WADI_Statement_of_Work_2-12-2013.docx

Statement of Work – Water and Development IDIQ (WADI) C.1 Overview In a rapidly changing environment, achieving water security for regions, nations and individuals is one of the greatest development challenges confronting the world today. Climate change, population growth, increased energy demands and rising costs, increased urbanization, low sanitation coverage, watershed and environmental degradation, natural disasters, and conflict are putting water resources under increasing pressure. Yet access to clean water and sanitation is critical to improving health and increasing human productivity and economic growth.

Water scarcity already affects every continent and more than 40 percent of the people on our planet. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water stressed conditions. The annual economic impact of poor sanitation alone is more than 5-6% of GDP in some countries and research on the economics of sanitation and water indicates that no other single intervention brings greater public health returns. Similarly, water is a critical input to food security, which exists when people have the physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs. Water scarcity can be a major cause of famine and undernourishment, particularly in areas where people depend on local agriculture for food and income.

The importance of water in the development context and the increased pressure to satisfy potentially competing needs for water underscores the critical importance of properly managing the scarce water resources upon which human life and economic security depend. Against this context, USAID (the Agency) is embarking on a new Water and Development Strategy (the Strategy) which focuses efforts on improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and improved food security. By focusing programming on these two elements of the global water security challenge, USAID can be most effective in helping the world to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals.

USAID’s Water and Development Strategy provides the framework for focusing the Agency’s approach to water programming. Recognizing that limited resources are available, the Agency intends to achieve the greatest impact by focusing resources according to the following Strategic Objectives:

· Strategic Objective 1 (SO1): Improve health outcomes through the provision of sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)

· Strategic Objective 2 (SO2): Manage water in agriculture sustainably and more productively to enhance food security While other parts of the Agency (e.g., Global Health, Regional Bureaus, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, Bureau for Food Security, and Food for Peace) provide support to Missions in programming areas related to these strategic objectives, the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and the Environment’s (E3’s) Office of Water is the Agency’s technical leader for implementation of the Strategy. This IDIQ (sometimes referred to as an IQC within USAID ) is the Office of Water’s sole centrally-funded mechanism in support of the Strategy, though there are other mechanisms available to the Missions.

The purpose of this IDIQ is to carry out Task Orders that reflect the Agency’s strategic direction and focus on water programming, as described above and including the elements of USAID Forward discussed in Attachment 1. This IDIQ Contract is meant to be a successor, and not a direct follow-on, to the previous water IDIQ’s, IDIQ I, II and its extension.

C.2 OBJECTIVE

The E3 Bureau’s Office of Water supports the Agency’s water programming by synthesizing and disseminating water sector knowledge, and supporting long-term, sustainable, transformative development in the water sector. Through this IDIQ, the Office of Water will facilitate Missions’ access to cross-cutting services in the water sector, including Data Collection and Management, Assessment and Analysis, Strategic Planning and Design, Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening, and Performance Monitoring and Evaluation for the implementation of their field programs.

The USAID E3 Bureau seeks assistance with providing services and technical support related to implementation of the Strategy and to assist sponsoring Missions, Bureaus and Offices worldwide. Task Orders performed under this contract shall seek to provide maximum benefit according to the Strategic Objectives mentioned above within the overall context of USAID Forward and other Agency priorities and strategies. Please see Attachment 1 for detailed information.

C.3 CROSS-CUTTING SERVICES

In pursuing the Strategy’s objectives, the Agency’s approach will be driven by the tenets of integrated water resources management. Integrated water resources management is defined as the broad range of scientific and technical, economic, governance, and regulatory activities necessary to manage water resources for the maximum benefit of the users, host-country governments, and the environment. Integrated water resources management considers water resources in the basin as a whole and helps to ensure that demands for water are equitably met among human consumptive, industrial, ecological, and food production needs without significant negative impact on users and the environment.

The Agency is also seeking opportunities to integrate its programming between implementation of the Strategy and other development activities, including economic growth, education, youth, energy, etc. An integrated approach to programming is an effective way to fulfill multiple development objectives, leverage limited resources, and nurture sustainable approaches. In all its programming, the Agency pays careful attention to gender integration, a particularly important part of its approach to water.

The contractor shall furnish personnel having substantial experience and expertise, both practical and conceptual, to perform the cross-cutting services and the range of activities described by this Statement of Work, and as further delineated in each subsequent Task Order. The contractor may be requested to set up an in-country office to provide these services with local staff management by a host country national or an expatriate, and to utilize local organizations or other firms, as deemed appropriate by the sponsoring unit.

Contractors shall provide services in the cross-cutting technical areas detailed below.

C.3.1: Data Collection and Management Data collection, management and use are core to the ability to diagnose sector problems, construct remedies, and implement solutions. Timely and reliable data inform a baseline understanding of a situation and provide the basis for monitoring progress, which are critical, in turn, to assessing the effectiveness of interventions. At the service delivery level, data on the location, specifications, operational status, governance, sustainability and demand for water and sanitation facilities are required. Service providers’ operational and commercial data are not only valuable to utility staff and management, but also to government, financiers and regulators. Transparency of data in the sector has additional benefits to civil society, creating a framework of public accountability and allowing for more robust governance.

Additionally, effective water resources management requires accurate and timely information on geophysical, hydrological, meteorological, biological, chemical, and ecological characteristics in addition to the cultural, sociological, economic/financial, legal, political, institutional, and socioeconomic contexts in which they are used. These tasks may be done as part of larger governance processes (e.g. basin, watershed, or other ecosystem-scale participatory decision-making structures) and may support management decisions related to all aspects of water resources management.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Supporting, through technology transfer, knowledge management attributes of creation, learning and sharing, training, and the provision of technical advisory services, the establishment of cost-effective data collection systems and databases. This will include not only support for data collection, storage, monitoring, and processing, including the use of hydrologic and meteorological models, remote sensing, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), but also behavioral data related to correct, consistent and sustained use of water, sanitation and hygiene technologies.

· Supporting the development of Monitoring and Evaluation Platforms which work to integrate available data sources and provide a single point of entry for sector data.

· Gathering data through inventories, surveys, quantitatively and qualitatively perform assessments when required (as mentioned above), and other approaches and establishing databases to efficiently and effectively store the data so that can be captured and shared with missions, implementing partners, other donors and beneficiaries, whenever appropriate.

· Designing and implementing innovative approaches to the real time collection, analysis and use of sector data, including the use of mobile technologies.

· Supporting the development and adoption of comprehensive, scientifically-sound, data-driven, and feasible systems for monitoring the health, productivity, viability, and sustainability of water resources and their dependent ecosystems; and of water and sanitation infrastructure.

· Collecting, managing and sharing with relevant stakeholders on a user-friendly and widely utilized platform, the data necessary to improve sector performance, including establishment of utility benchmark data, water point mapping, cost of service data, etc.

· Performance of social and economic data collection necessary to inform program and activity design including gender analysis, acceptability studies and willingness and ability to pay studies.

· Establishing knowledge management systems to encourage the effective, efficient, and transparent capturing and dissemination of data and information pertaining to water resources management, including, where appropriate, promotion of consistent data management formats and standard protocols.

C.3.2: Assessment and Analysis Technical assistance services that relate to the assessment and analysis activities inherent to water and sanitation shall be provided by the contractor. Work may be required at all scales ranging from local, site-based assessment to service area, basin-scale, national, or regional analyses.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Analyzing data in the broader site-specific political, cultural, and legal contexts and developing options for effective policy and program implementation.

· Leveraging partnerships with academic institutions, NGOs, and other local, community, national, and/or international organizations to promote innovation and cooperation.

· Developing and implementing decision-support systems based on sound data, information, and analysis.

· Assessing the potential ecological, gender, health, and socioeconomic impacts and risks of projects and programs.

· Identifying potential water related conflicts, including transboundary conflicts.

· Modeling future development scenarios under a variety of water sector options and conditions.

· Modeling the economic costs of lack of investment in domestic and productive water and sanitation infrastructure

· Modeling extreme events, such as droughts, sea level rise, and flooding, understanding their potential impacts in a basin-scale context, and developing mitigation plans.

· Assessing the sustainability of proposed development approaches, including modeling future scenarios under a variety of conditions.

· Modeling the linkages between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), water resources, and food security, understanding the impact of changes in water quality and water quantity on agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and livestock, and developing sustainable and cost-effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.

· Developing options and recommendations for action to conserve and protect aquatic ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, estuaries, wetlands, mangroves, and coral reefs as part of the evaluation of the overall sustainability of water and water-related projects.

· Assessing the economic and other values of sanitation, water and related systems, including market and non-market, direct and indirect values.

C.3.3 Strategic Planning and Design USAID Missions and Bureaus, as well as host country partners and counterparts, often require assistance in planning and activity design in order to achieve sustainable outcomes. Support may also be needed in programs undertaken by or with host country institutions for which the development of management plans often serves as a fundamental underpinning for long-term, sustainable water and sanitation sector development. This contract shall provide technical capability that draws on sound data, information, and analysis at all scales in the areas of strategic planning and activity design.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Assisting in development of Development Objectives, Results Frameworks, and in identifying targets and indicators related to water, sanitation and hygiene programs.

· Providing analysis, input, or recommendations related to water, sanitation and hygiene for Country Development Cooperation Strategies (CDCSs).

· Assisting in the design or redesign of water, sanitation and hygiene activities and programs, including the development of Concept notes, Project Appraisal Documents, Statements of Work, Program Descriptions, etc.

· Assisting beneficiaries with development of strategies and action plans, and strengthening their institutional capacity to carry out planning on an ongoing basis.

· Promoting public and other stakeholder participation in water, sanitation and hygiene strategies and action plan development.

· Assisting in problem identification and conflict resolution for water, sanitation and hygiene issues at the local, national, and regional scales.

C.3.4 Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening Activities to build host country individual and institutional capacity will be required in country and region-specific Task Orders for any and all technical sub-sectors of water and sanitation. Capacity building and institutional strengthening may require use of local languages. On an occasional basis, capacity building may also be provided for USAID technical staff in specific areas of interest related to water, sanitation and hygiene sector development and water resources management.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Providing technical assistance to counterpart organizations in defining capacity building needs, or in preparing recommendations for organization staffing and staff development.

· Supporting training of technical personnel within host country institutions on topics including: drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) including hygiene behavior change, water and sanitation sector monitoring, assessment and planning, information acquisition and management, stakeholder participation in governance, conflict resolution, management of hardware and infrastructure, innovative financing tools, and site-based management practices.

· Supporting staff development and training within host country institutions in the financial and administrative aspects of water project and utility management.

· Implementing conferences and workshops on topics related to water and sanitation. Workshops may emphasize stakeholder participation and may include public and private partner organizations.

· Partner with and leverage credible institutions on relevant capacity building programs and initiatives to maximize impact and resources.

· Utilize sharing and learning good practices when designing and implementing capacity building programs.

C.3.5 Policy, Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Program Support The proposed contract will enable USAID Missions to implement and manage water and sanitation programs that embrace a broad range of policy, legal, regulatory and institutional reform efforts. These reforms will anchor long term transformation of water and sanitation sector, leading to sustainable service provision on an equitable basis. Technical support to host country public and private institutions may be required to carry out these activities on a long-term basis.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Recommending and supporting development and implementation of enabling policies in order to increase opportunities for coverage and equitable access, financing and cost-recovery, rationalization and management of demand for resources, inclusive decision-making, decentralization, accountability, transparency, reduce corruption, and protect natural resources at local, regional, and national levels.

· Examining the effectiveness of laws, policies, and regulations and their application for sustaining water resources and providing water and sanitation services, recommending options for improving laws and related institutional and regulatory structures, and supporting implementation of desired reforms.

· Assessing regulatory options for improving environmental protection, resource allocation, and service provision. Developing, recommending and implementing regulatory improvements including institutional changes, monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.

· Developing and implementing regulatory instruments including regulations, guidelines, standards, performance agreements, and licenses.

· Evaluation, designing and implementing institutional options for sector management and operation that will enhance and improve sector governance and accountability, service delivery and stewardship of resources. These may include re-alignment of roles and responsibilities within the sector, definition of organizational structures, and delineation of roles and duties within institutions.

C.3.6 Technical Program Support The proposed contract will enable USAID Missions to implement and manage water, sanitation and hygiene programs that embrace a broad range of best management practices and technologies. Technical support to USAID and to host country public and private institutions will be required to build the local capacity to sustain these activities on a long-term basis.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Conducting research and developing practical guidance for USAID Missions related to emerging issues in water, sanitation and hygiene sector programming based on knowledge of how guidance is best received and internalized within the specific mission and/or country/region context.

· Implementing specific elements of locally developed water resources management plans, including both technological and institutional aspects.

· Developing water safety plans for utilities and community water supplies.

· Designing and executing outreach strategies and other methods to promote adoption of best practices and technologies for sustainable management of water, sanitation and hygiene sector programs, at all scales.

· Conducting research, literature reviews, and other activities aimed at incorporating emerging science and technology into water, sanitation and hygiene sector programming.

· Developing and implementing participatory, locally-based models that promote local capacity and engagement among government agencies, NGOs, community-based organizations, and the private sector for water resources management, drinking water and sanitation service delivery, and improved hygiene behaviors.

C.3.7 Service Delivery Support The proposed contract will enable USAID Missions to design, implement and manage water and sanitation programs that incorporate established and emerging approaches to increase, improve and sustain service delivery. Using current sector knowledge, these approaches will enhance USAID’s ability to have a significant and measurable development impact or will enhance the knowledge base of the sector through the implementation of approaches that are considered to have significant potential for impact at scale.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Supporting innovation and the use of science and technology in the water, sanitation and hygiene sectors by engaging social entrepreneurs, private sector experts, academic institutions, and NGOs. Activities may include introduction of market-based approaches, demand-driven technologies, incorporation of mobile solutions, and energy efficient technologies.

· Developing and mainstreaming meaningful and tangible participatory, gender sensitive programming, and ensuring that women and other marginalized populations are empowered to participate in decision making in design and implementation of water, sanitation, and hygiene programs and in the equitable distribution of benefits.

· Supporting the design and implementation of service delivery options that are responsive and appropriate to the growing urban populations, particularly the urban poor. These might include creative partnerships, business models, technological approaches, and financing mechanisms.

· Cultivating public private partnerships to enhance and extend service delivery for domestic and productive uses of water and sanitation. Recognizing that water and sanitation gaps cannot be filled by the public sector alone, it is imperative that the private sector (including households) be increasingly motivated to engage in the provision and financing of services. Activities might include a range from business training for entrepreneurs to regulatory oversight of small scale operators to establishment of formal contractual relationships between public and private partners.

· Designing approaches that help mobilize financing to the sector and support financial sustainability. These might include creative ways to facilitate and stimulate customer payment for service, brokering relationships between financiers and providers, developing new financial flows to sub-national entities in support of decentralization, mobilization of risk-mitigation techniques including access to Development Credit Authority (DCA) partial loan guarantee arrangements; development of new financing mechanisms and watershed protection or resource user fee programs.

· Advancing efficiency in service provision through the analysis of resource use and allocation and identification of ways to maximize the value of inputs. This may include new energy technologies, loss reduction programs, refinement of operational approaches, and even increased accountability and regulatory incentives for efficiency.

· Sustainability of services is critical to ensuring that USAID investments provide value over the long term. Approaches to ensure sustainability could include Multiple Use Systems, life cycle costing and cost recovery, security of supply chains and capacity, local ownership, and transparent assignment of roles and obligations.

C.3.8 Water for Food Security Support Agriculture is by far the biggest user of water, accounting for up to 95 percent of all withdrawals in developing countries. It is critical that water resources be managed productively, efficiently and equitably. USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative is led by the Bureau for Food Security (BFS), which leads on food security programming. However, there may be activities under this IDIQ which support and augment the activities of BFS.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Advising on ways to harvest more rainfall, conserve soil moisture, and reduce waste in irrigation.

· Identifying appropriate flexible and localized irrigation systems to promote efficient and productive on-farm water use.

· Improving storage of water at the basin and farm levels.

· Innovation in domestic and productive water re-use and recycling.

· Capture and share projects where food and water integration has successfully been designed and implemented.

C.3.9 Knowledge Management, Information Sharing, Cooperation, and Coordination The Office of Water provides technical expertise, support services, and leadership to the State Department, USAID, and US Government interagency working groups on matters related to the water sector in an international context. In carrying out these duties, Office of Water staff engage in numerous partnerships and international collaborations with other USG agencies, international donors, NGOs, the private sector, and host country government counterparts. USAID may require technical and Knowledge Management support services in connection with development and dissemination of knowledge to USAID staff and with discharge of these international partnership, program, and initiative responsibilities.

The Contractor shall provide services including, but not limited to, the following:

· Organizing and executing conferences, seminars, and workshops that facilitate international collaboration, technical leadership, and information sharing, including participation of field Missions and USAID/Washington staff, other USG agencies, host countries, and other donors.

· Researching, writing, editing, producing, and disseminating information in connection with national, regional, and international programs, initiatives, conventions, and agreements to help advance US and USAID interests and objectives in water, sanitation, and hygiene service delivery and food security.

· Providing assistance in producing outreach materials, including researching, writing, editing, producing, and disseminating information. Materials may employ diverse media and be directed to a variety of internal and external audiences. Technical support may range from contractor-produced to counterpart-assisted production of materials. Under some circumstances, translations may be required in locally appropriate languages.

· Providing support in the development and management of partnerships with the for-profit private sector, foundations, other bilateral or multilateral donors, academic institutions, professional associations, NGOs/PVOs, faith-based organizations, or community institutions to execute collaborative development programs related to water, sanitation, and hygiene service delivery and food security.

· Integrate knowledge creation, capture, sharing and learning attributes through learning events, documents, trainings, capacity development initiatives, etc. into programming and development of resources to capture programming lessons learned.

C.3.10 Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Task Orders executed under this contract will make provisions for performance evaluations consistent with the Agency’s January 2011 Evaluation Policy [http://transition.usaid.gov/evaluation/USAIDEvaluationPolicy.pdf]. Performance evaluations will focus on descriptive and normative questions: what a particular project or program has achieved (either at an intermediate point in execution or at the conclusion of an implementation period); how it is being implemented; how it is perceived and valued; whether expected results are occurring; and other questions that are pertinent to program design, management and operational decision making. These performance evaluations shall be unbiased, transparent, and consistent with sound methodological standards.

In the absence of preferred mechanisms at the Mission, Region, or Agency level, Task Orders issued under this IDIQ may be accompanied by a companion M&E Task Order dedicated to independent performance evaluation against the indicators identified in the Task Order Statement of Work. The ordering office will make the final determination on outside evaluations based on the specific TO.

Contractors responding to a Task Order shall submit a Monitoring and Evaluation plan and include these costs as part of their Task Order budget proposal regardless of any outside evaluation planned and with the understanding that this work will be competed and/or awarded separately. Final evaluation reports and their summaries will be submitted within three months of completion to the Development Experience Clearinghouse, a publically available online database, for wide dissemination as a way to increase the transparency of our work.

In addition, the Contractor shall provide services including but not limited to, the following:

· Assisting with developing and implementing performance monitoring systems and indicators at the strategic, sectorial, and activity levels for water, sanitation and hygiene programs, and within the context of USAID Results Frameworks.

· Developing indicators in conjunction with partners and implementers for tracking performance of broader USG initiatives or multi-institutional water and sanitation sector partnerships and assisting in tracking and reporting on progress against those indicators.

· Producing USAID agency-wide assessment of activities in the water and sanitation sectors.

· Conducting water related evaluations at the activity, strategic, or Agency-wide level.

· Conducting sustainability analyses of USAID water and sanitation sector programs.

· Conducting impact evaluations, which measure the change in a development outcome that is attributable to a defined intervention, for Mission-specific or Regional programs.

C.3.10 Commodity Procurement USAID’s partners in the public and private sectors may require equipment and other commodities to carry out their work effectively. Technical assistance and advisory services may be required to procure necessary goods for execution of water program work and operations. Any funding for commodities under a Task Order must be in support of the Task Order activities or objectives.

The Contractor shall provide services including but not limited to, the following:

· Assessment, analysis, and development of specifications for commodities and equipment required by public and private organizations receiving USAID assistance.

C.4 PERFORMANCE TECHNICAL AREAS

The following is a list of illustrative subsectors of water and sanitation for which technical expertise may be required. This list provides a summary of the wide range of technical areas which may be included in a Task Order Statement of Work, in any combination, and at one or multiple scales of intervention. The cross-cutting technical areas described above may be applied singly or in combination in order to address any number of the technical areas outlined below.

The list of illustrative technical areas has been subdivided into several categories, with recognition that many of them are applicable to more than one category and that USAID’s priority areas are WASH and Food Security.

Water Resources Management

· Watershed Management

· Water Demand Management and Water Conservation

· Water Recycling and Wastewater Reuse

· Groundwater Aquifer Management

· Hydrometeorology/Meteorology/Agrometeorology

· Land Use Planning

· Urban Storm Water Runoff Management

· Water Source Quality

· Weather/Seasonal Climate River/Coastal and Extreme Event Forecasting, Warning, Risk Mitigation and Preparedness, and Post-Disaster Assessment and Recovery

· Water Rights/Water Allocation Decision-Making and Management

· Seawater Intrusion

· Wetlands Management Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

· Environmental Health and Vector Control

· Urban Sanitation and Hygiene service delivery

· Rural Sanitation and Hygiene service delivery

· Behavior change

· Urban Water Supply and distribution

· Rural Water Supply

· Water Treatment, including Point-of-Use and Community Treatment

· Water and Wastewater User Tariff and Subsidies Scheme Development

· Water and Wastewater Utilities Performance, including Operation and Maintenance

· Water Well Drilling, Well Maintenance, and Repair

· Surface and Groundwater Drinking Water Source Protection

· Water Storage

· Drinking Water Quality Monitoring

· Drinking Water Desalination

· Epidemiology

· Toxicology

· Service Provider management

· Hygiene Behavior Change Agriculture and Food Security

· Soil and Water Conservation

· Irrigation and Drainage Management

· Impact of Water Quality on Food Security

· Salinity Management

· Agrometeorological Forecasting and Vulnerability Analysis

· Freshwater and Marine (Nearshore) Fisheries Management

· Freshwater and Marine Aquaculture

· Livestock, Poultry and Horticulture

· Nutrition and links to WASH and agriculture Coastal Management

· Land Use Planning, Zoning, Permitting, and other Regulatory Functions

· Coastal Hazard Mitigation, including Weather/Climate, Extreme Event Warning, Risk Mitigation and Preparedness, and Post-Disaster Assessment and Recovery

· Seawater Intrusion and Salinity Management

· Coastal Wetlands Management

· Integrated Coastal Urban Development

· Shoreline Management and Coastal Erosion Control

· Ports and Marinas Management

· Facility Siting Analysis and Coastal Construction Guidelines/Best Practices Environment

· Global Climate Change Mitigation, Vulnerability, and Adaptation

· Domestic (Urban and Rural) and Industrial Water Pollution Prevention and Control

· Water Quality Management, Modeling, Regulation, Permitting, Analysis, Enforcement and Monitoring

· Non-Point Source Pollution Prevention and Control

· Environmental Remediation and Contamination Mitigation Plans

· Parks and Protected Areas Management, including Marine Protected Areas and Fishery Reserves

· Aquatic Biodiversity and Habitat Management

· Environmental Flows and Freshwater Inflow Management

· Aquaculture Environmental and Social Impact Reduction, Mitigation, and Management

· International Coastal and Marine Product Trade Management

· Destructive Fishing Practices Reduction and Mitigation Economic Growth and Energy

· Public-Private Partnership and Global Development Alliance (GDA) Development

· Hydropower Planning and Institutional Development

· Water/Energy Efficiency, including Water Loss Identification and Recovery

· Sustainable Tourism, Ecotourism, and Recreation Development

· Water Drainage and Storage Infrastructure Design and Management

· Promotion of Green Businesses and Green Certifications

· Sustainable Ports, Marinas, and Shoreline Management

· Economic Planning and Development, including Income Generation and Diversification

· Aquaculture of Fisheries Development Potential Assessment, Design and/or Implementation of Appropriate Management Activities

· Fisheries Stock and Gear Technology Assessments

· Fisheries Surplus Capital Buy-Out Schemes Democracy and Governance

· Community Development and Participation

· Environmental Education and Communication

· Social Science/Anthropology/Gender Analysis

· Conflict Resolution

· Resource Economics and Financing

· Environmental LawFisheries and Coastal Ecosystem Management Plans

· National and/or International fisheries “Codes of Conduct” Management Agreement Development and Implementation

· Natural Resource Subsidy Management

· Property Rights Management

· Economic Rent or Fee for Management Program Development

· Strengthened Enforcement Capacity and Judicial Systems

· Transboundary Water Resources/Water Rights Innovation, Research and Evaluation

· Emerging Technologies

· Sustainability Analysis

· Program Evaluation

· Performance Evaluation

· Performance Management

· Impact Evaluation

· Scenario Analysis

· Risk Assessment

· Life Cycle Assessment

· Laboratory and Field Research Knowledge Management

· Exchange of Information across Multimedia Platforms

· Mass Communication

· Computer-Mediated Communication

· Database/Library/Knowledgebase Management

· Technical Training Programs

· Social Computing Tools

C.5 IDIQ MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

It is expected that all approaches by the contractor for each Task Order will be undertaken with the understanding that water resources should be managed: (1) with active participation of concerned stakeholders in planning, implementing, and assessing the work, including the fully empowered participation of women; (2) in an integrated manner, using a watershed-scale approach; (3) as an economic, social, and ecological good; (4) with recognition of the ecosystem and the environment as legitimate water users; (5) with the vision of long-term sustainability; and (6) to have direct and quantifiable impact on USAID’s water and health and food security objectives.

Additional management requirements of this IDIQ are detailed below.

C.5.1 IDIQ Manager The Contractor shall provide the central management necessary to fulfill all the requirements of the contract. This includes cost and quality control of all tasks and assignments. Individual task orders will have their own TO management approach and structure.

The contractor shall designate an IDIQ Manager as the primary point of contact whom USAID may contact for procedural and substantive matters. The IDIQ Manager shall be the individual bearing primary responsibility for technical aspects of contract performance, as well as procurement, personnel, reporting, and other management related requirements of the contract. Specifically, the IDIQ Manager shall:

· Respond to task order requests, and provide central management and oversight of task orders under this award, working collaboratively and often with USAID central and field project managers, technical officers, Contracting Officers, and meet and consult regularly with the IDIQ COR.

· Select, provide technical and administrative direction and guidance to, and place and support all technical experts carrying out technical requirements.

· Report to USAID technical and contract personnel in accordance with USAID reporting requirements in Section F.

· Ensure quality and control methods in a consistent and transparent manner for all contracted tasks and functions.

The IDIQ Manager must have must have strong writing and oral presentation skills, and be knowledgeable about the overall technical, administrative and logistical responsibility for the effective, efficient, and timely implementation of all activities undertaken by the contractor. S/he must have demonstrated experience managing projects of a similar size and scope in an international context. Oral and written English language skills must be commensurate with a U.S. professional environment.

The IDIQ Manager must have a minimum of 10 years of project management experience. S/he should be able to provide vision, direction, and leadership in working with and bringing together performance improvement and disparate technical areas that span all regions of the world.

C.5.2 Coordination with Other Activities and Mechanisms In many of the countries in which USAID works, there are USAID and other donor-funded contractors and cooperators implementing water resources management programs. The contractor shall seek direction from the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Task Order activity manager on how cooperation and coordination with these other programs can best be enhanced for compound mutual benefit and to ensure that efforts are not duplicated.

The contractor shall work under the technical direction of the COR or Task Order activity manager and shall cooperate with him or her to assure that the expertise provided is appropriate to the needs of the activity and that contract resources are used in a cost-effective manner.

C.5.3 ADS 221 and FAR Part 36 Applicability for Task Orders The services under this IDIQ are not substantially or predominately architectural and engineering (A&E) services. As part of the overall effort, the contractor may be required to purchase and install commodities and equipment. The procurement of capital projects, capital equipment, capital-related supplies and services, and discrete physical commodities must support the provision of technical assistance, and may not constitute more than 40% of any task order.

Activities under the Equipment/Supplies (E/S) Procurement and Installation area may include:

· Assessing, analyzing, developing specifications for, and installing commodities or equipment required by public and private organizations receiving USAID assistance.

· Procuring and/or installing approved commodities and equipment for USAID partners according to USAID regulations.

This could include computer and office equipment, telecommunications equipment, testing and metering equipment, field and training tools, and other commodities, supplies, and equipment required for carrying out the USAID assistance program. No contractor hardware or software is expected to be installed on or interact with USAID systems.

C.5.4 Grants Under Contract Funds may be available in individual task orders for the award and administration of grants. The contractor shall solicit, negotiate, award and administer grants under task orders in accordance with USAID policy. These grants will be secondary or minor to the overall work performed under the task order.

Grants management task may include: contractor(s) participation in or responsibility for the drafting and publication of Requests for Applications (RFAs). However, the program direction, focus, type of grantees and final grant approval will remain with the tasking Bureau TOCO or Mission TOCO. The contactor shall be responsible for working with local groups to develop grant proposals, evaluation of proposals, establishment of grants agreements, delivery of financial and in-kind assistance, monitoring implementation and grant close-out. The Contractor’s responsibilities may also include: screening of potential grantee partners, design of the grant, database entry, and/or monitoring and evaluation the grantee deliverables. The Contactor(s) must review all grant proposals before final approval to assure they are consistent with USAID policies and procedures, grant format and disposition of property. The TOCO must approve grants unless otherwise stated in the task order. The process for approving grants will be specified in the task orders.

ATTACHMENT 1

Alignment with Strategic Objectives The technical assistance activities carried out by the contractor will be closely aligned with the Agency’s vision and strategic objectives and will, to the maximum extent practicable, utilize an integrated approach to water resources management. This contract supports the vision and strategic objectives as presented in the USAID Forward Policy Framework, the Water and Development Strategy, and the Office of Water Development Objectives. Specifically:

USAID Forward:

Achieving USAID’s ambitious development strategy requires the Agency to undertake significant institutional reforms essential to strengthening the Agency’s core competencies and achieving the President’s vision of USAID as the world’s premier development agency. These reforms are putting in place the foundation for a USAID that can effectively address the development challenges of the 21st century. This agenda for USAID’s institutional renewal, known as USAID Forward, is already well into the implementation process. This contract aligns with the Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation, Leading on Innovation, Supporting Capabilities in Science and Technology, and Building Local Capacity principles of USAID Forward in the following ways:

· Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation: USAID is committed to developing and using world-class tools to measure progress, outcomes, development impact, and long-term sustainability. As per the Agency’s Evaluation Policy, evaluations of USAID projects will be required that are unbiased, transparent, and consistent with sound methodological standards. Task Orders executed under this contract will be evaluated according to the Agency’s January 2011 Evaluation Policy. It is envisioned that at least three percent of the Task Order budget will be dedicated to external evaluation, as determined by the ordering office, and procured by a separate TO or contract. Final evaluation reports and their summaries will be submitted within three months of completion to the Development Experience Clearinghouse, a publically available online database, for wide dissemination as a way to increase the transparency of our work.

· Leading on Innovation: USAID is committed to fostering innovative development solutions that have a broad transformational impact on people, countries, and regions. To help capture and channel the ideas and resources of the growing networks of solution-holders, including universities, the private sector, and civil society, USAID must capitalize on the constant innovation that is occurring across our core objectives. Task Orders performed under this contract will seek to incorporate innovative solutions throughout our development work. The contractor will be encouraged to engage academics, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, and private sector experts on program design, impact evaluation design, sustainability evaluation, and developing the components needed to scale innovations.

· Supporting Capabilities in Science and Technology: USAID is committed to upgrading our internal science and technology capabilities and to supporting this capacity in developing countries. Task Orders performed under this contract will seek to utilize “cutting-edge” science, technical tools, and expertise to overcome barriers that limit the progress of development.

· Building Local Capacity: USAID is committed to nurturing lasting institutions, systems, and capacities in developing countries that enable them to confront development challenges effectively. Task Orders performed under this contract will seek to build local capacity by engaging local experts and institutions, and equally important, be able to monitor and measure the success of capacity development activities. One way to build local capacity is through subcontracting directly with local and regional organizations which will be done as specified in each Task Order.

Water and Development Strategy:

The E3 Bureau’s Office of Water is the Agency’s technical leader for implementation of the Water and Development Strategy and this IDIQ is the Office of Water’s sole centrally-funded mechanism for achieving this task.

USAID’s Water and Development Strategy provides the framework for focusing the Agency’s approach to water programming. Recognizing that limited resources are available, the Agency intends to achieve the greatest impact by focusing resources according to the following Strategic Objectives:

· Strategic Objective 1 (SO1): Improve health outcomes through the provision of sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)

· Strategic Objective 2 (SO2): Manage water in agriculture sustainably and more productively to enhance food security Office of Water Development Objectives:

The E3 Bureau’s Office of Water is the Agency’s technical leader for the water sector and is a source of support to the Missions as they implement their field programs, along with technical advisors in Global Health, Democracy and Humanitarian Assistance, and Regional Bureaus. The Office of Water recognizes integrated water resources management as a fundamental approach to achieving the Agency’s development objectives.