SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Building Resilient and Inclusive Communities in Conflict (BRICC)

BACKGROUND

Syria is in the midst of a nearly decade long, multi-faceted conflict that has led to more than 500,000 killed, the flight of over 5.5 million refugees, and the internal displacement of another 5.9 million. In addition to trauma, violence, and displacement, Syrians face a myriad of socioeconomic impacts of war, including: failing public services; damaged and destroyed infrastructure; weakened governance institutions; severe economic decline; and substantial gaps in education and workforce development.  This leaves individual communities and their respective governance structures coping with a variety of challenges including: limited access to electricity and water; damaged infrastructure; inadequate education and health systems; diminished ability to collect and treat public waste; rising costs and decreasing quality of fuel; decreased economic activity; and increased demands for basic government services. These challenges are most acutely experienced by women, traditionally disadvantaged groups, internally displaced persons, returnees, and young people, many of whom lack adequate representation to ensure their voices are heard and their needs are met. Furthermore, the conflict has resulted in dramatic demographic shifts between men and women as well as traditionally disadvantaged groups which is changing societal roles for these populations. This constellation of challenges requires interventions that are creatively designed across sectors that strengthen community resilience and stability.

Implementation of activities in this environment requires a high degree of coordination and communication among implementing partners, the USG, coalition partners, other donors and Syrian stakeholders. The dynamic environment involving active conflict, shifting lines of control, and multiplicity of actors has a direct impact on access to specific geographic locations, Syrian organizations, and individuals. There are also significant logistical requirements that demand close coordination with USAID and Syrian partners.  For example, the Offeror will need to be adept at remote management of the activity as its personnel will face difficulty traveling in Syria.  BRICC will require innovation, creativity, and triangulation of information in the oversight of implementation and monitoring efforts.  These challenges pose risks to: the design and implementation of individual activities within communities, the timely delivery of material and technical assistance, and the verification and monitoring of activities within Syria. Mitigation of these risks requires an approach that leverages extensive and detailed analysis of the environment and all groups on the ground, strong relationships with relevant Syrian organizations and individuals, and the diplomatic resources of USAID and other USG and international actors.

SERVICES AND TASKS REQUIRED

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Jordan is seeking partners to implement the ‘Building Resilient and Inclusive Communities in Conflict (BRICC)’ activity in Syria through a multiple holder Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract. Based on results of market survey conducted, USAID will determine a numerical range of set aside IDIQ contracts for U.S. Small Business and unrestricted IDIQ contracts awarded.  The final number of awards and source selection decision will be determined by the Source Selection Official.

Third-party monitoring for the activities contemplated under BRICC will be procured separately. 

BRICC will foster resilience and stability in conflict-affected communities across Syria to prevent the re-emergence of extremist groups such as ISIS, counter the influence of malign actors, empower communities to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict, and pave the way for safe, dignified, voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees. 

BRICC will apply an integrated, coordinated, multi-sectoral, conflict-sensitive, and systems-based technical approach. BRICC will work with stakeholders across four Intermediate Results (IRs):

(1) Essential services restored and accessible (including water (irrigation and drinking), energy, health, education, and livelihoods);

(2) Inclusive, participatory, accountable and transparent governance strengthened (empowering authorities, institutions, organizations, and citizens with the skills, tools, and experience to effectively, transparently, and equitably provide public services, respond to citizen needs, and meaningfully engage their constituencies on issues of importance to the community as a whole);

(3) Livelihoods restored and economies revived (market-based interventions that are inclusive, scalable and pro-poor as a means of income generation and improving economic security for both households and communities); and

(4) Access to education and vocational training expanded (expanding equitable access, improving quality, expanding and strengthening vocational and non-formal education).

Specifically, BRICC will apply the following principles to achieve all intermediate results:

 Systems Approach:  BRICC will apply a systems-based approach to ensure that activity interventions are integrated, interconnected, and mutually reinforcing; interventions should not be implemented in isolation or “silos”.  Offerors must develop a systems-based approach to planning in order to weave together the various elements of the four IR’s to build more stable, resilient communities.  Offerors must show how various sectoral components of the four IR’s relate to one another throughout the conceptualization, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and sustainability of all activities. Moreover, as part of systems-based logic, Offerors must propose specific means to coordinate BRICC efforts with external influencers outside of the direct management of the BRICC activity in order to, for example, avoid duplication or conflict with other donors’ activities.

Conflict-Sensitive: BRICC will be conflict-sensitive in the design, implementation, sustainability, and monitoring of interventions by ensuring that activities contribute to forging connections, resolving conflicts, and changing perceived differences, as well as ensuring that activities absolutely do not exacerbate tensions, drive violence, or empower armed groups.

Community Ownership: BRICC’s holistic approach requires that activities be designed, implemented, and evaluated in close collaboration with communities themselves - building on local knowledge, strengthening existing systems, and incorporating community feedback on a continuous basis to improve effectiveness and accountability. USAID recognizes the four IRs that are the focus of BRICC are not the only elements necessary for supporting communities to move from fragility to resilience. For this reason, it will be important for BRICC to collaborate closely with other actors covering different needs in Syria to avoid duplication and ensure complementarity.

Coordination: BRICC will coordinate and collaborate closely with other U.S. Government (USG) activities, like-minded donors, the small business community, and Syrian civil society and non-governmental organizations.  Offerors must describe past experience in and propose innovative ways to foster collaboration and coordination with other actors on the ground to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication of effort. Offers should go beyond avoiding duplication to ultimately use coordination to leverage greater results with other actors on the ground.

Innovation and Creative thinking:

Creativity: Offerors may propose any number of means to achieve the RO and IRs, including technical assistance, in-kind support, direct financial support, engineering expertise, capacity building, embedded advisors, local partners, or other means to the overall objective of stability and resilience. Each type of assistance should work to increase the ability of civilian authorities, civil society, and the private sector to work together. 

Offers should engage with non-traditional partners and techniques to apply leading research and technology to reach intended results rapidly and effectively. Subject to USAID’s approval, a variety of contracting, grant and other mechanisms may be utilized by Offerors.

Fostering Innovation: Building resilience in active and post conflict environments necessitates creativity and a certain level of risk taking in order to maximize impact, scalability, and improve the overall cost-effectiveness of interventions. BRICC offerors should adopt design thinking and a systems-based approach to foster innovation; test and pilot new tools, approaches and technology; and, accelerate and apply innovative solutions as a part of all activity design, implementation and learning.

Managing for Innovation: Restrictions on travel inside Syria by expatriate staff will require creative, methods and technology to verify activity milestones, monitor progress and successfully manage overall operations. Offerors are encouraged to propose management structures that help institutionalize innovation and an integrated, systems-based approach to reach the intended IR’s and RO. 

Sustainability for Self-Reliance: Building self-reliance will be a key aspect of activity design, implementation, and impact.  BRICC will promote self-reliance and sustainability through provision of technical assistance and capacity building support to partner organizations and institutions along all lines of effort.  BRICC will require close engagement with local partners and full handover of the management of essential services and any activities designed to continue beyond the end of the activity.  Processes for building the capacity of local organizations will be integrated into the activity design and additional opportunities to strengthen local institutions and organizations will be explored as they arise.  Examples include support to local technical bodies to develop cost-recovery mechanisms for public services, capital-recovery models for livelihoods interventions, and targeted technical assistance in financial, administrative, and organizational management.  BRICC will work with local governance entities, civil society organizations, and local businesses to build ownership of results and help communities sustain themselves for the long-term.

BRICC will build upon the lessons learned from previous U.S. and international interventions implemented in conflict-affected communities within Syria. It will use an integrated approach, and leverage the experience and learning accumulated over six years of successful resilience programming in the country.  It will seek to restore stability to communities, reduce their dependence on humanitarian assistance, and build a foundation for self-reliance.

In addition, the activity will support equitable stewardship and administration of essential public services and assist Syria in rebuilding its service infrastructure with a focus on including women, youth, and other disadvantaged communities.

USAID will closely coordinate all BRICC interventions with other USG-funded stabilization programs in Syria to ensure synergy and avoid redundancies.  In Syria, BRICC will coordinate with the Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF) and the Department of Defense, as well as the SRTF headquarters in Amman, Jordan. 

BRICC will also coordinate with the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) which manages activities from Turkey. And finally, where appropriate and with USAID’s written approval, BRICC will coordinate with USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Affairs (DCHA), USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), and other humanitarian partners based in Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq.  BRICC will also be expected to coordinate with non-USG implementers and to be an active participant in existing coordination mechanisms in both Turkey and Jordan.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Interested parties must demonstrate their experience and ability to perform the services and tasks described in this notice.  Firms are requested to provide capability statements that provide relevant examples of both governmental and non-governmental contracts under which the firm has performed.

The items below must be addressed in the response:

1.         Up to a two-page statement describing the firm’s capability to execute the services and tasks described in this notice, with specific emphasis on managing activities remotely and operating in high threat environments.
2.         Up to a two-page statement describing the firm’s experience in relation to the services being required, with specific emphasis on managing activities remotely and operating in high threat environments.
3.         One-page table (Sample Table A below) of this notice with a list of between three and seven past or current projects demonstrating relevant work experience in the items listed under the Services and Tasks Required section above.
4.         A statement identifying the applicable small business and socioeconomic designation in accordance with FAR 19.3.3.  Consortia are encouraged to respond as long as the prime contractor is a small business.

                                                                    TABLE A

Responses must not exceed five (5) pages, including Table A. Any organization responding to this Sources Sought Notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform this work.

Written capability statements must be received no later than January 14, 2019 – 4 pm Jordan Time. These submissions must be sent via email ONLY to the following address: [email protected]. In the subject line of the email write: BRICC Capability Statement” - Sources Sought Notice.