EGRA QIM RFP

Date Issued: January 27, 2012

Deadline for Questions:

February 13, 2012 @ 2 pm (Maputo time)

Closing Date and Time for Receipt of Proposals:

March 2, 2012 @ 2 pm (Maputo time)

Subject:

Request for Proposals (RFP) No. SOL-656-12-000001 – Early Grade Reading Assessment Plus Quality Instruction and Management (EGRA+QIM)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking proposals to provide Early Grade Reading Assessment Plus Quality Instruction and Management (EGRA+QIM) in the Zambezia and Nampula provinces of Mozambique, as described in Section C of the attached solicitation.

USAID anticipates the award of one (1) contract as a result of this solicitation.

You are invited to submit a proposal in accordance with the requirements specified in this document by the date and time indicated above.

Interested offerors should read the entire solicitation, which includes all pertinent technical sections and the terms, conditions and instructions required for submitting a proposal.

Please submit all questions concerning this RFP by no later than February 13, 2012 at 2 pm (Maputo Time) to Malcolm Saldanha at EGRA-QIM.RFP@USAID.GOV.

The deadline for receipt of proposals is March 2, 2012 at 2 pm (Maputo time). Please email all proposals to Mr. Saldanha at the above address. Electronics submissions only; no hard copies or fax transmissions will be accepted.

Pursuant to Block 12 of Standard Form 33 of this RFP, USAID requires that offers stay valid through May 31, 2012.

This RFP in no way obligates USAID to award a contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal; it can be viewed and downloaded from the Internet at the following address: www.fedbizopps.gov. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.

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Further, please be aware that amendments to solicitations may be periodically issued and will be posted on the aforementioned website. You are therefore advised to regularly check for amendments.

On behalf of USAID/Mozambique, I wish each offeror the best of luck with their submissions.

Sincerely, Doanh Van

Contracting Officer

1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED ORDER RATING PAGE OF PAGES

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER

SOL-656-12-000001

4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION 5. DATE ISSUED

SEALED BID (IFB)

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

7. ISSUED BY CODE 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than Item 7)

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

9. Sealed offers in original and ______ N/A _______ copies for furnishing 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

(Hour) (Date)

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.

A. NAME B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS) C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

AREA CODE NUMBER EXT.

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

PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

A I

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

C J

D PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

E

F

G L

H M

K STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

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

12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within _90___ 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 price set opposite each item, delivered at the designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT 10 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 20 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 30 CALENDAR DAYS (%) CALENDAR DAYS (%)

(See Section I, Clause No. 52-232-8)

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT NO. DATE AMENDMENT NO. DATE

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the

SOLICITATION for offerors and related documents numbered and dated:

CODE FACILITY

16. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER 15A. NAME AND

ADDRESS

OF OFFEROR

(Type or print)

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER 17. SIGNATURE 18. OFFER DATE

AREA CODE NUMBER EXT.

15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS IS DIFFERENT FROM

ABOVE - ENTER SUCH ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE

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

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION: 23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN ITEM

(4 copies unless otherwise specified) 10 U.S.C. 2304(a) ( ) 41 U.S.C. 253(c) ( )

24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7) 25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE CODE

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print) 27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 28. AWARD DATE

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

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

(REV. 9-97)

10. FOR INFORMATION CALL:

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

STANDARD FORM 33

SOLICITATION

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

AWARD (To be completed by Government)

N/A 1 140

X

Malcolm Saldanha

EGRA-QIM.RFP@USAID.GOV

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS 8

DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT 10

PACKAGING AND MARKING 30

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 33

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE 34 71

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 39

SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 44

CONTRACT CLAUSES 52

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS 70

INSTR., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS 88

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD 111

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

U.S. Agency for International Development/Mozambique

Acquisition and Assistance Office

JAT Complex

Rua 1231, No., 41

Bairro Central “C”, Maputo, Mozambique

USAID/Mozambique

Table of Contents

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES

B.3 ESTIMATED COST AND FIXED FEE

B.4 INDIRECT COSTS [to be filled in at time of award]

B.5 COST REIMBURSABLE

B.6 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

C.2 BACKGROUND

C.3 RATIONALE

C.4 TARGET GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS AND BENEFICIARIES

C.5 PROPOSED ACTIVITY

C.6 GUIDING PRINCIPLES

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993)

D.2 BRANDING POLICY

D.3 BRANDING STRATEGY

D.4 MARKING

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.3 RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

F.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

F.3 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES OR OUTPUTS

F.4 KEY PERSONNEL

F.5 AIDAR 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

DOCUMENTS (JAN 2004)

F.6 AIDAR 752.242-70 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (OCT 2007)

SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 DOCUMENTATION FOR PAYMENT, AIDAR 752.7003 (NOV 1998)

G.2 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER‘S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

G.4 PAYING OFFICE

G.5 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

G.6 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID

SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 AIDAR 752.225-70 SOURCE, ORIGIN AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 1997)

H.2 AIDAR 752.7007 PERSONNEL COMPENSATION (JULY 2007)

H.3 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PERSONNEL COMPENSATION

H.4 AIDAR 752.7004 EMERGENCY LOCATOR INFORMATION (JULY 1997)

H.5 INSURANCE AND SERVICES

H.6 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

H.7 LOGISTIC SUPPORT

H.8 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

H.9 SUBCONTRACTING PLAN AND THE SF 294 – SUBCONTRACTING REPORT FOR INDIVIDUAL

CONTRACTS AND SF 295 – SUMMARY CONTRACTING REPORT

H.10 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING (MAR 2002)

H.11 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES (JAN 2002)

H.12 AIDAR 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL AND NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

(JAN 1990)

H.13 USAID DISABILITY POLICY (DECEMBER 2004)

H.14 SUBCONTRACTING CONSENT

H.15 REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

H.16 SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS (SDB) PARTICIPATION PROGRAM TARGET

H.17 PROHIBITION OF ASSISTANCE TO DRUG TRAFFICKERS

H.18 REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (JUL 2007)

H.19 ENVIRONMENTAL PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES

PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES

I.1 FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR CHAPTER 1) CLAUSES 52.252-04 ALTERATIONS

IN CONTRACT (APR 1984)

I.2 USAID ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR CHAPTER 7) CLAUSES

I.3 52.209-9 UPDATES OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY

MATTERS ALTERNATE I (JAN 2011)

I.4 COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 508 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973

I.5 52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (MAR 2000)

I.6 752.219-70 USAID MENTOR-PROTÉGÉ PROGRAM (JUL 2007)

I.7 752.219-71 MENTOR REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION AS PRESCRIBED IN AIDAR (JUL 2007)

I.8 52.243-7 NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES (APR 1984)

I.9 52.203-13 CONTRACTOR CODE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CONDUCT (APR 2010)

I.10 52.222-54 EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION (JAN 2009)

I.11 52.222-50 COMBATING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (FEB 2009)

I.12 752.7101 VOLUNTARY POPULATION PLANNING ACTIVITIES (JUNE 2008)

I.13 PROHIBITION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION (Oct 2011)

PART III – LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J - LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

PART IV – REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND

OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

K.1 52.203-11 CERTIFICATION AND DISCLOSURE REGARDING PAYMENTS TO INFLUENCE

CERTAIN FEDERAL TRANSACTIONS (SEP 2007)

K.2 52.204-3 TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION (OCT 1998)

K.3 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (FEB 2009)

K.4 52.209-5 CERTIFICATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (DEC 2008)

K.5 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (APR 2010)

K.6 52.215-6 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE (OCT 1997)

K.7 52.219-1 SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM REPRESENTATIONS (JAN 2011)

K.8 52.219-22 SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS STATUS (OCT 1999)

K.9 52.222-22 PREVIOUS CONTRACTS AND COMPLIANCE REPORTS (FEB 1999)

K.10 52.222-25 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMPLIANCE (APR 1984)

K.11 52.222-38 COMPLIANCE WITH VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (DEC

2001)

K.12 52.223-13 CERTIFICATION OF TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASE REPORTING (AUG 2003)

K.13 52.230-1 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION (OCT 2008)

K.14 AGREEMENT ON, OR EXCEPTIONS TO, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

K.15 DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBER

K.16 SECURITY CLEARANCE CERTIFICATION

K.17 AUTHORIZED NEGOTIATORS

K.18 SIGNATURE

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

L.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

L.2 (FAR 52.215-1) INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS—COMPETITIVE ACQUISITION (JAN 2004)

L.3 FAR 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

L.4 FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEPT 2006)

L.5 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

L.6 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.7 SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

L.8 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARTION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

L.9 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE COST/BUSINESS PROPOSAL

L.10 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE BRANDING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (BIP) . 109

L.11 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

SECTION M - EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 COST EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.2 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.3 DETERMINATION OF THE COMPETITIVE RANGE AND CONTRACT AWARD

M.4 CONTRACTING WITH SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND DISADVANTAGED ENTERPRISES . 114

ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT J.1 - IDENTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL GEOGRAPHIC CODE NUMBERS

ATTACHMENT J.2 - USAID FORM 1420-17 - CONTRACTOR BIOGRAPHICAL DATA SHEET

ATTACHMENT J.3 - SF LLL - DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES

ATTACHMENT J.4 - DD 254 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONTRACT SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

SPECIFICATIONS (INCLUDING SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY GUIDANCE)

ATTACHMENT J.5 - Model Subcontracting Plan Outline

ATTACHMENT J.6 – PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

ATTACHMENT J.7 - USAID BRANDING AND MARKING TEMPLATE

ATTACHMENT J.8 - TRANSITION TO MINED IMPLEMENTATION OF EGRA+QIM

ATTACHMENT J.9 - COORDINATED EGRA+QIM AND IE IMPLEMENTATION TIMEFRAME

ATTACHMENT J.10 - LIST OF ACRONYMS

ATTACHMENT J.11 - COST EVALUATION MATRIX

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide the services and deliverables as described in Section C, Statement of Work, for the implementation of the Early Grade Reading Assessment and Quality Instruction Management (EGRA+QIM) project. EGRA+QIM will invest in and work with host-country government systems and local indigenous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) ensuring that sustainable change within the education sector remains in-country.

This project will demonstrate the Agency‘s commitment to build partner country capacity by directly training and supporting local education institutions, and strengthening their abilities as the country‘s front-line education service providers to manage for and achieve significant and meaningful results.

The majority of activities under this contract will support objectives primarily in the Education sector, which can be found under USAID/Mozambique‘s Country Assistance Strategy (CAS).

The CAS can be found at www.usaid.gov/mz.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES

One (1) Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) Completion Type Contract, for a total period of performance of 51 months (including option year) will be awarded under this solicitation. The Contractor shall perform the services detailed under Section C of this contract. The technical and cost proposals should be written from signature date of this contract until September 30, 2016.

B.3 ESTIMATED COST AND FIXED FEE

(a) The estimated cost for the performance of the work required hereunder, exclusive of fixed fee, if any, is: $TBD. The estimated fee is $TBD. The estimated cost plus fixed fee, if any, is $TBD. The Contractor shall not exceed the obligated amount in accordance with the Limitation of Funds clause, FAR 52.232.22.

(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.

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

CLIN 0001 IR1. Improved QUALITY of reading instruction in grades 2-3 in targeted schools CLIN 0002 IR2. Increased QUANTITY of reading instruction in grades 2-3 in targeted schools.

http://www.usaid.gov/mz

B.4 INDIRECT COSTS [to be filled in at time of award]

Pending the establishment of a revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, allowable indirect costs shall be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases:

Description Rate Base

1/ 2/

Type 1/ 2/

Period 1/ 2/

1/Base of Application Type of Rate: Provisional Period:

2/Base of Application:

Type of Rate: Provisional Period:

3/Base of Application:

Type of Rate: Provisional Period:

Note 1: Contractors may recover applicable indirect costs (i.e., overhead, G&A, etc.) if it is part of the contractor's usual accounting procedures, consistent with FAR Part 31, and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA).

B.5 COST REIMBURSABLE

The U.S. dollar costs allowable shall 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, if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003, Documentation for Payment.‖

B.6 PAYMENT OF FIXED FEE

Payment of fee shall be in accordance with FAR 52.216-8. The Contractor shall be paid fee based on the vouchered costs. The amount of fixed fee paid will be based on a percentage of costs vouchered in the same ratio as total fixed fee is to total direct costs.

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The title of the project to be implemented under this contract is the Early Grade Reading Assessment Plus Quality Instruction and Management (EGRA+QIM) Project.

In full support and alignment with the USAID Forward, EGRA+QIM will invest in and work with host-country government systems and local indigenous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) ensuring that sustainable change within the education sector remains in-country.

The EGRA+QIM project will demonstrate the Agency‘s new commitment to build partner country capacity by directly training and supporting local education institutions, and strengthening their abilities as the country‘s front-line education service providers to manage for and achieve significant and meaningful results.

This contract will be one of several mechanisms for implementing the USAID/Mozambique Basic Education Program for the 2012 to 2017 period. The central emphasis for the Basic Education Program is to support ―improved reading outcomes for students in grades 2 and 3 in Zambezia and Nampula provinces.‖ The principal approach will be to improve the quality and increase the quantity of reading instruction in grades 2 and 3.

Support will be provided through expert training and coaching support, and institutional development at the provincial, district, teacher training institute, and school cluster levels.

The Contractor will focus on the following areas: a) Improved in-service teacher training and coaching in reading instruction; and, b) Strengthened school management.

The Contractor will seek to inspire political leadership, train and mentor education sector personnel in Mozambique to significantly advance reading outcomes in the early grades of public primary school education. The Contractor is required to ensure the cost-effectiveness of interventions and develop the capacity of local education institutions in reading assessment and instruction.

Work performed under this contract will contribute towards achieving the global USAID Education Strategy – Goal 1: ―Improved reading skills for 100 million children in primary grades by 2015;‖ and toward the fourth objective of the USAID/Mozambique Country Assistance Strategy (CAS): ―Expand opportunities for quality education and training.‖ Additionally, activities under this contract are aligned with the Ministry of Education‘s (MINED) long-term strategic National Education Plan, which specifically guides education sector donors to focus on three key areas: a) Increasing access; b) Improving quality; and,

c) Strengthening institutional capacity.

The overall goal of the EGRA+QIM project will be ―Improved reading outcomes for students in grades 2-3 in Nampula and Zambezia provinces.‖ To achieve this goal, the Contractor will provide key training, coaching and technical assistance to improve the quality of basic education services with a specific and focused emphasis on improving early grade reading outcomes. Training and technical assistance will be limited to the provinces of Zambezia and Nampula, and activities will focus on two Intermediate Results (IRs):

IR1. Improved QUALITY of reading instruction in grades 2-3 in targeted schools; and IR2. Increased QUANTITY of reading instruction in grades 2-3 in targeted schools

Under IR1, the Contractor and local education institutions will work together at the provincial, district, school cluster, and teacher training institute level to improve the quality of early grade reading instruction, and specifically, the reading outcomes of students in grades 2 and 3 in target schools. Activities to achieve IR1 will focus on improving in-service teacher training and coaching, and increasing the availability of learning materials to teachers and students.

Activities to achieve IR2 will focus on increasing the quantity of reading instruction, and will focus on school director training and coaching to strengthen school management.

The Contractor will provide training, coaching, and support to enhance the capacities of in-service teachers and school directors, especially in relation to teaching and managing the challenging and complex multi-shift schools found in both rural and urban areas. Education personnel from local education institutions will be selected to participate in training activities to build their capacity to deliver and manage effective and efficient services in early grade reading assessment and instruction.

The Contractor should seek to maintain the target area and schools as a living laboratory for early grade reading improvement. Collaborative work at the national level is encouraged, especially in aspects that strengthen MINED‘s policies and management capacity related to improvements in quality instruction, and specifically, improvements in early grade reading.

Civil society participation, public private partnerships, innovation, science and technology are encouraged, and the Contractor should take these into consideration in the design and implementation of this contract.

C.2 BACKGROUND

Following a long colonial period, a 10-year war for independence, and 16 years of civil war, Mozambique is rebuilding its education sector and strengthening its capacity to provide quality educational services. Under the colonial government, the Portuguese provided very little education for most Mozambicans. By 1962, after centuries of Portuguese rule, only 25 percent of the population had any education at all (Candido et al, 1986). The illiteracy rate at independence, in 1975, was estimated to be as high as 93 percent. The civil war, which lasted from 1977 to 1992, resulted in the destruction of 50 percent of school infrastructure (especially primary schools) and saw many teachers kidnapped or killed.

Despite these challenges, access to primary education in Mozambique expanded rapidly after the civil war ended in 1992. The Government of Mozambique (GOM) created a national system of primary school education and, between 2003 and 2007, the number of children in primary school increased from 3.3 million to 5.3 million at an average growth rate of 8 percent per year. Retention of children in school has improved from 30 percent in 2006 to 41 percent in 2010 (Mozambique Fast Track Initiative (FTI) and Catalytic Fund Application, 2010).

Although available budget has not fully met increasing demand for services, the GOM has continuously increased allocations to the education sector, consistently allocating around 20 percent of its budget, including both internal and external sources, to the education sector, with more than half these funds going to primary education.

The GOM has also initiated reforms in public financial management, decentralization, and human resource management aimed at improving the provision of basic services. In the education sector, increasing operational budgets have been managed at the school level, and specific funds have been channeled to both provincial and district accounts for supervision activities.

Despite laudable progress in access made since 1992, key challenges still exist and will have to be overcome to help the primary school system teach children the basic skills required for the country‘s economic and social development. Improving the quality and increasing the quantity of instructional time, crucial for academic success, remains a challenge and an elusive goal across the public primary school system.

The rapid expansion of the primary school system in sheer numbers of children has not been accompanied by a similar increase in the number of modern classrooms. Double and triple shifts of teaching (early morning/midday/afternoon) have become standard among the majority of schools in the system, meaning that students spend a limited amount of time in the classroom and receive a low quantity of instruction in basic skills such as reading.

C.3 RATIONALE

Education is a vital element in the socio-economic and democratic transformation of Mozambique. Progress along the development continuum and full participation in a competitive global economy will require Mozambique to address critical educational quality and learning outcomes issues, especially in light of lackluster performance as has been highlighted in a sequence of assessments (USAID Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP) 2 Aga Khan 2011; Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) 2007). Moreover, many Mozambicans believe that education is one of the key tools for improving socio-economic conditions, and narrowing the gap between rich and poor.

The EGRA+QIM project supports the mission‘s overall objectives in Mozambique, in particular, contributing to goals in democracy and governance, health, and economic growth.

In democracy, an educated population increases public participation and the formation of democratic values; in economic growth, skilled workers are key to increased productivity and viable domestic market; and, in health, an educated populace results in improved health outcomes.

The EGRA+QIM project also directly supports Goal 1 of the USAID Education Strategy (2011) which states: ―Children who do not attain reading skills at the primary level are on a lifetime trajectory of limited educational progress and therefore limited economic and developmental opportunity.‖

USAID/Mozambique‘s Basic Education Program fully recognizes that early grade reading competency is critical to children staying in school, achieving long-term academic success, and positioning themselves for future employment and career opportunities.

Higher levels of education are directly linked to higher incomes, improved health, and increased ability to participate in a democratic society. Thus, this objective has the potential to affect long-term outcomes in a number of the strategic priority areas outlined in the USAID/Mozambique CAS. As the USAID Education Strategy notes, education raises individual incomes and ―helps ensure that growth is broad-based and reaches the poorest.‖

Improving the Quality of Instruction

Mozambique has an acute shortage of seasoned teaching personnel, and currently 26 percent of practicing primary school teachers have not received any form of training at all (MINED, 2010). An emergency program created to address teacher shortage in the rapidly expanding education system, initiated by MINED in 2008, accepted 10th grade graduates into a scaled-down, one-year training program.

Despite the emergency recruitment efforts, many teachers still work double and triple shifts, and in 2010 the teacher/student ratio in Mozambican primary schools was 1/66, significantly higher than the Southern Africa regional average of 1/45 (Mozambique FTI and Catalytic Fund Application, 2010). This high teacher/student ratio and lack of teacher training and support limit the quality of educational instruction that students receive during the limited hours they do spend in the classroom. Researchers agree that enhancing the quality of in-service training, coaching, and support for low-skilled teachers is paramount to improving instructional quality and learning outcomes in reading (McKinsey, 2010; EGRA PLUS:

Liberia, 2011).

Increasing the Quantity of Instruction Time for Learning

In addition to teacher performance, school directors (principals) in Mozambican primary schools most often receive only minimal training before taking up school management responsibilities, and struggle with the difficult challenges related to managing complex multi-shift schools, supervising three shifts of teaching personnel, and partnering with civil society and parents. Currently, most school directors and pedagogical directors are teachers plucked directly from the classroom.

School directors, if they are fortunate, receive four days of training to prepare them for their management and leadership responsibilities (MINED, 2011). To date, there is no official or systematic training offered for school pedagogical directors, who supervise teaching and academic portfolios at primary schools.

Mozambique‘s school management challenges, combined with its poor quality and limited quantity of basic instruction, have led to dire consequences. A USAID EQUIP 2-funded study (2011) found that due to teacher absenteeism, student attendance, and management issues, the schools were limited to, on average, 30 days of instructional time per 193-day official school year in 2010.

The rapid increase in the number of students has placed immense pressure on the education system, and with a lack of appropriately trained teachers and insufficient classroom hours, school quality and learning in basic reading and math skills have significantly deteriorated.

Key standard indicators for measuring primary school system performance are stagnating or in decline.

Given the absence of a national testing system for monitoring student achievement, Mozambique relies on a regionally implemented test, the SACMEQ, which revealed plummeting scores in reading, from 516.7 in 2000 to 476 in 2007, indicating a significant deterioration in primary school learning achievement. Further evidence of dismal learning outcomes was recently revealed in the aforementioned EQUIP2/Aga Khan Foundation study, which found that 59 percent of third grade students in the 49 schools studied could not recognize letters, and those students who could read only read an average of five words per minute.

If left unchecked, the current decline in learning outcomes may threaten Mozambique‘s ability to capitalize on opportunities for significant employment generation as well as overall social stability and national unity. The current situation calls for more effective resource management and an emphasis on improving learning outcomes—particularly in reading skills—in the early grades.

Educators worldwide recognize that early grade reading competency is critical for continued retention, long-term academic success, and future employment and career opportunity.

Children who do not attain basic reading skills in primary school will experience difficulty throughout their academic careers and are more likely to struggle at a survival level or below in future economic pursuits.

Focus on Early Grade Reading

Primary school students in Mozambique are clearly not learning to read at a level that will give them a foundation for academic success. Poor reading outcomes in schools can generally be traced to poor quality of reading instruction and an insufficient quantity of classroom time devoted to reading instruction. The USAID Education Strategy recognizes this phenomenon across education systems in the developing world, and recommends that reading outcomes be improved through increased instructional time for reading, improved teacher training and instructional materials, and using reading diagnostic tools on a continuous basis.

In Mozambique, teachers are not trained to provide effective reading instruction, and they often lack access to appropriate pedagogical materials. School directors are not adequately trained in school management, and they do not provide sufficient supervision and support to teachers. Parents, many of whom are illiterate themselves, receive little information about the performance of their local schools and their children‘s achievement at school, and are unable to hold education personnel accountable. Most often, parents do not know how to reinforce reading instruction at home or take an active role in their children‘s education.

These issues must all be addressed to increase quality and quantity of instruction with the end goal of improving reading outcomes.

C.4 TARGET GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS AND BENEFICIARIES

The EGRA+QIM project shall include activities at the provincial, district, school cluster, and local school levels. EGRA+QIM shall target the provinces of Zambezia and Nampula in central and northern Mozambique. The rationale for selecting these two provinces can be summarized as follows: These two heavily populated and rural provinces combined contain 42 percent of the school-age population of Mozambique and, according to national statistics have posted weak education performance results compared to national averages (Table 1).

In addition, girls in these two provinces are grossly underserved and disadvantaged.

The national illiteracy rate for women is 62.7 percent; in Nampula it is 77.4 percent, and in Zambezia 79 percent (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2008). Furthermore, despite clear and pressing needs, there is relatively little bilateral or multilateral support for education in these provinces, with the exception of UNICEF working in only one district in each province.

Finally, other USAID and US government (USG) programs operate in these two provinces, and the EGRA+QIM project will take advantage of opportunities for developing intra- and inter-agency synergies in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, support to orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), gender based violence awareness, life and livelihood skills for young women and girls, decentralization, local capacity development, and civil society strengthening.

Table 1- Gross Completion Rates for Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary for Nampula and Zambezia Provinces compared to National Rates in 2009 (numbers in %):

Lower Primary Upper Primary

Lower Secondary

Upper Secondary

Girls Total Girls Total Girls Total Girls Total

Nampula 51.6 59.8 28 35.5 13.6 19.3 4.7 7.2

Zambezia 52.8 62.9 27.9 37.1 8.8 12.4 1.6 2.5

National 64.8 70.8 42.8 48 17.4 20.6 5.5 7

(MINED, 2011)

The EGRA+QIM project shall focus on the 1,000 urban and rural schools within full school clusters with the largest enrollments in the economic corridors of Zambezia and Nampula provinces. An analysis of which specific schools should be targeted shall be undertaken based on MINED priorities, and to reach as many grade 2-3 children as possible while achieving low unit costs and geographic coverage in critical economic corridors to achieve the USAID Education Strategy – Goal 1 target.

The Contractor shall consider that demonstrating significant improvement in student reading outcomes will directly ignite political will at the national, provincial, district and school levels and encourage MINED and civil society entities to work together to formulate and change education policy to sustain reading achievement progress and expand the geographical coverage of proven interventions. At the national level the primary partner will be MINED.

For specific actions, outlined below, the Contractor shall work with the following key MINED national directorates:

Direcção de Planificação e Cooperação (DIPLAC);

Direcção Nacional de Ensino Primário (DNEP);

Direcção Nacional de Formação de Professores (DNFP);

Direcção de Gestão e Garantia de Qualidade (DNQ); and Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Educação (INDE)

At the local level, the Contractor shall work with the following local education institutions and personnel:

Provincial Education Office - Direcção Provincial de Educação e Cultura (DPEC);

District Education Office - Serviço Distrital de Educação, Juventude e Tecnologia (SDEJT);

Teacher Training Institute – Instituto de Formação de Professores (IFP); and School Clusters - Zonas de Influência Pedagógica (ZIP).

Sustaining EGRA testing and QIM instructional improvements will be a long-term challenge.

The Contractor shall build the management capacity of local government and non-government expert local technicians to implement and manage such activities. The eventual institutional home for EGRA+QIM type support activities will be at the local education institution level, DPECs, SDEJTs, IFPs, and ZIPs, with provincial leadership emanating from the DPECs for EGRA and the IFPs for QIM.

C.5 PROPOSED ACTIVITY

Overall Approach

At the beginning of the project, adequate local capacity to manage, develop, and implement EGRA+QIM activities does not sufficiently exist within MINED, civil society or the private sector in Mozambique. That said, to begin building local capacity, and close technical and financial management gaps in the area of early grade reading and assessment, the Contractor shall partner with local organizations and work closely with local education institutions, using a learning-by-doing approach, to implement the project, and to facilitate the eventual handover of project activities. Such focused action will begin the process of steadily and incrementally building local capacity to eventually manage the delivery of EGRA+QIM type activities.

Initially, the Contractor shall be required to partner with a local indigenous NGO, Mozambican university, or a private sector company to recruit, train, and manage locally hired staff (enumerators, trainers, and field managers) to rapidly build an adequately qualified and trained labor force to debut and scale up EGRA+QIM activities. It is expected that, if necessary, the Contractor shall build its local indigenous partners technical, organization, and financial management skills to the level that the local partner can singularly conduct and manage functions related to recruitment, training and field management of locally hired staff to accomplish EGRA+QIM activities.

Additionally, the Contractor shall train and prepare local education institution personnel for complete technical and managerial handover of EGRA+QIM activities, with the Contractor serving an advisory role during the 2015 school year. Incrementally, more financial and management responsibilities for EGRA+QIM activities will be transferred to MINED. USAID intends on using Fixed Amount Reimbursement Agreements (FARA) or other available mechanisms to provide direct funding to MINED to manage EGRA+QIM activities the last quarter of 2014, and during the 2015 and 2016 school years.

To begin the process of building the capacity of local education institutions, the Contractor shall conduct an institutional gap analysis of pertinent local education institutions to identify technical, procurement, financial management, and organizational development gaps that will need to be bridged to enable sustainable local management. Based on the results of the institutional gap analysis, the Contractor shall:

a) identify strengths and improvement opportunities for building capacity; and

b) provide a comprehensive feedback report and action plan to USAID and MINED with the goal of building local capacity to begin handover of EGRA+QIM activities during the 2014 school year. Handover of EGRA+QIM activities to the full control and management of MINED local education institutions shall be flexibly conducted according to the following timeline (see Attachment J.8 for a chart that outlines how this process is envisioned to unfold).

MINED Role in EGRA+QIM

2013 - Demonstration & Training

MINED forms core senior team to accompany EGRA+QIM activities

DPECs establish daily 45 minute reading time in EGRA+QIM target schools

DPECs, IFPs and Districts designate personnel to participate in EGRA+QIM training and management activities; designated personnel receive technical and management training

USAID contractor conducts institutional gap analysis and rolls out EGRA+QIM project through demonstration, training and technical assistance

2014 - Transition to Handover

DPEC/IFP/District personnel continue to learn and practice skills to organize, plan, and manage EGRA+QIM activities

DPEC (EGRA) and IFP (QIM) personnel manage activities last 3 months of school year with technical assistance; respective Unidade de Gestão de Aquisições (UGEAs) assume financial management responsibilities with technical assistance from the Contractor during the last three months of the school year, August to October.

MINED choses cost effective interventions to scale up in 2015 school year

USAID contractor hands off management tasks and financial resources for last three months of school year to MINED.

USAID contractor continues capacity building of MINED personnel.

2015- Full Handover of Implementation of Activities to MINED

MINED receives USAID direct funding to manage activities for entire school year with technical assistance from the USAID contractor.

DPEC fully leads provincial team to implement September 2015 EGRA

IFP fully leads provincial team to implement teacher training QIM activities

Respective UGEAs fully responsible for financial management with some technical assistance from USAID contractor

MINED choses most cost effective interventions to scale up in 2016 school year

USAID contractor pulls back to advisory role

2016 - Direct USG Funding to MINED (cover under Option I)

DPECs and IFPs fully manage EGRA+QIM

MINED receives direct USG funding at unit cost level to scale up activity to additional target schools; respective UGEAs fully responsible for financial management

Option Year - USAID contractor pulls back to mentoring role and conducts minimal fiscal and managerial oversight

Additionally, the Contractor shall recruit and embed in year 1, an EGRA Liaison Officer in each DPEC in the target provinces to encourage effective coordination, and through a learning-by-doing approach, ensure active involvement and participation of local education personnel in EGRA+QIM training and management activities. The early effort to reach out to build the critical knowledge base and capacity in local education institutions will ensure that a pool of government personnel exists within the target provinces to manage the scale-up of these interventions.

Since the management of human and financial resources related to conducting a sophisticated regional education assessment like EGRA is a long term goal, it is imperative to demonstrate repeatedly during the first two academic years, 2013 and 2014, successfully implemented EGRA tests and interventions that have a direct and positive affect on reading outcomes. Having witnessed and participated in successful EGRA+QIM activities that significantly improve reading outcomes, personnel from local education institutions and school staff will actively take part in trainings and eventually take greater ownership and responsibility for the management and scaling up of such activities.

Throughout the first two years of the project, the EGRA Liaison Officer in DPEC will coordinate continuous efforts to train and mentor local education personnel in the planning and management skills required to successfully implement and scale-up the EGRA instrument and QIM interventions. During the 2015 school year, host-country government education personnel will assume full responsibility for implementing EGRA+QIM activities.

The ultimate test of project sustainability will be the successful delivery and management of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 EGRA evaluations and the successfully delivery of QIM activities with minimal technical assistance from the Contractor staff during the same period.

Successful handover of EGRA+QIM activities to direct local control and the path to direct funding to provinces and districts to deliver such services will depend to a large extent on local education institutions‘ ability to perform in a manner that engenders confidence as measured by progress in reading outcomes.

Following the development of the key knowledge and skills required to deliver and manage EGRA+QIM type activities, and successfully implemented and locally managed EGRA tests in 2014, 2015 and 2016, local education institutions and the local market of education professionals will have proven whether or not they have sufficiently gained the basic know-how to implement and scale-up early grade reading assessment and instruction type activities.

Should host country personnel and institutions be unable to demonstrate the capacity to manage an EGRA test on their own during 2014 and 2015, further technical assistance could be continued, and handover and direct funding delayed.

Objective

The EGRA+QIM project hypothesis is that focused training, coaching and support to in-service teachers and school directors will directly improve the quality and increase the quantity of instructional time, which will then significantly affect reading outcomes. The EGRA+QIM project in Mozambique builds on the successes of a multitude of EGRA type projects and research worldwide, and introduces additional innovative interventions.

Because of the innovative interventions, USAID will conduct an Impact Evaluation (IE) using randomized control trial (RCT) methodology. The EGRA+QIM Contractor shall collaborate closely with an independent and external IE Contractor to test this hypothesis in a RCT of representative schools before selecting interventions to scale up and allocating additional resources.

The IE Contractor shall have lead responsibility for developing, piloting and overseeing the RCT to establish a baseline, and assess the relative strength of early grade reading methods and school management practices in terms of improving reading outcomes. The findings from the IE should advance the understanding of the direct and indirect linkages among factors related to:

a) in-service teacher and school director training;

b) improved school management; and

c) increased quality instructional time; and

d) improved reading outcomes

The EGRA+QIM project allows for the comparison of a control group and two substantially different interventions. The control group of 60 schools will be randomly selected from the target provinces and will receive no project intervention but whose performance will be measured.

The first treatment group, the ―medium‖ intervention, will be comprised of 60 additional, randomly selected schools and will receive an intensive slate of training, coaching and support activities focused on improving reading instruction.

The second treatment group, the ―full‖ intervention, will be a third set of 60 schools and will receive a slate of training, coaching and support activities targeting reading instruction, and an additional slate of activities to improve school management focusing on increasing instructional time devoted to reading.

The IE Contractor shall conduct the evaluation according to the following general timeline (See Attachment J.9 for a more detailed timeframe):

Sep 2012: EGRA instrument piloted.

Jan 2013: RCT begun to collect baseline reading outcome data in initial 180 schools.

Sep 2013: First year of RCT completed to evaluate impact of interventions in 180 schools.

Sep 2014: Second year of RCT completed in original 180 schools; EGRA conducted in additional 480 schools, managed by MINED.

Sep 2015: EGRA conducted to assess delivery to additional 480 schools; EGRA evaluation managed by MINED.

Sep 2016: Final EGRA managed by MINED; Option year for Contractor.

Based on the results of the first year IE, the EGRA+QIM Contractor shall scale up the most cost-effective interventions to 480 additional schools in the 2014 academic year, and, in 2015, the project will scale up to an additional 480 schools to test the capacity of the MINED to fully manage EGRA+QIM type activities. Thus by the end of the 2015 school year, the EGRA+QIM project will have been rolled out to 1080 of the largest schools (120+480+480) in the provinces of Zambezia and Nampula, and based on these results, USAID and the MINED will identify unit costs and the number of schools for additional EGRA+QIM scale up in 2016 and beyond.

To achieve the overall objective, the following intermediate results (IRs) shall be accomplished:

Intermediate Result 1: Quality of Reading Instruction in Grades 2-3 in target schools improved.

The Contractor shall work with local institutions to improve the quality of reading instruction in target schools so that the quality of instructional time is maximized to develop solid reading skills.

Improving the quality of reading instruction requires two sub-IRs which were selected based on international early grade reading evidence and success stories such as those found in McKinsey (2010) and USAID/EGRA PLUS: Liberia (2011) as well as the USAID Education Strategy. Under IR1, the Contractor shall work with local education institutions and personnel. A key element of the objective is to ensure that work conducted to improve the quality of reading assessment and instruction is sustainable.

Sub Intermediate Result (Sub IR) 1.1: Improved in-service teacher training and coaching in reading instruction

The major focus of Sub IR1.1 shall be to provide training and technical assistance to improve the quality of early grade reading instruction with the ultimate purpose of delivering quality education services that will significantly improve reading outcomes. The Contractor shall support local education institutions to improve in-service teacher training with the specific end goal of improving reading outcomes in grades 2-3. This work will include training and coaching for in-service teachers, and support for local education institutions and personnel to institutionalize training and capacity building practices that engender and sustain change.

MINED has embarked on a promising reform agenda to improve the quality of teaching by reinforcing in-service teacher development and support. Key to improving the quality of reading instruction in Mozambique is providing teachers with training and assistance to effectively teach key reading skills to young children. The Contractor shall work with local education institutions and personnel to develop and test a school-cluster-based continuous in-service teacher training model focused on child-centered early grade reading instruction.

Initial training shall be reinforced by regular coaching to strengthen teachers‘ ability to effectively improve reading outcomes.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

a. Collaborate with Program Stakeholders - Consult and engage local education institutions and personnel to orient them to the EGRA evaluation instrument and QIM interventions to ensure ownership and eventual sustainability of activities.

b. Design, pilot, and implement Early Grade Reading and School Management

Assessment Instrument – Develop, pilot and…