RFP_SOL-176-16-000002-01.pdf

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

2 9

CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGE OF

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F)

SOL-176-16-000002/000001

deliverable;

5. Section J – replace Attachment J.5 Budget Template with the revised template;

6. Section K.2(a) – add “541990” as the NAICS code and “$15.0” as the small business size standard;

7. Section L.8(b)(vii)(D) - add Geographic Code 110;

8. Section L.8(b)(vii)(A) – delete “$642.30/day” as the Contractor Salary Threshold and insert

“$655.38/day” in lieu thereof;

9. Section J – add the following Attachments:

• Attachment J.10 MIADSurveySchools

• Attachment J.11 MIAD Schools

• Attachment J.12 QRP Control Schools_TJ

• Attachment J.13 QRP TJ - Cohort 4 schools as of 27Dec2015

• Attachment J.14 QRP TJ Target schools

• Attachment J.15 Mother Tongue Content Standards

• Attachment J.16 Mother Tongue Table of Competencies

• Attachment J.17 Standards for Tajik Language Grade 1 in Tajik

• Attachment J.18 Standards for Tajik Language Grade 2 in Tajik

• Attachment J.19 Standards for Tajik language Grade 3in Tajik

• Attachment J.20 Standards for Tajik language Grade 4in Tajik

• Attachment J.21 ABC Standards for Tajik Language Grade 1

NSN 7540-01-152-8067 OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

RFP SOL-176-16-000002-01

Tajikistan Basic Education Read with Me

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Question 1: In relationship to several ARs, is it expected that the activity will treat Russian as a first language in Russian schools? Or will it also be expected to manage with the assumption that Russian is a second language?

USAID Answer: Russian will be treated as a first language in Russian schools. Tajik will be treated as a first language in Tajik schools. The assumption and expectation is that Russian is a second language in Tajik schools and will not be covered in a Tajik language school as the principal language of instruction.

Question 2: The RFP refers to “...Tajik, Russian, and other mother tongue languages of Tajikistan...”

Could USAID kindly specify the relative weight given to Tajik, Russian, and other mother tongues, specifying which other mother-tongues this activity will address when procuring books (1.1), building capacity of local authors and illustrators (1.2), developing materials (1.3),and developing training packages (2.1)?

USAID Answer: Tajik is the official mother tongue of Tajikistan and the official language of instruction for grades 1-4 in Tajik schools. Russian is the language of instruction in Russian schools in grades 1-4.

Tajik and Russian reading materials supplied for schools must be selected in consultation with USAID and the MOES for core instructional activities. However, students throughout Tajikistan also may speak other language in their homes. Research suggests that teaching a child to read in his/her mother tongue and providing age-appropriate supplementary reading material in the mother tongue is beneficial. USAID does not have specified weights to share. It is up to the offeror to propose a strategy for mother tongue reading support in line with the USAID Global Education Strategy.

The offerors should propose strategies for including mother tongue activities for the activity result components in the RFP that mention mother-tongue support.

Question 3: On page 13, the RFP (third bullet under AR 1.1) states, “This book procurement should represent about 10% of available funding of the procurement for supplemental primary reading materials, depending on the final activity budget.” Could USAID please clarify what is meant by “available funding”?

USAID Answer: This requirement is removed. The contractor will be responsible for procurement and distribution of a minimum 256,000 age-appropriate books.

Question 4: Under AR 1.1, USAID provides a target of 256,000 books for the outcome measure “# of textbooks and other teaching and other learning materials provided with USAID assistance.” Will USAID similarly provide a target for this same outcome indicator when it is used for AR 1.3?

USAID Answer: No, USAID is seeking proposals that present and support appropriate targets.

Question 5: Does USAID have a plug figure for procurement of reading materials (AR 1.1 and 1.3) as well as supplementary materials and supplies for students (AR 2.5) for students that you are willing to share?

USAID Answer: Please see answers 3 and 4. No, USAID does not have plug figure for AR 2.5.

Question 6: AR 1.3 includes components for developing materials. The outcome measure for this sub AR (first bullet on page 15) is about providing materials. Does this imply publishing, printing, and distribution of the materials that are developed under AR 1.3?

USAID Answer: Correct.

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Question 7: On page 17, the RFP (AR 2.4) states, “Targeted teachers must receive training on the use of formative and summative assessments and how to appropriately use the assessments to guide instruction and measure student progress.” In this case, how does USAID define “targeted” (all the teachers in all target schools, a subset, or something else)?

USAID Answer: USAID expects that interventions will reach 75% of primary grade teachers and cover 75% of schools in Tajikistan across the life of the activity from the total population of primary teachers (100%) and schools (100%). All targeted teachers in Tajikistan will be trained in modern reading techniques and usage of formative and summative assessments with the expectation that 85% of targeted teachers will receive training in mentoring/coaching.

Question 8: Page 22 of the RFP (AR 4.3) states, “The contractor will develop a mentoring guide to improve the knowledge of mentors on a standard based mentoring approach that will stipulate the knowledge and practical approaches relevant to primary children learning, but also specific to the professional development of methodologists, and primary teachers from the above mentioned institutions.” What standard is USAID referring to in this case?

USAID Answer: USAID assisted the MOES in developing primary curriculum standards on competency based approaches for the Tajik Language (Grade 1-4) (attached).

Question 9: RFP Section F.5.2 (p. 32), Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, states that USAID will use an “independent mechanism” to test the development hypothesis and that “the impact evaluation will measure the activity’s effect on literacy outcomes.” On page 17, under AR 2.4, it says “Implement assessments tracking reading progress over time,” and the contractor’s required components include:

“Baseline, midline, and endline reading assessments are administered in a representative sample of intervention (treatment) and nonintervention (control) groups.” Please clarify the relationship between the independently administered impact evaluation that is in Section F.5.2 and the assessments listed under Section C.6.

USAID Answer: The assessments listed under C.6 (page 17) refer to the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) to be conducted by the contractor. There also will be an external impact evaluation.. The independent impact evaluation will be a third party. The external contractor and the Read with Me contractor are responsible for cooperating to share information regarding project implementation. For example, providing the EGRA administration data (i.e., selection of sample (treatment and control), assessment, timing, implementation).

Question 10: When you mention “mother tongue languages” and “native languages” in all four ARs, do you refer exclusively to Tajik and Russian, or do you include minority languages such as Parya, Wakhi, Yazghulomi, Ishkishimi, Shughni, and Yaghnobi?

USAID Answer: See answer to question #2.

Question 11: Do you require the language of instruction in grades one through four to be Russian or Tajik, or does reference to the mother tongue indicate that the language of instruction should be in any language the students speak and understand, whether that is Russian, Tajik, any other main language, or a minority language?

USAID Answer: See answer to question #2.

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Question 12: AR 1.3 refers to the development of reading materials in native/mother tongue languages, and it mentions “big books,” trade books, and supplementary materials. Does this refer to materials in Russian or Tajik only, as a complement to the procured materials in Russian and Tajik under AR 1.1, or does AR 1.3 also ask for materials in languages other than Tajik and Russian? If so, is AR 1.3 also referring to actual student reading textbooks and teacher guides in languages other than Russian and Tajik, or only to readers and supplementary materials?

USAID Answer: See answer to question #2. The primary language of instruction during the school day should be the official language of instruction-Tajik and Russian. However, supplementary materials in mother tongue languages can be made available at schools, as well as, part of the community outreach.

Question 13: Could USAID provide a list of the schools currently designated as QRP and ESCO-MIAD schools? If not, could USAID provide the number of schools designated under these programs within each region?

USAID Answer: The lists of schools for the QRP and MIAD projects are attached.

Question 14: We were not able to find the competency-based standards developed under the QRP and GPE4 programs within USAID’s DEC resource library. Can USAID provide the English translated versions of these standards?

USAID Answer: Draft competency based standards for grades 1-4 for Tajik language instruction are attached. General information on Tajik language instruction competency standards for grades 1-4 are attached in English. Currently, there are no competency based standards for Russian language instruction in grades 1-4.

Question 15: Sub-AR 2.4 requires that the contractor administer reading assessments to a “representative sample” of treatment and control groups. Given the diversity of conditions that can exist even within the same region or district of Tajikistan, can USAID please define what sample size would constitute a representative sample in order to avoid producing generalized results?

USAID Answer: USAID expects the offerors to propose their own sampling methodology and power analysis to determine a representative sample. The offeror’s proposed sampling methodology should be statistically sound and rigorous. It should not be based on “convenience sampling”.

Question 16: Can USAID please clarify the format for the “Statements of Qualification” required for Key Personnel (section L.7.2)? Would this be equivalent to a letter of commitment? If not, do bidders still need to provide Key Personnel letters of commitment? If so, where should they be placed in the proposal?

USAID Answer: The Statement of Qualifications should address how the key personnel team meets the requirements specified in Section F.4. It is not equivalent to the letter of commitments. Offerors still need to provide letter of commitment as part of Annex A.

Question 17: Section L.7.3 states that “a chart showing all proposed staff, indicating those holding key positions, is required.” Can USAID confirm whether this chart is different from the chart requested for Annex B? If it is, can USAID please provide additional details on what kinds of information this chart should present, the preferred format, and whether it counts towards the 25 page limit?

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USAID Answer: It is the same chart. Please provide in Annex B an organizational chart that shows all proposed staff, indicating those holding key positions. The format and additional details of the chart are at the discretion of the offeror.

Question 18: Page 8: Under C.1 Purpose, “USAID expects the contractor to reach 75% of the primary students and teachers by the end of the activity period.” Later, the table on page 11 in Section C.6 Activity Components and Results it states that “75% of schools will have increased availability of reading materials.” The number of schools, teachers and schools reached as a percentage of eligible schools are necessarily going to be different numbers, depending on school selection criteria. Can you first clarify those selection criteria, including rural/urban mix; language(s) of instruction, etc.? Furthermore, can you specify if the contractor is to reach 75% of students, teachers, or schools, noting that 75% of teachers is not directly correlated to 75% of schools or teachers?

USAID Answer: No, the offerors may propose a mix of urban, suburban, and rural schools if they so choose. USAID does not have any selection criteria based on the mix of the schools other than that the offeror should reach 75% of teachers and 75% of students. Please note that QRP and MIAD schools should be excluded during the lives of the QRP and MIAD activities. In order to achieve both of these results, the contractor may end up with a higher percentage in either or both categories. 75% is the minimum for each.

Question 19: Page 11: Under C.6, Activity Component and Results, USAID provides the following instruction to offerors: “Before October 2017, neither Quality Reading Project treatment or control schools, nor ESCO-MIAD schools before October 2019 may be part of the contractor activity.”

Regarding Quality Reading Project treatment schools, please note that this includes approximately 1,800 schools. If the reason of placing these “off-limits” for intervention is to preserve the integrity of the QRP research, it would be sufficient to only place “off-limits” the 130 (65 treatment and 65 control) schools sampled for data collection. In light of this, does USAID mean to place ‘off limits” the sampled treatment and control schools for data collection only – again 130 schools -- rather than the full set of treatment (1,800) and control schools?

USAID Answer: No, the full set of treatment and control schools for QRP and MIAD are off-limits until QRP and MIAD activities conclude. Setting aside these schools will preserve the research design for each activity, as well as, protect over-treatment and miscommunication while QRP and MIAD activities are ongoing. The offerors will need to take into account how to reach 75% of students over the life of the Read with Me Activity while excluding QRP schools until 2017 and MIAD schools until 2019.

Question 20: Page 13: Under Sub AR 1.1, “Quality, age appropriate reading materials in Tajik and Russian that support learning standards procured”, under required components, there is the requirement that “this book procurement should represent about 10% of the available funding of the procurement for supplemental primary reading materials, depending on the final activity budget and be distributed to the targeted schools reaching 75% of primary students in Tajikistan.” Could USAID clarify what is meant by “of the available funding,” or alternatively, would USAID be willing to provide a plug figure for all book procurement?

USAID Answer: Please see answer to question #3.

Question 21: Page 14: Under Sub AR 1.3, there is the following sentence: “Materials developed will supplement those books available on the market and procured under Sub-AR 2.1.” Please clarify is the reference should be to Sub AR 1.1 instead of AR 2.1.

USAID Answer: Correct, the reference is to AR 1.1.

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Question 22: There are multiple references regarding mother tongue or native languages. For planning and budgeting purposes, could USAID provide guidance with regard to the contractor supporting languages other than Tajik and Russian for reading materials for students under AR 1, and for training for teachers and others under AR2?

USAID Answer: See answer to question #2.

Question 23: Page 19: In AR 3.2 the “contractor is expected to leverage $1.5 million at a minimum” as a result of pursuing public private partnerships. Can USAID provide a definition of “leverage” as it applies to contracts? Also, what contractual consequences might be expected if the contractor is not successful in “leveraging” this amount?

USAID Answer: It means the offeror will use $1.5 million of USAID funding to incentivize at least a one to one match with a public or private entity and utilize that funding to achieve activity requirements.

This could be in donations, products or in kind services from a public private partnership. This is a deliverable for which the contractor will be held accountable.

Question 24: Page 80: In Section L.7, Instructions For The Preparation Of The Technical Proposal, USAID calls for the “Draft Year 1 Work Plan and Mobilization Plan” to be part of the technical proposal. On page 82, this same section is referenced as being Annex F of the submission. Please confirm if the “Draft Year 1 Work Plan and Mobilization Plan” is part of the 25 pages of the technical proposal, or only to be provided by offerors under Annex F of submissions.

USAID Answer: It is to be provided under Annex F submissions with a summary included in the technical proposal.

Question 25: What is the expected start date for the Read with Me contract?

USAID Answer: USAID expects the effective date of the award to be September 30, 2016.

Question 26: Please note that Section B.5 ties payment of fixed fee to the completion of reports and deliverables specified in Section F.6, Key Personnel, rather than Section F.5, Reports and Deliverables.

USAID Answer: Thank you for noting the error. Section B.5 is revised to include the correct reference.

Question 27: Under Section F.7 Fixed Fee Payment Schedule, Deliverables for Year 1 (p. 35), USAID has not included the Annual Work Plan as a deliverable, even though section F.5.1 (p. 29) stipulates it should be submitted within 45 days of the award. Can USAID please confirm that the Annual Work Plan for Year 1 should be included in the Fixed Fee Payment Schedule?

USAID Answer: The Annual Work Plan for Year 1 is now included in the Fixed Fee Payment Schedule as a deliverable.

Question 28: Section H.2 (p. 44) stipulates that the Authorized Geographic Codes for the procurement of goods and services under this contract are 937 and 110, while Section L.8(b)(vii)(D) (p. 83) says that the award will be subject to Geographic Code 937. Could USAID please clarify the Authorized Geographic Code for this procurement?

USAID Answer: The applicable Geographic Codes for this procurement are 937 and 110. Section L.8(b)(vii)(D) (p. 83) is revised to include the 110 code.

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Question 29: Section K.2 (a) (p. 66) is missing the NAICS code and small business size standard information corresponding to this acquisition.

USAID Answer: The NAICS code and small business size standard information are added.

Question 30: On pages 82-83 (“Salary and Wages”) USAID states that the Contractor Salary Threshold (CST) is $642.30/day. However, the latest CST maximum for agencies with a certified Senior Executive Service (SES) performance appraisal system is $711.92/day, per OPM’s 2016 pay tables. Can USAID please revise this rate accordingly?

USAID Answer: USAID Contractor Salary Threshold (CST) is determined as the compensation for the agencies without a certified Senior Executive Service (SES) performance appraisal system. Per the most recent revision the USAID CST rate is $655.38/day or $170,400/year. The RFP is revised to reflect the updated rate.

Question 31: Section L.8(b)(vii)(A) (p, 83) stipulates that the offeror must state the exchange rate used in calculating the dollar equivalent of local currency salaries on the biodata forms. Would USAID consider providing a USD/Tajikistan Somoni exchange rate to ensure a level playing field for all offerors?

USAID Answer: USAID does not have an exchange rate established for offerors to use.

Question 32: The Budget Template in Attachment J.5 includes a line item for an “LCD Fund” under both the Prime Costs (US$) tab and the Subcontractor Costs (US$) tab. Could USAID please provide clarification regarding the LCD fund and its use/goal(s)?

USAID Answer: The Budget Template in Attachment J.5 is revised to remove this and other line items not applicable for this project.

Question 33: Section L.7.4 states that prime contractors and each major subcontractor must submit past performance information. Can USAID please clarify whether the prime contractor and major subcontractors need to submit information for 3 contracts total (combined) or 3 contracts per organization?

USAID Answer: 3 contracts per organization.

Question 34: Will USAID accept past performance information from non-major subcontractors (i.e.

subcontractors with less than 15% of the total proposed cost)?

USAID Answer: No. USAID is not requesting and will not evaluate past performance of non-major subcontractors.

Question 35: Can USAID please confirm where in the proposal the subcontracting plan should be included?

USAID Answer: The subcontracting plan must be submitted as part of the Cost Proposal.

Question 36: Can USAID please confirm that TCN employees working under the contract must be paid in the local currency and cannot be paid in USD? Additionally, can USAID outline which allowances long-term TCN employees are permitted under this contract?

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USAID Answer: AIDAR 722.170(b) states that “Compensation, including merit or promotion increases paid to TCNs and CCNs may not, without the approval of the Mission Director or the Assistant Administrator having program responsibility for the project, exceed the prevailing compensation paid to personnel performing comparable work in the cooperating country as determined by the USAID Mission. Unless otherwise authorized by the Mission Director or the Assistant Administrator having program responsibility for the project, the compensation of such TCN and CCN employees shall be paid in the currency of the cooperating country.” AIDAR 722.170(c) states that “TCNs and CCNs, hired abroad for work in a cooperating country, are not eligible for allowances or differentials under USAID-direct contracts, unless authorized by the Mission Director or the Assistant Administrator having program responsibility for the project.”

If an offeror proposes a TCN and wishes to pay the TCN in USD and provide allowances, a sufficient justification must be provided in the cost proposal. The offerors should note, that acceptance of the proposal does not constitute approval of the payment of the compensation in USD, in excess of the local compensation plan, and the payment of allowances. This approval would still need to be obtained from the Mission Director after the contract has been finalized.

Question 37: The highest grade in the Local Compensation Plan (LCP) provided by USAID is GS-12. If indeed a TCN employee salary must be in line with the LCP, per page 84 of the RFP, can USAID please provide guidance on fair compensation for a senior TCN whose qualifications match grades above the LCP GS-12 maximum?

USAID Answer: For positions comparable to those contemplated by the Local Compensation Plan for locally employed staff (LCP), the Mission may determine that the LCP should be used to determine the prevailing rate of compensation for a particular position. To the extent that it covers employees of the type or category being employed, compensation for TCNs and CCNs will be in accordance with the applicable LCP. For the Mission Director to determine that compensation in accordance with the LCP would be inappropriate in a particular instance, the offeror/contractor must demonstrate that the market research supports a higher rate than the LCP, and that there is no local labor market to perform the requested services. When compensation is set in accordance with this exception, the record shall be documented in writing with a justification approved by the Mission Director.

Question 38: In Section B.6 INDIRECT COSTS (CPFF), requests information on the Offerors negotiated, provisional or pre-determined indirect costs. Please confirm that these are requests for the entire five year period of performance, and not 3 years as the wording seems to imply.

USAID Answer: The wording of this section does not imply that USAID is requesting information for 3 years, nor does it request information for the entire 5 year period of performance. Offerors are requested to provide their current indirect cost rates, approved by USAID through a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rates Agreements (NICRA) or similar document issued by the offeror’s cognizant federal agency. Offerors may propose ceilings for the indirect cost rates.

Question 39: Page 81: In L.4. Past Performance, the offeror can list “up to 3 of the most recent and relevant contracts.” Can offers include in this list of 3 cooperative agreements as well as contracts for past performance, as long as they are of “similar type of work, scope of work, and complexity?”

USAID Answer: If offerors did not perform relevant contracts, cooperative agreements can be included, as long as, they are for similar type of work, scope of work, and complexity. The offerors must provide current information on references for these cooperative agreement so that USAID may obtain accurate information on the offerors past performance.