SOL-660-14-000006_FinalREV_06272014.pdf

(~)~.~~~1!21 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

RFP Issue Date:

Deadline for submission of Questions:

Anticipated date of response to Questions:

Closing Date for Proposal Submission:

Closing 1'i1ne:

Places of Performance:

June 03, 2014 June 17, 2014 12:00 noon, Kinshasa- DRC Time July!, 2014 August 1, 2014 12:00 noon, Kinshasa - DRC 'fime

DRC

Subject: Request for Proposal (RFP) # SOL-660-14-000006, Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program -- ELIKIA

Dear Potential Offerer:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S Agency for International Development to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (USAJD/DRC), is seeking proposals from qualified companies and organizations interested in providing services described in the attached solicitation. The solicitation and all a1nendn1ents can be found on FedBizzOps at www.fbo.gov.

Proposals must be received electronically on or before the closing date stipulated above to provide the services and deliverables specified in the below RFP. Proposals must be sent via e-1nait attachment(s) to rsch1nidt@usaid.gov, erudge@usaid.gov , and orazafindratovo@usaid.gov by the closing date and must conforn1 to all require1nents outlined in Section L. Receipt time is when the proposal is received by the USAID internet server. !fa proposal is received on time by at !east one of the email addresses above, it \Vil! be considered timely. USA!D reserves the right to award the contract subject to availability of funds.

USAID contemplates award ofa Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) Completion type contract. The maxi1num estimated cost of the contract (costs and fee) is up to $32 million - covering a perforn1ance period of five years. Because USAID reserves the right to av,iard a contract without discussions, initial proposals should represent an Offeror's best proposal.

Any questions regarding the RFP's requirements must be sub1nitted via email to Robert P. Schmidt, Jr. at rsch1nidt@usaid.gov. Emily Rudge Revis at erudge@usaid.gov , with a copy to Ony Razafindratovo at orazafindratovo(@usaid.gov no later than .July 1, 2014, at 12:00 noon, Kinshasa- DRC ti1ne.

The issuance of this solicitation does not obligate the USA ID to award a contract, nor does it con1mit USA ID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and sub1nission of proposals. We look fon.vard to receiving and revie\ving your proposals.

s;ncJje~y,~. -\)_

1,1~ P.:5~ if Robert P. Schn1idt, Jr.

Supervisory Contracting Officer USA ID/ Democratic Republic of the Congo

Physical Address US. Agency for International Development Mobil Building N" 198Avenue lsiro Gare Centrale I Gombe I Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo

U.S. Postal Address·

USAID/DRC

Unit 31550

APO AE 09828-1550

Tel: (+243) 81 555 4430 Fax (+243) 81 555 3528 http://www.usaid.gov/cg

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 2 of 98

SOL‐660‐14‐000006

1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED ORDER RATING PAGE OF

PAGES

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

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

SEALED BID (IFB) 08/XX/2014

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 ___________________ copies for furnishing the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in Item 8, or if handcarried, in the depository located in until local time _______________________ (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 SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM I CONTRACT CLAUSES

B SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

C DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

D PACKAGING AND MARKING PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

G CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA L INSTR., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

K

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

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 __120______ 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 (%)

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 OFFER15A. 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

See Section G.8: Accounting and Appropriation Data

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

Office of the Financial Management (OFM)

USAID/DRC

Mobil Building, Avenue Isiro No. 198 Gombe, Kinshasa ‐ DRC

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 AND AWARD

SOLICITATION

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

AWARD (To be completed by Government)

2 92 N/A

X

REQ-660-14-000023

USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo Acquisition and Assistance Office (OAA) Mobil Building, Avenue Isiro No. 198, Gare Centrale Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

See Section L 1200 hours 08-01-2014

Robert P. Schmidt, Jr.; Emily Revis;

Ony Razafindratovo

+243 81 555 4430 rschmidt@usaid.gov erudge@usaid.gov orazafindratovo@usaid.gov

See Attached Table of Contents

X X

X

X X

X

X

X X

X X

X X

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 3 of 98

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1. PURPOSE

B.2. CONTRACT TYPE

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

B.4. CONTRACT LINE ITEMS

B.5. INDIRECT COSTS

B.6. CEILING ON INDIRECT COSTS

B.7. MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT

SECTION C - STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

C.1. PURPOSE

C.2. SCOPE AND MISSION

C.3. PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

C.4. BACKGROUND

A. Overview

B. The DRC Social Welfare System

C.5 PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES………………………………………………………………………………………………18

C.6 OPERATING CONSTRAINTS……………………………………………………………………..22

C.7 KEY PERSONNEL…………………………………………………. …………

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993)

D.2 BRANDING POLICY

D.3 BRANDING AND MARKING STRATEGY

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1. NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

E.2. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1. NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

F.2. 752.242-70 PERIODIC PROGRESS REPORTS (OCT 2007)

F.3. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

F.4. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

F.5. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

F.6. REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES

F.7. ANNUAL INVENTORY OF COMMODITIES

SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

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

G.2. ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE

G.3. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S AUTHORITY

G.4. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

G.5. TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID

G.6. PAYING OFFICE

G.7. INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 4 of 98

G.8. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1. NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

H.2. 752.225-70 SOURCE AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 2012)

H.3. AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

H.4. 752.7004 EMERGENCY LOCATOR INFORMATION (JUL 1997)

H.5. AIDAR 752.7005 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

DOCUMENTS (September 2013)

H.6. INSURANCE AND SERVICES

H.7. 752.228-70 MEDICAL EVACUATION (MEDEVAC) SERVICES (JULY 2007)

H.8. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

H.9. AUTHORIZED WORK WEEK

H.10. 752.7034 ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND DISCLAIMER (DEC 1991)

H.11. EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING

H.12. REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (July 2007)

H.13. USAID DISABILITY POLICY - ACQUISITION (DECEMBER 2004)

H.14. NONDISCRIMINATION (June 2012)

H.15. COMPLIANCE WITH THE TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION

REAUTHORIZATION ACT

H.16. 302.3.5.13 ACCESS TO USAID FACILITIES AND USAID’S INFORMATION SYSTEMS

(August 2013)

H.17. HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE -12

H.18. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 508 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973, AS

AMENDED

H.19. ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST

H.20. MAXIMIZING USE OF LOCAL ENTITIES

H.21. FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

(JAN 2002)

H.22. ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

H.23. GENDER CONSIDERATION

H.24. OWNERSHIP OF DATA

H.25. 302.3.4.12 GRANTS UNDER CONTRACT

H.26. SUBCONTRACTING

H.27 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APROVAL AND NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS,

AIDAR 752.7032 (JAN 1990)………………………………………………………………………...57

H.28 CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE WHISTLEBLOWER RIGHTS AND REQUIREMENT TO

INFORM EMPLOYEES OF WHISTLEBLOWER RIGHTS, FAR 52.203-17(APR 2014)…….57

H.29 CONTRACTOR’S STAFF SUPPORT, AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND LOGISTICS

ARRANGEMENTS………………………………………………………………………………….57

H.30 TRAVEL COSTS, FAR 31.205-46(b)

H.31 PRIOR APPROVALS OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICER………………………………...57

H.32 Conscience Clause Implementation (Acquisition) (February 2012)

H.33 Condoms (Acquisition) (June 2005)

H.34 Prohibition on the Promotion or Advocacy of the Legalization or Practice of Prostitution or Sex Trafficking (Acquisition) (April 2010)

H.35 Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance for 2010-2015 – [AAPD 12-01, Nov 1, 2011]

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 5 of 98

H.36 C.O. PRIOR APPROVAL OF APPROVED TEST KITS

USAID List of Approved HIV/AIDS Test Kits

H.37 CIB 92-25 – NON-EXPENDABLE AID-OWNED PROPERTY IN CONTRACTOR’S

CUSTODY

SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES

I.1. NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

I.2. 52.209-9 UPDATES OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION REGARDING

RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (FEB 2012)

I.3. 52.243-7 NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES (APR 1984)

I.4. SUBMISSION OF TRANSPORTATION DOCUMENTS FOR AUDIT (FEB 2006)

I.5. AIDAR 752.219-70 USAID MENTOR- PROTÉGÉ PROGRAM (JUL 2007)……………………68

I.6. 752.7101 VOLUNTARY POPULATION PLANNING ACTIVITIES

PART III LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J - LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

J.1. LIST OF REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS

K.1. NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

K.2. 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (JAN 2014)

K.3. INSURANCE - IMMUNITY FROM TORT LIABILITY

K.4. AGREEMENT ON, OR EXCEPTIONS TO, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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

K.6. 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (JUL 2013)

K.7. 52.215-6 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE (OCT 1997)

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

(OCT 1998)

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

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

K.11. 52.227-15 REPRESENTATION OF LIMITED RIGHTS DATA AND RESTRICTED

COMPUTER SOFTWARE (DEC 2007)

K.12. 52.230-1 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION (MAY

2012)…… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..80

K.13. 52.230-7 PROPOSAL DISCLOSURE – COST ACCOUNTING PRACTICE CHANGES

(APR 2005)

K.14. SIGNATURE

K.15. AGREEMENT ON OR EXCEPTIONS TO, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.1. NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

L.2. 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

L.3. 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

L.4. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.5. SUBMISSION/DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS

L.6. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL AND COST

PROPOSALS

A. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 6 of 98

B. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF THE COST PROPOSAL

SECTION M - EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1. GENERAL INFORMATION

M.2. TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA………………………………………………………...94

M.3 OTHER EVALUATION CRITERIA

M.4. DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE RANGE…………………………………………………………………….97

M.5. SOURCE SELECTION

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 7 of 98

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this program for Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) is to implement the activity named “Enhancing Services and Linkages for Children affected by HIV and AIDS – ELIKIA”, as described in detail in Section C, Statement of Objective.

B.2. CONTRACT TYPE

This is a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) completion type contract.

B.3. ESTIMATED COST, 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 unless authorized by the Contracting Officer pursuant to the clause of this contract entitled “Limitation of Funds” (FAR 52.232‐22). See Section I of this contract.

(c) Funds obligated hereunder are anticipated to be sufficient through [to be inserted at the time of award].

B.4. CONTRACT LINE ITEMS

The Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) budget is below:

Contract Line Item

Description TOTAL

CLIN 01 Implementation of the OVC-ELIKIA Program (Total of the following:

Program Implementation Grants Under Contract Fixed Fee

B.5. INDIRECT COSTS

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

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 8 of 98

Description Rate Base Type Period

% 1/ 1/ 1/ % 2/ 2/ 2/ % 3/ 3/ 3/

1/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

2/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

3/Base of Application:

Period:

Note: The Contractor is allowed to recover applicable indirect costs (i.e., overhead, G&A, etc.) on other direct costs (ODCs), if it is part of the Contractor’s usual accounting procedures, consistent with FAR Part 31, and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA).

B.6. CEILING ON INDIRECT COSTS

(a) Reimbursement for indirect costs must be at the lower of the negotiated final

Pre-determined rates or the following ceiling rates:

Description Rate Base Type Period

% 1/ 1/ 1/ % 2/ 2/ 2/ % 3/ 3/ 3/

1/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

2/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

3/Base of Application:

Period:

(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.

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 9 of 98

(c) This understanding must 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. MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT

CLIN 01 is considered non-severable, and is therefore a multi-year contract as defined in FAR 17.103.

Therefore, this contract is subject to the requirements of FAR 17.106.

Cancellation Dates:

Contract Year 2: xxxxxx, 2015 Contract Year 3: xxxxxx, 2016 Contract Year 4: xxxxxx, 2017 Contract Year 5: xxxxxx, 2018

Cancellation Ceiling:

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”. Therefore, the contractor is expected not to 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 for each cancellation date is (TBD at time of award).

[END OF SECTION B]

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 10 of 98

SECTION C - STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

C.1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Statement of Objectives (SOO) is to provide guidance to Offerors on development of a Performance Work Statement (PWS) that fulfills the implementation of the activity named “Enhancing Services and Linkages for Children affected by HIV and AIDS – ELIKIA.”

Through the ELIKIA activity, USAID/DRC intends to procure the services of an institutional contractor to provide technical assistance to further the development of the country’s child protection sector. USAID anticipates a total estimated cost not to exceed $32 million and a period of performance from October 2014 to September 2019.

The goal of this activity is to improve the lives of orphans and vulnerable children and their households in target PEPFAR geographic areas.

The activity purpose is to:

1. Reduce economic vulnerability of target households so that they can better provide for the essential needs of the children in their care.

2. Increase utilization of essential services among target orphans and other vulnerable children and their households.

3. Strengthen GDRC provincial and district social welfare systems.

In the following text, these objectives are described separately; however, this activity will tightly integrate systems strengthening and service delivery into its approach.

A. Programmatic Approaches

A multi-component approach with a focus on linking OVC services to clinical services in the three PEPFAR-focused provinces (Katanga, Kinshasa and Orientale) should be undertaken to address the antecedents of risk listed in the background section above. Age-segmentation and targeting based on different types of risks girls face should be utilized to mitigate AIDS impact on households as well as improving behaviors of parents and caregivers.. These include, but are not limited to the following:

Geographic Scope

This activity will align with the PEPFAR/DRC Health Zone Strategy, which focuses on health zones in Katanga, Orientale, and Kinshasa provinces. The three major USG agencies engaged in PEPFAR programming for DRC have agreed to concentrate their relevant activities in a limited number of health zones in these three provinces to leverage their respective comparative advantages, promote linkages and referrals, and strengthen a true continuum of care for priority populations. Current priority health zones are located in urban and peri-urban areas of Kinshasa, Kisangani, and Lubumbashi as well as some more rural locations in other parts of Katanga. The Contractor is not expected to work in all PEPFAR health zones but in a representative subset distributed across all three target provinces. The Contractor should plan for the preponderance of its activities to take place in urban and peri-urban contexts and adjust its interventions accordingly.

The Contractor will describe its approach and criteria for selecting health zones in which to conduct activities. It will also specify its geographic approach for activity start-up and subsequent expansion and/or scale-up. The Contractor will ground its geographic focus in an informed understanding of the HIV epidemic in DRC, which is likely to change over time. Final geographic scope and sequencing will be

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 11 of 98 finalized together with USAID and other PEPFAR implementing agencies during the first 90 days following award.

Beneficiary Targeting

The Contractor shall implement multiple identification and targeting strategies at different levels to maximize outreach and synergies with the broader continuum of care. This will include the following:

Community-Based Targeting: Participatory, community-led approaches for identifying vulnerable children (consistent with the OVC National Plan of Action) and/or vulnerable families caring for children has been a strength of past OVC programming in DRC and will continue to be an important entry point for this activity.

Facility-Based Targeting: The children of adults living with HIV, children of key populations, and children living with HIV are among the most vulnerable children who should be prioritized in this activity. The Contractor shall employ appropriate recruitment and referral strategies to identify these children through HIV-related facilities and service providers. These targeting strategies will also help the Contractor contribute to the continuum of care and broader PEPFAR outcomes, as many family strengthening interventions can provide important benefits to adults as well as their children.

Beneficiary Graduation and Exit Strategy

The sustainability of OVC care and support is a key focus of this activity, across all results and activities.

The Contractor will contribute to this objective by actively seeking to transition families and children out of activity support during the course of the activity. Regardless of the modalities envisioned for transition, the Contractor shall define clear pathways and criteria for beneficiaries to exit from activity support before the conclusion of the activity.

Family-Centered Approach for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Consistent with the updated PEPFAR guidance on OVC programming, the Contractor should situate the family as the primary unit of intervention. Globally, 95 percent of all children affected by HIV and AIDS live in families (which is consistent with data from DRC), and interventions that support entire households to provide for children’s needs are encouraged.

Gender-Sensitive and Age-Appropriate Approaches The Contractor will employ gender-sensitive approaches in designing, implementing, and monitoring all aspects of this activity.

Men have greater access and more formalized rights to a wider variety of assets than women in the DRC.

To compensate, interventions aimed at growing and protecting assets, such as cash transfers and microfinance strategies, have often targeted women and girls. While this approach may result in expanded access to resources within a limited scope, many of these efforts do not usually challenge the power structures that limit women’s and girls’ ongoing equal access to resources. Additionally, there can be unintended backlash from men and boys who may be in need of similar assistance. In some cases, notions of masculinity and femininity, particularly concerning the role of the “breadwinner,” may be challenged by an economic strengthening intervention that might empower women but simultaneously cause resentment and reprisals from men. There is evidence that, in some contexts, women’s economic

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 12 of 98 empowerment can put them at greater risk for violence1 as well as evidence that, when combined with additional interventions, it can reduce the risk of violence.2

Additionally, beyond issues of gender, the Contractor must ensure that the design, implementation, and monitoring of all child-level interventions are appropriate for the ages and development stages of participating children. Both girls and boys, regardless of age, face discrimination and violence that are exacerbated when they are living outside of family care. Within communities affected by HIV and AIDS, the girl-child often faces a disproportionate level of risk and vulnerability for exploitation, physical and sexual abuse, trafficking, HIV infection, and burden of caring for other family members.

HIV Continuum of Care

The main goals of USG health and HIV assistance to DRC, including PEPFAR, is moving towards sustainable health systems and health care services, by making the health zone network the key implementation unit and increasing program efficiencies, effectiveness, and mutual accountability.

PEPFAR supports the implementation of the national plan to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, contributing about 85 percent of the total targets set by the GDRC. Focusing on the health zone as well as facilities, PEPFAR/DRC is consolidating and building on existing activities to improve its response to the HIV epidemic. Of primary focus is refining the existing PMTCT program and building off this platform to ensure a comprehensive continuum of care. This encompasses delivery of integrated clinical and community based services; improving the linkages among prevention, care and treatment services; building institutional capacity and overall reinforcement of the national health systems that are critical to the delivery of the aforementioned services.

Child Safeguarding Policies and Procedures

The Contractor must conduct a comprehensive assessment of potential child abuse risks and must develop and/or implement appropriate measures to prevent, mitigate, and respond to child abuse by program personnel, personnel belonging to sub-Contractors and parents and/or caregivers. This should be submitted with the first annual work plan for approval by USAID.

Capacity-building approaches

Strengthening capacity of indigenous institutions involved in HIV/AIDS program implementation is a key component to achieving scale-up and results, and to ensuring long-term sustainability of PEPFAR-assisted programs. A programmatic approach of ELIKIA will be partnering with local organizations. A successful Offeror will demonstrate a plan for working with indigenous partners, including through provision of sub-grants.

C.2. SCOPE AND MISSION

The ELIKIA activity is to strengthen comprehensive care and support for orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) who are infected and affected by HIV, increasing their chances to grow up to be healthy, educated, and socially well-adjusted adults. This is closely aligned with the Government of Democratic Republic of Congo (GDRC)’s strategies and priorities to support, protect, and strengthen vulnerable children, families, and communities.

1 Ray, Sam and Lauren Heller. 2009. “Peril or Protection: The Link between Livelihoods and Gender-Based Violence in Displacement Settings.” Women’s Refugee Commission.

2 Pronyk, Paul M., James R. Hargreaves, Julia C. Kim, Linda A. Morison, Godfrey Phetla, Charlotte Watts, Joanna Busza, John D. H.

Porter. 2006. “Effect of a Structural Intervention for the Prevention of Intimate-Partner Violence and HIV in Rural South Africa: A Cluster Randomized Trial.” Lancet, 368: 1973-1983.

Request for Proposal (RFP) No. SOL-660-14-000006 Page 13 of 98

Moreover, this activity shall clearly support the PEPFAR continuum of care in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by: co-locating in priority health zones served by USAID, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Department of Defense(DOD) clinical programs; referring participating families to HIV services for which they are eligible; and receiving referrals of eligible families from clinical partners especially around prevention of mother-to-children transmission (PMTCT) and pediatric care and treatment.

The estimated cost of this procurement should not exceed $32 million over five years. The unique source of USAID funding is the PEPFAR HKID budget code with possible funds from HBHC, PDCS and HSS budget codes. The successful offeror will be required to track expenditures and results according to each funding source in providing an integrated package of high impact services in the three focus provinces.

For budgeting purposes the range of first year activities should be between $4.8-6.2 million with upcoming years receiving approximately equal funding. The PEPFAR HIV/AIDS funding is sourced through the annual Country Operational Plan (COP) under the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator in the Department of State, and conveys a separate set of budgeting and reporting requirements.

The successful offeror shall implement the ELIKIA activity in accordance with the approved PWS that the offeror proposed as a result of this Statement of Objective (SOO) that the U.S. Government prepared.

C.3. PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The contract period of performance will be five years effective upon the award date. The place of performance is the Republic Democratic of the Congo (DRC). Specifically, interventions are anticipated in Lubumbashi, Likasi and Kolwezi (Katanga), Kisangani and Bunia (Province Orientale) and Kinshasa.

The Contractor should focus on areas within these regions where maximizing added value is most efficient and focus on clusters with potential for more value addition.

NOTE: Over the life of the activity, USAID anticipates that additional geographic areas within the three provinces may be identified by USAID and/or the Contractor for assistance. The Contractor will provide full supporting analysis and justification for any additional technical components as well as the expansion of the geographic areas of operations. If this occurs, the contract will be modified to incorporate these changes.

C.4. BACKGROUND

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A. Overview

The DRC is the second largest country in Africa with the fourth largest in population (more than 70 million), over half of whom are children. About one third of the population is concentrated in urban areas.

Per capita GDP began a slow 25-year decline in 1975, due primarily to sluggish economic growth combined with high population growth. The domestic conflict beginning in the mid-1990s has taken a brutal and prolonged toll on the population, accelerating the decline in per capita GDP and devastating public infrastructure and services.

Services for the population are inadequate, yielding the poor human capital outcomes indicated by the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey: high infant mortality (92 per 1,000), high child mortality (148 per 1,000), high maternal mortality (549 per 100,000), and low net primary school attendance (74 percent in urban areas and 51 percent in rural areas). Life expectancy in the DRC is only 49 years.

Poverty is rampant and endemic in DRC. The incidence, depth, and severity of poverty are extreme, as most succinctly represented in the country’s score on the Human Development Index, which has dropped over time and ranked 186 out of 187 countries in 2012.3 A 2006 poverty assessment4 showed that 71 percent of Congolese households lived below the poverty line. A related measure of the depth of poverty calculated that the average poor Congolese household has an income 32 percent below the poverty line.

Macroeconomic data suggests that the situation has not improved much since then.

The 2007 Demographic Health Survey indicated that DRC is facing a generalized HIV epidemic with stark geographic and population differences. The majority of new HIV cases are diagnosed among people less than 24 years of age, and the epidemic has distinct geographic patterns.5 Though the overall HIV prevalence in DRC is 1.3 percent, rates are twice as high in urban compared to rural areas (1.9 percent versus 0.8 percent) and among women compared to men (1.9 versus 0.9 percent). In 2007, the GDRC conducted a Rapid Country Assessment, Analysis, and Action Planning (RAAAP) to better understand the prevalence and situation of vulnerable children. The RAAAP identified 8.2 million orphans and vulnerable children. Of these children, 930,000 were considered to be orphaned or vulnerable as a result of HIV/AIDS. Analysis also showed that 15 percent of households hosted at least one vulnerable child, with an average of 2.4 vulnerable children per household. Most of these children (84 percent) lost one parent (single orphans), and more than half of these orphans did not live with their surviving parent. In addition, there are approximately 40,000 children living in the streets without family supervision.6

B. The DRC Social Welfare System

Child Health and Nutrition

3 United Nations Development Programme. 2013. Human Development Report 2013: Human Progress in a Diverse World. New York: United

Nations Development Programme.

4 World Bank. 2007. Democratic Republic of Congo: Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy Paper and Joint IDA-IMF Staff Advisory Note.

Washington, DC: The World Bank

5 Ministry of Public Health, 2011. Enquête de serosurveillance dans les sites sentinelles auprès des femmes enceintes.

6 Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action, and National Solidarity. 2009. Rapport Synthèse du Processus RAAAP-RDC. Kinshasa:

Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action, and National Solidarity.

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Child mortality is a serious issue in DRC. Infant mortality is estimated at 112 per 1,000 live births, and under-five mortality at 170 per 1,000 live births. A report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2012 ranked DRC as the 6th most severe country for under-five mortality in the world.7

Orphans and vulnerable children have higher rates of malnutrition than other children in the DRC. For example, 30 percent of OVC are underweight compared with 24 percent of other children. Chronic malnutrition is rife throughout DRC, touching over 40 percent of Congolese children. The highest prevalence of households with poor food consumption is in Katanga and Sud Kivu. Most households with borderline food consumption are in Maniema, Katanga, Sud Kivu, Nord Kivu, and Orientale. For children, malnutrition continues to be a serious issue, as documented in successive national surveys (MICS 1995, MICS 2001, and DHS 2007), especially for children under the age of five years.

Stunting is an important indicator of chronic malnutrition. It is more prevalent among boys compared to girls (46.1 versus 41.7 percent), in rural areas compared with urban areas (48.4 versus 37.2 percent), and among children born outside the hospital compared with those born in hospitals (49.1 versus 41.8 percent). There is a clear association between stunting and socioeconomic status: highest among the poorest households (49.8 percent) and decreasing through each subsequent wealth quintile to the lowest rate among the richest households (28.7 percent).

Education

Although the DRC constitution guarantees free primary education, limited government resources and weak systems mean that the burden of financing education is still borne by parents. Many families struggle to manage the relatively high cost of education, making it difficult for some children to enroll and for many others to regularly attend school. The net enrollment rate for primary school (children aged 6-11 years) has risen from 52 percent in 1995 to 61 percent in 2007, although it still remains far below the international goal of universal access. Gender inequalities exist but are not extreme, with 63 percent of boys attending school versus 59 percent of girls. Geographic disparities are greater, with 74 percent of children in urban areas enrolled in school versus 51 percent in rural areas. Among children aged 6-9, 42 percent of girls and 39 percent of boys have never attended school. In secondary school, enrollment is estimated at 29 percent, which has remained stable since 2001. Unsurprisingly, limited education has led to high rates of illiteracy among adults; 14 percent of men and 59 percent women in DRC are functionally illiterate.8

The death of one or both parents further reduces children’s access to education. Among children aged 10- 14, 74 percent of orphans and vulnerable children regularly attend school compared to 80 percent of children whose parents are alive and healthy. This inequality is magnified when considering double orphans, where only 63 percent attend school versus 81 percent of other children.9

Child Protection

There is strong protective legislation for children in place in the DRC. In ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the GDRC obligated itself to address the full range of children’s rights. The national constitution mandates action to protect children in two articles. These are reinforced by the 2009 national Child Protection Law, which provides for wide-ranging protection. While these

7 UNICEF 2012

8 Ministry of Planning and Macro International. 2008. Enquête Démographique et de Santé, République Démocratique du Congo 2007.

Calverton, MD: Ministry of Planning and Macro International.

9 Ibid.

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Even though the law recognizes the rights of Congolese widows to inherit from their husbands, they are rarely able to exercise this right: 69 percent of women who are or were widows reported dispossession of their property, thus worsening their vulnerability and that of their children.

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has increasingly become a devastating problem across the DRC – from the epidemic of rape and sexual terror in the conflict-affected eastern provinces to violence against women and girls throughout the rest of the country. More than 17,000 cases of rape were reported in the DRC in 2009, with nearly half of the victims being girls between the age of 10 and 17. The 2007 DHS reported that nearly 75 percent of women have suffered at some point from spousal or partner abuse, whether physical, emotional or sexual. Nearly two-thirds of women reported suffering from ongoing physical violence since age 15, with married women reporting higher levels of violence than single women. Men and boys are also subjected to SGBV and often have been neglected as a vulnerable population.10

OVC Response in DRC

The Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action, and Solidarity (MINAS) leads the national OVC response. MINAS officially launched a strategy for the social protection of vulnerable groups in July 2008 with the overall objective of ensuring the fundamental rights and access of vulnerable groups to basic social services. MINAS also developed guidelines for the protection of children from broken families in 2007.

MINAS, however, has been unable to fulfill its role in protecting children. Human capacity and physical infrastructure of the ministry are very weak due to extremely limited financial and human resources.

According to a World Bank report, “in 2008, MINAS's proposed budget of $30 million for social protection was approved by the Parliament but the funds for the budget were never allocated. During the same year, the disbursed operating budget of MINAS's Studies and Planning Department (DEP) was only $50.”

Support for OVCs in DRC is dominated by informal structures and arrangements, such as money given by friends and family, assistance from churches, and community safety nets. While this provides important entry points and synergies with more formal systems, widespread poverty limits the degree and continuity of support that can be expected through informal channels. Despite strong policies and leadership from the GDRC, government capacity remains limited, formal systems of support are inadequate, and public trust in government services is weak. A variety of initiatives led by donors and NGOs have emerged in recent years, yet their scale tends to be small and fragmented in comparison to the magnitude of the needs and operational challenges in DRC.

The GDRC acted resolutely in 2009 in developing its 2010-2014 National Plan of Action for OVC11(NPA) by identifying a goal of improving the quality of the response to the needs of at least 15 percent of OVC. This NPA fits within other national initiatives (e.g., the Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategic Paper) which put forward a range of coherent interventions to improve the health and social conditions of most disadvantaged populations. The NPA outlines four main objectives:

10 USAID and U.S. Department of State. 2011. U.S. Strategy to Address Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the Democratic Government of the Congo. Washington, DC: USAID and U.S. Department of State.

11 Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action, and National Solidarity.2009. Plan d’Action National en Faveur des Orphelins et Enfants

Vulnerables Vivant en RDC: 2010-2014. Kinshasa: Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action, and National Solidarity

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1) Ensure the policy and institutional framework promotes holistic care of OVC

2) Mobilize communities and families responses to protect and care for OVC

3) Ensure easy access to basic social and welfare services

4) Mobilize financial and human resources to implement the OVC NPA

The major challenges in the current response include insufficient coordination between relevant Ministries; limited ability to scale up interventions to improve coverage; and, weak prevention response to child protection. In addition, it is difficult for the Government to use existing data to inform and implement a strategic response.

C. Donor-Funded Activities in Child Protection

UNICEF implements several initiatives to protect vulnerable children, including a large, nation-wide effort to support children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS, training for “social assistants” employed by government and NGOs to provide direct services for vulnerable children and families, and several efforts intended to strengthen national protection policies, as well as national and local child protection coordination and monitoring mechanisms.

In addition, the World Bank recently initiated a five-year, $10 million activity, in partnership with the GDRC, which will provide prevention and support services for street children primarily in Kinshasa.

Prevention activities will include community mobilization, raising community awareness, media outreach, and activities to keep children in school. Support services will include special services for street girls as well as more general services for street children, which will provide shelter, medical care, food, psychosocial support, functional literacy, vocational training, family reunification, and group housing.

Some of the activity’s public information and capacity building activities for MINAS personnel will extend to other parts of the country, as well.

A range of local and international NGOs implement activities intended to support the protection and wellbeing of children and families and prevent and respond to family separation. Many local NGOs operate with very limited resources and personnel. In Kinshasa, most are members of the REEJER12 network. Most international NGOs are members of the COPERF13 network, which seeks to coordinate activities and harmonize approaches.

D. USG investments in Child protection

The USG commitment to PEPFAR funding is confirmed for FY2013, including over $2 million in critical funding for OVC activities. Currently, PEPFAR’s primary vehicle for OVC support is through the USAID ProVIC activity, which employs a community-led approach for integrating a range of services for populations affected by HIV. Support for OVCs is the core of ProVIC’s “champion community” approach, but other key services also include prevention of mother-to-children transmission (PMTCT), care and support for people living with HIV (PLHIV), and HIV prevention among both general and key populations. ProVIC will end in 2014.

USAID/DRC also works with MINAS through our activity CapacityPlus, a social workforce capacity building program that is intended to strengthen the performance of the workforce serving OVCs through improved organizational capacity, social service workforce planning, development and performance.

CapacityPlus works with MINAS at the national level and the provincial division of social affairs (DIVAS) located in Katanga and Orientale provinces.

12 Réseau des Educateurs des Enfants et des Jeunes de la Rue 13 Collectif des Organisations Internationales pour la Protection des Enfants en Rupture Familiale sur la ville province de Kinshasa

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Additionally, USAID leads initiatives in other sectors that do not have a direct focus on OVC, but could be leveraged to contribute to their support:

Social Protection: USAID leads several multisectoral initiatives to support highly vulnerable and marginalized groups – such as children outside of family care, individuals at risk of sexual and gender-based violence, and displaced populations – that fall under the broad category of “social protection.” While many of these efforts are centered on the areas of eastern DRC most affected by ongoing conflict, and where the impact of HIV may be lower than in other parts of the country, they may be important collaborators to extend the impact of the PEPFAR OVC portfolio in geographic areas of joint interest. USAID implementing partner Save the Children is conducting a social protection program called “Appropriate Care for Children and Families” in Mbuji-Mayi and Bukavu. The goal of this five-year activity (2012-2017) is to develop and strengthen services and systems to support the protection and well-being of children and families and prevent and respond to unnecessary family separations.

Education: USAID has a large portfolio of activities to improve the quality and access to basic education in several provinces. A new program, Empowering Adolescent Girls to Lead through Education (EAGLE), focuses on improving school enrollment and education for adolescent girls in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. These efforts may be effective complementary platforms for increasing access to education for orphans and vulnerable children.

The results framework expected for this activity is laid out in graphic form below.

C.5 PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

Objective: The objective of the procurement is to provide the appropriate services and assistance to meet the activity purpose through an enhanced services and linkages for children and households affected by HIV and AIDS resulting in improved lives of OVC and their households in target PEPFAR geographic areas.

Building Blocks for Success:

The Contractor must provide evidence of the contextual, social, or individual-level factors that are associated with, and presumed to drive vulnerabilities among affected children/households , and identify the specific population/target group(s) to be addressed with the proposed intervention/program

The Contractor must develop and/or identify and describe the model/program(s) and approaches to be implemented to bolster the continuum of HIV care around prevention of mother-to children transmission and treatment platform.

The Contractor must prioritize potential interventions which are feasible, acceptable, necessary, justifiable and sustainable to diminish or eliminate causes or consequences of vulnerability.

The Contractor must provide a clear outline of where and how it intends to support its identified beneficiaries and how it will leverage and build on the work of USAID and other donors.

The Contractor is expected to implement a detailed plan, with specific activities and time frame and demonstrate how it will obtain buy in and support of key stakeholders in the respective communities and what specific activities it will carry out in each product community to ensure improved economic status and increased access to essential services for both OVC and caregivers.

A. Results

Results should be demonstrated at the process, output, and outcome levels (see Indicators in Section C.

below).

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The long-term results of this multisectoral approach will be “improved OVC’s wellbeing in targeted communities and provinces.” Proposals should include approaches to achieve outcomes most relevant to the local context of households’ vulnerability to HIV infection in DRC.

Objective 1. Reduce economic vulnerability of target households so that they can better provide for the essential needs of the children in their care

Under objective 1, the activity will support interventions that seem most appropriate and effective for families participating in these efforts to reduce the economic vulnerability of families and empower them to provide for the essential needs of the children in their care If families are identified or recruited through other points in the continuum of care (e.g., antenatal care providing PMTCT services or health facilities treating PLHIV), these family strengthening interventions can contribute directly to delaying treatment, adhering to treatment and other care regimens, reductions in loss to follow-up, and coping with prolonged illness and death. Higher nutrition, education, health, and psychosocial outcomes are expected for children in these families. In addition economic stability may contribute to HIV prevention objectives for some populations.

Building on lessons learned in previous HIV activities, best practices in similar settings elsewhere, and other applicable documents that are attached to this solicitation, the Contractor shall initiate market-driven and contextually relevant economic strengthening…