U.S. Agency for International Development, Attn: OP/B/PCE, Room 1514, SA-14, Washington, D.C. 20523-1426

R -- MICROENTERPRISE INNOVATION PROJECT (MIP) BEST PRACTICES SOL RFP OP/B/PCE-95-P-004 POC Contact Point, Michele Mauney, 703/875-1068 The purposes of Microenterprise Best Practice are to expand the knowledge base of the field and to improve the design and implementation of USAID-supported projects. MBP will assist microenterprise development institutions to improve performance, by exploring a core agenda and providing training and information services. The MBP core agenda will examine themes of best practice in the field, themes supporting moves of the leaders in the field to achieve more, and themes exploring new areas of microenterprise development. Themes deal with microfinance and the provision of non-financial inputs, including policy and regulatory ''inputs'', to microenterprises. A sub-grant facility supports training activities, learning exchange and pilot efforts that complement the core agenda. The project emphasizes information dissemination through print and electronic media. The SIC code for this procurement is 8742. Subcontracting with Disadvantaged Enterprises: No less than 10 percent of the total value of the contract will have to be subcontracted to Disadvantaged Enterprises (U.S. socially and economically disadvantaged, including women-owned businesses; historically black colleges and universities; U.S. colleges and universities with more than 40 percent Hispanic American students; and U.S. private voluntary organizations controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, including women). To help identify potential subcontractors, a list of all organizations requesting a copy of the solicitation will be sent with each solicitation document. Organizations are encouraged to indicate on their mailing labels whether they are Disadvantage Enterprises when requesting the solicitation and may indicate that they do not wish to be included on the list. By providing the list, USAID does not endorse the listed organizations as being capable of carrying out the activity, nor does USAID verify the claimed status of the organizations. Necessarily, the list will contain the names of only those organizations known prior to the issuance of the solicitation document. Proposals shall include plans reflecting no less than 10% subcontracting with the above defined entities. Proposals not including such plans will be considered to be non-responsive. Subcontracting with small business concerns and socially and economically disadvantaged entities: USAID encourages the participation, to the maximum extent possible, of U.S. entities that are small business concerns, small disadvantaged business concerns, including women-owned concerns, historically black colleges and universities, colleges and universities whose student body is more than 40 percent Hispanic American, and private voluntary organizations controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals including women in accordance with Part 19 of the FAR and Part 726 of the AIDAR. It is anticipated that the prime contractor will make the maximum practicable use of such entities; subcontracting plans will be required in proposals submitted. Interested parties may request a copy of RFP OP/B/PCE-95-P-004 by submitting a written request with (3) self-addressed mailing labels (indicate their status as a Disadvantaged Enterprise) to Michele Mauney, Contract Specialist at U.S. Agency for International Development, OP/B/PCE, Room 1514, SA-14, Washington, D.C. 22209. No phone or fax requests will be accepted. There will be no RFPs available for pick-up. No walk-ins. Requests not conforming to this requirement will not be honored. All RFPs will be mailed through U.S. Postal Service unless an organization prepares a self- addressed envelope already prepared for mailing with either their Federal Express or Express Mail account number. If an envelope already for mailing is not provided by the requestor, the RFP will be mailed through the regular U.S. Postal Services. Only one request for the RFP per organization will be honored. Issuance of the RFP will not be less than 15 days after publication of this synopsis. Closing date is still being determined, but will be approximately between 30 to 45 days from the release of the RFP. This CBD notice can be viewed and downloaded using the Agency Gopher. The RFP can be downloaded from the Agency Gopher. The Gopher address is GOPHER.INFO.USAID.GOV. Select USAID Procurement and Business Opportunities from the Gopher menu. The RFP text can be downloaded via Anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP). The FTP address is FTP.INFO.USAID.GOV. Log on using the user identification of ''Anonymous'' and the password is your e- mail address. Look under the following directory for the RFP pub/OP/RFP/bpce504.rfp. Receipt of this RFP through INTERNET must be confirmed by written notification to the contact person noted above. It is the responsibility of the recipient of this solicitation document to ensure that it has been received from INTERNET in its entirety and USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. Questions must be directed to Michele Mauney, Contract Specialist, U.S. Agency for International Development, OP/B/PCE, Room 1514, SA-14, Washington, D.C. 22209, (Phone 703-875- 1068). (0144)

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