REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)USAID LOCAL ENTERPRISE SUPPORT PROGRAM (USAID LENS)

Business Startup Mentoring Support

RFP Date of Issuance: August 13, 2018

RFP # and Title 08132018 - Business Startup Mentoring Support

Due Date for Questions:

August 15, 2018 Submission of questions or requests for clarification in writing via

email to RFP@jordanlens.org by 16:00 Hours local time in Jordan. Please note that inquiries and answers to inquiries will be shared

with all registered Offerors. Please do not contact any USAID LENS employees regarding this

RFP. Contacting individual employees shall be cause for disqualification.

NO TELEPHONE INQUIRIES WILL BE ANSWERED. Answers to be shared on USAID LENS website www.jordanlens.org

on August 16, 2018Deadline for Proposals:

August 30, 2018

Proposal submission (including technical proposal and budget, supporting documentation) due by 16:00 Hours (Amman, Jordan time) via email to RFP@jordanlens.org . Insert the following in the subject line: “08132018 - Business Startup Mentoring Support”

Anticipated Start Date:

Anticipated Period of Performance:

Budget ceiling:

September 2018. (Start date is subject to change)

(8) weeks

USAID LENS Project anticipates awarding a fixed-price contract with an estimated cost not exceeding JD 22,000. Revealing the estimated cost ceiling does not mean Offeror1 should strive to meet this maximum amount. Offerors must propose costs they believe are realistic and reasonable for the work.

Authorized Geographic Code:

The authorized geographic code for this procurement is USAID Geographic Code 937 (Jordan, the United States, and developing countries, other than advanced developing countries and excluding prohibited sources2).

List of Acronyms RFP Request for ProposalsLENS Local Enterprise Support ProjectFHI360 Family Health International CAQA Center of Accreditation and Quality Control SYB Start your Business

1 Offeror refers to companies or individual consultants that are offering to implement the work outlined in this RFP and will be used throughout this document.2 For USAID’s list of developing countries, please see http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1876/310maa.pdf

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MSE Micro and Small EnterpriseICT Information and Communication TechnologyGDP Gross Domestic Product

1. Purpose Statement FHI 360, represented by USAID LENS, seeks to implement an activity to provide basic support in Business operations, accounting and Marketing, to (8) USAID LENS startup beneficiaries in non-traditional sectors. This solicitation is open to all registered and qualified firms, business associations, organizations or coalitions of these entities, and independent contractors.

2. Program Background

The USAID Jordan Local Enterprise Support Project (USAID LENS) is a five-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Award No. AID-278-LA-14-00001, to encourage the long-term sustainable economic growth of underserved Jordanian communities. The project brings local governments, business owners, and key community groups together to collaborate on initiatives that will boost economic development and create jobs in their communities. Project initiatives are focused on helping micro and small enterprises (MSEs) grow and are inclusive of women, youth and the underprivileged.

Within the above scope, USAID LENS is mandated to support the economic empowerment of Jordanian women, whose economic disenfranchisement has direct and adverse impacts on the country’s economic prosperity and development at the national, regional and community levels. Through its work, USAID LENS seeks to support women to access economic resources both directly by supporting women’s entrepreneurship, employment and access to finance, and indirectly by creating a more enabling environment for women.

As with employment, women’s participation in the MSE segment of Jordan’s economy, is predominantly restricted to ownership in those sectors that strongly correlate to women’s social role as caretakers of the family: food production, child care and education, retail, clothing and handicrafts manufacture, and personal grooming and hygiene. Women’s economic horizons are further constrained by the gendered nature of Jordan’s economy, where a raft of gender norms produce barriers to market entry for women seeking a foothold in new sectors, whether as business owners or as employees. Through technical activities and through the USAID LENS grants program, the project seeks to expand the economic opportunities available to women by supporting women to establish or strengthen ownership and/or work in non-traditional sectors.

Activity Overview:

Micro and small enterprises contribute to approximately 40% percent of Jordan’s GDP, provide 71% of private sector jobs and represent around 90% of all businesses. However, as in other

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aspects of the country’s economy, women are vastly under-represented in this segment, with only 9% percent of MSEs in Jordan owned by women. Along with recent findings that some 57% of working-age women are economically inactive, this statistic is an additional indicator of Jordanian women’s economic marginalization.

Moreover, USAID LENS findings show that women’s entrepreneurship, like employment, occurs mainly in sectors that strongly correlate to women’s social role as caretakers of the family: food production, child care and education, retail, clothing and handicrafts manufacture, and personal grooming and well-being.

The concentration of businesses owned by women into these few traditional sectors – notably low-earning and low-growth – may partially explain why MSEs owned by women report lower earnings than those owned by men. This phenomenon may also contribute to limiting women’s employment opportunities, due to the strong preference among many Jordanians to interact and work with members of the same sex. Evidence of this trend was apparent in the USAID LENS Survey of Micro and Small Enterprises, which showed that MSEs owned by women are 9 times more likely to hire women than male-owned MSEs, while male-owned businesses are twice as likely as female-owned businesses to hire other males. In other words, the more prevalent women’s ownership in a sector is, the more likely women employees are to migrate to that sector for employment, and the more other sectors remain closed to women. This perpetuation of the gendered differences in the rate and nature of economic participation limits women’s economic horizons and hinders opportunities for economic growth at all levels of the economy.

Supporting women to overcome these barriers and to establish and sustain businesses in new, non-traditional sectors can increase women’s income through self-employment in more profitable sectors but could also enhance the employment opportunities of other women and help Jordan towards it 2025 goal of 27% participation in the workforce.

For these reasons, USAID LENS has supported several women to establish their own businesses in sectors where their presence is below the 9% ownership threshold. This has been done through a grants program, and these businesses are now operational. Among these businesses, several also have engaged in USAID LENS capacity building activities and business startup training. However, in the early stages of their business, most also require ongoing mentoring, capacity building and marketing support to ensure their sustainability.

These businesses are:

A photography studio in Tafilah An electrical appliance repair workshop in Tafilah An electrical appliance repair workshop in Ajloun An auto repair workshop in Irbid An agricultural landscaping business in Irbid A plumbing business in Mafraq A carpentry in Azraq An adventure tourism and survival skills camp in Amman A logistics company in Amman

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3. Scope of WorkAll the above-listed businesses are microbusinesses, most often consisting of 2-3 employees at most. One is home-based. The contractor is expected to provide mentoring in the following core areas: accounting, financial management, cost control and sound record-keeping practices; marketing capacity and the use of ICT as a business enabler in business operations, including financial management and marketing.

4. Objectives The overall objectives of this assignment are build women’s capacity to manage their businesses and their confidence in their abilities and to strengthen the market position and sustainability of these nascent businesses. The activity is expected to result in increased revenue and new market linkages for all program participants.

5. Tasks/Activities The successful offeror will work directly with the selected businesses to provide:

1. Capacity assessment: The contractor will assess the capacity of each business with regards to financial management and marketing skills and capacity. The assessment will be conducted twice. Once at the beginning of the activity and again at the end of the activity. The initial assessment will inform the mentoring program for each individual business. The metrics with be agreed in collaboration with USAID LENS and findings of will be reported to USAID LENS in an agreed upon reporting format.

2. Mentoring: The contractor will provide individualized mentoring in accordance with a clear mentoring plan in the following key areas:

a) Financial management skills: Selected businesses have varying financial management capacity. In the Technical Proposal, the Offeror should propose a financial management mentoring outline that imparts financial management skills encourages the development of sound financial management habits and practices by providing participants with basic skills and tools that facilitate sound financial management, stock management, cost control and record keeping. It should also point to the benefits of sound recording keeping and the risks associated with failing to do so.

b) Marketing skills capacity building: Selected businesses have very limited marketing skills, and due to the small size and limited resources of these businesses, their internal capacity to manage basic marketing functions requires development. Therefore, the contractor is expected to provide individualized marketing capacity-building for each business. The contractor will support each business to identify target markets, develop a 6-month marketing plan (and when relevant, a marketing strategy) and to budget for and begin implementing the plan. The contractor will introduce each business to relevant social media marketing tools and mentor each in the effective use of these tools for business purposes. Note that as a complement to this activity, USAID LENS is simultaneously supporting these businesses to develop a brand identity in coordination with a graphic designer.

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The contractor will provide each business with a minimum of 8 hours mentoring per month, for a minimum total of 64 hours per month (not including travel time).

3. Build linkages: The selected Contractor is required to support the selected businesses to build market linkages through the following:

a) By supporting beneficiaries identifying relevant market opportunities, to assist them in the design of service offerings and packages that meet market needs and to facilitate the establishment of new, formal market linkages. Illustrative examples: the mentor supports a plumbing business to bid for and win a contract to install new water tanks on local schools and provide maintenance for two years; or the mentor supports an appliance maintenance center to sign an agreement with a major appliance supplier to become a recognized regional repair center for its brand(s).

b) By introducing the selected businesses to relevant organizations and institutions that can be a source of information and opportunity and establishing a relationship between them. For example, a selected business is included in the database of a trade guild and receives a regular newsletter about industry trends, solicitations and trade shows; or participants become a member of an association or guild that provides relevant services.

4. Plan for business and personal development post training: The selected contractor is required to prepare the business for the post-activity phase by supporting the business to develop a business development plan that can be implemented post activity and/or other guidance and tools that the business can refer to and work in accordance with in order to increase market opportunities, growth and overall sustainability. Identify further capacity building needs for the business and identify training providers.

Note: As most of these businesses do not have access to a vehicle, mentoring must be done in the field, at the place of business, or the home, or a mutually agreed location appropriate to the task (for example, a venue that has WiFi access) and the social environment. The contractor will agree with each participant on the location and schedule for the mentoring and provide these to USAID LENS. USAID LENS will entertain proposals that suggest group workshops or other relevant activities; these should be clearly elaborated. In such instances, the offeror will be expected to make arrangements for transportation and manage other logistics associated with mentoring sessions in accordance with USAID LENS regulations and standards. This may require that the Offeror secure bids through a competitive process for venues and other training needs. This should be addressed in the Offeror’s proposal (see Submission Requirements).

Also note that in at least one business, a woman is working in partnership with her spouse. In these instances, mentoring should be inclusive of both if requested by the direct beneficiary.

5. Reporting: The Contractor will provide a monthly report describing activities conducted, results/achievements, lessons learned, linkages, challenges and remedial actions. On the conclusion of the program, the Contractor and a close-out report, the components of which will be agreed with USAID LENS. All reporting will be submitted in English.

6. Deliverables & Expected Duration

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The total duration of the assignment must fall within a (8) weeks period from the agreed upon start date. The selected firm is responsible for the preparation and submission of the following illustrative deliverables, with each item being completed in accordance to the proposed duration, as detailed below.

No. Deliverable Due after signing

1 Submission of pre-training participant performance assessment template for approval. (English)

1 week

2 Submission of monthly mentoring reporting template for approval (English)

1 week

3 Monitoring and evaluation plan to capture participant performance over the period of performance. (English)

1 week

4Submission of all material to be used in mentoring sessions, including any tools that will be developed for grantees’ long-terms use. (Arabic)

2 weeks

5 Individualized mentoring agendas and schedules. (English) 2 weeks

7 Monthly progress report of grantee performance, results achieved, and evidence of mentoring conducted (English)

8 weeks

8 Monthly progress report of grantee performance, results achieved and evidence of mentoring conducted (English)

12 weeks

9 Close out report outline (English) 12 weeks

10Monthly progress report of grantee performance, results achieved, linkages created, and evidence of mentoring conducted (English)

16 weeks

11 Submission of post-activity business development plan per beneficiary. (Arabic)

16 weeks

12 Post-training performance assessment template (English) 16 weeks13 Close-out report (English) 18 weeks

7. General Instructions to Offerorsa. Single Award. FHI 360 anticipates awarding one (1) fixed price Purchase Order as a result of

this Solicitation through full and open competition. However, FHI 360 reserves the right to award more or no awards as a result of this solicitation.

b. RFP Instructions. If an Offeror does not follow the instructions set forth herein, the Offeror's proposal may be eliminated from further consideration or the proposal may be downgraded and not receive full or partial credit under the applicable evaluation criteria. If an Offeror does not understand the instructions in this Solicitation, then it must write to RFP@jordanlens.org by the question submission deadline.

c. Accurate and Complete Information. Offerors must set forth full, accurate and complete information as required by this RFP. The penalty for making false statements is elimination from further consideration and termination of any contract if awarded.

d. Pre-award Survey. FHI 360 reserves the right to perform a pre-award survey which may include but is not limited to: (1) interviews with individuals to establish their ability to perform

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contract duties under the project conditions; (2) a review of the financial condition, business and personnel procedures, etc.; and (3) site visits.

e. Proposal Preparation Costs. FHI 360 and USAID LENS will not pay for any proposal preparation costs.

f. Submission of Alternate Proposals. Offerors must submit a proposal directly responsive to the terms and conditions of this RFP. Alternate proposals will not be accepted.

8. Delivery Instructionsa. Electronic submission. The Offeror must submit the proposal through electronic submission.

Hand delivered proposals (including commercial courier) and facsimile transmission will not be accepted.

b. Proposals must be submitted in two volumes: Volume I, Technical Proposal, including Past Performance, Gantt Chart, Past Performance References, CVs; and Volume II, Cost Proposal, including budget, budget narrative, biodata forms. The technical proposal shall not reference cost.

c. The complete Technical Proposal must be submitted in MS Word (or compatible) or Adobe Acrobat portable document format (.pdf).

d. The complete Cost Proposal must also be separately submitted in Microsoft Word (for narrative text), Microsoft Excel (for budgets and other relevant tables) and unlocked.

e. Proposals must be submitted to: RFP@jordanlens.org by the date and time on the cover page of this solicitation.

f. Offer Validity. Offerors are required to indicate the validity period of offer is ninety (90) days from the date the offer is submitted to allow sufficient time to evaluate proposals and complete negotiations.

g. Proposal Clarity. The Offeror’s proposal should be specific, complete, and concise. The Offeror is urged to examine this solicitation in its entirety and to assure that its proposal contains all the necessary information, provides all required documentation and is complete in all respects since the evaluation of proposals will be based on the actual material presented and not on the basis of what is implied.

The Technical Proposal in response to this solicitation will address how the offeror intends to carry out the statement of work (SOW). It will also contain a clear understanding of the work to be undertaken and the responsibilities of all parties involved.

The Offeror will ensure its Cost Proposal is consistent with its Technical Proposal in all respects since the Cost Proposal may be used as an aid to determine the Offeror's understanding of the technical requirements.

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h. The Offeror should submit its best proposal initially as FHI 360 may evaluate proposals and make an award without discussions. However, FHI 360 reserves the right to conduct discussions should FHI 360 deem it necessary.

i. Offerors are allowed to submit one proposal. If an Offeror participates in more than one proposal, all proposals involving the Offeror will be rejected.

j. If the Offeror includes a group of firms and/or subcontractors, one lead organization or firm must be clearly identified and is responsible for handling all reporting and coordination with USAID LENS.

k. The person signing the Offeror’s proposal must have the authority to commit the Offeror to all the provisions of the Offeror’s proposal.

l. Proposals shall be written in English. Cost proposals from Jordanian offerors shall be presented in Jordan Dinar. Cost proposals from US or other Geo Code 937 qualified Offerors shall be presented in US Dollar.

9. Instructions for the Preparation of the Technical Proposal Please ensure completed forms, including the Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Determination, along with a copy of legal registration, are included with the technical proposal otherwise the proposal may be rejected.

a. The Technical Proposal in response to this solicitation must address and follow the technical evaluation factors listed in Section 11. The technical proposal will consist of the Technical Proposal Body and an Annex. These two parts together will constitute the Offeror’s technical proposal. The proposal must be well organized, complete, specific, clear and succinctly presented.

b. Page Limitation. Proposals will be concise, specific and complete and detailed information will be presented only when required by specific RFP instructions. The Technical Proposal Body itself will not exceed 15 pages, excluding the Annex and non-substantive items such as the cover page, acronyms, dividers, and table of contents are not included in the 15-page limit. Proposals will be written in English. Pages exceeding the limit will not be read or evaluated. No material may be incorporated in the proposal by reference, attachment, annex, etc. to circumvent the page limitation.

c. Technical Proposal Annex. The technical proposal annex must contain the documents specified below, including as applicable: work plan, detailed staffing plans, CVs, and any other supporting documentation requested explicitly by the RFP.

d. Organization. The technical proposal must be organized into the following sections as follows: Cover Page: Offerors must provide the names of the organizations involved in the

proposal and the contact information for the Offeror’s main point of contact, including this individual’s name, title or position with the organization/institution, address, e-mail address, and telephone. Offerors must acknowledge whether the contact person is the individual with authority to contract for the Offeror, and if not, that individual must also be listed. (Not included in the 15-page limit.)

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Technical Proposal Body – This section will include the following sections: Technical Approach and Performance Work Statement Personnel and Management Approach Organizational Capacity and Experience Past Performance

Annex – The following are required in the Technical Proposal Annex: Workplan M&E Plan Staffing Plan Key Personnel statements (CVs) Biodata forms Past Performance references Sustainability plan Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Determination Copy of legal registration

These sections, including the annex where relevant, must include all information required to fairly evaluate the Offeror under the applicable evaluation factors. Specific guidance on the content of each of these sections is set forth below.

e. Technical Approach (not to exceed 5 pages) - This section should include information sufficient to properly evaluate the proposal under the Technical Approach.

Offerors must describe their overall technical approach and methodology to be utilized by the Offeror for the design, development, implementation and achievement of the stated Tasks and Deliverables provided in Sections 4 & 5 of the solicitation. The Offeror shall articulate how it intends to address each of the required tasks as well as desired system functionalities, features and project deliverables listed, in addition to any suggestions and recommendations to these areas while demonstrating the project management approach and framework to be utilized.

f. Capability Statement (not to exceed 2 pages) – explains Offeror’s understanding of desired system and requirements as well as its capability to perform the scope of work, tasks and deliverables. Offeror shall demonstrate it has the necessary organizational systems and procedures, e.g. personnel policies, travel policies, project management, equipment, supplies and personnel in place to successfully comply with contract requirements and accomplish expected results.

g. Past Performance (not to exceed 5 pages) - Offeror shall briefly describe how the past performance of the Offeror and its team (including all partners of a coalition/joint venture) is relevant to performance of the Contract. The Offeror shall submit a list (up to five) of current and past similar work and assignments completed in the past five years that were similar in size, scope and complexity.

Include the contact information: company or organization, name, phone number and email. Please use the Past Performance Reference Form template.

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h. Timeline (1 page): A detailed timeline required to complete the project.

i. Personnel/Staffing (not to exceed 2 pages) identify, in summary format of 2-3 sentences, the names, anticipated positions of the field team leaders and essential personnel proposed to perform the requirements of this scope of work, tasks and deliverables. The narrative shall include the percentage of staff time of principals and managers on this activity.

The approach should include the organizational structure of the entire project team (including sub-awardees and other local partners) and explain how the staffing plan will result in successful implementation of the proposed technical approach and accomplish the objectives of the activity. If the Offeror anticipates using any sub-awards, include the roles and responsibilities of each sub-awardee, and the lines of authority and communication.

CVs (not to exceed two pages each) that clearly describe education, experience and professional credentials, and biodata forms shall be completed and attached for the proposed personnel and submitted in Annex. These pages do not count towards the page limitation for this section.

Note: proposed salaries for staff shall be supported by the salary history certified in the biodata forms. FHI 360 reserves the right to verify salary history and rates.

10. Instructions for Preparation of the Cost Proposal The Offeror shall provide a complete budget, including budgets for partners, subcontractors, by cost element propose using Annex A - Budget Template. All formulas must be displayed in the cells and the budget must not be locked. The Offeror must propose costs it believes are realistic and reasonable for the work in accordance with the Offeror’s technical approach.

The Offeror must provide a narrative (Annex B – Budget Narrative) discussing the different cost elements to adequately justify the total estimated cost. Any assumptions should be clearly stated. The information in the narrative should be in sufficient detail to allow a complete analysis. This should include a complete breakdown of cost elements associated with each line item and those costs associated with any proposed subcontract or sub grant. Be sure to include data and/or methodologies to support cost estimates.

The budget narrative shall be presented in such a way as to be easily referenced from the budget and should provide sufficient information so that FHI 360 may review the proposed budget for reasonableness.

The Offeror shall provide a complete budget based on cost elements described below.

a. Proposed staff, rates, number of person-days needed to accomplish the work. The rates shall be UNLOADED rates. Fringe benefits should be budgeted separately.

List employee name (when identified), functional position and duration of assignment (in terms of person days), and daily rate. The daily rate is derived by dividing base annual salary exclusive of fringe benefits, incentives, bonuses, overtime, allowances and differentials by 260 days.

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Offeror must include a signed biodata form (Annex C) for any proposed staff named in the budget.

b. Fringe Benefits - shall be based on labor law and organizational policy. FHI 360 reserves the right to request a copy of the Offeror’s fringe policy. An explanation of the fringe shall be included in the budget narrative.

c. Travel and Transportation – Provide the number of trips, origin and destination of trips, estimated air fares, and other costs such as taxi fees. Please note that international travel will not be funded through this award.

d. Per Diem – Local Offerors shall budget per diem associated with travel and transportation in accordance with the USAID/Jordan Mission Order: In-country Per Diem and Transportation Policy for USAID/Jordan Implementors, http://aoprals.state.gov/web920/perd-diem.asp . Qualified international Offerors shall refer to the US Department of State per diem policy, but should consider using the USAID Mission Order.

e. Costs of workshops, trainings, meeting sessions with USAID LENS staff and related materials, printed materials, supplies, etc.

f. Separate running costs, or other direct costs (ODCs) shall be broken down as applicable, e.g. rent, utilities, communication. Justification should include total monthly cost and percentage of the proposed cost to this project.

g. All projected costs must be in accordance with the organization’s standard practices and policies.

h. Offers including budget information determined to be unreasonable, incomplete, unnecessary for the completion of the proposed project or based on a methodology that is not adequately supported, may be deemed unacceptable.

Furthermore:

i. Cost proposals from Jordanian Offerors shall be presented in Jordan Dinar. Cost proposals from US or other Geo Code 937 qualified Offerors shall be presented in US Dollar.

j. This project is TAX EXEMPT. Budgets shall reflect the exclusion of any applicable taxes such as VAT.

k. All costs must be budgeted as direct costs. Indirect costs, e.g. overhead, management, administrative, F&A, G&A, will not be accepted.

l. Profit or Fee: A “fee” may be proposed, but FHI360 reserves the right to determine the reasonableness of the fee as well as negotiate the amount and terms of payment. Organizations proposing a fee shall consider:

complexity and innovation of the work to be performed;

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risk borne by the contractor and the contractor’s investment; amount of any subcontracting which requires monitoring, especially international

monitoring; quality of its record of past performance of similar work that can be

demonstrated; industry profit rates in the surrounding geographical area for similar work; length of the contract (short-term is less than 12 months, long-term exceeds 12

months); clarity and cost reasonableness of the initial budget and budget narrative; and fees charges to other clients.

m. If indirect costs are proposed, Offeror must provide a copy of its current NICRA (Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement) issued by a US Government Agency. The detailed budget breakdown shall be structured and formatted to clearly and easily identify the indirect rate (s) applied, and the resulting dollar amount. If the offeror does not have a NICRA, an externally certified indirect rate, or cannot otherwise justify charging an indirect cost rate, the offeror is instructed to directly charge all costs.

11. Evaluation Criteria - FHI 360 will evaluate proposals based on the Trade-Off Process in accordance with this Section (and the Federal Acquisition Regulations – FAR) and award to the responsible Offeror that presents a proposal representing the best value to FHI 360 considering both cost and non-cost factors. “Best value” is defined as the expected outcome that provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the RFP requirements.

Offers will first be administratively reviewed for completeness and mandatory requirements:

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS MEETS REQUIREMENT

Offeror meets USAID Geographic Code 937 requirement (Jordan, the United States, and developing countries, other than advanced developing countries and excluding prohibited sources3).

YES/NO

Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Determination Form Completed

YES/NO

Failure to meet these two requirements may result in exclusion of a technical proposal from further consideration and/or downgrading of a technical proposal.

Proposals will then be evaluated and scored by a technical evaluation committee (TEC) using the evaluation criteria stated herein. When evaluating the competing Offers, FHI 360 will consider the written qualifications and capability information provided as well as any other information obtained through its own research.

Technical and cost will be evaluated relative to each other, as described herein. Technical is significantly more important than cost or price. The technical proposal will be scored using the criteria shown in this section. Based on the assessment of the technical qualities of the proposals, a competitive range may be established.3 For USAID’s list of developing countries, please see http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1876/310maa.pdf

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FHI 360 will conduct its evaluation of Offerors’ Technical Proposals as prescribed herein. The evaluation factors (including sub-factors) listed below are presented by descending order of importance, so that Offerors will know which areas require emphasis in the preparation of information.

Offerors must note that these criteria serve as the standard against which all technical information will be evaluated, and serve to identify the significant matters which Offerors must address.

Evaluation Criteria Points1 Technical Approach

Extent to which the Offeror demonstrates an understanding of the development context and Statement of Work Comprehensiveness of proposed approach.

Clarity and appropriateness of proposed activity. Implementation plan and proposed timeline are realistic and include all

proposed elements of activity.

25

2 Capability Statement – based on the extent to which the Offeror and its partners or subcontractors (if any) convincingly demonstrate its institutional capability to effectively and successfully achieve the objectives in the statement of work and implement its proposed technical approach.

Organizational competence relative to the Tasks and Deliverables, including knowledge of and experience working in Jordan and the Middle East

Capabilities mobilizing short-term technical assistance experts and teams. Organizational systems and procedures

25

3 Past Performance/ReferencesOverall, previous successful experience implementing similar activities, looking at:

Quality of product or service, including timeliness of performance; Meeting goals and targets; Customer satisfaction with performance; and Prior experience working in Jordan and the Middle East.

25

4 Personnel - quality and appropriateness of the proposed personnel, including the extent to which they meet qualification requirements and convincingly demonstrate the Offeror’s ability to effectively and successfully achieve the contract’s objectives.

25

TOTAL 100

Cost proposals will be evaluated but will not be scored. The evaluation of the offeror’s cost proposal will deal with cost analysis and cost realism analysis. In accordance with FAR 15.404-1(d), FHI 360 will perform a cost realism analysis by independently reviewing and estimating the specific elements of each Offeror’s proposed cost estimate to determine whether the estimated proposed costs elements are realistic for:

the work to be performed; reflect a clear understanding of the requirements; and consistency with the unique methods of performance described in the Offeror’s technical

proposal.

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A cost evaluation will not be performed on Offerors whose technical proposal is not deemedtechnically acceptable.

NOTE: FHI 360 will not compensate the company for its presentation of response to this RFP nor is the issuing of this RFP a guarantee that FHI 360 will award a subcontract.

12. Competitive Range – If FHI 360 determines that discussions are necessary, FHI 360 may establish a Competitive Range composed of only the most highly-rated proposals. FHI 360 may exclude an offer from the competitive range if it is so deficient as to essentially require a new technical proposal. FHI 360 may exclude an offer from the competitive range if it so unreasonably priced, in relation to more competitive offers, as to appear that there will be little or no chance of becoming competitive. FHI 360 may exclude an offer that would require extensive discussions, a complete re-write, or major revisions such as to allow an Offeror unfair advantage over those more competitive offers.

13. Oral Presentations – As part of the evaluation, the technical evaluation committee (TEC) reserves the right to require offerors to present key parts of their submitted proposals to the committee.

General Terms and Conditions 1. Any proposal received in response to this solicitation will be reviewed strictly as submitted and

in accordance with Section 11, Evaluation Criteria.

2. Executive Order 13224 On Terrorist Financing: Offerors are informed that FHI 360 complies with U.S. Sanctions and Embargo Laws and Regulations including Executive Order 13224 on Terrorist Financing, which effectively prohibit transactions with persons or entities that commit, threaten to commit or support terrorism. Any person or entity that participates in this bidding process, either as a prime or sub to the prime, must certify as part of the bid that they are not on the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List and is eligible to participate. FHI 360 shall disqualify any bid received from a person or entity that is found to be on the List or otherwise ineligible.

Firms or individuals that are included on the Excluded Parties List System (www.epls.gov) shall not be eligible for financing and shall not be used to provide any commodities or services contemplated by this RFP.

3. Terms and Conditions: Offerors are responsible for review of the terms and conditions described.

4. Contract Mechanism: FHI 360 anticipates awarding a fixed-price subcontract.

5. Withdrawals of Proposals: Offerors may withdraw proposals by written notice via email received at any time before award.

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6. Right to Select/Reject: FHI 360 reserves the right to select and negotiate with those firms it determines, in its sole discretion, to be qualified for competitive proposals and to terminate negotiations without incurring any liability. FHI 360 also reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received without explanation.

7. Due Diligence Process: Any selected firm will be required to complete a Financial Pre-Award Assessment in order for FHI 360 to ascertain that the organization has the capacity to perform successfully under the terms and conditions of the proposed award. As part of the Pre-Award Assessment process, the firm will also be requested to submit a financial audit report from the previous fiscal year. In addition, payroll records and other financial information may be requested to support budgeted costs.

8. Client Prior Approval: The selected offeror will be subject to funding agency approval before a subcontract can be awarded. Therefore, organizations are reminded that there may be delays for this process to be completed. In addition, should such approval not be given, this subcontract cannot be awarded.

9. Disclaimer: This RFP represents only a definition of requirements. It is merely an invitation for submission of proposals and does not legally obligate FHI 360 to accept any of the submitted proposals in whole or in part, nor is FHI 360 obligated to select the lowest priced proposal. FHI 360 reserves the right to negotiate with any or all firms, but with respect to price, costs and/or scope of services. FHI 360 has no contractual obligations with any firms based upon issuance of this RFP. It is not an offer to contact. Only the execution of a written contract shall obligate FHI 360 in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in such contract.

10. Request for Proposal Firm Guarantee: All information submitted in connection with this RFP will be valid for 90 (ninety) days from the RFP due date. This includes, but is not limited to, cost, pricing, terms and conditions, service levels, and all other information. All information in the RFP and negotiation process will be contractually binding for the selected Offeror.

11. Offer Verification: FHI 360 may contact Offerors to confirm contact person, address, bid amount and that a bid was submitted for this solicitation.

12. False Statements in Offer: Offerors must provide full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation and its attachments.

13. Conflict of Interest: Offerors must provide disclosure of any past, present or future relationships with any parties associated with the issuance, review or management of this solicitation and anticipated award in or outside of Jordan. Failure to provide full and open disclosure may result in FHI 360 having to reevaluate selection of a potential vendor and/or terminating an award.

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14. Work Product Presumptive FHI360 Property : All writings, books, articles, computer programs, databases, source and object codes, and other material of any nature whatsoever, including trademarks, trade names, and logos, that is subject to copyright protection and reduced to tangible form in whole or in part by Contractor’s in the course of its service to FHI360 shall be considered a work made for hire, or otherwise FHI360 property. During this agreement and thereafter, Contractor agrees to take all actions and execute any documents that FHI360 may consider necessary to obtain or maintain copyrights, whether during the application for copyright or during the conduct of an interference, infringement, litigation, or other matter. Contractor shall identify all materials in which Contractor intends to exempt from this provision prior to the use or development of such materials.

15. Rights in Data : The Contractor understands and agrees that FHI360 may itself and permit others, including government agencies of the United States and other foreign governments, to reproduce through but not limited to the publication, broadcast, translation, creation of other versions, quotations there from, any provided publications and materials, and otherwise utilize this work and material based on this work. The Contractor shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless FHI360, and the US Government and its agencies against all claims, suits, costs, damages, and expenses that may be sustained by reason of any scandalous, libelous, or unlawful matter contained or alleged to be contained in the work, or any infringement or violation by the work of any copyright or property right; and until such claim or suit has been settled or withdrawn, FHI360 may withhold any sums due the Contractor under this agreement. Contractor agrees to specifically identify to FHI360 and FHI360 any and all computer software licenses (“including shrink-wrap”) as may convey to FHI360 and FHI360. Contractor agrees that any and all computer software developed in the performance of this order using FHI360 monies shall, unless otherwise agreed, become and remain the property of FHI360.

16. Reserved Rights: All RFP responses become the property of FHI 360, and FHI 360 reserves the right in its sole discretion to:

a. To disqualify any offer based on offeror failure to follow solicitation instructions.b. Waive any deviations by Offerors from the requirements of this solicitation that in

FHI 360’s opinion are considered not material defects requiring rejection or disqualification, or where such a waiver will promote increased competition.

c. Extend the time for submission of all RFP responses after notification to all vendors.

d. Terminate or modify the RFP process at any time and reissue the RFP to whomever FHI 360 deems appropriate.

e. Issue an award based on the initial evaluation of offerors without discussion.f. Award only part of the activities in the solicitation or issue multiple awards based

on solicitation activities.

Annexes: - Annex A: Budget Template.- Annex B: Budget Narrative.- Annex C: Bio data form.- Annex D: PPR template.

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- Annex E: Evidence of Responsibility and Independent Price Determination.

End of RFP

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