International Development and Programs (Development Work) - International Development and Programs (Development Work)

C.2(a) Trade and Investment

Promote the policies, laws, regulations, and administrative practices affecting international trade and investment, and the public and private sector institutions that support sustained, locally driven improvements in the trade environment; and

C.2(a)(2) Trade and Investment Capacity:

Facilitate the collection of services, technologies, equipment, and techniques used to enhance 16 private sector response to international and regional trade and investment.

C.2(b) Financial Sector

Support the establishment and broad-based acceptance of expert regulators and professional bodies that consistently improve laws, regulations, standards, and administrative practices necessary to shape and inform a competitive and inclusive financial sector; and

C.2(b)(2) Financial Sector Capacity:

Advance the capacity of all public and private service providers to adopt modern management practices, strengthen professionalism, and improve systems and processes involved in providing financial services inclusively.

C.2(c) Business Enabling Environment

Improve the competitiveness of the private sector through the improvement of policies, laws, regulations, and administrative practices that lead to behavior change of policy and decision makers.

C.2(d) Private Sector Capacity

Improve the competitiveness of key sectors and value chains for growth and poverty reduction by addressing the systemic and firm-level constraints to taking advantage of domestic, regional or international end-market opportunities.

C.2(e) Economic Opportunity

Support equitable access to essential financial services (credit, savings, insurance, leasing, remittances and payment services) of diverse providers (including banks, credit unions, NGOs, non-bank financial institutions, buyers, and suppliers) to low-income families and female and male-owned microscale enterprises/activities;

C.2(e)(2) Policy Environment for Micro and Small Enterprises:

Reduce national and local barriers to registering and operating micro and small enterprises by improving the policies, laws, regulations, and institutions affecting these enterprises;

C.2(e)(3) Microenterprise Productivity:

Facilitate the improved productivity of low-income microentrepreneurs participating in value chains and their ability to access both business development and financial services; and

C.2(e)(4) Inclusive Economic Law and Property Rights:

Ensure that poor people, women, and other disadvantaged groups have equal legal rights and protection in economic matters.

C.2(f) Contractors may be requested to assemble integrated suites of services to meet the complex challenges faced by USAID Missions in the 21st century, including|indenttitle}

C.2(f)(1) Conflict-affected environments where businesses have often been destroyed by conflict and where specialized strategies are often required to help economies rebuild;

C.2(f)(2) Food security, in order to meet the needs of the Feed the Future (FTF) Initiative, including but not limited to issues of trade, improved markets, strengthened value chains, public-private partnerships and policies that support agricultural transformation and improved productivity;

C.2(f)(3) Vulnerable populations, such as youth, those affected by HIV/AIDS, and the very poor, through integrated, market-oriented approaches that improve economic opportunities with poverty reduction;

C.2(f)(4) Gender, by analyzing and implementing strategies to address the complex socio-political environments in which men and women sustain their livelihoods and make economic decisions;

C.2(f)(5) Global climate change, by supporting developing countries in mitigating and adapting to global climate change in tandem with sustainable economic growth; and

C.2(f)(6) Innovation through technology by employing science, technology, and innovation to help solve traditional and persistent development challenges. Contractor duties are further described below as Core Tasks.

C.3(a) Programmatic Interventions

C.3(a)(1) Problem identification, diagnostics and/or analyses of a broad range of economic growth and poverty reduction issues, including but not limited to the following illustrative examples:

C.3(a)(2) Program/project design and/or recommendations, including the following illustrative examples:

 C.3(a)(3) Program/project implementation, including the following illustrative examples:

C.3(a)(4) Evaluation, including:

C.3(a)(4)(i) Research plan development that includes a conceptual framework, hypotheses to be tested, causal model, evaluation methodologies appropriate to addressing the research questions, domains of analysis, indicators and data collection;

C.3(a)(4)(ii) Causal model development;

C.3(a)(4)(iii) Metrics development based on causal models;

C.3(a)(4)(iv) Performance Monitoring Plans (PMPs)

C.3(a)(4)(v) Performance targeting and monitoring based on causal models;

C.3(a)(4)(vi) Project and/or process evaluation;

C.3(a)(4)(vii) Impact assessment that includes gender-disaggregated data, randomized control trials, quasi-experimental methods, qualitative research, cost-benefit analyses, and other methodologies categorized under “degrees of evidence;”

C.3(a)(4)(viii) Evaluative research that combines evaluation and program expertise;

C.3(a)(4)(ix) Use of pathways to trace outcomes of programmatic interventions;

C.3(a)(4)(x) Data collection methods, including but not limited to gender-disaggregated data collection and analysis;

C.3(a)(4)(xi) Data quality assessments; and

C.3(a)(4)(xii) Poverty measurement, including the development of lowcost methods for measuring the prevalence of poverty among samples of male and female individuals and male- and female-headed households and for estimating changes in the prevalence of poverty resulting from program efforts, changes in policies, and other changes in economic conditions.

C.3(a)(5) As directed in task orders, Contractors will be responsible for facilitating learning and knowledge management with a broad practitioner community, as well as other USG and developing country stakeholders.

C.3(b) Implementation and Program Management

(i) Preparing and responding to task order request for proposals

(ii) Ensuring cost and quality control under all task orders and for the overall responsiveness of technical assistance provided under the contract

(iii) Selecting, preparing, placing and supporting technical experts carrying out technical requirements

(iv) Reporting to the USAID COTR and Contracting Officer in accordance with the reporting requirements set forth in this contract and task orders

(v) Monitoring small business subcontracting to ensure the stated goals in the Small Business Subcontracting Plan are met. The Contractor shall provide contract management necessary to fulfill all the requirements of this contract including support to task orders, including overall supervision, logistical support, collaboration in resolving IDIQ contract and task order administrative matters, cost-effective management of contract resources, commodity procurement, close coordination with representatives of other development assistance institutions, government, private sector, non-government, and private voluntary organizations to coordinate programs and policies, and use of local expertise. [Note: See Section B.5. regarding the recovery of these central management costs.]

C.3(c) Grants Management

Grants management tasks may include: contractor(s) participation in or responsibility for the drafting and publication of Requests for Applications (RFAs). However, the program direction, focus, type of grantees and final grant approval will remain with the tasking Bureau TOCO or Mission TOCO.

The Contractor will be responsible for working with local groups to develop grant proposals, evaluation of proposals, establishment of grant agreements, delivery of financial and in-kind assistance, monitoring implementation and 21 grant close-out. The Contractor(s)’s responsibilities may also include: screening of potential grantee partners, design of the grant, database entry, and/or monitoring and evaluating the grantee deliverables. The Contractor(s) must review all grant proposals before final approval to assure they are consistent with USAID policies and procedures, grant format and disposition of property. The TOCO must approve grants unless otherwise stated in the task order. The process for approving grants will be specified in the task orders. - END OF SECTION C –