RFP - 20343124R00001 - MELS ECAR/JA/BE

April 01, 2024

SUBJECT: INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION (IAF) MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING SPECIALISTS (MELS) SUPPORT FOR EASTERN CARIBBEAN, JAMAICA, AND BELIZE

Dear Potential Applicant,

Fiscal Service Procurement, on behalf of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), is seeking applications from qualified citizens living in one of the following countries (Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, or Belize) to provide services as a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Specialist (MELS) Contractor under a Fixed Rate Time and Material Contract, as described in the following solicitation: “20343124R00001 MELS Support Services for Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica, and Belize (ECAR/JA/BE).”

This contract will be awarded for a twelve-month Base Period and up to two (2), twelve-month Option Periods, which will be exercised at the discretion of the IAF. The Performance Work Statement (PWS) describes the job of the MELS Contractor. This document describes how to apply for the position and explains the selection process.

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS

A complete application package shall include the following items:                                                                                                             

1. A Cover Letter that demonstrates the applicant’s qualifications to perform each of the required work responsibilities identified in the PWS tasks.
2. A Curriculum Vitae (CV) that demonstrates the applicant has the required qualifications identified in the PWS.
3. Attachment D - A list of three (3) references, including their title, affiliation, and contact information (telephone number, and if available, email). 
4. A copy of the applicant's educational diploma(s) in social science, international development, rural development, economics, or a related field, mentioned in the CV.
5. A writing sample, in the language of the applicant’s base country, consisting of a response to the following prompt:

IAF grantees are resourceful and creative in their projects to expand economic opportunities and improve governance and peacefulness in their communities. The IAF is committed to helping grantees learn from their experiences so that grantees have greater confidence that their projects deliver their intended results.

Please describe one possible approach that the IAF could use in helping grantees learn from their projects that draws from your experience. Be as specific as possible in your answer, describing the kind of grassroots organization you worked with, the approach you used, and the benefits of this approach for the organization. Limit your answer to one page, single-spaced, using 12 Times New Roman font and one-inch margins.

        6. A pricing proposal using “Attachment A - Pricing Sheet” of the solicitation. The Offeror shall propose a fixed daily rate (in U.S. dollars) for MELS services. This proposal should not include reimbursable travel costs, such as meals, lodging, and transportation. The IAF will follow guidance for local compensation based on U.S. Embassy rates, which had a maximum of US$280/day at the time the IAF prepared this solicitation. The Government reserves the right to adjust the rate as needed at time of award to be in compliance with the then current maximum local compensation rate. IAF, through the Bureau for Fiscal Service, will assess pricing proposals with respect to this maximum rate and the applicant’s experience and technical rating. The Pricing Sheet must be submitted in order for the application to be considered complete.

        7. SAM Registration and Active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): An interested offeror is required to be registered in SAM with an active UEI as soon as possible. If registration with an active UEI is not possible when submitting an offer or quotation, the awardee shall be registered in SAM with an active UEI within 30 calendar days following notification of a tentative acceptance of a proposal by the IAF.  An inactive SAM registration and UEI following the 30th day after a tentative acceptance of a proposal will allow the Government the unilateral right to tentatively accept another interested offeror’s proposal, in accordance with terms of the solicitation. Any tentative proposal acceptance is contingent upon the interested offeror satisfying the aforementioned SAM registration and UEI requirements.

Following award, the Contractor shall maintain registration in SAM during contract performance and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement. The Contractor is responsible for the currency, accuracy and completeness of the data within SAM, and for any liability resulting from the Government's reliance on inaccurate or incomplete data. To remain registered in SAM after the initial registration, the Contractor is required to review and update on an annual basis, from the date of initial registration or subsequent updates, its information in SAM to ensure it is current, accurate and complete. Updating information in SAM does not alter the terms and conditions of this contract and is not a substitute for a properly executed contractual document.

Applicants must submit all of the above items to be considered for the position. Please review your application carefully before submitting to ensure it is complete.

Applications are due no later than 10:00AM EST April 29, 2024. They must be following these instructions:

• Write “RFP - 20343124R00001  MELS Support Services in ECAR/JA/BE” on the cover letter, CV, and list of references.
• Use Microsoft Office compatible files or Adobe PDF. Other file extensions will not be accepted.
• Email your complete application to purchasing@fiscal.treasury.gov, with the subject line “Application for RFP-20343124R00001 MELS Support Services in ECAR/JA/BE, Attn: Sanner/Guinn.”

Only complete applications, submitted to the e-mail address above, by the established due date, will be considered.

You are strongly encouraged to request a secure email to reply to if any of your documents contain PII and cannot be removed effectively.  

Please send an email to purchasing@fiscal.treasury.gov  referencing “RFP-20343124R00001  MELS Support Services in ECAR/JA/BE” – Encryption Request Attn:  Sanner/Guinn -  on or before 24 hours before the request closes to request that an encrypted email message be sent to you from our agency. If you submit a request after that time, there is no guarantee that we will respond or that you will be able to go through the process to submit your response on time for the Government to consider. Once you receive the encrypted email, then you will need to open it by creating an account. Once you create an account, then you can respond to our agency’s encrypted email, which will then automatically encrypt your email response and any attachments to it for only the Government to view.

Questions are due no later than 10:00AM EST on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 and should be sent to purchasing@fiscal.treasury.gov, with the subject line “Question for RFP 20343124R00001  MELS Support Services in ECAR/JA/BE, Attn: Sanner/Guinn.”

FOREIGN PII SPECIAL NOTICE

Please be aware that if you email documents containing personally identifiable information (PII), the information may not be secure, and your email may be intercepted or otherwise viewed against your wishes.

Examples of PII are, but not limited to, education attainment documents that contain the individual’s name and home address, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and information; which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, national ID number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric records, photograph, physical home and/or email address, phone number, driver’s license, etc., including any other personal information which is linked or linkable to an individual.

Please:

1. DO NOT send by email a copy of an identification card with a photograph such as a driver’s license, national identification card, or passport, etc. with your response.
2. DO NOT include your physical and mailing address, etc. in your Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae (CV), Resume, body of the email, and supporting Education Diploma or Training Certificates in your response. 

Please mark out with permanent black marker your physical or mailing address only in your Education Diploma or Training Certificates. 

Your name still needs to be on all of the above documents.

The Government may request a hard copy of one (1) or more of the aforementioned items as proof in a later phase of the Evaluation Process and as part of the security background check after award.

Thank you for your interest in IAF. We look forward to reviewing your application.

SELECTION PROCESS

The IAF will evaluate applications in the following phases:

PHASE I – Initial Review

The IAF will initially filter applicants to ensure they meet a minimum level of requirements (“go/no go factors”), below.

Go/No-Go Factors

Applicants will only be considered for the position if they:

1. Submit an application that is complete and on time. 
2. Reside in one of the following countries (Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, or Belize) with a full-time physical presence and legal status to operate in the country in which they will be working for the duration of the contract.
3. Demonstrate native fluency in the language of their assigned country, as reflected in the language used in the application itself and working experience in the region.
4. Possess at minimum a bachelor’s degree in social science, international development, rural development, economics, statistics, or other related fields.
5. Have at least five (5) years of professional field-based experience monitoring and/or evaluating, international development programs. At least half of this experience must be in the region.

PHASE II - Required Qualifications

Applicants who meet these basic requirements will then be assessed according to the technical factors deemed essential for this position.

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in social science, international development, rural development, economics, or a related field. A master’s degree in those same areas is preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience in monitoring and/or evaluating development projects, ideally at the grassroots level (e.g., community organizations, local associations, farmer cooperatives, etc.).
• Experience in doing fieldwork in developing countries, particularly reviewing performance data, conducting interviews, and facilitating participatory research methods.
• Demonstrated understanding of grassroots development in practice, such as the nature of these organizations, what they set out to provide their communities, and how they work.
• Application (including writing sample) is well written, effectively structured, easy to read, consistently formatted, and free of grammatical and typographical errors. 
• Strong oral and written English skills.
• Writing ample effectively addresses the prompt, is technically sound, and clearly articulated, reflecting an understanding of at least one possible approach to promoting learning with grassroots organizations.
• Professional demeanor and teamwork, as expressed through interview and references.

All applicants determined to be excellent or acceptable in PHASE II will be moved to PHASE III.

PHASE III – Interview

The Evaluation Panel reserves the right to only interview the most highly qualified candidates from Phase II.    

The IAF will interview the remaining applicants through videoconference and a standard set of questions to further assess the candidate’s capabilities to effectively serve as a MELS. Questions will assess the candidates’ understanding of grassroots development, how their skills and experience apply to the needs of the IAF, and how effective they communicate orally.

Interview

Questions asked during the interview will be consistent among applicants and relevant to the requirements as described in the solicitation and listed below. 

1. Understanding of grassroots development: Demonstrates a sound understanding of grassroots development in theory (the advantages of locally led and collective action to addressing development challenges) and in practice (reflecting familiarity with grassroots efforts).
2. Relevance of skills and experience: Provides well-supported description of how their skills and experience would contribute to their effectiveness as a MELS, including in working with marginalized groups and with country teams.
3. Oral Communication Skills: Is clear, articulate, and congenial in how they express themselves throughout the interview.
4. Professionalism: Professional demeanor and teamwork, as expressed throughout the interview.

All applicants with favorable interviews will continue to Phase IV.

PHASE IV - Reference Check

The references questions will be consistent for all past performance references and will be relevant to similar work performed in comparison to this requirement.  A record of references contacted, questions asked, and responses received will be included with this worksheet as documentation supporting the chosen rating. 

IAF will practice diligence to contact all references provided for applicants being considered for Award.  However, time will dictate the number of contacts made.  If possible, at least 1 direct reference contact should be made for all applicants considered for award.

An applicant must not receive any negative reference responses to receive further consideration for contract award.

All applicants with favorable past performances will continue to Phase V.

PHASE V – Pricing

The IAF will assess the candidates’ pricing proposals relative to guidance for local compensation based on U.S. Embassy rates.   

Non-discrimination Clause

 a.       The Contractor will not discriminate against any end-user of the contract supplies or services (i.e., the beneficiaries of the supplies or services) in implementation of this award, such as, but not limited to, by withholding, adversely impacting, or denying equitable access to the supplies or services (benefits) provided through this contract on the basis of any factor not expressly stated in the award.

b.      Per Executive Order 11246, the Contractor will not discriminate against any existing or potential subcontractor on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and national origin. Per Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Contractor will not discriminate against any existing or potential subcontractor on the basis of disability. The Contractor shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and not discriminate against qualified protected veterans. 

c.       The IAF prohibits both (1) employment related harassment based on sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), race, color, religion, age (over 40), disability, national origin, genetic information, sexual orientation, status as a parent, veteran status and reprisal; and (2) other harassing conduct that is detrimental to a safe and effective workplace, regardless if such conduct violates EEO law. Harassment is any verbal or physical conduct, based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex (with or without sexual conduct), genetic information, or protected activities, that either results in a tangible employment action or is so severe and pervasive as to constitute an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. The Contractor is prohibited from engaging in such conduct towards any existing or potential subcontractor, grantee or proponent beneficiary, grantee or proponent participant, organizational staff of a grantee or proponent, IAF staff, IAF contractors, or IAF interns in the implementation of this Contract. Instances of harassment should be reported to the IAF.

d.      In employment advertising, the Contractor must state that it is an equal opportunity employer. Nothing in this clause is intended to limit the ability of the contractor to target activities toward the assistance needs of certain populations as defined in the contract. The Contractor must insert these provisions in all subcontracts under this Contract.