U.S. Agency for International Development, M/OP/B/HNE, Room 1509, SA- 14, Washington, D.C. 20523-1424

R -- GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS AND LEARNING SYSTEMS SOL OP/B/HNE-96-006 DUE 063096 POC Contact: Georgia Fuller, Phone (703) 875-1134, Fax: (703) 875-1519; Contracting Officer: James A. Jeckell (703) 875-1017. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contemplates issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a five year contract with two one year options for professional services to 1) develop and disseminate tools and models for the effective use of educational and communication technology within learning systems and 2) assist the development, implementation and evaluation of such programs in USAID-assisted countries. The primary results to be produced under this contract are: 1. Assessment tools for defining the appropriate application of educational and communication technology within learning systems, 2. Intervention models and tools based on state-of-the-art strategies to increase the impact of educational and communication technology within the learning systems, 3. Institutionalization strategies and guidelines for establishing the sustainable use of educational and communication technology within learning systems, 4. Monitoring and evaluation strategies and tools for observing the impact of educational and communication technology within learning systems, and, 5. System for the collection, demonstration and exchange of information and innovations on the use of educational and communication technology within learning systems. The results will depend on the synthesis of results from field applications in USAID-assisted countries which may be funded through multiple stand alone task orders issued under the contract. It is expected that the Contractor will work in up to eight emphasis countries and up to seventeen additional countries over the period of the contract. The educational and communication technologies to be applied within learning systems are expected to be drawn from a broad spectrum of options and to be combined and adapted to suit the needs of in-country institutional clients and their opportunities and constraints. The technologies can be traditional, such as distance education through radio and participatory group processes, or newer, such as interactive multi-media systems supported through Internet connectivity. The Contractor is expected to work in a wide variety of institutional settings, including Ministries of Education and other applied ministries, local NGOs, universities, local municipal governments and community-based organizations. In-country activities should support the eventual sustainability of the systems introduced and assisted. In this context, coordination and collaboration with other USAID cooperating institutions and development assistance agencies is expected. To help identify potential subcontractors, a list of all organizations requesting a copy of the solicitation will be sent with the solicitation document. By providing the list, USAID does not endorse the organizations listed 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. In accordance with FAR 52.219-9, a small business subcontracting plan must be submitted unless the offeror is a small business. All other selection factors being found equal, the participation of such additional small business subcontracting may become a determining factor for selection. Interested offerors may request a copy of RFP OP/B/HNE-96-006 by submitting a written request. Walk-in and mail requestors must provide a written request. Telephone requests will not be honored. 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/HNE6006/hne6006.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. USAID anticipates the issuance of the solicitation electronically and in hard copy on or about 6/30/1996. (0108)

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