U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), REDSO/WCA/OP, Abidjan (ID), Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-2010

R -- BASIC EDUCATION SOL RPF NO. 624-96-P-001 DUE 051596 POC Carey N. Gordon, Regional Contracting Officer, REDSO/WCA/OP (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) Tel: (225) 41-45-28; Fax Nos: (225) 41-35-44 or (225) 41- 34-60; Internet address: cagordon@usaid.gov. USAID requests proposals from private firms, universities, or PVO'S to implement a basic education project in the Republic of Guinea. This is a performance-based, results oriented activity, in which proposals will be reviewed, award made, and implementation monitored and rewarded based upon the Contractor's success at planning for and delivering the specified results in the substantive areas of the project. These will include policy reform, training, the provision of technically appropriate educational materials, improving the capacity of the Guinean Ministry of Pre-University Education to plan and financially manage the education sector, and improving the capacity of the Ministry to consult communities through a policy dialogue process (as detailed in the RFP.) A four-year cost-reimbursement completion type contract is expected to be awarded (with the possibility of extensions) based upon the criteria set forth in the RFP, which shall include an evaluation of the Offeror's past performance. USAID'S estimate for performance of the work required under the terms of the RFP is in the range of $8-10 million. Upon contract award, the total estimated contract cost shall be incorporated in the contract. If the prime contractor is not a small, disadvantaged or Gray Amendment entity, not less than $370,000 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 at least 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 RFP will be sent with each RFP. Organizations are encouraged to indicate whether they are disadvantaged 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 not including such subcontracting plans will be considered to be non-responsive. All questions related to this notice and requests for a copy of the RFP must be addressed in writing or by fax to the contracting officer at the address stated above. Specify the RFP requested, and include your complete firm name, street address, phone and fax no. No telephone requests will be honored. The issuance date of the RFP is expected to be approximately fifteen (15) days from the date of publication of this notice. The closing date for submission of proposals will be approximately sixty (60) days from the actual issuance date, and will be specified in the RFP. The preferred method of distribution of USAID procurement information is via the internet or by request of a solicitation on a 3.5'' floppy disk (Wordperfect 5.1/5.2 format). This CBD notice can be viewed and downloaded using the Agency GOPHER. The RFP, once issued, 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. From there, choose the heading USAID PROCUREMENTS and then DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE USAID SOLICITATIONS. The RFP can also be downloaded via Anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP). The FTP address is FTP.INFO.USAID.GOV. Logon 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/GUI/gui.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. The publication of this notice and/or the issuance of an RFP do not obligate the U.S. Government to award a contract. (0068)

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