USAID/Asia Emerging Opportunities and Challenges Analytical Support Services

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Date of Issuance: April 9, 2018 Reference No.: USAID-ASIA-RFI-2018 Preliminary Activity Title: USAID/Asia Emerging Opportunities and Challenges Analytical Support Deadline to Submit Responses: April 23, 2018 05:00 PM, EST, Washington DC. Submit Response to: Abdulaziz Yousuf at ayousuf@usaid.gov and Georgia Fuller at gfuller@usaid.gov. This Request for Information (RFI) is a preliminary call for expressions of interest to partner with USAID/Asia Bureau Office of Technical Services (TS) for the delivery of a USAID/Asia Emerging Opportunities and Challenges Analytical Support contract. Any interested US and Non-US entity may respond to this RFI. Responses should include a short narrative, two pages maximum, that outlines the capabilities, strengths, and expected contributions that your organization could provide for this contract. Only organisations with Set Aside Codes should respond. SMALL BUSINESSES ONLY. This RFI is for planning purposes only. Any documenation submitted in direct response to this RFI are not offers and will not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The government is not liable for any costs or expenses associated with the creation and submission of any ressponses to this RFI. SUMMARY Draft Goal: Provide Asia Missions and the USAID Asia Bureau with the data and analytical foundation needed to anticipate and respond to development opportunities and challenges and utilize that data in policy prioritisation, development strategies and programs Draft Objectives Objective 1: Provide niche analytical support for USAID Mission strategy and program development in Asia. Successful development strategies and programs rely upon strong analytical foundations. Support provided under this objective will enable USAID/Asia Missions to develop strategies and programs that help countries progress beyond assistance. This may include conducting less-traditional, niche or cross-sectoral analyses and providing technical assistance based on best practices and other innovations in the region. Activities will support Bureau objectives on promoting inclusive and equitable growth, promoting and strengthening democratic institutions, and improving natural resource management and resilience. Illustrative analyses Assessing where a country is on a path to self-reliance, constraints to progress toward self-reliance, and opportunities to build on country-led initiatives and assets to move toward that goal. Analyses could be sector specific or at the country level depending on identified objectives. Utilizing political-economy analyses to identify challenges and opportunities for advancing national and sector-specific development priorities. Analyzing constraints to growth and identifying pathways to achieve inclusive, environmentally sustainable growth. Analyses of important areas for consideration for development programming, including gender, conflict vulnerability, urbanization, disaster risk reduction and preparedness, and human capital, utilizing USAID analytical frameworks as applicable. Using newly published data and analyzing how it fits in the Asia context, for example recent studies from The Lancet on air quality and impacts on health Illustrative technical assistance Facilitating USAID strategy and program development processes Integrating systems thinking, complexity awareness, and adaptive management into particular strategy development and program design Providing technical assistance on particular strategy and program documents Objective 2: Investigate emerging development opportunities and challenges in Asia Continual scrutiny of economic, social, political, and technological change is essential to seed innovation, capitalize on opportunities, and overcome challenges. Work under this objective will investigate emerging trends and issues that will significantly impact Asian countries and propose how USAID could capitalize on new opportunities and address emerging challenges. An understanding of the cross-sectoral nature of emerging opportunities will be a critical component to helping actualise objectives in the Asia Bureau strategy. Illustrative areas of study Rapid innovation in cyber technology continually changes how people communicate and access information, how social services are provided, and how government and businesses are run. What new development opportunities and threats does this pose across Asia in areas such as engaging citizens; supporting inclusive economic growth; preventing conflict, violence and transnational crime; building environmental resilience; and resisting disinformation and political interference? As Asia's urban populations continue to expand, especially in secondary cities, how can development assistance support resilience and mitigate the political, economic, social, health, and environmental threats posed by urban environments? That development opportunities and risks arise due to mass international and domestic labor migration in Asia? Where, to what degree, and how should USAID address labor migration in it's strategies and programs? Objective 3: Enable dissemination and application of analytical and programmatic learning for USAID and Asia regional stakeholders The provision of analytical support and investigation of opportunities and challenges is only useful if it is successfully absorbed by USAID and its stakeholders and applied at the practical level. Activities under this objective will focus on disseminating learning and facilitating its application. Analytical outputs under this objective may include written reports, presentations, brown bags, participation in training events, multimedia and other tools that optimise the delivery and uptake of learning. Illustrative activities Develop innovative ways to disseminate information and learning, including new tools for application, in a way that is practical and applicable for the Asia Bureau and Missions. Facilitating application trainings for USAID, implementing partners, and/or other stakeholders Providing technical assistance to USAID Missions and/or other stakeholders