071323 USAID Salam RFP Revisions.pdf

RFP Issuance Date: June 16, 2023 Receipt of Questions: June 30, 2023 Responses to Questions: July 13, 2023 RFP Closing Date: July 31, 2023 RFP Closing Time: 5 p.m., Bamako, Mali (West Africa) local time

Subject: Request for Proposals Number 72068823R00007, USAID Salam

To All Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Mali, is seeking proposals from qualified organizations interested in providing services described in the attached solicitation.

This procurement is being conducted through full and open competition, for which the procedures for "contracting by negotiation, trade-off process” method of procurement, as described in Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), will apply.

Proposals will be accepted from Malian and non-Malian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private, for-profit and non-profit organizations, including universities, research organizations, professional associations, and relevant special interest associations. Faith-based and community organizations are also eligible for the award. In support of USAID’s interest in expanding the number and sustainability of development partners, USAID encourages proposals from potential new partners.

USAID encourages the participation to the maximum extent possible of small business concerns, small, disadvantaged business concerns, and women-owned small business concerns in this activity as the prime contractor or as subcontractors in accordance with Part 19 of the FAR.

The authorized geographic code for procurement of goods and services under this contract is 935.

USAID plans to award a cost-plus-fixed-fee completion type contract. The maximum amount of the contract (costs and fee) is $15 million, covering an estimated five-year period of performance. However, offerors should not necessarily strive to equal this amount. Cost-effective approaches to achieving the results are encouraged, and lower-cost offers will be rewarded under Section M of this solicitation. Offerors must propose costs that they believe are realistic and reasonable for the work. Cost proposals will be evaluated as part of the best value procedure in determining the contract award.

Receipt of this solicitation through the internet must be confirmed by written notification to Office of Acquisition & Assistance at email address bamakoaao@usaid.gov. It is the responsibility of the recipient of this solicitation document to ensure that it has been received in its entirety, including subsequent solicitation amendments, if any, and USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.

Issuance of this solicitation and the submittal of a proposal do not constitute a commitment on the part of the U.S.

Government nor USAID to make an award, neither does it constitute an obligation for any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Award will be subject to funds availability following the proper completion of required USAID internal processes.

Further, the U.S. Government reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received. To this end, this RFP is being issued and consists of this cover letter and the text of the attached request for proposals (RFP). All offerors are cautioned to carefully review this cover letter and the contents of the RFP. The details associated with the submission requirements for offerors’ proposals are outlined in Section L of this solicitation. Proposals must be mailto:bamakoaao@usaid.gov signed by an official who is authorized to bind the organization and are to be submitted to USAID no later than the closing date stated above, to the place designated in RFP, Section L for receipt of proposals. The proposal, and any modifications submitted after the initial proposal, shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided in Section L. If the proposal is received after the deadline or if it is incomplete, it may not be accepted or otherwise considered unless authorized by the contracting officer. Late proposals will be handled in accordance with FAR

15.208. Facsimile submissions are not authorized and will not be accepted as valid.

The preferred method of proposal submission will be electronic. See Section L. of the solicitation for instructions.

Offerors are instructed to pay careful attention to Section K - Representations, Certifications and Acknowledgements of the accompanying Request for Proposals. Offerors are now expected to comply with FAR clause 52.204-7, Central Contractor Registration, and complete the annual representations and certifications electronically via the Online Representations and Certifications Application website at https://federalcontractorregistry.com or https://sam.gov.

Offerors are strongly encouraged to submit any comments or questions concerning this RFP by no later than June 30, 2023. These should be directed by email to bamakoaao@usaid.gov.

The required closing date and time for receipt of proposals is USAID/Mali 5 p.m. Bamako local time on July 31, 2023, as mentioned above on the first page. Point of required receipt is USAID/Mali (West Africa) and not any other location. Offerors should take account of the expected delivery time required by the proposal transmission and are responsible to ensure that proposals are received at USAID/Mali by the due date and time specified above.

Oral explanations or instructions given before the award of the contract will not be binding. Furthermore, the U.S.

Government reserves the right to reject any and all offers, if such action is considered to be in the best interest of the U.S. Government. Award of a contract under this RFP is subject to availability of funds and other internal USAID/Mali approvals.

Thank you for your interest in working with USAID/Mali.

Sincerely, Aaron Ruble Contracting Officer

U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) ACI 2000 Tel: (223) 2070-23-00 Bamako Place - AAO Rue 243 Porte 297 Fax: (223) 2022-39-33 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue P.O. Box 34 Bamako, Mali http://mali.usaid.gov Washington, D.C. 20523-2050 https://federalcontractorregistry.com https://sam.gov http://mali.usaid.gov

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SF33 – SOLICITATION, OFFER AND

AWARD……………………………………….………………………………………………………………. 1

PART I - THE SCHEDULE 8

SECTION B - SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS 8

B.1 PURPOSE 8

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND CONTRACT SERVICES 8

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, FIXED FEE, AND OBLIGATED AMOUNT 8

B.4 CONTRACT BUDGET AND CEILINGS 8

B.5 BUDGET 8

B.6 INDIRECT COSTS 9

B.7 ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING ON CEILING INDIRECT COST RATES AND FINAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR INDIRECT

COSTS 9

B.8 REIMBURSABLE COSTS 9

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK 10

C.1. INTRODUCTION 10

C.2. BACKGROUND 10

C.3. GUIDING PRINCIPLES 11

C.4. ACTIVITIES BY INTERMEDIATE RESULTS 13

C.5. GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE, SELECTION OF VILLAGES, AND ASSIGNMENT OF VILLAGES TO TREATMENT 16

C.6. PILOT PHASE 16

C.7. Randomized Control Trial (RCT) Impact evaluation 17

C.8. MANAGEMENT APPROACH 18

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING 21

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (January 1993) 21

D.2 BRANDING AND MARKING STRATEGY 21

D.3 BRANDING IMPLEMENTATION AND MARKING PLAN 22

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 23

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 23

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE 23

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE 24

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 24

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE 24

F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE 24

F.4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS 24

F.5 FAR 52.217-8, OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999) 24

F.6 KEY PERSONNEL 24

F.7 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES 25

F.8 AUTHORIZED WORK WEEK AND DAY 30

F.9 AIDAR 752.7005 – SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTS (SEP 2013)

SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA 32

G.1 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE 32

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) 32

G.3 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID 32

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G.4 752.7003 DOCUMENTATION FOR PAYMENT (NOV 1998) 33

G.5 PAYING OFFICE 34

G.6 INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS 34

SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS 36

H.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 36

H.2 SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT 36

H.3 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE 36

H.4 INSURANCE AND SERVICES 36

H.5 AIDAR 752.7007 PERSONNEL COMPENSATION (JULY 2007) 37

H.6 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES (JAN 2002) 37

H.7 AIDAR 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL AND NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (APR 2014) 37

H.8 BUSINESS CLASS TRAVEL 37

H.9 EMPLOYMENT COSTS OF THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS AND COOPERATING COUNTRY NATIONALS 37

H.10 GENDER 38

H.11 USAID DISABILITY POLICY - ACQUISITION (DECEMBER 2004) 38

H.12 HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE-12 (HSPD-12) (OCT 2006) 38

H.13 VALUE ADDED TAX AND CUSTOMS DUTIES 39

H.14 AIDAR 752.231-71 SALARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR HG EMPLOYEES (OCT 1998) 39

H.15 AIDAR 752.245-71 TITLE TO AND CARE OF PROPERTY (APR 1984) 39

H.16 APPROVALS FOR NONEXPENDABLE PROPERTY PURCHASES 40

H.17 USAID-FINANCED THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES (NOV 2017) 40

H.18 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS 41

H.19 AIDAR 752.228-70 MEDICAL EVACUATION (MEDEVAC) SERVICES (JULY 2007) 41

H.20 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED FACILITIES OR PROPERTY 42

H.21 RESTRICTIONS AGAINST DISCLOSURE (MAY 2016) 42

H.22 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE 42

H.23 CLIMATE RISK MANAGEMENT (CRM) 43

H.24 CONFIDENTIALITY AND OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 43

H.25 AIDAR 752.7034 ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND DISCLAIMER (DEC 1991) 44

H.26 COMPLIANCE WITH THE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS POLICY 44

H.27 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING 44

H.28 CONSENT TO SUBCONTRACT 44

H.29 STANDARDS OF CONDUCT -- IMPROPER BUSINESS PRACTICES 44

H.30 AIDAR 752.7025 APPROVALS (APR 1984) 45

H.31 AIDAR 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL AND NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (APRIL 2014) 45

H.32 ALLOWABLE AIRFARE 45

H.33 SEXUAL MISCONDUCT (DECEMBER 2020) 45

H.34 LOGISTIC SUPPORT 46

H.35 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: EVALUATION, DEFINITE QUANTITY 46

H.36 ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS SYSTEM 46

H.37 APPROVED INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL 47

H.38 DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION 47

H.39 SUBMISSION OF DATASETS TO THE DEVELOPMENT DATA LIBRARY (DDL) (OCT 2014) 48

H.40 FAR Part 4.21 Prohibition On Contracting for Certain Covered Telecommunications And Video Surveillance

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Services or Equipment (Section 889) (JUNE 2023) 49

PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES 50

SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES 50

I.1 52.252-2 - CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 50

I.2 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 50

I.3 FAR 52.204-1 APPROVAL OF CONTRACT (DEC 1989) 53

I.4 FAR 52.229-8 TAXES - FOREIGN COST-REIMBURSEMENT CONTRACTS (MAR 1990) 53

I.5 FAR 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998) 53

I.6 NO TIKTOK ON GOVERNMENT DEVICES (PEB 23-02 APRIL 28, 2023) 54

I.7 AIDAR 752.229-71 REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (JUL 2007) 54

SECTION J – ATTACHMENTS 55

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS 56

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS 56

K.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 56

K.2 FAR 52.204-3 TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION (OCT 1998) 56

K.3 FAR 52.204-8 ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (SEP 2021) 57

K.4 FAR 52.204-26 COVERED TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT OR SERVICES-REPRESENTATION (OCT 2020)

K.5 FAR 52.209-5 CERTIFICATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (AUG 2020) 60

K.6 FAR 52.209-7 INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS (OCT 2018) 61

K.7 FAR 52.209-9 – UPDATES OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION REGARDING RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS

(OCT 2018) 62

K.8 FAR 52.230-1 - COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION (JUN 2020) 63

K.9 FAR 52.230-7 - PROPOSAL DISCLOSURE—COST ACCOUNTING PRACTICE CHANGES (APR 2005) 64

K.10 INSURANCE IMMUNITY FROM TORT LIABILITY 64

K.11 AGREEMENT ON, OR EXCEPTIONS TO, TERMS AND CONDITIONS 65

K.12 SIGNATURE 65

SECTION L - INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS 66

L.1. NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 66

L.2. FAR 52.215-16 -- Facilities Capital Cost of Money (June 2003) 66

L.3. FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006) 66

L.4. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATION 66

L.5. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS 66

L.6. DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS 67

L.7. FORMAT AND PRESENTATION 68

L.8. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL 68

L.9. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE COST/BUSINESS PROPOSAL 72

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

PLANS 76

L.11. WAIVERS UNDER FAR PART 4.2101 PROHIBITION ON COVERED TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO

SURVEILLANCE SERVICES AND EQUIPMENT (JUNE 2023) 78

[END OF SECTION L]SECTION M - EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD 78

M.1 OVERVIEW 79

M.2 CONTRACT AWARD – BEST VALUE 79

M.3 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA 79

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M.4 COST/PRICE EVALUATION 81

M.5 DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE RANGE 81

ATTACHMENTS 82

ATTACHMENT J.1 - INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION 82

ATTACHMENT J.2 - BUDGET PROPOSAL FORMAT 83

ATTACHMENT J.3 - USAID FORM 1420-17 - CONTRACTOR BIOGRAPHICAL DATA SHEET 85

ATTACHMENT J.4 – ILLUSTRATIVE LOCAL COMPENSATION PLAN 86

ATTACHMENT J.5 – DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES 87

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PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to provide technical assistance and services as described in detail in Section C, Statement of Work for the implementation of USAID Salam.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND CONTRACT SERVICES

This is a cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) completion-type contract. For the consideration set forth below, the Contractor shall achieve the performance objectives and deliverables or outputs described in Sections C and F in accordance with the performance standards specified herein.

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

(a) For the five-year contract period, the estimated cost for the performance of the work required hereunder, exclusive of fixed fee, is TBD. The fixed fee, if any, for the contract period is TBD. The total estimated cost plus fixed fee 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 of the contract period hereunder is TBD. The Contractor shall 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 TBD.

B.4 CONTRACT BUDGET AND CEILINGS

(a) The contract budget found in Section B.5, Budget, is based on the contractor’s original proposal and/or final proposal revision, which was accepted by USAID through award of this contract.

(b) Without the prior written approval of the contracting officer, the contractor may not exceed the total estimated cost set forth in the budget hereunder or the obligated amount, whichever is less.

B.5 BUDGET

The following itemized budget sets forth the estimates for reimbursement of dollar costs for individual line items of cost, and the fixed fee (if any).

Contract Period (year 1 – 5)

● Salaries

● Total Direct Costs

● Indirect Costs (includes Fringe, Overhead and G&A)

● Fixed Fee

● Total Cost-Plus Fixed Fee

Note - Individual subcontractors proposed as part of the Offer should include the same cost element breakdowns in their budget as applicable.

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B.6 INDIRECT COSTS

The contract clause entitled “Allowable Cost and Payment (Aug 2018)”, FAR 52.216-7, specifies that the indirect cost rates shall be established for each of the Contractor’s accounting periods that apply to this contract. Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, allowable indirect costs shall be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases:

Description Rate Base Type Period

1/ 1/ 1/

[To be determined]

B.7 ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING ON CEILING INDIRECT COST RATES AND FINAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR INDIRECT

COSTS

(a) Reimbursement for allowable indirect costs shall be at final negotiated rates but not in excess of the following ceiling rates:

Description Rate Base Type Period 1/ 1/ 1/

[To be determined]

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

(c) The Government shall not be obligated to pay any additional amount on account of indirect costs above the ceiling rates established in the contract.

(d) This understanding shall not change any monetary ceiling, obligation, cost limitation, or obligation established in the contract.

B.8 REIMBURSABLE COSTS

The US dollar costs allowable shall be limited to reasonable, allocable and necessary costs determined in accordance with FAR 31 (Contract Cost Principles), A-21 (Cost Principles for Educational Institutions), A-122 (Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations), FAR 52.216-7 (Allowable Cost and Payment), FAR 52.216-8 (Fixed Fee), if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003 (Documentation for Payment), in order to be reimbursable under this contract.

B.9 FEE SCHEDULE

Pursuant to FAR 52.216-8, the fixed fee payable under this contract is tied to the completion of the activities and tasks identified in Section C. the Contracting Officer reserves the right to withhold up to 15% of the total fixed fee or $100,000, whichever is less, to protect the Government’s interest.

Activities and Tasks Due Date Proposed Percentage of Fee Intermediate Result 1

TBD Activities Intermediate Result 1

Note: This table is an illustrative table. Offerors are requested to propose a fee payment schedule. A final fee payment schedule will be negotiated with the Contractor prior to award.

[END OF SECTION B]

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SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1. INTRODUCTION

The goal of USAID Salam is to improve the social cohesion in conflict affected areas in central Mali. Throughout this Activity, USAID/Mali hypothesizes that, “if communities participate in conflict prevention and resolution programming; OR if basic needs for vulnerable households are addressed through unconditional cash transfers; OR if communities receive both of these lines of programming (conflict resolution AND unconditional cash transfers);

then communities will be more empowered to prevent or resolve conflicts in the future, and fewer conflicts will, in fact, occur”.

USAID Salam has two intermediate results: (1) empowered communities to prevent and resolve conflicts, and (2) households’ capacity increased to address their urgent needs.

C.2. BACKGROUND

Conflicts are common in settings such as Mopti and Ségou when animals destroy crops or graze on private property and precious agriculture, or when farmers disagree on the boundaries of plots. The objective of the USAID Salam is to help prevent the escalation of such disputes into broader-reaching or more violent conflict.

Existing institutional and legal structures (traditional and formal) may be sufficient to handle the dispute in some cases, but satisfactory settlements are often not found, or not enforced. This may occur due to insufficient broadcasting of the rules to all residents and/or the inability to apply sanctions as determined by the agreement – particularly where the (formal) judicial system is not involved. These problems are most acute in areas where customary law governs private property, and where individuals own land informally. Where satisfactory solutions are not found (or enforced), disputes may escalate through a number of overlapping channels. First, the original parties to the dispute may engage in retributive actions, setting off a cycle of disagreement, aggression, and even violence that becomes more difficult to end. Second, wider groups – based on family, ethnicity, or other affiliations

– can become enmeshed in these disputes. These groups have preconceived beliefs about the other group, its history of transgressions, the intentions behind the event in question, the other group’s likelihood of seeking retribution, or ability to commit to a bargain, etc. These perceptions influence how participants engage with mediation processes and shape the defensive or offensive measures that group members may take in response to the perceived provocation. Even when such responses are defensive, they may be interpreted as a provocation, leading to escalation.

Through USAID Salam, USAID/Mali aims to reduce the frequency and severity of dispute escalations. While only a small minority of disputes lead to violence1, the number of fatalities due to farmer-herder disputes alone has increased significantly since 2015, with 700 such fatalities documented in Mali since 20202. Unresolved disputes affect how future disputes are understood and can become woven into narratives regarding past grievances, political conflict, and even the role of extremist groups in the wider armed conflict. Moreover, even non-violent disputes pose a serious threat to intergroup relations and broader social cohesion.

C.2.1. Other USAID/Mali Programming for Peacebuilding

The Peace, Democracy and Governance team supports USAID Mali’s strategy, as Mali’s resilience to conflict is integral to its development and prosperity. USAID/Mali currently has three awards for peacebuilding activities: two direct awards through the New Partnership Initiative (NPI) funding with two local organizations and a five-year Contract with an International Organization with all covering the central and north regions of Mali.

2 Based on the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). For more on these types of conflicts in recent years, see https://africacenter.org/publication/growing-complexity-farmer-herder-conflict-west-central-africa/

1 2022 survey of village leaders in select communes in Mopti and Ségou, roughly 11% of chief of villages respondents reported disputes that escalated to violence ( Annex B) https://africacenter.org/publication/growing-complexity-farmer-herder-conflict-west-central-africa/

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The first one is with Institut Malien de Recherche Action pour la Paix (IMRAP), a local Malian organization with a sub-award with Accountability Lab Mali (AL). IMRAP has been working to identify the root causes of the lack of trust between the governors and the governed in the circles of Djenné, Mopti, Gao, Ménaka, and Ansongo. The program aims to re-create and strengthen bonds of trust between the population and representatives of the State on the one hand, and on the other hand to improve social cohesion in regions of the country where the legitimacy of the State has weakened due to its absence and the limitation of access to areas due to insecurity caused by the presence of armed groups using violence as a mode of action.

The second one, implemented by World Education Inc. with a sub-award with Aide à l’Enfant du Désert et du Sahel (AEDS) covers nine (09) municipalities in the regions of Gao, Ménaka and Kidal. This Program aims to empower local organizations to address issues that are not being adequately addressed and to respond directly to the needs of conflict-affected communities.

The third and last one, the USAID/Mali Peacebuilding, Stabilization, and Reconciliation (PSR) is a five-year contract that started in 2018 and has been implemented by Creative Associates International Inc. It covers the center and the northern regions of Mali. The purpose of the PSR award is to improve prospects for long-term peace, security, and reconciliation by building trust between conflict-affected communities and their governments; strengthening the ability of communities to mitigate and manage conflict; prioritizing and implementing community-led action around their most pressing development needs; training and empowering marginalized youth as change agents.

USAID/Mali is currently conducting a final evaluation of PSR. Findings and recommendations from the evaluation will be shared with the selected Contractor when the report becomes publicly available.

USAID/Mali will incorporate lessons learned and successful approaches implemented by PSR and New Partnership Initiative funded activities into the USAID Salam.

C.2.2. USAID Salam and USAID/Mali CDCS

USAID Salam will contribute directly to the achievement of USAID/Mali’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy’s first Development Objective (DO): Improved governance for stronger democratic institutions. Specifically, the Activity will contribute to Intermediate Result (IR) 1.2: Strengthened communities’ human security through conflict prevention and resolution. It will also contribute to the Special Objective (SpO): Improved outcomes across the humanitarian, development, and peace nexus to save lives and increase resiliency. Through a joint analysis and coordination across humanitarian and development efforts (both USAID’s and other donor funded programs operating in these areas), USAID Salam will contribute to IR 3.1: Coordination and collaboration between internal and external resilience, humanitarian, development and peacebuilding actors increased. Furthermore, this Activity will also support IR 3.3: Ability to maintain and improve resilience capacities in the face of shocks and stresses increased.

C.3. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

In order to achieve the USAID Salam goal, the offeror must plan for and implement using the following principles:

C.3.1. Adaptability and Flexibility:

The ability to respond to the changing security situation will be critical for this Activity. Offerors must clearly show how implementation will adapt as operating environments become less or more permissive. Given the nature of the USAID Salam and the fluid security situation in target geographic areas and communities, the offeror will create flexible, agile mechanisms for adaptive management, correction, and response to ensure continuity of operations, implementation, achievement of results, and “Do No Harm” (DNH) principles. The offeror must demonstrate the ability to respond in a timely, safe, technically-sound, and cost-efficient manner.

C.3.2. Conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm:

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To ensure all forms of citizen engagement are safe, productive, and do not exacerbate existing tensions or conflict, conflict sensitivity will be mainstreamed into all program activities. The offeror’s approach must demonstrate a conflict-sensitive approach that goes beyond “Do No Harm” in anticipating and mitigating risk and spoilers and assessing triggers, trends, and windows for atrocity risk, while maximizing and reinforcing peace. The approach must include a robust “Do No Harm” analysis that demonstrates an understanding of the nuanced context of the conflict in each proposed targeted area and thoughtful consideration of any risks associated with the proposed assistance program, and participatory processes that challenge participants to do their own analysis and apply problem-solving skills to their situation. Conflict-sensitivity, atrocity risk assessment, and “Do No Harm” must be reflected in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan and ongoing analyses must be incorporated to inform how interventions will adapt to the changing context.

C.3.3. Gender:

The offeror must explicitly discuss the separate and distinct experiences of men and women, boys and girls, adolescents and youth, as they relate to conflict, violence, and violent extremism, and identify barriers to full and meaningful participation in peacebuilding, access to justice, protection, resources, and influence over decisions that affect their lives. Such approaches must be carefully tailored to facilitate constructive, inclusive dialogue and mitigate potential backlash and harm to participants. The offeror must differentiate the various roles, vulnerabilities, and contributions of women, men, and young people as it relates to program objectives and interventions. In line with UN Security Resolution (UNSR) 1325, the U.S. Government National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) the approach must promote the substantive participation, influence, and leadership of women and girls, including those with disabilities, in peace processes and decision-making, protection from violence, conflict prevention, and equitable and safe access to relief and recovery.

C.3.4. Empowerment and Inclusion:

In addition to prioritizing youth and women, the offeror must mainstream empowerment and inclusion of other marginalized populations including but not limited to people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, former combatants, child soldiers, returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as victims of other human rights violations including forced marriage, slavery and trafficking in persons. Initiatives designed to expose participants to inclusive, democratic, participatory processes and decision-making will ensure their interests are represented, increase their sense of agency, improve their ability to influence policy and distribution of resources, increase equitable access to justice, protection, and peace dividends, while breaking down barriers to inclusion and acceptance in their communities.

The offeror must use its convening power as an USAID partner to create the space, opportunity, and culture for constructive dialogue between and among citizens and government, rather than conducting efforts on their behalf.

Inclusion of people with disabilities (PWDs) in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconciliation is essential to ensure incorporation of their unique needs, avoid harmful distinctions between those with pre-existing and conflict-related disabilities and thus disparities in access to peace dividends, and further political alienation when expectations are not met. Like women and youth, PWDs have a positive role to play in highlighting structural violence and exclusion, proposing innovative solutions, and ensuring equitable and fair allocation of post-conflict resources and service provision.

C.3.5. Layered, Integrated, and Sequenced Assistance:

Layering involves explicit and proactive coordination between humanitarian and development programs or coordination between development programs working in different sectors, to simultaneously address different facets of the shocks that stress community resilience and coping mechanisms. Integrated programs combine interventions from different sectors within a single program and coordinate them in ways that provide holistic interventions to complex problems.

Finally, proactive sequencing of humanitarian and development assistance must be used, when possible, to ensure that gains made from humanitarian interventions are consolidated during reconciliation and stabilization

USAID Salam Page 13 of 86 interventions transitioning to development. The offeror is expected to maximize gains leveraged from current USAID programming, where opportunities for technical synergies exist for all activities and especially for cash transfer.

C.4. ACTIVITIES BY INTERMEDIATE RESULTS

The intended outcome of the USAID Salam is that activities in support of the two intermediate results combine to catalyze significant change in social cohesion for communities living in central Mali regions. Therefore, the Activity will reach the following results:

C.4.1. Intermediate Result 1: Empowered Communities to Prevent and Resolve Conflicts.

Communities in central Mali have different mechanisms for preventing and managing conflicts. These traditional or modern mechanisms are essential tools for improving or maintaining social cohesion. Despite their importance, these local mechanisms are facing several challenges: the security situation, lack of trust between communities, the absence of state actors, and the presence of violent extremist groups. These different factors reduce the efficiency of different mechanisms. Note that conflict arises for many different reasons. The village leaders reported that disputes occurred over access and control of grazing areas (74%), land access rights (45%), and family conflicts (23%). This was followed by conflicts between neighbors (10%), and chieftaincy conflict (5%), with only a few (2% or fewer) reporting any additional types of disputes beyond these. When interviewing multiple leaders per village, the resulting numbers are similar.. For sustainable peace, it is crucial to emphasize the involvement of youth and women in conflict prevention and resolution in the intended communities.

Under USAID Salam’s Intermediate Result 1, the offeror should propose in each selected commune delivery of direct assistance to improve the capacity of local mechanisms for conflict mediation. The offeror should propose to conduct training and capacity building sessions to increase community leadership in conflict prevention and resolution. To improve inclusion of local mechanisms for mediations, the offeror should propose to implement activities that will improve prospects for long-term peace, security, and resilience by strengthening the role and voice of women and youth in conflict resolution. The offeror should propose to empower women and youth leaders to understand the potential drivers of conflict in their community and to provide them skills and information to address grievances. To track the efficiency of local mechanisms, the offeror, in collaboration with the community leaders, should propose to develop and implement a simplified monitoring system for the local conflict mediation institution.

A. Sub-Intermediate Result 1.1: Capacity of Local Resolution Mechanism Improved to Prevent and Resolve Conflicts.

The offeror should focus on two broad loci for intervention: (i) institutional approaches to mediation, in concert with existing mechanisms and legal structures; and (ii) working with communities to improve trust, “reduce tensions,” or otherwise alter responses to these disputes at the social level, as this influences the risk of escalation and how these groups approach dispute resolution options. In each selected commune, the offeror should propose to seek opportunities to strengthen local institutions for mediation. The offeror should identify the weaknesses and strengths of the local mechanisms in each community and develop an action plan to address the weaknesses.

According to the leader survey conducted by USAID/Mali, the existing dispute resolution mechanism seems to revolve around dialogue sessions facilitated by mediators and supervised by the village leader and other notables.

The offeror should conduct capacity training and mentoring on mediation, alternate dispute resolution and local reconciliation for village leaders and community mediators. The offeror should propose to work closely with the community leader to develop monitoring tools to evaluate the efficiency and inclusivity of the local mechanisms in conflict prevention and resolution. To improve community trust between communities, the offeror should conduct a community dialogue forum. The forum will be an opportunity to bring together the groups that are most likely to sit opposite each other in featured disputes and have them discuss the origins of past grievances, attempt to improve positive feelings and trust between them, and ask them to plan what to do in the case of future disputes.

The successful offeror is required to:

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● Strengthen Existing Institutions for Mediation: Data from the village leader survey suggest that existing dispute resolution mechanisms seem to revolve around dialogue sessions facilitated by mediators, and supervised by the village leader, the leaders’ advisors, and other notables. This activity would address situations where a non-violent resolution of disputes is possible but requires discussion and the help of an authoritative institution to locate and enforce. The offeror should propose to improve local institutions' (formal and informal) capacity in mediation and alternative dispute resolution mechanism. The offeror should propose to assist the existing conflict resolution mechanisms to communicate both the “standing rules” and the settlement decisions made to the general populace.

● Support the Village Peace Officers: The offeror should propose to train and engage a trusted local actor (Village Peace Officer) in each village who can (i) serve as a trained mediator; and (ii) facilitate the development of other interventions or strategies that they or their communities deem appropriate. The offeror should propose to support the Village Peace Officer to develop approaches to conflict management and prevention. The Peace Officers across villages could also meet on occasion to share lessons. The offeror should work with the Village Peace Officers to facilitate a line of communication between community leaders in order to quickly dispel rumors and prevent disputes.

● Identify and Support the Early Warning System in the Communities: Similarly, the offeror should propose to address cases where actions are interpreted as more provocative than intended, or misinformation fuels escalation by identifying and supporting the Early Warning System. This system will provide a way for both village residents to engage with the authorities (such as the village leader) through regular communication, updates on security and current events within the community, and grievances that community members are voicing. The offeror should set up this communication system for the village residents to use, ensuring that residents understand how to use it, and that leaders are prepared to respond to these calls by providing information on rising tensions within the community, dispelling rumors of local violence, or initiating mediation.

● Conduct Community-Wide Dispute-Management Training: In order to enhance intercommunal trust in the same sense as the prior intervention, as well as aid in building institutional support for conflict resolution, the offeror, through the Village Peace Officer, should conduct community-wide dispute-management training to men, women and youth residents. The Peace Officer in charge must provide a variety of sessions and topics to include (but not limited to) (i) an introduction to any new institutional devices or mechanisms (such as those listed above); (ii) discussing past disputes, what could have been done better, planning responses to future disputes/ seeking ideas for how to better handle disputes; (iii) “drills” or exercises/simulations, of future disputes and how they could best be responded to. The training must engage potentially conflictual groups, having them consider past and future disputes and how they could have been prevented or resolved. The Peace Officer in charge will document attendees, themes of training, topics discussed and follow-on training (if appropriate) to show the variety of topics covered and proof of diversity in attendance.

● Conduct a Community Dialogue Forum: This activity will contribute to improve trust between communities. After identification of communities in conflicts or tension, the offeror should facilitate a community dialogue forum. The forum would involve bringing together the groups that are most likely to sit opposite each other in feature disputes, and have them discuss the origins of past grievances, attempt to improve positive feelings and trust between them, ask them to plan what to do in the case of future disputes, have their children play together, achieve superordinate goals together, or other activities designed to erode negative stereotypes and build trust. The offeror should document the forum resolutions and provide support to the community leaders to implement any activities.

● Support Communities Action Plan to Address Drivers of Conflict: Based on the resolution of the Community Dialogue Forum, the offeror in collaboration with the local government should propose to work with the different communities’ leaders to identify and implement specific projects that directly address the drivers of conflict.

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B. Sub-Intermediate Result 1.2: Women and Youth Involvement in Conflict Prevention and Resolution Increased

In line with sub-intermediate result 1.1, it is important to emphasize the involvement of youth and women in conflict prevention and resolution in the intended communities. Time and again research has shown that the involvement of various subgroups within the community, specifically the support of women and youth, contributes to the sustainability of the program. Social cohesion in conflict-prone areas is increased through the inclusion of these sub-groups of the community, who, through their varied opinions and strategies, create a more diverse, inclusive space that targets specific challenges faced by women, youth and other minorities. The Offeror must assist the local mechanism to identify leaders amongst women and youth in each community who are willing to take on a guiding role in this program. The offeror should propose to involve in the programming a predetermined percentage-based quota of women and youth leaders in each community. Once these leaders have been identified, the offeror should develop an action plan to address specific weaknesses, working together with the larger cadre of identified actors working on this mechanism to streamline work efforts for efficiency, wider reach, and inclusivity.

C.4.2. Intermediate Result 2: Households Capacity Increased to Address Their Urgent Needs.

The economic insecurity for households in conflict affected areas affect the social cohesion. By providing unconditional cash transfers to address urgent needs that may reduce mistrust between communities and, when provided alongside the dispute prevention and resolution programming, increase the effectiveness of that programming. Through this Intermediate Result, the offeror must introduce cash transfers to vulnerable households. The cash transfer intervention will involve distributing a pre-specified amount of cash to all households in the villages assigned to the cash transfer. The total amount of the transfer per household will be in the range of $200-$250. Mobile money will be used to distribute funds, with other distribution strategies used for households unable to use digital cash transfers. 96% of village leaders in our survey report that using mobile money to pay for goods and services is “not common at all” in their village, and 41% of respondents say that very few village residents own mobile money accounts. The offeror should propose overseeing the distribution of the mobile money payments and overseeing the cash payments for the (small number of) households that are not able to accept mobile money. The offeror should propose to have a diligent system of identity verification and participant tracking to ensure that the correct amount is distributed to, and received by, the correct beneficiary. The money will be distributed in two installments with an interval of roughly one month between payments. If eligibility requirements are imposed, the offeror should also be responsible for identifying households that meet them. The offeror should propose to ensure that the correct amount of money is received to the intended beneficiaries. The offeror should also explore mechanisms to ensure that female household members are also beneficiaries of the household-level transfer.

The successful offeror is required to:

● Determine eligible criteria for households’ beneficiaries of cash in collaboration with village leaders.

● Compile a list of vendors in nearby markets – any accessible to most village residents – which accept mobile money payments or can be convinced to set up mobile money when they learn that large transfers will be made to residents of nearby communities.

● Provide the contact information to all recipients so that they can reach out if they have any trouble with setting up or using mobile money.

● Confirm, via a phone call or in-person visit, that the correct amount of cash was received by the household.

● Explain to recipients that the issue of predation – anyone other than the intended recipient trying through coercion to take the recipients’ cash transfer – should be flagged to the contractor as soon as possible.

● Organize an in-person“walk-in clinic” for any recipients that need support.

● One month after the transfers are made, the contractor must re-contact each household from each village

(by phone or in person) to ask whether any predation has occurred, or if there were any other issues with successfully receiving or using the transfer.

● For any households that do not have access to a suitable mobile phone, the contractor must design and implement alternative solutions for distributing the transfer.

C.5. GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE, SELECTION OF VILLAGES, AND ASSIGNMENT OF VILLAGES TO TREATMENT

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To identify villages eligible for the USAID Salam, USAID/Mali conducted village-level surveys in 416 villages, which were chosen based on available information in order to maximize the chances that they (i) would be safe to operate in; and (ii) would likely have disputes or conflicts that would be the basis for this programing. Within these 416 villages, USAID/Mali has identified 300 in which (i) the population size is reasonable (between 25 and 800 households -- most of which are towards the lower end, with a median of 73 households and mean of 120 households), (ii) there is no evidence of attacks by armed groups in the last year, and (iii) nobody interviewed reported attacks by either Islamist groups or by vigilante on radical groups in the prior year. The offeror must propose to work in 27 communes (329 villages as shown in Annex A) in the Ségou and Mopti. No new villages will be added to this list. The offeror must propose and must feel comfortable working in all villages listed, and only in these villages.

C.6. PILOT PHASE

A pilot phase for USAID Salam will be conducted by the selected successful offeror for three months. This phase aims to (1) aid USAID/Mali in identifying the most promising dispute resolution interventions to adopt; and (2) detect any challenges to implementation early. During the pilot phase, the successful offeror must conduct a series of consultations with key stakeholders such as village leaders, about the proposed programming. The successful offeror must implement a set of pilot activities. After the pilot phase, the successful offeror must produce a report identifying any implementation challenges that were encountered. USAID/Mali will then analyze the results of the pilot phase, refine and adapt the USAID Salam if necessary.

C.6.1. Requirements for the Intermediate Result 1: Empowered Communities to Prevent and Resolve Conflicts.

For this Intermediate Result, the offeror should propose to undertake the following activities in six (6) pilot villages (villages will be selected by USAID/Mali, in consultation with selected Contractor):

● The successful offeror will work with the community leaders in each of the six (6) pilot villages to discuss activities listed under the Intermediate Result 1 and help determine the best candidate activities based on the communities’ perspectives.

● The successful offeror will conduct a sample test of the proposed activities in each of the six (6) pilot villages.

● After the activities sampling process, the successful offeror should conduct interviews with community leaders about the shortlist of activities to receive feedback. After the prototyping process is complete in the six (6) pilot villages, the successful offeror should submit a short list of preferred trust-building interventions.

○ Each intervention should be assessed on its suitability along the following dimensions:

cost-effectiveness, scalability, predicted effectiveness, potential to generalize to other villages, and potential to reach women and youth.

○ The results of the prototyping process should also be described in the summary report.

○ USAID will use this report as a valuable input in determining which intervention(s) to scale up.

● Finally, the successful offeror will gather information to respond to the following question: “what does social cohesion look like in this village?” A summary of the answer to this question will be provided for each of the six (6) pilot villages.

C.6.2. Requirements for the Intermediate Result 2: Household Capacity Increased to Address their Urgent Needs.

The cash transfer intervention will involve overseeing the distribution of the money via a mobile money platform to all households selected in four (4) villages. The offeror should include villages located in remote areas, whose residents may not already have access to mobile banking, to stress-test the cash distribution system in a “hard case”. During the pilot phase, the offeror should propose to conduct a “dry run” of using the cash distribution system, for roughly $25-$50, for all households in the village. This amount should be meaningful enough to allow USAID/Mali to analyze the general equilibrium effects of distributing this amount to an entire village, and for

USAID Salam Page 17 of 86 post-pilot interviews to be useful for ascertaining how the money was spent. The offeror should propose to ensure that the correct amount is received, by the correct recipient, in a reasonable amount of time, and that the recipient is able to access the funds. If necessary, the offeror should provide support to the household to sign up for mobile money accounts. The successful offeror should socialize all beneficiaries village leaders on privacy and security issues related to using mobile money, so that residents do not fall victim to theft or fraud. The successful offeror should reduce the length of time between socializing and registering participants, and the actual transfer, as much as possible.