To conduct monitoring and evaluation services for Feed the Future (FTF) project's various components.

Solicitation Number: SOL-367-12-000007 Solicitation Type: Pre-Solicitation Notice Project Title: Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) for Feed the Future (FTF) Nepal Agency: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office: USAID/Nepal Location: Kathmandu Place of Performance: Nepal Estimated price: $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 Tentative Solicitation Date: June 2012 Tentative Proposal Due Date: August 2012 Estimated Period of Performance: November 15, 2012 - November 14, 2017 with one-year option Small Business Considerations: Not Applicable Source/Origin/Nationality: This procurement will be limited to local Nepali organizations. Pursuant to Section 7077 of Public Law 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-74), titled "Local Competition Authority", which specifically authorizes limiting competition for contracts valued at $5 million or less to local entities, if doing so would result in cost savings, develop local capacity, or enable the Agency to initiate a program or activity in appreciably less time than if competition were not so limited. The authorized geographic code for the procurement of goods and services under this award is 937, which is defined as the United States, the cooperating/recipient country, and developing countries other than advanced developing countries, and excluding prohibited sources. USAID maintains a list of developing countries, advanced developing countries, and prohibited sources, which is available in USAID's Automated Directives System, ADS 310. Description of Proposed Work: USAID/Nepal has developed a food security project that responds to the objectives of USAID's Feed the Future (FTF) Presidential Initiative as well as the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) country plan led by the Government of Nepal. The overall goal of this FTF project is to reduce hunger and poverty while improving nutrition in Nepal. FTF has three primary and integrated components which focus on: A) Agricultural productivity, B) Nutrition, and C) Business literacy (literacy, numeracy, and entrepreneurial skills). The purpose of this pre-solicitation notice is to notify that the U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID) Mission to Nepal intends to award a five-year contract with an additional one-year option through full and open competition among Nepali organizations. The Contractor will be expected to conduct Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) services for the FTF project's various components. The work under the M&E contract will include: baseline, mid-term, and endline performance-based data collection and the associated activities; robust data analysis; drafting of reports to summarize findings and provide conclusions; final impact evaluation; and dissemination of the information to USAID and the public. Through a separate USAID agreement with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), technical backstopping, data analysis support, and organizational training will be provided to the M&E contractor for the first three years of this contract. It is estimated that the FTF M&E RFP will be issued on www.fedbizopps.gov in June 2012 barring any unforeseeable delays. USAID will not entertain questions until after the RFP is issued. When the RFP is issued, any amendments thereof will be posted at www.fedbizopps.gov. It is also planned to hold a pre-proposal conference after the RFP is issued. Interested parties are advised to periodically monitor the above website for updates concerning this procurement. To view a brief Power Point presentation on FTF, please go to USAID/Nepal's public website: http://nepal.usaid.gov/. The presentation should be listed in the "In the Spotlight" section of the homepage. Additional FTF M&E resources are available at: http://www.feedthefuture.gov/progress. Interested parties are advised to periodically monitor USAID/Nepal's public website for possible updates or new information. Prospective Offerors are advised that this procurement is subject to the availability of funds. This pre-solicitation notice in no way obligates USAID to award a Contract nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal.