SDG RFI-522-21-00001 IDIQ.pdf

NOTICE TYPE: Special Notice – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

RFI NUMBER: RFI-522-21-00001

SUBJECT: Strengthening Democratic Governance (SDG)

ISSUANCE DATE: March 9, 2021

CLOSING DATE/TIME: March 24, 2021 at 17:00 Tegucigalpa Local Time

SUBMISSION EMAIL: oaahonduras@usaid.gov

This is a Request for Information (RFI) pursuant to FAR Part 15.201(c), (d), and (f) and FAR Part 10.002

(b)(2)(iii). This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA) 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. USAID posts its competitive business opportunities on beta.SAM.gov or www.grants.gov. It is the potential offeror’s/applicant’s responsibility to monitor these sites for announcements of new opportunities. Please note that responding to this Request for Information (RFI) will not give any advantage to any organization or individual in any subsequent competition. Responses may be used by USAID without restriction or limitation, therefore proprietary information should not be sent.

The main purpose of this RFI is to:

● Improve the understanding of Government requirements and industry capabilities, thereby allowing potential offerors to judge whether or how they can satisfy the Government’s retirements for an effective and successful management structure.

An additional purpose of this RFI is to increase the efficiency in proposal preparation and evaluation, negotiation, and contract award in the event USAID/Honduras elects to issue a solicitation requesting proposals. This RFI offers the opportunity for interested organizations and individuals to provide feedback, information, opinions, and recommendations on the management of the prospective activity described herein, and in particular, to respond to any/all of the seven (7) questions listed below.

Responses should not exceed five (5) pages. Interested parties should submit their name, address, contact information, and information on business size and socioeconomic status. Additional information limited to the offerors’ corporate or organizational capability statement to carry out their approach and case studies supporting the strategies in the approach may be included as an annex.

This RFI should not be construed as an opportunity to comment on the technical aspects of the solicitation.

mailto:oaahonduras@usaid.gov http://beta.sam.gov http://www.grants.gov

Kindly submit responses to this RFI to Brian Chang, Contracting Officer, USAID/Honduras at oaahonduras@usaid.gov with the RFI No. RFI-522-21-00001 on the subject line. Comments received prior to March 24, 2021, are more likely to receive consideration during mission planning.

The issuance of this request will not restrict the Government's ultimate approach, if any. Respondents are advised that USAID is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information, answer questions or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Any information submitted in response to this notice is voluntary. Not responding to this request does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued.

Sincerely, Brian Chang

Contracting Officer mailto:oaahonduras@usaid.gov

STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE (SDG) ACTIVITY

BACKGROUND

Honduras faces several structural problems, including poverty, violence and insecurity, and high levels of corruption, ultimately impacting citizens’ quality of life. Crime, inequality, and a lack of trust in government institutions and democracy are some of the factors leading Hondurans to irregular migration. Existing research finds the quality of democracy influences intentions to migrate. Findings from a USAID/Honduras commissioned exploratory analysis found that being unsatisfied with democracy increases intentions to migrate between 7-10 percentage points compared to individuals satisfied.

Moreover, corruption slows economic growth and investment, and also drives migration. In GDP terms, corruption cost Honduras $2.5 billion in 2018, or the equivalent of 12.5 percent of the country’s GDP.1

And the data show it is getting worse over time. With national elections coming up in 2021, these are concerning statistics. In terms of migration, the indirect impacts of corruption are obvious because of its effect on economic and violence drivers. But there is evidence that corruption itself drives migration.

One in four Hondurans were victims of corruption in 2018 (measured by having been asked for a bribe), and migration intentions were nearly 50 percent higher among corruption victims than non-victims.

More broadly, corruption may impact Hondurans’ view of their future, or what academics call their

“opportunity horizon.” This means that Hondurans may see their life prospects as limited in a context2 where corruption is rampant, and hence seek livelihoods elsewhere.

In 2020 Honduras ranked 157 out of 180 countries worldwide on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. According to the World Bank, Honduras is among the world’s lowest quartile in rule of law, government effectiveness and corruption control, and below the global average in regulatory quality, political stability and participation and accountability. In 2019, Honduras ranked 91/113 globally, and 6 out of 7 in comparison to LAC.

Despite years of economic growth, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate has been decreasing. GDP growth has dropped 4.8 percent in 2017, to 3.7 percent in 2018, and 3.3 percent in 2019. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), GDP growth rate slowed due to weaker terms of trade, but private consumption and growth in remittances have kept GDP growth positive.

PURPOSE AND THEORY OF CHANGE

The purpose of the SDG Single-Award IDIQ, herein described as “The Activity”, is to build the systemic accountability and responsiveness of the Government of Honduras (GOH) to citizens in order to increase trust and incentivize Hondurans to remain in their country and participate in their democracy.

Task orders under this intended Single-Award IDIQ will aim to improve the democratic governance ecosystem in Honduras by bolstering the effectiveness, transparency and responsiveness in the use of public funds and delivery of public services; enhancing the GOH’s overall accountability to citizens, including through strengthening the internal controls, external oversight and anti-corruption

2 Jonathan Hiskey, et al. “Democracy, Governance, and Emigration Intentions in Latin America and the Caribbean,” 2011 <https://publiceconomics.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/hiskey_etal_emigrationanddemocracy_11.pdf>

1 “Organizaciones Internacionales Reconocen Labor de CNA y FOSDEH”, 14 February 2020, https://opca.cna.hn/index.php/2020/07/24/mas-de-treinta-y-cinco-organizaciones-internacionales-reconocen-los-esfuerzos-ant icorrupcion-del-cna-y-fosdeh.

architecture; and empowering citizens, civil society, media and the private sector to constructively participate in fostering democracy and holding the GOH accountable to effective an governance.

The notional Theory of Change is as follows:

IF the GOH’s effectiveness, transparency and responsiveness in the use of public resources and delivery of public services is enhanced AND if oversight capacity is supported to combat corruption and ensure accountability AND IF citizens, civil society, media and the private sector are empowered to participate and hold the government to account THEN the environment for democratic governance in Honduras will improve AND key drivers for migration will be diminished.

Proposed Objectives

This Activity will accomplish this change through the following IDIQ-level draft Objectives:

● IDIQ Objective 1 -Effective governance capacity, transparency and citizen-responsiveness of GOH institutions improved.

● IDIQ Objective 2 - GOH oversight and accountability capacity enhanced to combat corruption and ensure the proper use of public funds.

● IDIQ Objective 3 - Civil society, media and citizens (including youth) empowered to combat corruption, hold the government to account, participate in governance reform, and advance a culture of integrity.

The high-level expected outcome of this Activity is an improved governance environment in Honduras characterized by greater effectiveness, transparency and accountability; responsiveness to public needs;

and enhanced citizen participation. Achievement of this outcome will strengthen Honduras’ ability to address its persistent development challenges of lack of economic opportunities, corruption, and outward migration, while enhancing citizen trust in democracy.

With its focus on enhancing overall good governance in Honduras, SDG is intended to integrate transparency, accountability and citizen-responsiveness as a cross-cutting technical and operational principle within the USAID/Honduras portfolio. It is expected that the Activity will use proven approaches to reach the expected outcome, however there will be a robust learning and adapting component that will allow innovation to address complex systems issues.

This Activity will help build the ecosystem for effective, transparent, accountable, and citizen-responsive public institutions. Under Objective 1, the Activity will work across a variety of national line ministries to bolster effective and efficient public administration and public financial management; modernize and improve service delivery systems (including e-governance); strengthen public expenditure management in priority targeted sectors, such as security and education among others; and enhance transparency and open governance mechanisms. Under Objective 2, the Activity will strengthen the overall oversight and accountability of the GOH to Hondurans by bolstering internal controls to prevent corruption;

strengthening the budget oversight and audit capacity of key institutions - including Honduras’ National Congress and Supreme Audit Institution, and improving the technical capacity of key anti-corruption institutions to detect, investigate, and respond to corruption. Under Objective 3, the Activity will bolster increased public awareness and participation of citizens - especially youth- in fighting corruption and strengthening democracy; deepen the technical capacity of civil society, media and citizens to engage in open government and social accountability mechanisms; bolster citizen engagement initiatives to drive greater participation and inclusion; and strengthen multi stakeholder coalitions to drive collective action.

Working alongside civil society, government institutions, and other relevant stakeholders, the Activity will support the creation of a comprehensive, constructive, and peaceful process that prioritizes reform and incentivizes Hondurans to believe in and invest in their democratic future.

The Activity is expected to work mostly at a national level and with minimal degree of participation in regional and departmental level. The estimated budget for the IDIQ ranges between $60-75 million. The expected period of performance for the contract, including all Task Orders is of seven (7) years. The ordering period of the award is limited to five (5) years. Task orders may be issued during the ordering period with a maximum period of performance of no more than five (5) years not to exceed the contract end date.

QUESTIONS FOR THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

USAID/Honduras is interested in responses to the following specific questions. Responders are free to address any or all the questions listed below, as well as provide additional information relevant to increase sustainable outcomes and effectiveness in Honduras or similar contexts. Please note that USAID is not seeking technical proposals or cost proposals at this time. Do not submit any proposal in response to this RFI. Only the information requested below will be considered.

Based on your organization’s expertise and experience:

1. What is the optimal management structure required to successfully facilitate the greatest synergies among the overall IDIQ and individual TOs?

2. What key personnel are required in order to achieve the stated objectives under this contract?

What qualifications for key personnel would you recommend?

3. What recommendations would you make for the evaluation criteria?

4. What are the challenges and opportunities for the implementation approach of this Activity?

5. What monitoring performance, evaluation and learning structure would you suggest as most appropriate for this Activity given the IDIQ mechanism?

6. How can USAID/Honduras maximize engagement of New and Underutilized Partners (NUPs)3 under this Activity? Would you consider a consortium as an effective approach to implement this

Activity?

7. What else would you like the USAID/Honduras team to know about this Activity?

3 New and Underutilized Partners (NUPs - Organizations that have received less than $25 million in direct or indirect awards from USAID over the past five years);

a. Local entities (as defined in ADS 303),

b. Locally established partners (LEPs - a U.S. or international organization that works through locally-led operations and programming models); and

c. Non-local organizations (includes U.S. small businesses, as well as any other U.S.-based or international NUPs that could play a unique role in a given sector or context, such as underutilized U.S. higher education institutions).