USAID/Kyiv, 19 Nyzhniy Val St., 254071 Kiev, Ukraine

R -- UKRAINE REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY SOL USAID/Kyiv RFP-99-10 DUE 091799 POC Alena Orlova, E-mail: aorlova@usaid.gov, Tel: 380-44-462-5678, Fax: 380-44-462-5834, Contracting Officer: Catherine A. Mallay, E-mail: cmallay@usaid.gov WEB: http://www.info.usaid.gov, http://www.info.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/announce/cbd. E-MAIL: http://www.info.usaid.gov, aorlova@usaid.gov or cmallay@usaid.gov. The U.S. Agency for International Development Mission in Kyiv, Ukraine, will issue a request for proposal (RFP) to compete a contract for the implementation of the Ukraine Regional Agriculture Development program. A pre-proposal conference is tentatively scheduled for 2 August 1999 in Washington DC; final arrangements will be announced in the RFP itself, which is expected to be issued o/a 20 July 1999, or via an RFP amendment issued shortly thereafter. In order for USAID to estimate attendance, please advise the contact person name above, A. Orlova, via email or fax, of the number of persons which plan to attend. A limit of two persons per proposal team is requested, due to limited space available. Attendance at the conference is not required and is not an evaluation factor for award; a record of the conference will be provided via an amendment to the RFP. The RFP will also include as an attachment, a list of any individuals or organizations that have expressed interest, including their email/phone/fax/address and point of contact in the RFP. If you wish to be included in the list, please provide those particulars to the same contact person named above, via email or fax. The remainder of this announcement contains information on the requirement and how to obtain the RFP and RFP amendments. The work will be challenging and a cost-reimbursement contract is anticipated for a base three-year period plus two additional annual options, for potential total period of five years. USAID has been actively involved in the Ukrainian agriculture sector since 1995, through various activities designed and implemented by as many as eight contractors and grantees. The RFP will contain substantial background information and reference material. Activities to date have sought to advance market-based agricultural reforms on a national basis through a combination of support for private farms and agribusinesses and policy dialogue. They have included, inter alia, restructuring of the former state and collective farms, titling of individual land shares, partnerships, privatization of agro-industries including grain elevators, provision of policy advice, development of commodity markets, and support to private sector association development. However, this approach has not made the desired impact. As a result, USAID has revised its sector strategy, toward one of intensive, regional emphasis. Efforts are being focused on three oblasts in an attempt to clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of a private sector-based agricultural economy. Under this new contract, continued assistance in areas such as land titling and others where the current implementers have pioneered workable methodologies and developed skilled staff will be important. The contract will include general and specific oblast and national level target results. General targets include a sustained increase in income from private farms/household plots and restructured private farms relative to the performance of non-private or collective enterprises, sustained growth in the number of private farms in the three target oblasts, etc. Oblast and national targets include a minimum of 900,000 land titles or state deeds of private land ownership issued over a three-year period, an annual minimum of 150 farms restructured into multiple private entities, at least one oblast begins a private sector land market where land can be freely leased, bought, sold, bequeathed and mortgaged, etc. A number of other tasks will also be performed in the areas of (a) expansion of the number of private commercial agricultural producers, and setting the groundwork for development of a truly functioning land market, (2)support to the upstream (input suppliers) and downstream (food processors) markets of the agribusiness sector to promote producer access to inputs and markets, to increases the efficiency and competitiveness of the two sub-sectors, and to lower transaction costs, (3)assist with access to competitive, commercial credits required by private producers/farmers for purchase of short- and medium-term capital, i.e. fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, farm equipment (small- and medium-scale), and small-scale food processing equipment, and (d) other areas as will be detailed in the RFP. Also, the contract is expected to include an agribusiness development grants program. This CBD notice can be viewed and downloaded using the Agency Web Site. The RFP and amendments, once issued, can be downloaded from the Agency web site. The Worldwide Web address is http://www.info.usaid.gov. Select Business and Procurement Opportunities from the home page, then "USAID Procurements." On the following screen, select "Download Available USAID Solicitations." 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. Any interested party requesting a hard copy or diskette of the solicitation must submit a written request (fax or email is acceptable) to the contact person identified above and must make its own arrangements to get the solicitation; USAID/Kiev will not bear the cost of courier service or other special pickup or delivery services used to obtain the RFP. SIC Code 8742. Posted 06/23/99 (W-SN346340). (0174)

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