Request for Proposal (RFP) for Learning Agenda Question Performance at Creative Associates / Northeast Connection Program

Creative Associates International provides outstanding, on-the-ground development services and forges partnerships to deliver sustainable solutions to global challenges. Its experts focus on building inclusive educational systems, transitioning communities from conflict to peace, developing sustainable economic growth, engaging youth, promoting transparent elections, and more. Creative is recognized for its ability to quickly adapt and excel in conflict and post-conflict environments. Creative is currently implementing a 2- year USAID-funded project titled “Northeast Connection: Building Community Resilience to Violent Extremism and Conflict in Northeast Nigeria.

Applications are invited for:

Title: Request for Proposal (RFP) for Learning Agenda Question Performance

Request for Proposal (RFP) No: RFP-YOL-09-22-0001
Locations: Adamawa, Yobe and Borno

Attachment I: Statement Of Work
Background
Creative Associates International is implementing a 2-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded program titled “Nigeria Northeast Connection (NNEC)”. The aim of the Northeast Connection program is to strengthen the resilience of communities vulnerable to violent extremist infiltration and conflict and to develop local capacity to respond to emerging threats. By targeting communities not yet under the control of violent extremist organizations (VEOs), Northeast Connection will mitigate the grievances that make communities vulnerable to violent extremism, while building social cohesion within and across communities in northeast Nigeria. In addition to helping Northeast Nigerians create a stronger foundation against the violent extremist and conflict threats, the activity is designed to develop local capacity to respond to emerging threats.

Summary

• This is a call for proposals for Learning Agenda question studies and feedback workshops across Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe (BAY) states.
• The consultant or firm will conduct data collection, analysis, and reporting across the BAY states and facilitate one feedback session in Abuja and report it to Creative Associates International’s Nigeria Northeast Connection: Building Community Resilience to Violent Extremism and Conflict in Northeast Nigeria project funded by USAID.

Scope of Services

• Creative Associates International under the Northeast Connection project seeks to engage a firm to carry out a series of studies for Learning Agenda Questions across the three states of NEC intervention (Adamawa, Yobe, and Borno) with a focus on the Local Government Areas (LGAs), listed below and to facilitate a Feedback session for the study. The assignment will be conducted under the direction of Northeast Connection and in consultation with key state institutions and stakeholders.
• The learning agenda question is a set of programmatic and institutional inquiry and validation activities that seek to address critical knowledge gaps and periodically review the validity of the Activity’s Theory of Change (TOC) and critical assumptions. This activity presents an opportunity for the NE Connection team to engage stakeholders to review and provide input to ensure that thematic areas of program implementation focus are addressed in ways that are useful and appropriate for driving project gain, ensuring adaptability of learning, and strengthening sustainability within the communities of project implementation.
• NE Connection proposed 5 sets of illustrative learning agenda questions, with their respective learning activities, resources, and timing to span over the span of Quarter 3 to Quarter 4 of the year 2022 (Q2-Q4 2022). These agenda questions will be distributed as follows; two (2) in the third quarter and three (3) in the fourth quarter.

Objectives of Learning Agenda Questions

• To receive input from communities and major stakeholders on key thematic learning agenda questions through a learning study.
• To reflect on the key findings, recommendations and lessons learnt from the learning study.
• To review the strategies of NE Connection program for adaptation as drawn from the learning study findings.
• Strengthen stakeholder participation in program design and implementation for sustainable interventions.

The selected  firm will develop specific the learning agenda question framework and research questions adhering to USAID Leaning Agenda Guidelines. Northeast Connection will contract the firm or organization to:

• Conduct 2 learning agenda studies through data collection and analysis that will examine the identified study question(s) for that quarter.
• Facilitate 2 feedback sessions (one for each of the studies) with stakeholders to validate the findings of the learning agenda study.

The Learning Agenda Questions and Timelines
The illustrative questions are as found in the table below:

Table 1. Illustrative Learning Questions:P

Target LGAs

Anticipated Tasks / Deliverables
For each of the sets of the learning agenda question, the consultant is expected to: 

• Participate in a Learning Agenda Question kick-off session with Northeast Connection and possibly participate in initial meetings with Northeast connection project.
• Conduct an initial desk study: gather relevant secondary materials to identify key actors and stakeholders, relevant local and oversight institutions, coordination mechanisms and support structures.
• Develop data collection tools (Qualitative), and proposed communities in each target state, informed by desk study.
• Conduct and manage the entire process of data collection, including training and coordinating enumerators.
• Use mixed method data collection, including key informant interviews (KII) and focus group discussions (FGD) at LGAs in each target state, with stakeholders as identified.
• Submit all data with disaggregated raw data in excel and data collection tools and ensure confidentiality of data.
• Prepare consolidated draft report for the three states providing an overview of the approach and results by state.
• Study report – Not more than 20 pages including but not limited to the following parts; executive summary, introduction/background, Description of the project, Learning Agenda purpose and Methodology, Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations.
• Presentation slide- Not more than 15 slide presentation of the findings and talking points from the study to be used at the feedback session.
• Conduct feedback session for validation of the findings of the learning study and present attendance and report of the activity.
• Validated report of the learning agenda question containing iterative strategies for the NE Connection Program's success, including a summary of significant findings and implications (for implementers and funders) of what works and what doesn't. It will also contain meaningful recommendations to inform the NE Connection program's plan for addressing the learning agenda's highlighted issues.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Team lead must possess a Background in Social Science, Academia, or Development
• The firm must have a minimum of five years’ experience in strategic planning inquiry and institutional learning.
• Proven experience in, and familiarity with, the use of institutional learning or similar assessment tools (with at least two assessments successfully completed) in the development and implementation of development assistance programming.
• Proven experience of working with government authorities, academia, civil society organizations, and communities in Northeast Nigeria.
• Fluency in English, including outstanding writing skills.

Desired Qualifications and Skills:

• Proven knowledge of donor-assisted efforts to promote improvements in Building Community Resilience to Violent Extremism in developing countries.
• Experience in development assistance programming with USAID or other international donors.
• Knowledge of local language(s).

Supervision and Guidance

• The firm or organization will be supervised on a day-to-day basis by the Nigeria Northeast Connection Project Team, led by the Chief of Party (COP). The COP will be responsible for deliverables review, payment, and administrative management. The consultant, firm or organization will participate in relevant meetings with Nigeria Northeast Connection, as required and under the supervision of the COP.
• The firm or organization is expected to exercise the highest degree of individual initiative, resourcefulness, responsibility, and authority, consistent with USAID’s overall policy and procedural framework.

Period Of Performance:

• Creative anticipates a period of performance of two months each; September-October,2022 (for the third quarter) and November–December 2022 (for the fourth quarter).

Place Of Performance:

• Northeast Nigeria: Adamawa (Demsa, Mubi South, Mubi North,Guyuk, Numan, and Lamurde LGAs), Yobe (Damaturu, Potiskum, andFune LGAs), and Borno (Maiduguri, Jere, BiuKwayaKusar, Hawul, and Shani LGAs) states.

Attachment II: Instructions To Offerors
General Instructions
These Instructions to Offerors will not form part of the offer or of the Contract. They are intended solely to aid Offerors in the preparation of their proposals. Read and follow these instructions carefully:

• The proposal and all corresponding documents related to the proposal must be written in the English language, unless otherwise explicitly allowed. Additionally, all proposals should be single-spaced with clear section headings, and be presented in the order specified in Attachment III – Evaluation Criteria.
• Proposals must include only the Offeror’s own work. No text should be copied from sources outside of your organization,unless those sources are adequately cited and credited. If Creative determines that any part of the proposal is plagiarized from outside sources, the Offeror will be automatically disqualified.
• Proposals and all cost and price figures must be presented inlocal currency. All prices should be gross of tax, but net of any customs duties. A firm fixed price purchase order will be issued to the successful offeror in local currency as per requirement of local Law.
• The Offeror must state in their Proposal the validity period of their offer. The minimum offer acceptance period for this RFP is 90 days after closing date of the RFP. If an Offeror has provided a validity period of less than 90 days, they will be asked to revise this. If the Offeror does not extend the validity period, their proposal will be rejected. Creative reserves the right not to make an award.
• The Technical Proposal and Cost / Business Proposal must be kept separate from each other. Technical Proposals must not make reference to cost or pricing information at any point. This will enable in order the technical evaluation to be made strictly on the basis of technical merit.
• Offerors must be licensed and authorized to conduct business in Nigeria, as evidenced by submission of a copy of a valid Business License (if registered as a for-profit company), a valid Host Government license (if registered as a non-profit organization) or a municipal license (if registered as a local vendor of goods or import-export dealer). The copy of the license must clearly show a license number, official government stamp and a date of issue and date of expiry.
• No costs incurred by the Offerors in preparing and submitting the proposal are reimbursable by Creative. All such costs will be at the Offeror’s expense.
• Responsibility Determination: Award shall only be made to “responsive” subcontractors. To enable Creative to make this determination, the Offeror must provide a cover letter, as provided in Attachment IV.
• Late Offers: Offerors are wholly responsible for ensuring that their Offers are received in accordance with the instructions stated herein. A late Offer will be recommended for rejection, even if it was late as a result of circumstances beyond the Offeror’s control. Late offers will only be considered at the procurement department’s discretion.
• Modification / Withdrawal of Offers: Offerors have the right to withdraw, modify or correct their offer after it has been delivered to Creative at the address stated above, and provided that the request is made before the RFP closing date.
• Disposition of Proposals: Proposals submitted in response to this RFP will not be returned. Reasonable effort will be made to ensure confidentiality of proposals received from all Offerors. This RFP does not seek information of a highly proprietary nature, but if such information is included in the Offeror’s proposal, the Offeror must alert Creative and must annotate the material by marking it “Confidential and Proprietary” so that these sections can be treated appropriately.
• Clarifications and Amendments to the RFP: Any questions regarding this solicitation must be emailed to: [email protected] within 10 days of the date of issue of the RFP. No questions / clarifications will be entertained if they are received by another means. The solicitation number should be stated in the subject. Responses will be complied and emailed to the requesting potential Offeror and will be sent to all organizations that requested this RFP or re-posted publicly if offered as a full and open competition.

Compensation Schedule
This activity will be compensated based on delivery and approval of milestones, as illustrated below:

Application Closing Date
16th September, 2022 (5:00 PM - Local Time, Nigeria)

Method of Application
Interested and qualified Offerors should submit their Proposals in two separate e-mails which is the Technical Proposal and Cost / Business Proposal through the "Creative Procurement Department" to: [email protected] Each e-mail should be clearly labeled with the RFP Number and Project Title.

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Content of Proposal
The proposal shall be comprised of four sections:

• The Cover Letter (Attachment IV)
• Copy of the Offeror’s Valid Business license
• The Technical Proposal
• The Cost/Business Proposal.

Details of the Four Sections:

• The Cover Letter:
  • The Cover Letter should be on the Offeror’s letter head and MUST contain the information requested in Attachment IV.
• Business License
• Technical Proposal:
  • Should clearly & precisely address theoretical and practical aspects that the Offeror has considered and will employ to carry out the statement of work.
  • The Technical Proposal is the opportunity for the Offeror to demonstrate that the firm is “technically capable” of implementing the activity, and should demonstrate the Offeror’s understanding of and capabilities to carry out the work, and address the key issues described in the Evaluation Criteria in Attachment III.
  • The Technical Proposal should be divided into clearly separate sections following the same order of the Evaluation Criteria in Attachment III. A mis-ordered proposal that makes information hard to find will result in lower scores.
  • If an Offeror submits a proposal that fails to respond to the majority of the information requested in this RFP, as outlined specifically in the statement of work and the evaluation criteria, the Offeror’s proposal will be automatically disqualified.
• The Cost/Business Proposal:
  • The Cost/Business Proposal must be submitted separately from the technical proposal and will primarily indicate the cost for performing the work specified in this RFP. At a minimum, the Cost/Business proposal should include the following information:
    • A detailed budget that provides a break-down of costs by line item. Note that any indirect/overhead costs should be listed as a separate line item in the budget and should not be built into the direct costs. Use the budget template presented in the Evaluation Criteria, in Attachment III.
    • Bidders should not use any “loaded rates” for labor. Budgets should include base labor rates only. Forms with loaded rates (i.e. inclusive of staff bonuses or any other type of financial benefit) will be rejected.
    • Detailed and comprehensive cost notes that provides information on each of the line items in the budget and explains why these items are needed for implementation of the activity.
    • If indirect rates are charged, Offerors must provide supporting computations for the allocation for indirect/overhead costs, a copy of an audit report and balance sheet, and a profit and loss (P&L)/income & expenditure / revenue & expenditure statement OR a copy of the current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA).
    • USAID Biographical Data sheet (AID 1420) for each individual proposed in the proposal. The form must be signed by the individual and the offeror and should include daily rates in local currency only. Additionally, biographical data sheets should include base rates only. Forms with loaded rates (i.e. inclusive of staff bonuses or any other type of financial benefit) will be rejected.

Note

• Offerors who do not submit their technical and cost proposals separately will be automatically disqualified.
• Failure to comply with any of the above points will result in the Offer or being considered “unresponsive” and the proposal may be rejected.
• If an Offeror provides insufficient information in their technical and / or cost proposal, Creative reserves the right to request additional information, or to request a revised proposal from the Offeror, if necessary.
• Creative reserves the right to make no award, or multiple awards, underthis RFP.