Us Agency for International Development (USAID), Contracting Office, BAMAKO(ID), Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2050

R -- UMBRELLA GRANT PROGRAM TO FURTHER DEVELOP CIVIL SOCIETY BY STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITY AND DEMOCRATIC CULTURE OF MILIAN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS SOL RFA-688-99-026 DUE 102299 POC Acquisition & Assistance Specialist: Mama Traore, B.P 34, Tel: (223) 22-36-02, Fax: (223) 23-16-94, E-mail: matraore@usaid.gov; or Agreemeent Officer: Annette E. Tuebner, e-mail: antuebner@usaid.gov WEB: http://www.info.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/announce/cbd, http://www.info.usaid.gov. E-MAIL: http://www.info.usaid.gov, matraore@usaid.gov or antuebner@usaid.gov. USAID/Mali invites qualified U.S. applicants and Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) and U.S. not-for-profit organizations to submit applications for a cooperative agreement under Mali Democratic Governance Strategic Special Objective. For-profit organizations may also submit applications, however, they will not be entitled to receive a fee or profit for this activity. It is anticipated that one cooperative agreement will be awarded in a process to be described in the RFA. As this is a results-oriented activity, it is expected that funding will be based upon an agreed-upon workplan, verifiable achievement of required results and the availability of funds. USAID/Mali's 1996 -- 2002 strategic plan focuses on highly interrelated strategic objectives within the social economic and political realms. Among these strategic objectives contributing to USAID/Mali's program goal is a Democratic Governance Strategic Objective (DGSO) which foresees that: "Community organizations in target communes are effective partners in democratic governance, including development decision-making and planning." In order to achieve this objective, USAID/Mali has budgeted approximately $4.0 million to support an umbrella grant program aimed at strengthening the inclusion of civil society, especially rural civil society, in Mali's policy and decision making process. Its is envisioned that the recipient shall propose a program of joint collaboration with a local Malian Organization dedicated to civil society strengthening. The purpose of the Agreement is to support a program aimed at further developing civil society by strengthening the capacity and democratic culture of Malian civil society organizations. All questions related to this notice and requests for a copy of the RFA must be addressed in writing, by letter, fax, or e-mail to the POCs at the address stated above. Specify the RFA requested, and include your complete firm name, street address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. No telephone requests will be honored. The issuance date of the RFA is expected to be on or about September 9, 1999. The closing date for submission of proposals will be approximately 45 days after the actual issuance date of the RFA, and will be specified in the RFA. The preferred method of distribution of USAID procurement information is via the Internet or by request of a solicitation on a 3.5" diskette (WordPerfect 5.1/5.2 format). Only in instances where Internet access or utilization of diskettes are not possible will a hard copy of the RFA be distributed upon request. Applicants must confirm to the Agreement Officer their inability to access the RFA via the Internet before they request a diskette or hard copy of the document. This notice and the RFA, once issued, can be viewed and downloaded from the USAID external web site. The USAID worldwide web address is http://www.info.usaid.gov. Select "Business and Procurement Opportunities" from the home page, then "USAID Procurements". Receipt of the RFA through the Internet must be confirmedby written notification to the Agreement Officer. It is the responsibility of the recipient of the RFA to ensure that it has been received from the Internet in its entirety. USAID is not responsible for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. The publication of this notice does not obligate the U.S. Government to award a cooperative agreement. Posted 08/25/99 (W-SN372108). (0237)

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