USAID/Indonesia: Challenge and Prize Platform in Development – I-CHIP

The United States Agency for International Development’s Indonesia Mission (USAID/Indonesia) is in the process of designing a new stand-alone activity to support the delivery of multiple open innovation prize and challenge events across a broad range of development objectives. The mechanism, with an expected period of performance of five years, will provide a means of involvement and collaborative ideation by a wide spectrum of participants from higher education, civil society and the private sector around core development challenges faced by Indonesia. USAID wishes to harness the expertise, ingenuity, and creativity of problem solvers in Indonesia and worldwide through an open innovation approach that involves challenges, prizes and crowdsourcing. It is anticipated that these challenges will address (but will not be limited to) novel approaches involving science and technology to delink palm oil production from deforestation; provide better access to workforce opportunities for poor and vulnerable populations in Indonesia; address challenges in the health sector related to infectious disease and improving maternal child health outcomes; and novel solutions to address democratic governance issues such as effective service delivery, more open and accessible government data, and protection of citizen rights. Topic areas will be subject to additional incremental funding from the U.S. Government to support individual challenges and resource support from private sector partners interested in the shared value development outcomes that particular challenges will seek. USAID/Indonesia is posting this Request for Information (RFI) in order to provide public information to any parties interested in USAID’s support for encouraging a more collaborative, participatory innovation ecosystem in Indonesia; and to gather comments on the scope and realism of the proposed stand-alone activity. The information contained within this RFI may change significantly during the Mission’s strategic design processes, consultations and final approval processes. In addition, any information collected through this RFI may or may not be used to help guide thinking about the design of a program. USAID/Indonesia has not yet determined the final choice of instrument to implement this program; therefore, this notice is being posted on the Government-wide points of entry for acquisition awards as well as assistance awards. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY . It is not a Request for Proposals, a Request for Quotations, an Invitation for Bids, a Solicitation, or an indication that USAID/Indonesia will contract for the items contained in this RFI. This RFI is an attempt to reach out in an effort to determine industry capabilities and interest at it will be treated as information only. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI will not be considered as offers and therefore cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. Responses to this RFI are strictly voluntary and USAID will not pay respondents for information provided in response to this RFI. USAID will not respond individually to any submission of comments. However, USAID will acknowledge receipt of responses received as a result of this RFI. If a Solicitation is issued, it will be announced on the Federal Business Opportunities website http://www.fbo.gov at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that Solicitation announcement separately from any response to this announcement .