Procurement Office, US Agency for International Development, Regional Economic Development Services Office for East and Southern Afica, Unit 64102-Nairobi, APO AE 09831-4102

R -- GRANT MAKING/CAPACITY BUILDING IN SUDAN SOL 623-00-A-030 DUE 081400 POC Paul McDermott, Tel: 254-2-862400, Ext. 2602, Fax: 254-2-862390, E-mail: pmcdermott@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, pmcdermott@usaid.gov. USAID/REDSO/ESA in Nairobi solicits applications from PVOs and International Organizations currently working in opposition-held areas of Sudan to implement a second capacity-building/grant-making program in Sudan. This description precedes a Request for Applications (RFA), to be issued no earlier than 15 days from the date of issue of this notice. ACTIVITY PURPOSE: The purpose of this RFA is to obtain an organization to identify and implement "grass-roots" solutions, with practical rehabilitation applications, to improve social sector infrastructure through civil society organizations in Sudan. BACKGROUND: The STAR project was established in 1998 to achieve USAID's objective to "Increase Participatory Democracy and Good Governance Practices in Opposition-Held Areas of Sudan and Reduce Heavy Reliance on Relief by Strengthening Local Capacities". In order to achieve this objective, USAID funded two components that have begun to address local rehabilitation problems through training and grant-making programs to grassroots Sudanese cooperatives and civil society organizations. They are: (1) a Grantmaking Program for strengthening the capacity of grassroots Sudanese organizations, including cooperatives and NGOs, working to solve local economic rehabilitation problems; 2) a Civil Administration Training program targeting county-level civil administration for training in humanitarian principles, transparent fiscal management, and good governance. ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: For the Social Organization and Rehabilitation (SOAR) component, USAID anticipates awarding up to $3 million over a three-year period for a cooperative agreement to implement the activities described hereafter. The recipient shall: 1) assess the capacity of members of the judiciary and civil authorities to fulfill their roles and develop a performance monitoring plan, including the gathering of baseline data, to be piloted and refined during the initial 4-6 months of implementation; 2) determine geographical areas (see Note 2 below) offering the best potential for impact; 3) provide grants to local Sudanese organizations, approved by USAID, to strengthen their capacity -- both in terms of organizational management and their ability to effectively advocate community interests with local authorities -- to rehabilitate social and administrative service infrastructure. NOTE 1: Applicants might find that technical assistance would be appropriate with some of the sub-grants, in which case use of local and regional expertise is encouraged. NOTE 2: USAID believes that implementation of the first phase of STAR activities, targeting Yei, Yambio, Kajo Keji, Tambura and Maridi counties, has produced results and that the program should expand to stable and newly stable areas in other counties and regions such as Southern and Northern Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains and Southern Kordofan, Eastern Sudan, and Upper Nile. NOTE 3: This activity will be financed with funds from the Development Assistance Account, made available under the Greater Horn of Africa Initiative. The authority to carry out these activities is provided by the Horn of Africa Food Security and Recovery Act of 1992. NOTE 4: To clarify the definition of beneficiary organizations provided in the solicitation: USAID intends for this program to support the rehabilitation of structures and resources devoted to social and administrative service provision. The support provided would lead to individual local officials, civil authority institutions and indigenous civil society organizations having improved capacities to identify and address local rehabilitation problems. Therefore the objectives of the program (described in the Background Section of the solicitation) are achieved through practical rehabilitation applications. Note 5. USAID will work with the eventual implementor of the Umbrella Grant-Making/Capacity-Building Component to ensure that activities do not have harmful environmental effects and comply with the applicable USG regulations. Note 6. In general, USAID anticipates that sub-grants will be distributed across a range between $5,000 and $50,000, with the rare sub-grant up to a maximum of $100,000. Audits of subrecipients shall be in accordance with the rules and regulations in effect at the time of the award. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Applications are welcome from all PVOs and International Organizations currently operating a program in opposition-controlled areas of Sudan. The applicants' current program does not necessarily require an ongoing operational presence. SUBSTANTIAL INVOLVEMENT: USAID operational involvement in implementation in the following areas: 1) Approval of the recipient's annual implementation plans; 2) Approval of key personnel; and 3) Approval of participants in forums and conferences. SELECTION CRITERIA: (1) Demonstrated organizational experience in rehabilitation, capacity-building, and grants management, 20 points; (2) Quality of technical approach, including breadth of geographic coverage, 35 points; (3) Demonstrated experience of key personnel in transitional programs, 25 points; and (4) Cost Reasonableness, maximize resources for sub-recipients and technical assistance and minimize administrative costs; preference will be given to proposals containing cost-sharing elements (per ADS 303.5.10), 20 points. APPLICABLE REGULATIONS/AUTHORITY: For U.S. organizations, 22 CFR Part 226, OMB Circulars and the USAID Standard Provisions as well as the authority under The Horn of Africa Recovery and Food Security Act of 4/1992 shall apply. Copies of these documents may be found on the Internet under http://www.info.usaid.gov/procurement_bus-opp and general counsel homepage. DEADLINES: Applications must be received at USAID/REDSO/ESA designated office thirty (30) days from the RFA issuance date. USAID anticipates issuing the RFA o/a July 14, 2000. Late or incomplete applications/proposals will not be considered. APPLICATION FORM AND CONTENT: All applicants shall submit in original and three (3) copies, the following: 1) Duly executed SF 424, 424a and 424b; 2) Activity description which clearly defines the results that the applicant hopes to achieve, beneficiaries, method of implementation and management plan; 3) A detailed budget with narrative describing the basis for costs and how they were derived; 4) Duly signed Required Certifications and Assurances: a) "Assurance of Compliance with Laws and Regulations Governing Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs; b) "Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters -- Primary Covered Transaction"; c) "Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters -- Lower Tier Covered Transactions"; d) Certification Regarding Drug Free Work Place Requirements"; and e) SF LLL " Restrictions on Lobbying"; 5) The Organization's Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), Duns and Bradstreet Number and Letter of Credit Number, if applicable; 6) A list of all contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements involving similar or related programs over the past three years; 7) A copy of the latest Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement with a U.S. Federal Agency and for those who do not have one they shall also submit copies of the applicant's financial statements for the past three years, projected budget, cash flow, organizational chart, and a copy of the organizations accounting manual; and 8) Past Performance References. FAX AND EMAIL SUBMISSIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. CONTACT PERSON: Paul McDermott, REDSO/ESA/Non-Presence Countries Office, Unit 64102, APO AE 09831-4102. Courier address is USAID/ICIPE Compound, Kasarani Road, Nairobi, Kenya. Telephone No. 254-2-862400. Fax Number 254-2-862390 or 860949. E-mail address is PMcDermott@usaid.gov. The preferred method of distribution of USAID procurement information is via the Internet or by request of a solicitation on a 3.5" floppy disk (MSWord 6.0/7.0 format). This CBD notice can be viewed and downloaded using the Agency Web Site. The RFA, 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 Procurement." On the following screen, select "Download Available USAID Solicitations." Receipt of this RFA 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. Posted 06/27/00 (W-SN469074). (0179)

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