FinalRFP.Jul 3.2012.pdf

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

Issuance Date: July 3, 2012 Questions Due: July 13, 2012 Closing Date: August 7, 2012 Closing Time: 12:00 PM EST (local Washington DC time)

Subject: Request for Proposals (RFP) No. SOL-OAA-12-000065 Child Blindness Program

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking contractor services to provide the Bureau for Global Health (GH) in Washington DC grant solicitation, management services and technical support to the Child Blindness Program. USAID anticipates the award of one (1) contract to an eligible 8(a) firm with a total estimated cost of $13 million.

Please refer to Section L for information regarding proposal requirements. Please note that pursuant to Block 12 of Standard Form 33 of this RFP, offerors are requested to extend the period for validity of offers through December 28, 2012. Offerors should take into account the expected delivery time required by the proposal transmission method they choose, and they are responsible to ensure that proposals are received at USAID by the due date and time as specified in Section L.12. Failure to comply with the submission date will deem any submission unacceptable and it will not be reviewed or evaluated. Faxed proposals or email submissions are not acceptable, nor will they be reviewed or evaluated.

Section L of the RFP sets forth all instructions for the preparation and submission of required proposal contents, including critical dates/times for submission of questions, proposal submission closing date and time. Section M states the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated. Oral explanations or instructions given before award of the Contract will not be binding.

This RFP in no way obligates USAID to award a contract nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Award of a Contract under this RFP is subject to availability of funds and other internal USAID approvals.

This RFP can be viewed and downloaded from the Internet at Worldwide Web address www.fedbizopps.gov. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. Further, be aware that amendments to solicitations will be issued and will be posted www.fedbizopps.gov. You are therefore advised to regularly check this site for amendments.

Sincerely, -s- Contracting Officer, USAID

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A SF – 33

SECTION B SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS…………..….………..……..3

SECTION C DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK………....…..…7

SECTION D PACKAGING AND MARKING …………………….……………..……….….25

SECTION E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE……………….………………..…………28

SECTION F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE…………………………………………...29

SECTION G CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA…………………………………..…37

SECTION H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS………………………….…………41

SECTION I CONTRACT CLAUSES………………………………………….……….….…50

SECTION J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS………………….....……………………………

SECTION K REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS

OF OFFERORS………………………………………………............…….……65

SECTION L INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS…………76

SECTION M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD………………...………….………..95

ATTACHMENTS………………………………………………………………………………101

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

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 (CBP). This five-year program will contract out services to an Offeror that will 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.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE

This is a Cost Plus Fixed Fee/Completion contract for an estimated duration of 5 years. For the consideration set forth in the contract, the Contractor shall provide the deliverables or outputs described in Sections C & F and comply with all contract requirements.

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, FIXED FEE AND CEILING

The Total Estimated Cost (TEC) of this contract is $13,000,000.

B.4 INDIRECT COSTS

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/ % 2/ 2/ 2/ 1/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

Source:

2/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

Source:

Note 1: Contractors are allowed to recover applicable indirect costs (i.e., overhead, G&A, etc.)

on other direct costs (ODCs), if it is part of the Contractor's usual accounting procedures, consistent with FAR Part 31, and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA).

B.5 ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING ON CEILING INDIRECT COST RATES AND

FINAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR INDIRECT COSTS

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

For each of the Contractor's accounting periods during the term of this contract, the parties agree as follows:

(1) The distribution base for establishment of final overhead rates is --------------. The distribution base for establishment of final G&A rates is -----------------------.

(2) The Contractor will make no change in its established method of classifying or allocating indirect costs without the prior written approval of the contracting officer.

(3) Reimbursement for 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/ 2/ 2/ 2/ 1/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

2/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

(4) USAID is not obligated to pay any additional amount on account of indirect costs above the ceiling rates established in the contract. This advance understanding shall not change any monetary ceiling, cost limitation, or obligation established in the contract.

Compensation of personnel under this contract or any resulting subcontract must be in accordance with AIDAR 752.7007 Personnel Compensation (July 2007), the full text of which is in Section H.

Salary Approval: Acceptance of the Contractor labor rates presented during contract negotiation does not constitute approval of final salary rates above the Contractor Salary Threshold (CST). (See ADS 302.3.6.10.)

(2)……Locally Hired National Personnel or Other Non-U.S. Expatriates

(1) Third Country Nationals (TCNs) and Cooperating Country Nationals

(CCNs) who are working in the United States or are legal residents of the United States at the time they are hired, must be extended benefits and subject to restrictions on the same basis as U.S. citizens who work in the United States. The U.S. labor rates may be applied to TCNs and CCNs conforming to this regulatory provision.

(2) Salaries for locally-hired personnel and other non-U.S. labor under this contract or any resulting subcontract must be in accordance with AIDAR 752.7007, Personnel Compensation (July 2007), and should be based upon a combination of factors including prevailing in-country salaries for the

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 professional category being negotiated and consideration of the individual's education, work experience and recent relevant salary history.

Unless otherwise authorized by the Mission Director, the compensation for CCN and TCN labor shall not exceed the Mission’s Local Compensation Plan and shall be paid in the currency of the cooperating country.

B.6 THE NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS)

CODE

The NAICS code for this acquisition is 541990.

B.7 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED IN FULL

TEXT

52.216-8 FIXED FEE JUNE 2011

a) The Government shall pay the Contractor for performing this contract the fixed fee specified in the Schedule.

(b) Payment of the fixed fee shall be made as specified in the Schedule; provided that the Contracting Officer withholds a reserve not to exceed 15 percent of the total fixed fee or $100,000, whichever is less, to protect the Government’s interest. The Contracting Officer shall release 75 percent of all fee withholds under this contract after receipt of an adequate certified final indirect cost rate proposal covering the year of physical completion of this contract, provided the Contractor has satisfied all other contract terms and conditions, including the submission of the final patent and royalty reports, and is not delinquent in submitting final vouchers on prior years’ settlements. The Contracting Officer may release up to 90 percent of the fee withholds under this contract based on the Contractor’s past performance related to the submission and settlement of final indirect cost rate proposals.

(End of clause)

B.8 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED IN FULL

TEXT

52.216-8 FIXED FEE JUNE 2011

a) The Government shall pay the Contractor for performing this contract the fixed fee specified in the Schedule.

(b) Payment of the fixed fee shall be made as specified in the Schedule; provided that the Contracting Officer withholds a reserve not to exceed 15 percent of the total fixed fee or $100,000, whichever is less, to protect the Government’s interest. The Contracting Officer shall release 75 percent of all fee withholds under this contract after receipt of an adequate certified final indirect cost rate proposal covering the year of physical completion of this contract, provided the Contractor has satisfied all other contract terms and conditions, including the submission of the final patent and royalty reports, and is not delinquent in submitting final vouchers on prior years’ settlements. The Contracting Officer may release up to 90 percent of the

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 fee withholds under this contract based on the Contractor’s past performance related to the submission and settlement of final indirect cost rate proposals.

(End of clause)

END OF SECTION B

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

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 children do not have to live a sightless, less productive life. In recent years, the annual funding

1 World Health Organization, Vision 2020: http://www.who.int/blindness/Vision2020_report.pdf

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 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

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 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 countries2. 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, Attachment 1 for a summary of 2006-2011 CBP achievements, and Section J, Attachment 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.

2 Countries where Child Blindness Program has been carried out in the past: Bangladesh; Bolivia; Cambodia;

Dominican Republic; El Salvador; Ethiopia; Ghana; Guatemala; Haiti; India; Indonesia; Kenya; Laos; Madagascar;

Malawi; Mexico; Nepal; Nigeria; Peru; Philippines; Rwanda; South Africa; Tanzania; Thailand; Uganda; Vietnam.

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

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 GSM3 the CBP has continued to focus on Organizational Development (OD) grants to provide critical contributions to support

3 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

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 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.

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:

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

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. USAID believes that 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.

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 that will contribute to the overall goals of the CBP.

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.

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

The new CBP will also systematically support innovation. Learning from the experiences of USAID’s Child Survival and Health Grants Program (CSGHP), the CBP will foster innovation4 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://transition.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

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

Objective 1b: To 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: To test, design, and scale-up innovative approaches for eye care in various country contexts.

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

Objective 2c: To collect and report on project data and best practices to the Contractor.

The selected Contractor must design and manage a competitive grant process. The Contractor must 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 as necessary, technical assistance to grant recipients.

4 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.

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

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.

The Contractor will provide their own staff, offices, equipment, transportation and necessary commodities for all project personnel.

Task C.3.1: Develop Grant Management Process and Procedures

Overview of Task C.3.1

The Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process Manual must be submitted to the COR for approval no later than 90 calendar days after contract award.

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 Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process Manual. The manual will be reviewed and approved by USAID before the Contractor must select and award new CBP grantees. The manual will outline the Contractor’s grant management processes from cradle to grave.

C.3.1.1: Submit a Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process Manual

The Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process Manual outlines the key policies and procedures that will be used to administer the Child Blindness Program. At a minimum, the Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process 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.

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 Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process 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 Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process Manual, the Contractor must outline a financial management and tracking system to ensure sound financial accounting of grant funds.

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

The financial management plan must be included in the Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process 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 Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process Manual, the Contractor must outline an M&E plan to regularly track and evaluate grant-funded activities. Collaborating with technical experts, the Contractor must develop appropriate indicators to measure progress of grant-funded programming. The Contractor shall design an evaluation approach that aligns with the USAID Evaluation Policy released in January 2011 (http://transition.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 specific indicators that will be required for CBP reporting are detailed in Section J, Attachment 3. The Contractor must use up to 10% of obligated funds to support program evaluation.

Illustrative activities that the Contractor may consder include, but are not limited to::

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.

Upon award, the Contractor must review the performance indicators found in Section J, Attachment 3, identify new indicators and/or refine existing and illustrative indicators to measure program results. The Contractor’s M&E plan for collecting and reporting on evaluation data from the grantees must be submitted as a part of the Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process 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

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

Based on procedures outlined in the Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process 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 life of the 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. The Contractor must work closely with the COR to develop each Request for Applications (RFA).

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, eligible grant applicant criteria, selection procedures, and evaluation criteria. The first RFA must be approved by USAID and postedwithin 6 months of Contract award. (NOTE: There will be multiple grant cycles over the course of the contract period. All 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 appropriately 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 in response to applicants questions. The first RFA must be posted

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 no later than 6 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 by the Contractor, the Contractor must screen all applications for basic eligibility requirements. The Contractor must serve as the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) chair and must be responsible for convening the TEC committee and ensuring that all requisite materials are available for the TEC. The Contractor must manage the TEC schedule and document TEC proceedings. A final TEC Memo, as per each RFA solicitation, summarizing the decisions of the TEC and identifying the apparently successful applicants must be submitted to USAID within ten months of the contract award. Subsequent RFAs shall be completed as agreed upon in the Work Plan.

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

After completion of the TEC process, the Contractor must follow the technical and cost guidelines as per ADS 303. 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 12 months after contract award for the first cycle; subsequent RFAs shall be completed as agreed upon in the Work Plan. 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 be responsible for providing 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.

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065

C.3.3.1: Provide New Grantee Orientation for New CBP Grantees

Based on procedures outlined in the Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process 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 have limited experience with USG financial reporting and procurement requirements and regulations. Therefore it is the Contractor’s responsibility to play a key role in orienting recipients on applicable rules and regulations to ensure compliance and effective use of USG funds. It is not anticipated that intensive training of grant recipients will be necessary, however 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. The Contractor must offer various forms of technical assistance, as needed. These may include telephone, email-based support, site visits, virtual or in-person trainings. Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) consultants may be utilized if needed, in accordance with the Contractor’s approved staffing plan, in order to help fulfill this requirement. For example a consultation with Optometrists or Ophthalmologists may be used in order to respond to specific grantee issues related to child blindness. A report of technical assistance provision must be provided to the COR 6 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 Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process Manual, and indicators reflective of those found in Section J, Attachment 3, the Contractor must institute a regular reporting process for all CBP

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 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 specific indicators that will be required for CBP reporting are as follows:

The Child Blindness Program (CBP) is part of USAID’s Functional Objective 3: Investing in People – Program Area: Social Services, 3.3.2.1 Vulnerable Children.

As such, USAID Operational Plan Indicators include:

Number of people benefiting from USG-supported social services;

Number of service providers trained who serve vulnerable persons;

Number of USG assisted organizations and/or service delivery systems strengthened who serve vulnerable populations.

Custom indicators for Child Blindness Program activities include:

Number of service delivery grants awarded each fiscal year;

Number of children (0-14 years) screened for eye care conditions*;

Number of children (0-14 years) referred by screening for additional services*;

Number of children (0-14 years) with refractive error whose error is corrected (received eyeglasses)*.

* Preferably disaggregated by sex.

Targets for these and additional custom indicators must be jointly set by GH/HIDN/NUT and the Contractor after the award is made.

The focus shall be on increased CBP capacity to regularly communicate grant recipient accomplishments, identify setbacks, and respond accordingly. The Contractor must utilize user-friendly data collection, reporting systems and forms in order to ensure CBP grantees’ input and report it to USAID, as needed. The initial reporting forms must be submitted with the Comprehensive Plan for GUCs Process Manual.

An aggregate evaluation report, noting all CBP grantee baseline data, must be submitted to the COR 6 months after the first grant award start date and 1 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 fiscal 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. The grantee shall submit to the Contractor a draft completion report 60 days prior to the termination date of the grant and a final

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 report shall be submitted electronically 60 days after the end of the grant. Refer to Section F for further details.The Contractor must ensure all rules and regulations were followed and must 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 to the COR, due the last day of each contract year, 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 be responsible for facilitating learning and knowledge sharing to benefit both grantees and other stakeholders working in child blindness field.

A primary goal for the new CBP is to ensure knowledge sharing globally. Illustrative activites to support this endeavor include, but are not limited to:

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;

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 6 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 shall serve as a communication and networking platform for sharing program experiences, innovative approaches, challenges, and lessons learned. The Contractor shall state in their staffing plan

Child Blindness Program SOL-OAA-12-000065 whether the new CBP website development and maintenance will be subcontracted. 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.a2zproject.org/node/25)…