LCDRFI.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

USAID/MEXICO

1. Confidentiality

Information submitted by recipient will be treated as confidential information and will only used by USAID to determine recipient's capabilities. No information will be shared with outside sources without consent of the recipient.

2. Introduction and purpose of the RFI The purpose of this RFI is to identify experienced, local Mexican non-governmental entities that are capable of offering training in administration and financial management to local Mexican non-governmental entities. Established certification programs are of interest. USAID is gathering this information in connection with a possible Request for Applications (RFA) under which only local entities would be eligible to participate.

The definition of “local entity” means an individual, a corporation, a nonprofit organization, or another body of persons that: 1) is legally organized under the laws of Mexico; 2) has as its principal place of business or operations in Mexico; 3) is majority-owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Mexico; and 4) is managed by a governing body, the majority of that are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Mexico. ‘Majority owned’ and ‘managed by’ include, without limitation, beneficiary interests and the power, either directly or indirectly, whether exercised or exercisable, to control the election, appointment, or tenure of the organization’s managers or a majority of the organization’s governing body by any means.

This RFI requests information regarding your organization’s ability to provide consulting services in the following two complementary areas:

1. Financial Management: International accounting and financial management policies and procedures (including segregation of duties) to safeguard assets, authorize transactions, monitor disbursements, and ensure accuracy and validity of accounting records; and

2. Administrative Management: Policies and procedures for the regulation of day-to-day activities in the areas of human resources, procurement, project management, etc.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA), or a promise to issue an RFP or RFA in the future.

This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, USAID Mexico is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondees are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP or RFA, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website or Grants.gov, and local mediums. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

3. Background

Over the last two years, USAID/Mexico has increased its direct engagement with local organizations, from no agreements with Mexican organizations in 2011 to eighteen agreements in 2014. During the process of partnering with local organizations, USAID identified administrative and financial management deficiencies, including lack of written policies and procedures and lack of internal controls. USAID/Mexico staff have reported met with a range of organizational competence when working with local organizations.

Some organizations have demonstrated strong technical, organizational, and administrative capacity, while others have required assistance to meet USAID standards, both technical and administrative. Additionally, some local organizations have expressed an interest in receiving guidance and assistance from USAID to strengthen their policies and procedures. To date, local capacity development training and support has been provided to local partners informally by USAID’s technical, financial management, and acquisitions and assistance offices.

4. Statement of Needs

According to the publication “USAID Local Systems: A Framework for Supporting Local Development,” "building the capacity of a single actor or strengthening a single relationship is insufficient; rather, the focus must be on the system as a whole: the actors, their relationships, and the incentives that guide them.”

USAID’s objective is to provide institutional capacity building to a network of non-governmental organizations so as to improve sectoral capacity for coordinated and comprehensive responses to social needs. The result at the end of year one would be the development of a curriculum and 50-100 organizations certified.

5. Requirements

The organizations we want to identify through this RFI demonstrate the following:

❖ Have experience in administrative and financial management capacity building;

❖ Deliver the curriculum in Spanish;

❖ Manage the logistic of training, transportation, and possibly regional course offerings; and

❖ Have the capacity to develop curriculum on the following topics, which meet international standards:

➢ Organizational Governance

➢ Administrative Management

➢ Financial Management

➢ Internal Control

➢ Human Resource Management

➢ Project/Program Management

➢ Optional offerings could include

■ Strategic Planning

■ Fundraising and Alliance Building

■ Outreach, Marketing, and Communication

■ Monitoring and Evaluation

6. Responses

Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with the following information:

1. Company name:

Company address:

Company web page:

2. Main products/services:

3. Main market/customers:

4. Number of years on the market:

5. Locations where services are offered:

6. Contact person and responsible for answering this RFI:

Telephone(s):

Email:

7. Description of services that are already provided to customers today:

8. Reference customers using comparable services (including contact information):

9. Reference customers using your services today, although they are not comparable with what is requested in this RFI (including contact information):

11. Course topics the Offeror would prioritize among those listed by USAID above or those recommended by the Offeror:

12. Listing of any online curriculum that your organization already has developed; and

13. A listing and description of roles and responsibilities of relevant partners of your organization in the delivery of the subject services.

Information is to be submitted in a format that is compatible with Microsoft Word for Office 2000 via e-mail to Rodrigo Diaz at the following email address -ssmexproposals@usaid.gov. Information is due no later than 22 Dec 14 at 3:00 p.m. Responses shall be limited to 10 pages. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the U.S.

Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

7. Summary

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources that can provide organizational capacity development services (training, technical services, etc.)

to local Mexican non-governmental entities in the area of administrative and financial management. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on USAID. USAID has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.