USAID/WA Trade Hub and African Partner Network Project

Pre-Solicitation Notice The purpose of this notice is to comply with the synopses and pre-solicitation notice requirements of FAR 5.2 - Synopses of Proposed Contract Actions. Any solicitation resulting from this notice will be handled in accordance with FAR 5.102(d); therefore, availability of any resulting solicitation package may be limited to this electronic medium. This is NOT an invitation for Bid (IFB) or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and in no way obligates the US Government to issue a RFP/IFB and/or award a contract. The information herein below is released for wide dissemination to all parties and is indicative only. The information is subject to modification and is in no way binding to government and the estimate is based on the best information available at this time. Subject to the availability of funds, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in West Africa, intends to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for "USAID/WA Trade Hub and African Partner Network" Contract. The estimated dollar range for the project is approximately $50 million - $60 million and expected to be available over 5 years. It is expected that the solicitation will be released/issued in and around June 2012. You are advised to regularly check this site for future updates or information and look-out for a formal RFP. DO NOT SEND ANY PROPOSALS OR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE FORMAL RFP IS POSTED. Action Code: R499 - Professional, administrative, and management support services 2. Date: February 9, 2012 3. Contracting Office Zip Code: 20521-2020 4. Classification Code: 541990 5. Contracting Office Address: Regional Acquisition & Assistance Office USAID/WA No. 24, IVth Circular Road, Cantonments, Accra. Ghana 6. Subject: USAID/West Africa Trade Hub Network Project 7. Proposed Solicitation Number: TBD 8. Closing Response Date: Not Applicable / No response required 9. Contact Point/Contracting Officer: Yves B. Kore / Crystal Byrd-Ogbadu /Naveen Srivastava ykore@usaid.gov; cbyrd@usaid.gov nsrivastava@usaid.gov 10. Description: The Mission's proposed project will assist farmers and firms to increase trade in key grains and livestock in line with the regional trade goals that are presented in the USAID/West Africa Feed the Future strategy (USAID/WA FTF Strategy). USAID/West Africa will also support the Africa Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Initiative (ACTE) goals of creating jobs and reducing poverty through value added exports (http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2011/pr110609_1.html). The highest Mission-level objective of both FTF and ACTE initiatives is to assist countries in West Africa to achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) One-Eradicating Hunger and Extreme Poverty. The proposed USAID/WA Trade Hub and African Partner Network Contract (or "Trade Hub Network") will continue and enhance the work of three USAID projects - the Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (ATP) project, the Enhanced Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (EATP) project, and the West Africa Trade Hub. More information on the Trade Hub project activities can be found at http://www.watradehub.com/ and for ATP/E-ATP projects activities can be found at http://www.agribizafrica.org/. USAID/West Africa's Trade Hub Network Contract will increasingly rely on African Partners, i.e. regional associations and organizations, private and public, to make progress in addressing constraints to private sector development and the agri-business enabling environment through complementary USAID direct grants and sub-grants under contract. 11. Place of Contract Performance: West Africa countries 12. Set-Aside status: None 13. Sub-Contracting Opportunities: The successful Contractor and subcontractor at any tier that has a subcontracting opportunity exceeding $10,000 will transmit notice to GPE to seek competition for sub-contracts, to increase participation by qualified small business, small, small disadvantaged, women-owned small business, veteran-owned small business and service-disabled veteran owned small business concerns to meet established subcontracting plan goals.