FBO_AWARD_NOTICE_info.pdf

-Solicitation Number: SOL-268-16-000003

-Contract Award Date: September 28, 2016

-Contract Award Number: AID-268-C-16-00002

-Contract Award Dollar Amount:

Base: $14,792,533

Option 1: $3,172,071

Option 2: $2,407,449

Total (Base and Options): $20,372,053

-Contractor Awarded Name: Palladium International

-Contractor Awarded DUNS: 186295239

-Contractor Awarded Address:

1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 600

Washington D.C. 20004, U.S.A.

-Synopsis: The purpose of this Contract is to improve economic opportunities and livelihoods of low income individuals and microenterprises by expanding and strengthening microfinance associations’ and member institutions’ services and enhancing entrepreneurs’ business skills. To this end, LIFE will improve livelihoods, strengthen microfinance activities and advance inclusive finance. Inclusive Finance, also referred to as financial inclusion, is defined as “universal access to a broad range of financial services, at a reasonable cost, provided by a diversity of sound and sustainable institutions.” LIFE will consolidate the gains made under the Lebanon Investment in Microfinance Program (LIM) and expand inclusive finance to the unbanked and higher-risk, micro business clientele.

The LIFE project is comprised of three components: 1) Inclusive Finance that will elevate the microfinance discourse by bringing about key policy and institutional changes with the potential to transform the financial inclusion landscape – a proven approach for developing a vibrant, sustainable microfinance sector and economically empowering the unbanked, low-income, and underserved micro clientele; 2) Microcredit that will strengthen the capacity of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and the Lebanese Microfinance Association (LMA) to increase their range of products and services and expand their reach of borrowers to include microenterprises with an emphasis on higher-risk, conflict affected areas (areas where economic pressures and social tensions have increased significantly as a result of the high influx of refugees), including new, unbanked, and existing microenterprises, and low-income women-headed households. LIFE will provide customized business management training, technical know-how, mentoring, basic business development skills, and new lending products to the MFI’s current and potential clientele; and 3) Livelihoods that will provide grant support and basic business training to microenterprises and individuals that are excluded from the financial ecosystem and economic value chains, but because of lack of collateral and steady income or revenues, are considered too high of a credit risk to qualify for microcredit from the MFIs. The purpose of these grants, along with business development services, is to give these microenterprises the chance to grow and become potential MFI clients. This group includes high risk rural poor, including unemployed or low income women, youth and the physically impaired and certain microenterprises.

The contractor will identify and propose the appropriate and capable stakeholders to receive USAID assistance. Potential stakeholders and counterparts may include, but are not limited to:

the LMA, MFIs, Commercial Banks, the Central Bank of Lebanon, local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), new and established microenterprises, Kafalat (a local guarantee provider), etc. The LIFE project is expected to target all regions in rural areas of Lebanon, with special emphasis on areas labeled “host communities”, which are currently hosting a large number of refugees1. The contractor is expected to closely monitor updates on the list of communities issued by the UNHCR periodically and accordingly target these regions.

-Place of Contract Performance: Lebanon

-Performance Period: September 30, 2016 to September 29, 2021

- Administrative Contracting Office Address:

Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA)

USAID Lebanon

United States Embassy

Beirut

El Metn, Lebanon

- Contracting Officer: Aaron Ruble

- Product Service code: R425 Support- Professional: Engineering/Technical