U.S. Agency for International Development, M/OP/A/HRN, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, RRB 7.10-041, Washington, DC 20523-7101

R -- INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY PROGRAM COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS POC Agreement Specialist, Robert Samuel Taylor, Internet: rtaylor@usaid.gov, Fax: 202-216-3052; Tel: 712-4121, Agreement Officer, Thomas S. Bordone, Tel: 202-712-1021 WEB: http://www.info.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/announce/cbd, http://www.info.usaid.gov. E-MAIL: http://www.info.usaid.gov, rtaylor@usaid.gov. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will soon issue two Requests for Applications (RFAs) for five-year Cooperative Agreements (CAs) that provide for family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) service delivery programs. One agreement will cover Africa; the other will cover Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Near East, and the Newly Independent States. Awards are expected in December 1999. These CAs will contribute to the achievement of the results described in the Family Planning/Reproductive Health Services Results Package (RP), a ten-year service delivery program. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the entire RP, including the annexes; this document will be an attachment to the RFAs. The Development Problem: With the world's largest generation of young people moving into their reproductive years, the number of reproductive-age couples is expected to increase by at least 15 million annually over the next two decades. The challenge is to identify modelsfor scaling-up FP/RH service delivery, through new and underutilized channels, to address unmet need and demand in the 21st century. The Design Rationale: These CAs will contribute to scaling up service delivery by supporting models that mobilize underutilized service delivery channels. A high priority will involve bringing together the public, private-commercial, and NGO sectors to develop strategic service delivery plans based upon the comparative advantage of each sector, demonstrating that when all three sectors work together and link to non-health sectors, quality services and coverage can be substantially expanded. Continuities/New Emphases: These CAs will continue to support USAID's current efforts to expand quality of and access to FP/RH services. Experience has shown, however, that to address unmet need, service delivery cannot focus on a single sector or approach -- new and underutilized service delivery channels and resources must be mobilized, and women, men, and communities must participatein designing and providing services responsive to client needs. New emphases include: establishment of public-private commercial and NGO partnerships and strategic plans for scaled-up service delivery systems that involve all three sectors and include non-clinical channels; linkage of FP/RH services to non-health sectors, including to women's empowerment activities (literacy, microenterprise, civil society organizations, and community mobilization and outreach); increased coordination among USAID Cooperating Agencies to ensure state-of-the-art approaches; addressing high risk births; reaching men, adolescents and young adults with information and services; and collaboration with other donors as an element of scaled-up service delivery plans. Strategic Objective and Intermediate Results (IRs): The strategic objective of the CAs is increased use of sustainable, quality family planning and reproductive health services and healthy practices through clinical and non-clinical programs. Four IRs will support the achievement of the CAs' strategic objective: IR1: Increased access to and improved quality of family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) clinical and non-clinical programs. IR2: Increased capacity for informed FP/RH decision-making by clients and communities. IR3: Increased capacity of the public and private sectors to sustain quality FP/RH service delivery programs. IR4: Scaled-up and improved FP/RH service delivery through technical assistance to other agency/donor/foundation programs. (While IR4 will be addressed in a separate procurement, award recipients will be expected to coordinate and collaborate with organizations that implement IR4, and achieve sub-intermediate results that contribute to IR4.) Technical Priorities: The highest technical priorities of these CAs will involve addressing: 1) unmet need/unplanned births, and 2) high risk births. Funding Availability: It is anticipated that funding will be available from four sources: G/PHN core funds; USAID mission field support; regional bureau funds; and a match fund from non-USAID sources. It is anticipated that non-USAID matching funds will reach at least 25 percent of USAID funds. USAID funds for the five-year Africa CA are approximately $92,000,000. USAID funds for the five-year CA for the remaining regions total approximately $92,000,000. Over the five-years, the Africa CA is expected to support activities in 15-20 countries. The five-year CA for the remaining regions is expected to support activities in 20-25 countries. Management and Implementation Mechanism: The G/PHN Center believes the skills to manage its major FP/RH service delivery activity would best be met through a cohesive mechanism grouping technical agencies and private voluntary organizations recognized as leaders in the following areas: family planning and reproductive health; clinical service delivery; non-clinical service delivery/rural outreach and community mobilization; behavior change; quality improvement; financial planning and sustainability; women's empowerment, gender-sensitive service delivery and advocacy; and multi-sectoral community based programs. Applicants are encouraged to propose creative consortium-like mechanisms to manage FP/RH service delivery under these new Agreements. If a consortium is proposed, it should include a management mechanism and management procedures through which all consortium members are full and equal partners in planning and implementation and includes membership of/or linkages with indigenous developing country organizations. USAID seeks recipients that can respond to the diverse needs of the least developed countries as well as countries with more advanced programs. Emphasis will be placed on scaling-up new technologies and innovative approaches. Finally, a key principle underlying all G/PHN objectives is recognizing women as key actors in development. Agreements must reflect USAID's support for women's empowerment, gender issues and gender-sensitive approaches to implementation. Potential applicants must notify Robert Samuel Taylor, USAID Agreement Specialist, of their interest. Notification shall be by email on rtaylor@usaid.gov, or by fax on 202 216 3052. Telephone calls to 202 712 4121 will also be accepted (no collect calls), but notification must be in writing. Email is very strongly preferred (include "FPRH RFA" on the subject line). Please include applicant's name, name and title of the applicant's contact person, address, telephone number, fax number, email address, and world-wide-web address. Please also include geographical region of interest and a very brief statement (one paragraph or less) of the applicant's capabilities as they relate to the program. This information will be published as part of the RFA to assist potential applicants in creating teaming arrangements and finding subcontract/subgrant opportunities. It will also be used to contact applicants when the RFAs are published on the USAID website. Potential applicants should regularly check www.info.usaid.gov for additional information. Posted 08/04/99 (W-SN363185). (0216)

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