DRAFT SOL-OAA-12-000065 Child Blindness Program Sections C and F Posting June 8 2012.pdf

June 8, 2012

Issuance Date: June 8, 2012

Issued By: USAID/Washington

Deadline date for Receipt of Comments: June 15, 2012, 9:00 am EDT

Submit Comments To: Ms. Moyra Cassidy at mcassidy@usaid.gov and Ms. Stella Alexander- Sergeeff at salexandersergeeff@usaid.gov

Reference: Child Blindness Program (CBP) DRAFT Sections C and F/ Child Blindness Program Request for Proposal (SOL-OAA-12-000065)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking public comments on the DRAFT Sections C and F for the procurement of services for the Child Blindness Program. USAID invites the public to submit comments on these DRAFT sections. These comments will be helpful as we finalize this project scope. Responses to this request are not legally binding on the U.S. Government and do not obligate USAID to issue a Solicitation, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of comments.

The following is a draft award schedule with estimated dates:

Draft Sections C and F Posting on FedBizOpps.gov: 6/8/12 Comments due in response to Draft Sections C and F Posting: 6/15/12 Final RFP Posting: 6/25/12 Final RFP Closing: 7/25/12 Estimated Award Date: November 2012

Thank you for your interest in this opportunity.

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF

WORK

C.1 PURPOSE

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking to award a contract to provide grant management services for the Bureau for Global Health (GH) to administer the Child Blindness Program. This five-year program will provide a Contractor with funding to select and support U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based organizations to receive competitive grants that expand the delivery of quality eye care services to vulnerable children and other populations with limited access to sight-saving services. It will implement the Congressionally-mandated child blindness directive which features prominently in USAID’s multi-faceted approach to the eradication of preventable blindness. This program will build upon the program successes and lessons learned from the USAID Child Blindness Eye Health and Grants Fund 2005-2011 which employed a competitive grants-making process that prioritized the delivery of high-impact services in underserved communities across Latin America, sub- Saharan Africa, and Asia. The new USAID Child Blindness Program (CBP) will emphasize a service delivery focus, cultivate a learning agenda, and build the capacity of local organizations to implement large-scale pediatric eye care programs.

C.2 BACKGROUND

Approximately 1.4 million children worldwide are blind and 500,000 children become blind every year; 50% of these children die within a year of becoming blind1. Nearly 17 million children, most in developing countries, have low or impaired vision and lack the necessary visual aids, services or eyeglasses to help them participate in typical and important childhood activities, such as education, reading and play. Blindness and low vision also reduces their productivity potential in adulthood. Women, who account for two-thirds of the blind and three-fourths of trachoma-related blindness, are disproportionately affected by this lack of access to corrective services such as diagnosis and treatment of correctable cataract, treatment of eye infections, and provision of corrective glasses. When a child or adult goes blind, it not only affects the individual, but also their family, community, and country by removing a productive person from the work force.

Lost opportunities associated with blindness and visual impairment lead to emotional stress and economic hardship. Blind children and those with limited sight experience social isolation, low self-esteem, lack of independence, and lost educational and economic opportunities. Adult blindness also results in lost opportunities for children. Instead of receiving care, children become caregivers. Girls frequently cannot go to school because they have to care for an adult parent or relative who is blind.

The CBP derives from a Congressional directive in 1991 to prevent and treat child blindness.

Since then, the United States Congress has provided over $1 million per year to USAID so

1 World Health Organization, Vision 2020: http://www.who.int/blindness/Vision2020_report.pdf children do not have to live out a sightless, less productive life. In recent years, the annual funding has more than doubled to approximately $2.5 million in FY12, enabling the Child Blindness Program to expand its field reach and provide critical services to more children.

Today, CBP resources:

Support public health approaches for improved pediatric eye health;

Support eye care and health organizations to establish public/private service delivery partnerships as well as family and community focused service models;

Establish effective referral networks to ensure children and other vulnerable populations have access to the spectrum of care needed for healthy vision;

Expand and facilitate a learning agenda on innovative and improved ways to reach those affected by blindness and provide sustainable services to them;

Develop appropriate service protocols and methods for screening patients and improve public understanding and sensitivity to the needs of the visually impaired.

CBP grant funding has enabled many eye care organizations to develop, apply, and scale-up innovative approaches to increase the availability and access to pediatric eye care services in underserved communities. These approaches have also been integrated into host country health systems and other large-scale interventions, such as child health days. Among the supported interventions are a micro-entrepreneur approach for screening, referral, and provision of low-cost eyeglasses for children, key informants for identifying young children with cataract in rural communities, and child-to-child screening for refractive error. In many instances CBP funding has been the only resource for designing, testing, and expanding the use of innovative approaches.

Over the past decade the eye care and health fields have also made important advances that have led to the evolution of the CBP, including:

Success of vitamin-A supplementation, reducing child mortality and blindness due to vitamin A deficiency;

Development of affordable new technologies: cataract supplies, surgical procedures, inter-ocular lens technologies, low-cost eye lenses and frames, reduced cost Braille equipment and talking books;

High quality regional training centers for eye care in Tanzania and India;

Effective training of teachers and community members to initially screen children for visual impairment;

Expanded evidence base on global burden of blindness and visual impairment stressing the need for expanded, high quality eye care;

Proven teaching and learning techniques for the blind and children with severe visual impairment;

Economic analyses demonstrating cost-effectiveness of various eye care interventions.

As a result of these advances, the CBP adapted its programming and management approaches to effectively address the on-going vision needs of children in underserved communities. The CBP aims to provide targeted support to eye care organizations through collaborative technical input and assistance, monitoring and evaluation, procurement support, financial management and tracking, program design capacity building, as well as communication and networking efforts.

This expanded approach enables the CBP to ensure high-impact results are achieved while the maximum amount of grant funds reach the field. Therefore, the CBP is now characterized by the following elements:

A competitive grant-making process with multiple grant categories to support service delivery and operations research;

Expanded field of grant recipients to include more local organizations;

Prioritization of service delivery of high-impact services;

Promotion of integration of eye care into health systems;

Comprehensive approach to addressing child blindness including training and capacity building to strengthen local eye and health care staff, screening for prevention and surgical and non-surgical treatment of eye conditions such as cataracts, refractive error, and low vision, and expanded education and rehabilitation support for visually impaired children with no medical treatment option;

Strengthened monitoring and evaluation to consistently measure progress across grantee projects;

Regular consultative processes (technical advisory group, partners meetings, and site visits) to review and respond to program challenges and experiences, and

Research to expand the global learning agenda based on programmatic approaches for large-scale pediatric eye care interventions.

By moving in this direction, the CBP has made significant progress in expanding and integrating eye care services in underserved communities. By December 2010, the program had screened more than two million children in 29 countries. The program has also been successful in building the capacity of small and local organizations to design comprehensive programs and manage USG grants funding. See Section J, Annex 1 for a summary of 2006-2011 CBP achievements, and Section J, Annex 2 for a set of case studies highlighting the programmatic experiences of past CBP grant recipients.

The portion of this approach which directly addresses child blindness and visual impairment by providing grants to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) who deliver eye care services has been implemented most recently by two separate projects. First, it was implemented as part of A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project (GHS-A-00-05-00012), a cooperative agreement with AED which concluded on September 30, 2011. Second, it was supported by the Grants Solicitation Management project (GPO-A-00-04-00021), a cooperative agreement with World Learning for International Development which is scheduled to conclude on September 30, 2012.

C.2.1 Previous Child Blindness Projects

A. CBP under A2Z Project

As a component of A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project, the A2Z Child Blindness Program used competitive grants to reduce child blindness and improve eye health from 2005 to 2011. Grants provided support to national and international eye care and health NGOs that delivered services to populations in need. Grant-funded interventions included eye health education, vision screening, clinical and surgical services, training of health workers and community members, provision of necessary medical treatments including eyeglasses, and education and rehabilitation of blind children. The goals and priorities of the program were to:

Expand delivery of high-impact direct services including screening, treatment, education and rehabilitation;

Scale-up innovative approaches to service provision and program implementation, and Contribute to the global knowledge base on effective approaches to large-scale child eye health programs.

The A2Z Child Blindness Program awarded 41 grants to 24 local and international organizations to support work in 29 countries across Latin America, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. The program provided four types of grant awards:

1. Organizational Development: 1 year grants from $25,000 - $50,000 to support specific training activities or procurement of essential medical equipment to support development of eyecare NGOs.

2. Service Delivery: 2 year grants from $200,000 - $500,000 to support comprehensive eye care service delivery projects.

3. Refugee Service Delivery: 2 year grants for $200,000 to support comprehensive eye care service delivery projects in refugee populations.

4. Operations Research: Nine-month grants from $50,000 - $100,000 to contribute to the global knowledge base on effective approaches to large-scale child eye health programs.

For more information on the CBP under the A2Z project, please visit:

http://www.a2zproject.org/~a2zorg/node/25.

B. CBP under the Grants Solicitation and Management (GSM) Project

Building upon the previous work of A2Z, as a component of GSM2 the CBP has continued to focus on Organizational Development (OD) grants to provide critical contributions to support training and capacity-building activities, as well as procurement of essential medical and non-medical equipment to support the development of organizations delivering eye care services to children and other underserved populations. Each grant is for up to $150,000 for an eight month project implementation period. The primary interventions included eye health education, vision screening, provision of eyeglasses and other visual aids, cataract and other sight-restoring surgery, education and rehabilitation services, provision of antibiotics and other essential medicines, and training of medical staff and community-based individuals. Sustainability has been a key focus of the CBP through high quality care, sufficient human resources, state-of-the-art training, increased demand for services, affordable costs, adequate and functional equipment, and efficient clinic and organizational management and systems.

2 GSM is a USAID program that uses grants as a development tool for programs in civil society and governance, education, and health. GSM is responsible for grant solicitation, review, award, management, monitoring, and close-out phases. Additionally, GSM provides training, workshops, and direct technical assistance to NGOs on topics including technical and financial training in grants management, administrative/finance capacity-building assessments, performance monitoring plans, and customized, longer-term technical assistance to grantees. For more information on the GSM project, please visit: http://www.worldlearning.org/gsm.cfm

The primary priority of the program under this grant cycle was to build the capacity of organizations to expand the availability of quality eye care services for children with visual impairment. OD grants served to make critical contributions to an existing organization to ultimately lead to improvements in the quality and/or quantity of services delivered. Grant recipients have worked to develop the capacity of an existing organization that provides essential eye health and/or education services for children, through the following three key intervention areas. All grant recipients were required to address Key Intervention #1, with an option of also addressing Key Interventions #2 and/or #3:

1. Training and capacity building of human resources (medical and non-medical personnel):

Medical professionals are necessary for accurate diagnosis and treatment of vision problems, but a vast cadre of community-based individuals (health volunteers, parents, teachers, traditional leaders, etc.) is also essential for identification, referrals, and appropriate follow-

up. Therefore, this intervention focused on supporting and strengthening the local eye care system through training of medical and non-medical staff, as well as community-based individuals to directly improve and support quality and coverage of pediatric eye care services.

2. Provision of critical clinical equipment for diagnosis and treatment:

These interventions focused on increasing the availability of essential equipment and supplies (e.g. eye glasses, low vision devices, microscopes, other surgical equipment, consumables, and/or learning aids) that contribute to increased clinical productivity of an eye care team. The focus within this intervention was not just on procuring medical and surgical equipment needed for diagnosis and treatment of visual impairment, but also on supporting systems and management approaches to ensure proper maintenance of equipment and reliability of supplies.

3. Provision of non-clinical equipment for program management and efficiency:

These interventions focused on provision of non-clinical equipment (e.g. computers, AV equipment for education, management and financial software systems, etc.) to strengthen the organizational capacity to manage eye care programs. These items were included to enhance the quality of services, strengthen human resource management and communication, improve customer satisfaction, increase the number of patients served, and, develop monitoring and evaluation systems.

For more information on the CBP under the GSM project, please visit:

http://www.worldlearning.org/gsm.cfm.

C.3 SCOPE OF WORK

OVERVIEW OF NEW CBP GRANTS TO BE SUPPORTED UNDER THIS CONTRACT

The Contractor must develop a competitive grants program that supports two primary goals: 1) delivering quality eye care services and 2) increasing the global knowledge base on best practices and innovative approaches for pediatric eye care programs. Both program goals should be approached in a coordinated and collaborative manner and should not be approached independently from each other. Both program goals are equally essential to expanding the availability and access of quality eye care services for children and other vulnerable populations in underserved communities.

The Contractor will build upon the work of CBP under the previous awards (A2Z and GSM), developing and managing a competitive grants process that will include multiple rounds of grant funding. For example, A2Z awarded a combination of one-year and two-year grants over the life of the project to address things such as service delivery and research. The length of grant cycles (i.e. – one-year, two year, etc.) and the number of rounds of grant cycles over the life of the project will be determined by the Contractor in coordination with the COR. Grant-funded interventions may include, but are not limited to: capacity building of health workers and community volunteers; eye health education; vision screening and referrals of children and adults; clinical and surgical services; training of teachers, health workers and community members; provision of necessary medical equipment including eyeglasses, canes, and magnifying glasses; education and rehabilitation services for blind and visually impaired children; and research on effective programmatic approaches for large-scale pediatric eye care interventions. These interventions should be part of a comprehensive approach appropriate to the target region where services are to be delivered.

While the majority of grant funding is applied toward eye care service delivery, grant recipients may also use funds for several other purposes. For example, grantees may use funds to develop communication materials, training manuals, health education tools, as well as policy and advocacy tools. Targeted research efforts are also necessary to advance the evidence base of quality programming models and approaches. CBP will play a key role in advancing the learning agenda through research initiatives that can apply various analytical methods, depending on what is most appropriate to the research questions identified.

The new CBP will also systematically support innovation. Learning from the experiences of USAID’s Child Survival and Health Grants Program (CSHGP), the CBP will foster innovation3 by generating evidence on new or promising programmatic solutions to child eye care delivery approaches, which the Contractor must then disseminate to the field. More information on CSHGP can be found at:

http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/Funding/cs_grants/cs_index.html.

The primary goals and objectives of the CBP will be to:

GOAL 1 Deliver and expand coverage of quality eye care services for children in underserved communities

3 Under this program component, ‘innovation’ is defined as an approach or practice that introduces novel ways of addressing critical operational barriers to delivering high impact pediatric eye care interventions to vulnerable populations and strengthening health systems, ultimately leading to increased scale of these interventions and improved eye health outcomes.

Objective 1a: Increase availability and accessibility to quality vision services for children and other vulnerable groups.

Objective 1b: Conduct focused research to address the barriers and constraints that limit the effectiveness, sustainability, and impact of pediatric eye care interventions and services.

GOAL 2 Increase global knowledge base on best practices and innovative approaches for pediatric eye care programs

Objective 2a: Test, design, and scale-up innovative approaches for eye care in various country contexts.

Objective 2b: Increase the evidence base for effective approaches to large-scale pediatric eye care programs.

The Contractor must design and manage a competitive grant process to select CBP grantees to deliver quality eye care services to children and other vulnerable populations in underserved communities. The contractor must also develop processes for furthering the knowledge base of best practices and innovative approaches for pediatric eye care programs. To ensure effective use of funds, the Contractor must develop systems and procedures to support financial tracking, monitoring & evaluation (M&E), communication efforts, and technical assistance (as necessary) to grant recipients.

In accordance with USAID’s recognition of the importance of gender issues in development, the Contractor must identify and address gender implications or opportunities and promote gender equity and women’s representation/leadership throughout the implementation of child blindness program activities. Design and implementation should ensure that young girls and women are more broadly involved, and implementing partners should endeavor to increase the availability of eye care to underserved populations.

Overview of Contractor Tasks

The Contract will consist of four main tasks outlined in the sections below (C.3.1 – C.3.4), which are as follows:

Task C.3.1: Develop Grant Management Process and Procedures Task C.3.2: Establish and Manage Grants Solicitation Process(es) for the CBP Task C.3.3: Provide Capacity-Building, Monitoring and Support for New CBP Grantees Task C.3.4: Advance CBP Grantee and Global Knowledge Base on Child Blindness and

Promote Information Sharing

Task C.3.1: Develop Grant Management Process and Procedures

Overview of Task C.3.1

The first major task for the new Contractor must be to develop a process for managing grants under the Child Blindness Program (CBP). This process must be articulated in a Grants Under

Contracts (GUCs) manual. The manual will be reviewed and approved by USAID before the Contractor may select and award new CBP grants. The manual will outline the contractors grant management processes from cradle to grave.

C.3.1.1: Create a GUCs Manual

The GUCs manual outlines the key policies and procedures that will be used to administer the Child Blindness Program. At a minimum, the GUCs Manual must outline key grant review procedures, including evaluation criteria, scoring system, and, grant review committee; calendar of anticipated grant cycles; financial tracking system of grant-funded activities; performance reporting procedures; and a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. (See Section J, Annex 3 for a sample table of contents for a GUCs Manual). The GUCs Manual must be submitted to the COR for approval no later than 90 calendar days after contract award.

C.3.1.2: Finalize Staffing Plan

The contractor must outline an updated staffing plan for managing and overseeing the CBP. This plan must be more specific than the illustrative plan included with the Contractor’s proposal and should specifically detail which staff members will complete which tasks in support of the project, as well as their qualifications. The final staffing plan must be included in the GUCs Manual and be received no later than 90 calendar days after contract award.

C.3.1.3: Establish a Financial Management Plan and Tracking System

As a part of the GUCs manual, the contractor must outline a financial management and tracking system to ensure sound financial accounting of grant funds. The financial management plan must be included in the GUCs Manual and be received no later than 90 calendar days after contract award. In addition, quarterly financial reports as well as additional financial reports shall be provided by the Contractor in accordance with 22 CFR 226. Refer to Section F for details.

C.3.1.4: Develop a Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Plan

As a part of the GUCs manual, the Contractor must outline an M&E plan to regularly track and evaluate grant-funded activities. The Contractor will include the standard USAID required indicators listed in Section J, Annex 4, as well as other indicators developed by the Contractor in coordination with technical experts to measure intermediate progress towards achievement of the project objectives. Proposed indicators shall meet USAID data quality standards as described in Annex 4. The Contractor should design an evaluation approach that aligns with the USAID Evaluation Policy released in January 2011 (http://www.usaid.gov/evaluation/USAIDEvaluationPolicy.pdf ). The policy has two primary purposes: 1) accountability to stakeholders, and, 2) learning to improve effectiveness. The Contractor must develop an M&E plan and system for the CBP which will enable the program to meet these purposes as the Contractor will be responsible for collecting the grantee data and reporting it to USAID as noted below.

The Contractor must use up to 10% of obligated funds to support program evaluation.

The Contractor may consider the following illustrative activities:

Consult technical experts to review current CBP indicators for monitoring grant recipient activities;

Revise indicators and develop new indicators to effectively track grant recipient progress toward program objectives;

Establish a streamlined data collection system that is accessible and understandable to grant recipients;

Develop a performance management and evaluation plan that aligns with USAID Evaluation Policy;

Define grantee project performance reporting requirements for inclusion in the solicitation.

Within the first 90 days of the award, the Contractor must review the performance indicators found in Section J, Annex 4, identify new indicators and/or refine existing and illustrative indicators to measure program results. The Contractor’s plan for collecting and reporting on evaluation data from the grantees (the M&E Plan) must be submitted as a part of the GUCs manual, no later than 90 days after contract award. The plan must include sample forms that the CBP grantees will be asked to use to report on program data.

Task C.3.2: Establish and Manage Grants Solicitation Process(es) for the CBP

Overview of Task C.3.2

Based on procedures outlined in the GUCs manual, the Contractor must develop clear grant guidance for the Child Blindness Program that facilitates competition among a wide field of U.S.

and internationally-based organizations. The grant guidance must emphasize the CBP priority of delivering comprehensive eye care services to underserved communities. There will be multiple grant competitions and cycles over the course of the five year Contract to ensure the various goals and objectives of the CBP are met. The length and specific priorities of the various CBP grant competitions may vary. Each Request for Application (RFA) and respective grant cycle must be negotiated with the COR.

The Contractor must foster innovation in the grant process by developing an innovation grants category or by clearly integrating innovation into the service delivery category. The main objective of providing resources specifically for innovation in eye care is to generate credible evidence for improving and scaling-up the delivery and coverage of eye care services in diverse community and health systems contexts that are sustainable and can maintain a continuum of care for blind and low vision children. Building upon previous grantee efforts, the Contractor will provide grant funding to support the design, testing, and scale-up of innovative approaches.

The Contractor must also continue to support research as part of the overall CBP by coordinating specific grants cycles in the second or third round of funding for research that will expand the learning agenda, or, by integrating research as a part of regular service delivery projects.

Illustrative activities may include but are not limited to:

Devoting 1-2 grant cycles on research with specific themes;

Facilitating research as part of a larger service delivery effort; or Integrating and promoting research findings into future service delivery grant guidance.

Finally, the Contractor may elect to run separate grant competitions for first-time CBP grantees versus second- or third-time CBP grant applicants.

C.3.2.1 Develop & Publish Request for Applications (RFA)

The Contractor must finalize and publish Request for Applications (RFAs). RFAs must specify CBP background and priorities, deadline for applications, submission criteria and processes, eligibility criteria, selection procedures, and evaluation criteria. The first RFA must be approved by USAID within six months of Contract award. (NOTE: There will likely be multiple grant cycles over the course of the contract period. Any subsequent RFAs must also be approved by the COR and published in accordance with the grant cycles as agreed upon by the Contractor and the COR.)

C.3.2.2 Respond to Applicant Questions

The Contractor must publish the RFAs and must document and respond to all applicant questions related to the solicitations in consultation with the COR. Appropriate amendments must be created as needed and applicant technical assistance must be provided. The first RFA must be posted no later than six months after contract award.

Subsequent RFAs must be posted in accordance with the grant cycle timeline as agreed upon by the Contractor and the COR.

C.3.2.3 Facilitate the Technical Evaluation Process

Once the applications have been received, the Contractor must screen all applications for completeness of basic eligibility requirements. Once the eligible and complete applications have been identified, the Contractor must distribute copies of the applications to USAID for technical review. The Contractor must serve as the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) chair and must convene the TEC committee and ensure that all requisite materials are available for the TEC. The Contractor must manage the TEC schedule and document TEC proceedings. A final TEC Memo, summarizing the decisions of the TEC and identifying the successful applicants, must be submitted to USAID within ten months of the contract award.

C.3.2.4 Issue USAID-approved Grant Award Packages to Qualified Recipients

After completion of the TEC process, the Contractor must identify and recommend qualified applicants for awards to USAID. Upon approval, the Contractor must notify all successful and non-successful applicants of their application status. Grant award packages and letters to unsuccessful applicants must be sent no later than twelve months after contract award for the first cycle. Subsequent grant award packages must be sent in accordance with the grant cycle timeline as agreed upon by the Contractor and USAID.

Task C.3.3: Provide Capacity-Building, Monitoring and Support for New CBP Grantees (Oversee Grant Implementation)

Overview of Task C.3.3

Once the new CBP awards have been made, the contractor must provide support to all CBP grantees from grant start-up through the grant closeout process. Grant monitoring may include assistance with financial management, provision of necessary technical assistance, collection and reporting of grantee evaluation data, and management of successful closeout for all grants.

The following are illustrative examples of possible capacity-building activities and tools for grant recipients:

Developing manuals for financial management procedures and procurement related to grant-funded activities;

Targeted training of groups or individuals, possibly during site visits;

Establishing web-based tools, web-based tracking systems, online forms and reporting systems;

Development and dissemination of resource and reference materials; and sharing of best practices in financial and project management.

C.3.3.1 Provide New Grantee Orientation for New CBP Grantees

Based on procedures outlined in the GUCs Manual, the Contractor must develop and provide an orientation package to all grant recipients, detailing financial reporting requirements, deadlines, forms, evaluation and reporting requirements, relevant resources and references, guidance on rules and regulations and, guidance for procurement of commodities (i.e. screening equipment, medical and general supplies, applicable waivers, etc.). The Contractor may provide orientation materials in electronic or hard copy and may present them using innovative presentation techniques (teleconference, videoconference, etc.) The orientation materials must be complete within 10 months of the contract award so they are ready when the new CBP grants are awarded.

C.3.3.2 Provide Financial Reporting Capacity-Building, Support and Guidance

Many of the past CBP grant recipients and other eye care organizations will have limited experience with USG financial reporting and procurement requirements and regulations.

The Contractor must play a key role in orienting recipients on applicable rules and regulations to ensure compliance and effective use of USG funds. The Contractor should be prepared to provide clear, regular, and consistent financial management and reporting guidance to all grant recipients. Within 10 months of the contract award the Contractor must develop and finalize financial reporting and invoicing forms to ensure consistent and accurate requests for payment from CBP grantees. In addition, the Contractor shall submit a performance management plan and annual work plan to the COR 90 days after the effective date of award and 60 days of the contract respectively. Refer to Section F for further details.

C.3.3.3 Provide Technical Assistance

The Contractor must monitor CBP grantees throughout the grant cycle. As needed, the Contractor must offer various forms of technical assistance. These may include telephonic or email-based support, site visits, or virtual or in-person trainings. Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) consultants may be utilized, in accordance with the

Contractor’s approved staffing plan, in order to help fulfill this requirement if needed.

This could include consultation with Optometrists or Ophthalmologists, for example, to respond to specific grantee issues related to child blindness. A report of technical assistance provision must be provided to the COR six months after the first grant award start date and one time per year every year thereafter.

C.3.3.4 Collect and Report on Grantee Progress

Evaluation is a critical activity for all CBP grantees. Using the M&E plan developed under the GUCs manual, and indicators reflective of those found in Section J, Annex 4, the Contractor must institute a regular reporting process for all CBP grantees. The process must ensure that grantees report on well-defined and validated indicators to reveal whether desired results are taking place and whether implementation is on track.

The focus will be on increased CBP capacity to regularly communicate grant recipient accomplishments, identify setbacks, and respond accordingly. The Contractor must utilize user-friendly data collection and reporting systems and forms to ensure the Contractor can roll up the CBP grantees’ input and report it to USAID as needed. The initial reporting forms must be submitted with the initial GUCs manual. An aggregate evaluation report (noting all CBP grantee baseline data) must be due to the COR six months after the first grant award start date and one evaluation report must be due per year ever year thereafter. Quarterly progress reports shall be submitted by the Contractor electronically to the COR within 30 days after the reporting period and an annual progress report shall be submitted by the Contractor within 60 calendar days after the end of each FY year period. Refer to Section F for further details.

C.3.3.5 Manage Grantee Closeout Process

At the completion of each CBP grant cycle, the Contractor must ensure all grantees submit their requisite final program progress reports and financial data. A draft completion report shall be submitted by the Contractor 60 days prior to the termination date of the contract and a final report shall be submitted electronically 60 days after the end of the contract. Refer to Section F for further details. The Contractor must ensure all rules and regulations were followed and will review all relevant materials before officially notifying each grantee that their grants have been closed. Each grantee file must officially be closed within 90 days of the project end period. The Contractor must submit an annual report (due the last day of each contract year) to the COR documenting closeout status for each CBP grantee, inclusive of the amount of time it took to close each project.

Task C.3.4: Advance CBP Grantee and Global Knowledge Base on Child Blindness and Promote Information Sharing

Overview of Task C.3.4

The new CBP will continue to support knowledge-sharing, communication, and networking among implementing organizations. The contractor must facilitate learning and knowledge sharing to benefit both grantees and others working in child blindness.

A primary goal for the new CBP is to ensure knowledge sharing globally. To support this endeavor, the Contractor may consider the following illustrative activities:

Developing a list serve for information sharing;

Coordinating technical webinars on current issues and best practices in child eye care;

Hosting online resource center or clearinghouse for grantee materials and tools;

Documenting and releasing available grantee experiences in innovative service delivery approaches, or Coordinating communication efforts highlighting grantee experiences and achievements, including profiles or case studies targeting various audiences.

C.3.4.1 Develop CBP Communication and Networking Plan and Platform for Grantees

Grantees and their project can benefit from networking with other grant recipients, technical experts, and practitioners. The Contractor must develop a communication action plan detailing activities to strengthen and promote CBP grantee communication and networking on child eye care. The plan must be submitted to the COR within six months of contract award and must be implemented on an ongoing basis after it is approved.

C.3.4.2 Launch and Maintain New CBP Website

The Contractor must develop a comprehensive web-based clearinghouse so grant recipients and other eye care organizations may benefit and learn from CBP materials. In addition to functioning as a resource center, a well-designed and regularly updated CBP website can serve as a communication and networking platform for sharing program experiences, innovative approaches, challenges, and lessons learned. Illustrative components that may be included in the website are:

CBP overview Program priorities Geographic coverage of where grantees are working Profiles of grant recipients Useful resources/tools Examples of best practices that will help increase global knowledge base

The Contractor must work with the former CBP implementer (FHI 360) as needed to transfer relevant materials from the existing CBP Web site (http://www.a2zprojectorg/node/25) to the new Web site. Within nine months of award, the Contractor must launch the new CBP website which provides resources for grant applicants, recipients, and the wider eye care community. The Contractor must update the website throughout the contract period.

C.3.4.3 Share CBP Lessons Learned Globally

The Contractor should explore low-cost and innovative approaches for sharing grantee tools, resources, and overall program experiences to organizations working in child blindness around the world. The objective is to generate a strengthened network of child blindness organizations and other organizations working in this particular field. The Contractor must provide a written plan to USAID within six months of Contract award and must implement it on an ongoing basis once approved.

C.3.4.4 Convene CBP Capacity Building Workshops

The Contractor will coordinate two CBP Capacity Building Workshops for grant recipients and other stakeholders to review program progress and share experiences. The Capacity Building Workshops must take place mid-way through the contract period and at the conclusion of the contract period. The Workshops may be held regionally and will invite representatives from each CBP grant project (approximately 10-12 projects per year) to convene and share best practices and lessons learned.4 The Meetings must last for no more than two days and must include overnight accommodations and travel for all grantees. The first Meeting must be held after the end of year 2 of the Contract period and the second meeting must be held after the end of year 4 of the Contract period.

Examples of previous workshops have included the following participant objectives:

To develop or enhance practical skills in designing effective and efficient programs for pediatric eye care interventions;

To establish relationships with other pediatric eye care organizations operating in the region; and To learn from participants’ experience and develop suggestions to inform future programs.4

C.3.4.5 Conduct Technical Review of Past and Current Innovative Program Approaches

In an effort to support and encourage innovative programming, the Contractor must organize a technical review and/or assessment of past and current innovative program approaches to determine which approaches may be ready for scale-up. Building upon the previous work of CBP under the A2Z and GSM projects, the Contractor must review information provided by USAID on past grantees’ approaches to determine which methodologies may be ready for scale-up. The technical review may include, but is not limited to; information collected from past progress reports, previous capacity building workshop materials, child blindness case studies, and other grantee reports. The technical review should be completed within 90 days of contract award and the results may be used to help influence RFA development.

C.3.4.6 Develop and Implement a Plan to Further the Research Agenda

4 Examples of previous workshops under the A2Z project are available as illustrative examples at:

http://www.a2zproject.org/~a2zorg/node/104. An agenda used previously in a Capacity Building Workshop can be viewed in Section J, Annex 5 on page 116.

CBP will play a key role in advancing the learning agenda through research initiatives that can apply various analytical methods, depending on what is most appropriate to the research questions identified. Illustrative activities may include but are not limited to:

Devoting 1-2 grant cycles on research with specific themes;

Facilitating research as part of a larger service delivery effort;

Hosting capacity building or training on best practices in carrying out research;

Documenting and disseminating findings and other pieces of the learning agenda (grant and non-grant funded) on CBP website;

Integrating and promoting research findings into future service delivery grant guidance.

The Contractor must submit a written plan outlining their approach to furthering the research agenda within nine months of contract award. The plan must be updated annually and implemented on an ongoing basis.

C.4 CONTRACT STAFFING

C.4.1 Contractor Staffing

The Contractor shall provide the necessary combination of permanent staff and consultants, to carry out this SOW. Key personnel critical to the implementation of this contract and their final selection shall be approved by the CO prior to beginning work. The Contractor will provide its own staff and offices.

C.4.2 Key Personnel

This section shall define who will be employed under the contract, for what purposes, and the schedule of their employment. Two positions are determined to be key to achievement of the project’s goal and results (Program Manager and Grants Specialist). The two key personnel and their respective qualifications are:

1. Child Blindness Program Manager: The CBP Manager has the primary responsibility for the daily management of the USAID Child Blindness Program. The CBP Manager will have the following experience and qualifications (requirements):

A minimum of a Master’s degree in management, public policy or administration, public health, social sciences, or international development;

At least eight years experience leading, managing and implementing international projects of similar scope and budget levels. Specifically, experience in two or more of the following areas: program management, grant administration, eye care (optometry or ophthalmology), health policy, health systems strengthening, or community development;

Broad understanding of public health, ideally in the area of eye care, and should be knowledgeable about the relevant socioeconomic, institutional, capacity, and policy issues that are related to vision care in developing countries;

Professional experience interacting with U.S. Government agencies, host country governments, small NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders;

Demonstrated experience working in partnership with international donors and agencies;

At least five years professional experience working service delivery programs in low or middle income countries.

2. Grants Specialist: The Grants Specialist will oversee the grants review and selection process, ensure selected projects meet their obligations to deliver eye care services according to USAID regulations, and report results across the program to USAID and other stakeholders. The Grants Specialist will have the following experiences and qualifications (requirements):

A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in management, business administration, public policy or administration , or international development;

At least eight years’ experience providing grants or contract support to international development projects;

Strong proficiency with USAID rules and regulations required;

At least 2-3 years professional experience working in programs in low or middle income countries.

Other Staff

Additional personnel may be required for different periods of time and levels of effort given the grant cycles and grantee needs. This may include financial management and communications staff, and technical advisors as needed. Technical advisors might include optometrists, ophthalmologists, and other eye care professionals. If additional administrative or technical personnel are to be proposed by the offeror at the time of proposal, their role should be described and justified in the proposal.

C.5 CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

C.5.1 Equipment

The provision of equipment, transportation and necessary commodities for all project staff is the responsibility of the Contractor. The Contractor shall establish an office sufficient to support the activities described in this SOW, including consultant work space, computers, meeting room(s), etc. The Contractor shall possess an internet connection compatible with the USAID electronic mail system and shall be compatible with Microsoft Word 2010, Excel 2010, and Adobe Acrobat (PDF). The COR will provide the Contractor with notices from USAID's Chief Information Officer (CIO) with information on possible future upgrades to USAID's computer system.

END OF SECTION C

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR "52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract. See FAR 52.252-2 for an internet address (if specified) for electronic access to the full text of a clause.

NUMBER TITLE DATE

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION

(48 CFR Chapter 1)

52.242-15 STOP-WORK ORDER AUG 1989

F.2 CONTRACT MONITORING & EVALUATION

a. Approved Performance Management Plan: A PMP is a performance management tool to help plan and manage the process of assessing and reporting progress towards achieving the Project’s goal. It is a critical tool for planning, managing, and documenting how performance data are collected and used. A draft PMP will be submitted within 60 days after award and will include a draft life of activity PMP. Indicators and data in the PMP will cover expected and achieved results. Further information on Performance Indicators for PMPs may be found in the Automated Directive System (ADS) Chapter 203:

http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/200/203.pdf. The Contractor must include the indicators described in Section C, but may also include additional indicators as appropriate. The Contractor is required to discuss PMP requirements with the COR and submit a final PMP for COR approval within 90 days after the effective date of award.

b. Annual Work Plans. The first year “Annual Work Plan” shall be submitted within sixty (60) days after the effective date of the contract. Annual Work Plans for subsequent years are due to COR 30 days before the end of the preceding year. Work plans should include a list of tasks to be completed during the year, as well as a budget for expected expenses. For each task the Contractor should outline results, define the necessary steps to complete, outline any specific issues, provide quantitative targets, and specify timeline for the implementation.

Work plans and annual budgets must be approved by the COR prior to activities being implemented.

c. Quarterly Progress Reports. The quarterly progress reports shall be submitted electronically to the COR within 30 days after the reporting period. The reports should:

i) Identify implementation issues;

ii) Give an update of progress made towards fulfillment of the Project’s results;

iii) Contain a discussion of obstacles encountered and possible delays, if any, in fulfillment of activities included in the Work Plan and/or achievement of targets set forth in the…