Carlton M. Bennett, Regional Contracting Officer, USAID/Dakar, Senegal, Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-2130

R -- PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN FOR USAID/SENEGAL STRATEGY 1998 -- 2006 SOL 685-99-001 DUE 121198 POC Carlton M. Bennett, Regional Contracting Officer, USAID/Dakar, Senegal, Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20521-2130; Tel: 221-823-1602; Fax 221-823-2965; e-mail: cbennett@usaid.gov The United States Agency for International Development Mission to Senegal (USAID/Senegal) is seeking the services of a contractor to design and implement a publicity campaign that will generate demand on the part of the Senegalese population to invest in activities to be implemented under USAID/Senegal's new strategy. The specific objectives of the publicity campaigns are as follows: A. The objectives of the publicity campaigns are twofold: to adequately inform the Senegalese population of USAID/Senegal's new development strategy and how to access its investment funds. This information should include the following: -- Strategic objectives, key intermediate results, intermediate results and expected targets for local proposals. -- An explanation of the investment concept including investment units/packages/eligible groups and the minimum required contribution (25%). -- Selection criteria -- Process for development and submission of proposals. -- Process for review and acceptance or rejection of proposals. -- Necessary forms/certificates, etc. to generate investment proposals from USAID/Senegal's local investment partners and customers. B. The results that are anticipated from the implementation of the publicity campaign are as follows: potential partner groups throughout Senegal will understand the contents and procedures of USAID USAID/Senegal's strategic program assistance to Senegal and how to access investments funding under it; Potential partner groups will be able to develop their proposals using the information provided by the contractor; Assumptions Regarding Anticipated Results: The Mission is making the following critical assumptions for achieving the above results: . A continuing climate of social, political, and institutional stability prevails during the campaign period; . USAID/Senegal has established credible partnership with the GOS officials, the private sector and locally elected authorities during the development process of the CSP; the national feedback seminars have increased people's trust and confidence in USAID/Senegal; . USAID/Senegal and local firms have gained solid experience in planning, organizing and implementing information campaigns directed to large and diversified audiences in Senegal. C. The following major tasks are required of the contractor: Task # 1: Design and implementation of publicity campaigns: USAID/Senegal has taken an innovative approach for this new strategy reversing the traditional top-down design to a bottom-up design. Under Task # 1, the contractor shall conduct two to four annual, nationwide publicity campaigns in Senegal. The campaigns shall be in French and, where appropriate, in any of the 6 major in Senegalese national languages (wolof, serere, diola, pular, mandinka and soninke). The campaign shall provide adequate information to USAID's partners and customers on the investment units and packages, the SOs, illustrative activities, groups eligible to request USAID's assistance, selection criteria and principles, the format, content and submission schedules of the proposals. The contractor shall publicize campaign information throughout Senegal as well as in an internationally accessible forum, such as an Internet web page, to reach potential customers outside of Senegal(e.g., Migrant Workers Associations, etc.). To better design its information campaigns, USAID/Senegal recommends that the contractor undertake documentary research on USAID/Senegal's new assistance strategy and meet with USAID/Senegal staff, representatives of locally-elected institutions, GOS, grassroots, private sector and non- governmental organizations, etc., to gather sufficient data for designing the publicity program. USAID/Senegal expects that the campaign will use many different forms of communication, from mass media, to regional and local meetings. Task # 2: Assistance with development and processing of Proposals: Under Task # 2, the contractor shall, for at least the first two years, offer limited assistance in the preparation of proposals. This assistance shall be primarily aimed at helping those groups less privileged in proposal writing to put together a written proposal conforming to the standards established by USAID and its partners. It is estimated that for year 1, the contractors support will be used for no more than 10 proposals. (1) The contractor will be required to coordinate closely its work with a number of organizations. The following lists, but is not limited to, some of the areas of coordination: (a) USAID/Senegal to ensure that messages are being correctly prepared. This preliminary work may also include a review of the feasibility of certain discussions on investment packages, etc. (b) The Selection Committee in terms of better definitions of selection criteria, procedures and time tables for the selection process, etc. (c) The Implementing Contractor in terms of timing, proposal delivery system, second year modifications, etc. It will be expected that to the maximum extent possible, all long term contractors will be housed together to enhance collaboration and save administrative costs. (2) Deliverables shall include: Publicity campaign design, including outline of a minimally acceptable investment package, methodology; and A report on each executed publicity campaign, providing a detailed description of areas visited, contacts, technical and human resources utilized, proposal preparation undertaken, lessons learned, and recommendations for improvements. A report reflecting the outcome of each publicity campaign. The report shall describe the number of proposals received, the intervention sectors, the geographic locations of the proposed activities, their potential impact, the funding requested, the proposed timeframes, etc. The report shall also provide the SO classification of the proposals. The Contractor shall be required for a base period of two years, with two optional one-year periods. USAID/Senegal intends to award a cost plus fixed fee, performance based contract. Telephone requests for the RFP will not be honored. The issuance date of the RFPis expected to be on November 9, 1998. The deadline for questions from offerors is November 20, 1998. The RFP closing date will be December 11, 1998. The publication of this notice or the issuance of a solicitation does not obligate the U.S. government to award a contract. Posted 10/08/98 (I-SN260478). (0281)

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