REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) – USAID/Bosnia and Herzegovina

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) - USAID/Bosnia and Herzegovina From: Laura Slaughter, Regional Contracting Officer - USAID/Kosovo Standard Clause: FAR 52.215-3 Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (OCT 1997) (a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. (b) Although "proposal" and "offeror" are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. (c) This RFI is issued for the purpose of: obtaining input on the concept detailed below and in the attached document. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is seeking comments on the attached concept for the "MEASURE USAID/BiH Monitoring and Evaluation Support Project". The project has two primary objectives. The first is to provide USAID/BiH with technical and advisory monitoring and evaluation services, including designing and implementing both quantitative and qualitative evaluation studies and assessments, as well as providing monitoring and evaluation technical assistance for USAID/BiH' programs. These efforts will rebuild the Mission's result-oriented culture, facilitate informed program management, shape the longer term strategic direction of programs and decision-making within the Mission, and enable USAID/BiH to comply with USAID/Forward principles. The second objective is to build the independent, non-partisan public policy analysis capacity in BiH. This mechanism will develop local capacity to conduct high quality independent evaluations and other studies for USAID/BiH and other donors. By doing so, the local capacity to use tools and to execute the processes of conducting politically independent analysis of public policy initiatives and the challenges facing BiH will be strengthened. USAID invites comments from interested stakeholders to strengthen the concept in anticipation of a Request for Proposal (RFP). USAID may revise the concept based on comments received, but it is not obligated to do so. Please ensure comments are concise and specific to information included within the concept attached to this notice. USAID values concise, issue‐specific responses. Please ensure submitted comments make specific reference to page and section numbers. Please give special consideration to the following:  Feasibility of Component 5: "Strengthen local M&E Capacity and develop a ‘center for excellence'; and  Recommendations to strengthen any perceived weaknesses in the concept. The request for comments will be open from the date of release through February 12, 2014, 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time. Responses should be no more than 3 (three) pages in length. Comments must be submitted electronically to Viktoria Hollosy, USAID/BiH Contracts Specialist, at [email protected]. This is not a formal RFP. USAID/BiH will inform potential offerors of the RFP for the MEASURE through a Pre-Solicitation Notice that may be issued in the future. This notice does not constitute an obligation or endorsement by USAID to proceed with the MEASURE. Responses to this request for comments are not binding on the U.S. Government and do not obligate USAID to issue a Solicitation, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of comments. Thank you for your interest in USAID programs. Sincerely, Laura Slaughter Regional Contracting Officer