Improving Labor Law Enforcement in the Kingdom of Lesotho

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, or the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $1 million total costs for one or more cooperative agreements to fund a technical assistance project(s) in Lesotho to improve labor law enforcement. The project will achieve its goal by building the capacity of the labor inspectorate through up to three objectives: 1) improved management of the labor inspectorate and systems for management and service delivery, 2) improved technical and management skills of the labor inspectorate’s managers and inspectors, and 3) creation of a sustainable training program for new labor inspectors. Funds for this cooperative agreement will be provided to the selected grantee in up to two installments with up to $500,000 total costs being made available upon award by December 31, 2015, for activities under Objective 1 and Objective 2 (phase one). We intend to make up to $500,000 total costs available by December 31, 2017 for continuation of Objective 2 and implementation of Objective 3 (phase two) to the selected grantee. Phase two funding will be contingent on the availability of appropriations and on a determination by ILAB that the implementing environment will allow for successful achievement of the project goal (e.g., a sufficient number of new labor inspectors having been hired by the government of Lesotho to improve the enforcement of labor laws). The project must target the labor inspectorate within the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The duration of the project will be up to two years (24 months) from the effective date of the award with up to an additional two years (24 months) available pending approval of phase two. All applications must address both phase one and phase two.