Amendment 1.pdf

US Agency for International Development American Embassy P.O.Box 354 Amman 11118, Jordan

Tel: +962 (6) 5906000 Fax +962 (6) 5921535 www.usaidjordan.org

AmEmbassy Amman 6050 Amman Place Washington, DC 20521-6050

February 28, 2011

Subject: Request for Proposals (RFP) No. SOL-278-11-000003 Learning Environment: Technical Support Program Amendment #1

The purpose of this Amendment is to amend the solicitation and respond to questions received from potential offerors.

1. RFP Cover Page, delete “Closing Date and Time for Proposals: March 24, 2011 at 12 pm

Jordan time” and replace with “Closing Date and Time for Proposals: March 28, 2011 at 12 pm Jordan time”

2. Under Section C – Description/Specifications/Statement of Work:

a. Under I. Purpose, delete “The program will last five years with a total estimated value of

$20 million” and replace with “The program will last for three base years plus a one 2-year option period. The program’s total estimated value is $20 million including the option period”.

b. Under III. Scope of Work, B. Program Components, 1. Assessments as a Crosscutting Component, item (b) School Selection, delete “The list of schools shall be submitted to USAID within 90 days of the award date.” and replace with “The list of schools shall be submitted to USAID within 120 days of the award date.”

c. Under III. Scope of Work, B. Program Components, 2. Promoting School and

Community Based Decisions for Positive Behavioral Change, item (b) School and Community Based Project, Page 15, delete the word “subgrants” wherever it appears on this page and replace with “grants” and delete the word “sub-granting” wherever it appears on this page and replace with “granting”.

d. Page 17, item V. Coordination, delete item (i) in its entirety.

3. Under Section F – Deliveries or Performance:

a. F.2 Period of Performance, delete in its entirety and replace with “The period of performance for this contract is o/a August 2011 through o/a August 2014 with a one -year option period (o/a August 2014 through o/a August 2016.)”.

b. F.6 Level of Effort, delete in its entirety.

US Agency for International Development American Embassy P.O.Box 354 Amman 11118, Jordan

Tel: +962 (6) 5906000 Fax +962 (6) 5921535 www.usaidjordan.org

AmEmbassy Amman 6050 Amman Place Washington, DC 20521-6050

c. F.7 Key personnel, delete item (a)(3) “Team Leader of Behavior Change” and replace with “Team Leader of School Projects”.

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4. Under Section G – Contract Administration Data, G.4 Technical Directors/Relationship with USAID, item b, add the following: “(4) Issue written interpretations of technical requirements of Government drawings, designs, and specifications.”

5. Under Section H – Special Contract Requirements:

a. H.5 Insurance and Services, delete in its entirety and replace with the following:

“(a) Pursuant to AIDAR 752.228-3 Worker’s Compensation Insurance (Defense Base Act); USAID’s DBA insurance carrier is Allied World Assurance Company (Allied). To obtain DBA insurance, contractors are to contact Allied’s agent, Aon Risk Insurance Services West, Inc. at:

(A) 199 Fremont St, Suite 1700, San Francisco, CA 94105

Primary contact: Fred Robinson Phone (415) 486-7516 Secondary contact: Gloria Richardson Phone (415) 486-7563

Or

(B) 1120 20th St, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036

Primary contact: Ellen Rowan Phone (202) 862-5306 Secondary contact: Chris Thompson Phone (202) 862-5302”

b. Add the following:

“H.24 MEDICAL EVACUATION (MEDEVAC) SERVICES (JULY 2007)

(a) Contractors must provide MEDEVAC service coverage to all U.S. citizen, U.S.

resident alien, and Third Country National employees and their authorized dependents (hereinafter “individual”) while overseas under a USAID-financed direct contract.

USAID will reimburse reasonable, allowable, and allocable costs for MEDEVAC service coverage incurred under the contract. The Contracting Officer will determine the reasonableness, allowability, and allocability of the costs based on the applicable cost principles and in accordance with cost accounting standards.

(b) Exceptions.

(i) The Contractor is not required to provide MEDEVAC insurance to eligible employees and their dependents with a health program that includes sufficient MEDEVAC coverage as approved by the Contracting Officer.

(ii) The Mission Director may make a written determination to waive the requirement for such coverage. The determination must be based on findings that the quality of local medical services or other circumstances obviate the need for such coverage for eligible employees and their dependents located at post.

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(c) Contractor must insert a clause similar to this clause in all subcontracts that require performance by contractor employees overseas.”

6. Under Section J – List of Attachments, delete Attachment 7 – Level of Effort Chart.

7. Under Section L – Instructions, Conditions, and Notices to Offerors:

a. L.8 Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal:

i. Item (b)(1) Cover Page (1 page maximum – not included in the page limit), delete

“Include with the name or the organization involved in the proposal, any proposed major sub-grantees (hereunder referred to as the “subs”) listed separately.” and replace with “Include with the name of the organization involved in the proposal, any proposed major subcontracts (hereunder referred to as “subs”) listed separately.”

ii. Item (b)(4) Staffing Plan and Key Personnel Qualifications, delete the following:

“The Offeror has the option of recommending a different configuration of expatriate and local long-term key personnel (i.e. different positions and/or numbers of long-term personnel).” and replace with “The Offeror must propose all key personnel as listed under F.7. However, the offeror has the discretion to propose additional staff.”

iii. Item (b), Staffing Plan, delete the following: “Offerors may propose and justify the configuration of key staff positions in addition to or in substitution of those described herein.” and replace with: “Offerors must propose all key personnel as listed under F.7. However, offerors have the discretion to propose additional staff.”

b. L.9 Instructions for the Preparation of the Cost Proposal:

i. Under item (b), delete “The Offeror must allocate $1,800,000.00 as a plug figure for subgrants” and replace with “The Offeror must allocate a total of $1,800,000.00 as a plug figure for subgrants with annual allocations as follows:”

ii. Under item (b), Delete the table in its entirety and replace with the following:

Line Item Base Years Option Period Total Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Salaries Fringe Benefits Consultants Travel, Transportation & Per Diem Allowances Other Direct Costs Subcontracts Subgrants $0 $600000 $600000 $600000 $0 $1800000 Indirect Cost Fixed Fee Total Estimated Cost Plus Fixed Fee

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iii. Item (c), delete it in its entirety.

8. Under Section M – Evaluation Factors for Award:

a. M.2 Technical Proposal Evaluation Criteria, item (2) Staffing and Key Personnel:

i. Second paragraph, delete “Resumes may not exceed five (5) pages in length.” and replace with “Resumes may not exceed three (3) pages in length.”

ii. Delete the following: “Each resume shall be accompanied by a SIGNED letter of commitment from each candidate indicating his/her: (a) availability to serve in the stated position, in terms of days after award; (b) intention to serve for a stated term of the service; (c) agreement to the compensation levels which corresponds to the levels set forth in the cost proposal; and (d) prior work experience with the prime contractor or subcontractor (if nominated by a subcontractor). The letter of commitment must specify the length of commitment to the position.” and replace with: “Letters of commitment are not required.”

9. Below are answers to questions received from potential offerors:

Question No. 1: Please provide some clarity as to the period of performance for this solicitation. There is somewhat conflicting information in the RFP concerning this. In the period of performance section it states, “The period of performance for this contract is o/a August 2011 through o/a August 2015.” (Or 4 years.) But in the purpose section it states the following: “The Learning Environment: Technical Support Program aims to improve student well-being and school achievement through improving the learning environment. The program will last five years with a total estimated value of $20 million.” Please advise.

Answer No. 1: The program is for 3 base years plus one 2-year option period. Please refer to item (2)(a) of this Amendment.

Question No. 2: Page 9 RFP states that the program will be five years, but page 20 (F.2

Period of Performance) it says the contract will begin o/a August 2011 through o/a August 2015 (only four years) and on page 62 the sample budget provided lists only four years. Please clarify if the period of performance is five years or four years?

Answer No. 2: Please refer to Answer No. 1.

Question No. 3: RFP page 67 (M.2 Staffing and Key Personnel) states that resumes may not exceed five pages in length, but on RFP page 59 (L.4.b. Staffing Plan) it says that resumes shall not exceed three pages in length. Please clarify.

Answer No. 3: Please refer to item (8)(a)(i) of this Amendment.

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Question No. 4: Can bidders assume that the LE Construction Program will also begin in August 2011?

Answer No. 4: No.

Question No. 5: On p. 12, B. 1.a. General Survey Assessment, the RFP states that “The

General Survey report shall be submitted to USAID within 90 days of award date.” It then goes on to say under B.1.b. School Selection: “Based on the initial findings of the General Survey Assessment and in collaboration with the MOE and according to set criteria, the Contractor shall select all 320 schools that will be targeted under this program. The list of schools shall be submitted to USAID within 90 days of the award date.”

Can USAID please confirm whether the general survey and the school selection list should be submitted simultaneously, or if the school selection should be based upon the general survey and therefore be submitted sometime after the first 90 days?

Answer No. 5: Please refer to item (2)(b) of this Amendment.

Question No. 6: On p. 17, V.v., the RFP states that “The LE: Technical Support Program shall work for one academic semester at each of the 120 [Improved Infrastructure Program] schools after the renovation work is completed.” P.

14, however, states that “The Contractor shall stay in each targeted school for at least 3 semesters.” Can USAID please clarify how many semesters school interventions should last?

Answer No. 6: The contractor will stay in each targeted school for at least 3 semesters as stated in the RFP. If a school has received infrastructure support, at least one of the three semesters must be post-renovation.

Question No. 7: P. 22 of the RFP lists one of the Key Personnel positions as the Team

Leader of Behavior Change, but p. 59 of the RFP lists that Key Personnel position as Team Leader of School Projects. Please advise which of the two USAID would like to see as a Key Personnel.

Answer No. 7: Please refer to item (3)(c) of this Amendment.

Question No. 8: H.6 Authorized Geographic Code is listed as 000. USAID has recently released a blanket waiver moving all contracts from 000 to 935. Please confirm the geographic source code for this RFP.

Answer No. 8: The Geographic Code remains 000. The blanket waiver applies to local procurement from the cooperating country in an amount of up to $5 million of commodities and services.

Question No. 9: The instructions on page 56, Section L.7 (a) (4) state, “Offerors are

7 | P a g e instructed to submit via email all sections of your technical proposal in MS Word readable format and the budget in MS Excel readable format”. May offerors submit technical proposals and non-budget portions of cost proposals in PDF format in lieu of an MS Word version?

Answer No. 9: No.

Question No. 10: The instructions on page 56, Section L.7 (a) (6) state, “Proposals must be…page numbered”. Should only sections within the 30 page limit of the technical approach narrative be numbered? Should annexes and attachments be numbered as well?

Answer No. 10: Annexes and attachment must be numbered.

Question No. 11: On page 67, the RFP asks that Letters of Commitment include “prior work experience with the prime contractor or subcontractor”. Please confirm that candidates are not required to have prior work experience with the offeror.

Answer No. 11: Please refer to item 8(a)(ii) of this Amendment. Letters of Commitment are not required.

Question No. 12: Section C.1 (page 9) of the RFP indicates that the program “will last five years,” whereas Section F.2 (page 20) indicates four years (August 2011- August 2015) as the period of performance. Please clarify the period of performance for the project.

Answer No. 12: Please refer to Answer No. 1.

Question No. 13: Section C.II.B.1.b. (page 12) states “the Contractor shall select all 320 schools that will be targeted under this program.” Should we consider working with all schools in Jordan including UNRWA schools, or are there particular categories of schools we should work with? Should we count UNRWA schools in this 320?

Answer No. 13: All schools must be Ministry of Education schools. UNRWA schools are not Ministry of Education schools.

Question No. 14: Section C.V. iv. (page 17) of the RFP states that this program’s field activities must be shared and coordinated with the Learning Environment:

Improved Infrastructure Program. Does this mean that both programs will select the same 120 schools (and eventually 300+) with which to work?

Answer No. 14: The Learning Environment: Improved Infrastructure Program shall coordinate to overlap the 120 schools out of the 320 schools targeted by the Learning Environment: Technical Support Program.

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Question No. 15: In Section F.7.a (page 22), the list of key personnel includes a position titled “Team Leader of Behavior Change.” However, in the list of key personnel in section L.8 (pages 59, 60), this position is omitted, and the position “Team Leader of School Projects,” which was not mentioned in F.7, is included. Please clarify the list of key positions.

Answer No. 15: Please refer to Answer No. 7.

Question No. 16: We respectfully request USAID to confirm if 6-day work weeks will be allowable under this RFP.

Answer No. 16: A 5-day workweek is authorized.

Question No. 17: Section L.8.1 (page 58) requests the name of “any proposed major sub-grantees (hereunder referred to as the “subs”).” Was it USAID’s intent to highlight “subcontractors” instead of “sub-grantees?” Accordingly, the term “sub-grant” is used in areas where we typically see “grant” (for example, under Section C.2.b on page 15). Was it USAID’s intent to use the term “grant” instead of “sub-grant?”

Answer No. 17: Please refer to item (2)(c) of this Amendment.

Question No. 18: In Section L.8.4, under Staffing Plan (page 58), b. indicates “resumes, not to exceed 3 pages for each key personnel.” However, M.2.2 (page 67) states “Resumes [for key personnel] may not exceed five (5) pages in length.”

Please clarify length of resumes for key staff.

Answer No. 18: Please refer to Answer No. 3.

Question No. 19: Does USAID have a target start date for the Learning Environment:

Improved Infrastructure Program?

Answer No. 19: Please refer to Section F.2 in the RFP.

Question No. 20: We respectfully request USAID to confirm that the contract will include authorization to award grants under contract.

Answer No. 20: Authorization to award grants under contract will be given after the award of the contract.

Question No. 21: We respectfully request USAID to confirm that we should refer to the standard regulations for grants under contract, and will not be issuing sub-grants.

Answer No. 21: USAID anticipates grants under contracts and the standard regulations would apply. Moreover, if the offeror would like to enter into a

9 | P a g e subgrant or subcontract that will be allowed. Proper prior approvals will be required.

Question No. 22: Section G.4 Technical Directions/Relationship with USAID is missing bullet (4) under (b). On previous RFPs it reads “(4) Issue written interpretations of technical requirements of Government drawings, designs and specifications”. We don’t believe that this kind of program would warrant a written interpretation, but should that clause be added back in?

Answer No. 22: Please refer to item (4) of this Amendment.

Question No. 23: Section H.5 Insurance and Services seems to have a USAID reviewers note as follows “On page 65 under H.12 Reporting and Foreign Taxes, delete interim reports. They are no longer required but the clause has not been updated yet”. Is this section is also missing the “Medical Evaluation Requirement 2006” or has this been waived.

Answer No. 24: Please refer to item (5)(a) and (5)(b) of this Amendment.

Question No. 25: On page 22, the Key Personnel are COP, DCOP, Team Leader of Behavior

Change, Team Leader of Quality Assurance & Accreditation, and Social Marketing Specialist. However, on page 59 the Key Personnel are COP, DCOP, Team Leader of School Projects, Team Leader Quality Assurance and Accreditation and Social Marketing Specialist. Can you please confirm which positions are Key and preferred titles?

Answer No. 25: Please refer to Answer No. 7.

Question No. 26 Page 57, Section L.8 – Should the IMP be in a separate annex or be included in the work plan annex?

Answer No. 26: As indicated on page 60 of the RFP, it is included in the page limit.

Question No. 27: Page 55, Section L.7 (2) – Does USAID intend for organizations to purchase Microsoft Word 2010 for the proposal or can they use Word 2007?

Answer No. 27 USAID is not asking organizations to purchase Microsoft Word 2010.

We are telling you what version the Mission has. If an older version of software is used, it is the offeror’s responsibility to ensure that it will be compatible with Microsoft Word 2010.

Question No. 28: Page 33, Section H.14 (d) – Annual Salary Increases: Was the % intentionally left out?

Answer No. 28: This information is usually left as TBD in the solicitation and is provided in the award.

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Question No. 29: Page 22, Section F6 Level of Effort - Is this a LOE contract? If so is there a pre-determined amount for the total person-hours LOE for this contract?

Answer No. 29: This is not a LOE contract. Please refer to item (3)(b) and (6) of this

Amendment.

Question No. 30: Page 26, Section G5 Paying Office - Is payment via letter of credit?

Answer No. 30: The method of payment is reimbursement not letter of credit. The address listed under G.5 is for the Financial Management Office at USAID/Jordan.

Question No. 31 The RFP mentions work in public schools for children 5-18 years of age.

Our understanding is that Jordan’s primary schooling begins at age 6. Is it intended that the Contractor work also with Kindergartens under this project?

Answer No. 31: Yes, some of the potential target schools will have kindergarten classes.

Question No. 32: Pages 30, Section H5 Insurance – Can USAID provide the most current

USAID DBA insurance carrier information? The information in the RFP is possibly outdated.

Answer No. 32: Please refer to Answer No. 23.

Question No. 33: Page 13, Section C, Description/Specifications/Statement of Work, Component 1, Assessments as a Crosscutting Component, c. School specific Assessments – Would USAID consider rolling assessments, given the advantage of having some early assessment (and implementation of activities) inform later assessments and work?

Answer No. 33: The offeror can determine the best technical approach for delivery of this project.

Question No. 34: Page 15, Section C, Description/Specifications/Statement of Work, Component 2, Promoting School and Community Based Decisions for Positive Behavioral Change, b. School and Community Based Project, sub grants. Since Schools, as Government entities, cannot receive sub grants, and some locations may lack registered PTAs or other appropriate groups--- Must groups who receive sub grants be registered with the Government of Jordan?

Answer No. 34: The offeror will be allowed to issue subgrants to groups both in and outside the schools. It will be the responsibility of the offeror to ensure that the proper legal requirements are met.

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Question No. 35: Page 16, Section C, Description/Specifications/Statement of Work, component 3, Learning Environment Quality Assurance and Accreditation System, b. Assist the MOE in the establishment of a learning environment accreditation system – In order to avoid duplication of effort, since the RHAS already has a “Healthy Schools” learning environment accreditation program that considers physical, health and cognitive aspects outlined in the RFP, Would USAID consider that the LETS accreditation sub component work to strengthen the existing system (already approved by the MoE and MoH) rather than a deliverable that sets up a completely new system?

Answer No. 35: The offeror can determine the best technical approach for delivery of

Question No. 36: Page 17, Section C, Description / Specifications/Statement of Work, V, Coordination, i. Logistics: Offices for both programs shall be physically located in one building – As of submission of these questions, the Infrastructure RFP has not been released. If the Infrastructure RFP is not released or not awarded at the same time as the Technical Support RFP, it will be difficult to either plan or budget for joint office space. Will USAID consider waiving this requirement?

Answer No. 36: This requirement has been waived. Please refer to item (2)(d) of this

Amendment.

Question No. 37: Page 8, Section C, states “The program will last five (5) years with a total estimated value of $20 million.” However, on Page 20, Section F.2, Period of Performance states “, the period of performance for this contract is o/a August 2011 through o/a August 2015”, which is a period of 4 years. Can USAID clarify if the period of performance is 4 years or 5 years?

Answer No. 37: Please refer to Answer No. 1.

Question No. 38: On page 12, item 1.b. school selection, "according to set criteria," does this mean that a set of new criteria for selection of 320 schools will be developed based on the results the general survey assessment and a consultation/discussion with the MoE?

Answer No. 38: Yes, the initial results of the assessment would inform the criteria for the 320 schools.

Question No. 39: On page 13, item 1.c. "The school specific reports shall be submitted to

USAID by the end of month 9 of the Contract." does that mean that there will be 320 separate individually written school reports?

Answer No. 39: Yes.

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Question No. 40: Could USAID specify what if any differences there are in designing technical support activities for 120 schools benefiting from both LETS and the LEII projects and 200 schools only benefiting from LETS only?

Answer No. 40: The offeror can determine the best technical approach for delivery of

Question No. 41: It is expected that the results from assessments will inform school improvement plans. But will LETS be responsible to work with schools to develop school improvement plans, part of the plans about improving learning environment, or not at all part of LETS' scope of work?

Answer No. 41: Please refer to page 12 of the RFP.

Question No. 42: It is expected that assessment results including school specific assessments will inform implementation of the project components and activities. Does that mean that actual school level intervention plans will not be done until the end of the first year and the implementation of school activities will start from the 2nd year of LETS?

Answer No. 42: The offeror is to propose an implementation plan and an associated timeline.

Question No. 43: Is there any recommended definition and/or assessment tool for assessing school Learning Environment that has already been developed by USAID or international development partners in Jordan? If yes, will USAID share it?

Answer No. 43: No, no assessment tool has been developed.

Question No. 44: Should 200 schools excluding 120 LEII schools be randomly selected so that they are the most representative of Jordanian schools?

Answer No. 44: The offeror shall determine the best technical approach for delivery of this project.

Question No. 45: Could USAID elaborate more on differences between school specific assessments (listed in Component 1) and QA and Accreditation required ongoing assessments (listed in Component 3)?

Answer No. 45: Please refer to the component descriptions in Section C of the RFP.

Question No. 46: Does USAID have a sense, or preference, as to the geographic location of the 120 schools identified for physical improvement, and the additional 200 schools to be selected for learning environment technical support?

Answer No. 46: USAID would like to have these schools spread throughout the north, 13 | P a g e middle and south of the country. The offeror will work with the Ministry of Education to decide the split.

Question No. 47: Page 12 of the RFP states that “Prior to implementation of any activity, the

Contractor shall conduct a general survey assessment that evaluates the situation of schools in Jordan, across stages of education and geographical areas, from the infrastructure as well as behavioral perspectives.”

a. Can USAID please elaborate on what information it would like the

General Survey Assessment to capture?

b. Does USAID want the General Survey Assessment to be a field-based

Assessment? If yes, would USAID consider extending the timeline for the survey to be longer than the first 90 days after award?

c. Can USAID explain what is meant by “stages of education”?

Answer No. 47: a. The offeror can determine the best technical approach for delivery of this project.

b. The offeror can determine the best methodology for conducting the

General Survey Assessment. USAID will not consider extending the deadline.

c. USAID means levels of education: elementary, secondary, high school.

Question No. 48: On p. 13 of the RFP, under Section C.2.a.i), USAID has requested the

Contractor “submit a social marketing campaign plan that targets the general issues that were found to be prevalent at the majority of the schools.” Please confirm that the Contractor is only required to develop the plan.

Answer No. 48: The contractor shall implement the proposed approved plan.

Question No. 49: P. 15 of the RFP, second sentence from the top states, “These projects

[school and community-based projects] are to focus on both physical and behavior related issues.” Please confirm that in this context “physical” means infrastructure.

Answer No. 49: Yes.

Question No. 50: Section L.8.4, “Personnel Qualifications”, on page 59 lists a Team Leader of School Projects under the Key Personnel requirements. Section F.7, “Key Personnel”, on page 22 does not include this position, but does include a Team Leader of Behavior Change. In addition, Section L.8.4, “Staffing Plan and Key Personnel Qualifications”, on page 58 states, “The Offeror has the option of recommending a different configuration of expatriate and local long-term key personnel…,” but Section F.7, “Key Personnel”, on page 22 indicates that the key personnel listed are required under the contract.

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Please confirm that Offerors have the option of recommending configurations of staff other than those listed in Section F and Section L. If Offerors must stick to those proposed, please confirm which of the position titles (Team Leader School Projects or Team Leader Behavior Change) is correct.

Answer No. 50: Please refer to Answer No. 7. Offerors must propose all key personnel as listed in Sections F and L. However, offerors have the discretion to propose additional staff.

Question No. 51: The personnel qualifications listed on Section L.8.4.b require a master’s degree for the Deputy Chief of Party. Would USAID consider allowing five additional years of relevant work experience (total of 15) to replace the master’s degree requirement?

Answer No. 51: No.

Question No. 52: Section C.I, “Purpose”, on page 9 states, “The program will last five years with a total estimated value of $20 million.” Section L.9.b, “Proposed Costs/Prices”, on page 62 provides a cost matrix for four years. Section F.3, “Period of Performance”, on page 20 states, “The period of performance for this contract is o/a August 2011 through o/a August 2015.” This is a four-year period. Please confirm that the period of performance for this contract is five years, starting o/a August, 2011 and ending o/a August, 2016.

Answer No. 52: Please refer to Answer No. 1.

Question No. 53: Page 59 states resumes should be no more than three pages in length, where page 67 states five pages as the limit. Please confirm the limit for personnel resumes.

Answer No. 53 Please refer to Answer No. 3.

Question No. 54: Page 15, Section C.3 “Learning Environment Quality Assurance and

Accreditation System” requires “operational plans at the Education Directorate and school levels that cover all important activities and are not limited to project interventions. The submitted plan should clearly demonstrate how capacity will be built at the MOE and how the Ministry will be able to institutionalize the QA system….” Please clarify whether Contractors will be responsible for the implementation of the operational plans developed with the schools, or simply the development/refinement of the plans, and provision of support to the MOE in overseeing QA and accreditation/incentive programs that promote more effective management of these plans to ensure results at the school level.

Answer No. 54: The contractor is expected to be directly involved in the

15 | P a g e implementation with the Ministry of Education, but have a clear plan on how the capacity building activities will have a sustainable impact for the activities to continue beyond the life of the project.

Question No. 55: Section L.7.(a).(4) and L.7.(a).(5), on page 56, require electronic copies of proposals in MS Word 2010 and Excel. Many required support documents require PDF formats, such as letters of commitment from partners and staff, Representations and Certifications from Prime Contractors and Subcontractors, among several other documents. Inserting these documents into Word will often require converting PDF documents into pictures, which will result in enormous file sizes. Please confirm that for both the CD ROM and the email submission, USAID will accept the technical and budget narrative in separate Word files, in addition to one compiled PDF document for the Technical, including the technical narrative in the package to enable printing of on consolidated document, and one compiled PDF document for the cost, including the budget, cost narrative, and all support documents to enable printing of one consolidated document.

Answer No. 55: USAID will accept technical and budget narrative in separate Word files. Resumes, Representations and Certifications can be submitted in PDF. You can compile all technical proposal information in one PDF document. You can also compile all cost proposal information in one PDF document provided you also submit the budget in Excel format as required in the RFP.

Question No. 56: Section L.7.(a).(4) and L.7.(a).(5), on page 56, requires an email submission by the due date, in addition to hard copies. Please confirm that email submissions will meet the due date requirement, with hardcopies to follow.

Answer No. 56: Both the email submission and the hard copies must be received prior to the stated deadline.

Question No. 57: Section L.7.(d), “Number of Copies”, on page 56, states, “Also, offerors must provide one (1) copy of their technical proposal and (1) copy of their cost proposal each on a CD-ROM. Please confirm that two CD-ROMs are required: one for the technical submission and one for the cost submission, and that these should be inserted into the front of the copies marked “original” for each (technical and cost) proposal.

Answer No. 58 Two CD-ROMs are required; one for technical and one for cost. These must be inserted with the copies marked “original” for each (technical and cost” proposal.

Question No. 59: Section L.8.7, “Past Performance”, on page 61 provides details regarding past performance requirements. This section states that this section is not included in the page limit. Section M.2.5, “Past Performance”, on page 68, 16 | P a g e also provides past performance requirements.

a. Please confirm that completion of the Contractor Performance Report (CPR) form provided in Attachment 4, page 78 of the RFP, will fulfill this requirement.

b. Please confirm whether Contractors should include a description of activities for each CPR project. If so, please indicate in which block number we should include this information.

c. Please indicate the number of performance reports USAID requires from the Prime Contractor, and the number required for each major Subcontractor.

d. Please confirm that Contractors are to complete Part I (blocks 1-9), and USAID/Jordan will use the forms to check references against Part II.

Answer No. 59: a. In addition to the CPRs, offerors are required to submit a narrative on their past performance that responds to past performance information requested in Section L which will be evaluated per Section M.

b. This information is not to be included in the CPR form. The offeror is free to submit it any way they want.

c. Please submit up to 3 reports for the prime, if available, and up to 2 reports for each major sub, if available.

d. This is correct.

Question No. 60: Section L.8.4.a, "Staffing Plan and Key Personnel”, requires a complete staffing plan, but no mention of a staffing plan is listed under section M.2.2, "Staffing and Key Personnel", on page 67. Please clarify whether USAID will evaluate the full staffing plan under "Staffing and Key Personnel", or under "Management".

Answer No. 60: The staffing plan will be evaluated under “Management”.

Question No. 61: Section M.2.2, “Staffing and Key Personnel”, on page 67, requires letters of commitment for each candidate. Please confirm that the LOCs are not included in the CV page limit.

Answer No. 61: Letters of commitment are not required. Please refer to item (8)(a)(ii) of this Amendment.

Question No. 62 Please confirm the information under Section H, Paragraph H.5, Insurance and Services; it is our understanding that this information has recently changed.

Answer No. 62: Please refer to Answer No. 23.