RFP_SOL-167-17-000001.pdf

Request for Proposals (RFP) No.: SOL-167-17-000001 Issue Date: December 29, 2016 Questions Due Date: January 10, 2016 at 5pm, Kosovo local time Proposals Submission Due Date: January 31, 2017 at 12:00, Kosovo local time

SUBJECT: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-167-17-000001 for Support to

Parliamentary Research (SPR) Activity in Kosovo

Dear Prospective Offeror:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Mission in Kosovo, is seeking proposals from qualified local Kosovo organizations interested in providing the services as described in this solicitation.

The competition under this solicitation is limited to local entities in accordance with Section 7077 of Public Law 112-74, as amended by Section 7028 of the Consolidated Appropriation Act (P.L 113-76) titled “Local Competition Authority”. For the purpose of the solicitation, local entity means an individual, a corporation, a nonprofit organization, or another body of person that:

(1) Is legally organized under the laws of Kosovo;

(2) have its principal place of business or operations in Kosovo;

(3) And is: (A) majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of cooperating country; and (B) managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the cooperating country.

For purpose of this section “Majority owned" and "managed by" include, without limitation, beneficiary interests and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization's managers or a majority of the organization's governing body by any means.

Please note that offerors must be registered in System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov) in order to do business with the U.S. Government. A successful registration in SAM means the Offeror has obtained a DUNS number, and has secured an NCAGE number to successfully register in SAM. Please refer to Attachment 1 “Quick Start Guide for New Foreign Registrations” for further instructions.

USAID reserves the right to amend or rescind this solicitation at any time. Any amendments to this solicitation will be issued and posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) and USAID/Kosovo website. In order to be informed of changes that may affect proposal

SOL-167-17-000001

Support to Parliamentary Research (SPR) Activity

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 TITLE

B.2 PURPOSE

B.3 CONTRACT TYPE

B.4 PRICE, OBLIGATED AMOUNT AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C1 BACKGROUND

C2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

C3 GENDER AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

C4 KEY PERSONNEL

C5 LINKS AND COORDINATION WITH OTHER INITIATIVES AND ACTIVITIES

C6 QUALITY STANDARDS FOR RESEARCH REPORTS

SECTION D – BRANDING AND MARKING

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993)

D.2 BRANDING

D.3 BRANDING AND MARKING POLICY

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

SECTION F – DELIVERIES AND PERFORMANCE

F.1 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

F.3 KEY PERSONNEL

F.4 DELIVERABLES

F.5 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

F.6 752.242-70 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (OCT 2007)

SECTION G – CONTRATC ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S AUTHORITY

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

G.4 TECHNICAL DIRECTION/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID

G.5 PAYMENT OFFICE

G.6 INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS

G.7 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATED DATA

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

H.2 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

H.3 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

H.4 LOGISTIC SUPPORT AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

H.5 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED FACILITIES OR PROPERTY

H.6 CONFIDENTIALITY AND OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

H.7 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING

H.8 USAID DISABILITY POLICY - ACQUISITION (AAPD-04-17) (DEC 2004)

H.9 ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

H.10 AIDAR 752.204-72 ACCESS TO USAID FACILITIES AND USAID'S INFORMATION SYSTEMS

(MAY 2016)

H.11 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

H.12 ADS 302.3.5.17 LIMITATION ON SUBCONTRACTING TO NON-LOCAL ENTITIES (JULY 2014)

H.13 ADS 302.3.5.21 USAID IMPLEMENTING PARTNER NOTICES (IPN) PORTAL FOR

ACQUISITION (JULY 2014)

SECTION I – CONTRACT CLAUSES

I.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

I.2 FAR 52.204-1, APPROVAL OF CONTRACT (DEC 1989)

I.3 FAR 52.212-5 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

I.4 AIDAR 752.7038, NO NDISCRIMINATION AGAINST END-USERS OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES

(OCT 2016)

I.5 FAR 52.252-2, CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

SECTION J – LIST OF DOCUMENTS EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION K – REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF BIDDERS

K.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

K.2 FAR 52.212-3 OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS – COMMERCIAL ITEMS

(DEC 2016)

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.1 FAR 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

L.2 FAR 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

L.3 FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

L.4 ELIGIBLE OFFEROR

L.5 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.6 SUBMISSION/DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS

L.7 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

L.8 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE COST PROPOSAL

SECTION M – EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

M.2 FAR 52.212-2 EVALUATION OF COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014)

M.3 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.4 COST PROPOSAL EVALUATION

M.5 AWARD DECISION

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 TITLE

Support to Parliamentary Research (SPR) Activity in Kosovo

B.2 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide technical assistance for the deliverables or outputs described in Sections C, and F.

B.3 CONTRACT TYPE

This is a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) type Contract for duration of thirty (30) months.

B.4 PRICE, OBLIGATED AMOUNT AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Key to acronyms:

CLINs = Contract Line Item Numbers OTP = Offeror-to-propose TBD = To-be-determined

The “TBD” designation is information which will be provided by the Government as applicable or as otherwise designated elsewhere in the contract.

a) This Contract will have two (2) CLINs as described in the price schedule below. The fixed price for the performance of the work required hereunder, for the thirty (30) months period for CLIN 0001is OTP and for CLIN 0002 is OTP.

b) Commercial interim payments under the CLIN 0001 will be made in accordance with successful delivery and acceptance of the milestones listed in the table below. The Contractor may invoice for the corresponding percentage of the price only after the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the Contracting Officer (CO) have determined that the milestone has been achieved. The CO and COR may use numerous methods to verify the achievement of the milestones. These are in no particular order.

Price Schedule CLIN Number: Cost element: Amount:

CLIN 0001

Contract Requirements (Non Research Reports)

TBD

Total CLIN 0001 TBD

CLIN 0002

Research Reports TBD Total CLIN 0002 TBD

Total Price TBD

c) Payments for the research reports under the CLIN 0002 will be made successively along with the milestones in the table below and the contractor may invoice for the number of completed reports by that time. Each report results in one-fortieths of the total price of CLIN 0002 in progress payment. Payment for the research reports will be made only after the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the Contracting Officer (CO) have determined that the reports are completed. Timelines for delivery of research reports are indicated in section F.4.

Payment of Milestones Schedule under the CLIN 0001

% of CLIN 001 payment

First year Annual Work Plan is approved. 10% First workshop with DRLA and updating of database of experts and Think Tanks held by DRLA are completed.

10%

Fist public consultations on Legislative Agenda completed 5% Activities in first year Annual Work Plan are completed, including four (4) public hearings and four (4) roundtable discussions on the topics related to research done.

15%

Second year Annual Work Plan is approved. 5% Second workshop with DRLA is completed. 10% Second public consultations on Legislative Agenda completed. 5% Activities in second year Annual Work Plan are completed, including four (4) public hearings and four (4) roundtable discussions on the topics related to research done.

20%

Third year Annual Work Plan is approved. 5% Second update of database of experts and Think Tanks held by DRLA is completed. 5% Final report approved and Activities in third year Annual Work Plan are completed. 10%

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION / SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C1 BACKGROUND

Despite the progress the Assembly has made with regards to developing and enhancing the Department for Research, Library and Archives (DRLA), challenges still remain. Capacity is limited in more specific areas such as health, education, media, governance, human rights, etc and support with research in these areas is still needed. Additionally, the demand for research on draft legislation is increasing, and the number of requests for parliamentary research from parliamentary committees is growing constantly. This growing demand demonstrates that technical research on draft legislation is needed and valued by the parliamentary committees to inform legislative decisions.

Further, civic engagement is crucial to ensuring laws are implementable and well-suited for the context of Kosovo. As most legislative initiatives derive from the Government of Kosovo and decisions are made using a top-down approach, Kosovo citizens often do not feel ownership of the legislation and policies governing them. In order to minimize this gap between Kosovo citizens and the Assembly, continued assistance is needed to facilitate and build capacity for citizen and advocacy group engagement and discussion of the legislative agenda.

C2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The Contractor must, through performance of this contract, meet the following three objectives:

1) Under Objective 1, the Contractor must provide a minimum of 40 parliamentary research reports. All research reports must meet all of the criteria in Section C.6 in order to be accepted.

The contractor must subcontract all of the research reports to local organizations.

2) Under Objective 2, the Contractor must contribute to increased demand for professional services by the Assembly.

3) Under Objective 3, the Contractor must provide support for a minimum of 24 public discussions/public hearings/public consultations, with Albanian and Serbian translation.

For each project objective, the SOW provides additional background information and a set of activities that are envisioned as the minimum required to achieve the objective. The Contractor is required to identify and carry out additional activities that are needed to achieve the objectives.

The Contracting Officer’s Representative’s (COR) approval, via the annual work plan, is required on proposed activities prior to proceeding with implementation.

Objective1 - Improved quality of legislation using research and analysis

Research reports must cover one or more stages of the policy cycle (problem identification, forecasting options, analysis of policy implementation costs and benefits, policy administration, and policy evaluation). The research reports must evaluate existing policies and their effectiveness, or facilitate development of new policies and legislation. This may entail an analysis of their fiscal aspects including but not limited to the Mid-Term Expenditure Framework budget review or annual budget reviews. Topics of the research will be decided upon the request of the DRLA in consultation with Parliamentary Committees and based on their needs of the moment and also taking into consideration the legislative agenda for 2017/2018.

The parliamentary research that will be commissioned externally must focus on certain specialized areas of good governance, rule of law, local government, civil and human rights with a focus on community minorities, anti-corruption, environmental policy, elections and electoral reform, health, education, gender and youth studies.

Minimum Activities for Component 1:

In addition to the requirements above, the Contractor must perform the below activities over the period of performance for this contract.

The Contractor must:

• Manage an external research program based on requests that come from the parliamentary committees through DRLA. The Contractor must provide a minimum of 40 parliamentary research reports. All research reports must be in Albanian and Serbian languages.

• Organize joint meetings with civil society and parliamentary committees to discuss research findings on each report.

• Update and expand the database of experts and thinks tanks held by DRLA in the beginning of the activity and do so a second time by the end of the contract.

Indicators:

• Increased number of legislative decisions resulting from the independent evidence-based research.

• Number of parliamentary research papers resulting in improved legislation.

• Number of important policy issues that will be discussed with the public by the policy makers.

Objective 2 - Increase professional capacity to conduct quality legislative analysis):

The SPR activity will further strengthen the community of organizations and individuals carrying out legislative research and analysis in Kosovo. It will further support policy and legislative research and analysis initiatives conducted by a group of professionals in these organizations to facilitate more comprehensive, evidence-based, and data driven decisions in national policy and legislative processes.

The proposed activity will elevate the legislative review standards of individual MPs, legislative committees, and other parliamentary bodies, including the group of women MPs, to enhance scrutiny of proposed legislation. Coordination with the DRLA constitutes a key component of the SPR Activity.

To achieve this, the Contractor, at a minimum, must:

• Coordinate with DRLA on at least a weekly basis from the beginning of the contract.

• Organize two (2) workshops with DRLA on practices of research methodologies.

• Develop the workplan jointly with DRLA so they are involved from the very beginning of the contract.

• Hold regular meetings (at least once a month) with and mentor the committee staff to stress the importance of research, and promote proactive research in committees before legislations are tabled for discussion.

• Increased percentage of the number of external research contracted by DRLA.

• Increased requests for professional services by the Assembly.

• Number of thematic parliamentary debates increased as a result of the thematic research.

• Increased awareness of parliamentary committees of the opportunity to utilize external research papers and more importantly, to engage various stakeholders in the law making process. This will be measured through a survey with the MPs at the beginning and end of the activity.

Objective 3 - Increase participation and input of civil society in the legislative process and lawmaking

The contractor must further facilitate debate on particular topics, support policy dialogue, and disseminate findings. These discussions will enable government to better manage policy implementation, i.e. produce legislative changes, strengthen policy enforcement mechanisms, stimulate administrative and regulatory changes in public administration, and modify rules, procedures and processes. Debates must be held in both Albanian and Serbian languages and will facilitate the conveyance of the government’s standpoint and position around a particular topic, provide a rounded perspective for policy-makers, and open venues for receiving citizen’s suggestions for policy-making processes and recommendations for enactment/change.

To achieve this, the Contractor, at a minimum, must:

• Organize two (2) public consultations on Legislative Agenda before they are tabled in the plenary session of the Assembly.

• Organize two (2) meetings with civil society on the legislative agenda.

• Organize ten (10) public hearings jointly and based on the requests of the parliamentary committees on specific themes related to legislative issues being discussed.

• Organize ten (10) roundtable discussions on topics related to research done.

• Increase in the number of public discussions and debates held as part of legislative outreach.

• Number of civil society oversight initiatives identifying key gaps between the regulatory provisions and practices of the Executive and Judiciary increase.

C3 GENDER AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Gender:

The Contractor must identify areas where attention to gender issues and/or women’s participation will contribute to the overall desired results. Specifically, the Contractor must ensure that parliamentary research identifies gender disparities existing in the society to ensure they are not replicated in legislative deliberation. In addition to working with the parliamentary research services, parliamentary committees, and line ministries, the NGO research think-tanks will work closely with the Women MPs at the Kosovo National Assembly.

Environmental Consideration:

The Contractor must comply with USAID and USG environmental procedures. The request for categorical exclusion has been approved by the Bureau Environmental Officer. If there are any programmatic changes affecting the environment during project implementation, the COR will ensure that the environmental requirements are met.

C4 KEY PERSONNEL

The following positions have been designated as key personnel, and are essential to the work being performed under this contract. Prior replacing any of these individuals, the Contractor shall notify both the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) reasonably in advance and must submit written justification (including proposed substitutions) in sufficient detail to permit evaluation of the impact on the project. No replacement shall be made by the Contractor without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer:

Chief of Party The Contractor must provide a full time, in-country Chief of Party (COP) for the duration of the contract. The Contractor must delegate adequate authority to the COP to make all contract implementation decisions and speak for the Contractor. The COP shall be responsible for all reporting to USAID and is expected to play a lead role interacting with USAID and other development partners. The Chief of Party will be responsible for coordinating all activities of the project, build relations between the Research Unit and NGO’s and oversee the achievement of the objective of the activity.

Minimum qualifications:

The COP must be a senior level professional having a proven track record of designing, implementing and successfully delivering research projects. The candidate must have at least 5 years of experience working on research and a good understanding of the Assembly functions.

The candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as arts and sciences, humanities or other related area of study.

C5 LINKS AND COORDINATION WITH OTHER INITIATIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Role of USAID:

The Contractor must work in close coordination with the COR for the contract. The Contractor, working together with the COR, must coordinate with other USAID activities (e.g. those identified below), other USG activities, and other entities as stated in SOW in effort of meeting the project objectives.

Coordination with the Kosovo Political Process and Parliamentary Support Project:

The SPR activity is required to coordinate closely with the Kosovo Political Process and Parliamentary Support Project. During the life of the Kosovo Political Process and Parliamentary Support Project, NDI will provide guidance and mentoring to the SPR implementer.

Coordination with other USAID Activities:

The COR and the Contractor will coordinate to identify other existing USAID activities that SPR can benefit from and coordinate with during the implementation of the activity.

Coordination with other Donor Activities:

A number of donors and international organizations in Kosovo (UNDP, OSCE, GIZ, NDI, EU Twinning Project) are working on different aspects of helping the Assembly improve accountability, transparency and outreach. The EU Twinning Project assists the DRLA researches in building their capacities on how to conduct research.

C6 QUALITY STANDARDS FOR RESEARCH REPORTS

All research reports submitted by the Contractor must meet all of the following criteria:

1. Relevance

a. Data that is relevant to research request

b. Cites at least three differing opinions

c. Pulls out the most important specific Articles of Legislation

2. Accurately

a. Fact based

b. Reliable resources

c. Confirmed statements

d. Enough backing of the data

3. Simplicity

a. Illustrates the data and research in tables and graphics;

b. Displays the options in a way that are clearly understood

c. Data is presented convincingly and unambiguously;

d. Data is analyzed and interpreted.

e. Runs a SWOT analysis when possible.

4. Impartial

a. Not leaning towards a solution;

b. Does not give recommendations;

c. Offers options for solutions;

d. Cites all political subjects equally.

5. Formatting

a. Executive Summary

b. Legislation Framework

i. Considers which legislation would be affected

c. Methodology - Data collection method adequately explained?

d. Clear Statement of Research Issue;

e. Presenting of Robust data

i. Elaborates the policy of the Government (or initiating party);

f. Comparative Study with States of Similar Context;

g. Limitations acknowledged

h. Presents options for solutions in an impartial manner;

i. Citation and formatting follows the set template.

6. Inclusive

a. Presenting data that may disagree with the main research (distending opinions);

b. Consulted with various stakeholders.

[END OF SECTION C]

SECTION D – BRANDING AND MARKING

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993)

(a) It is USAID policy that USAID-financed commodities and shipping containers, and project construction sites and other project locations be suitably marked with the USAID emblem.

Shipping containers are also to be marked with the last five digits of the USAID financing document number. As a general rule, marking is not required for raw materials shipped in bulk (such as coal, grain, etc.), or for semi-finished products which are not packaged.

(b) Specific guidance on marking requirements should be obtained prior to procurement of commodities to be shipped, and as early as possible for project construction sites and other project locations. This guidance will be provided through the cognizant technical office indicated on the cover page of this contract, or by the Mission Director in the Cooperating Country to which commodities are being shipped, or in which the project site is located.

(c) Authority to waive marking requirements is vested with the Regional Assistant Administrators, and with Mission Directors.

(d) A copy of any specific marking instructions or waivers from marking requirements is to be sent to the Contracting Officer; the original should be retained by the Contractor.

D.2 BRANDING

The Offeror shall comply with the requirements of the USAID branding policies available at:

www.usaid.gov/branding and appropriately mark all deliverables and public communications with the USAID brand.

Note: USAID receives “exclusive branding and marking” for the work conducted under all acquisition awards. This means that the foreign assistance delivered is clearly credited to the American people. It also means that competing logos or identities, such as the contractor’s, are excluded unless otherwise indicated in the award (contract).

This activity will be named the “Support to Parliamentary Research (SPR)” Activity in Kosovo.

It is anticipated that the Final Report under this Award will be visibly branded as a USAID project utilizing the appropriate USAID/Kosovo templates

D.3 BRANDING AND MARKING POLICY

In accordance with provision D.1 above, and where applicable, the Contractor shall comply with the requirements of the policy directives and required procedures outlined in USAID Automated Directive System (ADS) 320.3.2 “Branding and Marking in USAID Direct Contracting” (version from January 8, 2007) at http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/320.pdf; and USAID “Graphic Standards Manual” available at www.usaid.gov/branding, or any successor branding policy.

[END OF SECTION D]

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following contract Clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with clause at FAR “52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENE” in Section I of this contract. See FAR 52.252-2 for an internet address (as specified) for electronic access to the full text of a clause.

NUMBER TITLE DATE

52.246-4 Inspection of Services – Fixed price AUG 1996

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports, and other required deliverables or outputs shall take place at the principal place of performance or at any other location where the services are performed and reports and deliverables are produced or submitted. The COR listed in Section G has been delegated authority to inspect and accept all services, reports, and required deliverables or outputs, with the exception of the deliverables tied to interim payments in Section B.

[END OF SECTION E]

SECTION F – DELIVERIES AND PERFORMANCE

F.1 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The place of performance under this contract is Kosovo.

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance for this contract is thirty (30) months from the date of award.

F.3 KEY PERSONNEL

The personnel proposed and approved during proposal submission will be considered Key to the successful implementation of this Contract.

(a) The contractor must furnish the Chief of Party (COP) position deemed as key personnel for the performance of this contract.

(b) The key personnel or COP identified above is considered essential to the work being performed under this contract. The contractor must remain responsible for providing such key personnel for full-time performance for the term of this contract unless otherwise agreed to by the contracting officer.

(c) The failure to provide the key personnel designated above may be considered nonperformance unless such failure is beyond the control, and through no fault or negligence, of the contractor.

(d) The contractor must immediately notify the contracting officer and the COR of key personnel’s departure and the reasons therefore.

(e) Key personnel under this award may be replaced with written approval of Contracting Officer based on the responsibilities, qualifications and experience as stated in section C.4 of the contract.

F.4 DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall submit deliverables listed below. These are in no particular order.

Deliverables

Deliverable for COR Review/Approval

Expected date of Completion

First Year:

Annual Work Plan –first year

1st year Work Plan submitted and approved by COR

No later than (NLT) 30 days after the award

Completion of minimum 18 parliamentary research reports.

Reports submitted and approved by COR

NLT first anniversary of the award

Update and expand the database of experts and thinks tanks held by DRLA in the beginning of the activity.

Updated database submitted to COR for Review

NLT 180 days after the award

Organize first workshop with DRLA on practices of research methodologies.

Report (Signup sheets, photos etc.) submitted to COR for Review

NLT 60 days after the award

Organize first public consultation on Legislative Agenda before they are tabled in the plenary session of the Assembly

Report (Signup sheets and photos etc.) submitted to COR for Review

NLT first anniversary of the

Organize minimum of four (4) public hearings jointly and based on the requests of the parliamentary committees on specific themes related to legislative issues being discussed.

Reports (Signup sheets and

Organize minimum of four (4) roundtable discussions on topics related to research done.

Reports (Signup sheets and

Organize one meeting with civil society organizations on the legislative agenda

Reports (Signup sheets and photos etc.) submitted to COR for Review

NLT first anniversary of the award

Second Year:

Annual Work Plan – second year 2nd year Work Plan submitted and approved by COR NLT 30 days prior to the start of second year of the activity

Completion of minimum 18 parliamentary research reports.

Reports submitted and approved by COR

NLT second anniversary of the award

Organize second workshop with DRLA on practices of research methodologies.

Report (Signup sheets and photos etc.) submitted to COR for Review

NLT 90 days after the first anniversary of the award

Organize Second public consultation on Legislative Agenda before they are tabled in the plenary session of the Assembly

Report (Signup sheets and photos etc.)submitted to COR

NLT second anniversary of the award

Organize minimum of four (4) public hearings jointly and based on the requests of the parliamentary committees on

Organize minimum of four (4) roundtable discussions on topics related to research done.

Report submitted to COR for Review

Organize one meeting with civil society organizations on the legislative agenda

Reports (Signup sheets and photos etc.) submitted to COR for Review

NLT second anniversary of the award

Third Year:

Annual Work Plan –third year 3d year Work Plan submitted and approved by COR NLT 30 days prior to the start of third year of the activity

Completion of minimum 4 parliamentary research reports.

Reports submitted and approved by COR

NLT 30 days prior to the end of the award

Update and expand the database of experts and thinks tanks held by DRLA, second time by the end of the contract.

Updated database submitted to COR for Review

NLT 30 days prior to the end of the award

Organize minimum of two (2) public hearings jointly and based on the requests of the parliamentary committees on

NLT 30 days prior to the end of the award

Organize minimum of two (2) roundtable discussions on topics related to research done.

Reports (Signup sheets and

NLT 30 days after the end of

F.5 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall submit the following reports to the COR. Each of the reports shall be submitted electronically using Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint software. All reports must be written in plain, grammatically correct English. All reports must be approved by the COR.

Reporting requirements are summarized below:

Work Plan and Performance Monitoring Plan:

The Contractor must submit the Work Plan and Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) for approval by the COR within 30 days after award. Quarterly reporting against the PMP is due as part of the Quarterly Performance Report. Annually, an updated Work Plan and PMP must be submitted to the COR for review and approval 30 days prior to the start of each subsequent year detailing activities for the following 12 months.

The PMP will include but not limited, indicators identified in Section C that will be used to track the progress of implementation. In addition PMP will include data sources and method and frequency of data collection, review, analysis and reporting.

Quarterly Performance Reports:

The Contractor must submit quarterly reports to the COR that gives insight into the progress of planned activities. The narrative reports must include qualitative and quantitative information describing activities carried out and specific results achieved during the quarter. In addition, the narrative report must indicate key implementation challenges encountered and how they were or are planned to be resolved. Reporting periods will coincide with USAID fiscal year quarters, Type of Report

Due Date (Days refer to calendar days)

Work Plan and Performance Monitoring Plan

Work Plan and Performance Monitoring Plan are due for approval 30 days after award and each year thereafter.

Quarterly Performance Report Quarterly Performance Report is due 30 days after the end of each quarter.

Annual Performance Report Annual Performance Report is due 30 days after the last quarter.

Final Report No later than 30 days after the end of Contract Closeout Plan 120 days before the end of the award.

with reports due no later than thirty (30) days after the end of each quarter with a maximum of 10 pages.

Annual Performance Report:

This report should summarize the information contained in the quarterly performance reports with greater detail provided for the 4th quarter. This report must not be longer than 20 pages.

Closeout Plan:

Four months prior to the completion date of the contract, the Contractor must submit a closeout plan for COR approval. The closeout plan must include a) draft property disposition plan, if property was purchased with award funds; b) delivery schedule for all reports or other deliverables required under the contract; and d) timetable for completing all required actions in the closeout plan to the Contracting Officer.

Final Report:

The final performance report is a detailed report which summarizes the accomplishments and impact in relation to the expected results. It must contain an executive summary, not to exceed three-page, an index of all reports and information products produced under the contract. The final report must be submitted no later than 30 days after the end of Contract to the COR, and submitted to the Development Experience Clearinghouse no later than 5 days after the approval of the final report by the COR. An electronic copy must be submitted either by:

(a) Via E-mail: docsubmit@dec.cdie.org;

(b) Via U.S. Postal Service: Development Experience Clearinghouse, 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 210 Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; or Online: http://www.dec.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=docSubmit.home.

F.6 752.242-70 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (OCT 2007)

(a) The Contractor shall prepare and submit progress reports as specified in Section F.4. These reports are separate from the interim and final performance evaluation reports prepared by USAID in accordance with FAR 42.15 and internal Agency procedures, but they may be used by USAID personnel or their authorized representatives when evaluating the Contractor's performance.

(b) During any delay in furnishing a progress report required under this contract, the contracting officer may withhold from payment an amount not to exceed US$25,000 (or local currency equivalent) or 5 percent of the amount of this contract, whichever is less, until such time as the Contractor submits the report or the contracting officer determines that the delay no longer has a detrimental effect on the Government's ability to monitor the Contractor's progress.

[END OF SECTION F]

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SECTION G – CONTRATC ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE

The Contracting Office is located at:

USAID/Kosovo Regional Contracting Office Ismail Qemali (Arberia), House 1 Pristina – Kosovo 1000

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S AUTHORITY

The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in the requirements of this Contract and notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this Contract, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment shall be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price.

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

USAID/Kosovo shall provide technical oversight to the Contractor through the designated COR.

The designated COR will be determined at the time of award and designated per a separate letter.

All technical questions shall be addressed to the COR.

G.4 TECHNICAL DIRECTION/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID

(a) Technical Directions is defined to include:

(1) Written directions to the Contractor which fill in details, suggest possible lines of inquiry, or otherwise facilitate completion of work;

(2) Provision of written information to the Contractor which assists in the interpretation of drawings, specifications, or technical portions of the work statement;

(3) Review and, where required, provide written approval of technical reports, drawings, specifications, or technical information to be delivered. Technical directions must be in writing, and must be within the scope of the work as detailed in Section C.

(b) The COR is authorized by designation to take any or all action with respect to the following which could lawfully be taken by the Contracting Officer, except any action specifically prohibited by the terms of this Contract:

(1) Assure that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract in accordance with the contract terms, conditions, and specifications.

(2) Perform or cause to be performed, inspections necessary in connection with a) above and require the Contractor to correct all deficiencies; perform acceptance for the Government.

(3) Maintain all liaison and direct communications with the Contractor. Written communications with the Contractor and documents shall be signed as "Contracting Officer’s Representative" with a copy furnished to the Contracting Officer.

(4) Issue written interpretations of technical requirements of Government drawings, designs, and specifications.

(5) Monitor the Contractor's production or performance progress and notify the Contractor in writing of deficiencies observed during surveillance, and direct appropriate action to effect correction. Record and report to the Contracting Officer incidents of faulty or nonconforming work, delays or problems.

(6) Obtain necessary security clearance and appropriate identification if access to Government facilities is required. If to be provided, ensure that Government furnished property is available when required.

LIMITATIONS: The COR is not empowered to award, agree to, or sign any contract (including delivery or purchase orders) or modifications thereto, or in any way to obligate the payment of money by the Government. The COR may not take any action which may impact on the contract schedule, funds, scope. All contractual agreements, commitments, or modifications shall be made only by the Contracting Officer.

(c) The COR is required to meet quarterly/semi-annually/annually with the Contractor and the

Contracting Officer concerning performance of items delivered under this contract and any other administration or technical issues. Telephonic reports may be made if no problems are being experienced. Problem areas should be brought to the immediate attention of the Contracting Officer.

(d) In the absence of the designated COR, the COR may designate someone to serve as COR in their place. However, such action to direct an individual to act in the COR's stead shall immediately be communicated to the Contractor and the Contracting Officer.

(e) Contractual Problems - Contractual problems, of any nature, that may arise during the life of the contract must be handled in conformance with specific public laws and regulations (i.e.

Federal Acquisition Regulation and Agency for International Development Acquisition Regulation). The Contractor and the COR shall bring all contracting problems to the immediate attention of the Contracting Officer. Only the Contracting Officer is authorized to formally resolve such problems. The Contracting Officer will be responsible for resolving legal issues, determining contract scope and interpreting contract terms and conditions. The Contracting Officer is the sole authority authorized to approve changes in any of the requirements under this contract. Notwithstanding any clause contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely with the Contracting Officer. These changes include, but will not be limited to the following areas: scope of work, price, quantity, technical specifications, delivery schedules, and contract terms and conditions. In the event the Contractor effects any changes at the direction of any other person other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been made without authority.

(f) Failure by the Contractor to report to the Administrative Contracting Office, any action by the Government considered to a change, within the specified number of days contained in FAR 52.243-7 (Notification of Changes), waives the Contractor's right to any claims for equitable adjustments.

G.5 PAYMENT OFFICE

U.S. Agency for International Development Controller‘s Office St. Ismail Qemali, house No. 1 10000 Pristina, Kosovo

G.6 INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS

Soft or Electronic copies of the invoices shall be sent to pristinavouchers@usaid.gov with copy the COR’s email address.

• Send via email, one invoice, all other required documents, and SF-1034 Public Voucher for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal.

• The SF-1034 must be singed,

• The invoice should provide the bank account detail which should include the bank account number, the bank name and address, the SWIFT Code and the ABA number.

• Invoices shall be submitted based on deliverables after the deliverable is completed, received and accepted by COR.

G.7 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATED DATA

Data will be entered up on contract award.

[END OF SECTION G]

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Level 5/5 English language proficiency is required for the Key Personnel position.

H.2 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL

CONFERENCES

Funds in this contract may not be used to finance the travel, per diem, hotel expenses, meals, conference fees or other conference costs for any member of a foreign government's delegation to an international conference sponsored by a public international organization, except as provided in ADS Mandatory Reference "Guidance on Funding Foreign Government Delegations to International conferences at:

http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/350maa.pdf or as approved by the CO.

H.3 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

The authorized geographic code for this award is 937defined as the United States, the Cooperating Country (Republic of Kosovo), and developing countries other than advanced developing countries, and excluding prohibited sources.

For accurate identification of developing countries, advanced developing countries, and prohibited sources, please refer to Automated Directive System (ADS) 310 entitled “Source and Nationality Requirements for Procurement of Commodities and Services Financed by USAID”.

H.4 LOGISTIC SUPPORT AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor is responsible for its own logistical administrative and logistical support. The Contractor will be responsible for its own communications, transportation, translation services, arrangements, and equipment to work sites unless otherwise specified in the contract. In addition, the Contractor is responsible for maintaining the security of its personnel, materials, and equipment commensurate with the circumstances involved. All employees of the Contractor must meet the requirements of their work-site, which may include background checks, security/restricted area clearance, drug-free workplace, safety training and/or other inspections/requirements. The contractor must become familiar with and comply with relevant Chief of Mission rules and requirements, USAID requirements, and applicable Kosovo law.

H.5 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED FACILITIES OR PROPERTY

The Contractor and any employee or consultant of the Contractor is prohibited from using U.S.

Government facilities (such as office space or equipment) or U.S. Government clerical or technical personnel in the performance of the services specified in the Task Order.

The contractor shall comply with all requirements of the clauses in section I of this contract entitled "Government Property (Cost Reimbursement, Time-and-Material, or Labor-Hour

Contracts)" (FAR 52.245-01) "Government Property; USAID Reporting Requirements" (AIDAR 752.245-70), and “Title To and Care of Property" (AIDAR 752-245-71).

H.6 CONFIDENTIALITY AND OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

All reports generated and data collected during this activity shall be considered the property of USAID and shall not be reproduced, disseminated or discussed in open forum, other than for the purposes of completing the tasks described in this document, without the express written approval of a duly-authorized representative of USAID. All findings, conclusions and recommendations shall be considered confidential and proprietary.

H.7 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING

The Contractor is reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the contractor to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in all subcontracts issued under this contract.

H.8 USAID DISABILITY POLICY - ACQUISITION (AAPD-04-17) (DEC 2004)

(a) The objectives of the USAID Disability Policy are (1) to enhance the attainment of United States foreign assistance program goals by promoting the participation and equalization of opportunities of individuals with disabilities in USAID policy, country and sector strategies, activity designs and implementation; (2) to increase awareness of issues of people with disabilities both within USAID programs and in host countries; (3) to engage other U.S.

government agencies, host country counterparts, governments, implementing organizations and other donors in fostering a climate of nondiscrimination against people with disabilities; and (4) to support international advocacy for people with disabilities. The full text of the policy paper can be found at the following website:

http://www.usaid.gov/about/disability/DISABPOL.FIN.html.

(b) USAID therefore requires that the contractor not discriminate against people with disabilities in the implementation of USAID programs and that it make every effort to comply with the objectives of the USAID Disability Policy in performing this contract. To that end and within the scope of the contract, the contractor’s actions must demonstrate a comprehensive and consistent approach for including men, women and children with disabilities.

H.9 ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

The Contractor shall not have access to classified information.

H.10 AIDAR 752.204-72 ACCESS TO USAID FACILITIES AND USAID'S

INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MAY 2016)

http://www.usaid.gov/about/disability/DISABPOL.FIN.html

(a) HSPD-12 and Personal Identity Verification (PIV). Individuals engaged in the performance of this award as employees, consultants, or volunteers of the contractor must comply with all applicable Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12) and Personal Identity Verification (PIV) procedures, as described below, and any subsequent USAID or Government-wide HSPD-12 and PIV procedures/policies.

(b) A U.S. citizen or resident alien engaged in the performance of this award as an employee, consultant, or volunteer of a U.S firm may obtain access to USAID facilities or logical access to USAID's information systems only when and to the extent necessary to carry out this award and in accordance with this clause. The contractor's employees, consultants, or volunteers who are not U.S. citizens as well as employees, consultants, or volunteers of non-U.S. firms, irrespective of their citizenship, will not be granted logical access to U.S. Government information technology systems (such as Phoenix, GLAAS, etc.) and must be escorted to use U.S.

Government facilities (such as office space).

(c) (1) No later than five business days after award, the Contractor must provide to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) a complete list of employees that require access to USAID facilities or information systems.

(2) Before a contractor (or a contractor employee, consultant, or volunteer) or subcontractor at any tier may obtain a USAID ID (new or replacement) authorizing the individual routine access to USAID facilities in the United States, or logical access to USAID's information systems, the individual must provide two forms of identity source documents in original form to the Enrollment Office personnel when undergoing processing. One identity source document must be a valid Federal or State Government-issued picture ID. Contractors may contact the USAID Security Office to obtain the list of AAPD 16-02 Special Requirements for Information Technology (IT) 2 acceptable forms of documentation. Submission of these documents, to include documentation of security background investigations, are mandatory in order for the contractor to receive a PIV/Facilities Access Card (FAC) card and be granted access to any of USAID's information systems. All such individuals must physically present these two source documents for identity proofing at their enrollment.

(d) The Contractor must send a staffing report to the COR by the fifth day of each month. The report must contain the listing of all staff members with access that separated or were hired under this contract in the past sixty (60) calendar days. This report must be submitted even if no separations or hiring occurred during the reporting period. Failure to submit the ‘Contractor Staffing Change Report’ each month may, at USAID’s discretion, result in the suspension of all logical access to USAID information systems and/or facilities access associated with this contract. USAID will establish the format for this report.

(e) Contractor employees are strictly prohibited from sharing logical access to USAID information systems and Sensitive Information. USAID will disable accounts and revoke logical access to USAID IT systems if Contractor employees share accounts.

(f) USAID, at its discretion, may suspend or terminate the access to any systems and/or facilities when an Information Security Incident or other electronic access…