Request for Information on USAID/Ethiopia Climate Resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Activity 720-663-21-RFI-00008

Activity Title: USAID Climate Resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Reference Number: 720-663-21-RFI-00008 Date: July 26, 2021 Response Due Date and Time: August 16, 2021, 4:00 PM Addis Ababa Time Response Email Addresses: caddis@usaid.gov and tyifru@usaid.gov This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued solely for information and planning purposes. This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue any solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunity, or ultimately award a contract or assistance agreement on the basis of the RFI, or to pay for any information voluntarily submitted as a result of this request. Responses to this RFI shall not be portrayed as proposals and will not be accepted by the U.S. Government (USG) to form a binding agreement. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. It should be noted that responding to or providing comment on this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement. The RFI is a preliminary call for expressions of interest for a potential activity to support accelerated access to inclusive and resilient water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services in the lowlands of Ethiopia as described in the Attachment. The purpose of this RFI is to solicit public feedback on the attached draft concept of the Climate Resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (CR WASH) Activity, which is expected to be a five-year activity with an estimated total value of $30-$40 million, subject to the availability of funds. Interested parties, including government, non-government organizations, academia, and the private sector are invited to provide responses to support this potential activity. In particular, USAID seeks feedback on the following key questions: Are the objectives described in the draft concept feasible to achieve? If not, how could it be better designed? Sanitation and hygiene gains, including menstrual health and hygiene, have been particularly hard-won in the lowlands. What is the primary bottleneck? Are there additional approaches to consider to ensure sustainability that should be considered within this activity? What can be done to ensure more diversity and gender inclusivity in the implementation of this activity? What opportunities exist within this activity to incorporate disaster response approaches, emergency actors and humanitarian financing to support long-term sustainable WASH service delivery? What opportunities and constraints exist to private sector WASH service provision in the lowlands? Are there specific capacity, policy, financial, and/or institutional bottlenecks that must be addressed in order to unlock additional private sector participation? Comments and feedback on the draft concept note of the Climate Resilient WASH Activity should not exceed five (5) pages. Responding to this RFI is strictly voluntary. USAID/Ethiopia will not provide answers to any questions submitted in response to this request. USAID posts its competitive business opportunities on https://beta.sam.gov and www.grants.gov. It is the potential offeror's/applicant's responsibility to monitor these sites for announcements of new opportunities. Responses may be used by USAID without restriction or limitation. All comments and recommendations to the aforementioned questions must be submitted electronically to Ms. Tigist Yifru at tyifru@usaid.gov with a copy to caddis@usaid.gov with the subject title: - RFI: USAID/Ethiopia Climate Resilient WASH, no later than August 16, 2021 4.00 pm Addis Ababa time. Hard copy submissions will not be accepted nor will phone inquiries be intertained. Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID. Regards, /s/ Kevin Sampson Office Director, Office of Acquisition and Assistance USAID/Ethiopia