RFP_AID-182-16-000002_ACDC_Albania.pdf

Request for Proposals (RFP) No.: SOL-182-16-000002 Issue Date: May 13, 2016 Questions Due: May 23 , 2016 at 5pm, Albania local time Pre-Proposal Conference May 25, 2016 (09-13h) ICITAP conference room

(located across from the main gate of the U.S.

Embassy)

Closing Date: June 24, 2016 at 12 pm Albania local time

SUBJECT: Request for Proposal (RFP) #SOL-182-16-000002 for Accelerated Civic Development and Cooperation (ACDC) project in Albania

Dear Prospective Offeror:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Regional Contracting Office in Kosovo, is seeking proposals from qualified local Albanian organizations ready to rock in performing ACDC, 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 Albania;

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

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

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/Albania website. In order to be informed of changes that may affect proposal preparations, Offerors are encouraged to check this website (http://www.fbo.gov) periodically. Interested firms can register and use the Interested Vendor List (IVL) accessible through this solicitation on the FBO web page, so that firms

SOL-182-16-000002 Accelerated Civic Development and Cooperation (ACDC) Albania can contact one another for consideration of teaming arrangements in response to this solicitation. It is the responsibility of the prospective Offerors of this solicitation to ensure that the solicitation has been received from the internet in its entirety. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.

Proposals must be received electronically on or before the closing date stipulated above to provide the services and deliverables specified in the below RFP. Proposals must be sent by e-mail to Ketrina Janaqi at kjanaqi@usaid.gov and Albert Rexhepi at arexhepi@usaid.gov by the closing date and time and must conform to all requirements outlined in the solicitation. USAID reserves the right to award the contract subject to availability of funds. 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 the proposal.

USAID appreciates the time and effort put into preparing proposals, especially those from local firms.

For those local firms about to rock this solicitation, USAID is looking forward to being thunderstruck by your proposal.

Sincerely, Michael Capobianco Regional Contracting Officer (drops mic)

Contents

B.1 SCHEDULE OF ITEMS

B.2 HYBRID CONTRACT TYPE

B.3 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

B.4 AWARD FEE

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 Introduction:

C.2 Background and Rationale:

C.3 Project Goals, Objectives, and Expected Results

Component 1(CLIN #001)

Component 2(CLIN #002)

Component 3(CLIN #003)

C.4 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

C.5 Key Personnel and Qualifications

C.6 Deliverables

SECTION D – PACKAGING 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 DELIVERABLES

F.4 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

F.4.1 Performance Standards

F.4.2 Final Report

F.5 752.242-70 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (OCT 2007)

SECTION G – CONTRATC ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

G.3 TECHNICAL DIRECTION

G.4 PAYMENT OFFICE

G.5 INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS

G.6 CONTRACTOR’S PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT

G.7 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATED DATA

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

H.2 AIDAR 752.7027 PERSONNEL (DEC 1990)

H.3 AIDAR 752.225-70 SOURCE AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 2012)

H.4 INSURANCE AND SERVICES

H.5 AIDAR 752.228-70 MEDICAL EVACUATION (MEDEVAC) SERVICES (JULY 2007)

H.6 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

H.7 LOGISTIC SUPPORT

H.8 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING

H.9 PROHIBITION AND ASSISTANCE TO DRUG TRAFFICKING

H.10 GRANTS UNDER USAID CONTRACT

H.11 PERSONNEL COMPENSATION (APPLICABLE ONLY TO CLIN #003)

H.12 CONFIDENTIALITY AND OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

H.13 USAID IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTION 508 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973

AND FEDERAL ACQUISITION CIRCULAR (FAC) 97-27 "ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY

H.14 MANDATORY COMPLIANCE REVIEWS

H.15 ADS 302.3.5.9 NONDISCRIMINATION (JUNE 2012)

H.16 ADS 302.3.5.17 LIMITATION ON SUBCONTRACTING TO NON-LOCAL ENTITIES

(JULY 2014)

H.17 CONFERENCE PLANNING AND REQUIRED APPROVALS (AUG 2013)

H.18 ADS 302.3.5.21 USAID IMPLEMENTING PARTNER NOTICES (IPN) PORTAL FOR

ACQUISITION (JULY 2014)

H.19 ADS 302.3.5.19 USAID-FINANCED THIRD-PARTY WEB SITES (AUG 2013)

H.20 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

SECTION I

I.1 Clauses for Fixed Price CLINs

I.2 Clauses applicable for cost reimbursement CLIN#02

I.3 Clauses applicable for CLIN#003

Clauses incorporated in full text

I.4 AIDAR 752.228-3 WORKER'S COMPENSATION INSURANCE (DEFENSE BASE ACT) 59

I.5 AIDAR 752.7018 HEALTH AND ACCIDENT COVERAGE FOR USAID PARTICIPANT

TRAINEES (JAN 1999)

I.6 AIDAR 752.7019 PARTICIPANT TRAINING (JAN 1999)

I.7 AIDAR 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL AND NOTIFICATION

REQUIREMENTS (APR 2014)

I.8 AIDAR 752.7101 VOLUNTARY POPULATION PLANNING ACTIVITIES (JUNE 2008) . 62

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF

OFFERORS

K.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

K.2 52.203-98, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements-Representation (DEVIATION 2015-02) (AAPD 15-01)

K.3 52.204-8 Annual Representations and Certifications. (FEB 2016)

K.4 52.209-2 Prohibition on Contracting With Inverted Domestic Corporations- Representation.

(NOV 2015)

K.5 52.209-5 Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters. (OCT 2015)

K.6 52.209-7 Information Regarding Responsibility Matters. (JUL 2013)

K.7 FAR 52.209-11 REPRESENTATION BY CORPORATION REGARDING A DELINQUENT

TAX LIABILITY OR A FELONY CRIMINAL CONVICTION (Deviation OAA- DEV-14-02c) (August 2014)

K.8 52.219-1 Small Business Program Representations. (OCT 2014)

K.9 52.222-22 Previous Contracts and Compliance Reports. (FEB 1999)

K.10 52.230-1 Cost Accounting Standards Notices and Certification. (OCT 2015)

K.11 52.230-7 Proposal Disclosure--Cost Accounting Practice Changes. (APR 2005)

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.1 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 78

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 COST PROPOSAL

SECTION M – EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

M.2 EVALUATION FACTOR

M.3 EVALUATION OF PAST PERFORMANCE

M.4 COST EVALUATION:

SECTION J- List of Documents Exhibits and other Attachments

Attachment A AWARD FEE PLAN FOR THE ACDC

I. INTRODUCTION

II. ILUSTRATIVE EVALUATION PERIODS

III. AWARD FEE EVALUATION CRITERIA

IV. AWARD FEE GRADING SCALE

ATTACHMENT B Budget Template

ATTACHMENT C Past Performance Information Sheet

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 SCHEDULE OF ITEMS

The Contractor shall provide activities to support and strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations (CSOs), government bodies, and private sector entities in Albania.

B.2 HYBRID CONTRACT TYPE

This is a FAR 16.102(b) combination award consisting of Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) including: Fixed-Price with Award Fee for CLIN 001 (FPAF), Cost-Reimbursement for CLIN 002 (CR), and IDIQ with Firm Fixed Price Orders for CLIN 003.

Under Fixed Price with Award Fee of the CLIN 001, contractor must furnish all personnel, material, equipment, supplies, facilities, and services and perform all activities necessary for the performance of work described in Section C, including the management of all Grants Under Contract (GUCs), and other sections of the contract not specifically identified under CLIN 003.

Under the Cost Reimbursement of the CLIN 002, the funds allocated for this CLIN will be used only for grant disbursement. The management cost for solicitation, award process and administration of grants must be budgeted and managed through CLIN 001.

Under the IDIQ portion of the contract (CLIN 003), the contractor must furnish additional technical assistance arising out of orders issued to implement the interventions identified as a result of the assessments prepared under CLIN 001, as required by Government-issued Orders. The services shall be ordered in accordance with Section C and the IDIQ clauses in Section I.

As CLIN 003 is part of this contract and not a stand-alone award, the Government is not required to state or order any minimum. The Other CLIN[s] contained in this Contract provide[s] sufficient consideration to make this a legally binding contract, and the Government has no obligation to fund or order under this

CLIN.

B.3 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

Key to acronyms:

APP = Annual Program Plan

NTE = Not-to-exceed

CLINs = Contract Line Item Numbers

OTP = Offeror-to-propose

CR = Cost-Reimbursement

FFP= Firm-Fixed-Price

FPAF = Award Fee

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.

PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

CLIN DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES AMOUNT

FPAF

The contractor shall furnish all personnel, material, equipment, supplies, facilities, and services and perform all activities necessary for the performance of work described in Section C and other sections of the contract not specifically identified under CLIN#003.

$ OTP

Award Fee Plan for CLIN #001 Total Maximum Award Fee Pool: $ OTP Maximum Award Fee Pool per period shall be calculated by dividing Total Maximum Award Fee Pool by number of Award Fee Periods.

Award Fee Period: 1 First six months of award performance Period 1 Maximum Award Fee Pool: $ TBD Period 1 Award Fee Earned: $ TBD Descriptive Data: Award Fee earned shall be added by contract modification.

Award Fee Period: 2 Second six months of award performance Period 1 Maximum Award Fee Pool: $ TBD Period 1 Award Fee Earned: $ TBD Descriptive Data: Award Fee earned shall be added by contract modification.

Award Fee Period: 3 Third six months of award performance Period 1 Maximum Award Fee Pool: $ TBD Period 1 Award Fee Earned: $ TBD Descriptive Data: Award Fee earned shall be added by contract modification.

Award Fee Period: 4 Fourth six months of award performance Period 1 Maximum Award Fee Pool: $ TBD Period 1 Award Fee Earned: $ TBD Descriptive Data: Award Fee earned shall be added by contract modification.

Award Fee Period: 5 Fifth six months of award performance Period 1 Maximum Award Fee Pool: $ TBD Period 1 Award Fee Earned: $ TBD

Award Fee Period: 6 Sixth six months of award performance Period 1 Maximum Award Fee Pool: $ TBD Period 1 Award Fee Earned: $ TBD

CR

With grants under contract (GUC) mechanism, the contractor will award fixed amount awards to local organizations. The funds allocated for this CLIN will be used only for grant disbursement.

The management cost for solicitation, award process and administration of grants must be budgeted and managed through

CLIN #001.

The Government has obligated $TBD to be expended under this

CLIN.

NTE

$800,000

IDIQ

The contractor must furnish additional technical assistance arising out of or related to the completion portion of the contract, as required by Government-issued Orders. The contractor will provide the beneficiary organizations with technical assistance and capacity building services identified as a result of the assessments performed under CLIN #001. All orders will be firm fixed-price and issued by the Contracting Officer.

NTE

$700,000

B.4 AWARD FEE

a) The contractor may earn award fee for performance under the FP-AF CLIN#01. The Government's purpose in granting an award fee is to encourage and reward superior contract performance.

The Award Fee Plan sets out the award fee process and is located under Section J, Attachment 1.

b) Award Fee Determination

(1) The Government will evaluate and assess the contractor’s performance every six months beginning August 1, 2016 in accordance with the terms of the Award Fee Plan, Section J, Attachment 1. The contractor may earn an award fee based on the award fee scale stated in Section J, Attachment 1.

(2) The Government reserves the right to modify award fee criteria (including award fee pool and award fee scale) and procedures by contract modification, issued prior to the start of the affected award fee evaluation period(s).

(3) Government determination of the maximum award fee pool amount and the award fee earned to be paid to the contractor and the methodology for determining the award fee are unilateral decisions made solely at the discretion of the Government.

(4) Award fee procedures, determinations and methodology are not subject to the Disputes Clause.

c) Award Fee Available Upon Termination for Convenience of the Government

In the event that the contract is terminated for the Government’s convenience, either in whole or in part, the amount of award fee available shall be determined by the Contracting Officer (CO).

d) Payment of Award Fee

The contractor shall be paid award fee, if any, upon submittal of a proper invoice to the cognizant USAID payment office (see Section G for invoicing procedures), together with a copy of the contract modification authorizing payment of award fee for the applicable award fee period. Award fee may be invoiced for payment only after the final determination of award fee earned and execution of the contract modification by the CO authorizing payment. The contractor's invoice shall show the amount of award fee earned and payable with the applicable award fee CLIN. The contractor’s invoice must cite the appropriate accounting data. There will be no provisional, interim or advance billing of award fee.

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK

Accelerated Civic Development and Cooperation (ACDC)

C.1 Introduction:

The proposed activity, Accelerated Civic Development and Cooperation (ACDC), capitalizes on the progress made under previous Institutional Capacity Building USAID projects. Staff in a variety of governmental bodies, NGOs, and private companies received assistance through USAID projects and reported improved capacity and productivity. ACDC will take a broad-based approach to enhancing skills and abilities among Albanian organizations.

The proposed activity will continue this work, building and strengthening participative democracy in Albania, as well as stimulating a civil society-friendly environment and culture. ACDC will achieve this objective through assistance to organizations working in the democracy and governance sector, including civil society organizations (CSOs), governmental bodies, and private sector organizations that meet this criterion. ACDC will work to strengthen the capacities and accountability of beneficiary organizations to increase their capacity to foster and sustain democratic processes.

USAID is investing in collaborative efforts in democracy and governance because strong institutions with well-trained staff and a solid evidence base are essential to the long-term success in these areas.

C.2 Background and Rationale:

Though making great advances since rejecting communism more than 20 years ago, Albania remains one of the poorest countries in Europe, with widespread poverty in rural areas. Compounding this problem, governance in Albania is both ineffective and widely held to be corrupt.

The 2014 Worldwide Governance Indicators for Albania (the most recent available), collected by the World Bank, show that the country ranks very poorly in terms of government effectiveness (51.9 percentile), rule of law (40.9 percentile), and control of corruption (35.6 percentile).

The 2015 Freedom House report on “Freedom in the World” scored Albania at 6 out of 12 points for the functioning of government, with the first comment being “(c)orruption is pervasive….” Further, government officials are rarely charged or held accountable for crimes. In rule of law, Albania received 9 points out of 16. Underfunded courts provide ample opportunity for corruption by judges; treatment of suspects and criminals by police and prison authorities is exceptionally poor; de facto discrimination against minorities of all types is rampant.

Economic indicators follow the trend for governance in Albania. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been growing steadily over recent years, but at less than 3 percent per year – a rate far below what would be expected for a developing country. The government’s employment statistics from the third quarter of 2015 showed that nearly 18 percent of the labor force is idle. For young people aged 15-29, the rate is more than 32 percent. High unemployment may lead to the continually low consumer confidence scores reported by the Bank of Albania since 2002. Economic choices become more difficult in an uncertain employment environment.

In countries with more robust democratic institutions, CSOs and private sector organizations play a vital role in government oversight and policy advocacy. However, the development of civil society and the private sector in Albania is still weak. CSOs are often seen to be performing well on the supply side

(technical input) of the reform process, but often viewed as weak and reactive on the demand side (advocacy). The voice of civil society very often is muted and disunited on key national issues, instead of being the driving force behind reform and holding the government accountable.

The private sector in Albania is small and lacks the resources to present a single voice in advocating for economic reform and denouncing corruption. Of the more than 112,000 businesses registered in Albania, nearly 90 percent have four or fewer employees; nearly 99 percent have fewer than 50 employees.

Businesses, particularly small- and medium-size enterprises, do not possess the resources or capacity to organize advocacy efforts.

Governance and Anti-Corruption

Continuing politicization of the public administration and the incomplete separation of powers, exemplified by instances of political interference in judicial processes, remain serious obstacles. Further efforts to strengthen the rule of law, ensure security of property rights, eliminate corruption, and improve government effectiveness are necessary to accelerate Albania’s integration with the EU, increase the country’s international competitiveness as an investment destination, and improve the quality and efficiency of public service delivery.

Local organizations can play an important role in improving governance and fighting corruption. They are closest to government service delivery and best able to determine its effectiveness. With training and guidance provided by ACDC, they will also be able to comment on the efficiency of provision of government services. This increased scrutiny and oversight is expected to prompt reform and improvement of service delivery.

C.3 Project Goals, Objectives, and Expected Results The project’s goal, as implemented by the contractor’s activities, is to support and strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations (CSOs), government bodies, and private sector entities in Albania.

The contractor must implement activities to support and strengthen the capacity of CSOs, government bodies, and private sector entities to fight corruption in Albania; support avenues for meaningful public participation and oversight; improve efficiency and effectiveness in governance and government services;

and support public-private partnerships.

The contractor must also assist GoA institutions (if they are beneficiary organizations as identified below) to improve their performance by making them more efficient and accountable to the civil society, and citizens.

To achieve the goal, the contractor must perform work under three components:

Component 1(CLIN #001)

The contractor must identify beneficiary organizations working in the democracy and governance sector, assess those organizations and develop interventions to improve their ability to effectively work for public participation and government oversight, improved governance services, efforts against corruption, civic education and capacity-building activities, and improved management of organizational resources. The specific needs of beneficiary organizations will vary. The contractor must work with beneficiary organizations to identify specific areas for organizational improvement and develop an action plan to address the needs.

All beneficiary organizations must be approved by the COR.

All of the contractor’s interventions in performance of this SOW must be approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) via the annual work plan (AWP). The AWP is a living document and can be amended on an as needed basis with the approval of the COR. The contractor must propose interventions that will achieve the objectives of the SOW.

The AWP must outline the implementation process and detail activity schedules, resource requirements, roles and responsibilities, monitoring, reporting and review procedures. Quarterly monitoring of milestones, which are identified in the AWP, will be identified with progress being reviewed monthly and reported quarterly. Annual self-assessments by partners and stakeholders, as well as engagement of civil society and surveys, may be used to identify lessons learned and guide future work plans.

Component 2(CLIN #002) Under a grants under contract (GUC) mechanism, the contractor will award grants to local organizations, to target selected areas, including (but not limited to) election oversight, women’s empowerment, marginalized population rights, anti-corruption, and increased citizen oversight and/or provide practical experience for the capacity building training they will receive. All grants issued must be fixed amount awards.

Any of the contractor’s interventions or any grant issued must further one or more of the below three objectives:

Local capacity for long-term impact built.

Democracy, governance, and civic education strengthened.

Vulnerable populations’ participation more fully in society improved.

Types of contractor interventions and principal purposes of the grants to achieve each objective could include, but are not limited to the following:

● Local capacity for long-term impact built.

o Capacities at the individual, institutional, coalition/network, and systems levels built.

o Initiatives to build trust and foster democracy and inclusive socio-economic growth through advocacy, stakeholder dialogue, and joint action designed.

o Local partners’ performance through innovation, dissemination of international best practices, formal training, introduction of new technologies, “learning by doing,” study tours, and other activities enhanced.

o Investigative journalists develop and improve their investigative skills and to create independent avenues for publishing articles, expressing their opinion and sharing information.

● Democracy, governance, and civic education strengthened.

o Community service delivery oversight committees to enhance government accountability established.

o Good governance monitoring (including surveys, production of analysis, corruption assessment reports) implemented.

o Citizen-government engagement institutionalized.

o Trust in election process improved.

● Vulnerable populations’ participation more fully in society improved.

o Sustainability of associations for people living with HIV/AIDS, LGBT associations, and/or other similar associations improved.

o Knowledge and skills for women and marginalized groups enhanced.

Component 3(CLIN #003) The contractor must furnish additional technical assistance arising out of or related to the completion portion of the contract, as required by Government-issued Orders.

Based on the assessments submitted and accepted by COR under CLIN #001, the contractor must provide the beneficiary organizations with training on organizational development, financial management, strategic planning, program design and management, networking and fundraising (or other similar areas and functions), as agreed upon with the beneficiary organization.

Illustrative Interventions could include:

● Training in general organizational management (operations, finance, etc.)

● Development and implementation of sustainability plans.

● Utilization of surveys to monitor government service delivery and bring corrupt activities to light.

● Provide technical assistance for local actors for improve their performance.

● Promote the state-civil society dialogue and improve the environment for civil activism at regional and national level.

● Promote private-public partnership to improve transparency and participation.

● Assist journalists to develop and improve their investigative skills and to create independent avenues for publishing articles, expressing their opinion and sharing information.

Request for order proposal

Individual orders shall clearly describe all services to be performed or supplies to be delivered so the full price for the performance of the work can be established when the order is placed.

Orders shall be within the scope, issued within the period of performance, and be within the maximum value of the CLIN #003.

In accordance with the general procedures, the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will request an order proposal from contractor after coordinating the terms of the order with the CO. The COR may not ask for more than a two (2) page cost proposal, and for a technical proposal of no more than three (3) pages (page limit does not include resumes, graphs, or past performance information). The Order proposal request must be in writing as set out in the Request for Order Proposal and include a description of the intended services.

Only the CO is authorized to undertake discussions or negotiations with the contractor. After reviewing the proposal, the COR drafts a brief memorandum to the CO, recommending issuance of order or requesting revisions. The CO is responsible for final negotiation and issuance of order.

Issuance of Orders

(a) Orders must be Firm Fixed Price.

(b) Orders may be issued only by Contracting Officer.

(c) Each order will carry a specific order number which will be cited on each invoice placed against this contract.

(d) In no event shall the aggregate total of all task orders exceed the Maximum Ordering Limitation authorized under CLIN #003.

(e)All order statements of work and performance periods shall be within the scope of work

Content of Orders

a) Total Price

b) Statement of work

c) Period of performance

d) Deliverables/Results

f) Order Number

C.4 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

The contractor must be intimately familiar with USAID monitoring and evaluation (M&E) guidelines.

The contractor must develop and implement, in a collaborative manner, an M&E plan for this contract.

The M&E plan must be approved by the COR. The M&E plan must include clear and well defined benchmarks, suggested performance indicators, and targets that help measure progress toward the project objectives and results described in the SOW. Proposed indicators must meet USAID data quality standards for validity, integrity, precision, reliability and timeliness described in ADS 203.3.5.1 (http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/200/).

The contractor must work closely with the COR to develop indicators for and with the beneficiary organizations to ensure they collect and report data as necessary. The contractor must assist the COR in identifying where the objectives of each award align with the Mission’s Performance Management Plan

(PMP).

Illustrative project indicators:

● Number of organizations receiving assistance, disaggregated by type (CSO, government, private sector).

● Number of persons trained, disaggregated by sex and type of organization.

● Number of persons reporting improved capacity in selected training areas.

● Number of organizations demonstrating improved capacity in selected training areas.

● Number of transparency mechanisms institutionalized.

● Number of regulatory documents drafted and/or submitted for public discussion/adoption.

The M&E plan must define each indicator and include the unit of measure, source and method of data acquisition, frequency of collection, baseline and target information.

The contractor must also propose indicators and results to measure their own progress on implementation of this activity.

C.5 Key Personnel and Qualifications

The following positions have been designated as key personnel, and are essential to the work being performed under this contract. All key personnel must have university degrees in relevant fields from an accredited university. Prior to replacing any of these individuals, the contractor must notify both the Contracting Officer (CO) 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 approval of the CO.

● Project Executive Director

● Financial Officer

● Grants Manager

● Sustainability Advisor

Project Executive Director (PD)

The contractor must provide a resident PD for the duration of the contract. The contractor shall delegate adequate authority to the PD to make all ACDC project implementation decisions in Albania and speak for the implementer. The PD shall be responsible for all reporting to USAID and is expected to play a lead role interacting with local stakeholders and other development partners. The PD must be the primary point of contact with USAID/Albania with regard to day-to-day activity implementation and must be fully committed to the contract (100% Level of Effort).

The PD must have at least 5 years of progressively responsible management experience, either in the private sector or in civil society. The PD shall have proven ability to successfully manage projects and teams.

Financial Officer

The Financial Officer must have at least 5 years of experience in financial management of donor-funded projects. Experience in civil society is a plus.

Grants Manager

The Grants Manager must have a minimum of 3 years of experience overseeing grants programs.

Experience in civil society is a plus. Experience working with marginalized populations (LGBT, people with disabilities, etc.) is a plus.

Sustainability Advisor

The Sustainability Advisor must have at least 5 years of experience working with civil society organizations and must have demonstrated success in improving financial and organizational operations.

C.6 Deliverables

Contract Reporting

Project Work Plan:

The contractor must prepare a Project Work Plan for the entire activity within 30 days after award. The Project Work Plan must lay out, in general, the activities to be performed over the life of the contract and must be approved by the COR.

Annual Work Plans:

The contractor must prepare Annual Work Plans (AWP) that describe the range of activities for the upcoming year, and taking into account lessons learned from previous years (as appropriate). The first year AWP must be submitted no later than 45 days after contract award. Subsequent Annual Work Plans thereafter to be submitted no later than 30 days before the beginning of the succeeding year. The AWP must comply with Section C.3 and must be approved by the COR.

Performance Management Plan (PMP) and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan:

The contractor must prepare and submit a PMP within 70 days of contract award and submit a specific M&E plan as part of the first year AWP. The PMP and the M&E plan must be in line with USAID ADS 203 guidelines. The PMP will be reviewed and approved by the COR. The contractor must utilize a PMP that allows for documenting implementation progress against specified performance indicators and related targets and benchmarks. Data must be disaggregated by agreed criteria and in support of the AWP. The PMP will include indicators for the overall performance period as well as for each year.

Quarterly reports:

The contractor must submit brief, no more than 20 pages, quarterly performance reports to the COR within 15 days after the end of each calendar quarter reflecting results and activities of the preceding quarter. The COR may make exceptions to this schedule depending on when the contract is signed; for example; if the project begins in November, the time remaining in Q1 may be incorporated into the quarterly report for Q2. A description of the specific accomplishments of the contractor during the quarter must also be provided, including information on all activities. The quarterly reports must highlight any issues or problems that are affecting the delivery or timing of services provided by the contractor. The reports must also discuss interaction with counterparts, and any necessary alterations to the work plan and initial timetable.

Quarterly Reports Schedule for Submission:

Q1: October 1 to December 31; Quarterly Report due January 31

Q2: January 1 to March 31; Quarterly Report due April 30

Q3: April 1 to June 30; Quarterly Report due July 31

Q4: July 1 to September 30; Quarterly/annual Report due October 31

Quarterly Financial Reports:

The contractor must prepare and submit in a format acceptable to the COR the quarterly financial summary to include:

• Total estimated cost of the award

• Total amount obligated

• Total amount invoiced for

• Total amount expended but not yet invoiced for

• Remaining unexpended funds

• Any changes to planned budgets

The financial summary is due at the same time as the quarterly performance reports.

Annual reports:

These reports will detail progress over the year, problems encountered, resolutions, success stories, and other relevant information. Reports shall provide an assessment towards achieving the annual objectives set forth in the annual work plans. These reports will be delivered to the COR for review and approval within 20 days after the end of the period being covered.

Final report:

The Contractor must prepare and submit to the COR, no later than the 30 days prior to the end of this contract, a detailed final/completion report which summarizes the accomplishments of this contract, methods of work used, and recommendations regarding any unfinished work. The report must include, but not be limited to:

• basic identifying information, such as program name, award number, approval date, and country assisted;

• total cost of the program funded by USAID;

• the principal implementing partner,

• success stories of the project,

• a discussion of problems encountered, objectives not fully achieved and lessons learned;

• a description of all non-governmental organizations worked with in connection with project components and an evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses;

• a financial report showing, by line item, the amounts expended.

The final report must also contain an index of all reports and information products produced under this contract.

SECTION D – PACKAGING 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).

D.3 BRANDING AND MARKING POLICY

In accordance with provision D.2 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” 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.

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 the clause at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) "52.252- 2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract.

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR Chapter 1)

NUMBER TITLE DATE

52.246-4 INSPECTION OF SERVICES--FIXED-PRICE AUG 1996

52.246-5 INSPECTIONOFSERVICES--COST-REIMBURSEMENT APR 1984

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports, and other required deliverables or outputs shall take place at:

USAID/Albania

Rr. e Elbasanit, Nr. 103

Albania and at any other location where the services are performed and reports and deliverables or outputs 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.

SECTION F – DELIVERIES AND PERFORMANCE

F.1 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The place of performance under this contract is Albania.

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance (POP) for this contract is 42 months from the date of award.

F.3 DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall submit deliverables as required in Section C.

F.4 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall submit the reports required in Section C 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.

F.4.1 Performance Standards Evaluation of the Contractor's overall performance toward achievement of the objectives in Section C will be conducted jointly by the COR and the Contracting Officer, and shall form the basis of the Contractor's permanent performance record with regard to this contract. Evaluation of the overall performance will be in accordance with FAR 42.15 and corresponding USAID procedures. The Contractor’s performance will be evaluated annually and at contract completion, utilizing the following general performance factors:

1. Quality of Product or Service, including quality and effectiveness of technical assistance provided to project clients, extent to which Contractor takes advantage of opportunities in managing for results, and degree to which key personnel provided are consistent with the names mentioned in the proposal.

2. Cost Control/Effectiveness, including actual costs incurred against the Contractor's cost proposal and if any savings to the project.

3. Timeliness of Performance, including long-term and short-term technical assistance identified and fielded in a timely manner, ability of the Contractor to take corrective action to compensate for delays which were outside the Contractor's control, timeliness of documents or reports submitted to the TOCOR.

4. Business Relations, including satisfaction of, and relationship with counterparts; understanding of, and adherence to, USAID regulations and procedures; effectiveness in bringing critical issues/constraints to the attention of USAID and counterparts and proposing appropriate solutions; and extent to which open, transparent relations are established with donors and partners.

F.4.2 Final Report The final report must be submitted in accordance with Section C and be 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.5 752.242-70 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]

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 REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

The Contracting Officer Representative is TBD.

G.3 TECHNICAL DIRECTION

The COR shall provide technical oversight to the Contractor. The Contracting Officer shall issue a letter appointing the COR for the Purchase Order and provide a copy of the designation letter to the contractor in conjunction with the award. The Contractor shall meet with the COR prior to starting any work.

G.4 PAYMENT OFFICE

U.S. Agency for International Development - RFMC Ulica Roberta C. Frasurea 1, 71000 Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina

G.5 INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS

The Contractor shall submit invoices to the Paying Office indicated below. Payment shall be made by electronic funds transfer (EFT), at the address shown on the invoice, with an addendum record including the PO number, the invoice number and the amount.

One (1) original of each invoice shall be submitted electronically on an SF-1034 Public Voucher for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal to: accountspayablesarajevo@usaid.gov.

One copy of the voucher and the invoice shall also be submitted to the COR. The SF-1034 must be signed, and it must be submitted along with the invoice and any other documentation in Adobe.

G.6 CONTRACTOR’S PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT

TBD

G.7 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATED DATA

TBD

[END OF SECTION G]

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 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 http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/350maa.pdf or as approved by the CO.

H.2 AIDAR 752.7027 PERSONNEL (DEC 1990).

(a) Clearance.

(1)Individuals Engaged or Assigned Within the United States. The contractor will obtain written notification from the Contracting Officer of Cooperating Country clearance of any employee sent outside the United States to perform duties under this contract.

(2)Individuals Engaged or Assigned When Outside the United States. No individual shall be engaged or assigned when outside the United States to perform work outside the United States under this contract unless authorized in the schedule or otherwise approved by the Contracting Officer or Mission Director. However, when services are performed in the Cooperating Country on a casual or irregular basis or in an emergency, exception to this provision can be made in accordance with instructions or regulations established by the Mission Director.

(b) Physical fitness of employees and dependents. See the clause of this contract entitled Physical Fitness.

(c) Conformity to laws and regulations of Cooperating Country. Contractor agrees to use its best efforts to assure that its employees and their dependents, while in the Cooperating Country, abide by all applicable laws and regulations of the Cooperating Country and political subdivisions thereof.

(d) Importation or sale of personal property or automobiles. To the extent permitted by Cooperating Country laws, the importation and sale of personal property or shall be subject to the same limitations and prohibitions which apply to U.S. nationals employed by the Mission. This provision does not apply to employees or consultants who are citizens or legal residents of the Cooperating Country.

(e) Economic and Financial Activities. Other than work to be performed under this contract for which an employee or consultant is assigned by the contractor, no such employee or consultant of the contractor shall engage, directly or indirectly, either in his/her own name or in the name or through the agency of another person, in any business, profession or occupation in the Cooperating Country or other foreign countries to which he/she is assigned, nor shall he make loans or investments to or in any business, profession or occupation in the Cooperating Country or other foreign countries in which he/she is assigned. This provision does not apply to employees or consultants who are citizens or legal residents of the Cooperating Country.

H.3 AIDAR 752.225-70 SOURCE AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 2012)

(a) Except as may be specifically approved by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor must procure commodities (e.g., equipment, materials, vehicles, supplies) and services (including commodity transportation services) in accordance with the requirements in 22 CFR part 228, "Rules on Procurement of Commodities and Services Financed by USAID Federal Program Funds." The authorized source for procurement is Geographic Code 937 unless otherwise specified in the schedule of this contract.

Guidance on eligibility of specific goods or services may be obtained from the Contracting Officer.

(b) Ineligible goods and services. The Contractor must not procure any of the following goods or services under this contract:

(1) Military equipment,

(2) Surveillance equipment,

(3) Commodities and services for support of police and other law enforcement activities,

(4) Abortion equipment and services,

(5) Luxury goods and gambling equipment, or

(6) Weather modification equipment.

(c) Restricted goods. The Contractor must obtain prior written approval of the Contracting Officer or comply with required procedures under an applicable waiver as provided by the Contracting Officer when procuring any of the following goods or services:

(1) Agricultural commodities,

(2) Motor vehicles,

(3) Pharmaceuticals and contraceptive items,

(4) Pesticides,

(5) Fertilizer,

(6) Used equipment, or

(7) U.S. government-owned excess property.

If USAID determines that the Contractor has procured any of these specific restricted goods under this contract without the prior written authorization of the Contracting Officer or fails to comply with required procedures under an applicable waiver as provided by the Contracting Officer, and has received payment for such purposes, the Contracting Officer may require the Contractor to refund the entire amount of the purchase.

H.4 INSURANCE AND SERVICES

(a) Pursuant to AIDAR 752.228-3 Worker's Compensation Insurance (Defense Base Act); USAID's DBA insurance carrier is: AON Risk…