Sources Sought Notice R-LEAD FE.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Sources Sought Notice (SSN) No.: 7200AA24RFI00018 Issuance Date: May 8, 2024 Response Date: May 22, 2024, by 11:59 a.m. EST

Subject: USAID R-LEAD

Eligibility: Certified 8(a) Small Businesses

Dear Partners, The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS) is seeking to identify (8)a small businesses interested and capable of performing the services under REFS Learning, Evidence, Analysis and Data (R-LEAD) activity.

The draft Statement of Work (SOW) is contained in Attachment 1.

The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to:

1. Identify capable (8)a small business concerns interested in performing R-LEAD (See Attachment 1 – Draft SOW) and

2. Determine the most appropriate vehicle (OASIS 8(a), GSA MAS, 8(a) STARS III, etc.)

to procure the required services that allows for maximum competition practicable amongst qualified 8(a) small businesses.

USAID will only review complete responses. Interested 8(a) small businesses must provide all of the following parts for a response to be considered complete and responsive: 1. Capability Statement, 2. Response to Questions, and 3. Proof of 8(a) certification as described below.

Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform this work. USAID will evaluate all submissions for responsiveness to this announcement.

This notice is not a Request for Proposal or Request for Quotation and in no way commits the Government to award a contract. USAID does not intend to award a contract based solely on a submission in response to this Sources Sought Notice, nor does it intend to pay for any costs incurred in response to this notice.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, Olivia Ricks Contracting Officer

M/OAA/REFS

USAID

Attachments:

Attachment 1 – Draft SOW

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INFORMATION REQUESTED

1. Capability Statements

Interested 8(a) small businesses must demonstrate the experience and ability to perform the kind of work described in Attachment #1 to this notice. The capability statement must include a description of recent (within the last 5 years) and relevant examples of both governmental and/or commercial contracts the prospective offeror has performed.

The capability statement must not exceed five (5) pages (including a cover page), typed 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced with one-inch margins on the electronic equivalent of 8.5x11-inch paper.

2. Responses to Questions

Please provide a written response to each of the following questions:

1. Does the business have experience implementing knowledge-sharing and learning events and creating knowledge products? Please provide hyperlinks with three illustrative examples of each.

2. Does the business have experience maintaining, improving, and growing web platforms and databases? Please provide at least two examples. For websites, please describe what web platforms were used.

3. Does this experience include designing and implementing strategic initiatives to engage the online communities around important themes within technical subjects and create fresh content experience on a monthly basis (including bringing together online and offline engagement through content, webinars and conversations)?

4. Does the business have experience successfully creating or improving a culture of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, learning, and adapting within an organization and/or with key stakeholders?

5. Does the business have experience designing and facilitating knowledge exchanges and consensus building activities such as workshops, theory of change sessions, retreats and coaching sessions to enhance capacity at various levels, as well as creating follow up resources and synthesizing findings and in compliance with 508 standards?

6. Does the business have experience supporting teams to draw from a range of evidence to inform decision-making processes?

7. Does the business have experience providing high level communications support for graphic design, data visualization, video developing and editing, social media, campaign development, printing, content development and analysis? Does the business have experience with developing engaging knowledge products? Please provide three examples.

8. Does the business have a proven record of their ability to provide surge support to various stakeholders?

9. Does the business have a contract on one of the GSA vehicles (OASIS 8(a), GSA MAS, 8(a) STARS III, etc.)?

Responses to all questions shall not exceed 5 pages, typed 12-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced with one-inch margins on the electronic equivalent of 8.5x11-inch paper.

3. Proof of 8(a) Certification

Interested 8(a)s must provide proof of continued eligibility under the 8(a) program.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING RESPONSES/QUESTIONS

Questions and responses must be received by the dates and times listed on the Cover Page.

These submissions must be submitted by email ONLY to Olivia Ricks at oricks@usaid.gov and Sara Bame-Kum at sbame-kum@usaid.gov. In the Subject line Reference: Sources Sought Notice – R-LEAD. Facsimile and Hand Carried submissions will not be accepted.

[END of SSN No.7200AA24RFI00018] mailto:oricks@usaid.gov mailto:sbame-kum@usaid.gov

ATTACHMENT #1

DRAFT STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 Introduction

The Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS) Learning, Evidence, Analysis and Data (R-LEAD) contract will focus on providing support and services to the bureau.The contractor will support U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s work in the areas of resilience, environment, food security, nutrition, water security, sanitation, and hygiene, climate, infrastructure, and energy among other related topics. This SOW will use “REFS portfolio” as shorthand for the full suite of topics covered under this contract.

REFS manages a large portfolio within the USAID. REFS supports our partner countries to protect and accelerate development progress by advancing efforts on agriculture-led growth; energy; infrastructure; climate change; biodiversity conservation; pollution; sustainable urbanization; resilience; nutrition; and water security, sanitation, and hygiene. Critical to these efforts is prioritizing equity and environmental justice through the empowerment of marginalized and underrepresented populations; this includes support for cross-cutting issues like youth empowerment, gender equality, and digital inclusion.

Through REFS, USAID leads Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative. Guided by the Global Food Security Strategy, Feed the Future helps vulnerable countries build stronger food systems, better nutrition, and greater resilience to shocks. REFS spearheads implementation of the U.S. Global Water Strategy, as part of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014. Additionally, REFS leads, co-leads, or is a major contributor to the implementation of the the USAID Building Resilience to Recurrent Crises Policy and Program Guidance, the USAID Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy, the USAID Climate Strategy, the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), the U.S. Plan to Conserve Global Forests; the Just Energy Transition https://feedthefuture.gov/ https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/agriculture-and-food-security/us-government-global-food-security-strategy https://www.usaid.gov/water-and-sanitation/us-global-water-strategy https://www.usaid.gov/policy/resilience https://www.usaid.gov/policy/resilience https://www.usaid.gov/nutrition-strategy https://www.usaid.gov/policy/climate-strategy https://www.usaid.gov/policy/climate-strategy https://www.usaid.gov/climate/progress-on-prepare https://www.usaid.gov/climate/progress-on-prepare https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Plan_to_Conserve_Global_Forests_final.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Joint-Statement-1.pdf

Partnership; the Save Our Seas Initiative; and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.

Background The Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS) is responsible for worldwide leadership and integrated technical expertise of the programming of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in agriculture-led growth and environmental sustainability. The Bureau’s expertise encompasses resilience;

environment; food security; nutrition; water security, sanitation, and hygiene;

climate; infrastructure; and energy, with the goals of reducing poverty; increasing resilience and sustainability; and enhancing U.S. national security and economic prosperity. REFS leads the Agency’s efforts to help governments, civil society, the private sector, and communities in our partner countries break the cycle of crisis caused by climate change, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity, leading to chronic vulnerability, poverty, and hunger.

REFS has a staff of nearly 400 people, comprising five support offices and seven centers, each covering large and varied technical portfolios.

The following provides a brief overview of the Offices and Centers within REFS:

● The Office of the Assistant to the Administrator (Front Office) provides senior-level strategic guidance on resilience; environment; food security;

nutrition; water security, sanitation, and hygiene; climate; infrastructure; and energy to the Deputy Administrator for Policy and Planning and the Administrator of USAID, as well as to federal departments and agencies.

The office leads interagency collaboration for the Bureau and provides strategic, policy, and technical support to the presidentially appointed Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD).

● The Center for Agriculture-Led Growth (REFS/CA) provides technical leadership for the design and implementation of programs across the Agency that foster inclusive, sustainable, agriculture-led economic growth. The center engages USAID’s Missions and partners to create an enabling environment for growth and investment by the private sector, and to deliver agriculture innovations that improve food security and the productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers. The center curates evidence and learning products in agriculture-led growth and coordinates with the Feed the Future Policy, Analysis, and Engagement Office (REFS/FTF-PAE) on https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Joint-Statement-1.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/urban/save-our-seas https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/20/fact-sheet-partnership-for-global-infrastructure-and-investment-at-the-g7-summit/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/20/fact-sheet-partnership-for-global-infrastructure-and-investment-at-the-g7-summit/ performance management, analytics, and learning. The center is responsible for the coordination of Foreign Service Backstop 10 (Agriculture Officers).

● The Center for Climate Positive Development (REFS/CCPD) advises Agency leadership and supports the development and implementation of the Agency’s Climate Strategy to ensure a whole-of-Agency response to the climate crisis. It promotes climate-smart development through the integration of climate considerations into other Agency policies, strategies, and guidance. The center has teams, rather than formal divisions, that provide or support capacity building, finance mobilization, communications, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) support across the Agency.

It promotes systemic changes needed to put countries on a net-zero, climate-resilient, and equitable development pathway through global policy engagement, advocacy, and thought leadership; program coordination; and technical assistance that promotes long-term and crosscutting approaches.

The unit co-leads strategic budgeting, planning, policy, and performance reviews related to the climate adaptation, clean energy, and sustainable landscapes directives, and promotes coordination across these pillars. It promotes climate integration and risk management in project design and implementation.

● The Center for Energy, Infrastructure, and Cities (REFS/CEIC) leads the Agency’s work on energy, infrastructure, pollution, and urban environmental issues. This unit supports Missions in expanding access to modern and sustainable energy services and accelerating the transition to renewable energy and resilient, net-zero development. This unit leads the Agency’s work on green, resilient urban development and a range of urban environmental issues, including reducing ocean plastic pollution, air pollution, toxic chemical pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, through technical assistance, private sector partnerships, and global policy engagement.

● The Center for Natural Environment (REFS/CNE) leads the Agency’s work on biodiversity conservation, natural climate solutions, land and resource governance, and addressing conservation crimes. This includes work to combat deforestation, manage or restore land to improve carbon storage, and protect terrestrial and marine habitats and species. The unit prioritizes equitable, inclusive resource governance to empower women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and marginalized or underrepresented groups throughout the portfolio. This unit also addresses the intertwined environmental and ethical issues linked to conservation crime caused by wildlife trafficking, illegal logging and associated trade, green mineral extraction, artisanal mining, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It oversees the Agency’s biodiversity, combating wildlife trafficking, and sustainable landscapes directives.

● The Center for Nutrition (REFS/CN) houses the Secretariat for the NLC.

In support of the vision and guidance of the NLC, the center provides leadership and technical assistance for nutrition strategies, policies, and programs. The center is responsible for strengthening linkages between USAID’s programs in agriculture, nutrition, and health, and for promoting investments that enhance the quality and diversity of diets, particularly in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The center is a central point of contact for consultation for USAID’s Missions, and with external partners and stakeholders, on nutrition-related programs and projects. The center engages a multitude of partners, including in the public and private sectors, to develop strategies, solutions, implementation research, and learning for multi-sectoral nutrition investments. The center curates evidence and learning products in nutrition and coordinates with REFS/FTF-PAE on performance management, analytics, and learning.

● The Center for Resilience (REFS/CR) houses the Secretariat for the RLC.

The center supports USAID’s response to emerging threats, helps reduce recurrent crises by promoting risk management and resilience in the Agency’s strategies and programming, and disseminates learning. The center is responsible for ensuring the incorporation of resilience into Agency-level policies, strategies, and programs, and leads on the adaptation directive. The center curates evidence and learning products for resilience, and coordinates with REFS/FTF-PAE on performance management, analytics, and learning.

● The Center for Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene (REFS/CW) houses the Secretariat for the WLC. In support of the vision and guidance provided by the WLC, REFS/CW provides strategic, programmatic, technical, and analytic leadership to advance sustainable results under GWS.

The center is the strategic and technical lead on the Agency’s work to implement the Water for the World Act of 2014. The center serves as the technical lead and coordination platform for all water-related issues across the Agency, and supports the USAID Global Water Coordinator to guide, oversee, and direct water programming Agency-wide.

● The Office of Environmental Compliance and Social Safeguarding (REFS/ECSS), led by the Agency Environmental Coordinator, implements the Bureau and Agency’s efforts to ensure environmentally and socially responsible development through the implementation of three legal mandates: 22 CFR 216, Title XIII of the International Financial Institutions Act of 1977, and the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act

(TFCCA). Each mandate serves to protect the environment and communities by avoiding or minimizing the environmental and social impacts of the Bureau’s activities, and of high-risk projects at the multilateral development banks (MDB).

● The Feed the Future Office of Country Implementation (REFS/FTF- OCI) offers assistance for regional and country strategic planning and programmatic implementation for USAID’s investments in agriculture, resilience, nutrition, and water. The processes follow the guidance of the GFSS. The office works closely with REFS/FTF-PAE to analyze performance data and disseminate learning, and to incorporate state-of-the-art approaches and innovations into country programs alongside REFS/CR, REFS/CA, REFS/CN, and REFS/CW.

● The Feed the Future Office of Policy, Analysis, and Engagement (REFS/FTF-PAE) leads the Bureau’s efforts to coordinate the interagency and external partners to engage in a shared food security and resilience agenda. The office provides thought leadership on moving governments, civil society, and the private sector in USAID’s partner countries in alignment with the GFSS.

● The Program Office (REFS/PO) oversees strategy, operational functions, resource allocation, procurement, and programmatic support for REFS. The office manages systems for efficient, strategic planning and programming, including through offering innovative design advice for activities and projects, and coordinates the Bureau’s input into Missions’ programming through their operational plans. The office works across the Bureau to facilitate all stages of the procurement process and serves as the primary liaison with the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA) and technical Bureaus. The office oversees the formulation, allocation, and execution of REFS’s program and operational expense (OE) budgets, including compliance with Congressional directives and required reporting and notification. In support of the WLC, CCLC, NLC, and RLC, the office works with the REFS centers and the secretariats of the leadership councils to support the coordination and approval of sector recommendations in the Agency’s budget processes.

Purpose and Guiding Principles

Given the large portfolio it manages, its commitment to evidence-based decision making, and to establishing a learning culture, REFS plans to improve its capacity to capture, share, and access knowledge; learn from the evidence it produces; and design its future interventions through a lens of adaptive management through the R-LEAD contract. The contract will serve as the one-stop-shop for capturing, analyzing, and adapting best practices in the sectors where REFS works in order to advance USAID’s leadership in international development and its humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people progress beyond assistance.

The R-LEAD Activity is designed to provide REFS with support and tools to capture, share, and access knowledge in support of adaptive management across the entire portfolio. REFS takes an integrated and inclusive approach to solving today’s most pressing challenges, such as the food insecurity and climate crises.

REFS combines a wide array of technical excellence, country support, global thought leadership, and initiatives to build a more sustainable, prosperous, and equitable world. A world in which all people have sustained access to safe water, nutritious food, a healthy environment, and improved livelihoods as a result of locally driven development strategies that protect the planet and our future.

R-LEAD will require a high level of coordination and communication between the Contractor and USAID. The Contractor shall look to plan for and drive collaboration and linkages between the various tasks being managed under R- LEAD to avoid duplication of efforts or working in silos. The Contractor shall work with the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer’s Representative to respond to work orders to provide services to expand REFS capacity in Knowledge Management and Learning areas. For R-LEAD, “building capacity” at REFS refers to both increasing staff skill sets and extending REFS’s capacity potentially through embedded Contractor staff that can support REFS efforts, at a high level, through Knowledge Management, Data Visualization, Organizational Learning, Facilitation, Training, and Websites Services.

REFS expects the R-LEAD contract to adhere to the following guiding principles:

● Technical Expertise: The Contractor must demonstrate technical expertise in Knowledge Management, Communications, Organizational Learning and Facilitation, Capacity Development and Training, and Websites Services. Technical expertise in the international development sector and a familiarity with resilience; environment; food security;

nutrition; water security, sanitation, and hygiene; climate; infrastructure; and energy sectors is valued, but secondary to the core competencies listed above, as REFS employs many subject matter experts in the relevant sectors.

● Agility: The Contractor must have the capabilities to be flexible and responsive to changing REFS priorities and capacity needs. Surge capacity in a variety of skill sets within the areas of Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning will enable the Contractor to meet support requests for high-demand functions and in multiple parallel workstreams.

● Adaptive Management: The Contractor must work with USAID to employ adaptive management in the implementation of R-LEAD through proposing new creative approaches based on performance monitoring and lessons learned from the project itself and from other activities with a similar scope.

The Contractor shall seek to identify redundancies and ensure they work efficiently across tasks for REFS Centers and Offices. Once activities are approved via the work plan or through work assignments, the R-LEAD contractor must collaborate with the COR and USAID Activity Managers, if any, on ways to improve approaches and will request regular meetings to review, discuss, and learn from synthesized monitoring data and analytics.

● Communicate What Works and What Does Not: In order to demonstrate impact, the Contractor will support communication of the progress of the initiatives that REFS leads and the learning that supports the progress. The Contractor will work with REFS Centers and Offices to design strategies for the dissemination of their success, learning, and evidence.

● Contributions to the fields of Knowledge Management, Communications, Organizational Learning: R-LEAD will also support continued growth and innovation in its areas of expertise in the pursuit of the Agency’s international development objectives. Activities such as retreats, webinars, and podcasts should be designed and facilitated taking into consideration the priorities of the REFS Bureau to proactively try new creative, impactful approaches to advance Knowledge Management, Communications, Organizational Learning, Facilitation, and Training. At the same time, the Contractor will use evidence of what works well and good practice in combination with the strategic priorities established by the Activity Manager to inform the design and delivery of their tasks. The work of R-LEAD will contribute to the Bureau’s goal of catalyzing more innovative programs with more sustainable and impactful results.

Objectives The goal of the contract is to expand and strengthen REFS’ capacity, leading to an improvement in the seven key task areas: Knowledge Management, Communications, Organizational Learning, Facilitation, Capacity Development and Training, and Website Services. Improved and sustained capacity for USAID/REFS to implement knowledge-sharing and learning events and create effective knowledge products;

1) Maintenance, growth, and improvement in USAID web platforms and databases (such as Agrilinks, ResilienceLinks, and others that may be assigned to R-LEAD);

2) Improved culture of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, learning, and adapting among REFS staff and stakeholders;

3) Increased awareness and use of new evidence and lessons learned from within the REFS portfolio of programming and other development activities by USAID and Mission staff to influence decision-making; and

4) Expanded communications support for graphic design, data visualization, video, social media, campaign development, printing, content development, and analysis.

Scope of Work The following tasks to be performed by the contractor. Given that some activities and their tasks will run in parallel, the Contractor should implement the tasks in a manner that drives collaboration and linkages between the various tasks being managed at any point and avoids duplication of efforts or working in silos.

The Contractor must be able to handle a large volume of simultaneous requests and efficiently respond to surges in demand from REFS Offices and Centers.

Tasks to be completed under this section include:

1. Knowledge Management

The Contractor will understand, learn from, and build upon previous support mechanisms such as the Knowledge-Driven Microenterprise Development Project (KDMD), the Knowledge-Driven Agricultural Development Project (KDAD), and the Knowledge, Data, Learning, and Training Activity (KDLT). The Contractor will support robust knowledge management systems for REFS that encompass the collection, organization, and dissemination of critical information and good practice related to resilience, environment and food security. Activities will drive the overall goal of strengthening knowledge management processes and practices.

The Contractor will provide REFS staff and other key stakeholders with the most current, state of the art, relevant evidence, learning and tools necessary to inform the design, implementation and adaptive management of effective development programming.

https://www.qedgroupllc.com/kdmd/ https://www.qedgroupllc.com/kdmd/ https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00SSV2.pdf https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/kdlt-report/home/

The knowledge of REFS staff and its implementing partners is one of the most valued resources and making sure that knowledge is used to inform its decision-making, as individuals and teams, is critical to the effectiveness of the Bureau’s development goals. While the Agency knowledge management approach is mutually reinforcing with Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA), it extends beyond the USAID Program Cycle to include organizational processes in addition to programmatic ones.

Strategy and Tactical work

● Support REFS Offices and Centers to develop, implement knowledge dissemination strategies and frameworks for guiding and updating USAID staff and implementing partners;

● Provide services and products that take into account or address gender and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA);

● Support REFS organizational learning by helping REFS staff to establish and maintain feedback loops such as bureau-wide pause and reflects or portfolio reviews;

● Monitor and evaluate knowledge management-related analytics, including sector-specific standard indicators via an objective-driven analytics system, digital metrics, data analysis, and/or visualizations;

● Help REFS use that information to inform future knowledge management approaches (Learning) and better understand user needs and behaviors;

● Develop and disseminate information and lessons learned, good practice, development challenges, and opportunities related to the work of REFS;

● Support the development of learning agendas across REFS following parameters set by the Bureau for Planning, Learning and Resource Management (PLR), and identify connections and possible synergies with other learning agendas at USAID.

Content

● Develop and produce knowledge management products such as content inventories, how-to notes, tools, resource guides, newsletters, stories, compilation reports, and social media;

● Support REFS to compile, curate, and catalog knowledge management products for easy access/sharing across the Bureau and across the Agency;

● Coordinate with other parts of USAID to capture and curate content for knowledge management purposes to facilitate decision-making, learning, https://usaidlearninglab.org/cla/cla-toolkit https://usaidlearninglab.org/learning-at-usaid/program-cycle-overview-page and adaptive management among USAID staff, implementing partners, and other key stakeholders;

● Determine how new technology such as Natural Language Processing, Large Language Models, and Artificial Intelligence can be employed to improve knowledge management activities.

Expected Results

● Fostering a culture of evidence use and learning within REFS and among its partners;

● Establish standard knowledge handover processes and tools so that staff rotation within USAID doesn’t slow program implementation;

● Improving evidence use by strengthening knowledge cycle processes (creating, organizing, sharing and using evidence and learning), including broadening USAID’s understanding and use of knowledge sources and evidence types, particularly those valued by local communities;

● Using USAID’s knowledge intentionally to inform and influence development efforts beyond those that the Agency funds directly, so that our impact extends beyond our funding; and

● Catalyzing local knowledge and learning systems in the countries in which USAID works to advance locally led, sustained development.

2. Communications

USAID has a high volume of communications needs related to the REFS portfolio.

To improve the effectiveness of the Agency and partner programming, USAID/Washington needs to regularly communicate good practice, lessons learned, and policy guidance internally to USAID missions and operating units around the globe. USAID needs to regularly communicate to Congress, the White House, the interagency and other key stakeholders on the breadth and impact of USAID’s work on the areas that REFS covers. USAID must also communicate with the media and general public regarding the importance of our programs and the impacts of our investments of taxpayer dollars.

The primary objective of the communications task is to conceptualize, develop, and disseminate information regarding USAID programming to a diverse array of internal and external audiences including key partners and stakeholders, field missions, Congress, the interagency, the general public, and others as necessary in coordination with USAID communications staff. A related objective is to assist USAID with planning and executing communications strategies and activities, including effective communications events, high-quality materials, social media content, and content for Agency outreach campaigns. The Contractor must ensure that communication materials are developed in a manner that supports inclusive participation, equitable access and integrates gender as a consideration.

Content

● Develop and produce communication and outreach materials, including infographics, fact sheets, blogs, press kits, brochures, newsletters and/or videos with input and direction from USAID staff.

● Coordinate and advise on the development of communications content from other partners. USAID/Washington often relies on USAID field missions and implementing partners for communications content from in-country programs. The Contractor will work with these partners in an advisory and coordination capacity to support the development of a steady flow of timely and high quality content aligned with priority audiences and themes. The Contractor will also regularly review publications and outreach from other parts of USAID and identify highlights that can be repurposed as new content.

● Develop and regularly update content for internal USAID communications, including information products targeted to USAID Missions to inform them of the latest policy guidance, tools, resources, training, etc.

● Support the publication of technical reports and publications (copy editing, design, layout, 508 compliance).

Outreach

● Generate and support social media postings, track responses, and analyze public engagement with the posts (eg., shares, likes, etc). The Contractor will directly manage social media accounts as assigned - under the supervision and direction of USAID - and will support the development of regular social media content for the main USAID social media handles (@USAID X, Facebook, Instagram) and handles for Agency principals and other senior USAID and U.S. Government officials.

● Manage email-based newsletter outreach to internal and external audiences. This will involve management of multiple newsletters on different sectoral topics.

● Directly plan and implement internal and external virtual and in-person events, including logistics and promotion.

● Support USAID’s participation in key conferences, events, and major international fora by assisting in organizing and executing side events or other engagements.

Planning and Coordination

● Support communications planning and operations, eg., developing and maintaining communications editorial calendars.

● Support development and execution of comprehensive communications strategies and outreach plans.

● Support the development and execution of coordinated communications and outreach campaigns, including campaigns that integrate the channels and topics of different REFS Office and Center portfolios.

● Work with REFS Offices and Centers to plan and launch outreach campaigns around major events, like the World Bank Land and Poverty Conference, or key international calendar observances, such as Earth Day or International Women’s Day.

● Provide advisory and support services to various EEI Divisions by anticipating and assessing communications needs.

● Support USAID with developing, analyzing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on strategic communications efforts.

● Create and regularly update repositories of key topline messages, proof points, statistics, and sources for use in communications products, including briefing documents, speeches, and communications to USAID Missions.

● Support coordination and complementarity across REFS Offices and Centers to reduce duplication and support joint efforts;

● Help REFS organize communications coordination across its portfolio (e.g., helping to organize and facilitate communications working groups that include staff from USAID Missions, other USAID Operating Units, implementing partners, and Washington communications professionals);

● Support REFS to compile and catalog communications works for easy access and sharing across the Bureau and the Agency;

● Compile compelling and illustrative assets including videos, photographs, infographics and interactive pieces that provide a compelling “human face” to USAID’s work;

● Support strategic collaboration, continuous learning, and adaptive management (CLA) to help REFS improve its communications work;

● Assist USAID staff in incorporating cross-cutting thematic issues into REFS communications products including diversity, equity, inclusion and gender sensitivity.

Surge Support While USAID and the Contractor will endeavor to plan detailed editorial calendars and anticipate content needs in advance, there will be an ongoing need for the Contractor to rapidly provide a suite of on-demand communications services that

USAID can quickly access. This can include rapid turnaround times (e.g., 1-3 days), and surge support especially for the REFS Communications Team. The Contractor will provide a full suite of on-demand communications services, including graphic design support, web development, video development, production, and delivery, event organization and promotion, and writing/editing.

Additional on-demand requirements may include:

● Communications surge support across REFS Offices and Centers for major events.

● Working with REFS-sector-related staff in USAID Missions to support specific events, awareness campaigns, or initiatives

● Sending professional videographers to USAID/Washington and USAID field missions to produce high quality videos of USAID’s work on the ground

Expected Results The Contractor should make clear their monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategy. Specific outcomes and targets will be determined during work planning with individual REFS Offices and Centers.

Overarching expected results include, but are not limited to:

● Advancement of USAID’s overall strategic objectives related to REFS areas of leadership by influencing key audiences through communications.

● Advancement of the strategic objectives of each individual REFS Office or Center by influencing key audiences through communications.

● Improved quality and effectiveness of USAID’s programs and partnerships in REFS sectors through improved dissemination of essential information and regular outreach to key internal and external audiences, with a focus on achieving equitable access to resources.

● Improved communications, resulting in expanded opportunities for programs, partnerships, influence, and impact, elevating USAID’s role in the sectors supported by REFS.

● Advancement of gender equity and social inclusion through their integration into communications products across topics, and through the dissemination.

● Key internal audiences and external audiences are well-informed about REFS’ portfolio of work through regular and recurring communications products that provide transparent, accessible, and up-to-date information about USAID’s programs, results, and learnings.

3. Organizational Learning & Facilitation

The Contractor will facilitate learning processes (workshops, meetings, and collaborative sessions) within the organization to foster continuous improvement in its technical approaches, investments, strategic priorities and operations. This includes designing and implementing Capacity Development programs, workshops, Theory of Change sessions, Retreats and coaching sessions to enhance REFS capacity at all operating Unit levels. The contractor will create follow-up resources and synthesize the findings of the convening in the formats agreed upon with the relevant REFS Office or Center and in full compliance with 508 compliance standards.

● Support REFS in defining the types of evidence and the uses available and acceptable for the various learning activities it engages on (what its parameters are, the level of rigor/flexibility that are acceptable) and how they should be used;

● Advise and support the development of tools and process improvements to advance REFS and Agency organizational development goals and objectives;

● When requested, support individual REFS Offices and Centers with the development and/or implementation of strategic work plans and results frameworks for the internal operation of the REFS bureau, including metrics and a process for annual assessment;

● Support REFS in the design, facilitation, implementation and monitoring of Theory of Change workshops, retreats, or gatherings that REFS Offices and Centers conduct in order to design or calibrate their vision/mission, priorities and/or objectives of their team(s) for a specific time period as needed;

● Facilitate engagements for individual and team learning, to include team building and Theory of Change and/or mission/vision building exercises, meetings, and retreats, after-action reviews, pause-and-reflect sessions, and exit interviews;

● Ensure that gender considerations are represented in the design of retrospective exercises that fall under the Organizational Learning task;

● Support the design and implementation of the REFS Bureau-Wide Pause and Reflect;

● Support surveys and other feedback processes;

● Provide organizational and administrative support for potential off-site workshops, including non-travel cost logistics (facility rental), agenda development, catering and facilitation;

● Support strategic collaboration, continuous learning, and adaptive management (CLA) to help REFS improve future organizational development work; and

● Lead agenda development, note-taking, synthesis and analysis of meeting outputs and next steps.

● Improved understanding of the connection between learning and Theories of Change;

● Delivering highly participatory engagements and products that lead to measurable change in the way REFS and implementing partners operate;

● Improved management tools that encourage critical thinking and promote learning;

● Individual REFS Offices and Centers improve their performance and effectiveness through organizational development support;

● REFS as a whole improves performance and effectiveness through R- LEAD’s support on key strategic planning and organizational development processes.

4. Capacity Development & Training

The Contractor will work with USAID in the design and delivery of high quality professional capacity development programs based on the principles of adult learning and user-centric design. REFS has adopted a competency-based approach to adult learning in the design, implementation, and evaluation of training. The Contractor should have familiarity and work in alignment with USAID’s Practical, InnoVative, On-the-Job Technical Support (PIVOT) model. The primary objective of the capacity development and training task is to strengthen the knowledge, skills, and abilities of USAID staff in both technical sectors and operations. The Contractor will develop and deliver high-quality training programs and materials by providing expertise in adult learning and training good practice. The Contractor must have the ability to update training practices based on the extent to which training improves proficiency in targeted competencies. The Contractor must also adapt the Capacity Development material it creates to cater to the various ways REFS trainees learn, the inter-agency culture and the time constraints they face, while aligning and integrating it to the Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) framework and the REFS internal learning. The contractor will:

Develop Capacity Development and Training Activities

● Support REFS to develop and/or refine descriptions of sector-specific competencies;

https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00ZP7H.pdf https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00ZP7H.pdf

● Support REFS to develop and implement sector-specific learning frameworks aligned with core competencies;

● Support REFS to develop capacity building plans and conduct learning needs assessments, as appropriate

● Support REFS to develop curricula and 508-compliant learning materials, including scenarios, case studies, experiential activities, teaching videos, graphics, and learning tools;

● Support REFS to develop adult learning exercises to achieve course learning objectives and competencies in areas relevant to the REFS work and priorities;

● Support REFS to develop, update, or adapt cross-cutting USAID capacity building programs;

● Support coaching and performance consulting for USAID leadership and staff;

● Develop and/or include scenarios, case studies, evidence, and hands-on activities in trainings that illustrate how considering gender equality and women’s empowerment improves development outcomes;

● Ensure that gender considerations are represented in trainings proportionately to their importance in development;

● Advise on curriculum development and adult learning methods;

Support Delivery of Capacity Development & Training Activities

● Design, deliver, and support delivery of in-person and online trainings and workshops for audiences in Washington, D.C. (and at USAID Missions, if needed) using a virtual platform, interactive webinars, and/or learning series;

● Strengthen the skills and capacity of USAID staff to deliver or co-deliver capacity development activities;

● Include application opportunities that will strengthen the knowledge, skills, and abilities of USAID staff and the broader development community to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate effective programs;

● Procure meeting space and provide logistical support for professional development activities in Washington, D.C. and online; and

● Track information and produce reports about Capacity Development participants, including sex and other demographic data, in a Capacity Development participant database in full compliance with USAID’s Privacy Office.

Evaluating Capacity Development & Training Activities

● Develop and implement a streamlined monitoring and evaluation process that continuously informs the design, development, and execution of continuously improved training and capacity development content and materials consistent with REFS' mission and evolving technical needs;

● Support Monitoring, Evaluating, and Learning (MEL) for training and capacity development activities, including assessing impact of these activities with a focus on sustained increases in proficiencies, and tracking and reporting on indicators, including sex disaggregates and others required by USAID;

● Conduct needs assessments to determine knowledge gaps;

● Support strategic collaboration, continuous learning, and adaptive management (CLA) to help REFS improve future training and staff capacity development.

Specific targets and outcomes will be determined during the scoping stage of each training and/or capacity development activity with the relevant REFS Office or Center counterpart. The overarching expected results include:

● Improved USAID capacity to design and manage effective programs and partnerships in the resilience, environment, food security, nutrition, water security, sanitation, and hygiene, climate, infrastructure, and energy sectors and ensure gender considerations, through capacity building activities;

● Improved USAID capacity to design and deliver capacity building activities in the resilience, environment, food security, nutrition, water security, sanitation, and hygiene; climate, infrastructure, and energy sectors and ensure gender considerations, that provide long-term improvements in proficiencies;

● Improved USAID capacity to integrate resilience, environment, food security, nutrition, water security, sanitation, and hygiene; climate, infrastructure, and energy objectives and best practices into development programming and partnerships in other sectors;

● Improved uptake and implementation of key strategy/policy guidance documents, such as USAID’s Climate Strategy or USAID’s 2023 Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Policy;

● REFS staff are informed about the relationship between REFS work and issues of equity and inclusion;

● REFS staff are informed about the relationship between the work of their Office or Center and the rest of the Bureau; and

● Building key technical skills while enhancing collaboration, learning, and adapting (CLA), and leadership development in a brave, equitable, and engaging environment that encourages experimentation, reflection, and feedback.

5. Websites Services

The Contractor will lead the front and back-end management, curation and maintenance of the links (Agrilinks, Resiliencelinks, Feed the Future, etc.)

knowledge management websites that serve as a hub for resources, updates, and collaboration opportunities in Agriculture-Led development and Resilience, among others. The task will also include supporting REFS with coordination of knowledge management with other parts of the Bureau, the Agency and External Partners.

Website Communication Services

● Publish external website content and manage websites and related content on USAID’s sectoral knowledge management portals, including AgriLinks and ResilienceLinks. The Contractor must be able to provide website support using a diverse array of existing platforms, including Drupal, Plone, and WordPress.

● Support REFS with internal intranet website content, such as information about internal resources and services on MyUSAID (USAID’s intranet).

● Coordinate with USAID champions for the development of theme months and respective webinars.

● Provide support to the USAID champions and provide templates for their own communications with volunteers to provide resources for the Theme Month and webinars.

● Prepare communications via social media and other traditional media to promote the resources and webinars stemming from the Theme Months.

● Produce Newsletters for websites (Agrilinks, ResilienceLinks, Feed The Future, or similar) or identified technical areas.

● Manage photo and video libraries, which includes updates of photos from partners and USAID staff, including relevant photo contributions, metadata, and captions.

● Engage, coordinate, and collaborate with USAID’s Links Community of websites/knowledge management platforms, including those not managed by this contract.

● Advancement of USAID’s overall strategic objectives related to resilience, environment, food security, nutrition, water security, sanitation, and hygiene, climate, infrastructure, and energy sectors by influencing key audiences through communications.

● Improved quality and effectiveness of USAID’s programs and partnerships in REFS sectors through improved dissemination of essential information and regular outreach to key internal and external audiences, with a focus on achieving equitable access to resources.

● Improved communications, resulting in expanded opportunities for programs, partnerships, influence, and impact, elevating USAID’s role in the resilience, environment, food security, nutrition, water security, sanitation, and hygiene; climate, infrastructure, and energy sectors.

● Advancement of gender equity and social inclusion through their integration into communications products across environment and energy sectors and topics, and through the dissemination of these products.

● Key internal audiences and external audiences are…