The USAID/Eastern and Southern Caribbean’s Community Resilience Initiative Broad Agency Announcement

Description

The USAID/Eastern and Southern Caribbean’s Community Resilience Initiative Broad Agency Announcement (See complete Broad Agency Announcement in the instruction link under the package section) Overview The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is issuing this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to seek participants to co-create, co-design, co-invest, and collaborate on research and development interventions for the Community Resilience Initiative that seeks to strengthen communities by addressing internal and external destabilizing factors, specifically the recent influx of Venezuelan migrants to Trinidad & Tobago (T&T). USAID invites organizations and companies to submit an Expression of Interest, as provided below. The intent of the BAA is to allow co-creation and co-design to the maximum extent to create high quality, effective partnerships with great efficiency in time and resources. USAID will invite selected for-profit and non-profit, public and private organizations, as detailed below, to co-create research and development (R&D) solutions to the Problem and Challenge Statement stated in this BAA, including those organizations that have ideas, expertise, resources, and/or funding to add to potential solutions. USAID/ESC wants to align goals with the partners under this BAA, to facilitate shared responsibility, shared risk, shared resourcing or co-investing. Shared resourcing requires that cash and other resources, both tangible and intangible, such as in-kind contributions, expertise, intellectual property, brand value, high-value coordination, and access to key people, places, and information, are directed towards reaching the solution to the Problem/Challenge. Co-investing does not require equal shared resources (such as 1:1 leverage), but rather financial contributions that are appropriate to the specific project’s objectives, considering the comparative advantages brought by the participation of each party. Problem and Challenge Statement This Problem Statement describes the objectives of the U.S. Agency for International Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean Mission (USAID/ESC) for an activity that will strengthen community resilience and capacity to address internal and external destabilizing factors, specifically the recent influx of Venezuelan migrants to Trinidad and Tobago. The activity will allow potential contractors/partners the flexibility to develop cost effective solutions and propose innovative approaches to meet the stated objectives. USAID/ESC will assess potential contractors/partners based on their proposed solutions to the stated objectives and illustrative results outlined below. The activity should provide targeted community strengthening services to municipalities with high crime and violence. The activity should increase opportunities for highly vulnerable migrant and local populations and deter recruitment of children and youth into crime and violence or other exploitative or extremist activities. To achieve this, the activity will work in close collaboration with regional corporations, civil society organizations, and other key actors. USAID/ESC is seeking to develop and test new and innovative approaches towards actionable solutions to strengthen communities’ resilience to destabilizing factors in T&T. These solutions will be focused on specific locations (at a municipal or community level) that are expected to be identified during Stage 2 of this BAA. Innovation will be critical to addressing the recent challenge of irregular migration to a country comprised of two islands in the West Indies in the Caribbean. The project design should increase the resilience and safety of communities in Trinidad and Tobago by strengthening the capacity of targeted populations, organizations, and networks. Proposed solutions and activities should be replicable, scalable, sustainable, and account for the need to eventually transfer of the response to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago or other stakeholders. Flexibility in modifying solutions and activities to respond to changes in the country context is key to the success of the innovation transfer process. Broad Agency Announcement Expression of Interest Submission: A. Expression of Interest (s) should: - Be in English, no more than 2 pages in length, and no smaller than 12 point font; - Be submitted electronically to dropportunities@usaid.gov with a copy to andiaz@usaid.gov. - Contain a header with the following information (included in the page count): 1) Respondent Name/Group and Contact Information; 2) Response Title; 3) BAA Name/Number; 4) Optional graphic that fits on an 8.5”x11” or A4 piece of paper (included in the page limit); - Be in editable .pdf or Microsoft Word format. Organizations can submit more than one EoI. B. Review of Submitted EOIs The following criteria will be applied to all expressions of interest: 1. Idea/Approach: In evaluating the idea/approach, USAID/ESC will focus on how the applicant contributes fresh, informed and realistic thinking, and how the applicant uses supporting evidence and analysis. The idea/approach will not be judged solely on its merit, but in addition to the qualities that the applicant would bring to the discussion. 2. Partnership Expectations and Value: Strengths of your group as a partner, including the talent your organization would bring to the discussion, and your ability, if any, to provide a financial, in-kind, or leveraged match at various stages of the process. 3. Diversity of Perspectives and Capabilities: USAID/ESC seeks to bring together a diverse set of co-creators in collaboration in order to enable broader thinking and innovation. The selection of individual applicants will be with the goal of achieving this diversity. C. Selection Process Selection: USAID/ESC will review and select EoI submitted in accordance with the guidelines and criteria above. USAID reserves the right to disregard any expressions of interest that do not meet the guidelines. Stage 1: Selected groups will be invited to join the co-design process which will consist of a cocreation workshop(s) in Trinidad & Tobago, estimated to be in March 2019, where USAID, partners, and selected groups will gather to collaboratively develop the program(s). Travel costs for participants will not be reimbursed by USAID. The exact date and location will be shared with the selected EoIs once the selection process is completed. USAID is not obligated to issue a financial instrument or award as a result of this Opportunity. Please submit any questions regarding this BAA no later than by COB February 8, 2019 to andiaz@usaid.gov EOIs Response Date Please submit your expression of interest in English to dropportunities@usaid.gov and andiaz@usaid.gov no later than noon (12:00m) EST, February 19, 2019.

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