USAID_Cambodia_-_SOL-442-17-000001_-_Greening_Prey_Lang.pdf

U.S. Agency for International Development US Embassy Tel: (855) 23-728-300 #1 St. 96 Fax: (855) 23-430-263 Phnom Penh, Cambodia

July 5, 2017

SUBJECT: Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-442-17-000001 USAID Greening Prey Lang

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development in Cambodia (USAID/Cambodia), contemplates award of a three year (base period plus option years) cost-plus-fixed fee completion form contract to perform the services described in the attached solicitation. The anticipated award date is o/a January/February 2018, 2017. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services).

This procurement will be conducted under full and open competition procedures, pursuant to Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (48 CFR Chapter 1). Offerors will submit a proposal in accordance with the instructions in Section L of the RFP in response to the program objectives stated in Section C and other RFP requirements, and propose targets to be achieved. Cost proposals will be evaluated for cost reasonableness and cost realism as part of a best-value determination for contract award; therefore, offerors should propose cost effective approaches.

Interested parties are encouraged to register and use the Interested Vendor List (IVL) on the Federal Business Opportunities page, so that firms can contact one another for consideration of teaming arrangements and/or small business subcontracting opportunities in response to this solicitation. However, exclusive teaming arrangements with local Cambodian organizations are discouraged.

Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing to phnompenhoaa@usaid.gov by July 19, 2017, 0900 (9:00 AM) Cambodia Time. All proposals in response to this solicitation must be submitted electronically to phnompenhoaa@usaid.gov no later than August 17, 2017, 0900 (9:00 AM) Cambodia Time. Late proposals will be handled in accordance with the provision at FAR 52.215-1.

Any amendments to this solicitation will be issued and posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website (https://www.fbo.gov/) along with the RFP. Offerors are encouraged to check the above website periodically.

Issuance of this solicitation does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of a proposal. Furthermore, the Government reserves the right to reject any and all offers if such action is considered to be in the best interest of the Government.

Sincerely, Javier O. Castano Contracting Officer USAID/Cambodia mailto:phnompenhoaa@usaid.gov mailto:phnompenhoaa@usaid.gov

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD 1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED ORDER

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

RATING PAGE OF PAGES

2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER 4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION 5. DATE ISSUED 6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NUMBER

CODE7. ISSUED BY 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than item 7)

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

SOLICITATION

9. Sealed offers in original and copies for furnishings the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in item 8, or if hand carried, in the depository located in until local time

CAUTION - LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: See Section L, Provision No. 52.214-7 or 52.215-1. All offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

10. FOR

INFORMATION

CALL:

A. NAME B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS)

AREA CODE NUMBER EXTENSION

C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

(X) SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) (X) SEC. PAGE(S)DESCRIPTION

A B C D E F G H

I

J

K

L

M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

CONTRACT CLAUSESSOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT

PACKAGING AND MARKING

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted by the offeror) from the date for receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the set opposite each item, delivered at the designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See Section I, Clause No. 52.232-8)

14. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the SOLICITATION for offerors and related documents numbered and dated):

10 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 20 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 30 CALENDAR DAYS (%) CALENDAR DAYS(%)

DATEAMENDMENT NO.AMENDMENT NO. DATE

15A. NAME AND

ADDRESS

OF OFFER-

OR

CODE FACILITY 16. NAME AND THE TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER

(Type or print)

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER

AREA CODE NUMBER EXTENSION

15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS IS

DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE - ENTER SUCH

ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE.

17. SIGNATURE 18. OFFER DATE

AWARD (To be completed by Government)

19. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED 20. AMOUNT 21. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL OPEN COMPETITION:

10 U.S.C. 2304 (c) ( )41 U.S.C. 3304(a)

24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7)

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

IMPORTANT - Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

Previous edition is unusable

23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN

(4 copies unless otherwise specified)

25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

28. AWARD DATE

CODE

ITEM

STANDARD FORM 33 (REV. 6/2014)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.214 (c)

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

(Hour) (Date)

PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

N/A 1 113

Cambodia

USAID/Cambodia - Office of Acquisition and Assistance #1 Street 96 Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

SOL-442-17-000001

See Section L.7 and Cover Sheet 09:00AM

Oleg Polozov OPolozov@usaid.gov

2-4 5-20 21-22 24-39 40-43 44-58 109-13

89-108

74-77

59-73

Cambodia

855 2372800

07/05/2017

Javier O. Castano

78-88

RFP No.: SOL-442-17-000001 USAID Greening Prey Lang

PART I—THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B—SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of the “USAID Greening Prey Lang” activity is to promote resilient, low-emission development and inclusive, sustainable management of the Prey Lang extended landscape.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE

This is a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) completion contract. For the consideration set forth in the contract, the Contractor will provide the deliverables or outputs described in Section C, Section F, and comply with all contract requirements.

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, CEILING PRICE, FIXED FEE, AND OBLIGATED AMOUNT

(a) The estimated cost for the performance of the work required hereunder, exclusive of fixed fee, if any, is TBD. The fixed fee, if any, is TBD. The estimated cost plus fixed fee, if any, is

TBD.

(b) Within the estimated cost plus fixed fee, if any, specified in paragraph (a) above, the amount currently obligated and available for reimbursement of allowable costs incurred by the Contractor (and payment of fee, if any) for performance hereunder is TBD. The Contractor must not exceed the aforesaid obligated amount.

(c) Funds obligated hereunder are anticipated to be sufficient through TBD.

B.4 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

(a)

(b) The inclusion of any costs in the above cost categories does not eliminate the requirement for prior approval by the Contracting Officer of cost items designated as requiring prior approval by any of the terms and conditions of this contract, including the applicable cost principles (see FAR 52.216-07, “Allowable Cost and Payment”); nor does it constitute a determination of allowability by the Contracting Officer of any item of cost, unless specifically stated elsewhere in this contract. Also, these amounts may not be adjusted without a written modification signed by the Contracting Officer. The Contractor will not bill any amounts

Cost Category

Base Option Year 1 Option Year 2 Total

Direct Costs TBD TBD TBD TBD Grants under Contract TBD TBD TBD $1,300,000.00 Indirect Costs TBD TBD TBD TBD Fixed Fee TBD TBD TBD TBD

Total Estimated Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF)

TBD

against this contract in excess of the amounts specified for each line item without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS

(a) Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, USAID will reimburse allowable indirect costs on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases pursuant to the Contractor’s current executed Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA):

[to be inserted at award]

(b) The Contractor will make no change in its established method of classifying or allocating indirect costs without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

B.6 CEILING ON INDIRECT COST RATES (IF APPLICABLE)

(a) Reimbursement for indirect costs will be at the lower of the negotiated final (or predetermined) rates or the following ceiling rates:

[to be inserted at award]

(b) The Government will not be obligated to pay any additional amount should the final indirect cost rates exceed the negotiated ceiling rates. If the final indirect cost rates are less than the negotiated ceiling rates, the negotiated rates will be reduced to conform to the lower rates.

(c) This understanding will not change any monetary ceiling, obligation, or specific cost allowance or disallowance. Any changes in classifying or allocating indirect costs require the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

B.7 COST REIMBURSABLE

(a) The U.S. dollar costs allowable will be limited to reasonable, allocable, and necessary costs determined in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, “Allowable Cost and Payment,” FAR 52.216-8, “Fixed Fee,” FAR 52.232-20, “Limitation of Cost,” and FAR 52-232-22, “Limitation of Funds,” if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003, “Documentation for Payment.”

(b) FAR 52.232-20, “Limitation of Cost” applies if the contract is fully funded. FAR 52.232-22, “Limitation of Funds” applies while the contract is funded in an amount less than the total estimated cost.

B.8 FEE PAYMENT

(a) Payment of the fixed fee will be made in accordance with the fee schedule set forth in Section F.5.

(b) In the event of discontinuance of the work in accordance with the clause of the contract entitled “Termination (Cost Reimbursement)” (FAR 52.249-6), the fee must be re-determined by mutual agreement equitably to reflect the reduction in the work actually performed. The amount by which such fee is less than, or exceeds, payments previously made on account of the fee must be paid to, or repaid by the Contractor, as applicable.

B.9 MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT AND CANCELLATION CEILING

(a) This contract is considered non-severable, and is therefore a multi-year contract as defined in FAR 17.103. Consequently, this contract is subject to the requirements of FAR 17.106.

(b) This is a CPFF completion type contract where the Contractor is authorized to be reimbursed for all costs which are allowable in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, “Allowable Costs and Payment.” The Contractor must not incur any costs which would have been amortized over the life of the contract should the contract be cancelled in accordance with FAR 52.217-2. Therefore, the cancellation ceiling established pursuant to FAR 17.106- 1(c)(1) for each program year is $0.00.

END OF SECTION B

SECTION C— DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 Activity Goal

The goal of this activity is to promote resilient, low-emission development and inclusive, sustainable management of the Prey Lang extended landscape.

This integrated Activity will align with the goals of USAID’s Biodiversity Policy and the USAID strategy and policies for Global Climate Change (GCC). This Activity will strengthen and support implementation and enforcement of formal processes for sustainable landscape management and biodiversity conservation established by the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), and support Cambodia’s goals and international commitments for mitigating the effects of a changing climate and conserving biodiversity in the Prey Lang extended landscape.

C.2 Development Context

Cambodia has rich natural assets that are unique to Southeast Asia and are globally significant, including the third-largest rainforest in Southeast Asia, about 2,300 plant species, more than 500 species of birds, 14 endangered animals and one of only seven remaining elephant corridors in the world. Freshwater fish assemblages in the Mekong and Tonlé Sap systems are ecologically significant and critical for the food security and livelihoods of millions of people. These ecosystems create enormous value for human wellbeing by supporting national development priorities such as agricultural production, providing the dominant source of the country’s protein (fish), and serving as a direct source of livelihoods for many of the country’s poorest inhabitants.

Yet these unique assets and the rural livelihoods that they support are under threat and vulnerable to climate change impacts. Rapid, unsustainable degradation of these ecosystems is undermining the political stability, long term economic health, and climate resilience of Cambodia. Economic and demographic pressures strain natural resources, resulting in high rates of deforestation, biodiversity loss, soil nutrient loss, wildlife trafficking, land degradation, and scarcity of arable land and water in some areas. Increases in agricultural production have largely been made possible by the expansion of the cultivated area, rather than sustainable, productivity-enhancing practices on existing agricultural land. In 2006, Cambodia’s forest cover was approximately 59 percent of total land area, equivalent to 10.7 million hectares. Data from the Forestry Administration (FA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) shows the 2014 forest cover at 49.48 percent.

However, data from satellite imagery from 2013 indicates that forest cover was closer to 46 percent, inclusive of tree plantations. Conflicts over the accuracy of this data as well as land and resources remain polarizing issues.

Key services provided by forested watersheds, such as water provision, weather and climate regulation and carbon sequestration, are generally not well understood and are undervalued. So, too, is the contribution of ecosystem goods and services to reducing the vulnerability of Cambodia’s people to climate change. In particular, more erratic precipitation, and increased intensity and frequency of both floods and droughts, are highlighted in climate change projections. Water availability during the dry season is an increasingly urgent issue, and water insecurity may lead to increased competition over water resources for agriculture and industry, food insecurity, and negative impacts on development goals.

Cambodia has been identified as highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change in regional and global indexes. According to the World Risk Report 2016, Cambodia ranks nine (9) for most at risk, and 15 for most exposed country worldwide. The Global Climate Risk Index 2016 by Germanwatch ranked Cambodia number 13 for long-term climate risk, while its neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam were in the top 10 for lowest risk worldwide. In the 2009 study entitled Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping for Southeast Asia, and conducted by Yusuf and Francisco, Cambodia was also ranked as highly vulnerable largely due to its low adaptive capacity. Climate change and risk of natural disasters, such as devastating floods in 2011 and 2013, and prolonged drought in 2016 create ongoing concerns in terms of the negative impact on food security and livelihoods.

It is also important to note the differential aspects of vulnerability to climate change, which is often higher in Cambodia (as elsewhere) among women, youth, disabled people, the elderly, and ethnic minorities. For instance, women in rural areas are especially dependent on agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods, including their domestic responsibilities to secure water, food and energy for the household. The effects of climate change, such as the variability of precipitation, complicate these activities. According to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs Policy Brief 10: Gender and Climate Change, Green Growth and Disaster Management, women in rural areas are often more vulnerable to climatic events such as floods, droughts, and heat waves due to their dependence on natural resources, as well as climate-related shifts in infectious diseases and water-borne illnesses.

Also, compared with men, women often have limited access to decision-making and economic assets which can compound the challenges of climate change. Many Cambodian women lack access to land, financial resources, and development services such as education and health that are important for adaptation. For many women working in the informal sector or small enterprises who lack capital and access to credit, information or knowledge, recovering from the effects of climate-related disasters is extremely difficult. The RGC has prioritized mainstreaming of gender into climate change responses in the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2014-2018, and Cambodia Climate Change Strategic Plan (CCCSP), as well as the sector plans for each line ministry. Despite gender sensitive policies adopted by the RGC, women own less land in their own name than men and are disadvantaged through inheritance laws, land titling systems, and in their ability to purchase land, especially in rural areas. The Gender and REDD+: An Assessment in the Oddar Meanchey Community Forestry REDD+ Site, Cambodia published in 2013 by Bradley, et.

al. states that Cambodian women’s unique constraints include “lower membership on elected committees, lack of confidence in speaking, lower literacy levels, childcare and household duties, security issues and a perceived lower level of knowledge.” Although women possess a high degree of decision-making authority and consensus decision making in the household, at the community level few women are the decision makers, “even though women take care of bookkeeping.”

Especially for poor households, cultural barriers and perceptions mean that men are still regarded as the ones who should play the important roles in public activities or large household decisions, although this norm is changing. The effect of this perception varies from one community to another, but hinders many women and girls from participating in public work and decision-making forums. In many cases, even though more women than before participate in public meetings, trainings, or hold family or community funds, final decisions are often made by men.

Based on the Population Census of 2013, Cambodia has one of the most youthful populations in Southeast Asia, with 59 percent to 65 percent of its population below 30 years of age, and this number is expected to increase to 40 percent in 2020. Although more recent, conservative estimates of the youth population indicate that the size of the youth population crested at the end of the last decade, Cambodia will continue to have a very youthful population for years to come. Not surprisingly, large majorities of Cambodian youth appear to think that environmental problems are very serious for Cambodian society. While many institutional actors such as civil society, government, political parties, and community groups have sought to engage youth in efforts to preserve the environment, these were frequently found to be patchy and fragmented.

Another factor affecting the conservation of Cambodia’s natural resources is illiteracy especially as it tends to be concentrated in Cambodia’s most rural areas, which includes its forests. In Cambodia, the 2008 National Population Census put the adult literacy rate for 15 year olds and over at 77.6 percent (85.1 percent among males to 70.9 percent among females). Statistics from 2015 reveal a slight drop to 77.2 percent (85.5 percent among males to 70.5 percent among females). Cambodia’s literacy challenge lies in reducing disparities in literacy rates by gender and age group, between urban and rural populations, among ethnic minorities, and those who are most marginalized.

More concerning is that improvements in literacy rates in Cambodia have been slowing down. Part of the reason lies in the fact that most illiterate people and/or those who are functionally illiterate are hard to reach groups such as those who live in remote areas especially in and around the forested areas, ethnic minorities, migrants, or people with disabilities. Additionally, people who are functionally illiterate or illiterate tend to live at or below the poverty line. There is a strong commitment, however, from the RGC to improve the literacy rates in the country as this is seen as an important factor in maintaining Cambodia’s economic growth trajectory.

This Activity will work in some of Cambodia’s most rural areas and with its most marginalized populations; therefore, the Activity must utilize the most effective, state-of-the-art communication, outreach, education, and community participation techniques that ensure effective inclusion of marginalized populations such as the poor, the young, women, indigenous populations, and those who are functionally illiterate and vulnerable.

Sustainable and Resilient Development in Cambodia

In the context of sustainable and resilient pathways out of poverty, the environmental, economic, and social aspects of Cambodians’ lives must improve concurrently. Economic progress cannot come at a cost to the long-term health of ecosystems and their provision of goods and services, nor can it be concentrated in so few households that social stability and cohesion are undermined.

Likewise, efforts to conserve the natural capital assets of the country (forests, waters, soils, flora, and fauna) must embrace the reality that Cambodia needs to have a growing economy that can provide meaningful employment and income opportunities benefiting all segments of society toward sustainable and low emission development.

While there is a need for targeted technical support for natural resource management, a purely technical approach for biodiversity conservation will not address the underlying political and economic drivers of forest and biodiversity degradation to achieve the broader goal of sustained, improved natural resource management in Cambodia. Likewise, an approach that focuses primarily on smaller-scale approaches such as land titling will be insufficient, because it does not address larger-scale, interlinked socio-economic challenges, nor promote integrated approaches to landscape management. Integrated approaches are needed to achieve genuine results across a complex and fragmented landscape, and stand as a model for institutionalizing systemic change.

Cambodia sits at an environmental crossroads, where decisions made over the next few years will affect natural capital management for years to come. Decisions are now being made at the most senior levels of the RGC, as well as by forest community members in the most remote villages that will affect the health of Cambodia’s unique and rich biodiversity, its forests, water resources, and soil. These natural resource management decisions are, in part, based on the value that Cambodians place on their natural resource base, and the degree to which they are willing to invest in sustainable, climate-resilient, low emission development for immediate needs as well as long-term economic and social vitality.

C.3 Development Hypothesis

If natural resource governance improves in extended landscapes, including broader participation by stakeholders in evidence-based decision-making, and opportunities are increased for both men and women in these landscapes to benefit economically from the sustainable use of, and reinvestment in, natural resources and ecosystem services, and these landscapes are managed more effectively to protect those services (including biodiversity, climate and water regulation, soil stabilization and productivity);

Then these key ecosystems will be more resilient, better protected and managed so that they sustainably benefit the people of Cambodia, and provide a model for broader, systemic change in how ecosystems are valued and managed across Cambodia.

C.4 Geographic Scope

The geographic scope for the Activity is the Prey Lang extended landscape which includes Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom, Stung Treng, and Kratie provinces in north-central Cambodia. For the purposes of this Activity, the extended landscape consists of the newly-declared Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, several nearby protected areas that make up the newly delegated “Biodiversity Conservation Corridor”, and the three catchment basins hydrologically connecting these areas to the Tonlé Sap ecosystem. The protected areas are the Preah Vihear Protected Landscape, Chheb Wildlife Sanctuary, Preah Rokar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Boeung Per Wildlife Sanctuary. The three catchments are the Stung Chinit, Stung Sen, and Stung Steung that flow from these protected areas into the Tonlé Sap, as well as into portions of the Prey Lang and Preah Vihear forests draining into the Mekong River.

This extended landscape includes a mosaic of land cover and land use types, including Economic Land Concessions (ELC), numerous community forests (CF), community fisheries (CFiA), and community protected areas (CPA), municipalities, and agricultural lands under different tenurial arrangements and crop or livestock production. The total geographic area of the extended landscape is approximately two million hectares.

C.5 Extended Landscape Approach

This Activity will focus on “extended landscapes” that are both geographic units as described above as well as the influences acting upon those units. An extended landscape is a clearly bounded physical geography or ecosystem, including catchment areas, degraded land, the people and institutions located in that area, plus the economic and political drivers of change or stability that affect that area but may not be physically located in that area. Those drivers of change or stability can include, for example, pressure points along roads, settlements and market centers within a value chain, or policies or laws implemented at a national or international level. The World Agroforestry Center recently concluded that addressing the interlinked issues in land management for agriculture, forestry, water, and other uses “identifies opportunities to create sustainable landscape pathways by capitalizing on synergies” that help to achieve consensus and balance among stakeholders.

The extended landscape approach also aims to address direct and indirect links between connected ecosystem health, economic opportunity, and inclusive access to opportunities and decision-making are necessary conditions for sustainable development. Cambodia’s diverse upland and lowland ecosystems are connected with the hydrology of the largest inland water ecosystem, the Tonlé Sap.

Moreover, the approach can provide the flexibility needed to achieve valuable impacts in core geographically-diverse ecosystems while addressing political, social, economic, and ecosystem dependencies and drivers of change outside of the core.

C.6 Outcomes

This Activity will contribute to the Goal of USAID Cambodia’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS): Cambodia’s transformation to a democratic and prosperous country accelerated.

This Activity will also directly contribute to the Project Purpose stated in the USAID Cambodia’s Food Security and Environment Project Appraisal Document approved in January 2016; namely, ”Sustainable and Resilient Pathways out of Poverty Strengthened.”

Activity-Level Outcomes

The three Activity Level Outcomes are:

1: Improved biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health in Prey Lang extended landscape;

2: Increased sustainable and equitable economic opportunities, community livelihoods, and natural capital reinvestment; and, 3: Strengthened inclusive and effective landscape governance.

The anticipated overall impact of this Activity is that the Prey Lang extended landscape will be under better and more inclusive management of natural resources to conserve biodiversity, decrease deforestation rates, and promote sustainable economic growth. To that end, management and governance systems will be strengthened through increased stakeholder engagement, including government, communities, citizens, civil society, and the private sector. Additionally, these stakeholders will use evidence-based strategies, policies and regulations for management of natural resources and, thereby, conserve Cambodia’s substantial biodiversity and contribute to a decrease in its deforestation rates. Interventions will be closely interlinked to improve biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health, facilitate reinvestment in natural capital, and increase economic and social co-benefits from conservation and natural resource management, especially among marginalized populations.

C.7 Statement of Objectives / Performance Work Statement

1. IMPROVED BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH IN

PREY LANG EXTENDED LANDSCAPE

a. Current Status

The Prey Lang extended landscape, which includes the newly designated Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, continues to be the subject of deforestation and economic activity on multiple sides. Substantial deforestation can be seen inside and along the perimeter of the Sanctuary especially where ELCs are located. Management capacity of protected areas is currently very low, and is an on-going threat to biodiversity. Deforestation and land conversion are key threats that have an immediate critical impact of ecosystem services.

Good conservation practice now requires consideration of how protected areas and natural ecosystems are affected by the impacts of climate change and other shocks or stress.

Currently, relatively little is known about the specific vulnerability and resilience of individual, community and systems (including ecosystems) in Cambodia to climate change and other shocks and stressors.

The headwaters of the Stung Chinit, Stung Sen, and Stung Steung catchments - located within the protected areas - regulate water and sediment flows on which at least 700,000 Cambodian farmers depend; approximately 50 percent of these are female. Another 250,000 people (also approximately 50 percent female) living in and around the forests are heavily dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods. Within the forest itself, local populations depend on a variety of forest products, harvesting resin, medicinal plants, bush meat, fish, and wood products. These forests also play important roles in carbon sequestration, energy production, provision of forest products and non-timber forest products, biodiversity conservation, and eco-tourism.

The understanding of valuable biodiversity assets in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary and other protected areas in the extended landscape has been weak as evidenced by Cambodia’s deforestation rate and the backlog of Community Forest Management Plans submitted to the RGC for approval, among many other factors. However, the RGC has begun a process to significantly change the legal, political, and socio-economic frameworks affecting the protection of Cambodia’s natural resources. The anticipated enactment of the Environment Code, the new Co-Management of Natural Resource sub-decree, the Biodiversity Corridor Protection sub-decree, and implementation of Circular Five which complements the Deconcentration and Decentralization law also have the potential to dramatically increase the authority of sub-national government entities and forest communities to protect and manage forests, and improve biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health.

b. Outcome

The expected outcome for this Activity is improved resilience, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem health within the Prey Lang extended landscape. By the end of the Activity period, natural capital assets in the Prey Lang extended landscape will be under management systems that are sufficiently improved so as to value and encourage reinvestment in the long-term sustainability of ecosystem services (including climate regulation and carbon storage), thereby addressing drivers of deforestation and threats to biodiversity. By the end of the Activity period, RGC authorities especially at the sub-national level, communities, the private sector, and other key stakeholders will be equipped with the materials and knowledge to develop, administer, implement, monitor, and enforce sustainable management plans. These plans will be for Protected Areas, Community Protected Areas, Community Forests, and communities that have previously submitted applications for Community Forest Status that have documented intent to apply for Community Forest Status or any other kind of community-led protection intervention as declared by the RGC.

The Contractor must achieve the established targets (see section F.5) for the following indicators:

● EG.10.2-1 Number of hectares of biologically significant areas showing improved biophysical conditions as a result of USG assistance. Biologically significant areas are areas that (a) have been identified as important for biodiversity through national, regional, or global priority-setting processes, or (b) areas where sustainable natural resource management interventions have the intent to positively impact biodiversity in areas described in “(a)”. Improved biophysical conditions are demonstrated where there is biophysical monitoring data showing improvement, stability if previously declining, measurable degradation avoided, or a slower rate of decline in one or more natural resources over time.

● EG.13-6 Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, estimated in metric tons of CO2 equivalent, reduced, sequestered, or avoided through sustainable landscapes activities supported by USG assistance. This indicator reports the estimated quantity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in metric tons of CO2-equivalent, reduced, sequestered, or avoided supported in full or in part by USG assistance, as compared to a baseline level of GHG emissions. The baseline is the “business-as-usual” reference for GHG emissions that would have occurred during the reporting period if there had been no USG intervention. This indicator is a calculated estimate, and often not the result of direct emissions measurements. This indicator applies to estimated GHG emissions reductions from carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and other global warming pollutants.

This Activity will also contribute to relevant Sustainable Development Goals and their associated Joint Monitoring Indicators (JMI). To achieve this activity-level outcome, the expected interventions will be interlinked with the other two activity-level outcomes.

c. Interventions

[This section will be replaced by the portion of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) addressing this Objective from the winning proposal. The PWS will explain how the outcome above (section b) will be achieved and will include, but not be limited to, the following minimum required interventions:

Interventions to achieve this outcome are expected to address the drivers of deforestation and landscape degradation, as well as the direct threats to biodiversity and ecosystem preservation in the Prey Lang extended landscape. Progress will be measured by positive change in biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem health of the Prey Lang extended landscape compared to baseline status.

The Contractor will establish the baseline for each intervention, including but not limited to biodiversity indicators, deforestation rate in the target area, and custom indicators to measure ecosystem health.

In the extended landscape, the Contractor will leverage opportunities to expand the use of more innovative and advanced management methods, such as geospatial information systems for geospatial data analysis, with the Ministry of Environment (MOE), MAFF Forestry Administration and other relevant RGC entities, as well as private sector and/or civil society entities, as appropriate. The Contractor will facilitate medium and long-term sustainable management of extended landscapes, such as watershed management planning, forest restoration and improve ecosystem management at appropriate scales, and invest in the technical knowledge of conservation professionals of relevant stakeholders including women and indigenous groups. The Contractor will also support evidence-based management, including zoning, of Protected Areas, Community Protected Areas, and Community Forests.

The Contractor will promote the integration of climate change adoption and mitigation into broader watershed-level planning processes, for example, through incorporation of water balance mapping, availability and demand scenarios, and/or integrated climate/hydrological modeling. The Contractor will also increase adaptive capacity for climate change by piloting ecosystem-based approaches, such as promoting natural infrastructure for flood control with local partners in priority geographic areas, and support the integration of climate information into sub-national land use planning.

Natural resource management will also be a required intervention as it supports the implementation of the new anticipated protected area management strategy of the MOE, which includes biodiversity corridors; harvesting and biodiversity management zoning;

boundary demarcations; and, the adoption of management plans.

The Contractor will also increase the capacity of relevant government authorities including forest rangers, and community forest members and forest conservation networks to carry out their responsibilities, and obtain the materials and training necessary to adequately patrol protected areas, decrease encroachment, stymie illegal logging, apprehend and pursue legal action against offenders, and accurately demarcate protected areas. The Contractor will also help create long term sustainability plans for the continued financing of these activities. Additionally, the Contractor is expected to implement a public outreach campaign using innovative forms of media appropriate to the various target populations that will contribute to the stated outcome.]

2. INCREASED SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND NATURAL

CAPITAL REINVESTMENT

Cambodia’s rural economic development is affected by many constraints including but not limited to: low productivity, heavy post-production losses, lack of value-addition to primary products, limited access to market information and opportunities, and poor market integration. These problems have stifled economic gains for the large percentage of the population that remain poor or near poor (“near poor” is defined by the World Bank as those who live on less than $2.30 per day per person, who may have escaped poverty but remain vulnerable to even the slightest economic shocks). Most of the population works in the informal sector and 72-77 percent of all Cambodian enterprises are microenterprises with 10 or fewer employees; of these, 90 percent have three employees or less; 90 percent of businesses operate only within their own province and almost two-thirds have been in business less than five years.

According to the Asian Development Bank, 65 percent of microenterprises are owned by women, whose businesses tend to be smaller than those owned by men and who are also disadvantaged by limited education and access to finance and capital. A survey of 1,030 agribusinesses by the International Fund for Agricultural Development revealed that 64 percent are small and medium enterprises; the majority lacks any kind of registration with government authorities, preferring to remain informal to avoid taxes and regulation but thereby reducing their access to commercial credit and business development services.

Market-oriented natural resource-based enterprises engaged in production, processing, and marketing of perennial agriculture or forest products can be a viable opportunity to significantly increase rural incomes, thereby increasing resilience, especially when considering the potential for meeting domestic demand. As one example, results from USAID/Cambodia’s HARVEST activity show that farmers who invest a portion of their fields in horticulture can make up to $500-700 per cycle on a 1,000 square meter plot versus $42 per year with rice. Potential areas for private sector investment in climate resilient, sustainable natural resource management within the forestry and agriculture sectors include climate-smart agricultural practices, agroforestry, sustainable agri-business, reforestation, ecotourism, payment for ecosystem services (PES), and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+).

Additionally, the drafting of the RGC’s new (anticipated) Environment Code presents an opportunity to strengthen government institutions to collect revenue from sustainable management of natural resources, through strengthening financial systems to collect permitting fees, bonds for mitigation of potential environmental degradation, or fines from pollution or environmental degradation. This framework has the potential to reduce long-term dependence on donor funding for protection of natural resources, and create a long-term, sustainable source of revenue for reinvestment into natural capital.

This anticipated outcome for this Activity is to increase reinvestment in the natural capital of the Prey Lang extended landscape through market-oriented yet environmentally sustainable economic opportunities. The Activity will establish methods for stimulating the expansion of inclusive, climate-smart and low emission economic opportunities that result in reinvestment in the natural capital of the extended landscape: its soils, waters, carbon stocks, and biodiversity assets. The Activity will broaden opportunities for increased sustainable economic models in natural resource management by supporting investments with a gender lens, including the value of women and indigenous groups as entrepreneurs, increase networking opportunities especially for women entrepreneurs and other marginalized groups, and diversity in the workplace of viable businesses.

This Activity will lead to additional economic opportunities that are based on sustainable natural resource management and biodiversity conservation, and will directly contribute to increasing the resilience of target populations to weather the economic stresses that may occur from the negative effects of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Progress will be measured by increases in natural capital investments, enhancement of ecosystem values and carbon stocks across the Prey Lang extended landscape, unsubsidized adoption of climate-smart production practices, subsequent reductions in climate vulnerability, and an increased resilience of stakeholder communities, institutions, and systems.

The Contractor must achieve the established targets (see section F.5) for the following indicators:

● EG.10.2-3 Number of people with improved economic benefits derived from sustainable natural resource management and/or biodiversity conservation as a result of USG assistance (Sex disaggregate). Improved economic benefits are positive changes in economic earnings or consumption due to sustainable management or conservation of natural resources, which can include wages, communal revenues, non-cash benefits, economic benefits from ecosystem services and reductions in the rate of loss of an economic benefit under threat. Sustainable natural resources management is defined as managing natural resources in ways that maintain their long-term viability and preserve their potential to meet the needs of present and future generations.

Biodiversity conservation refers to direct and indirect actions (including sustainable natural resources management) with the goal of conserving biodiversity in ways that maintain their long-term viability and preserve their potential to meet the needs of present and future generations.

● EG. 13-4 Amount of investment mobilized (in USD) for sustainable landscapes as supported by USG assistance. This indicator includes finance mobilized (or leveraged), enabled by USG assistance, for actions, activities, projects or programs that avoid, reduce, or sequester GHGs from sustainable landscapes activities. Finance may be mobilized from the public sector (e.g. other governments or public multilateral entities) or private sector (e.g. corporate investments) and should help to advance the established USG activity objectives.

This Activity will contribute to relevant Sustainable Development Goals and their associated JMIs such as the “Sustainable forest management and conservation contributed to poverty alleviation and macroeconomic growth.” To achieve this activity-level outcome, the expected intervention will be interlinked with the other two activity-level outcomes.

above (section b) will be achieved and will include, but not be limited to, the following minimum required interventions:

• The Contractor will collaborate closely with the RGC, other USAID programs, other donors, community groups, and the private sector to identify and implement viable options for climate change mitigation and/or adaptation-related investments. In alignment with RGC national strategies, policies and regulations, the Contractor will support the RGC to create and manage transparent financial mechanisms to prevent or mitigate environmental degradation from economic development activities, such as the Environment and Social Funds established in the sub-decree issued on November 21, 2016. Additionally, the RGC’s draft Environment Code currently includes provisions for communities to establish environment and social funds. Therefore, the Contractor will support the establishment and management of financial mechanisms for management systems including, but not limited to, collaborative management plans for Protected Areas, Community Protected Areas, and Community Forests to ensure sustainable and adequate funding for continued protection of these areas. More specifically, the Contractor will support relevant stakeholders in creating and properly operationalizing site specific funds, as appropriate. Furthermore, the Contractor will support communities in and around forested areas and catchments undertaking a Collaborative Management system to protect their existing natural resources.

• The Contractor will be responsible for establishing the baseline for each intervention, and will measure custom indicators including but not limited to private investment in natural capital, increased incomes from improved natural resource management, and increased resilience of target populations to economic stresses from climate change.]

3. STRENGTHENED INCLUSIVE AND EFFECTIVE LANDSCAPE GOVERNANCE

A significant driver of biodiversity loss and alarmingly rapid deforestation is weak capacity for enforcement of illegal timber, anti-poaching, and anti-trafficking laws.

USAID anticipates further RGC reforms such as the anticipated enactment of the Environment Code, and many related sub-decrees and Prakas that will strengthen both the sub-national and national level systems and are expected to help achieve the broader goal of safeguarding natural ecosystems that sustain benefits, services, and functions for the Cambodian people.

Effective, inclusive spatial planning processes and governance systems, supported by high-quality information, will be needed to sustainably manage extended landscapes such as Prey Lang. The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), has developed an official approach to integrated spatial planning at the province, district, and municipality levels, and the anticipated Environment Code and the Collaborative Management sub-decree, among other RGC policies and laws provide a framework for spatial planning to be used for natural resource management in the Prey Lang extended landscape. The broad goals of spatial planning are to find an effective balance between the competing uses and functions of land; to promote vertical and horizontal integration between different actors, policies, and plans; and to support sustainable development. However, technical and institutional support is critically needed for the effective implementation of spatial planning in Cambodia. Enabling and supporting communities, local organizations, women, youth and other marginalized groups to participate effectively and meaningfully in these governance and management processes is critical to improving their effectiveness and the legitimacy of their outcomes.

USAID believes that Cambodia is at the forefront of an emerging environment movement, which supports the RGC in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Nationally Determined Contribution’s (NDC) milestones and includes: (1) transparent and participatory procedural rights including requirements for disseminating and allowing access to information regarding new laws, sub-decrees, Prakas, etc.; (2) opportunities for innovations in sustainable land management, and biodiversity conservation, that foster Cambodia’s economic growth…