Summary_of_Qs&As_to_USAID_-Read_Liberia!_02172017.pdf

Attachment 1 Amendment 01 to Solicitation: RFP No. SOL-669-17-000004/ Read Liberia!

February 15, 2017

Read Liberia!

RFTOP No. SOL-669-17-000004

Questions and Answers to Offerors

PART B. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. On page 12, the RFP notes that the contractor will reach 57,600 1stand 2nd graders in year one, in 640 schools. Would USAID please share its specific expectations about the total number of students to be reached over the five years?

Ans: For purposes of reporting against the direct beneficiaries (counting one student once for the life of contract, and only adding the new entrants beginning year two), USAID estimates 178,200 K-II and Grade 1 and 2 students will be reached over the five years. For purposes of providing materials, such as the student workbooks, the number is estimated to be 293,400 students over the life of the contract. As per the RFP guidance, the contractor will need to confirm the actual figures with the Ministry of Education.

2. On page 12, the RFP specifies the size of the cohort in the first year – and p.13 states that the

“Contractor must start working with the first cohort of students within 30 days after the contract is awarded.” Is there flexibility on the size and constitution of the first years’ cohort?

Ans: Yes, there is flexibility to the extent that the size and constitution of the first K-II, Grade one and two total student number is an estimate and actual figures and schools will be determined through the independent baseline. USAID estimates the number of institutions will be approximately 60 K-II schools and 640 Grade 1 and 2 schools. The Read Liberia! activity does not cover all of the schools within the targeted six counties. USAID has included a five year table in the RFP that reflects these estimates.

3. On page 13 of the RFP—b. Program Requirement, the RFP indicates that the contractor must start work with the first cohort of students within 30 days after contract award. Is USAID flexible on this requirement, if the contract is not awarded in a way that will allow for best integration into the school year?

Ans: The specific delivery dates and other timelines will be confirmed at the time of the award. USAID has revised the phrase “contractor must start work with the first cohort within 30 days after contract award” to read: “…implementation of the intervention in schools will begin in the first academic semester 2017/2018.”

4. On page 14 the RFP calls for “embedding Read Liberia! Coaches and managers in target counties and districts.” Can USAID clarify if the contractor has the leeway to select target districts within the 6 target counties?

Ans: The Read Liberia! target districts will be identified by USAID.

5. On page 15, the RFP notes that USAID will contract an independent contractor to conduct the baseline EGRA. Will the same contractor conduct the endline?

Ans: USAID is responsible for contracting for all independent assessments and will inform the Read Liberia contractor at the appropriate time for purposes of collaboration and coordination.

Should offerors budget for data collection for baseline and endline?

Ans: No, the EGRA baseline and endline will be done by an independent contractor.

USAID requires that the Read Liberia! contractor collaborates with the independent contractor. The Read Liberia contractor will be expected to conduct continuous formative assessments which will be reported and feedback into the implementation for improved learning.

6. On page 18, the RFP indicates that “annually, each teacher participating in the Read Liberia!

Program must receive a minimum of 5 days per semester of face-to-face training.” Is USAID requiring that all teachers will continue to receive 10 days of training even after their first year in the program?

Ans: Yes, initial training at the beginning of the first and second semester (5 days per semester) for the first and second year. In years 3-5, refresher training will take not less than three days per semester.

7. On page 20, C.4.3.a (Sub-IR 3.1) b) calls for the contractor to: “develop standards for grades 1-4 and field test, c) complementary teacher standards, d) train all teachers on use of standards.” Does USAID expect the Contractor to “field test” the grade 3 and 4 standards and train grade 3 and 4 teachers on the use of the standards?

Ans. Yes, USAID expects the contractor to field test grades 3 and 4 for purposes of developing standards. For training in early grade reading purposes, the target is the K-II, Grade 1 and Grade 2 teachers.

8. On page 21, WCPM (fluency) is listed separately from ‘Gr 1-4 reading standards’. Can USAID confirm that Words Correct Per Minute is part of, not separate from, Grade 1-4 reading standards? Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) is not separate from the Grade 1-4 reading standards.

Ans: Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) is not separate from the Grade 1-4 reading standards.

9. On page 22, the RFP indicates that activities must ensure that: “The national ministry possesses a viable, funded plan to continue assessing early grade reading outcomes after the close of the Read Liberia! Program. Would USAID consider removing the term “funded” from this requirement?

Ans: USAID has deleted the words “viable, funded” from statement.

10. On page 27 the RFP calls for the PMEP to include the following indicator: “Percent of learners who demonstrate reading fluency and comprehension of grade level text at the end of primary school (or grade 6 whichever comes sooner) with USG assistance. Would USAID consider dropping this indicator since the only cohort of students who would reach grade 6 by the end of the project would be the 2nd graders reached in the first year, and they would not have received a full 2 years of intervention.

Ans: USAID has deleted this indicator.

11. In Section F, page 38, the RFP calls for the Deputy Chief of Party to have “eight years supporting education systems strengthening and project management.” Would USAID be willing to reduce requirement for support to education programs to four years, given the focus of the DCOP’s job description on financial and compliance support to the project?

Ans: The statement has been deleted.

12. In Section F, on pages 39-43, the RFP outlines timelines for deliverables, especially in the first year. Is USAID flexible on these timelines, given the upcoming election?

Ans: USAID is not flexible on the timeline. However, any dates that may require changing will be discussed at the time of the award. However, note that some timelines for deliverables have been modified as a result of this amendment.

13. Would USAID please clarify the due date for supplemental readers? The chart on page 41 is not clear on this.

Ans: 140 days

14. On page 44, section F.6. Workplans 6) Public-Private partnerships relationship collaboration plan and model the RFP states: “The contractor must develop a plan to build the capacity of CBOs and local organizations so that, these organizations can help community members monitor reading activities and promote better learning outcomes and the value of safe learning environments.” The rest of the RFP seems to indicate, however, that public-private partnerships building should include engaging private sector companies to support the efforts of early grade reading. Would USAID clarify which type of collaboration is intended for this component and should be included in the workplan deliverable.

Ans: As per C.4.4.c (Sub-IR 4.3) and C.4.4.d (Sub-IR 4.4) USAID requires the Read Liberia Contractor to work with both the Community Based Organizations and Public-Partners to support early grade reading. The plan in section F has been revised to reflect this requirement.

15. In Section L.6, page 104: b.1. the RFP notes that offeror must include in the proposal

“Approaches to conducting an Early Grade Reading assessment and subsequent periodic assessments”. This language is also included on page 118, section M.2.1.B. Would USAID please clarify the relationship between this EGR assessment and the baseline to be collected by an external contractor?

Ans: USAID has revised the wording under L.6 vi.(i) b.1. to read as follows:

Approaches to conducting oral reading fluency assessment as part of the continuous formative assessment which will feedback into the implementation for improved learning (see response to question #5).

16. On page 106, the RFP asks for “CVs of proposed key personnel and administrative and technical supervisor are to be included.” Would USAID please provide more detail as on the level and type of additional CVs to be included beyond those of the key personnel? For guidance to additional CVs, refer to the statement on the RFP cover letter:

Ans: The language was changed such that only CVs of key personnel are required.

17. What is the target for Kindergarten? Should offerors focus on all levels, of just the final level?

Ans: USAID target for kindergarten is K-II (refer to response under question #2 for more details on target).

18. Under C.3.7 on page 15, the RFP states “USAID/Liberia is primarily interested in measuring the degree to which the Read Liberia! program increases the proportion of students who, by the end of two grades of primary schooling, demonstrate that they can read and understand the meaning of grade level text.” On page 22, the RFP states “Indicator reporting for this result [3.4] must permit the contractor and USAID/Liberia to measure the role of the Read Liberia!

program on student results.” In order to measure the degree to which the Read Liberia!

program increases reading outcomes, a research design to measure impact that involves a counterfactual would need to be used.

Question: Is USAID requiring an impact evaluation to be done internally to the project? If so, will the baseline conducted by a separate contractor be used as the baseline for the evaluation, including both treatment and control schools?

Ans: USAID will conduct an external evaluation in addition to the independent baseline in order to inform the evaluation.

19. Under C.3.7 on page 15, the RFP states “USAID will contract with an independent contractor to conduct baseline assessment, using the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) instrument.” On page 104, the RFP states that the offeror must include “Approaches to conducting an Early Grade Reading assessment and subsequent periodic assessments.”

Question: Could USAID please clarify whether or not after the June 2017 baseline, the offeror is to conduct EGRA separately from the formative assessment data and the reading outcome data collected under Sub-IR 3.4?

Ans: As stated in the response to question #15 Approaches to conducting oral reading fluency assessment is part of the continuous formative assessment which will feedback into the implementation for improved learning (Also, see response to question #5).

Question: if the offeror is not to conduct additional EGRA data, would USAID clarify the intended data source for indicators relating to student reading outcomes?

Ans: Data collection will be influenced by the offerors’ proposed approach for achieving results. USAID expects the Read Liberia contractor to collaborate with the contractors conducting the independent assessment, the Ministry of Education, other reliable data sources to report on student reading outcomes.

20. Page 45 of the RFP describes the “Operations Research Plan” that must be included in the PMEP. Sub-IR 3.2 also describes the Research agenda.

Question: Would USAID please clarify if the Operations Research Plan and the activities under 3.2 are the same?

Ans: Yes, they are related. One is a plan with timeline and the other refers to the activities. The Plan must include the topic, timeline and activities.

21. Page 23 of the RFP mentions that Sub-IR 4.2, the contractor must “measure the impact.” The same is said of Sub-IR 4.3 on page 24.

Question: What is the impact that USAID would like measured: a) the impact for 4.2 separately from the rest of the intervention; and the impact for 4.3 separately from the rest of the intervention? b) the impact of 4.2 and 4.3 separately from the rest of the intervention?

c) the impact for 4.2 and the rest of the intervention; the impact for 4.3 and the rest of the intervention? or d) the impact for 4.2 and 4.3 and the rest of the intervention? The answer to this question determines how and where the interventions in 4.2 and 4.3 can be implemented. Refer to C.4.4.c (Sub IR 4.3) paragraph 3:

Ans: “As with the results under Section C.4.4 (Sub-IR 4.2), USAID expects the contractor to measure the impact of these activities using quasi-experimental or experimental designs and report on the impact annually to USAID/Liberia and to the early grade reading community of practice.”

22. In regards to the bullet on page 17: “Develop teachers’ guides with scripted lessons as described in the previous section for kindergarten through grade two, that explicitly cover the use of all materials provided and assist the teachers in mastering increasingly complex techniques for the instruction of reading.” Question: Would USAID please clarify if these teacher guides are expected to replace the teacher guides that are currently in use which cover the curriculum or would they be supplementary and focused on using the newly developed materials?

Ans: As stated under C.4.2.a on page 16 of the RFP, the contractor must “Work with the Ministry to develop student materials for K-II and revise grades 1 and 2 materials in years one and two of the contract. Materials will be updated as required and printed locally when possible.” This applies to teaching and learning materials.

23. Page 18 of the RFP states that “training materials for students and teachers must be scientifically tested and validated.” Question: Would USAID please clarify if the training materials should be piloted prior to use or just that they must be based on evidence-based principles about how adults learn?

Ans: K-II materials will be piloted and validated by the Ministry of Education. Existing grade 1 and 2 materials will be revised as necessary and validated by the Ministry of Education. All materials must be evidence-based.

24. Page 18 of the RFP states that “Annually, each teacher participating in the Read Liberia!

program must receive a minimum of 5 days per each semester of face-to-face training on the implementation of reading and instruction”. Question: Would USAID please clarify if every teacher will receive at least 10 days of training per year for the life of the project? Refer to question #6:

Ans: See response to question 6.

And would this be expected to start in year 1 of the project even before materials are fully developed?

Ans: Yes, the training is expected to start in year 1. As per the deliverables, USAID expects the kindergarten reading materials to be ready and delivered 160 days after the award. Revised grade 1 and 2 materials (student activity books) available 120 days after award and supplemental leveled reading, flash cards etc. 140 days after award. MoE approved teachers’ guide 90 to 120 days (see Sub-Result 2.1 (a, b & c)).

25. Would USAID please clarify if the 5 days of face to face training per semester mentioned on page 18 of the RFP are also to include the refresher trainings that are mentioned or are those in addition to these days? As per response to questions #6 and #24:

Ans: See response to question 6.

26. Page 24 of the RFP states “Assist these organizations or other local groups in training parents and community members to weigh the costs and benefits of conducting household-level assessments of the learning progress of their children in reading, possibly in collaboration with groups that have prior assessment experience.” Question: Would USAID please clarify if this means that parents would conduct assessments of their children’s learning?

Ans: C.4.4.c. (Sub-IR 4.3) Bullet #4 has been deleted.

27. Would USAID please clarify if the sustainability plan is to be included as a separate section in the proposal or integrated as part of the approach to literacy and reading interventions?

Ans: USAID expects the contractor to make reference to the sustainability plan as a part of their approach to literacy and reading interventions. The plan must be included as a technical annex.

28. Would USAID please clarify whether or not the once per month coaching visits are expected to be in person or can it be a mixture of in-person and virtual coaching?

Ans: As indicated in L.6.vi. (i) b. 2 on pages 104, USAID expects a coaching visit (face to face) once a month. Virtual coaching can be used for follow-up support and as part of the activity’s innovation.

29. On page 13, the RFP states “Read Liberia! Implementation must be done in English. This contractor must start work with the first cohort of students within 30 days after the contract has been awarded.” Question: Would USAID please define “cohort”?

Ans: The Grade 2 cohort will be defined during the independent baseline.

30. Attachment J.5 includes statistics on kindergarten, but separates kindergarten I and kindergarten II. Question: Could USAID clarify which kindergarten group (I or II) the kindergarten pilot is meant to target?

Ans: USAID target is K-II (refer to response under question #2 for details).

31. The RFP refers to target counties and districts for implementation. The counties are listed on page 12; however there is no list of target districts. Question: Could USAID please provide a list of the target districts for the program?

Ans: The number of districts will be confirmed as part of the independent baseline assessment.

32. Could USAID please clarify what is meant by “letter strips” on page 16 of the RFP?

Ans: Letter strips are printable alphabet cards for use as visual aid in the classroom.

33. Could USAID provide more data on the number of classrooms per school for each grade?

Ans: The minimum is one class per grade. Once the districts and schools are identified the contractor will work with the Ministry of Education to confirm the number of classrooms in each target school.

34. The RFP notes that an independent assessment agency will conduct a baseline EGRA. Can we assume that the READ Liberia! Implementer will be the primary party responsible for the assessment in subsequent years?

Ans: No, an independent contractor will conduct the baseline and endline assessments.

USAID requires that the Read Liberia! contractor collaborates with the independent contractor. The Read Liberia contractor will be expected to conduct continuous formative assessments which will feedback into the implementation for improved learning.

35. Because there have been several EGRAs administered in Liberia, does USAID expect the

READ Liberia! contractor to use the existing instruments going forward?

Ans: Yes, EGRA is a publicly available instrument. However, contractor should take note that the EGRA baseline and endline assessments will be conducted by a contractor on behalf of USAID.

36. Have previous EGRAs been administered using Tangerine (tablet ready software) in Liberia?

Ans: Yes, Kindle Fire, loaded with the Tangerine (e-tablet software for data collection) was used to administer EGRA in Liberia.

37. The Education Sector Plan appears to call for the development of a standardized reading test in Grade 2 to be administered annually. Is this in reference to a Grade 2 EGRA (as USAID has already been implementing in country, in accordance with the USAID toolkit) or a new form of assessment?

Ans: The EGRA baseline and endline are part of the assessments that will be carried out by the independent contractor in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

38. On page 12 of the RFP, USAID presents a table with the number of target beneficiary students and schools who will be reached in year 1 of the problem. Question: Can USAID please state the total number of targeted students, schools, and teachers who need to be reached over the life of project? Question: If these year 1 targets are meant to be yearly, the statistics provided in attachment J.5 for the target counties suggest that perhaps there are not enough students in these counties to meet the targets. This is further compounded by the potential limit of the intervention to only target districts in the counties, and not the full counties. Can USAID please clarify the target in light of the descriptive statistics provided? As per the response question#1:

Ans: “USAID expects the total number of students to be reached over the five years; for purposes of reporting against the direct beneficiaries (counting only new entrants in years 2 to 5) to be 178,200 students. For purpose of providing materials, such as the student workbooks, the estimated amount of student is 293,400 students over the life of the contract. As per the RFP, the contractor will need to verify these figures on the ground with the Ministry of Education.”

39. Can USAID please clarify the requirement to field test standards and benchmarks for Grades 3 and 4 given that the scope of the contract is Grades K-2?

Ans: See response to question # 7

40. Can USAID please clarify the requirement for the senior reading director to “provide technical support and guidance to eight program staff in targeted counties,” per page 38?

Ans: The RFP has been revised to read “The Senior Reading Director will supervise the implementation of the early grade reading activities and provide technical support and guidance to the relevant staff. The phrase “…to eight (8) program staff in targeted counties” has been deleted. The Offeror must propose the detail support the Senior Reading Director will provide to achieve results.

41. Page 39 of the RFP states that “full implementation of the intervention in schools will begin in

September 2017.” Furthermore, the RFP states that the work plan is due 60 days after the award date, and the contractor must start work with the first cohort of students within 30 days after the contract is awarded. Given the requirement to revise Grade 1 and 2 materials in years one and two of the contract, per page 16, can USAID please clarify what is meant by “full implementation in schools” and “start work with cohorts within 30 days,” if revisions are still ongoing?

Ans: USAID has revised the statement to read: “… implementation of the intervention in schools will begin in the first academic semester 2017/2018.”

42. Sections: L.6.ii.a: Please provide the CVs for the Key Personnel positions stated above in compliance with the requirements stated in Section F.4.

L.6.ii.c: CVs of proposed key personnel and administrative and technical supervisors are to be included. Letters of commitment are required for all key personnel and shall be included.

Noting that all staff may not be available or needed at inception, dates that key personnel are available to start work fulltime with the project are also required.

Question: Please clarify if CVs are required for Key Personnel only.

Ans: See the response to question #16,

43. Section: C.1.4; b. Program requirement (page 13):

Question: Would USAID kindly clarify the meaning of the following statement “this contractor must start work with the first cohort of students within 30 days after the contract has been awarded,” given that under the section - Deliverables: Technical (pages 40-43) – the RFP states that “print-ready materials are not required earlier than 90 days into the program.”?

Ans: See response to question # 41

44. Section: C.4.2.b; Sub IR 2.2 (page 18):

Question: To what extent is the offeror expected to provide in-service teacher training activities working with the Rural Teaching Training Institutes?

Ans: Working with the Rural Teaching Training Institutes is not part of the RFP.

45. Section: C.4.3.c; Sub-IR 3.3 (page 21) :

Question: Can USAID please provide the existing performance standards for the kindergarten level?

Ans: K-II sub-activity is a pilot which findings will inform the Ministry of Education development of performance standards for the kindergarten level (see page 10 Section C.1.2.1)

46. Section: C.4.3.d; Sub-IR 3.4 (page 21):

Questions:

a. (1st bullet point) Would USAID kindly clarify how it defines formative assessments as compared to continuous formative assessments?

Ans: The two are the same.

a. (4th bullet point) the RFP indicates that USAID will engage an independent contractor to conduct a baseline assessment of oral reading fluency and comprehension outcomes in the target counties. The RFP also states that the Contractor will support CEOs in conducting annual testing of 2nd grade outcomes. Given these, is the Offeror to assume that the READ Liberia! implementing contractor will. USAID has rephrased the statement to read:

Ans: “Support the CEOs in conducting continuous formative assessments in the schools in their respective districts, recording and analyzing the results of those assessments, and applying the results of that analysis to the allocation of human, financial, and material resources in support of early grade reading…” Section: C.4.3.d; Sub-IR 3.4 (page 21)

47. Section: C.5.2; (page 27):

Question: Under (2), ES. 1-2, the RFP requires reporting on the “percent of learners who demonstrate reading fluency and comprehension of grade level text at the end of primary school (or grade 6, whichever comes sooner) with USG assistance.” However, the intervention is focused on learners in kindergarten, G1 and G2. Even if READ Liberia!’s duration was long enough to test the 6th graders, such an undertaking is quite expensive and complex as it requires tracking of student names. Given all the above, would USAID consider removing this indicator?

Ans: USAID has deleted the indicator.

48. Section: F.11 Annual Report, 2nd paragraph, page 48 Question: Given ongoing and emerging guidance from E3 on cost data collection processes, we respectfully request that USAID/Liberia consider modifying the paragraph and bullet points (begins “The Contractor must….” Ends “intervention areas”) on p. 48 to instead reflect the new guidance which says: “The Contractor must comply with the cost data collection and reporting parameters as defined in the guidance provided by USAID/Washington on cost data reporting.

Ans: The section has been revised to include the following USAID Required data on program cost and ingredients:

The Contractor is required to comply with the following cost data collection and reporting parameters:

a. Collecting Cost and Ingredients Data: The Contractor should set up a coding system for the project to capture the costs of different components of the intervention and clearly document what activities and other expenditure are included in each code. In collaboration with USAID, the contractor will select from the following list of categories to create cost capture codes relevant for the activity:

i. General Management and Operations,

ii. M&E and Reporting,

iii. Training,

iv. Teaching and Learning Materials,

v. Policy/Capacity Development,

vi. Private Sector Assessment/Engagement,

vii. Parents/Community Involvement,

viii. Safe Schools,

ix. Grants, Scholarships and Cash Transfers, and

x. Block Grants.

The first two categories are mandatory for all activities. Contractors must create sub-codes for development and implementation activities for categories with a substantial development component. When a cost category includes large and substantively different parts, the use of sub-codes is strongly encouraged. The USAID Cost Reporting Guidance (included as an attachment) provides a list of suggested sub-codes. An additional cost category may be created if existing categories do not capture a large proportion of expenditure. The final code structure must be informed by the evaluation design or research agenda.

b. Capturing Other Inputs: The Contractor must document and report activity-critical inputs from other sources, including donated resources such as volunteer time, in-kind equipment/ infrastructure and services, and any beneficiary/stakeholder inputs and other unpaid inputs that are often not accounted for in traditional budget. The Contractor is not responsible for monetizing these inputs, unless this information is readily available.

c. Capturing Details of the Intervention: The Contractor must document and report details of the intervention, both as outputs and the dosage at the beneficiary level.

d. Reporting Frequency: The cost data noted above should be collected on a continual basis by the Contractor to ensure that the full program costs are captured in accordance with the requirements noted above. The Contractor must deliver a summary report and supporting data in Excel format quarterly. The report should include expenditure for the reporting period, disaggregated by the following: labor (rates and units for each rate), fringe, materials procured (disaggregated by type), rent, travel, and overhead recovery. The report must indicate which expenditure was incurred by a sub-contractor. It must also include the average local currency rate for the reporting period. The entirety of activity expenditure must be captured in the report. The report must also include the list of inputs provided by the host Government, by private individuals (e.g., volunteer labor), by private companies (e.g., donations), by other donors, and inputs cost-shared by the implementer, if applicable. The list of non-USAID-funded inputs must include activity-critical ingredients only.

49. Section: C.4.3.d; Sub-IR 3.4 (page 21):

a. (1st bullet point) Would USAID kindly clarify how it defines formative assessments as compared to continuous formative assessments?

b. (4th bullet point) the RFP indicates that USAID will engage an independent contractor to conduct a baseline assessment of oral reading fluency and comprehension outcomes in the target counties. The RFP also states that the Contractor will support CEOs in conducting annual testing of 2nd grade outcomes. Given these, is the Offeror to assume that the READ Liberia! implementing contractor will be expected to collect midline and endline data for an impact evaluation?

Ans: For both questions # 49 a, and b. refer to the response to question #46.

50. Section: F.12 Technical materials and other information produced in the execution of this contract (page 49):

Question: In light of the requirements contained in the solicitation (FAR 52.227-14) and the general political complications associated with responding to the requirement during implementation, it would be helpful for the offeror to know if USAID/Liberia has:

a. Obtained an MOU or other agreement whereby the Government of Liberia acknowledges that copyright may reside with the Contractor (as per FAR 52.227-14)? If so, is USAID able to share it with offerors?

Ans: No, MOU has yet to be signed. USAID is taking this suggestion under advisement.

b. Confirmed that there is no conflict of interest between the Liberian and U.S.

governments regarding copyright ownership of the technical products developed under this contract due to policies or copyright legislation in Liberia?

Ans: To our knowledge, there is no conflict of interest regarding copy right ownership.

c. Executed any type of written statement or agreement (e.g. MOU) with the Government of Liberia that defines the overall guidelines of the Creative Commons Open License? If so, is USAID able to share it with offerors?

Ans: No, agreement has yet to be signed. USAID is taking this suggestion under advisement. If one is signed, it will be shared.

d. Determined what the copyright and licensing recommendations should be for substantial adaptations of existing content (for materials either currently copyrighted to others to which USAID has permanent access under FAR 52.227-14, or copyright materials to which USAID does not have access)?

Ans: USAID’s recommendation is to follow the guidance under FAR 52.227-14

51. There is broad agreement that Government commitment and buy into this programme is critical for success. In October 2017, Liberia is expected to conduct full general elections which might lead to a change in Government; after the kickoff of the Read Liberia!

Programme. Could USAID confirm that it has considered the eventuality of a change in Presidential and Ministerial leadership and clarify its expectations and potential for adaptability as a result of this change, particularly around Intermediate Result 1.

Ans: Refer to the response for question #12.

52. On page 69: Section H.5. (a)(1) the RFP states: “If, during contract performance, the contractor proposes salary or wages for a new individual(s) that exceeds the individual’s current salary or wage or the highest rate of annual salary or wage received during any full year of the immediately preceding three (3) years, the Cognizant Contracting Officer’s approval is required.” Would USAID consider revision to this to allow contractors to offer a reasonable increase to ensure we follow our normal hiring practices and secure the best candidates available?

Ans: No, USAID considers the review of salary increases on a case by case basis and will allow reasonable salary increases as appropriate.

53. The cover letter states: “Attachments per email must be less than 15MB and must not include zip files.”, however, Section L.5 (page 102) states: “Total email size should not exceed 5MB for ease of transmission.” Please clarify what is the limit size and maximum number of attachments per email for the submission.

Ans: Section L.5 is amended to read “Total email size should not exceed 10MB for ease of transmission.”

54. In section L.6, may we include the implementation plan in an annex, rather than the body of the proposal?

Ans: Yes, please include the implementation plan as an annex.

55. May we include the sustainability plan in an annex rather than the body of the proposal?

Ans: Yes, please include the sustainability plan as an annex.

56. May we include the organizational chart, and the personnel skills matrix in an annex rather than the body of the proposal?

Ans: Yes, please include organizational chart and the personnel skills matrix as an annex.

57. May we include the PMEL Plan in an annex, rather than the body of the proposal?

Ans: Yes, please include PMEL Plan matrix as an annex.

58. Page 106, under Section L.6. (ii)(c): “CVs of proposed key personnel and administrative and technical supervisors are to be included” and “Letters of commitment are required for all key personnel and shall be included. Noting that all staff may not be available or needed at inception, dates that key personnel are available to start work fulltime with the project are also required.” Would it be acceptable to include LOCs expressing Key Personnel availability in terms of days from award as opposed to an actual date?

Ans: Yes, this is acceptable. In addition, please note the revised language in the section L.6.

59. Section L.7 Cost (page 108) states: “All pages must be sequentially numbered.” Please clarify how USAID would like the cost submission. For example: Would USAID find it acceptable to receive the entire cost in PDF along with the complete budget file in Excel?

Ans: Page 108, under Section L.7, deleted the sentence “All pages must be sequentially numbered.”

And replaced with:

“All pages must be sequentially numbered, and each part must be separated by use of blank sheets with section titles.”

60. Section L.7 - Pages 108-115 requests cost documents such as Reps and Certs, Letters of Availability, Evidence of Responsibility, NICRA, etc. Please clarify which documents are required from all subcontractors and which are only required from Major Subcontractors.

Ans: Cost documents such as Reps, Certs, Letters of Availability, Evidence of Responsibility, NICRA, etc., are required from only major subcontractors.

61. Section L.7.2.a states: “A consolidated Level of Effort (LOE) chart, … (long-term professional, long-term non-professional, short term professional, short-term non-professional…” Please clarify what types of positions and/or grades would be considered professional and which would be considered non-professional?

Ans: Generally, higher level position requiring college degrees may be considered as professionally skilled positions. However, USAID will allow the offeror to determine which position they consider to be professional and which position they consider to be non-professional. USAID considers long-term to be a year or more while short-term is consider anything less than twelve months.

62. Section L.7.2.a Salary and Wages states: In general, salaries for locally employed staff should not exceed the most recent FSN scale for USAID/Morocco?

Ans: Section L.7.2.a “SALARY AND WAGES”, deleted the last sentence in the third paragraph “In general, salaries for locally employed staff should not exceed the most recent FSN scale for USAID/Morocco.”

And replaced with:

“In general, salaries for locally employed staff should not exceed the most recent FSN scale for USAID/Liberia.”

a. Please confirm that it should read USAID/Liberia instead.

Ans: Yes, it should read as corrected above.

b. In order to ensure compliance with AIDAR 722.170, would USAID kindly provide its local compensation plan for CCN staff?

Ans: No, this information is not to be publicly shared. However, the maximum salary level allowed under the LCP $49,345.00 per annual.

63. Would USAID allow grants under contract (GUCs) on this contract?

Ans: No, there is no grant under contract (GUC).

64. Section L.7.2.g. Subcontracts (page 113 of the RFP) states: “All costs for local organizations without NICRAs must be budgeted as direct costs.” Does the same apply for international organizations that do not have a NICRA? If not, please advise what would be required.

Ans: Yes, the same applies for international organizations that do not have a NICRA.

65. Is it acceptable to submit information regarding Past Performance on assistance awards as well as contracts?’

Ans: Yes, past performance on assistance awards is acceptable.

66. On page 12 of the RFP, there is a table that lists the target counties. The last county is listed as “Mont.” Question: Could USAID please clarify if Mont refers to Montserrado, or Grand Cape Mount?

Ans: Yes, Mont refers to Montserrado County and not Grand Cape Mount.

In fact, this abbreviation “Mont” is hereby deleted from the chart on page 12 of the RFp and replaced with Montserrado County.

67. Can USAID please confirm that Section K of the RFP is complete or provide a complete version? It appears that Section K lacks a signature page.

Ans: Under Section K.7, section K.8 “Signature” is inserted to read below:

K.8. SIGNATURE

By signature hereon, or on an offer incorporating these Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors, the offeror certifies that they are accurate, current, and complete, and that the offeror is aware of the penalty prescribed in 18 U.S.C. 1001 for making false statements in offers.

Solicitation No._________________________________

Offer/Proposal No.______________________________

Date of Offer__________________________________

Name of Offeror_______________________________

Typed Name and Title___________________________

Signature_____________________________________

Date___________

68. Can USAID please confirm that the Implementation Plan should be a separate annex, and not included in the 30 page Technical Proposal?

Ans: Please see answer to question number 54.

69. Can USAID please confirm that the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning Results, Indicators, and Data Collection table should be included as a separate annex, and not included in the 30 page Technical Proposal?

Ans. USAID confirms that the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning results, Indicators, and data collection table should be included as a separate annex and not a part of the 30 page Technical Proposal.

70. The coordination, notification, and approval requirements under Clause H.2 (Use of Information Technology Notification) are necessary when the government is soliciting and/or procuring information technology from contractors to supply the agency directly.

The contractor, under this solicitation/contract, is not required to directly supply USAID with information technology. Moreover, the contractor’s equipment used in the performance of a future awarded contract does not appear to be covered in the definition of “Information technology” as articulated in Clause H.2 and/or under AAPD 16-02. Would USAID kindly consider removing the clause from the RFP given that the clause does not appear to be operational (or operationally relevant) to the scope of performance described under this solicitation?

Ans: No, we have been advised this must be inserted

71. The proposed special provision H.3 (Cloud Computing), imposes significant new and costly record keeping protocols, many of which appear to apply regardless of whether records are or are not stored in a cloud environment. We are unclear regarding the scope of the information covered by this requirement because it is described in extraordinarily broad terms. Arguably, it could apply to all manner of documentation and communications related to the performance of a USAID project. Please provide further clarification regarding what exactly is considered “government data” and “government-related data” under a future awarded contract. Please also provide information about record keeping standards that are referenced but not clarified in the clause, for example, “USAID record retention policies” (See H.3. (d)(3)).We would also like to understand whether the requirements apply to field operations as well as home-office record keeping.

Ans: It applies to all work performed and records produced in support of this award.

72. The cover letter states that attachments per email must be less than 15MB; however, page 102 states that total email size should not exceed 5MB. Can USAID please clarify the maximum email size?

Ans: Please see answer to question number 53.

a. Following this, can USAID please confirm that the technical and/or cost proposals may be split into multiple documents, should their original size exceed the maximum MB email size? Section L.5 currently states that “Each technical and each cost proposal must be submitted as a single email attachment.”

Ans: USAID confirms that each technical and each cost proposal must be submitted separately and should not exceed 10MB per each submission.

All annexes should be submitted as a single email attachment.

73. Section B.5 of the RFP states, “Indirect costs shall not be allowed for organizations that do not have a NICRA. All costs for organizations without a NICRA shall be budgeted and billed as direct costs.” Additionally, Section L.7(2)(g) specifies that “all costs for local organizations without NICRAs must be budgeted as direct costs.” We request that USAID provide offerors with the flexibility of entering into Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) or Time and Materials (T&M) type subcontracts with organizations that do not have NICRAs when the following conditions are met:

o An organization can provide evidence that it has an accounting system capable of administering a CPFF or T&M type subcontract;

o An organization is committed to undergoing annual audits of their indirect cost rates in accordance with the cost principles of FAR Part 31;

o The prime contractor has the appropriate subcontract management systems in place to ensure a CPFF or T&M subcontract with a local organization is administered properly; and, o An organization has established indirect cost rates and the use of indirect cost rates is an integral part of their cost accounting standards.

With strong prime contractor oversight and the requirement for organizations to undergo annual audits in accordance with the cost principles of FAR Part 31, these contracting mechanisms serve as a tool to build the capacity of local organizations so they can eventually have the financial and administrative capacity to receive direct funding from

USAID.

Ans: This would be acceptable after receiving specific Contracting Officer approval following submission of all referenced material.

74. AIDAR 752.7007, incorporated by reference in RFP Section H.1, states that “Direct compensation of the Contractor’s personnel will be in accordance with the Contractor’s established policies, procedures, and practices, and the cost principles applicable to this contract.” As a result, we respectfully request that :

a. USAID remove the requirement for contractor’s to comply with the FSN scale for

USAID/Morocco, per Section L.7(2), thereby allowing offerors to submit cost proposals in accordance with their established policies, procedures, and practice.

Ans: No, but please note that the USAID/ Morocco has been changed to USAID/ Liberia.

b. USAID revise the annual salary increase percentage, per section H.5(c) to state “to be determined,” thereby allowing offerors to submit cost proposals in accordance with their established policies, procedures, and practice.

Ans: No, USAID will not change.

c. USAID remove the requirement for contractors to establish and certify a pay scale of which proposed salaries and wages should be based on, per section L.7(2)(a), thereby allowing offerors to compensate staff in accordance with their established policies, procedures, and practice.

Ans: No

75. Can USAID please provide the current local compensation plan for Liberia?

Ans: No, this information is not presently available to be shared publically.

76. Sections: B.5: Page 7 of the RFP states “Indirect costs shall not be allowed for organizations that do not have a NICRA. All costs for organizations without a NICRA shall be budgeted and billed as direct costs.”

L.7.2.g: Page 113 of the RFP states “All costs for local organizations without NICRAs must be budgeted as direct costs.”

L.7.2.i: Page 114 of the RFP states “If the Offeror or major subcontractor does not have a cognizant Government Audit Agency, the proposal must include:

• Audited balance sheets and profit and loss statements for the last two complete years, and the current year-to-date statements (or such lesser period of time if the Offeror is a newly-formed organization). The profit and loss statements should include detail of the total cost of goods and services sold, including a listing of the various indirect administrative costs, and be supplemented by information on the prime contractor’s customary indirect cost allocation method, together with supporting computations of the basis for the indirect cost rate(s) proposed; and

• The most recent two fiscal year pool and base cost compositions along with derived rates, the bases of allocation of these rates and an independent certified audit by a certified accounting firm of these rates.”

Question: Please clarify whether organizations that do not have an approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) are able to budget and bill indirect cost rates if the appropriate level of supporting documentation is provided in accordance with L.7.2.i

INDIRECT COSTS (OVERHEAD, G&A AND MATERIAL OVERHEAD).

Ans: See response to Question #73.

77. Question: The small business subcontracting plan FAR clause 52.219-9 is listed in Section I but Section L does not require the submission of such plan. In reference to USAID PEB # 2014-05, does the Contracting Officer reasonably anticipate that significant direct charges are likely to be incurred outside the United States and, if so, is the Contracting Officer not requiring a Small Business Subcontracting Plan for the subject solicitation?

Ans: Yes, one is not required

78. Section: H.5 Additional requirements for personnel compensation, (c) annual salary increases, (1) US staff (including expats) (page 70):

Question: We respectfully request that USAID consider a 5% annual salary increase for US staff, as 5% is standard practice.

Ans: No.

79. Section: L.6 Instructions for the preparation of the technical proposal, pages 102-107

a. Given the technical proposal’s page limitations, can the offeror submit the following elements of the proposal in annexes:

i. The illustrative Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) Plan?

ii. The workplan?

iii. The sustainability plan?

iv. The skills matrix?

Ans: All the above documents should be submitted as an annex to proposal given the technical proposal’s page limit in one attachment.

b. Can offerors provide additional Annexes not requested in the RFP?

Ans: No.

General Statement: Changes were made to the RFP documents making specific references to the questions. Other changes were made as a result of discussion between the USAID Education and OAA arising from the questions received.