SOL-OAA-12-00010__REPLACE_RFPv1.pdf

Date Issued: February 7, 2013 Questions Due: February 22, 2013 – Noon, EST Closing Date: March 27, 2013– Noon, EST

Subject: Request for Proposals (RFP) Number SOL-OAA-12-000110

Restoring the Environment through Prosperity, Livelihoods and Conserving Ecosystems (REPLACE)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking proposals to provide services that supports REPLACE. USAID anticipates awarding approximately five (5) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts, including approximately three (3) reserved for small businesses resulting from this solicitation.

USAID anticipates the maximum ordering limitation of the contracts resulting from this RFP will be $700,000,000 over the 5-year ordering period. The maximum aggregate dollar value of task orders awarded to all contractors cannot exceed this contract ceiling. This ceiling is not being subdivided among the number of awardees, nor is it being multiplied by the number of awardees. There is no guarantee on the number of task orders that the successful contractors will receive or the amount of money beyond the minimum order guarantee set forth in the RFP. Task orders issued under this IDIQ contract may be either Firm Fixed-Price or Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee awards. Firm Fixed-Price task orders are preferred.

Small Business Threshold: Task orders with a total estimated cost of $1,000,000.00 or less will be set-aside for small businesses unless the Task Order Contracting Officer determines that one of the fair opportunity exceptions applies. Small business IDIQ holders will still be able to compete for task orders above this threshold.

These awards will replace the prior IDIQs PLACE in this sector:

1. Chemonics International (EPP-I-00-06-00013

2. Ecodit (EPP-I-00-06-00010)

3. International Research Group (EPP-I-00-06-00007)

4. Associates in Rural Development (EPP-I-00-06-00008)

5. Development Alternatives Inc. (EPP-I-00-06-00021)

All questions related to this RFP must be submitted to Mr. Ryland Marbray at REPLACE2012@usaid.gov no later than noon EST, February 22, 2013. Unless otherwise notified by an amendment to the RFP, no questions will be accepted after this date.

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.

This RFP can be viewed and downloaded from the Internet at www.fedbizopps.gov. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.

Further, be aware that amendments to solicitations are occasionally issued and will be posted on the same Internet site from which you downloaded the solicitation. You are therefore advised to regularly check the above Internet site for amendments.

Sincerely, /s/ Kevin Sampson Contracting Officer

1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED ORDER RATING PAGE OF PAGES

UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

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

SEALED BID (IFB)

X NEGOTIATED (RFP)

7. ISSUED BY CODE 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than Item 7)

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

9. Sealed offers in original and _____________________________ copies for furnishing the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in Item 8, or if handcarried, in the depository located in until local time _______________________ (Hour) (Date)

CAUTION - LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: See Section L, Provision No. 52.214-7 or 52.215-1. All Offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

A. NAME B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS) C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

AREA CODE NUMBER EXT.

(X) SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) (X) SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S)

PART I - THE SCHEDULE PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

A SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM I CONTRACT CLAUSES

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

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

D PACKAGING AND MARKING PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

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

H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

K

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER

STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

12.

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT 10 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 20 CALENDAR DAYS (%) 30 CALENDAR DAYS (%) CALENDAR DAYS (%)

(See Section I, Clause No. 52-232-8)

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT NO. DATE AMENDMENT NO. DATE

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the SOLICITATION for offerors and related documents numbered and dated:

CODE FACILITY

16. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER15A. NAME AND

ADDRESS

OF OFFEROR

(Type or print)

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER 17. SIGNATURE 18. OFFER DATE

AREA CODE NUMBER EXT.

15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS IS DIFFERENT FROM

ABOVE - ENTER SUCH ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE

19. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED 20. AMOUNT 21. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION: 23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN ITEM (4 copies unless otherwise specified)

10 U.S.C. 2304(a) ( ) 41 U.S.C. 253(c) ( )

24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7) 25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BYCODE CODE

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print) 27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 28. AWARD DATE

IMPORTANT - Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

(REV. 9-97)

10. FOR INFORMATION CALL:

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

STANDARD FORM 33

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD

SOLICITATION

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

AWARD (To be completed by Government)

1 N/A 157

SOL-OAA-12-000110 02/07/2013

U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Acquisition and Assistance

M/OAA/EGAT RM 566-F SA-44

1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington DC 20523

See L.6

See Section L.6 and L.7 12 noon EST March 27, 2013

G. Ryland Marbray

REPLACE2012@usaid.gov

See Attached Table of Contents

X 1

X 3-11

X 12-38

X 39-47

X 48

X 49-62

X 63-66

X 67-82

X 83-91

X 92

X 93-109

X 110-131

X 132-136

$.00

Kevin Sampson

Contracting Officer

SOL-OAA-12-000110

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this Contract is to provide services that fall within the statement of work specified in Section C for Restoring the Environment through Prosperity, Livelihoods and Conserving Ecosystems (REPLACE). USAID Task Order Contracting Officers (TOCOs) will request the work through the issuance of Task Orders during the ordering period as specified in Section F of the Contract.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES

This is a multiple-award Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract (IDIQ). The Government will issue task orders that are either Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) (term or completion) or any Firm Fixed-Priced (FFP) type. The Contractor must perform the services set forth in task orders at prices consistent with section B of this contract.

B.3 MAXIMUM CONTRACT CEILING

This is a multiple award Contract with an overall ceiling price of $700,000,000.00. The maximum aggregate dollar value of Task Orders awarded to all Contractors cannot exceed the Contract ceiling. This ceiling is not being subdivided among the number of awardees nor is it being multiplied by the number of awardees.

B.4 MINIMUM ORDER GUARANTEE

Obligated Amount, the basic Contract includes an initial obligation of funds in the amount of $25,000 to cover the minimum order guarantee. USAID is required to order and the Contractor is required to furnish the minimum order amount of services. Following this initial obligation, individual Task Orders will obligate funds to cover the work required under such Task Orders.

B.5 INDIRECT COST RATES

[Only applicable to CPFF task orders]

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 for prime contractors and their major subcontractors (“major subcontractors” are those subcontractors expected to perform at least 20% of the technical effort)

Description Rate Base Type Period

TBD TBD 1/ 1/ 1/

TBD TBD 2/ 2/ 2/

TBD TBD 3/ 3/ 3/

1/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

Source:

2/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

Source:

3/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

Source:

Note: While Subcontractor indirect cost rates are not incorporated above, subcontractor indirect cost rates may be included in Task Order proposals, and are subject to approval of the TOCO in accordance with FAR 52.244-2, Subcontracts.

B.6 CEILING INDIRECT COST RATES

(a) Reimbursement for indirect costs shall be at the lower of the negotiated final or predetermined rates, or the following ceiling rates:

Description Rate Base Type Period

TBD TBD 1/ 1/ 1/

TBD TBD 2/ 2/ 2/

TBD TBD 3/ 3/ 3/

1/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

2/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

3/Base of Application:

Type of Rate:

Period:

(b) The Government shall not be obligated to pay any additional amount should the final indirect cost rates exceed the negotiated ceiling rates. If the final indirect cost rates are less than the negotiated ceiling rates, the negotiated rates shall be reduced to conform to the lower rates.

(c) This understanding shall not change any monetary ceiling, obligation, or specific cost allowance or disallowance. Any changes in classifying or allocating indirect costs require the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

(d) 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 and OAA/Contract Audit and Support (CAS).

B.7 CEILINGS ON FIXED FEE - CPFF TASK ORDERS

(a) For each task order issued under this IDIQ, the TOCO and Contractor agree to negotiate a set dollar amount for fixed fee. In negotiating the fixed dollar amount for fee, the TOCO must consider the policies and factors for establishing fee in FAR 15.404-4 as well as any applicable USAID policy on establishing a fixed fee amount. In no event, however, may the amount of fixed fee in any individual task order exceed ______ percent (offeror proposes ceiling percentage) of the task order’s estimated cost, excluding fee. The fee ceiling applies to the prime contractor and any subcontractors.

NOTE: The ceiling on fixed fee does not apply to Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Task Orders. This fee shall not be applied to sub-grant costs.

(b) The Total Estimated Cost Plus Fixed Fee for each Task Order must be negotiated in accordance with the terms of this Contract.

(c) Grants under Contracts. For any grants under contract activities awarded under a task order, the TOCO must determine if a Letter of Credit (LOC) is necessary. However, since issuance of an LOC cannot be accomplished prior to award, all offerors shall propose a ceiling percentage fee if issued an LOC and a separate ceiling fee percentage if not issued an LOC. Only the appropriate fee will be included in the contract upon award as follows:

___ percent (offeror proposes ceiling percentage) of the amount for grants under contract awarded under the task order, excluding fee if issued a letter of credit.

___ percent (offeror proposes ceiling percentage) of the amount for grants under contract awarded under the task order, excluding fee if NOT issued a letter of credit.]

B.8 LABOR

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 H3.

(a) Central management costs: The Contracting Officer has determined the government will not authorize central management costs under the IDIQ contract. Contractors shall not bill USAID directly for central management costs (e.g., responding to task order proposal requests, central reporting, central meetings with the basic IDIQ contract Contracting Officer’s Representative) under this IDIQ contract or under task orders.

(b) The work day and work week policies and method of accounting for paid absences including holidays for the Contractor and major subcontractors will be set forth in Attachment J.X of the award. (The contractor’s information will be included in the award pursuant to the instructions found in L.9 (i).

B.9 TASK ORDER LIMITATIONS

Note: Task orders issued under this IDIQ contract may be either Firm Fixed-Price or Cost-Plus- Fixed-Fee awards.

(a) Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Task Orders. When issuing CPFF task orders, the TOCO shall state in the Task Order the total estimated cost plus fixed fee, which is the total amount of the Task Order and the maximum amount the contractor may be paid without the advance written approval of the Contracting Officer to perform the services, reports, or other deliverables in the Task Order. This maximum amount represents the negotiated mix of the prime Contractors and subcontractors' professional labor categories and salaries, an estimated number of workdays, other direct costs, indirect costs, and fixed fee.

(b) Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Task Orders. When issuing FFP Task Orders, TOCOs shall state in the Task Order the firm-fixed-price, which represents the total amount of the Task Order and the maximum price the contractor may be paid to perform the services, reports, or other deliverables in the Task Order.

(c) Minimum Order. When USAID requires services or reports and other deliverables covered by this Contract in a Task Order in the amount of less than $25,000, the contractor is not obligated to accept an order to furnish those services or reports and other deliverables under this Contract.

However, if the contractor agrees to furnish services or reports and other deliverables required by USAID in an amount of less than $25,000 and is awarded a Task Order to do so, the contractor is required to provide said services and reports/deliverables in accordance with the Contract's terms and conditions.

(d) Maximum Order. When USAID requires services or reports and other deliverables covered by this Contract in a Task Order amount of more than $20,000,000, the contractor is not obligated to bid on an order to furnish those services or reports and other deliverables under this Contract. However, if the contractor agrees to furnish services or reports and other deliverables required by USAID in excess of $20,000,000 and awarded a Task Order to do so, the contractor is required to provide said services and reports/deliverables in accordance with the Contracts terms and conditions.

(e) Notwithstanding the above, if issuance of a Task Order to, and acceptance of a Task Order by, the contractor would: (1) result in the contractor (or its personnel or its subcontractors or their personnel) having an organizational conflict of interest for which restrictions would be placed on the contractor's (or its personnel’s or its subcontractors’ or their personnel’s) future activities; or (2) violate the provisions of the Procurement Integrity legislation, i.e., Section 27 of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 423), as amended by Section 814 of Pub. L. 101-189 the contractor, after written notification to the cognizant Contracting Officer is not obligated to furnish those services or reports and other deliverables under this Contract, and USAID may acquire the supplies or services from another source.

B.10 COST REIMBURSABLE

[Only applicable to CPFF task orders]

The U.S. dollar costs allowable shall be limited to reasonable, allocable, and allowable costs determined in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment; FAR 52.216-8, Fixed Fee, if applicable; AIDAR 752.7003, Documentation for Payment; OMB Circular A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions and OMB Circular A-122, Cost Principles for Non-profit organizations.

B.11 LABOR CATEGORIES – UNBURDENED CEILING DAILY RATES

(a) The task order must include labor rates that are equal to or lower than the Ceiling Daily Rates (CDRs) set forth below.

Each Ceiling Daily Rate (CDR) for personnel listed below is “unburdened” and must only include salary costs or consulting rates of the individual providing the services. The CDR for personnel must not include the following payroll costs (fringe benefits, FICA, etc.), indirect costs applicable to labor, or profit/fee.

The CDRs set forth below are fixed for the term of the IDIQ contract award and are for an eight hour day, and apply to all Subcontractors. If a new Subcontractor is proposed for a specific task order on other than a fixed-price basis, the CDRs set forth below will apply, and the subcontract is subject to consent by the TOCO.

Actual salaries for all personnel will be negotiated under task orders and final approval is provided by the TOCO. The ceiling rates presented below do not constitute approval of final salary rates above the Contractor Salary Threshold (CST) (see ADS 302.3.6.10.). All TOCOs must comply with the approval requirements in ADS 302.

(b) The single unburdened ceiling daily rate for each labor category in the table below represents the mid-level and senior-level rate for in each category. Two unburdened ceiling daily rates for each labor category is included in the contract to provide more flexibility under task orders. If junior-level personnel are required under task orders, they must be proposed at rates below the mid-level unburdened ceiling daily rate.

[Note 1: The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to any task order(s) that are awarded under this contract.]

[Note 2: The Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to prime Contractor, Subcontractor, and consultant salaries. For consultants that typically bill using a loaded rate, Contractors must propose any charges above the CDR separately and note in the budget narrative.]

[Note 3: The unburdened ceiling daily rates below do not apply to Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Task Orders.]

Labor Category CDR-Mid CDR Senior

1001 Project Manager $ 1002 Institutional Development Specialist $ 1003 Administrative Support Staff $ 1004 IT Specialist $ 1005 Grants Manager $ 1006 Financial Manager $ 1007 Biodiversity Conservation Specialist $ 1008 Sustainable Forestry Specialist $ 1009 Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Spec. $ 1010 Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Spec. $ 1011 Ecosystem Services Specialist $ 1012 Sustainable Tourism Specialist $ 1013 Environmental Enterprise Development Spec. $ 1014 Sustainable Conservation Finance Specialist $ 1015 Ecosystem Payment Services Specialist $ 1016 Resource Rights, Gov. and Policy Reform Spec. $ 1017 Resource Base Conflict Mitigation Mgmt. Spec. $ 1018 Environmental Compliance Specialist $

(c) Definition of labor categories:

1001. Project Manager – The individual is responsible for day-to-day work and staff supervision leading to the achievement of quality work products. S/he serves as a critical team member or leader in a project unit, mentoring individuals and collaborating closely with other management staff for effective supervision of at least one complex project.

1002. Institutional Development Specialist- Individual may engage in increasingly complex new business development, departmental, regional, and corporate strategies, financial management, technical assignments, and/or staff development and supervision with minimal oversight.

1003. Administrative Support Staff- Individual(s) are responsible for day-to-day program support. Duties may include, but are not limited to, project administration, program management support, producing all project related correspondence, maintaining web sites and databases, scheduling meetings and reservations, and maintaining document libraries and/or the oversight of these activities.

1004. IT Specialist - Individual(s) are responsible for day-to-day technical support. technical duties may include support to one or more of the following: computer science, informatics, Geek Squad, information management.

1005. Grants Manager – The individual is responsible for managing program grants. Duties may include but are not limited to: grants solicitation, procurement and management, financial oversight, strengthening capacity for grants oversight and implementation.

1006. Financial Manager - The individual provides expert advice and assistance to the program’s internal and external operations as they relate to finance and business. Duties may include, but are not limited to, assisting with strategic and business planning processes, benchmarking activities, market and financial modeling and simulation, financial planning, and financial management and analysis.

1007. Biodiversity Conservation Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas:

wildlife ecology, ecosystem ecology, marine, forest, grassland, wetland (etc) biology, protected area management, landscape/seascape conservation management planning.

1008. Sustainable Forestry Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: forestry, forest planning, forest ecology, community forestry, agroforestry, silviculture; fire ecology

1009. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: climate change modeling, REDD++ policy, REDD implementation, Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS); climate change adaptation, clean energy development; Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) implementation.

1010. Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: agro-ecology, biosystems engineering, agricultural engineering, sustainable agriculture, rangeland management, sustainable intensification, soil ecology

1011. Ecosystem Services Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: hydrology, river basin management, ecosystem valuation, systems ecology, ecosystem management;

invasive species management; habitat/watershed restoration, landscape planning

1012. Sustainable Tourism Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: tourism development, eco-tourism, destination management, hospitality management, interpretive/educational services; eco-certification, architect.

1013. Environmental Enterprise Development Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: value chain analysis; market information; marketing, business development services;

micro, small, medium enterprise development; green business certification; financial analyst, financial management; private sector investment.

1014. Sustainable Conservation Finance Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: sustainable financing, debt-for-nature swaps, credit and financial services

1015. Ecosystem Payments Services Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas::

ecosystem valuation; environmental accounting; natural capitol accounting

1016. Resource Rights, Governance and Policy Reform Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: land tenure and property rights; cadaster implementation, community based natural resources management; policy development and reform, gender, participatory approaches for information gathering

1017. Resource Based Conflict Mitigation & Management Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas: conflict prevention, mitigation or management, disaster risk reduction, peace building, dispute resolution. Institutional capacity building

1018. Environmental Compliance Specialist - The individual is responsible for providing technical support to program implementation in one or more of the following technical areas:

Environmental impact assessment; Regulation 216 compliance; environmental mitigation, environmental engineering; biological assessments and inventories

Minimum Qualifications In order to perform the statement of work set forth in Section C, the Contractor must provide personnel that meet the minimum education and experience requirements set forth below. For all positions listed in Section B.11, the minimum qualifications for mid-level and senior personnel are as follows and correspond to the Unburdened Ceiling Daily Rates.

Level Academic

Degree* Plus Approximate Years of Relevant** Work Experience

Including Years of Experience in Int'l Development

Relevant Regional Experience

Relevant Language Fluency

Mid Ph.D.

JD/ABD

MS/MA/MB

BS/BA

Less than Bachelor's

As specified in Task Order

As specified in Task Order

As specified in Task Order

Senior Ph.D.

JD/ABD

MS/MA/MB

BS/BA

Less than Bachelor's

As specified in Task Order

As specified in Task Order

As specified in Task Order

*Highest degree obtained should be related to work being performed.

**Relevant Work Experience is required for the levels indicated.

Locally Hired National Personnel or Other Non-U.S. Expatriates

All locally hired national personnel and other non-U.S. expatriates must be paid in accordance with AIDAR 722.170(a): 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 for a task order, 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. CDRs will be applied to TCNs and CCNs conforming to this regulatory provision.

Salaries for individual locally-hired personnel and other non-U.S. expatriates under this contract or any resulting subcontract must be in accordance with AIDAR 752.7007, Personnel Compensations (July 2007) and should be based upon a combination of factors including prevailing in-country salaries for the professional category being negotiated and consideration of the individual's education, work experience and recent relevant salary history.

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C. Restoring the Environment through Prosperity, Livelihoods and Conserving Ecosystems (REPLACE) Indefinite Quantity Contract (IDIQ)

STATEMENT OF WORK

Overview Sustainable development requires a strong supporting foundation of sound natural resource management. Healthy ecosystems are critical for robust economic growth, resilient food systems, maintenance of environmental goods and services, and healthy communities. The sustainable management of natural resources is a localized need and a global imperative.

Increasing human populations, globalization, habitat conversion and climate change impacts are creating unprecedented stresses on ecosystems, the services they provide, and the populations that are dependent upon them. These pressures require multi-faceted efforts and innovative approaches for promoting prosperous, environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Conserving and managing natural resources and the goods and services that are provided by healthy ecosystems are necessary for human societies and the global environment to thrive.

Over the last three decades USAID programs have increasingly achieved sustained management of resources by strengthening community access to and governance of resources and by increasing sustainable livelihood options for communities living in critical resource areas.

Coined “Nature, Wealth and Power” or NWP, the approach focuses on developing equitable resource rights and building the capacity of communities and government to manage and sustainably use resources for increased economic benefit. These efforts have resulted in significant successes, including: establishing policy frameworks that incorporate sound environmental management and conservation; strengthening the natural resource management capacity of individuals and local institutions; and developing alliances that leverage resources from diverse partners to address common livelihood and natural resource management objectives.

Despite significant advances in the management of resources, pressures on them continue to grow. In today’s era of globalization, most natural resources are affected by a mix of local, regional and global stakeholders. Natural resource management, therefore, must address the needs of local stakeholders in the context of a thorough understanding of local, regional and global drivers of resource use and competing land use projections. Increasingly, development policies are targeting sustainable land management, food security and the global need to address climate change.

Addressing food security in the 21st century will continue to make ever increasing demands on watersheds and the natural systems that provide pollination services, soil production and wild caught/collected resources upon which many of the rural poor depend. Long term food security requires that ecological processes for water quality and quantity, soil production, and pollination must be sustainably managed to provide the natural resource base required by agricultural communities. Capture fisheries and other wild harvested species need to be managed for long-term viability of their species and genetic variability.

Changes in climatic cycles of droughts and catastrophic storms stress the need for natural buffers against storms and soil erosion. Climate change and disaster mitigation require long-term management of forests and coastal ecosystems and increased connectivity of fragmented natural habitats is needed to increase resilience to climatic fluctuations. Building on the landscape management models of the past 10 years, efforts must increase range and scope, utilizing integrated approaches that address ecosystem services across diverse landscapes, build capacity and social capital of local resource users, and partner with industry to promote economically and environmentally sustainable production practices.

The REPLACE IDIQ focuses on improving the sustainable, long-term management of natural resources. REPLACE presents a targeted, integrated approach to addressing the environment, governance and economic growth components necessary for sustainable natural resources management. REPLACE recognizes that solutions to natural resource issues must address the concerns of different stakeholders including those issues specific to gender and marginalized groups. The mechanism will provide USAID operating units programming options to build the technical and management capacities of institutions and civil society to effectively address sustainable natural resource management while also focusing on the governance structures and economic options necessary to foster long term sustainability in ecosystem management.

REPLACE provides a framework for USAID operating units to address local and global stresses and threats to best achieve sustained management of natural resources for future generations. It utilizes integrated approaches to landscape and seascape management to build resilient and productive communities while conserving the natural resource base, maintaining vital ecosystem goods and services and, where needed, assisting in the regeneration of degraded natural assets.

These approaches will enhance livelihoods and economic options through sound resource use, improve resource governance, reduce conflicts and enhance social capital and environmental stewardship. The Nature, Wealth and Power (NWP) approach presented provides a tested USAID paradigm to best support the potential for scaling-up & sustaining impact to address the growing demands on natural resources as a result of climate change and increased demands on land and water resources.

IDIQ Components:

REPLACE offers an integrated approach to sustainable resource management. The aim of the three pronged NWP approach is to provide a clear framework to address the ecological or natural resources program goals supported by transparent lines of governance and policy and with significant economic incentives for stakeholders.

This mechanism will provide USAID Missions and operating units and their development partners with an integrated set of technical assistance components to address complex development needs across multi-use landscapes. The technical components of REPLACE are outlined below:

Figure 1 – REPLACE IDIQ

Overarching Themes

Integrated Landscape and Seascape Management Scaling-up & Sustaining Impact

Primary Natural Resource Management Categories (Nature)

Biodiversity conservation Sustainable forestry Climate Change mitigation and adaptation Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Management of ecosystem services

Primary Nature Based Economic Growth Categories (Wealth)

Sustainable Tourism Environmental Enterprise Development Sustainable Conservation Finance Payments for Ecosystem Services

Primary Natural Resource Governance Categories (Power)

Resource Rights, Governance and Policy Reform Resource based Conflict Mitigation & Management Environmental Compliance

Assistance provided by REPLACE will include a variety of forms, including field-based technical assistance, formal and informal training programs, policy and economic analysis, study tours, and applied research to promote individual and institutional capacity building.

C.1 Overarching themes:

The REPLACE mechanism seeks to assist USAID operating units implement development hypotheses that focus on integrated approaches to best foster sustainable development and on scaling-up and sustaining impact in the natural resource management sector.

All human societies rely on using ecosystem services in their daily lives. Ecosystem services provide food, shelter and livelihoods. Examples of these services include: provision of clean, abundant water, building materials, fuelwood, crop pollination, capture fisheries, coastal storm protection, and key wild foods and nutrients to list a few. Human pressures and changing climatic conditions are negatively affecting the ability of ecosystems to function properly.

Solutions and management needs require integrated landscape management and the ability to scale up impact to systems, country and regional scales. Successful approaches target a number of sectoral areas working holistically to achieve benefits for a range of stakeholders.

Integrated landscape/seascape management

For USAID operating units, integrated landscape management focuses on the interaction of ecological and social issues in accordance with sustainable development goals. Effective linkages among natural resource management, good governance and ecologically sensitive economic growth have led to sustained development programs that support long-term human and ecological well-being.

Integrated programs require comprehensive consultation with and attention to a diverse array of stakeholders with competing priorities and capacities to work in a multi-sectoral environment.

The REPLACE mechanism seeks to offer USAID operating units a suite of technical expertise to implement integrated natural resource management programs. These technical approaches require nesting in an overall management approach to achieve results. To best foster integration, this mechanism may support the achievement of results including, but not limited to:

Build capacity to develop and utilize land use planning Foster linkages between technical ministries and stakeholders Development of stakeholder platforms for engagement, feedback and decision making regarding land use management.

Scaling-up & Sustaining Impact:

Development practitioners continue to struggle with methodologies for scaling-up program outcomes to ensure significant impact on development beyond pilots and target areas. Because of the overarching scope of natural resources, their sustainable management requires a critical mass of people taking action to adopt environmentally sound practices into their daily lives. Solutions with effects that reach beyond a few communities or an isolated policy change are necessary to have impact at a scale in order to increase the probability to produce lasting change. Reaching a critical mass that will enable widespread behavior change requires multiple approaches for education, communication and application of social change methodologies. Even when activities occur at a significant scale, their impact may be ephemeral if local capacity building and ownership have not been central to the development process from the very beginning. To ensure the long-term viability of USAID investments, it is critical that activities under this mechanism be conducted in a manner that fosters impacts that will be sustained well-beyond the end of the project.

REPLACE will support the application of social change methodologies, mass communication, and information technologies that support widespread behavior change and up-scaling of development impact.

This mechanism may support the achievement of results including but not limited to:

Increased scale or reach of program impact through implementation of innovative approaches, such as social network analysis, to engage more stakeholders and a wider variety of partners;

Increase access to development, market and environmental information through a range of social media and communications technologies;

Expand adoption of sound resource management practices through communications strategies tailored to local audiences (local television, radio, text messages and web-based communications)

C.2. Primary Natural Resource Management Categories (Nature)

Effective natural resource management encompasses a wide range of actions including:

conservation of natural ecosystems; maintenance and restoration of ecological processes;

developing capacity to measure, monitor and manage sustainable off-take of fauna and flora; and harmonizing natural resource management with country development, agricultural and climate change policies.

Management of resources, whether at the species, ecosystem or ecological process level is not restricted to jurisdictional boundaries or national borders. Therefore effective long-term resource management requires simultaneous interventions with diverse partners at multiple spatial and governance scales. Of paramount importance is the development of capacity and knowledge to understand the variety of natural resources that are present, and the ability to monitor and measure their abundance and relative health.

REPLACE will provide comprehensive technical assistance to improve natural resource management in a variety of land-use technical areas. Individual task orders may address land use options singly or in any combination. The specific results required under this mechanism will be determined by individual task orders and are likely to be extremely diverse.

Specific task orders under this mechanism are expected to address targeted interventions and integrated approaches to sound management of terrestrial and aquatic resources across many scales from the community to transnational levels. USAID anticipates that the land/sea use categories that will compose the bulk of work under this mechanism will fall under the five Primary Resource Management Categories: Biodiversity Conservation, Sustainable Forestry, Climate Change mitigation and adaptation, Ecologically Sustainable Agriculture, and Management and Provision of Ecosystem Services. This section provides a brief overview of these categories.

C.2.a Biodiversity Conservation (terrestrial, freshwater, and marine)

Healthy ecosystems and the services they provide depend on the maintenance of functioning ecosystem processes and the conservation of their specific biodiversity. USAID’s major emphasis in biodiversity conservation is to help maintain and manage wild biodiversity in situ, through targeted action addressing threats to biodiversity in forests, grasslands, wetlands, marine and coastal habitats.

Managing for the long term health and survival of biodiversity, conservation efforts should take an integrated approach and utilize a variety of tools and technical interventions. USAID emphasizes developing appropriate activities to mitigate key threats to biodiversity in priority sites and to positively impact biologically significant areas. These threats include direct drivers of biodiversity loss such as habitat degradation, overexploitation, invasive alien species, pollution or climate change. Key to developing these approaches to address threats is the need to understand how different stakeholders, including men and women, the young and old, use and manage resources. Actions need to be developed to best target threats at the scale at which they occur and with the variety of stakeholders necessary to achieve long-term results. To be most effective, programs will monitor associated indicators for biodiversity conservation and be adaptively managed. For more information on USAID’s definition of biodiversity see http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/biodiversity/code.html This mechanism may support the achievement of results including but not limited to:

Reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss in biologically significant areas;

Establishment of biological connectivity between isolated pockets of natural habitat;

Improved capacity of local communities to effectively and sustainably co-manage wildlife, forests, communal lands (including coastal fishing areas and fresh water use/access) and protected areas;

Development and enforcement of policies and protocols to combat illegal trade and transport of wildlife products.

Increased awareness of the importance of and threats to ecological services and biodiversity among targeted populations;

Enhanced protected area management;

Establishment of effective management systems for transboundary conservation areas.

C.2.b Sustainable Forestry

Forests worldwide are subjected to increasing pressure to provide goods and services for local income generation and national economic development. International markets drive demand for high-value agricultural commodities, exerting pressure to convert forest lands to other uses.

Combined with changing technologies that increase both the extent and intensity of forest utilization, and widely observed governance failures, these pressures have resulted in the unsustainable patterns of forest use and high rates of deforestation currently observed throughout many parts of the world.

Deforestation may occur as an immediate consequence of market pressures; often, however, it follows years of poor governance and management practices, and a lack of economic incentives to maintain land in healthy forest. USAID support for forest-related activities is centered upon an integrated approach that stresses sustainable forest management practices, the conservation of ecologically critical forest ecosystems, and the empowerment of forest dependent communities.

USAID’s efforts are designed to ensure that forests are viewed as natural capital that should be carefully managed to contribute to local and national economic growth; and, at the same time, ensuring that other benefits of well managed forests, such as the conservation of threatened biodiversity, crucial ecosystem services and significant cultural values, are maintained.

USAID forestry programming focuses on integrated approach to forest management. Efforts must address particular threats or needs while ensuring that interventions are effective as well as robust and adaptable enough to withstand changing ecological, social or economic pressures.

REPLACE will strengthen the forestry practices to increase value for resource managers;

minimize negative ecological impacts and reduce unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions from management interventions; improve forest monitoring and proactively manage threats such as illegal activity, fire and disease; and facilitate the expansion of community forestry and local resource rights so that forest-dependent communities perceive benefits from ecologically sustainable use of forests and are appropriately and equitably empowered in their management.

This mechanism may support the achievement of results including but not limited to:

Increased capacity to manage forests for economic growth while maintaining ecosystem services, addressing the drivers of deforestation and degradation, and conserving biodiversity;

Effective forest monitoring, achieved through the integration of remote sensing and other technologies with community participation in field-level monitoring

Increased use of reduced impact logging techniques which minimize negative ecological impacts and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions;

Improved stakeholder participation in land use planning at the community, local and/or national levels for all demographics

Improved fire prevention, response and impact mitigation Increased capacity to control invasive species, mitigate forest pests and diseases Improved forest governance, including the establishment and enforcement of forestry laws and policies;

Expanded use of appropriate, ecologically sustainable agroforestry and silvopastoral systems and other alternative production practices which integrate trees into the agricultural landscape

Improved capacity to restore native forest species and ecosystems

C.2.c Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Climate change is one of the century’s greatest challenges, and will be a priority of global policy and development work over the coming decades. Climate change effects can compound pre-existing social stresses including poverty, hunger, conflict, migration and the spread of disease, and threatens to alter key ecosystem functions across the globe. Economies of many developing countries are heavily dependent on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and tourism, and poor communities with limited economic opportunities are more limited in their abilities to adapt to climate change. Changing temperature and precipitation patterns will also alter the geographic extent of suitable habitat for plants and animals, and disrupt vital ecosystem processes, creating an additional challenge in conserving biodiversity already threatened by land use change, disease, pollution and over-exploitation. The long-term success of development efforts will depend upon efforts to foster low-carbon and climate-resilient growth while conserving the natural resources and critical ecosystem services on which societies depend.

The U.S. government is supporting national and sub-national capacity building to help countries design and implement Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS). LEDS draws on technical expertise from across the USG to: support legal and policy frameworks necessary for energy efficiency; enable the transfer and adoption of renewable energy technology and sustainable land management practices; and build national and private sector capacity to monitor and manage GHG emissions from both industry and land use change.

While the current focus of USAID support for land-use GHG mitigation is on forests as described in the USG Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) Strategy, it is expected that agricultural emissions will be an increasingly important area in global climate change mitigation efforts. USAID may focus on agricultural emissions mitigation and monitoring efforts in the future, including support for the integration of low-emissions agricultural practices into global pay-for-performance climate change mitigation mechanisms.

LEDS and other USAID climate change investments build on three core pillars:

1) Sustainable Landscapes (SL) focuses on land-use GHG mitigation and REDD+ readiness with the goal of addressing drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. These efforts can support a variety of REDD+ readiness processes including the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, UN- REDD, or other similar initiatives which prepare countries to implement REDD+ and access multi-lateral funds and/or carbon markets. The USG REDD+ strategy targets three priority investment areas: 1) REDD+ Architecture: Creating and supporting an efficient, effective, and coordinated international system to help countries deliver REDD+ outcomes; 2) REDD+ Readiness: Helping countries become ready to participate in pay-for-performance programs and take complementary domestic actions; and 3) REDD+ Demonstration: Pilot activities which elaborate and test approaches to reduce deforestation and degradation in a cost-effective and sustainable manner in order to inform national and international policy and practice.

2) Adaptation activities build on climate vulnerability and adaptation analyses to reduce the vulnerability of human or natural systems to climate change impacts and risks. Adaptation approaches should be integrated into program design and implementation for all USAID projects to safeguard investments over the long-term and increase climate resilience.