fee to be filled by offerors]

1. DELIVERABLES AND FEE SCHEDULE for Base Year 1

USAID will pay a portion of the fixed fee in accordance with the following delivery schedule:

[Deliverables and amount of fee to be filled by offerors and approved by USAID the agreed Fixed Fee for each deliverable will be incorporated in this section upon award.]

Ident ifier

Key Deliverable

** Contractor to propose meaningful deliverables

Reference

Section

Sub missi on

Date

Means of

Verification

$ Amount

Objective 1

1 Viable pilot TIGER-OR activities scaled

2 A collaboration platform that is developed and managed throughout the life of the activity

Objective 2

1 Joint research and learning agendas developed and refreshed during the life of the activity

2 Targeted deep dive analysis or research of integration or scaling barriers or opportunities surfaced through TIGER partner activities and the TIGER-OR pilot, and in line with research and learning agendas

Objective 3

1 Capacity building activities in proactive and reactive adaptive management practices.

Objective 4

1 An innovation and learning platform to leads to scale

2 Innovative scaling interventions and methodologies that lead to scale within public and/or private sector

Other- Manuals or Reports

1 MEL Plan

2 1st year Work Plan

3 Quality Assurance

Surveillance Plan

(QASP)

4 Grants Under Contracts Manual

5 Gender Analysis

6 Annual Program Report

..etc

Table 2 – Option Periods Fee Payment Schedule

[Amount of fee to be filled by offerors]

2. DELIVERABLES AND FEE SCHEDULE for Option Period 1 (Year 2)

USAID will pay a portion of the fixed fee in accordance with the following delivery schedule:

[Deliverables and amount of fee to be filled by offerors and approved by USAID the agreed Fixed Fee for each deliverable will be incorporated in this section upon award.]

Identif ier

Key Deliverable

** Contractor to propose meaningful deliverables 1

Reference

Section

Submission Date Means of

Verification

Amount

Objective 1

… etc

Objective 2

… etc

Objective 3

Objective 4

… etc

Other- Manuals or Reports

1 Annual Work Plan

2 Annual Program Report

… etc

Note: Repeat table for each option periods 2-4 (Year 3-5).

2. Award Fee

i. The determination of the award fee earned by the Contractor must be in accordance with the

Award Fee Evaluation Plan. The award decision will be made for each annual evaluation period and no interim payments of award fee will be made. Per FAR 16.401(e)(4), unearned award fee cannot rollover from one award fee increment to the next award fee increment.

ii. Payment of any award fee earned by the Contractor must not be subject to the withholding provisions of the clause of this contract entitled "Allowable Cost and Payment" (FAR 52.216-

7) clause.

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/PERFORMANCE

WORK STATEMENT

[Selected Contractor’s Performance Work Statement will replace Statement of Objectives at the time of award execution and may include relevant paragraphs of Section C below. STATEMENT

OF OBJECTIVES (SOO) that informs the development of Section C is as below]

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES (SOO)

I. Background

Over 45 million Ethiopians face chronic vulnerability due to weather disasters, conflicts, and health-related shocks. To address these challenges, USAID/Ethiopia is partnering with the Government of

Ethiopia (GOE), other donors, civil society, and the private sector with targeted investments to increase the resilience of households and communities.

The Government of Ethiopia and development partners’ commitment to poverty reduction and social protection via flagship programs and investments is well documented. The goal for USAID/Ethiopia’s

2019-2024 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS)2 is: Ethiopia transitions to a more democratic, prosperous, and resilient society, with accountable institutions and private-sector led growth. The CDCS is organized into four development objectives and one special objective. The

Transitioning into Graduation through Enhanced Resilience (TIGER) Project will strengthen the resilience capacities of vulnerable populations in the Ethiopian Highlands. The TIGER/ Highlands

Resilience Project directly contributes to the USAID Ethiopia CDCS Development Objective 2

(DO2)—Resilience of Vulnerable Populations to Key Shocks Increased. The nature of the project is creating ancillary benefits across all of the CDCS objectives.

The TIGER project focuses on the ‘Highlands’ of Ethiopia — areas of Amhara, Tigray, SNNPR, and

Oromia where USAID has a legacy of resilience investments and where chronic food insecurity, smallholder farming, exhaustion of resources, and high erosion rates are more pronounced. The

TIGER/ Highlands Resilience Project is a $740 million project consisting of core and contributing

USAID-funded activities. See Annex I for a list of these activities, their implementing partners, durations, and budgets. It is important to note that the list of activities do not include activities under other Development Objectives. It is envisioned that R-PAL’s coordination platform and synthesized information would be beneficial to crosscutting investments within the Highlands.

Effective implementation of TIGER will increase GOE accountability, commitment, and capacity through investments in resilience-focused national, regional, and community systems capable of reducing the vulnerability of individuals, households, and communities.

The commitment and partnership of development and humanitarian partners like USAID has also driven increased research, monitoring, and evaluation of both the root causes and potential paths out of vulnerability. While data and evaluations of resilience work in Ethiopia is abundant, we still know too little about what works, particularly the role that layering and sequencing of multiple interventions — such as safety net programming, food assistance, targeted livelihood interventions, health system strengthening, and improving access to basic education — collectively plays in improving household, community, and system-wide resilience. To mention some of the typical examples of the large-scale evaluations in Ethiopia there are: the Feed the Future Ethiopia population-

2 USAID/Ethiopia’s 2019-2024 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS)19-2024_Final-Public-Dec-2019-2.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/Ethiopia-CDCS_2019-2024_Final-Public-Dec-2019-2.pdf based survey3 and the multi-donor assisted Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) IV impact evaluation conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) that comprise baseline, midterm, and final evaluations. However, oftentimes an evaluation may occur too late in

USAID’s activity program cycle to integrate findings back into active programs or not touch upon the contributions other interventions may play in arriving at that impact. Collectively, implementing partners in the Highlands have not created a replicable path that integrates data collection, rapid to extended analysis, iterative learning, and practical adapting into a model that pushes rigorous inquiry into practical programmatic change.

An adaptive learning approach for USAID

Ethiopia’s Highlands Resilience portfolio will emphasize and enable a shared responsibility across stakeholders to drive increased host-country led scaling of evidence-based approaches. The Highlands Resilience Project

Team will collaborate and learn with and from development partners, the GOE, subject matter experts, implementing partners, and colleagues about key dynamics and evolving political, social, economic, demographic, and development environment to answer, ‘how can

USAID best bend, adapt and influence resilience investments and development programming?’.

In 2010, former USAID Administrator Rajiv

Shah wrote: ‘development programs that are most precisely and easily measured are the least transformational, and those programs that are most transformational are the least measurable.’4 This critique sent a message that too many of USAID’s programmatic aspirations are hampered by obsessive ex-post measurement, which leave littles room for adaptation during the active life of activities. Soon after, reforms within the USAID Program Cycle5 would kick-off that would slowly usher in better enabling environments for learning, adaptation, flexibility, and innovation. The Highlands Resilience Platform for Adaptive

Learning (R-PAL) will enable these elements to more effectively drive resilience outcomes in

Ethiopia.

II. Purpose

Currently, the USAID Highlands Resilience Portfolio6 and emergency food assistance operations in the Ethiopian Highlands lacks a dedicated, structured and adequately resourced adaptive learning and collaboration platform. Without this platform, the USAID Highlands portfolio fails to reach its full collective impact (and leads to missed opportunities for increasing effectiveness and efficiency). The primary purpose of the Highlands Resilience Platform for Adaptive Learning (R-PAL) is to lead learning within USAID’s TIGER Project. R-PAL will enable TIGER’s collective impact serving as a coordination focal point and streamlining collaboration across its partners, and providing relevant research to the TIGER Learning Agenda. Right-sized and timely field-based measurement will

3 https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TD6V.pdf 4 The Clash of the Counter-bureaucracy and Development. Andrew Natsios, July 2010 5 https://usaidlearninglab.org/program-cycle-overview-page 6 See Annex 1 of RFP page 22 https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TD6V.pdf https://www.eccnetwork.net/sites/default/files/media/file/Natsios%2C%202010.pdf https://www.google.com/url?q=https://usaidlearninglab.org/program-cycle-overview-page&sa=D&ust=1603482436551000&usg=AOvVaw0O9ldhP7-b05OSa4xJWj41 ensure iterative joint planning and action, and allow for evidence -based decision-making and innovation.

There are over $1 billion in collective activities that seek to reduce vulnerability in Ethiopia’s

Highlands by improving household and community resilience7 and $ 1 billion of operations that address emergency food insecurity8 . R-PAL will serve as a catalyst to drive project learning that will make TIGER more efficient, effective, transparent, and skilled at achieving development outcomes through the use of evidence, adaptive management techniques, and Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) practices and principles. Although primarily geared towards improving TIGER and related emergency food security operations, R-PAL’s CLA objectives and associate activities will inevitably identify learnings and integration opportunities across CDCS Dos and a range of other activities across the Highlands. The design and implementation of processes and mechanisms to leverage crosscutting opportunities will be paramount.

R-PAL will facilitate coordination, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across partners and facilitate/support strategically-framed research to the TIGER learning agenda. In doing so, R-PAL will generate right-sized, timely and field-based evidence and learnings that will foster project-wide iterative planning and action. R-PAL’s success will ultimately allow for evidence-based decision-making, and for the surfacing and scaling of service delivery innovations within USAID and GOE-funded programs that will increase the rapidity of which vulnerable households transition from requiring ongoing social safety net support.

Establishing and maintaining rapid feedback mechanisms and processes will be necessary to identify and solve complex challenges within the Highlands. Identification and sharing solutions within complex health and social protection systems will allow for incremental improvements and integration of processes in real-time. This learning will be built on formative research and the data sets from USAID, GoE and other partners, which R-PAL will reanalyze and quality control— ensuring partners have quick access to data sets to inform implementation and individual activities.

Measurement methodologies will identify the impact of combining, streamlining and integrating multiple, and multi-sectoral, development investments. R-PAL will also lead a learning agenda that will direct USAID’s efforts in investing in programming to improve the effectiveness of GOE systems and programs focusing on chronic vulnerability within Ethiopia’s Highlands.

R-PAL must also work hand-in-hand with technical interventions within USAID/Ethiopia’s Office of Relief & Resilience (R2), USAID’s Feed the Future portfolio, the Bureau of Humanitarian

Assistance’s support to the Resilience Food Security Activities (RFSA) Refine and Implement process9, external evaluation activities and activity level monitoring. These other more technical learning activities will drive evidence generation within the R2 activity portfolio that will allow

USAID and its partners to adopt real-time adaptation. R-PAL will inform these evidence-generating technical activities by steering them and helping to identify how to prioritize among promising interventions within and across activities.

TIGER-OR (TIGER-Operational Research), is another pilot research-oriented activity that has already launched in the Highlands and will complement R-PAL. This technical activity identifies administrative integration improvements within key GOE initiatives in the Highlands. TIGER-OR will directly work with and inform the TIGER research and learning agendas, and feed learnings back into R-PAL for dissemination to Highland’s partners. TIGER-OR will use the methodology of “lean

7 Food Assistance Fact Sheet Ethiopia, updated April 16, 2020 8 Joint Emergency Operation for Food Assistance in Ethiopia Annual Program Statement:

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/Final_Ethiopia_FY_2020_JEOP_APS.pdf 9 For more information regarding the DFSA II Refine and Implement phase, see https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/Ethiopia_FY20_DFSA_RFA_FINAL_July_5_508-compliant.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/Ethiopia_Food_Assistance_Fact_Sheet.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/Final_Ethiopia_FY_2020_JEOP_APS.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1866/Ethiopia_FY20_DFSA_RFA_FINAL_July_5_508-compliant.pdf testing,” which involves the small-scale and rapid testing of integration interventions in real-time.

TIGER-OR will undertake this effort with interventions that include integration coaches in two to four select pilot woredas, an integration interventions menu, and national and regional networks, which will be underpinned by a co-creation process that engages the GOE and other stakeholders.

TIGER-OR will deploy rapid and lean testing of process interventions, which will be augmented by other operational research activities that include USAID-supported impact evaluations. These evaluations will focus on causal attribution, or to seek to understand the impact of interventions in producing results. Ultimately, TIGER-OR will also identify administrative and programmatic bottlenecks and opportunities that feed back into R-PAL for further exploration, to advance knowledge within a community of practice, to immediately scale or make fit for purpose. In addition, through USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)’s third-party impact evaluation design, R-PAL will inform the research questions to ask for this external third-party activity and provide insight into areas for formal impact evaluation. The R-PAL mechanism will also incorporate information, data, and learnings from the BHA impact evaluations on DFSA activities in Ethiopia into research and learning agendas, as well as consolidate findings for broader consumption and to cross reference. BHA DFSAs, the Joint Emergency Operation for Food Assistance (JEOP), and other

USAID activities will also conduct activity monitoring and the R-PAL mechanism may leverage and build on the activity-level M&E Plans in accordance with BHA/USAID M&E Policies and

Guidelines.

Establishing and maintaining rapid feedback mechanisms and processes will be necessary to identify and solve complex challenges within the Highlands. Identification and sharing solutions within complex health and social protection systems will allow for incremental improvements and integration of processes in real-time. This learning will be built on formative research and data sets from USAID, GOE and other partners, which R-PAL will reanalyze and quality control—ensuring partners have quick access to data sets to inform implementation and individual activities.

Measurement methodologies will identify the impact of combining, streamlining and integrating multiple, and multi-sectoral, development investments. R-PAL will also lead a learning agenda that will inform USAID’s efforts in investing in programming to improve the effectiveness of GOE systems and programs focusing on chronic vulnerability within Ethiopia’s Highlands. USAID’s programming in the Highlands is inherently multi-sectoral, and aligned with the former CDCS 1.0 and the current CDCS 2.0. As such R-PAL must work hand-in-hand with key partners and maintain mechanisms and cultural norms that are transparent, inclusive, and supportive.

R-PAL will underpin TIGER’s Theory of Change, “IF USAID partners (Ips and GOE) support adaptive learning, evidence-based decision making, and action-based research to identify smart and practical approaches for deliberate integration of resilience investments THEN USAID’s resilience programming will be more effective, and it will be easier to scale promising approaches through local programs and systems.”

R-PAL will support the following TIGER implementation priorities, identified and elaborated upon in the TIGER Project Appraisal Document (PAD):

● Reinvigorate and reframe the relationship with program participants, safety net and disaster risk management systems, development partners and GOE;

● Prioritize evidence-based and data-driven decision-making for resilience programming;

● Create a foundation for scale whereby successful pilot initiatives are fully implemented and integrated into national implementation strategies like the formal safety net, through learning, leveraging and partnership; and

● Promote a gender-sensitive and responsive approach in research and learning, and applying this learning to activities accordingly.

III. Scope

R-PAL will reinforce in