USAID_Ukraine_WFD-RFI2024_RFI_Workforce Development Activity.pdf

SUBJECT: Request for Information (RFI): Workforce Development Activity

Dear Interested Parties:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) seeks information for potential upcoming programming in Ukraine. Interested parties should submit their responses electronically to Ms.

Maria Rosario Arenas at marenas@usaid.gov with a copy to kyivoaaeg@usaid.gov with the subject title “USAID/Ukraine RFI Workforce Development Activity” by the deadline above. Responses to this RFI may be written in English or Ukrainian.

This RFI is open to all qualified firms. Local Ukrainian organizations/firms as well as US Small Businesses are strongly encouraged to respond. You may receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response but will not receive individualized feedback. We may reach out to individual respondents for further clarifications.

USAID/Ukraine envisions a new Request for Proposal (RFP) within the coming months, entitled the “USAID/Ukraine Workforce Development Activity”. Attached to this RFI, you will find a proposed Statement of Work (SOW) for this Activity. The Mission is interested in receiving general feedback on the proposed SOW as well as on specific questions about the activity (Attachment 1).

Per FAR 52.215-3, this is not a full solicitation and should not be construed as a commitment by the U.S.

Government to issue any solicitation or ultimately award based on this RFI or to pay for any cost incurred in the preparation and submission in responses to this RFI. Responding to this RFI will not give any advantage in a subsequent procurement. Responses will be used for internal purposes and will be held confidentially.

Sincerely, /S/

Brian R. Ellis Contracting and Agreements Officer USAID/Ukraine

Request for Information (RFI) Number:

Issuance Date:

USAID_Ukraine_WFD-RFI2024

December 16, 2024

RFI Response Deadline: January 10, 2025 at 15:00 Ukraine Local Time mailto:marenas@usaid.gov mailto:kyivoaaeg@usaid.gov

Attachment 1

Part I. DRAFT STATEMENT OFWORK (SOW)

C.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of the Workforce Development Activity is to upskill and reskill Ukraine’s workers and job seekers and fill critical job vacancies during the war. The activity will develop human capital resources in critical sectors including construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and logistics, all of which are needed for Ukraine to achieve its goals for economic recovery and rebuilding. Importantly, the activity will work closely with the private sector to provide training and job placement for those jobs that are most in demand and most critical to the needs of Ukraine’s most productive and competitive industries. The activity will help the Ukrainian economy partially fulfill labor needs for short-term economic stability and long-term structural transformation and improve employment and labor force participation rates for target populations including demobilized veterans, persons with disabilities (PwD), internally displaced persons (IDPs), women, and older workers and job seekers. The activity’s objectives include:

(i) Upskilling the Ukrainian workforce;

(ii) Building employee-employer linkages;

(ii) Improving employment support for target groups; and

(iv) Improving the labor market enabling environment.

C.2 BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused dramatic and rapid shifts in the labor force from mobilization, refugee emigration, and internal displacement. These shifts compounded preexisting demographic trends that have left large gaps in the labor market and structural mismatches between job openings and the skills of available workers. As a result, Ukraine is experiencing high vacancy rates in specific industries, high unemployment or low labor force participation of some demographic groups, and significant geographic mismatch, with the particular trends shifting frequently.

The unemployment rate is difficult to measure, and government bodies and research institutions provide varying estimations. Before the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the State Statistics Service (SES) of Ukraine conducted monthly labor force surveys with a sample of more than 15,000 households to collect data on the labor force aged 15-70. Due to the full-scale war, these labor force surveys have stopped since 2022, and there is currently no official data on the state of the labor market in Ukraine.

At the beginning of 2023, the Ministry of Economy estimated unemployment at 30%1. The National Bank of Ukraine anticipates a decline in the unemployment rate to 14.2% in 2024, down from their 2023 estimate of 18.2%. This trend is driven by robust growth in demand for

1 The unemployment rate in Ukraine is 30% - Ministry of Economy (Ukr), Ukrinform, January 17, 2023 https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-economy/3654271-riven-bezrobitta-v-ukraini-stanovit-30-minekonomiki.html https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-economy/3654271-riven-bezrobitta-v-ukraini-stanovit-30-minekonomiki.html workers amidst a constrained labor supply2. In November 2024, employers posted more than 200,000 vacancies daily on the Unified Job Portal3, the largest job search portal in Ukraine, which were updated online. According to Ukraine War Economy Tracker, in 2024 there was a slow growth in the number of new job vacancies, but the activity of job seekers remained at a consistently low level — lower than in 2023 and 2022.

The International Organization for Migration reported that nearly 70% of internally displaced persons lack stable jobs. A very small number of IDPs are officially looking for work, so IDPs remain 'invisible' to the system, according to government officials4. Finally, Ukrainian men eligible for conscription tend to seek informal employment, and may not officially register as unemployed.5

Women and children represent about 90 percent of refugees who have left Ukraine since the full-scale invasion started. Refugees have also been a significant source of brain drain, with half of them having a university education. According to UNHCR intention survey results as of January 2024, nearly 80% of refugees hope to return to Ukraine one day. However, only 14% plan to do so in the near future.6 Of potential workers remaining, women have unpaid care responsibilities, especially with mobilization and displacement; and social norms and policy restrictions around women’s work and employment practices may hinder women’s labor force participation in general, and their doing specific jobs or doing shift work, for example.

Overall, Ukraine has a strong legal framework which offers protections related to mobility, marriage, parenthood, childcare, assets, and pension. However, Ukraine lacks comprehensive legislation and procedures on sexual harassment, laws prohibiting discrimination in recruitment based on marital status, parental status, or age, and laws mandating equal pay. Women are also restricted from working at night in the same way as a man, working in industrial jobs, and working in jobs deemed dangerous (although some professions were opened up to women starting in 2018).7 Despite the legal framework in place, implementation is lacking to combat sexual harassment and violence against women, support women’s entrepreneurship, ensure quality of childcare services, and protect women’s asset ownership.

In 2021, female labor force participation in Ukraine was at about half, i.e. about half of working-age women were in the labor force. Demobilized veterans, PwDs and older people may face additional barriers to do with physical and mental health, discrimination, and work site accommodations. Finally, some potential participants in any job training or counseling program would forego income, albeit from a lower-paying or otherwise less desirable job, while participating in the program.

While aggregate demand in Ukraine contracted severely following the full-scale invasion, the economy has slowly recovered. Meanwhile, factors such as mobilization and emigration have removed large numbers of workers from wage jobs in a relatively short period of time. On the

7 World Bank,Women, Business and the Law 2024. https://wbl.worldbank.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/ukraine/2024 6 Ukraine Situation: UNHCR’s 2024 Plans and Financial Requirements, UNHCR, January 2024.

5 Factory or front line? Ukrainian businesses fight to retain workers, Financial Times, August 4 2024.

4 Return due to homesickness and unemployment: what we know about internally displaced persons (in Ukrainian). Radio Freedom, February 20, 2023.

3 Job search service the Unified Job Portal, adapted for all mobile devices, is a joint project of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the State Employment Service and six leading job search portals: work.ua, grc.ua, robota.ua, novarobota.ua, pidbir.com, and ua.jooble.org.

2 Inflation Report for April 2024, National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), May 2, 2024.

https://www.dcz.gov.ua/job https://ces.org.ua/en/tracker-economy-during-the-war/ https://wbl.worldbank.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/ukraine/2024 https://www.unhcr.org/ua/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2024/01/UNHCR-Ukraine-Situation-Appeal-2024.pdf https://www.ft.com/content/97b06dfd-c2b2-4523-90df-2f2c98f087ba https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/iom-ukraine-interview-idp-pereselenci/32278342.html https://www.dcz.gov.ua/job https://work.ua/ https://grc.ua/ https://robota.ua/ https://novarobota.ua/ https://pidbir.com/ https://ua.jooble.org/ https://bank.gov.ua/admin_uploads/article/IR_2024-Q2_eng.pdf?v=7 labor supply side, those willing to do formal work often lack the necessary hard and soft skills.

Currently most available job training comes from public vocational education institutions, which tend to be supply-driven, misaligned with job market demands and underequipped.

There is also a geographic element to the mismatch. Most of Ukraine’s heavy industry historically has been located in the east, where many factories and facilities have been damaged or destroyed, resulting in widespread job losses. The majority of IDPs live in Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska and Kyivska oblasts - contrary to popular beliefs that they are concentrated in the west of the country. In the meantime, IDPs (around 3.5 million according to an UNHCR estimate as of April 2024) often lost social networks, key to a job search, and financial and other assets during displacement and relocation. As a result, the labor market in the frontline oblasts is characterized by high unemployment and limited job opportunities. In contrast, the western oblasts, where many people have also left abroad, experience a shortage of workers alongside a greater number of job opportunities.

Table 1: Number of job seekers per vacancy registered by the State Employment Service of Ukraine (SES) as of March 1, 20248

# of job seekers per vacancy

Ukraine 2.6 : 1

Western regions (10 oblasts) 1.7 : 1 including Lviv oblast 0.5 : 1

Frontline regions (8 oblasts) 4.8 : 1 including:

Dnipropetrovsk oblast 2.2 : 1

Kharkiv oblast 3.4 : 1

Other regions (6 oblasts) 2.6 : 1

Kyiv city 1.1 : 1

(a) Relationship to other USAID activities and other donor or host-government funded programs

This activity will support Ukraine’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy DO 4:

Inclusive, Sustainable Market-Driven Economic Growth, and IR4.1 “Strengthened SME Competitiveness.”

The activity will coordinate with and complement other USAID and donor-funded workforce activities that are already supporting market-oriented vocational training, soft skills, job referrals, and psychosocial support. In general, this activity will differentiate itself from other activities by working through primarily private sector employers (rather than government employment

8 Activities of the State Employment Service of Ukraine in January-February 2024 (report in Ukrainian).

https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/109336 https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/109336 https://old.dcz.gov.ua/sites/default/files/infofiles/diyalnist_dsz_02_2024.pdf services and programs), its focus on scale, and its focus on meeting short-term employment needs for recovery.

Other donors coordination:

● GIZ Skills4Recovery, July 2023 - June 2026, EUR 10,000,000;

● The multi-donor Skills Alliance initiative9 (the first meeting of stakeholders of this initiative took place in September 2024);

● SDC and SwissContact’s “Public Private Partnership to Improve Professional Education” in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science, 2020-2027.

USAID coordination:

● Complement existing and future USAID activities with economic development components;

● Coordinate with and build on the efforts of the Mission’s other activities with workforce components, including:

○ Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) - flexible, rapid-response mechanism designed to help Ukraine’s citizens, civil society, and government authorities advance Ukraine’s unified, democratic, and Europe-oriented recovery in areas most affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion

○ Competitive Economy Program (CEP) - fosters the development of Ukrainian business and drives economic stability in Ukraine by helping SMEs to create and fill new jobs, increase sales, and leverage own-company investment. CEP also implements several workforce initiatives including the training of construction equipment operators and truck drivers, and the ReSkill UA program implemented in partnership with Coursera and Happy Monday.

○ Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) - the purpose of the activity is to improve the overall economic resilience of Ukraine during the full-scale war with Russia, which has disrupted critical market linkages, catalyzed the economic decline of previously dominant industries, and caused massive population displacement.

○ Digital Transformation Activity (DTA) - the purpose of the activity is to invest in Ukraine's digital transformation, which is a crucial element in the nation's economic revitalization, transparency in reconstruction, and advancement of good governance.

○ Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure (CCI) - strengthens the resilience of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure to withstand cyberattacks by developing Ukraine’s cybersecurity workforce and building a resilient cybersecurity industry.

○ Transformation Communications Activity (TCA) - partners with the Government Of Ukraine (GoU), the private sector, and civil society to increase the resilience of Ukraine’s democracy through innovative communications initiatives. Key areas of intervention include communications data analytics and research, strategy / campaign planning, advisory services, and content development.

○ Ukraine National Identity Through Youth (UNITY) - program that supports youth leadership towards a values-based Ukrainian identity.

9 More than 180,000 newly trained skilled workers for Ukraine’s reconstruction: Launch of the international “Skills Alliance for Ukraine” at URC2024. Joint press release of Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, 11 June 2024.

https://www.bmz.de/en/news/press-releases/launch-of-the-international-skills-alliance-for-ukraine-215342#:~:text=The%20Skills%20Alliance%20brings%20together,%2C%20Germany%2C%20Estonia%20and%20Poland https://www.bmz.de/en/news/press-releases/launch-of-the-international-skills-alliance-for-ukraine-215342#:~:text=The%20Skills%20Alliance%20brings%20together,%2C%20Germany%2C%20Estonia%20and%20Poland

○ Ukraine Mental Health Initiative for National Development (U-MIND) - support for mental health services.

○ Public Health System Recovery and Resilience activity (PHSR&R) - focused on strengthening the GOU's capacity to build a competent public health workforce by advancing national policies, enhancing university curricula, supporting professional networks, and investing in personnel at regional Centers for Disease Control.

○ Rehabilitation for Ukraine (Rehab4U) - aims to develop sustainable rehabilitation services throughout Ukraine's healthcare system, helping Ukrainians to improve functioning, integrate into society, and contribute to economic recovery and growth. Rehab4U will also make significant investments in the capacity building activities of the current rehabilitation workforce as well as in the preparation of the new generation of rehabilitation professionals.

○ Coordinate with the Agriculture Resilience Initiative - Ukraine (AGRI) and Harvest.

○ Energy Sector Transparency (EST) - works to improve Ukraine’s energy security by reducing opportunities for corruption, increasing mechanisms for accountability, and advocating for more effective oversight and policymaking. Education and upskilling efforts are held by the Kyiv School for Energy Policy (KSEP) to raise awareness of various focus groups (e.g. journalists, analysts, local communities’ representatives) about emerging issues (e.g. use of open data in energy sector analysis, understanding the “green” recovery, working with local energy plans etc.)

C.3 THEORY OF CHANGE

The activity’s overarching objective is to help the Ukrainian economy partially fulfill labor needs for short-term economic stability and long-term structural transformation; and improve employment and labor force participation rates for target populations. High-level outcome measures include increased employment and wage income for beneficiaries, and lower vacancy rates for partner employers.

The activity’s theory of change (ToC) is:

If Ukrainian workers can upskill and reskill to meet market demand; and if employee-employer linkages improve to fill gaps between labor supply and labor demand; and if employment support for target groups improves; and if the labor market enabling environment improves;

Then employers will fill critical job vacancies to support Ukraine’s inclusive economic recovery, and employment outcomes and wage levels will increase for targeted groups.

C.4 PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES AND RESULTS

These results are intended to be indicative of the magnitude of the intended results with the understanding that targets will change over the life of the activity. The implementer shall propose additional outcome and output indicators, including those that measure the effectiveness of inclusion efforts as part of the activity monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan (AMELP) that are appropriate for specific interventions under the activity.10

(a) Objective 1: Build Workforce Skills The activity will work to develop in-demand hard and soft skills to meet the urgent needs of Ukraine’s wartime and recovery economy. Targeted interventions will address the unique challenges and needs of populations including women, IDPs, people with disabilities, veterans, older workers and youth.

Indicator Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total

EG.6-3: Number of individuals who complete USG-assisted workforce development programs

TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

(b) Objective 2: Strengthen Employee-Employer Linkages The activity will work to achieve tangible and verifiable employment outcomes by linking employers and employees, including those from targeted groups and those who have completed hard and soft skills training under Objective 1.

Indicator Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total

Number of full-time employment (FTE) job placements

TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

(c) Objective 3: Improve Employment Support for Target Groups The activity will realize gains for targeted populations that have been most impacted by the war and that are critical to filling employment needs for Ukraine’s economic recovery. Key indicators for this objective include: 1) the number of workers from targeted groups that receive training and employment support (disaggregated), and 2) the number of workers who receive stipends to participate in employment programs.

(d) Objective 4: Improve the Labor Market Enabling Environment The activity will work to advance legal and regulatory reforms necessary to improve the business enabling environment and better align Ukrainian labor policy with EU standards. The activity will also support the provision of care services to increase the labor force participation rate (particularly for women and other caregivers). Key indicators for this objective will include the number of laws and reforms implemented, 10 FY24 Economic Growth Standard Indicator Reference Sheets:

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PIRS-Category-5-Economic-Growth-FY24-FARL.xlsx https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PIRS-Category-5-Economic-Growth-FY24-FARL.xlsx and the female labor force participation rate (although this figure is not currently reported in official government statistics due to the war).

C.5 TASKS

The Workforce Development Activity will be implemented under four distinct lines of effort as described below.

(a) Component 1: Workforce Skills

(i) Improve hard skills of job-seekers for well-paying, skill-intensive sectors and industries, such as construction, IT, manufacturing, energy, transport & logistics, and healthcare. This could possibly include English language skills paired with theoretical and practical job training. The offeror shall choose the occupations and sectors based on the most representative and accurate data available and driven by private sector demand.

(ii) Improve soft skills of job-seekers such as time-management, problem-solving, communication, and conflict resolution. USAID’s Education Policy defines “soft skills” as a “broad set of skills, behaviors, and personal qualities that enable people to effectively navigate their environment, relate well with others, perform well, and achieve their goals.” The relevant soft skills will vary by occupation and sector, but commonly reported skills important to employers include strong work ethics, teamwork, customer service and communication skills, stress management and resilience, willingness and ability to learn new information and skills.11 In addition, soft skills training should be tailored to address specific challenges faced by marginalized groups, such as confidence-building, dealing with discrimination, and overcoming workplace bias.

(b) Component 2: Employee-Employer Linkages

(i) Improve job-seeker linkages to private sector employers, especially Ukrainian companies and American companies operating in Ukraine, through active relationship building to understand the skill set, location, timing, and scale of manpower needs;

signaling skill achievements through certifications; providing employer referrals and other forms of job search support. Additionally, implement internship and practice programs for marginalized participants to help them gain experience and prove their capabilities, thereby reducing bias and increasing employment opportunities.

(ii) Accelerate employer behavior change around hiring diverse workers, especially target groups, which will be important for recruiting workers. These changes may cover recruitment processes, salary, benefits, and accommodation practices, on-the-job training, performance management, and any other aspects affecting employee recruitment and retention. This includes employer policy and practice, including behaviors of frontline managers to work with employees who may be part of marginalized groups.

(c) Component 3: Employment Support for Target Groups

(i) Improve labor opportunities for targeted populations. Target populations include all potential Ukrainian citizen job-seekers, in particular demobilized veterans, persons

11 Mykola Sudakov. Labor Market of Ukraine in 2023-2024: State, trends and prospects. Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, State Employment Service of Ukraine, Federation of Employers of Ukraine, 2024.

with disabilities, internally displaced persons (IDPs), women with children, over-fifty workers (through the current retirement age), and LGBTQI+ individuals. Within these groups, the activity shall screen participants for motivation to participate in the program and take the target jobs, and for relevant foundational skills for various program tracks, while ensuring that the screening process accounts for the unique challenges and needs of each group, such as care responsibilities, mental health support, accessibility, rehabilitation, and safe environments. The exact foundational skills relevant for each track/job will vary.12 These participants may have backgrounds ranging from little to extensive experience in the target job sector, but still need the program to gain the target job. Formal education levels of target populations could range from secondary to university-level graduates.

(ii) Build a mechanism to provide stipends for employment programs. As necessary for specific participants, e.g. IDPs depending on alternatives of public welfare and existing jobs, provision of stipends for program participation, which should be priced to balance participation of target groups with cost economy, and be time-limited. The contractor should also have risk management and controls to minimize fraud or abuse of stipend provision.

(d) Component 4: Labor Market Enabling Environment

(i) Advance labor market policy reform. The activity shall advise and support the appropriate GOU entities at national and subnational levels around employing PwD, women’s occupations and work conditions, the retirement age, anti-discrimination measures, and other employment issues as appropriate. Additionally, the activity might provide technical assistance for the capacity building of government training providers to enhance their effectiveness in delivering training and job support services.

(ii) Change norms about labor force participation for women. Based on an iterative, evidence-based approach of assessing normative constraints for different segments of women to join the labor force or work different jobs,13 the Contractor shall relax normative constraints to women’s wage employment, including:

a) In cases where women lack bargaining power, interventions to improve women’s bargaining power within a household and with family and community members

b) In cases where women are not currently working wage jobs because of norms, communications for different target audiences, including women, family, and community members encouraging women to join the labor force

c) In cases where a husband, partner, or other family members’ fear of reputational costs is a barrier, interventions to communicate more accurate information about national trends of women’s wage employment, potentially partnering with social influencers. These could correct potential underestimation of support for women’s wage employment in one’s social circle.14

14 There is some data to suggest that such underestimation of support for women’s wage employment exists in Ukraine. In the 2020 Gallup World Poll, Ukrainian respondents estimated that only 68 and 77 percent of Ukrainian men and women, respectively, supported women’s basic freedoms, when in fact 93 percent and 97 percent, respectively, did so. See https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31049/w31049.pdf

13 For more detail on global cost-effectiveness evidence on female labor force participation see https://voxdev.org/voxdevlit/female-labour-force-participation.

12 For studies of cost-effective programs that screened participants in the U.S., see https://scholar.harvard.edu/sites/scholar.harvard.edu/files/lkatz/files/krhs_sectoral_jole_final.pdf https://voxdev.org/voxdevlit/female-labour-force-participation

(e) Support time-limited, quality care for dependents (including children and the elderly), to release individuals for program participation, job search, and/or employment. Depending on the geographic location of the program and care services, these might be public or private care services, employer provided care centers, in-home, and/or at a dedicated facility. To ensure sustainability, develop partnerships with public and private care providers and advocate for employer-supported childcare options.

(f) Support access to gender-based violence response services.

(g) Provide intensive wraparound support and facilities for IDPs, veterans, and PwD, as appropriate. The intensity of needed services may vary, from community-based support to clinical services. Depending on availability and eligibility of these services for the target individuals, the type of this support may range from referrals to direct funding and provision.

(h) Build a Communication Strategy. The Contractor must develop a comprehensive communication strategy that will shape the internal and external environment and atmosphere in which the Activity will operate and be culturally appropriate and effective to ensure that the target audience can easily understand the message. The strategy must enable the sharing of information and ideas, support interaction, and create cohesion among the stakeholders.

C.6 ACTIVITY PRINCIPLES

In addition to addressing the development challenges and achieving performance objectives, the Contractor must address and integrate each of the following cross-cutting requirements and key principles below:

(a) Innovation: The current labor market in Ukraine presents opportunities to build back better by supporting higher labor productivity via methods of production new to the partner enterprises and/or the Ukrainian market. To the extent possible, the Contractor should use innovative and technology-based solutions to increase the scale, timeliness, and quality of activity outcomes and to lower the overall cost per job.

(b) Cost-effectiveness evidence: The selection of interventions and detailed modalities of delivery under this activity will be based on roughly relevant (e.g. from high- or middle-income countries and/or conflict settings), existing, peer-reviewed evidence on the most cost-effective approaches to improving wage employment outcomes, including for specific demographic groups.15

(c) Local Capacity/Sustainability: USAID emphasizes the importance of the utilization of local systems. Accomplishing the Workforce/Upskilling activity objectives, which

15 For cost-effectiveness evidence generally relevant to this activity at time of posting, see for example:

https://www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-insight/vocational-and-skills-training-programs-improve-labor-market-outcomes https://www.povertyactionlab.org/publication/sectoral-employment-programs-path-quality-jobs-lessons-randomized-evaluations#:~:te xt=J%2DPAL%20North%20America%27s%20Sectoral,the%20mechanisms%20behind%20their%20success https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/publication/Evidence-Review_Sectoral-Employment_2222022_0.pdf https://www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-insight/access-childcare-improve-womens-economic-empowerment https://clear.dol.gov/study/randomized-controlled-trial-supported-employment-among-veterans-posttraumatic-stress-disorder https://www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-insight/vocational-and-skills-training-programs-improve-labor-market-outcomes https://www.povertyactionlab.org/publication/sectoral-employment-programs-path-quality-jobs-lessons-randomized-evaluations#:~:text=J%2DPAL%20North%20America%27s%20Sectoral,the%20mechanisms%20behind%20their%20success https://www.povertyactionlab.org/publication/sectoral-employment-programs-path-quality-jobs-lessons-randomized-evaluations#:~:text=J%2DPAL%20North%20America%27s%20Sectoral,the%20mechanisms%20behind%20their%20success https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/publication/Evidence-Review_Sectoral-Employment_2222022_0.pdf https://www.povertyactionlab.org/policy-insight/access-childcare-improve-womens-economic-empowerment https://clear.dol.gov/study/randomized-controlled-trial-supported-employment-among-veterans-posttraumatic-stress-disorder cover a broad range of target populations, occupations, and sectors of employment, will require the engagement of local Ukrainian actors, both from the demand and the supply side. Sustainability must be a top priority. Host country partners and beneficiaries must be empowered and have the capacity to take ownership of development processes and maintain the activity’s results and impacts beyond its life.

To the extent that some local entities already operate or offer some of the functions in this activity, the activity’s default will be to use local partners through market-oriented approaches rather than providing services themselves, or using international providers.

In annual workplans, the successful offeror shall detail how they will support local markets, or else justify other sourcing of services (e.g. no local provider operating in that geographic area.)

(d) Non-Exclusivity: USAID requires that bidders not stipulate exclusive arrangements with local partners.

(e) Integration of Portfolio: USAID expects the successful offeror to heavily integrate and coordinate with other USAID implementing partners focused in the targeted technical areas, where appropriate and as directed by USAID, potentially including but not limited to collaborative work planning.

(f) Adaptive Management: Throughout the performance of this contract, the Contractor will utilize the principles of adaptive management. Activities performed under this contract are understood to be evolving in nature (meaning that the best efforts of the Contractor may not achieve desired results because of unknown factors) and therefore will include continuous monitoring to assess effectiveness and performance. As part of annual workplans, the Contractor will establish milestones at reasonable intervals to review each activity. As a result of milestone reviews, the COR may direct the contractor to modify the activity at the input level, redefine target outputs, or abandon the activity as appropriate. Milestone reviews will be collaborative between the Contractor and the Mission.

Lessons learned from the continued monitoring of the award will inform the development and adjustment of work plans and implementation approaches to ensure the achievement of results. At a minimum, every six months after the first year, the Contractor must conduct pause-and-reflect sessions with USAID and others to inform these adjustments. USAID reserves the right to make changes to the contract, budget, and workplan during these sessions.

(g) Gender mainstreaming: USAID has an explicit commitment to gender equality in all of its development activities. The Activity is required to ensure that gender issues are suitably addressed throughout and identify opportunities to bring women into the labor force. Interventions and approaches must be adapted to ensure women’s equitable access to resources and increase women’s participation in the labor market.

(h) Inclusive development: USAID emphasizes the importance of engaging diverse marginalized and/or underrepresented communities to co-design and co-create programming that best responds to their objectives. The Activity should intentionally and meaningfully engage with marginalized and/or underrepresented stakeholders to bring innovative approaches, capacity, and diverse perspectives to implementation.

When making efforts to support inclusion and equity of marginalized and/or underrepresented groups, the Contractor should follow key principles of “Do No Harm” and “Nothing About Us Without Us”.

(i) Do no harm in regards to exposure to the ongoing full-scale war: USAID encourages the broad incorporation of trauma-informed approaches into programs and operations, as part of upholding the “do no harm” guidelines. Being trauma informed is a strengths-based, survivor-centered approach that aims to increase trust, empowerment and a sense of safety for all. Consider integrating trauma-informed approaches into programming focused on job-seekers and employers, as well as for the offerror’s own staff.

(j) Environmental Best Practices and Climate Change: In order to identify any potential negative impacts and ensure compliance with USAID and USG environmental procedures, the Contractor will be required to develop procedures to assess the environmental impact of proposed assistance and develop mechanisms to address the relevant assessment requirements. The environmental compliance of the award will be guided by the approved Initial Environmental Examination (IEE). The IEE is attached to the RFP and Offerors must incorporate IEE requirements in their proposals.

- End -

Part II - Questions for Feedback:

(Note: Responses are limited to three pages (single spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins). An additional cover-page is permitted but not required.)

1. What general feedback do you have on the draft SOW?

2. Given the proposed SOW, what elements of this effort are still confusing? Are there any areas which partners feel need to be clarified?

3. What risks (not presented) do the partners feel may need to be addressed in order for this effort to succeed?

4. Under section C.4, “Performance Objectives and Results,” what quantitative targets do you find to be ambitious yet realistic for indicator EG.6-3: Number of individuals who complete USG-assisted workforce development programs, and Number of full-time employment (FTE) job placements?

5. Specifically, what does the SOW document need to take into account in order to avoid displacement (not filling job vacancies but just changing who gets a job) in terms of targeting participants?

6. USAID expects that effective private sector engagement (PSE) will be an important contributor to activity success. What types of technical approaches can effectively engage private industry, particularly large corporations, to train and place workers in Ukraine’s critical industries, as well as its most productive and competitive sectors?

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- End of USAID_Ukraine_WFD-RFI2024 -