R -- PROFESSIONAL, ADMINISTRATIVE, AND MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICE

Notice Date

August 31, 2001

Contracting Office

U.S. Agency for International Development, M/OP/HRAM/DATI, Room 7.10-010, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20523

ZIP Code

20523

Solicitation Number

M/OP/02-001

Point of Contact

11. Sharon D. Welch, Contract Specialist -- Fax 202/ 216-3132 or Jean Horton, Contracting Officer -- Fax 202/216-3132

E-Mail Address

http://www.usaid.gov (sharon.welch@usaid.gov or jean.horton@usaid.gov)

Description

The Agency for International Development (USAID) intends to negotiate multiple Indefinite Quantity Contracts (IQCs) of which the Government proposes to award one (1) contract as a Small Business Set Aside unitizing task orders to provide technical assistance and logistics support for Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) objectives Worldwide under the Support Which Implements Fast Transition Initiatives (SWIFT II). Preference points will be given to Joint Venture as defined in FAR Subpart 19.101(7)(i), (B) (1), and (7) (ii), effective as of FAC 97-27, (HTML), June 25, 2001. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541611 and the small business size standards is $5.0 million. U.S. Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are encouraged to participate as prime contractors, subcontractors, or through joint ventures. The purpose of SWIFT II is to enhance OTI's quick response capacity and field management capability to implement timely, tangible and targeted Political Transition Grants (PTGs) and to facilitate OTI field office start up operations. This procurement is solicited under full and open competition. Any awards to large businesses will require 25% of the proposed cost excluding grant funds to be subcontracted to small business firms. The contract period will be for five (5) years. The preferred method of distribution of USAID procurement information is via the Internet. If access to the Internet is not possible, an offeror may request the solicitation on a 3.5" floppy disk (Word 97 format). This Request for Proposals (RFP) and any future amendments thereto can be downloaded from the Agency Web Site. The World Wideweb Address is http://www.info.usaid.gov. Select USAID Procure and Business Opportunities from the home page, then "USAID Procurements". On the following screen, select "Download Available USAID Solicitations". On the following screen, through INTERNET must be confirmed by written notification to the contact noted below. It is the responsibility of the recipient of the solicitation document to ensure that it has been received from INTERNET in its entirety and USAID bears no responsibility for data error resulting from transmission or conversion processes. For those without INTERNET access, a diskette will be made available from USAID upon receipt of a written request either by U.S. mail or by facsimile. The anticipated issuance date of the solicitation will be 14 days from the date of this CBD notice. THE DEADLINE DATE AND TIME FOR QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THE SOLICITATION WILL BE IN THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP). QUESTIONS FROM PROPOSED OFFERORS WILL ONLY BE EXCEPTED VIA E-MAIL OR FACISIMLE TO THE PERSONS SHOWN IN ITEM 11. OF THIS NOTICE AND THE CONTRACT SPECIALIST IDENTIFIED ON PAGE 1, SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD FORM OF THE RFP. NO TELEPHONE CALLS WILL BE EXCEPTED. Background Since its creation in 1994, the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in the Bureau for Humanitarian Response of USAID has served as a focal point for programs which address the post-conflict period in the transition from war to peace. OTI responds rapidly to assess, design and implements programs that have characteristics of being fast, flexible, innovative, tangible, targeted, catalytic and overtly political, focusing on the root causes of the crisis. OTI was established precisely to overcome the temporal problems of providing aid to societies where the fighting has stopped, but the resources to move forward were often delayed. Countries experiencing a significant political transition or emerging from civil conflict have a unique need for timely and effective assistance that will promote and consolidate peaceful, democratic advances. The Support Which Implements Fast Transition (SWIFT) program approach employs contractors to provide technical assistance and logistics support for implementation of a small grant program that promotes stability during a country's transition period. Critical to the SWIFT program approach is a contractor that has the capability to maintain sufficient liquidity to make possible expeditious rentals and purchases during start-up and ensure timely procurement and delivery of in-kind products and services delivered to recipients for the implementation of grants projects. Contractors will be working in an environment where they will have to overcome significant challenges, destroyed or damaged infrastructures, scarcity or lack of banking & currency exchange institutions, and the lack of adequate communication services. The types of in-kind grants that have been issued under SWIFT in the past are in support of: Dissemination of Alternative Information/ Enhancing Citizen/Local Government Communication: Examples -- grants supporting electronic media in the form of Public Service Announcements (PSA's), politically-oriented talk shows and investigative documentaries; and publishing and distributing information through newspapers, magazines. Political Initiatives: Examples -- grants supporting public meetings, information campaigns, and elections-related efforts; enabling community improvement and humanitarian assistance projects. Elections Planning/Elections-Related Activities: during the pre and post-election period door-to- door get out the vote campaign; printing voter information materials; elections monitoring and polling; and post-elections information campaigns. In the field, OTI works with local indigenous groups; cooperatives; associations; informal groups; NGO's; local, regional and national governments; PVO's; student groups; media; international organizations; private sector and coalitions of these entities. Activities may include efforts to: promote reconciliation, conflict resolution and prevention; advance an economic recovery with employment and vocational training; promote independent media with journalist training and law reform; reintegrate ex-combatants; provide nation-wide training to regional and local elected officials; promote national messages using television, radio and newsprint; reactivate critical NGO's with start-up grants; promote governance with elections support; develop a strong civil society; and initiate rural infrastructure rehabilitation projects with community participation. Services Required Prime contractors shall establish and staff field offices and provide all of the administrative and technical assistance and logistics support to manage these offices and a small grants program. The contractor will be responsible for the start-up and implementation of the Political Transition Grant (PTG) program performing such tasks as office set-up and staffing, finding grant recipient candidates, assessing the worthiness of the grant projects, recommending and issuing in-kind grants at the local country level. As such the contractor will be required to procure the necessary equipment for office set-up, and to procure in-kind products or services, to issue the grants, monitor the progress of the grant projects and close out the grant when the grant project is complete, including paying outstanding vendor invoices... Equally important is the contractor's capability to mobilize and deploy within 72 hours of award and to have operational set-up/grant making requirement completed in four weeks. The task orders will be issued under Cost Plus Fixed Fee, Fixed Price or Time and Material pricing arrangements. The total value of the acquisition is estimated at $400M. A critical component for the success of these short-term programs is the contractor's capability to obtain a line of credit sufficient to finance required performance so that program activities are not delayed during the interim prior to contractor receipt of payment of monthly vouchers. The prospective contractor must be aware that advance payments will not be available. It is desired that during performance the contractor maintain a line of credit in the cooperating country or in a geographic location close to the cooperating country that allows for easy and swift access to funds. Prerequisites: A prospective prime contractor must have relevant international experience providing the kinds of services described in this synopsis. A contractor with relevant experience working in countries where transition initiatives have taken place and results achieved is desired. USAID manages programs and supports assistance in the following geographic regions, Europe and Eurasia, Africa, Asia and Near East, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Web Link

http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/announce/cbd (http://www.usaid.gov)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010905/RSOL005.HTM (W-243 SN50W5E6)