Pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) requests applications from qualified and eligible organizations to manage and implement the TRANSFORM/PRIMARY HEALTH CARE UNIT (PHCU) as described in Section I of this RFA. The overall goal of the program is to support the Government of Ethiopia (GOE) through the implementation of its new Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) to End Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths (EPCMD). This RFA is issued in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, and the Grants and Cooperative Agreement Act of 1977. This is a full and open competition, under which any type of organization, large or small, commercial (for profit) firms, faith-based, and non-profit organizations in partnerships or consortia from geographical code 935, are eligible to compete. In accordance with the Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreement Act, USAID encourages competition in order to identify and fund the best possible applications to achieve its program objectives. While for-profit firms may participate, pursuant to 22 CFR 226.81, it is USAID policy not to award profit under assistance instruments such as cooperative agreements. However, all reasonable, allocable, and allowable expenses, both direct and indirect, which are related to the grant program and are in accordance with applicable cost standards (22 CFR 226, OMB Circular A-122 for non-profit organization, OMB Circular A-21 for universities, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 31 for-profit organizations), may be paid under the Cooperative Agreement. Using a “Design and Implement” approach, USAID anticipates issuing one mission-specific Leader Award under a Leader with Associates (LWA) arrangement. An LWA arrangement involves the issuance of a grant or cooperative agreement (”Leader Award”) that covers a specified regional activity. The Leader Award includes language that allows the USAID Mission to award a separate grant or cooperative agreement to the recipient of the Leader Award without additional competition and which supports a distinct technical, local, or regional activity that fits within the terms and scope of the Leader Award. This is called an “Associate Award.” The competition under this RFA covers both the Leader Award and all subsequent Associate Awards, although applications submitted in response to this RFA are related to the activity to be supported under the Leader Award only. Separate applications specific to each Associate Award will be submitted after the Leader Award is in place, if and when a USAID Mission or other USAID operating unit decides to finance an Associate Award. This RFA consists of this cover letter and the following sections and attachments: SECTION I FUNDING OPPORTUNITY/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION SECTION II. AWARD INFORMATION SECTION III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION SECTION IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION SECTION V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION SECTION VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION SECTION VIII. OTHER INFORMATION (Certificates and Annexes) It is expected that the estimated USAID contributions for the TRANSFORM/PRIMARY HEALTH CARE UNIT (PHCU) project will not exceed $120 million for the five-year period beginning not later than March 2016, of which the Leader Award will be up to $72 million and the cumulative amount of Associate Awards issued during those five years will not exceed $48 million. The Associate Award figures are estimates, and there is no guarantee regarding the number of Associate Awards or the amount(s) thereof. Associate Awards may be for up to five years in duration and, while they must be awarded during the period of the Leader Award, may extend beyond the end of the Leader Award. The Leader Award is expected to be made between January and February 2016. Cost-sharing (matching) of 10% is required under this RFA. USAID encourages cost-sharing to the maximum practicable extent, and any proposed cost-sharing (matching) will be assessed by USAID as part of determining which applications offer the greatest value. See Section III of the RFA for additional information on cost-sharing (matching). Government of Ethiopia (GOE) law requires prior registration of a foreign or local organization in order to implement programs or conduct any business in Ethiopia. Any Apparently Successful Applicant must provide a copy of the certification of registration and license from the appropriate Ministry/Agency of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) prior to the start of implementation of the program. Local registration is not a requirement at the time of application, but it is required prior to the award of the Agreement. An applicant under consideration for an award that has never received funding from USAID will be subject to a pre-award audit to determine fiscal responsibility, ensure adequacy of financial controls and establish an indirect cost rate. Award will be made to the responsible applicant whose application best meets the requirements of this RFA and the selection criteria contained herein. Issuance of this RFA does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application. In addition, final award of any resultant agreement cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated, and committed through internal USAID procedures. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award. The award resulting from this RFA will be administered in accordance with 22 CFR 226, Chapter 303 of USAID's Automated Directives System (ADS-303), relevant U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars, and the USAID standard provisions for U.S. and Non-US Non Governmental Organizations. Further details and internet links may be found in Section VI of the RFA. This RFA and any future amendments can be downloaded from the website http://www.grants.gov. Select “Find Grant Opportunities,” then click on “Browse by Agency,” and select the “U.S. Agency for International Development” and search for the RFA. In order to use this method, an applicant must first register on-line with Grants.gov. If you have difficulty registering or accessing the RFA, please contact the Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-472 or via e-mail at
[email protected] for technical assistance. USAID will host a Pre-Application Conference to address the questions regarding this RFA at the American Embassy in Ethiopia on the date indicated at the top of this Cover Letter. This conference is open to all potential applicants. While in-person attendance is highly encouraged, USAID will upload a transcript of the proceedings to the Grants.gov site. Any questions concerning this RFA should be submitted in writing to Tsegereda Gebremedhin via email at
[email protected] with a copy to
[email protected] by the Clarification Questions Deadline indicated at the top of this Cover Letter. Questions sent to any other e-mail address will not be responded to. The e-mail transmitting the questions must reference the RFA number and title on the subject line of the e-mail. All questions must be submitted in writing in advance For the purposes of this RFA, the term "Grant" is synonymous with "Cooperative Agreement"; "Grantee" is synonymous with "Recipient"; and "Grant Officer" is synonymous with "Agreement Officer". In the event of an inconsistency between the documents comprising this RFA, it shall be resolved at the discretion of the Agreement Officer. Applicants shall submit both Technical and Financial Applications of their submissions in separate volumes. Award will be made to the responsible applicant whose application offers the greatest value to the U.S. Government. Please note, however, that technical applications will be significantly more important than cost applications. If you decide to submit an application, please note that electronic submission is required. Applications must be sent as e-mail attachments to
[email protected] and cc:
[email protected]. If your organization decides to submit an application, it must be received no later than the time and date set forth above and in accordance with the instructions set forth in Section IV of the RFA. Applications received after the closing date and time may not be considered, except as described in Section IV of this RFA. Applicants should retain a copy of their application, and any enclosures thereto, for their records. An open and public question and answer session will be hosted by USAID as described in Section IV of the RFA. Questions must be submitted as described in Section IV.