SES_II_Amendment_No._2.doc

December 7, 2015 Subject:

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-278-16-000001

Syria Essential Services II (SES II)

Amendment #2 The purpose of this Amendment is to amend language in Sections C, F, L and M as follows:

1. Section C, Page 11, Background statement paragraph 2: Operating Environment, insert the following at the end of the first paragraph:

“The myriad of challenges has affected households, specifically women and children, who don’t have adequate representation to ensure their needs and voices are heard. However, the current SES contract has demonstrated it is possible to engage women as part of the community-driven process of prioritizing essential service needs and it is our expectation that SES II will continue to build on this progress and will make a concerted effort to encourage the participation of women in town hall meetings and in the implementation of SES II interventions.”

2. Section C, Page 14, Research and Analysis, delete “Conduct community assessments, consultation, and engagement to prioritize community needs and undertake research, analysis, and mapping to inform the design and delivery of essential service solutions.” and replace with “Conduct community assessments, consultation, and engagement to prioritize community needs and undertake research, analysis, and mapping to inform the design and delivery of essential services solutions. To the extent possible, employ an approach that can disaggregate data by gender to ensure a more inclusive and broader cross-section of Syrian voices.”

3. Section C, Page 17, Essential Services, delete “Increase the ability of Syrian partners to deliver, administer, and manage community resources” and replace with “Increase the ability of Syrian partners to deliver, administer, and manage community resources in an equitable manner across demographics (i.e. gender, ethnicity, religion, etc.).

4. Section C, Page 23, Deliverable 4.4, delete “Additionally, the contractor must undertake an annual assessment internally, or engage an independent organization to undertake the assessment as a sub-contract or grant-under-contract, to assess the impact of SES II interventions local governance structures and their ability to administer, maintain, and expand essential services. This must further include the outcomes and impacts of activities on the level of stability in southern Syria or other geographic areas reached under the contract. This includes tracking the services restored or rehabilitated and the economic impacts of livelihood activities. The design and implementation of the final assessment is subject to the approval of the COR and must be completed at least 30 days prior to the end of the yearly anniversary of the contract’s award.” and replace with “Additionally, the contractor must undertake an annual assessment internally, or engage an independent organization to undertake the assessment as a sub-contract or grant-under-contract, to assess the impact of SES II interventions on local governance structures and their ability to administer, maintain, and expand essential services. This must further include the following:

· Outcomes and impacts of activities on the level of stability in southern Syria or other geographic areas reached under the contract;

· Evidence and/or linkages between services restored or rehabilitated and the economic impact of livelihood activities;

· The extent to which SES II support is ensuring gender inequality is appropriately addressed in the design and delivery of assistance.

The design and implementation of the annual assessment is subject to the approval of the COR and must be completed at least 30 days prior to the end of the yearly anniversary of the contract’s award.”

5. Section F, F. 7 Reports and Deliverables or Outputs, a. Start-up Report, Page 30, delete “i. Start-Up Plan: how the contractor intends to immediately deploy staff, long-term staffing recruitment plan, and identification of office space;” and replace with “i. Start-Up Plan: how the contractor intends to immediately deploy staff, long-term staffing recruitment plan that must include a discussion about steps taken to identify and hire Syrian women to ensure the participation of women in the planning and design of SES II interventions, and identification of office space;”

6. Section F, F.7 Reports and Deliverables or Outputs, d. Quarterly Workplans, delete “Each workplan must contain a concise description of the following: (a) Country context; (b) the performance objectives or benchmarks for the period in each task area; (c) update on active GUCs; (d) the expected activities to be undertaken in each task area; (e) expected commencement and completion dates of the activities; (f) critical assumptions or support needed from USAID and other activity partners to accomplish the work; (g) dates on which proposed projects (if applicable) must be submitted for USAID approval; (h) dates on which reports are to be submitted; and (i) financial and procurement plans. Work Plans will further include a summary of the Contractor’s operational and administrative requirements and plans. The content of the workplan may change pending discussions with USAID and the contractor.” and replace with “Each workplan must contain a concise description of the following: (a) Country context; (b) the performance objectives or benchmarks for the period in each of the four task areas; (c) an update on how the contractor is ensuring the inclusion of women in each of the four task areas; (d) an update on active GUCs; (e) the expected activities to be undertaken in each task areas; (f) expected commencement and completion dates of the activities; (g) critical assumptions or support needed from USAID and other activity partners to accomplish the work; (h) dates on which proposed projects (if applicable) must be submitted for USAID approval; (i) dates on which reports are to be submitted; and (j) financial and procurement plans. Work plans will further include a summary of the Contractor’s operational and administrative requirements and plans. The content of the workplan may change pending discussion with USAID and the contractor.”

7. Section L, L.9 Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal, 3. Technical Approach, add the following: “d. The technical approach must demonstrate a clear plan for including women into the process of prioritizing essential services.”

8. Section M, M.4 Technical Proposal Evaluation Criteria, 1. Technical Approach, add the following: “1.4 The extent to which the proposed approach incorporates Gender representation to prioritize essential services.”

All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.