Description
Sollicitation Number: SOL-367-12-000004 Sollicitation Type: Pre-Solicitation Notice Project Title: Feed the Future ( FTF) Component A and B Agency: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office: USAID/Nepal Location : Kathmandu Place of Performance: Nepal Estimated price: $20,000,000 to $24,000,000 Tentative Solicitation Date: May 2012 Tentative Proposal Due Date: June 2012 Estimated Period of Performance: December 31, 2012 - December 30, 2017 Small Business Considerations: This contract is not restricted to small businesses . Source/Origin/Nationality: The authorized geographic code for the procurement of goods and services under this award is 937, which is defined as the United States, the cooperating/recipient country, and developing countries other than advanced developing countries, and excluding prohibited sources. This means that the prime contractor must be of U.S., cooperating/recipient country or developing country nationality. USAID maintains a list of developing countries, advanced developing countries, and prohibited sources, which is available in USAID's Automated Directives System, ADS 310. Description of Proposed Work: The purpose of this pre-solicitation notice is to notify that the U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) Mission to Nepal intends to award a five-year contract through full and open competition for the implementation of food security activities in Nepal. The first year of this activity will concentrate efforts on approximately 10 districts (located in the Mid-West and Far West regions). Years two through five will add approximately another ten districts for an approximate total of 16 to 20 districts (in the Mid-West and Far West regions and possibly the Western region). USAID/Nepal has developed a food security project that responds to the objectives of USAID's Feed the Future (FTF) Presidential Initiative as well as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) country plan led by the Government of Nepal. The overall goal of this FTF project is to reduce hunger and poverty while improving nutrition in Nepal. The FTF project purpose, which contributes to the achievement of this goal, is to increase agricultural productivity and income, improve nutritional status of women and children under five, and increase resilience of vulnerable communities and households. The project has three primary and integrated components as well as numerous supporting activities. Some of the supporting activities are currently ongoing and some have yet to be implemented. The three primary and integrated components focus on: A) agricultural productivity, B) nutrition, and C) skills development (literacy, numeracy, and entrepreneurial skills). The Contractor must implement component A and B. A separate award will be made to a Nepali organization to implement component C, but the Contractor must effectively integrate component C, as well as the other supporting activities and the GAFSP, into the project. Additionally, the Contractor must build the financial, fiduciary, organizational and technical capacity of Nepali organizations. More specifically, the Contractor must build the capacity of selected Nepali organizations so these Nepali organizations can competitively apply for USAID direct awards. Also, the Contractor must hand over certain geographic project responsibilities to a Nepali organization or consortium of Nepali organizations beginning in year 3 of the project, and must hand over an increasing amount of geographic project responsibilities to the Nepali organization or consortium in years 4 and 5. A separate award process will begin in year 2 of the project to select the Nepali organization or consortium that will implement the portions of the project the Contractor will hand over. The Contractor must continue to integrate and complement the activities of the Nepali organization or consortium after the Contractor hands over specified geographic project responsibilities. It is estimated that the RFP for FTF Component A and B will be issued in May 2012 on www.fedbizopps.gov barring any unforeseeable delays. USAID will not entertain questions until after the RFP is issued. When the RFP is issued, any amendments thereof will be posted at www.fedbizopps.gov . Interested parties are advised to periodically monitor the above website for updates concerning this procurement. To view a brief power point presentation on FTF, please go to USAID/Nepal's public website http://nepal.usaid.gov/ . The power point presentation should be listed in the "In the Spotlight" section of the homepage. Interested parties are advised to periodically monitor USAID/Nepal's public website for possible updates or new information. Prospective Offerors are advised that this procurement is subject to the availability of funds. This pre-solicitation notice in no way obligates USAID to award a Contract nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal.