Request for Information (RFI) on Building Sustainable Learning Communities for Local Governance

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), represented by its Mission in Zambia, is exploring the design of an award to strengthen local analytical capacity and knowledge basis through the development of a ‘knowledge network’ and to support the Government of Zambia (GRZ)’s policy making through demand driven short-term technical assistance.

The Mission is releasing this request for information to; 1) ascertain the interest and ability of local, regional, and international organizations, inclusive of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, to bid on such a solicitation, and; 2) to gather input on the draft activity design. Please make sure to read the full concept note attached before responding to the questions. Please also note that this is not a draft statement of work or program description.

Questions:

• How much interest is there locally, regionally, and internationally for this kind of mechanism?
• What partnerships and modalities do you envision?
• How best can we build over time i.e., addressing immediate needs vs building long-term capacities?
• How can we define appropriate research, so it feeds into policy?
• How can we best engage with students under this kind of mechanism?
• Are there competent local entities championing local analytical capacity work in support of decentralization and local governance initiatives? If yes, what is their comparative advantage?
• What would be the pros and cons of a local award with a regional/international partnership arrangement?
• What would be the pros and cons of an international prime transitioning to a local partner? What timeline would be most effective for such a transition?
• Do you have any other comments on this concept?

Submission Guidelines:

Organizations interested in responding to this RFI should provide the following information:

• Name of your organization and contact information.
• Responses to the nine questions.

Responses to this RFI should not exceed three pages and must be in Microsoft Word format with a 11-point font size minimum. Please send all responses to the attention of Jameson Hutton at jhutton@usaid.gov with a copy to Alfred Kapambwe at akapambwe@usaid.gov  under the title RFI # 72061123RFI00001 - Building Sustainable Learning Communities for Local Governance.

The release of this RFI in no way obligates the United States Government or USAID to release a solicitation for this proposed activity, nor does it commit the U.S Government or USAID any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of responses to this RFI.

Thank you for your interest in the subject request for information.