This is a pre-solicitation notice. USAID/Nepal intends to award a five year contract through full and open competition for the implementation of food security activites in Nepal.

                  Pre-solicitation Notice Number: 367-12-00001       
                                   Feed the Future 

 

The purpose of this pre-solicitation notice is to notify that the U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) Mission to Nepal intends to award a five-year contract through full and open competition for the implementation of food security activities in Nepal. The first year of this activity will concentrate efforts on approximately 10 districts (located in the Mid-West and Far West regions).  Years two through five will add approximately another ten districts for an approximate total of 20 districts (in the Mid-West and Far West regions and possibly the Western region).

USAID/Nepal has developed a food security project that responds to the objectives of USAID's Feed the Future (FTF) Presidential Initiative as well as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) country plan led by the Government of Nepal. The overall goal of this FTF project is to reduce hunger and poverty while improving nutrition in Nepal. The FTF project purpose, which contributes to the achievement of this goal, is to increase agricultural productivity and income, improve nutritional status of women and children under five, and increase resilience of vulnerable communities and households.  The project has three primary and integrated components as well as numerous supporting activities.  Some of the supporting activities are currently ongoing and some have yet to be implemented.  The three primary and integrated components focus on: A) agricultural productivity, B) nutrition, and C) skills development (literacy, numeracy, and entrepreneurial skills). The Contractor must implement component A and B.  A separate award will be made to a Nepali organization to implement component C, but the Contractor must effectively integrate component C, as well as the other supporting activities and the GAFSP, into the project. 

Additionally, the Contractor must build the financial, fiduciary and technical capacity of Nepali organizations.  These organizations may or may not include the Contractor's subgrantees/subcontractors. More specifically, the Contractor must build the capacity of Nepali organizations so these Nepali organizations can competitively apply for USAID direct awards.  Also, the Contractor must hand over certain geographic project responsibilities to a Nepali organization(s) beginning in year 3 of the project, and must hand over an increasing amount of geographic project responsibilities to Nepali organizations in years 4 and 5.  A separate full and open local competitive award process will begin in year 2 of the project to select the Nepali organization(s) that will implement the portions of the project the Contractor will hand over.  The Contractor must continue to integrate and complement the activities of the Nepali organizations after the Contractor hands over certain geographic project responsibilities.  

The RFP for technical assistance is projected to be issued approximately around December 2011 on www.fedbizopps.gov. USAID will not entertain questions until after the RFP is issued. When the RFP is issued, any amendments thereof will be posted at www.fedbizopps.gov. Interested parties are advised to periodically monitor the above website for updates concerning this procurement.

 Prospective Offerors are advised that this procurement is subject to the availability of funds. This pre-solicitation notice in no way obligates USAID to award a Contract nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal.