issue date: october 27, 2020

Issue Date: October 27, 2020 Deadline for Question: November 10, 2020 Closing Date: December 3, 2020 Closing Time: 4:00 pm (Dhaka time) Subject: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number: 72038821RFA00001 Program Title: Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 98.001 Ladies/Gentlemen: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applications for a cooperative agreement from qualified entities to implement the Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity. Eligibility for this award is not restricted. USAID intends to make an award to the applicant who best meets the objectives of this funding opportunity based on the merit review criteria described in this NOFO subject to a risk assessment. Eligible parties interested in submitting an application are encouraged to read this NOFO thoroughly to understand the type of program sought, application submission requirements and selection process. To be eligible for award, the applicant must provide all information as required in this NOFO and meet eligibility standards in Section C of this NOFO. This funding opportunity is posted on www.grants.gov, and may be amended. It is the responsibility of the applicant to regularly check the website to ensure they have the latest information pertaining to this notice of funding opportunity and to ensure that the NOFO has been received from the internet in its entirety. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. If you have difficulty registering on www.grants.gov or accessing the NOFO, please contact the Grants.gov Helpdesk at 1-800-518-4726 or via email at [email protected] for technical assistance. USAID may not award to an applicant unless the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifiers and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements detailed in Section C.3. The registration process may take many weeks to complete. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to begin registration early in the process. Please send any questions to the point(s) of contact identified in Section D. The deadline for questions is shown above. Responses to questions received prior to the deadline will be furnished to all potential applicants through an amendment to this notice posted to www.grants.gov.

http://www.grants.gov/

mailto:[email protected]

NOFO # 72038821RFA00001 Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity

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Issuance of this notice of funding opportunity does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in preparation or submission of comments/suggestions or an application. Applications are submitted at the risk of the applicant. All preparation and submission costs are at the applicant’s expense. Thank you for your interest in USAID programs. Sincerely, Abdullah Akbar Agreement Officer


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 4

SECTION B: FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION 24

SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 25

SECTION D: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 27

SECTION E: APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 31

SECTION F: FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 32

SECTION G: FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT(S) 49

SECTION H: OTHER INFORMATION 50

ANNEX 1 - REFERENCES 51

ATTACHMENT 1: PHASE 2 SAMPLE INSTRUCTIONS AND MERIT REVIEW CRITERIA 52

ATTACHMENT 2: INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION (IEE), “Asia 17-078-MTF-12" 63

END OF NOFO 63


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SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity

List of Acronyms

ADS Automated Directives System AOR Agreement Officer’s Representative AI Artificial Insemination BLRI Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute BSTI Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution BEO Bureau Environmental Officer CDCS Country Development and Cooperation Strategy CLA Collaborating, Learning and Adaptive DLS Department of Livestock Services DQA Data Quality Assessment EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan FTF Feed the Future FMD Foot-and-Mouth disease FAO-ECTAD FAO’s Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Disease GDP Gross Domestic Product IR Intermediate Result IEE Initial Environmental Examination LSP Local Service Provider MT Metric Ton MEO Mission Environmental Officer PERSUAP Pesticide Evaluation Report and Safe Use Action Plan SBC Social Behavior Change USG United States Government ZOI Zone of Influence ZOR Zone of Resilience


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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1.0 Introduction

USAID/Bangladesh intends to award a five-year Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition activity, hereinafter referred to as the Livestock & Nutrition activity, with the goal of sustainably increasing livestock productivity, marketability and consumption of livestock products within the Feed the Future Zone of Influence (FTF ZOI).1 The Activity will a) facilitate productivity enhancing technologies and practices such as processing and preservation of fodder for year-round livestock feeding; b) support enhanced dairy processing and preservation into diversified nutritious products, as a means to increase consumption of dairy products, especially in the rural areas; c) promote the consumption of diversified and safe livestock products, especially in the rural areas; d) collaborate with appropriate agencies such as the Department of Livestock Services (DLS), Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) and the FAO’s Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Disease (ECTAD) to tackle current and emerging pests and diseases with appropriate prevention and control measures in order to minimize losses at farm level; and e) use lessons learned to facilitate increased access to credit from microfinance and other financial institutions. The focus of this Activity will be on ruminants. The Livestock and Nutrition activity will build on the success and lessons learned from the implementation of the USAID-funded Feed the Future (FTF) Bangladesh Livestock Production for Improved Nutrition activity. The successful applicant will adopt a market systems approach and private sector engagement in the implementation of the Activity in order to ensure the sustainability of its interventions beyond the cessation of funding and to contribute to Bangladesh becoming a self-reliant country. The five-year activity will be comprised of three interrelated components: Component 1: Increased Livestock Productivity Component 2: Increased marketability of livestock products at the national and subnational levels Component 3: Increased household consumption of safe and diversified livestock products This Activity will be implemented within the FTF Zone of Influence, consisting of twenty one districts in the southwest region of the country: Barisal, Barguna, Bhola, Jhalokati, Patuakhali, and Pirojpur in Barishal Division; Bagerhat, Chuadanga, Kusthia, Jashore, Jhenaidah, Khulna, Magura, Meherpur, Narail, and Satkhira in Khulna Division; and Gopalganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Faridpur and Rajbari in Dhaka Division. It will also be implemented in the USAID/Bangladesh Zone of Resilience, which consists of two districts in the southeast region: Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban districts in Chattogram Division.

1 The Zone of Influence consists of twenty-one southwestern districts in the Barisal Division (Barisal, Bhola, Jhalokati, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali), Dhaka Division (Faridpur, Gopalganj, Madaripur, Rajbari, Shariatpur), Khulna Division (Jessore, Jhenaidah, Magura, Narail, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Chuadanga, Meherpur), while the Zone of Resilience consists of two southeastern districts of Chattogram Division (Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar).


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2.0 Background 2.1 Country Context Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty over the last decade. Following 10 years of sustained annual growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over six percent, Bangladesh crossed the lower-middle income threshold for the first time in July 2015. The proportion of people living on less than $1.25 per day fell from 31.5 to 24.3 percent from 2010 to 2016 and in 2011-2016, per capita nominal annual income increased from $835.79 to $1,358.78.2 In spite of recent economic growth that has elevated overall GDP, Bangladesh still ranks 135 out of 189 countries in the 2019 Human Development Report.3 With approximately 163 million people, Bangladesh is one of the most densely

2 Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS), Bangladesh Country Plan, 2018 3 Human Development Report by UNDP, 2019 (https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/human-development-index-2019- bangladesh-moves-notch-1838578)


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populated countries in the world and demographic trends indicate that this number will grow to around 220 million by 2050. The agriculture sector plays an important role in the overall economic development of Bangladesh, accounting for 41 percent of the actively employed labor force and 14.74 percent of the national GDP.4 With 24 percent of the population currently living below the poverty line5, the average farm size of one acre is already quite small and is declining with continued population growth. Due to high population growth, there is land scarcity for agricultural production, which is exacerbated by a substantial amount of arable land that is lost every year as a result of urbanization, river erosion and salinization. Climatic changes also pose significant risks for Bangladesh, with 20-30 percent of the country normally flooded each year. Southwestern Bangladesh, especially Barishal and Khulna regions, situated in the low-lying delta of the Bay of Bengal, are very much affected by severe tidal surges, annual flooding, cyclones, and increasing soil and water salination that hampers agricultural productivity. However, the southern region which was previously known as the ‘breadbasket’ of the country has great potential for agricultural production and food security of the country. 2.2 Livestock Sector Livestock is an integral component of the farming system in Bangladesh. According to Bangladesh’s Department of Livestock Services report (2017-18), its contribution to the national GDP is about 1.5 percent and about 14 percent to agricultural GDP. In spite of its modest share of overall GDP, livestock plays an important role in the sustenance of landless people and provides livelihood options for the poor rural households. Most of these rural households rear livestock for generation of income, and for milk and meat consumption to meet their nutrition requirement. It is estimated that about 20 percent of agricultural employment is directly associated with the livestock sector6. Bangladesh has made significant progress in the livestock sector over the past decade. According to the Government’s Department of Livestock Services (DLS), milk and meat production were 2.9 and 1.9 million Metric Ton (MT) respectively in FY 2010-11, increasing to 9.9 million MT and 7.5 million MT respectively in FY 2018-19. In spite of this increase in production, a multitude of problems such as unavailability of improved breeds of cattle, poor husbandry practices, inefficient dairy value chain, lack of adequate veterinary services, inadequate artificial insemination facilities, and shortage of quality feeds and fodder continue to inhibit increased livestock productivity. Livestock production in Bangladesh is heavily influenced by agro-ecological zones that vary significantly from north to south. Commercial livestock production is largely practiced in the Northern and Northwestern part of Bangladesh because of the favorable climatic and topographic conditions in those regions. Although Southern Bangladesh has a good number of cattle (about 20 percent of the total cattle population in the country), the region faces many constraints for livestock development such as natural disasters, and underdeveloped infrastructure. In the design of this Livestock & Nutrition activity, the Mission, through the current FTF Bangladesh Livestock Production for Improved Nutrition activity, organized a series of

4 Bangladesh Economic Review 2017, 97p 5 Asian Development Bank. Basic Statistic 2019 6 Bangladesh Department of livestock Services Data Sheet (2017-18)


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workshops across five different regions of Bangladesh with the aim of engaging stakeholders within the entire livestock sector. The objectives of the workshops were to i) share the successes and lessons learned over the last five years from the implementation of the current Livestock activity; ii) receive feedback from stakeholders on the current status of the livestock sector in the country (including challenges and opportunities); and iii) consult with stakeholders on the way forward in the development of the livestock sector in Bangladesh. The five workshops were held in Jashore, Khulna, Barishal, Cox’s Bazar, and Dhaka, which were attended by a variety of local community stakeholders from government (national and subnational), academia, private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), non-government organizations (NGOs), religious institutions, and livestock value chain actors. Lessons learned from the current FTF Livestock Production for Improved Nutrition Activity along with the issues identified during the workshops are outlined below. In each case, female farmers have been more negatively impacted than male farmers by the issues raised. 2.2.1 Livestock Production and Productivity (a) Seasonal availability of fodder A lack of adequate year-round fodder for livestock feeding is a challenge for smallholder farmers. The inadequacy is due to several factors such as land scarcity, flooding caused by seasonal monsoons, high levels of salinity of available land (particularly in the dry season), lack of technical expertise for production of fodder in these difficult environments, a lack of technologies for producing silage or preserving fodder for dry season feeding, and a lack of storage space. In districts such as Barishal, the primary challenge is that the district is flood-prone and experiences high salinity and waterlogging during the monsoon season. As a result, it is difficult to cultivate fodder in these low-lying areas and to engage in commercial fodder production. However, lessons learned from the current Livestock activity indicates that despite challenges, if farmers are provided proper knowledge and technologies, they can increase fodder production by utilizing their available fallow land around/near their homes. As a result, there has been a lot of scope to engage women farmers in this initiative. For example, due to the interventions of the current Livestock activity, farmers have transformed 1,518 hectares of fallow land into fodder plots. This is not only supplying these farmers with fodder to feed their cows but it is also enabling them to be fodder entrepreneurs who earn money by selling surplus fodder. Currently, there are 363 fodder entrepreneurs involved with fodder production, out of which 108 are women. Popular fodder species that are cultivated in Bangladesh include napier grass, jumbo grass and sweet jamboo grass. However, there is also a limited cultivation of pasture legumes in the country, especially in the southwest region. (b) Commercial Feeds The use of commercial feeds by smallholder farmers for cattle production is very limited. This is because many smallholder farmers are unaware of the benefits or correct methods of feeding commercial feeds, which are often not accessible to them as they are mostly sold to large commercial farmers. The current Livestock activity has also discovered that commercial feeds are sold in large quantities of up to 100 kg instead of smaller quantities such as 5-10 kg. As a result, the bags of feed are too expensive for purchase by the smallholder farmers. Packaging in large bags is also unsuitable for the needs of smallholder farmers who have small numbers of cattle and lack the ability to transport large feed bags to their farms, which are often located in remote areas.


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In some cases, farmers do not understand that nutrient dense feeds could be fed to animals in less quantity even though they are more expensive. As a result, farmers use homemade feed that does not meet the nutrition requirements of their animals and even when they use commercial feeds, they tend to overfeed their livestock. There are also concerns about the consistent quality of commercial feed because they are usually brought from urban centers, which can be very far away. Consequently, with poor transportation and storage facilities, the final costs of the feed are exorbitant, and the quality of the feed that is supplied is doubtful. Smallholder farmers, who cultivate or have access to grains such as maize, wheat, and rice, also purchase concentrate feeds instead of commercial feeds for use in feeding their cattle. The concentrate feed is then mixed with the grain to produce a complete feed, thereby reducing the costs of feeds for their animals. (c) Animal Health Services Animal diseases can have a major impact on public health, the economy and international trade, food security and livelihood of households, particularly vulnerable households. The availability of vaccines as well as properly trained veterinary workers to administer them are challenges to ensuring increased livestock productivity and production, as well as the production of safe livestock products for consumption. Diseases such as Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD) are prevalent in the livestock sector. It is equally important to control the transboundary animal diseases coming from abroad such as from India or Myanmar. However, the current quarantine systems at the country’s different ports are not functioning adequately due to lack of skilled human resources and modern facilities. As a result, new and emerging cattle diseases, such as Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), have been reported in Bangladesh. The disease was first reported in the country in July 2019, mainly caused by viral pox and is infectious in nature. LSD causes permanent hide damage, reduced milk production, abortion, infertility, and death. Some farmers tend to vaccinate their cattle only when they are sick and not based on the appropriate vaccination schedule. One of the findings of the National Food Policy of Action and the Country Investment Plan of 2008 – 2017: Monitoring Report (May 2017) was that the production and supply of livestock vaccines are inadequate. This report revealed that the total number of ruminant population in the country is about 54.6 million while the vaccine production is 12.3 million doses. In addition, licensing for producing or importing vaccines is slow and when these vaccines are available, transportation to rural and remote areas is also a significant challenge. For example, due to the relative isolation of Barishal district, the lack of access to cattle vaccines is more acute than in some other districts. The challenges of transporting animals over long distances to government animal health clinics/hospitals for vaccinations make some farmers choose to vaccinate the animals themselves. Vaccines require cold storage for quality maintenance, but this is hampered by inadequate cold chain facilities in the country. In addition, lessons learned from implementation of the current Livestock activity revealed that there is a lack of skilled manpower to provide animal health services to the farmers and that the interventions of the government’s Department of Livestock Services are limited by resource constraint. As a result, the livestock local service providers (LSPs) are assisting the government to reduce the gap. Under the current Livestock activity, the LSPs such as the animal health workers received training from recognized Veterinary and Animal Science Institutes (for example, the Department of Veterinary and Animal Science of Bangladesh Agricultural University and Rajshahi University, and Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Science University) and they are working closely with the local livestock offices. Therefore, the private animal health workers’ role could be instrumental if they are properly trained and well connected with other value chain actors.


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(d) Improved Breeds of Animals The genetic makeup of indigenous livestock in Bangladesh is generally poor and characterized by low productivity. Artificial insemination (AI) is a technology for improving the breeds of cows, especially for those farmers who cannot afford to buy crossbreeds. Although farmers have shown interest in the use of AI technology to improve their cattle breed and productivity, the breeding rate from AI is mostly poor because of a lack of expertise of AI technicians, which results in low conception rates of as low as 35 percent. Many AI technicians lack even the skills to determine the ovulation period of an animal in order to successfully provide insemination services. Farmers are also unable to detect when their cows are on heat and as such, are unable to know when to request for AI services. This is compounded by silent heat (or sub- estrus) during which a cow does not display any of the obvious signs of heat such as sniffing of other cows, mounting, standing to be mounted, or acting nervous and excitable. This makes it difficult for farmers to detect when the cows are in heat or ovulation stage. There is also the problem of repeat breeding due to poor conception rates and this has the potential risk of injury of a cow, as well economic loss of a second or third attempt of AI administration. There is also a concern about the quality of the storage facilities for and the logistical challenges of transporting the semen to the place of need in order to ensure optimal condition when used. In Barishal district, materials for AI are transported from Rajbari district, a distance of about 161 - 213 km. Consequently, as a result of poor transportation systems and inadequate cold storage logistics, the effectiveness of the semen is in doubt. Farmers, especially those in the rural and remote areas, have also complained about the excessive costs of procuring AI services despite the fixed prices by the government. Unfortunately, these farmers do not have a platform for channeling feedback to animal health companies or government agencies about their AI experiences. The issue of a lack of adequate record keeping of breeds of cattle is also a concern as AI technicians and farmers are often unable to keep accurate track of ovulation cycles or progeny records. Farmers are also suspicious of AI services with regards to the sources of the semen that are used and the possibility of inbreeding, which can reduce the genetic diversity and productivity of a cow. Farmers’ breed preferences are not always guaranteed at birth while records of insemination and progeny are severely lacking. Some private organizations are starting to keep digital records or utilize Apps like those from mPower or Grameenphone, but a challenge to maintaining them is getting people to use the software platforms. (e) Local Service Providers The Department of Livestock Service (DLS) of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, is mandated to provide extension services and information to livestock farmers. However, the agency cannot meet the demand because of resource constraints, especially the lack of the required number of skilled extension workers at the ground level. To supplement the Government's livestock extension work, the current Livestock activity has created a resource pool of local service providers (LSPs) who deliver livestock related services to farmers. The pool consists of both male and female service providers, and could be a viable employment option for rural youth and women. However, female local service providers (LSPs) often lack transportation, which poses a challenge, as their delivery of livestock services requires a lot of movement. In addition, they also lack expertise in administration of cattle vaccines.


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(f) Underutilization of the chilling capacity of major dairy processors A major barrier to the development of the dairy sector is that the major formal dairy processors within the FTF ZOI (Milk-Vita, Akij, and BRAC Dairy) collect a very small quantity of milk compared to the level produced by dairy farmers, which result in underutilization of the chilling facilities for milk aggregation and distribution. It is estimated that only 30 percent of the storage space at these large companies is being used. If properly utilized to full capacity, smallholder farmers will significantly increase the sales of their milk in the formal market. (g) Access to Finance A lack of access to financial products from formal financial institutions, including agricultural bank loans, is a barrier to developing the livestock sector. Livestock farmers struggle to get appropriate loan products directly through the banks or through their agents. A majority of the smallholder farmers can't afford bank loans due to high transaction costs and collateral. Many low interest loan products are still in their infancy and many farmers lack financial literacy or even an awareness of the availability of agricultural loans. In addition, the percentage of loans to dairy farmers is low compared to overall agricultural loans. Major commercial banks focus on large scale loans instead of providing small scale loans to smallholder farmers. Whatever the options available, the smallholder farmers cannot avail the opportunities because of lack of awareness, or proper documentation which a smallholder farmer cannot accomplish because of lack of financial literacy. A lack of marketing on the part of financial institutions and a lack of technical support/services accompanying loans inhibit appropriate utilization of loans. Although the interest rate of government guaranteed loans is low, when the loans are channeled to farmers in smaller amounts through NGOs, the interest rates are substantially higher and therefore too expensive for many of them. There is, therefore, a concern of a lack of government monitoring and supervision of these loans. Some of the agricultural loans include features that are desirable to smallholder farmers, such as insurance policies for reducing risks of cattle production in case of natural disasters, or if the borrower or the spouse were to die. However, bank officials lack knowledge of these features nor do they understand the technical aspects of livestock farming, which constrains them in designing the appropriate loan packages for farmers. For example, a beef loan package may require weekly or monthly payment installments, which will be difficult for a beef farmer who will only make money when the cattle have reached market weight and are sold. However, the major lesson learned from the current Livestock activity is that if the financial products are appropriately designed and can serve the needs of borrowers, they will be profitable for both the borrowers and the financial service providers. In that case, effective advisory services (e.g. training, information, financial literacy) should be embedded and bundled with the financial product, which would enable proper utilization of financial resources by the farmers. 2.2.2 Marketing of Livestock Products a) Milk marketing Milk marketing and processing in Bangladesh are largely informal. The smallholder producers sell their surplus milk to various marketing intermediaries who in turn sell the milk to the individual consumers, restaurants & tea stalls. Lack of effective marketing organization at the grass-root level inhibits the farmers’ ability to sell milk. Informal milk market is much bigger than the formal market, and more than 80 percent of locally produced milk goes to the informal market. In addition, farmers sell at higher prices in the informal market when compared with the


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formal market. In some areas such as in Barishal district, the production is not sufficient for consistent supply to the formal markets. However, a number of milk supply chains, mostly around the processing companies, are currently operating in the country, establishing milk collection centers (MCC) and chilling depots in different milk pocket areas of Bangladesh, especially in the northern region and some parts of southwestern region of Bangladesh. The milk collection centers serve as a means of collecting milk, which is produced by farmers in an area and supplying it to a milk chilling depot for processing. These milk chilling depots are usually operated by either the public sector, such as the Government of Bangladesh owned Milk Vita, or by the private sector such as PRAN Dairy, BRAC Dairy, and Akij Dairy. Many milk producers offer milk prices that are very low, compared to their production costs, which serves as a disincentive for increasing milk production. Milk collectors often use a fixed rate based on the fat content of the milk and this creates a challenge for farmers as they may not be aware of the demands for milk with higher fat content. However, market cooperatives and producer groups formed by private sector firms often hinder farmers from selling their milk at specific markets. In addition, the unit price of pasteurized milk is lower than that of fresh milk and as such, most consumers prefer imported pasteurized milk, which is usually cheaper. Finally, concerns about safe quality milk and dairy products limit consumption. For example, there have been complaints from consumers about expired milk packages. Therefore, consumer trust needs to be improved through peer networks and positive media reporting, along with proper intervention to correct the supply chain issues. Lessons learned from the current Livestock activity shows that when the local processor is able to ensure the use of cold chain from collection to processing, and the national retailer is able to maintain the same protocols to markets, it is a viable business to bring local products to national market.

(b) Availability of diversified value-added meat and milk products There is a lack of diversified, value-added dairy products that appeal to a wider customer base and increase dairy consumption. Under the current Livestock activity, it has been identified that local processors have difficulties in obtaining the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) certification required for liquid milk or value-added dairy products that can be sold in the formal marketplace. Obtaining BSTI certification is a logistical hassle that is exacerbated by the difficulty of ensuring that milk producers are following proper hygienic practices. Farmers and processors are thus discouraged from branching out into developing diversified products that could increase their incomes. The limited number of slaughterhouses and the low patronage of these slaughterhouses cause meat from slaughterhouses to end up in informal markets where it is sold without certification of health and safety standards. 2.2.3 Household Consumption of Safe and Diversified Livestock Products Household consumption of milk and meat In addition to milk consumption, it can also be processed into traditional sweets, yoghurt, ghee, pasteurized milk, butter, and ice cream.7 Increased availability of milk and meat products as a result of improved livestock productivity could encourage increased consumption by rural

7 Jabbar , M. A. 2010. Policy barriers for dairy value chain development in Bangladesh with a focus on the northwest region. CARE Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 71 pp.


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households. Consumption of milk and meat especially in the rural areas needs to increase so as to contribute to improving the household nutrition status. Low consumption may be due to people not being aware of the health benefits of meat and dairy products. As an example, it was mentioned during the consultative workshops that in Tala, an upazila in the Satkhira District, there is a tendency not to drink milk after a certain age and in many homes, children tend not to want to drink milk. In Cox’s Bazar, high prices of milk dissuade many people from buying it. Milk producers sell their best quality products in the markets and set aside lower quality products for home consumption. In addition, when milk prices are high, local producers often sell all the milk to dairy companies rather than saving some for home consumption. When feed costs are high, farmers also tend to sell their milk and leave less for home consumption. In the Barishal region, there is a lack of surplus milk production, which could be responsible for the inadequate local dairy processors or dairy market development, and the lack of diversification of dairy products. Consumers also have concerns or misperceptions about the quality of milk they have access to. For example, there is a negative perception amongst consumers that dairy farms add water to dilute milk and a general skepticism of the quality of milk products. News in recent years of harmful antibiotics found in some popular milk brands have posed a problem for farmers and the dairy industry as a whole. Another challenge to milk consumption is a general lack of electricity in rural areas that limits storage of milk and milk products. Lessons learned from the current Livestock activity indicate that under severe economic crunch, many households choose to consume less and sell more of their milk so as to earn additional income. Women, in particular, who make livestock-related decisions for their household, set aside 23 percent less milk for their household than men. This is primarily because many women see increased dairy production as an avenue for covering the important expenses that women typically handle, such as school fees, medical expenses, and loan debts. 2.2.4 Information and Communication Technology for improved livestock productivity Many smallholder farmers do not know how to use available technologies for livestock production. They either do not have smartphones or lack the expertise to use the technology. Many LSPs or AI technicians also do not know how to use these tools. Majority of these Apps are also not user-friendly. Therefore, there is a need for the enhancement of technologies that can be used to provide more information on input supply, farm management practices, market systems, etc. 3.0 Problem Statement Despite recent progress, meat and milk production in Bangladesh is still below national demand. For example, the total milk production is about 9.4 MT compared to the demand of about 15.3 MT including the import markets. However, the imported milk competes with the local markets and is being considered as a barrier to the growth of the domestic dairy market. The majority of the imported milk is being used by urban consumers for baby food and other purposes. According to the 2016 Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey (BHIES), per capita per day milk consumption stands at only 27.31 ml as opposed to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended 250 ml. Therefore, to increase availability, accessibility and utilization of livestock products, these constraints must be addressed.


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3.1 Livestock Production and Productivity i. Seasonal availability of fodder: There is a need to explore other varieties of grass and leguminous species that would complement existing species in the country. More awareness on the cultivation and use of appropriate pasture species needs to be created, including the use of fodder trees. Preservation of fodder could be a useful tool to overcome the seasonality barrier and to ensure fodder supply throughout the year. More women livestock farmers could be engaged in this process as data from the current Livestock activity indicates that more than 80 percent of smallholder livestock farmers are women. The use of saline tolerant, flood tolerant and pest-resistant fodder varieties should be seriously considered for the southern region of the country. In case of cultivation of non-native or invasive species, the potential environmental impact must be evaluated and the Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) must be submitted to the Mission Environmental Officer (MEO) for review and approval. ii. Availability and affordability of commercial feed: Partnerships need to be established between private sector entities, such as animal feed companies, local dealers and retailers, as well as public and private extension workers, to create awareness among farmers about the nutritional value as well as cost benefit of using complete feed. In addition, there is a need to explore how to use locally available feed ingredients to make quality and affordable feeds, while facilitating the production of concentrate feed for those farmers who have farms to produce grain. iii. Improved animal health services: There is a need to strengthen the existing livestock health services system through proper training of veterinary workers including women veterinary workers for prevention and control of current and emerging diseases and pests, as well as facilitate efficient cold chain facilities for storage and transportation of vaccines. The outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in Bangladesh is having a significant impact on the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. Therefore, there should be a strategy in place on how to combat both current and emerging livestock diseases. iv. Improved breeds of animals: The current AI service system in the country needs to be strengthened, through capacity building of both the AI technicians and farmers to improve conception rate and eliminate repeat breeding, as well as ensure adequate record keeping of ovulation cycles and progeny records. Developing public private partnership will also ensure efficient cold chain facilities for storage and transportation of semen. v. Enhanced extension services: A cadre of competent self-sustaining community-based extension workers/local service providers (LSPs) are needed to supplement the government extension work in the field. More training on improved livestock management techniques is needed for these extension workers, including strengthening female LSPs, to be more effective in the delivery of quality services towards increasing farmers’ knowledge and capacity as well as increasing farm productivity. However, for sustainability, the focus should be on the LSPs because their role in delivering livestock services would be critical to sustain activity outcomes beyond the cessation of USAID funding. 3.2 Increased marketability of livestock products at the national and subnational levels i. Milk marketing: Effective marketing organizations at the grass-root level will enhance farmers’ ability to sell milk at prices that will incentivize them to increase production and build consumers’ trust on the safety and quality of milk and dairy products.


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ii. Increased availability of diversified value-added dairy and meat products: Building the capacity of local processors so that they are able to obtain the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) certification required for liquid milk or value-added dairy products can incentivize them to branch out into developing diversified products that could increase their incomes. Proper management of slaughterhouses could increase patronage and enable purchase of meat with certification of health and safety standards. 3.3 Household Consumption of Safe and Diversified Livestock Products Increased household consumption of dairy and meat products: Increased availability and improved processing of dairy and meat products such as traditional sweets, yoghurt, ghee, pasteurized milk, butter, and ice cream could encourage increased consumption by rural households so as to improve the household nutrition status. Capacity building of processors is also important so that they understand the importance of building trust within the consumer base on the procedures of processing that ensures quality and safe dairy products. 3.4 Information and Communication Technology for improved livestock productivity: Increased use of digital tools by value chain actors will increase their access to skills, knowledge and technologies, which will enable them to increase the productivity of their farms and businesses. 4.0 Relationship to USAID strategic goals: The Livestock & Nutrition activity will contribute to achieving the USAID/Bangladesh Global Food Security Strategy Development Objectives 1: Inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth; Objective 2: Strengthened resilience among people and systems; and Objective 3: A well-nourished population, especially women and children, which aligns with USAID/Bangladesh’s Country Development and Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) Development Objective 2: Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth through Intermediate Results (IRs) 2.1: Improved agriculture sector performance; 2.2: Enhanced private sector competitiveness; and 2.3: Reduced economic vulnerability of the ultra-poor. This Activity will also contribute to achieving Development Objective 3: Improved Health and Human Capital through IR 3.3: Improved nutritional practices. Finally, the Activity will contribute to achieving Development Objective 4: Strengthened Resilience to Natural Hazards through IR 4.2 Improved adaptation to shocks and stressors. In addition, this Activity will contribute to addressing several CDCS cross-cutting issues such as reducing extreme poverty, improving resilience and capacity of vulnerable households, Gender Equality and Inclusion, youth empowerment, and development of new Innovations and Partnerships to ensure sustainability of interventions. The Activity will increase private sector engagement towards enabling them to bring financial and technical expertise to development programs as a means of actualizing the Agency’s Journey to Self-Reliance. 5.0 Relationship to Host Country Strategies/Policies/Plans Livestock development is considered one of the important sub-sectors (along with crop, fisheries, and forestry sub-sectors) under the Agriculture Sector Development Strategy, as


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outlined in the Government’s 7th Five Year Plan (2016-2020). Three of the recommendations from this strategic plan, which the USAID livestock program is designed to address, are i) to promote sustainable improvements in animal productivity of milk and meat including products processing and value addition; ii) to promote sustained improvements in income generation, nutrition and employment opportunities for the landless, small and marginal farmers, and women in livestock rearing; and iii) to facilitate increased private sector participation and investments in livestock production, livestock services, and market development. In addition, the Activity will contribute to achieving the GoB’s forthcoming 8th Five-Year Promoting Prosperity and Fostering Inclusiveness Plan (FY2021-FY2025); Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100; Second National Plan of Action for Nutrition (FY2016-FY2025); and National Food and Nutrition Security Policy (FY2021-FY2030) priorities. Improving the capacity of the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) livestock agencies (Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute - BLRI, and the Department of Livestock Services – DLS) will remain a key focus so that they are able to provide effective and efficient livestock extension and health services as well as conduct research on issues around livestock sector development (feeds, fodder, and vaccines). 6.0 Program Logic Model: In defining the logic model, it is emphasized that the beneficiaries of this Activity are the livestock value chain actors that include input suppliers, livestock farmers (dairy and beef), service providers, processors, transporters, marketers, and other stakeholders such as academia, financial institutions, government, media, and the civil society. 6.1 Development Hypothesis If the capacity of livestock value chain actors is built on timely supply of quality livestock inputs, adoption of improved livestock management practices and technologies, and improved marketing of livestock products, then there will be increased availability and affordability of safe and diversified livestock products that will contribute to increasing the nutrition status of households. 6.2 Results Framework

Goal: To sustainably increase the availability and affordability of safe and diversified livestock products towards enhancing household nutrition

Component 1: Increased livestock productivity

Component 2: Increased marketability of livestock products at the subnational and national levels

Component 3: Increased household consumption of safe and diversified livestock products

Intermediate Result (IR) 1.1: Improved production and processing of forage/fodder

IR 2.1: Enhanced marketing of milk

IR 3.1: Increased promotion of safe and diversified dairy and meat products

IR 1.2: Increased availability of commercial feeds

IR 2.2: Improved processing and marketing of diversified value-added dairy and meat products

IR 3.2: Increased availability of diversified dairy and meat products


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IR 1.3: Improved access to quality animal health services

IR 1.4: Improved animal breeding services

IR 1.5: Increased capacity of Local Service Providers (LSPs)

Cross-cutting IRs Increased access to Finance Increased adoption of Information and Communication Technology Increased gender and youth empowerment

Assumptions ● Government support will continue for livestock sector development ● Negative effects of climate change on livestock production will be manageable ● There will be strong collaboration among existing livestock projects, BLRI, DLS and FAO-ECTAD

7.0 Activity Components a) Component 1: Increased Livestock Productivity Intermediate Result (IR) 1.1: Improved forage/fodder production: Applicants should propose how they will: ● Build the capacity of value chain actors to increase fodder production, processing, preservation and marketing in order to ensure the all-year availability of fodder for livestock consumption; ● Engage with, ILRI, BLRI and DLS to increase the availability and accessibility of high-quality and stress tolerant species of forage grass and legumes planting materials for fodder entrepreneurs; and ● Sensitize smallholder farmers on the importance and use of fodder for increasing livestock production and productivity. Illustrative outcomes: ● Increased year-round availability and accessibility of fodder; ● Increased utilization of fodder by farmers, especially during the off-season period; ● Increased varieties of grass and legume fodder planting materials; and ● Increased household incomes of fodder entrepreneurs including women fodder entrepreneurs


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IR 1.2: Increased availability of commercial feeds Applicants should propose how they will: ● Strengthen the livestock feed value chain from inputs, production, distribution to marketing such that smallholder farmers in the remotest of areas have access to affordable and quality feeds for their animals; ● Build the capacity of feed companies to adopt customer-centered approaches to their marketing and distribution channels in order to more efficiently deliver high quality cattle feed products to smallholder farmers, closing the “last mile” gap. ● Build the capacity of LSPs of feed companies to continuously engage with the customers, providing services to farmers so as to ensure that the farmers are using the feed effectively and efficiently for increased productivity and profit. Illustrative outcomes: ● Increased availability and accessibility of commercial feeds in the remotest of areas; ● Increased utilization of commercial feeds by smallholder farmers; and ● Sustainability of LSPs to provide services to farmers at no cost to the Activity

IR 1.3: Improved access to quality animal health services Applicants should propose how they will: ● Build the capacity of DLS, animal health companies and workers on effective animal health care, outlining how the animal health workers can be self-sustaining without support from the Activity; ● Engage with FAO-ECTAD to build the capacity of veterinary workers on accurate diagnoses, treatment and prevention of current and emerging pests and diseases; ● Build the capacity of animal health companies and veterinary workers to provide effective health advisory services to farmers, even in the remotest areas; ● Engage with the private sector, BLRI and DLS to ensure the availability and accessibility of quality vaccines to farmers and ensure their strict adherence to vaccination schedules; ● Engage with public and private partners on improving quarantine facilities and services that are self-sustaining without Activity’s support; and ● Set aside a percentage of the total estimated cost of the Activity to engage with government and other livestock sector stakeholders towards responding to and preparing for the control and prevention of current and emerging pests and diseases. Illustrative outcomes: ● Number of veterinary workers able to diagnose, treat and prevent current and emerging pests and diseases; ● Number of veterinary workers that are able to provide effective health advisory services to farmers at no cost to the Activity; ● Increase availability of quality vaccines even in remote areas; and ● Engagements with government and other livestock sector stakeholders on current and emerging pests and disease that are self-sustaining beyond the implementation of the Activity.


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IR 1.4: Improved animal breeding services Applicants should propose how they will: ● Engage with the public and private sectors to build the capacity of AI technicians to effectively administer AI services, including maintenance of proper breeds and pedigrees records, protocols for effective cold storage and transportation of semen, identifying repeat breeders and their causes, and addressing causes of infertility; ● Engage with the public and private sectors to provide oversight of AI technicians in order to ensure transparency of services to their farmer clientele; and ● Build capacity of farmers to effectively detect estrus cycles so as to be able to know when to request the services of AI technicians, as well as keep proper breeding records of their animals. Illustrative outcomes: ● Significant increase in conception rate at first AI service ● Increased capacity of farmers to detect estrus ● Increased capacity of AI technicians to store and transport semen

IR 1.5: Increased capacity of Local Service Providers (LSPs) Applicant should propose how they will ● Engage with male stakeholders in awareness campaigns around women’s empowerment to be LSPs as it is important for female LSPs to get support from the men in their families ● Engage with the public and private sectors to develop substantial capacity building program for both male and female LSPs in order for them to acquire the skills and knowledge to build the capacity of value chain actors on improved livestock management practices and technologies to increase livestock production and productivity; and ● Engage with the public and private sector, including FTF Bangladesh Digital Agriculture activity to promote the use of digital tools in livestock production. Illustrative outcomes: ● Significant number of LSPs are women ● Significant number of LSPs, including female LSPs, are able to build the capacity of value chain actors at no cost to the Activity ● Significant number of LSPs are able to make a living through user fees for their services or support by private companies ● Increase in the number of value chain actors utilizing digital tools in their business operations ● Significant reduction in the number of days to attain market weight ● Significant increase in the daily milk yield per cow b) Component 2: Increased marketability of livestock products at the subnational and national levels IR 2.1: Enhanced marketing of milk


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Applicants should propose how they will ● Engage with the public and private sectors to develop market strategies for increasing the sales of milk, especially at the subnational levels; and ● Engage with smallholder dairy farms on hygienic collection of milk and meeting market requirements so that price per liter is encouraging enough to sustain milk production. Illustrative outcomes: ● Significantly increased sales of milk ● Increased satisfaction of smallholder farmers with the prices per liter of milk in their localities IR 2.2: Improved processing and marketing of diversified and value-added dairy and meat products Applicants should propose how they will engage with the public and private sectors to ● Develop safe, diversified and value-added dairy and meat products, especially at the subnational levels; ● Enable ease of obtaining BSTI certification; ● Operationalize and maintain slaughterhouses to ensure good hygiene and quality standards of processed meat products; and ● Store, handle, and preserve dairy and meat products for year-round consumption. Illustrative outcomes: ● Increased number of safe, diversified and value-added dairy and meat products developed ● Increased number of processors obtain BSTI certification ● Increased quantity of hygienic and quality meat is available from slaughterhouses ● Increased confidence of consumers in the consumption of dairy and meat products c) Component 3: Increased household consumption of safe and diversified livestock products IR 3.1 Increased promotion of safe and diversified dairy and meat products Applicants should propose how they will: ● Engage with public and private sectors to promote nutritious foods such as diversified dairy and meat products in order to increase household consumption; and ● Build the capacity of LSPs to effectively disseminate social behavior change (SBC) messaging about nutritious foods including milk and dairy products, as well as best hygiene practices. Illustrative outcomes: ● More households are aware of the benefits of consumption of nutritious foods including dairy and meat products, as well as best hygiene practices ● More LSPs promote social behavior change (SBC) messages at no cost to the Activity. IR 3.2: Increased availability of diversified dairy and meat products


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Applicants should propose how they will: ● Increase the availability of diversified dairy and meat products to meet anticipated increase in demand as a result of the interventions under IR 3.1 ● Engage with private sector actors to facilitate year-round availability of these products Illustrative outcomes: ● Increased household consumption of safe and diversified dairy and meat products ● Increased year-round sales of these products Cross cutting IR: Access to Finance Applicant should propose how they will: ● Build the capacity of financial institutions to be able to properly understand the unique needs of livestock value chain actors in the different regions of the FTF ZOI and ZOR in order to be able to design appropriate loan packages for them; ● Engage with LSPs, including agents of financial institutions, to be able to provide advisory services to livestock value chain actors, including efficient utilization of loans, so they are able to make profits and timely repayment of their loans; ● Engage with the financial institutions to offer risk mitigation funding for unexpected emergencies such as if the animals die or in situations of losses due to seasonal cyclones. Illustrative outcomes: ● More specialized loans provided to value chain actors; ● Significant number of LSPs providing financial advisory services to value chain actors at no cost to the Activity ● More value chain actors utilizing and repaying loans

8.0 Implementation Approach Leveraging Investments: USAID seeks to advance effective public-private partnerships especially in developing countries. Therefore, where appropriate, the successful Applicant should collaborate and coordinate with public and private sector actors in order to leverage resources, technologies and expertise so that the most promising technologies reach our beneficiaries. Strategic Coordination and Integration: Applicants must address how proposed interventions align with technical and programmatic priorities of the GOB and USAID in order to avoid duplication of existing activities. The interventions anticipated under this Activity hold the potential for mutually valuable synergies with other projects being financed by USAID/Bangladesh, U.S. Government agencies, the Government of Bangladesh and other development partners. The successful Applicant will be expected to make all reasonable efforts to identify and to collaborate with these projects. Ideas for maximizing impact by coordinating with and tapping into the resources of other USAID/Bangladesh and donor agencies’ programs may be included in the application. Country Ownership: The successful Applicant will engage with relevant government agencies such as DLS and BLRI from inception of Activity in order to promote host government ownership for sustainability and to advocate for the policy changes necessary for long-term success.


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Therefore, Applicants should address how country ownership of this Activity will be achieved. The successful Applicant will need to be flexible and be prepared to revise and adjust interventions as necessary, and regularly consult with the GOB counterparts, USAID, other USG agencies, other donor(s), civil societies, and the private sector in Bangladesh. Sustainability: The successful Applicant must develop a transition plan whereby interventions developed under the Activity would be handed over to private sector entrepreneurs before the completion of the award. They would be required to incorporate the Collaborative Learning and Adaptive (CLA) management approach in order to focus on activities that are yielding desired changes while dropping or modifying those that are not. Sustainability includes the development of technical competence, human capacity, management systems, relationships with government programs and financial independence. Capacity-building of local organizations should be carried out with a view to facilitating the “graduation” of local organizations from the emerging, growing and consolidating phase, into a sustainable phase of organizational development. Research and Evidence-Based: A clear strategy for documenting lessons learned and other results from the activity should be articulated. The successful Applicant will utilize different media and communication strategies to effectively reach different audiences in order to advance the learning agenda and showcase best practices, including climate adaptation strategies that were adopted. This may facilitate the exchange of information and ideas as well as increase knowledge and awareness about essential issues. Rapid Start Up: USAID/Bangladesh expects rapid start-up of the award implementation with verifiable milestones to be achieved for activation of the major portion of activity interventions. USAID expects that the successful Applicant will demonstrate its abilities to establish operations rapidly and efficiently in order to rapidly accomplish formative research and other preparatory work, as well as, collect the baseline data needed to be able to measure program effectiveness and impact. Moreover, where appropriate, the successful Applicant should use existing national, regional, and global best practices, protocols and tools to shorten the start-up period. The successful Applicant will be expected to hold early and intensive meetings with the AOR during the start-up period. 9.0 Essential Design Elements: The Activity will partner with other FTF activities in promoting improved nutrition practices. It will also partner with public and private sector entities such as the Bangladesh Department of Livestock Services (DLS), the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), Food and Agriculture Organization - Emergency Centre for Trans-boundary Animal Diseases (FAO-ECTAD), animal feed and animal health companies, public and private dairy processors, financial institutions, academia, researchers, development practitioners etc. Implementation of the Activity will adopt the market systems approach and private sector engagement so as to better ensure the sustainability of activity interventions even before the end of the Activity. 10.0 Gender Approach The majority of rural women have a significant involvement in livestock rearing. However, women’s involvement in marketing is limited due to traditional norms and lack of skills. Inclusive value chain growth requires the participation of both men and women farmers. Applicants should demonstrate a strong understanding of the interventions to address gender issues, including women’s empowerment and constructive men’s engagement, as well as intra-household and cultural factors that affect child and maternal nutrition.


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The Activity will prioritize women-owned businesses in all private sector initiatives to the maximum extent possible. Moreover, the Activity will conduct a gender analysis within 90 days of the award date and incorporate the findings and recommendations from the analysis into the annual work plans in order to ensure and accelerate the process of empowerment of women, youth and vulnerable populations.

[END OF SECTION A]


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SECTION B: FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION 1. Estimate of Funds Available and Number of Awards Contemplated USAID intends to award one Cooperative Agreement pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity. Subject to funding availability and at the discretion of the Agency, USAID intends to provide not more than $19,500,000 in total USAID funding. 2. Start Date and Period of Performance for Federal Awards The anticipated period of performance is five (5) years or sixty (60) months. The Agreement Officer intends to make an award approximately 6 months following the release of this NOFO. This time period may change based on the negotiation process. 3. Substantial Involvement USAID/Bangladesh anticipates a close working partnership with the recipient’s programs and as such, in accordance with the ADS Chapter 303.3.11 USAID/Bangladesh shall be substantially involved during the implementation of this Cooperative Agreement in the following ways, but not limited to: 1. The Agency’s approval of the recipient’s implementation plans during performance, 2. If the program establishes an Advisory Committee, then USAID would participate as a member to provide advice to the recipient, 3. The Agency’s review and approval of proposed subawards or contracts, 4. The Agency’s involvement in the selection of key recipient personnel, 5. Agency and recipient collaboration or joint participation and sharing of technical knowledge, 6. Agency monitoring to permit specific kinds of direction or redirection of the work, and 7. Direct Agency operational involvement or participation to ensure compliance with Federal stewardship responsibilities 4. Authorized Geographic Code The geographic code for the procurement of commodities and services under this program is 935 (any area or country but excluding any country that is a prohibited source). 5. Nature of the Relationship between USAID and the Recipient The principal purpose of the relationship with the Recipient under the subject program is to transfer funds to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation of the Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity, which is authorized by Federal statute. The successful Applicant will be responsible for ensuring the achievement of the program objectives and the efficient and effective administration of the award through the application of sound management practices. The Recipient will assume responsibility for administering Federal funds in a manner consistent with underlying agreements, program objectives, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award.

[END OF SECTION B]


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SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 1. Eligible Applicants Eligibility for this NOFO is unrestricted. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching There is no cost sharing requirement for this NOFO. 3. Dun and Bradstreet and SAM Requirements USAID may not award to an applicant unless the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier (DUNS number) and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements. Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is exempted from requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR 25.110(d)) is required to: 1. Provide a valid DUNS number for the applicant and all proposed sub-recipients; 2. Be registered in SAM before submitting its application. SAM is streamlining processes, eliminating the need to enter the same data multiple times, and consolidating hosting to make the process of doing business with the government more efficient (www.sam.gov). 3. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. The registration process may take many weeks to complete. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to begin the process early. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements above by the time USAID is ready to make an award, USAID may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant. DUNS number: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform SAM registration: http://www.sam.gov Non-U.S. applicants can find additional resources for registering in SAM, including a Quick Start Guide and a video on how to obtain an NCAGE code, on www.sam.gov, navigate to Help, then to International Registrants. 4. Conflict of Interest Pre-Award Term (August 2018)

a. Personal Conflict of Interest

1. An actual or appearance of a conflict of interest exists when an applicant organization or an employee of the organization has a relationship with an Agency official involved in the competitive award decision-making process that could affect that Agency official’s impartiality.

http://www.sam.gov/


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The term “conflict of interest” includes situations in which financial or other personal considerations may compromise, or have the appearance of compromising, the obligations and duties of a USAID employee or recipient employee.

2. Only if an applicant is asked to proceed to Phase 2, the applicant must provide conflict of interest disclosures when it submits an SF-424. Should the applicant discover a previously undisclosed conflict of interest after submitting the application, the applicant must disclose the conflict of interest to the AO no later than ten (10) days following discovery.

b. Organizational Conflict of Interest

The applicant must notify USAID of any actual or potential conflict of interest that they are aware of that may provide the applicant with an unfair competitive advantage in competing for this financial assistance award. Examples of an unfair competitive advantage include but are not limited to situations in which an applicant or the applicant’s employee gained access to non-public information regarding a federal assistance funding opportunity, or an applicant or applicant’s employee was substantially involved in the preparation of a federal assistance funding opportunity. USAID will promptly take appropriate action upon receiving any such notification from the applicant.

5. Funding Restrictions Profit is not allowable for recipients or subrecipients under this award. See 2 CFR 200.330 for assistance in determining whether a sub-tier entity is a subrecipient or contractor. Construction may be authorized under this award. USAID will not allow the reimbursement of pre-award costs under this award without the explicit written approval of the Agreement Officer. Except as may be specifically approved in advance by the AO, all commodities and services that will be reimbursed by USAID under this award must be from the authorized geographic code specified in Section B.4 of this NOFO and must meet the source and nationality requirements set forth in 22 CFR 228.”

[END OF SECTION C]


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SECTION D: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. Agency Point of Contact Abdullah Akbar Agreement Officer USAID Bangladesh C/o, American Embassy – Dhaka Madani Avenue, Baridhara Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Phone: +88-02-55662000 Email: [email protected]

Howard Weston Agreement Specialist USAID Bangladesh C/o, American Embassy – Dhaka Madani Avenue, Baridhara Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Phone: +88-02-55662000 Email: [email protected]

Samiul Islam Khan Agreement Specialist USAID Bangladesh C/o, American Embassy – Dhaka Madani Avenue, Baridhara Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Phone: +88-02-55662000 Email: [email protected]

2. Questions and Answers Questions regarding this NOFO should be submitted by email to [email protected], with courtesy copy to [email protected] and [email protected] no later than the date and time indicated on the cover letter, as amended. Any information given to a prospective applicant concerning this NOFO will be furnished promptly to all other prospective applicants as an amendment to this NOFO, if that information is necessary in submitting applications or if the lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective applicant. 3. General Instructions, Selection Process and Application Format

The selection process for an award under this NOFO will proceed in two phases.

Phase 1

In Phase 1, applicants will submit a Technical Approach that demonstrates how the applicant intends to achieve the objectives and results of the Program Description in Section A. Based on the results of the evaluation process in accordance with the merit review criteria outlined in Section E, the Agreement Officer will select up to three or more Technical Approaches that show the greatest promise of success. These selected Technical Approaches will proceed to Phase 2.

In the event USAID determines none of the initial applications received are acceptable, USAID may issue an amendment to this NOFO to again seek interested applicants.

Phase 2

Following the selection of Technical Approaches in Phase 1, applicants will be notified if their Technical Approach will or will not proceed to Phase 2. Technical Approaches not selected in Phase 1 will no longer be considered for an award under this NOFO. It is expected that the time between the Phase 1 deadline and the selection of Phase 2 applicants is approximately one (1) to two (2) months.

In Phase 2, applicants will submit a full Technical Application consisting of 4 main sections: a revised Technical Approach that incorporates applicants’ answers to questions posed by the





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selection committee to the applicant, a management and staffing plan, a comprehensive description of institutional capability, and past performance information. In Phase 2, applicants will also submit a Cost Application. Phase 2 Applicants will be provided instructions and merit review criteria. A sample of Phase 2 instructions and merit review criteria are attached to this NOFO. Applicants will have approximately 15 days to submit their complete Phase 2 application. The Agreement Officer will determine the deadline for submission and include this information with Phase 2 instructions.

The selection committee will evaluate all responsive applications submitted during Phase 2, and the Agreement Officer will select the apparently successful applicant (ASA) with whom the Agreement Officer will conduct negotiations. In the event that negotiations with the ASA are not successful, the Agreement Officer reserves the right to select a new ASA from Phase 2 applications with whom to have negotiations or make no award.

It is USAID’s intent to issue a cooperative agreement, subject to funds availability, to an applicant based on their Phase 2 application without conducting any further negotiations. Therefore, it is imperative that Phase 2 applications be responsive. However, USAID reserves the right to either accept or reject applications or conduct negotiations to refine elements of an application if deemed to be in the best interests of USAID. If USAID does engage in negotiations with an applicant, USAID may substantially seek revision of the technical approach or other sections of the application to reach a consensus with the applicant on a final revised application. Submission of an application does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of the application or any other subsequent revisions of the application. Further, USAID reserves the right to reject any or all application revisions received at any stage of the application process. Phase 1 Submission Format Applications must comply with the following: ● Written in English ● Use standard 8 ½” x 11” page format, single sided, single-spaced, 11 point Arial font or 12 point Times New Roman font, or equivalent, 1” margins all around, left justification and headers on each page that include date of submission, applicant’s name and NOFO number. Footers shall contain consecutive page numbers. 10 point for Times New Roman and 9 point for Arial font can be used for graphs and charts so long as it remains legible without magnification. Tables, however, must comply with the 12/11-point Times New Roman/Arial requirement, or equivalent. ● Submitted as a searchable and editable PDF file. USAID may later request a word version. ● Files must not be in ZIP format or encrypted.


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Any erasures or other changes to the application must be initialed by the person signing the application. Applications signed by an agent on behalf of the applicant must be accompanied by evidence of that agent’s authority, unless that evidence has been previously furnished to the issuing office.

Applicants must review, understand, and comply with all aspects of this NOFO. Failure to do so may be considered as being non-responsive and may result in an application being rejected or evaluated accordingly. Applicants should retain a copy of the application and all enclosures for their records. 4. Technical Approach Application Submission Procedures

Submit the technical approach application by email to [email protected] and cc [email protected], [email protected]. No other form of submission will be accepted. Applicants must send one single email and attach the Technical Approach application. In the subject line write “NOFO Number, Organization Name, Technical Approach Application.

The Technical Approach application must be emailed as a single file. Do not send multiple files. Do not send organization literature, promotion material, articles, or any other information not explicitly asked for in this NOFO.

After submitting the Technical Approach application electronically, applicants should immediately check their own email to confirm that the attachments were sent. If an applicant discovers an error in transmission, send the material again and note in the subject line of the email "corrected" submission. Do not send the same email more than once unless there has been a change, and if so, please note that it is a "corrected" email.

The Technical Approach application must be submitted no later than the closing date and time indicated on the cover letter, as amended. Late applications may be rejected or evaluated adversely at the Selection Committee’s (SC) discretion. Applicants should retain proof of timely delivery in the form of system generated documentation. Applicants are reminded that email is NOT instantaneous, and in some cases delays of several hours occur from transmission to receipt. Therefore, applicants are requested to send the technical approach application in sufficient time ahead of the deadline. 5. Technical Approach Application Format

The Technical Approach application should be specific, complete, and presented concisely. The Technical Approach application must demonstrate the applicant's capabilities and expertise with respect to achieving the goals, objectives and results of this Activity.

A successful approach will demonstrate thorough understanding and consideration of the requirements of the Activity as stated in the Program Description in Section A, the instructions in this section and the evaluation criterion in Section E of this NOFO.





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The Technical Approach application shall consist of 4 sections: Cover Page, Table of Contents, Executive Summary, and Technical Approach. The Technical Approach application must not exceed 30 single-spaced typed pages and conform to guidelines in D.3. All 4 sections are included in the page limit. USAID will not evaluate information submitted in excess of the above stated page limits. (a) Cover Page - ● Name of the organization(s) submitting the application; ● Identification and signature of the primary contact person (by name, title, organization, mailing address, telephone number and email address) and the identification of the alternate contact person (by name, title, organization, mailing address, telephone number and email address); ● Activity name ● Notice of Funding Opportunity number ● Name of any proposed sub-recipients or partnerships. (Identify if any of the organizations are local organizations, per USAID’s definition of ‘local entity’ under ADS 303.) (b) Table of Contents - Include major sections and page numbers. (c) Executive Summary - Provide a high-level overview of key elements of the Technical Approach. (d) Technical Approach Applicants should present an innovative technical approach that describes the overall strategy and specific implementations proposed by the applicant and how the implementations link to the Goal, IRs 1.1 through 3.2 and cross cutting IRs in the results matrix listed in Section A of this NOFO. The technical approach must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the background and development challenges in Bangladesh related to increased Livestock Productivity, increased marketability of livestock products at the national and subnational levels and increased household consumption of safe and diversified livestock products. The technical approach must present a realistic assessment of opportunities to link this activity and synergize with other USAID funded projects with a strong focus on sustainable results. Applicants are encouraged to propose an innovative yet realistic approach that is most appropriate in the context of Bangladesh. The technical approach should include: ● An Outline of all program elements, with a clearly articulated vision of proposed results; ● A demonstrated understanding of the issues to be addressed, including recommendations for prioritization; ● Presentation of challenges to success and mitigation strategies; ● Criteria for selecting beneficiaries and an illustrative list of partners, as well as benchmarks that would signify graduation from assistance; ● An exit strategy for the phase-out and sustainability of activities; ● Creative use of new technology, innovative tools and lessons learned; ● Substantive attention to private sector engagement; gender, youth, and social inclusion; and other cross-cutting themes under the USAID Mission Strategy; and ● The Applicant’s capability to address gender gaps and empower women and youth. It will also illustrate how the organization is structured to ensure that gender disparities will be deliberately and adequately addressed in programming.

[END OF SECTION D]


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SECTION E: APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

USAID will conduct a merit review of all applications received that comply with the instructions in this NOFO. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated using a multi-phased process.

Phase 1 applications will be evaluated using the merit review criteria described below. Phase 2 merit review criteria will be provided to Phase 2 eligible applicants with instructions for submitting Phase 2 applications. A sample of Phase 2 instructions and merit review criteria are attached to this NOFO.

The Phase 1 merit review criteria described below are tailored to the requirements of this particular NOFO. Applicants should note these criteria serve to (a) identify the significant matters that applicants should address in their applications, and (b) set the standard against which all applications will be evaluated.

Phase 1 Merit Review Criterion: Technical Approach

The following merit review criteria are listed in descending order of importance and will be evaluated as such.

i. Extent to which the proposed technical approach demonstrates understanding of the issues and priorities of livestock production in Bangladesh and presents a clear, detailed, technically sound, and ambitious yet feasible approach to achieving the goals, objectives and results identified in this NOFO with emphasis on applying market systems approach and private sector engagement.

ii. Extent to which innovative approaches and lessons learned from programs elsewhere are identified and effectively included in the proposed approach.

iii.Extent to which gender and social inclusion issues are meaningfully identified and addressed, including plans to ensure attention to such issues during implementation of the award.

iv. Extent of synergistic linkages with other assistance activities that are discussed in the Program Description and other relevant activities.

v. Extent to which the Applicant’s approach demonstrates a sound understanding of the impacts of climate change on the Activity and incorporates opportunities to adapt and mitigate climate change over the life of the Activity.

vi. Extent to which the information on GIS technology and geographic data will be included in the overall evaluation of the Technical Approach.

[END OF SECTION E]


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SECTION F: FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notices

Award of the agreement contemplated by this NOFO cannot be made until funds have been appropriated, allocated and committed through internal USAID procedures. While USAID anticipates that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for the award.

It is USAID/Bangladesh’s intent, subject to funds availability, to issue one cooperative agreement without conducting further negotiations with an Apparently Successful Applicant (ASA) whose Application shows the greatest promise of achieving the Activity’s goals, objectives, and results. Therefore, it is imperative that applications are responsive when submitted. However, USAID reserves the right to accept one or more applications for further negotiations before issuing an award if deemed to be in the best interests of the U.S. government. 2. Administrative & National Policy Requirements

The resulting award from this NOFO will be administered in accordance with the following policies and regulations.

For US organizations: ADS 303, 2 CFR 700, 2 CFR 200, and Standard Provisions for U.S. Non-governmental organizations.

For Non US organizations: ADS 303, 2 CFR 700, 2 CFR 200, and Standard Provisions for Non-U.S. Non-governmental Organizations.

See Annex 1, for a list of the Standard Provisions that will be applicable to any awards resulting from this NOFO.

3. Reporting Requirements The Recipient shall submit required reports and deliverables as described below. All reports must be submitted in electronic format. Detailed content of the reports will be provided in the resulting cooperative agreement.

Report / Deliverable Due Date

Quarterly Financial Reports Within 15 days after end of each quarter

Final Financial Report Within 90 days following the expiration of the award

Quarterly Performance Reports Within 15 days after end of each quarter

Annual Progress Reports Within 30 days after end of each activity year

http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/303.pdf


http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=a5489109509be4f2b9bd6335059465b2&node=pt2.1.700&rgn=div5


http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1b472774f0a1e84d725c7ca14618e8ac&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5


https://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/303maa



https://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/303mab









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Final Report Within 60 days after completion of the Agreement

Annual Work Plans Initial Work Plan due within 45 days of the Agreement’s effective date. Subsequent Work Plans due by September 1 of each year.

MEL Plan Within 90 days of the Agreement’s effective date

Security Plan Within 90 days of award date

Sustainability and Exit Strategy Within 90 days of the Agreement’s effective date

Grants Manual Within 90 days of the Agreement’s effective date

Communication Strategy Within 120 days of the Agreement’s effective date

Branding Strategy & Marking Plan Final BSMP approved at the time of award

Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion Analysis and Strategy

Within 90 days of the Agreement’s effective date

Success Stories and Photos/Videos Integrated into Quarterly Performance Reports, Annual Reports, Final Report, and when as requested by USAID

Technical Reports As and when developed

(i) FINANCIAL REPORTING:

Financial Reports shall be in accordance with applicable 2 CFR 200.327 and USAID Standard Provisions.

Quarterly Financial Report:

a. Quarterly Financial Reports shall be due within 15 days following the end of each quarter corresponding to USAID’s fiscal year from October 1 through September 30. b. The recipient will submit accruals and projected expenditure reports to USAID on a quarterly basis. c. The recipient must ensure that the financial management system always meets the Federal standards for fund control and accountability. The recipient further agrees to furnish USAID an annual financial statement for Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition activity. The annual statements will be provided each year on the date this agreement is effective.

Final Financial Report:

The Final Financial Report shall be due within 90 days following the expiration of the award. Financial Reports shall be in accordance with 2 CFR 700. USAID requires recipients to use the


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Standard Form 425 or Standard Form 425a, Federal Financial Report, or such other forms authorized for obtaining financial information as may be approved by OMB.

(ii) PERFORMANCE REPORTING

The Recipient will submit reports to the USAID AOR, unless otherwise stated, as described below:

a. Quarterly Performance Reports (QPR)

The Recipient will submit quarterly performance reports to reflect activity progress over the preceding three months and lessons learned. The report must describe the tasks completed in the last three months relative to what was anticipated in the approved work plan, and will assess the overall activity impact to date relative to the performance indicator targets and results defined in the activity theory of change. More details on the format of the quarterly performance reports will be provided after award.

b. Annual Progress Report (APR)

Annual progress reports will summarize actions, progress and results during the year in relation to the approved work plan and the activity theory of change it supports. The report should include lessons learned, proposed adaptive management shifts, and proposed updates to the theory of change. The annual performance report will be used by USAID to assess the status of activity implementation. Each annual performance report will include an assessment as to whether the activity strategic approaches and actions are leading to the activity purpose. The annual progress report will cover all of the items included in the quarterly performance report, with a focus on the Activity results over the entire year. More details on the format of the annual progress report will be provided after award.

c. Final Report (FR)

The Final Report must discuss all strategic approaches and results from the start of the award through its completion. More details on the format of the final report will be provided after award.

(iii) PERFORMANCE PLANNING REPORTING

a. Annual Work Plan

The annual work plan details how the Recipient will use the work plan year effectively to achieve the activity purpose and strategic approaches. The work plan serves as a guide to program implementation and, once approved, represents an agreement as to the objectives and timing of specific tasks and interventions. The work plan is intended to be an annual roadmap for USAID and the Recipient.

(Note: the first-year work plan should go from the activity start date through the end of the fiscal year so it may be shorter than 12 months depending on the date of the award.)


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b. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan:

For the purpose of routine and formal monitoring and evaluation, the successful Applicant shall develop a Monitoring, Evaluation Plan, and Learning Plan (MEL Plan) for USAID’s review and approval within 90 calendar days of the signing of the Cooperative Agreement for the timeframe of the project. The MEL Plan is subject to final approval by USAID and is separate from the regular financial and other reports. The MEL Plan will be developed in adherence with ADS 201. The MEL Plan will underpin a coherent monitoring and evaluation system that will objectively assess the overall progress and impact of the activity as outlined in the activity description. The MEL Plan shall be tied to the annual work plan and will outline the processes that will be used to harmonize instruments and schedules to support USAID data reporting needs. All people level data must be sex-disaggregated, and the MEL plan will include at least one or two gender sensitive indicators to measure the gender related outcomes. The MEL data shall be used to inform management decisions, resource allocation and to assess where changes to the Activity may be required to help better ensure that the desired outcome will be achieved. Performance reports submitted by the successful Applicant must be focused on reporting progress against the approved MEL Plan. The MEL Plan should include a Results Framework that is aligned with the approved USAID/Bangladesh CDCS with a clear indication of the project’s contribution to DO 2 and other relevant DOs. The MEL Plan should also include: the development hypothesis and critical assumptions; baseline values and targets to show progress over time; a Performance Data Table summarizing the key performance monitoring information; Performance Indicator Reference Sheets for each indicator that include, detailed description of performance indicators to be tracked, source, method and schedule of data collection, known data limitations and planned actions to address the limitations. Baselines must be established within three months of award. The MEL Plan will include a Performance Management Task Schedule that includes any special studies, assessments and surveys that will be conducted as part of monitoring, evaluation, and learning of the activity. The application must contain an illustrative Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan that is based on the latest Feed the Future Indicator Handbook. The successful Applicant will report on the performance indicators in coordination with USAID’s reporting schedules and feed into USAID/Bangladesh’s Mission PMP. Periodic Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) will be conducted to ensure that the performance indicators meet USAID’s data quality standards on Validity, Precision, Reliability, Integrity, and Timeliness. An initial DQA will be conducted within the first six months of the activity’s MEL Plan approval. The successful Applicant may consult with the USAID AOR and other USAID officials in the development of the MEL plan.

External Evaluation: USAID may conduct external evaluations on performance measurement issues during the implementation of the activity. Such external evaluation (s) may include a detailed review and analysis of the development hypothesis, cause and effect dynamics, project organization, management, field work, significant outputs, and the quality and quantity of overall performance. The Recipient will ensure sufficient planning for the regular collection of data that may be required for different types of evaluations, including counterfactual data for impact evaluations. External evaluation(s) will be funded directly by USAID and will not be included in the funding under this Agreement.


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Internal Evaluation: The recipient may also conduct internal evaluations of the Activity at any time of implementation. The recipient should coordinate with the AOR to finalize the terms of reference of the evaluation. However, any internal evaluations should be funded directly by the Recipient and not from the program.

(iv) OTHER REPORTING AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS

Security Reporting

As part of the overall security requirements, the Recipient shall report any security threats and/or incidents verbally/by telephone, immediately to the following USAID/Bangladesh representatives:

● Partner Security Liaison Unit (PSLU) Security & Safety Specialist and any other USAID/Bangladesh EXO designated official(s);

● Executive Officer (EXO);

● Agreement Officer Representative (AOR) or Alternate AOR in the AOR’s absence

Subsequently, a written report shall be submitted in accordance with approved procedures delineated below. The Recipient shall develop a list of specific steps to track any potential/identified threats, which will be part of its overall security system. All subcontractors will be required by the Recipient to report any threats/incidents to the Recipient, who will immediately after, notify the above listed USAID/Bangladesh representatives.

SECURITY REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES

USAID requires appropriate security reports be submitted to the USAID/Bangladesh/EXO Partner Security Liaison Unit (PSLU) Safety & Security Specialist, Executive Office; AOR; and other USAID/Bangladesh officials as directed by USAID Executive Office. The type and frequency of these reports may vary with the project scope, location, and criticality. The Recipient shall report an Initial Threat Assessment and subsequent changes as often as the situation requires (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly etc.). The recipient is also required to notify USAID of any security related incident in a timely manner according to the following guidelines:

Incident Reporting

There are various types of Incident Reporting: Serious Incident Report (SIR); Incident Report (IR); Situation Report (SITREP); and any other security related report that may be required by USAID.

Serious Incident Report (SIR)


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• An incident that involves the death, injury, kidnapping of IP personnel and/or damage to IP property.

• An incident that has critically damaged the funded program, such as fire, catastrophic flood, etc.

• Initial SIR must be reported verbally immediately and within 4 hours of the incident occurrence/discovered.

• A Complete SIR must be filed in writing / email within 24 hours of the incident.

• Updated written SIR will continue to be filed in a timely basis (daily, weekly) as long as the situation exists. The time line will be adjusted as required by the USAID/Bangladesh/PSLU.

• Final Report SIR will summarize the incident, subsequent events, and the final resolution.

Incident Report (IR)

• An incident involving accidents, potential harm, suspicious persons or acts, threats or harassing actions against personnel or the program.

• IR should be initially reported by phone immediately, follow up with a written report filed as soon as possible (within 24 hours). After the incident is evaluated, a complete detailed written report must be submitted to USAID- Bangladesh, not later than 72 hours after the incident.

Situation Report (SITREP)

• A report that a significant, but not critical action or activity, has taken place that has impacted or may have impact on the well-being of the personnel or the success of the program.

• This report may describe trends and/or secondhand information that may have bearing on the project or impact on future operations.

• There is no predetermined reporting timeline. The report will be issued as needed and required by USAID/Bangladesh/PSLU.

Telephonic communication is the preferred method to provide the initial information of an incident. A written report by e-mail must follow as soon as possible within the above described guidelines and it shall be as detailed as possible. The report shall follow the format approved in the original Security Plan but at a minimum it shall contain the name of the company, name of the victim(s), date, time, a description of what happened, where the incident occurred, and any other relevant details surrounding the incident. If this is an ongoing incident, progress reports should be submitted in accordance with the guidelines provided in order to keep USAID/Bangladesh Security personnel apprised of the situation.


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SECURITY CONDITIONS

The Recipient must be aware of security conditions in Bangladesh and assumes full responsibility for the safety of its employees. Prior to commencing work, the Recipient shall ensure that it has adequate procedures in place to advise its employees of situations or changed conditions that could adversely affect their security. In order to keep abreast of security conditions in Bangladesh, the Recipient shall seek information from all available sources, including the USAID Bangladesh EXO/Partner Security Liaison Unit (PSLU), for all areas in which its employees work or travel. Recipient acknowledges that security conditions are subject to change at any moment, that USAID cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information that it may provide to the Recipient and that USAID assumes no responsibility for the reliability of such information. The Recipient has sole responsibility for approving all travel plans for its employees and her/his dependents traveling to post if allowed by the Recipient’s personnel internal policies. The Recipient is also responsible for immediately notifying USAID Bangladesh and the U.S. Embassy American Citizen Services section in the event a U.S. citizen employee does not return from travel as expected or does not report to work. In the event that USAID requests the Recipient to do so, the Recipient's Chief of Party (COP) shall assume responsibility for contacting all of its employees. The Recipient shall provide to the USAID Bangladesh EXO/PSLU the name, current address, and current home and/or cellular telephone number of the COP and of an alternate designated employee. The Recipient is responsible for ensuring that the information on file in the USAID Bangladesh EXO/PSLU is up-to-date so that in an emergency, the COP or alternate representative can be reached immediately and he/she can rapidly contact all other affected employees.

The Recipient is requested to notify the USAID/Bangladesh AOR and EXO/PSLU about any changes to the individuals listed in the security plan and in charge of security.

The Recipient shall be required to submit a list of all personnel involved in the implementation of the project, including subcontractor’s personnel. The required list shall be submitted to the AOR and EXO/PSLU no later than 30 days after the start date of the agreement and must be updated as necessary and /or if a change of personnel happens. “Recipient’s personal identifying data” is included as an Attachment.

SECURITY PROTOCOL

The Recipient shall develop a security plan to safeguard all project operations. The plan is to be implemented and maintained also by all sub-awardees to the maximum extent practicable under the circumstances and in accordance with the recipient’s plan. The security plan will be reviewed by the Agreement Officer in consultation with USAID/Bangladesh’s EXO/PSLU.

The plan shall include, at a minimum:

· Procedures for reporting and addressing security threats.

· Procedures for reporting any deaths related to the project.


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· Procedures for reporting and addressing any persons missing or kidnapping incidents.

· Name and contact information of the security contact person for the head office and regional office(s).

· An internal “cascade” list for communicating with staff, which should be updated, maintained by the Recipient. The prime Recipient shall provide the name, address and telephone numbers of the COP and their designee to USAID as principal contacts in case of security situations/emergencies. The Recipient will be responsible for passing information to their staff.

LIFE SUPPORT AND SECURITY SERVICES

The Recipient is responsible for maintaining the security of its personnel, materials and equipment. All employees of the Recipient must meet the requirements of their work-site, which may include, but not limited to background checks, security/restricted area clearances, drug-free workplace, safety training and/or any other company safety and security requirements.

(v) SPECIAL AGREEMENT REQUIREMENT

The Applicant must carefully consider the following special provisions to be incorporated in the resulting agreement:

a. Sustainability and Exit Strategy

The recipient must outline a plan to ensure a smooth close to the activity and ensure sustainability of achievements so that program results can be sustained after completion of the project.

b. Grants Manual

The manual should be developed by the recipient and cleared by the AOR, which specifies how sub-grants components will be managed and what will be the results. More details on the format of the Grants Manual will be provided after award.

c. Communications and Outreach Strategy

In addition to a Branding and Marking Plan, the recipient must develop a Strategic Communications Plan (SCP) with a clearly focused action plan. The SCP will detail how the activity will reach out to stakeholders at the national and local levels, including government officials, other donors and various target populations. After technical evaluation of applications for USAID funding, the USAID Agreement Officer will request the Apparently Successful Applicant to develop and submit the SCP within a specified time period. The Agreement Officer shall review the plan for adequacy and will negotiate, approve and include the SCP in the award. The purpose of the SCP is to concisely outline how the organization will publicize the activity’s achievements and credit USAID to ensure the target audience is aware that the funding is coming from the American people.


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The SCP (totaling 2-3 pages) should:

o State key messages about the activity’s objectives and achievements;

o Identify target audiences, such as media, youth, or government officials;

o Identify the tools and tactics the partner will use to publicize project achievements, such as social media, television and radio, press releases and newspaper articles, television commercials, public service announcements, and/or media round table discussions;

o Propose a calendar or timeline for outreach events; and,

o Include how the partner proposes to monitor the impact of its communication strategy, such as tracking the number of articles or press releases published in newspapers or the number of events organized. This monitoring information can be included in the annual work plan per the direction of AORs.

The recipient is required to submit the draft SCP following the required USAID policies and regulations on Branding Strategy and Marking Plan within 120 days of the effective date of the award for the AOR’s clearance.

All final communications materials produced by the Recipient must be submitted to the USAID Development Outreach and Communications team through the AOR for review and approval at key points of concept, design, development, and pre-production. All camera-ready art, final production files, protection master videotapes and other final versions of all program and communications products shall be submitted previously. The AOR shall receive electronic copies of all program and communications products as they are produced.

d. Branding Strategy & Marking Plan The apparently successful applicant will be asked to provide a Branding Strategy and Marking Plan (BS/MP) to be evaluated and approved by the Agreement Officer and incorporated into any resulting award to ensure the program and publicity materials clearly communicate that assistance from the U.S. Government is made possible by the generous support of the American people. The successful recipient must agree to follow the branding and marking policies established for assistance awards under ADS Chapter 320. The details of these policies and the official USAID Graphic Standards Manual, which includes guidelines on proper logo use and positioning, verbal branding and attribution, and co-branding with implementing partner logos can be found on the USAID website at www.usaid.gov/branding. Adhering to these guidelines in the ADS and the Graphic Standards Manual are compulsory for all USAID-funded program and communications materials. Recipients must have their BSMP approved by the AO at the time of the effective date of the award. FEED THE FUTURE MARKING AND BRANDING Per ADS 320.3.4, a special determination signed by the USAID Administrator in December 2014 authorized the Feed the Future initiative to issue its own naming, marking and branding guidance for use by USAID and its implementing partners. It is the first (and currently only) Presidential Initiative to receive this exception.


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Per this determination, USAID contracts, grants and cooperative agreements awarded on or after January 1, 2015, which are funded by the USG’s Feed the Future initiative must include the Feed the Future logo in addition to USAID’s identity on communication products. The Recipient is required to comply (and ensure compliance by partners) with USAID’s branding and marking requirements set forth in 2 CFR 700.16 with Feed the Future specific guidance located at feedthefuture.gov. These regulations and provisions include the requirement for the apparently successful applicant to submit a Branding Strategy and Marking Plan (BS/MP) for pre-award review, negotiation, and approval by the Agreement Officer. Therefore, the BSMP will need to be submitted by the Apparently Successful Applicant upon notification from USAID.

e. Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion Analysis and Strategy

USAID’s policy on Gender Equality and Female Empowerment (ADS 205) and Women Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Act 2018 require activities to integrate gender into designs, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. This activity will integrate gender considerations and promote empowerment of women throughout all interventions as mentioned on page 22 under “GENDER APPROACH ” section. As this activity will also focus on youth, this will follow USAID’s Youth in Development Policy that requires activities to mainstream and engage youth in Agency initiatives. The recipient will be required to complete a gender, youth and social inclusion analysis within 90 days of the award with close guidance from USAID Gender Advisor and technical office gender POC. Appropriate actions and gender sensitive indicators will be developed on the basis of the findings of the gender analysis and will be included in the work plan and MEL Plan. All people level data are required to be sex dis-aggregated. It must include its achievement/progress/challenges on the gender related outcomes. Similarly, the annual report must include its achievement/progress/challenges on the gender related outcomes.

f. Development Experience Clearinghouse Requirements

Development experience is the cumulative knowledge derived from the planning, design, implementation, evaluation, and results of international development assistance programs. The repository for USAID’s cumulative knowledge is the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC), the largest online resource of USAID-funded technical and programmatic materials.

The products of development activities include many types of materials: text, images, video, audio, maps, charts, and raw data. All of these products, except structured data or datasets (CSV, JSON, XML, etc.), must be submitted for inclusion in the DEC database. Raw data created or obtained with USAID funding must be submitted to the Development Data Library (DDL) in compliance with ADS 579, USAID Development Data. ADS Chapter 540 only covers the submission of information products to the DEC.


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Materials must be submitted through the public-facing and searchable DEC Web site(https://dec.usaid.gov/dec/content/submit.aspx) or through the U.S. Postal Service delivery to the following:

USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse M/CIO/ITSD/KM

Ronald Reagan Building M. 01-010

U.S. Agency for International Development Washington, DC 20523-6100

Note: Mail sent to USAID via the US Postal Service undergoes security and irradiation processing. To send sensitive items, like CDs or DVDs, please contact the DEC team at [email protected] to arrange delivery. For questions on DEC submissions, contact:

Knowledge Service Center M/CIO/ITSD/KM/DEC

Telephone: +1 202-712-0579

Email: [email protected]

Any pesticide(s) procurement or use, or both shall be in compliance with Asia 16-003: Bangladesh Programmatic Pesticide Evaluation Report and Safe g. Prohibition on Certain Telecommunication and Video Surveillance Services or

Equipment FOR U.S. ORGANIZATIONS

Special Award Requirement Relating to the Prohibition on Certain Telecommunication and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (August 2020)

a. 2 CFR 200.216, “Prohibition on certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment” implements Pub. L. 115-232, Section 889. b. USAID has been granted a temporary, limited waiver under Section 889(d)(2) that will allow the recipient to use award funds for the duration of this award to procure internet, cellular and landline services from communication service-providers who use covered telecommunications. All other costs incurred for covered telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment, such as phones, video surveillance, and cloud servers specified in 2 CFR 200.216 remain unallowable in accordance with 2 CFR 200.471.

[End of Special Award Requirement] FOR NON-U.S. ORGANIZATIONS

Special Award Requirement Relating to the Prohibition on Certain Telecommunication and

Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (August 2020)


https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-115publ232/html/PLAW-115publ232.htm


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a. The mandatory standard provision “Prohibition on Certain Telecommunication and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (AUGUST 2020)” implements Pub. L. 115-232, Section 889. b. USAID has been granted a temporary, limited waiver under Section 889(d)(2) that will allow the recipient to use award funds for the duration of this award to procure internet, cellular and landline services from communication service-providers who use covered telecommunications. All other costs incurred for covered telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment, such as phones, video surveillance, and cloud servers specified in the standard provision in paragraph a. above remain unallowable in accordance with the mandatory standard provision “Allowable Costs” and 2 CFR 200.471.

[End of Special Award Requirement]

h. Procurement of “Covered Material” (August 2020)

Procurement of “Covered Material”

1. Except as provided in paragraph 2 below, and notwithstanding anything in this award to the contrary, no funds under this award may be used for the procurement of “Covered Material” as listed below without the prior written consent of the Agreement] Officer. For purposes of this provision, “Covered Material” shall consist of the following:

• Surgical N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators, including devices that are

disposable half-face-piece non-powered air-purifying particulate respirators intended for use to cover the nose and mouth of the wearer to help reduce wearer exposure to pathogenic biological airborne particulates;

• PPE surgical masks, including masks that cover the user’s nose and mouth and provide a physical barrier to fluids and particulate materials;

• PPE nitrile gloves, including those defined at 21 CFR 880.6250 (exam gloves) and 878.4460 (surgical gloves) and such nitrile gloves intended for the same purposes; and

• Level 3 and 4 Surgical Gowns and Surgical Isolation Gowns that meet all of the requirements in ANSI/AAMI PB70 and ASTM F2407-06 and are classified by Surgical Gown Barrier Performance based on AAMI PB70.

For clarity, non-medical grade masks, including cloth masks, are not included in the list of Covered Material above. Further, USAID may modify the list of Covered Material from time-to-time, in writing; any such changes to the list shall apply prospectively. 2. The restrictions set forth in paragraph 1 above shall not apply to the procurement of Covered Material:

a. for the protection of and use by the recipient’s or sub-recipient’s staff; or b. for the safe and effective continuity of USAID-funded programs, including for the protection of beneficiaries, provided that such items are manufactured locally or in the same geographical region as the country in which USAID is providing assistance, as defined by the




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U.S. Department of State’s regional system (Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, Near East, South and Central Asia, and Western Hemisphere), and provided that such items are not, and could not reasonably be expected to be, meant for the United States market.

The AO may change the exemptions set forth in this paragraph in writing; any such changes shall apply prospectively.

3. “Staff” for the purposes of the Exception in 2(a) is defined as any individuals receiving financial compensation from the recipient or sub-recipient.

4. For each purchase of Covered Material under Exception 2(b), the recipient must provide the AO with contemporaneously dated documentation that the order of Covered Material is not meant for, and could not reasonably be meant for, the U.S. market. The AO will then upload the statement into ASIST. This documentation can take the form of a simple email verification from a vendor or a brief, contemporaneously dated, written statement or e-mail from the recipient contractor confirming its conversation with the vendor.” 4. Other Requirements

a. Value Added Tax Procedures

As set forth in ADS Section 155.3.2a, “USAID has a long-standing policy that USAID assistance should be exempt from host government taxes and customs duties.” Pursuant to the Agreement between the Government of Bangladesh and the United States Government, the Government of Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue (NBR) has issued a VAT exemption Special Order which is valid for USAID and identified USAID Implementing Partners and which confirms that USAID financed procurements are exempt from VAT.

USAID will distribute sequentially numbered VAT coupon books after the award is executed. The coupon will only be used for those procurement transactions which include VAT charges by vendors with a VAT registration number. Each procurement transaction, including coupon number, must be recorded by the Implementing Partner on the USAID VAT Exemptions Reporting Form and by the 25th of the following month, the form must be submitted to USAID.

However, the processing of VAT exemption coupons from NBR can take several months. Therefore, until the recipient receives VAT exemption coupons from USAID/Bangladesh, pursuant to 2 CFR 200.470(b)(1)(i), USAID Agreement Officer’s prior written approval is required before spending any VAT amount with respect to expenditures under the resulting award.

b. Utilization of Geographic Information System (GIS) Per acquisition and assistance requirements, the following GIS data reporting requirements shall be included in all MEL and Work Plans submitted by the successful Applicant. USAID/Bangladesh is committed to strategically allocating resources through geographically targeting aid investments, evaluating overall aid effectiveness, and upholding the Agency’s open data and transparency goals. Utilizing GIS and acquiring the appropriate geographic data is

https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-african-affairs/

https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-east-asian-and-pacific-affairs/

https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-european-and-eurasian-affairs/

https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-european-and-eurasian-affairs/

https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-near-eastern-affairs/

https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-south-and-central-asian-affairs/

https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-western-hemisphere-affairs/


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essential to effectively achieving these goals. When appropriate, the Awardee must apply geospatial methods using GIS to support USAID/Bangladesh’s effort to incorporate geographic data and analysis into the Agency’s overall development planning, design, and MEL. Geographic data collection, analysis and submission methods must be included in the annual work plan and MEL Plan. In a separate section, the type of data to be collected must be discussed in detail, this includes all metadata. All geo-data will be submitted to the AOR and will be reviewed in consultation with the Mission GIS Specialist or other technically qualified USAID staff to ensure that it meets the geographic data reporting requirements. The following GIS data reporting requirements shall be included in all MEL and Work Plans submitted by Awardee: I. As part of its quarterly and annual reports, or as agreed upon with the AOR, the IP shall submit geographically referenced data either by electronic media such as CD, DVD, or external hard drive, or digitally. II. Program/Activity Location Data will be provided as point/line or polygon data with latitude and longitude coordinates in Decimal Degree (DD.MMMM) as derived from GPS units or through a digital map interface, such as Google Earth/Maps or a geographic resolution determined in consultation with the Mission. As agreed upon with the AOR, additional attribute data such as, program/activity name, implementing partner name, program/activity start and end dates, program/activity description, beneficiaries, etc., will be submitted along with Program/Activity Location Data for corresponding reporting and portfolio management needs. III. Thematic Data, Program/Activity Specific Data, and any other geographic data created or purchased under this award with U.S. Government funds will be provided. IPs should contact their AOR prior to purchasing any remote sensing, such as satellite imagery. IV. All Geographic Data must be submitted in industry standard formats such as ESRI Shapefile or ESRI Feature Class and include metadata. Metadata is a summary document providing content, quality, type, creation, and spatial information about a data set. It represents who, what, when, where, why and how of the resource. It can be stored in any format such as a text file, Extensible Markup Language (XML), or database record. Metadata records include core library catalog elements such as Title, Abstract, and Publication Data; geographic elements such as Geographic Extent and Projection Information; and database elements such as Attribute Label Definitions and Attribute Domain Values. The suggested metadata format is the XML schema, ISO 19139, which was developed to provide a consistent manner for presenting the ISO 19115 standard. V. All Geographic Data must be projected to the Geographic Coordinate System World Geodetic System 1984 (GCS WGS 1984). All data must use the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 1984) datum. VI. The selection of appropriate subnational administrative boundary datasets must be done in consultation with the Mission GIS Specialist.

c. Program Income

No program income is anticipated to be generated under the resulting award(s) of this NOFO. However, if program income is generated during the implementation of the program, the Agreement Officer reserves his/her rights in determining exactly how that income will be treated


46

and considered under the award, in line with 2 CFR 200.307. Otherwise, the following will be observed:

For U.S. Organizations, the following paragraph (e) (1) of the 2 CFR 200.307, and the provision, “Program Income” for non-U.S. organizations must apply:

“With prior approval of the Federal awarding agency, program income may be added to the Federal award by the Federal agency and the non-Federal entity. The program income must be used for the purposes and under the conditions of the Federal award.”

d. Environmental Compliance and Climate Risk Management The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, Section 117 requires that the impact of USAID’s activities on the environment should be considered and that USAID include environmental sustainability as a central consideration in designing and carrying out its development programs. This mandate is codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (22 CFR 216) and in ADS Part 201.5.10(g) and 204 (http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/200/), which, in part, require that the potential environmental impacts of USAID-financed activities are identified prior to a final decision to proceed and that appropriate environmental safeguards are adopted for all activities. Respondents’ environmental compliance obligations under these regulations and procedures are specified in the following paragraphs. In addition, the recipient must comply with host country environmental regulations unless otherwise directed in writing by USAID. In case of conflict between host country and USAID, the latter shall govern. No activity funded under this Cooperative Agreement will be implemented unless an environmental threshold determination, as defined by 22 CFR 216, has been reached for that activity, as documented in a Request for Categorical Exclusion, Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), or Environmental Assessment duly signed by the Bureau Environmental Officer (BEO). As part of its initial Work Plan, and all Annual Work Plans thereafter, the recipient, in collaboration with the USAID Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) and Mission Environmental Officer or BEO, as appropriate, shall review all ongoing and planned activities under this Cooperative Agreement to determine if they are within the scope of the approved Regulation 216 environmental documentation. If the recipient plans any new interventions outside the scope of the approved Regulation 216 environmental documentation, it shall prepare an amendment to the documentation for USAID review and approval. No such new interventions shall be undertaken prior to receiving written USAID approval of environmental documentation amendments. Any ongoing interventions found to be outside the scope of the approved Regulation 216 environmental documentation shall be halted until an amendment to the documentation is submitted and written approval is received from USAID.

An IEE of the USAID/Bangladesh’s Feed the Future Program (Asia 17-078) that includes this activity has been approved by the BEO. USAID/Bangladesh will provide a copy of the IEE to the recipient, who must follow the conditions outlined therein. The recipient shall be responsible for implementing all IEE conditions, as established in the BEO-Approved IEE, pertaining to the activities (including sub-contracts and grants) to be funded under this Agreement.


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The implementation period of Asia 17-078 is October 1, 2017 – September 31, 2022. The Livestock and Nutrition Activity’s implementation period is April 2021- March 2026. The remainder of the activity will be covered by a future IEE. Due to the need to promote the multiplication and dissemination of improved high yielding varieties of saline tolerant, flood tolerant and pest-resistant fodder seeds, the recipient shall conduct a Scoping Statement (SS) and Environmental Assessment (EA) (including Pesticide Evaluation Report and Safe Use Action Plan (PERSUAP)) prior to the start of activities. Any pesticide(s) procurement or use shall be in compliance with Asia 16-003. The recipient must include required environmental compliance and reporting language into each sub-implementation instrument, and ensure that appropriate resources (budget), staff, equipment, and reporting procedures are dedicated to this portion of the Activity. The recipient will ensure that sub-implementing partners have enough capacity to complete the environmental screening process and to implement monitoring and mitigation measures. The recipient shall be responsible for training their staff, grantees, subcontractors, and counterparts on the agreements’ environmental requirements and for ensuring they are following these requirements. In addition to environmental compliance, the recipient must submit a climate risk screening that describes how climate will affect the output of the Activity, and the climate risk rating. In case of medium to high risk rating, the recipient must submit a Climate Risk Management (CRM) plan. The CRM plan must cover the entire period of the Agreement and need to be approved by the Mission Environmental Officer (MEO).

e. Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services.

Under this NOFO, “The 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Section 889” applies. This law prohibits recipients of loans, grants, and cooperative agreements from USAID from obligating or expending U.S. Government grant funds to procure or obtain, extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain, or enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) to procure or obtain ‘covered equipment, services, or systems.’ The statute does not provide waiver authority for assistance awards. For details, please refer to the following guidance.

https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hr5515/BILLS-115hr5515enr.pdf

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-07-14/pdf/2020-15293.pdf

f. Crisis Modifier and/or Emergency Response

Bangladesh is vulnerable to natural hazards such as cyclones, floods, landslides and earthquakes, and epidemics caused by bacterial, fungal and viral infectious diseases. These disasters, whether natural or human made, can quickly and significantly set back development gains in Bangladesh. Hence, we encourage USAID implementing partners to have the capacity to dispatch resources, realign budgets, redirect funds, and respond to direction from USAID to address unanticipated events that may impact the success of Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity, or support new activities that could enhance its results. This may include disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Furthermore, the response may

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-07-14/pdf/2020-15293.pdf


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include assistance to government and other key stakeholders, taking advantage of new or changing market opportunities.

Accordingly, an award resulting from this NOFO will allow redirection of the Program Description or funds to support activities to address unknown and unanticipated disaster events. Any use of this provision must be mutually agreed upon by USAID and the Recipient. Prior to any use of this Provision, the Recipient and USAID shall identify activities to be carried out and the cost of such activities, and obtain written concurrence from the AOR, with specific reporting instructions, and approval from the Agreement Officer.

The scope and deliverables expected from the realignment of project resources will be mutually agreed upon by USAID/Bangladesh and the Recipient. This will also necessitate directing resources to other regions if a situation warrants and USAID requests it. Funds from the Crisis Modifier and/or Emergency Response budget line item must not be expended without the prior written approval from the Agreement Officer.

A separate line item will be added to the budget of the resultant award to fund implementation of emergency response activities.

[END OF SECTION F]


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SECTION G: FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT(S)

Abdullah Akbar Agreement Officer USAID Bangladesh C/o, American Embassy – Dhaka Madani Avenue, Baridhara Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Phone: +88-02-55662000 Email: [email protected]

Howard Weston Agreement Specialist USAID Bangladesh C/o, American Embassy – Dhaka Madani Avenue, Baridhara Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Phone: +88-02-55662000 Email: [email protected]

Samiul Islam Khan Agreement Specialist USAID Bangladesh C/o, American Embassy – Dhaka Madani Avenue, Baridhara Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh Phone: +88-02-55662000 Email: [email protected]

[END OF SECTION G]


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SECTION H: OTHER INFORMATION

USAID reserves the right whether to fund or not any application submitted. The Agreement Officer is the only individual who may legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds. Any award and subsequent incremental funding will be subject to the availability of funds and continued relevance to Agency programming.

Application with Proprietary Data

The Applicant who includes data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the U.S. Government except for evaluation purpose, should mark the cover page with the following: “This application includes data that must not be duplicated, used, or disclosed – in whole or in part – for any purpose other than to evaluate this application. If, however, an award is made as a result of – or in connection with – the submission of this data, the U.S. Government will have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting award. This restriction does not limit the U.S. Government’s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets {insert sheet numbers}.”

Additionally, the applicant must mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following: “Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this application.”

[END OF SECTION H]


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ANNEX 1 - REFERENCES

1. Standard Provisions for U.S., Nongovernmental Recipients

http://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/303maa

2. Mandatory Standard Provisions for Non U.S Non-Governmental Recipients

http://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/303mab

3. 2 CFR 700

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?SID=2d1b5d9221b2dd0c0fe7ad5a5a9b98fd&mc=true&node=pt2.1.700&rgn=div5

4. 2 CFR 200

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl

5. ADS Series 300 Acquisition and Assistance

http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/ads/

6. Prohibition on Federal Contracting with and Providing Federal Assistance to Entities That Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements

http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs/aapd-15-01

http://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/303maa

http://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/303mab



http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl

http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/ads/

http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs/aapd-15-01


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ATTACHMENT 1: PHASE 2 SAMPLE INSTRUCTIONS AND MERIT REVIEW CRITERIA Only applicants who are selected to proceed to Phase 2 of this NOFO will be invited to submit a full Application. A full application consists of 2 volumes: a Technical Application and a Cost Application. The instructions and evaluation criteria below, while highly informative, are subject to change. Applicants should consider the requirements presented by the instructions below to determine if it is in their interest to submit a Technical Approach for Phase 1. I. General Content and Form of Application The applicant must furnish the information required by this NOFO. The application must be submitted in two separate parts: the Technical Application and the Cost Application. The Technical Application must address technical aspects only, while the Cost Application must present the costs, and address risk and other related issues. . Applicants must review, understand, and comply with all aspects of this NOFO. Failure to do so may be considered as being non-responsive and may result in an application being rejected or evaluated accordingly. Applicants should retain a copy of the application and all enclosures for their records. Each email submission should not exceed 15 MB in size. Any zip files will not be accepted. 1. Technical Application Format A successful application will demonstrate thorough understanding and consideration of the requirements of the Activity as stated in the Program Description in Section A, the instructions in this section and the merit review discussed below. The Technical Application shall consist of 7 sections, described in detail below: Cover Page, Table of Contents, Executive Summary, Technical Approach (information submitted from Phase 1 with specific changes made to the Technical Approach highlighted or explained as a result of Phase 1 questions/comments), Management and Staffing Plan, Institutional Capability, and Past Performance Information. The Technical Application must not exceed 35 single-spaced typed pages. All sections are included in the page limit. (a) Cover Page (b) Table of Contents (c) Executive Summary (d) Technical Approach (e) Management and Staffing Plan There is no specific structure required of the management and staffing plan, but it should include at a minimum the following. ● The management and staffing plan should state specifically and justify the composition


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and organizational structure of the entire country-based Activity team. It should describe the role of all technical and relevant operational staff, especially key staff. It shall describe the reporting relationship among staff and how each staff will contribute to successful implementation of the activity. The plan should specify the role and estimated amount of time each staff member will devote to the Activity or specific components within the Activity. Support staff from the Applicant’s central office should be included in this section with a brief description how they will support the Activity. Delineation of roles, responsibilities, authority, and processes for decision making within applicant’s in-country team and between the home office and the field should be clearly outlined. In the Annex Section, the applicant shall provide an organogram of staff. ● The following four key personnel will require 100 percent level of effort (LOE) and USAID/Bangladesh approval: Chief of Party (COP), Deputy Chief of Party/Nutrition Team Lead, Food Science Team Lead, and Market Development and Value Chain Team Lead. All key staff must be fluent in English. ● A mobilization plan within the management and staffing plan must present how the applicant will launch activities immediately after receiving an award and provide a step-by-step timeline of actions for the first six months of Activity implementation. ● It is imperative the mobilization plan describe qualifications and responsibilities of key staff and especially recruiting efforts for all key staff carried out prior to submission of the application and planned to continue after submission. Results of recruiting efforts must be included in the mobilization plan but names and resumes of key staff shall not be included and will not be considered. Names and resumes of Key Staff will be requested only of the Apparently Successful Applicant and must be submitted as soon as possible, or the ASA may risk being deselected as the ASA. However, approval of key personnel will take place after award. ● Potential partners in the implementation of the award and the services to be provided by each partner institution or organization shall be described. Applicants shall describe the process of identifying and supporting sub awardees, if any. Applicants must also specify the technical resources and expertise of proposed sub awardee organizations, if any. ● Applicants should indicate how they will work with the private sector to share knowledge with government and civil society partners for more effective, sustainable conservation results. ● The management plan should also describe how the applicant will coordinate its implementation with other Activities of USAID/Bangladesh and other donors. ● Proposed field management structure and financial controls. ● Home office backstopping and its purpose. Staffing structure and key personnel requirements are elaborated in section “F.4 – Other Requirements”. (f) Institutional Capability


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Applicants must describe their organization’s actual technical and managerial expertise demonstrated in prior relevant work that will directly benefit implementation of this Activity. Applicants should also provide evidence of their capacity to respond to common and unusual challenges and widespread emergencies of prior interventions. The extent to which the Applicant and its consortium members (if proposed) convincingly demonstrate effectiveness in the organization and management of complex development programs on animal husbandry, livestock production and agriculture related technical assistance, nutrition and a track record of effective partnership and capacity building of market actors and value chain actors. Inclusion of management of sub grants to promote innovative applications (ideas, processes, equipment, training, designs) and partnerships is also important. Applicants’ experience in promoting livestock value chain and improving the utilization of diverse livestock products by rural households in Bangladesh or other countries with similar development context is important, including supplemental institutional capacities and experience of sub-awardees will also be evaluated favorably. Applicants are also encouraged to describe any presence and long-term capacity in the South Asian region that may be an asset to the implementation of this program. Information in this section should include (but is not limited to) the following. ● Brief description of organization’s history ● Institutional strength as represented by experience in managing successful Activities of similar scope and complexity ● Organizational structure and support from HR, Programming and Operational offices ● Financial management and resources ● Successful integration and monitoring of subrecipients’ interventions within awards ● Gender and youth integration in Activities and other successful diversity outreach ● Environmental compliance ● Host country relations ● Cost effectiveness (g) Past Performance Information Applicants must submit a past performance table listing up to 5 contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements involving similar or related programs during the past three years. Past performance tables can be submitted as an annex not counted in the page limit for the technical application. If the applicant has no history of past performance, they must state that fact. Information for past performance must include the following: ● Name of awarding organization or agency ● Address of awarding organization or agency ● Place of performance of services or program ● Award number ● Amount of award ● Period of Performance (begin and end dates of services/program) ● Name, telephone number and email address of two responsible technical representatives of the awarding organization or agency who have direct and substantial knowledge of the award


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● Description of the work ● Audit or performance findings, cause and mitigation, and awards received for exceptional service delivery Similar information must be provided for every partner organization proposed in the application whose cost is 15% or more of the total proposed Activity cost. 2. Cost Application Format The Cost Application contains three separate forms explained below. All three forms of the Cost Application must be submitted as a single PDF, Word Doc or Excel file and emailed as an attachment in the same email as the Technical Application as explained in Section D.4. The Budget should be expressed in US dollars using an exchange rate of BDT85 = $1. Please note that there are some other requirements such as Branding and Marking Plan, Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, Security Plan and any other requirements that must be submitted only by the ASA or following an award. However, even though these plans are not required as part of the initial application, the costs for implementing these plans or writing reports must be included in the cost application. The Business (Cost) Application must be submitted separately from the Technical Application. While no page limit exists for the full cost application, applicant is encouraged to be as concise as possible while still providing the necessary details. The business (cost) application must illustrate the entire period of performance, using the budget format shown in the SF-424A. Prior to award, applicant may be required to submit additional documentation deemed necessary for the Agreement Officer to assess the applicant’s risk in accordance with 2 CFR 200.205. The Cost Application must contain the following sections (which are further elaborated below this listing as subparagraphs for each requirement): a) Cover Page (same format applicable as discussed under “technical application format”) b) SF 424 Form(s) The applicant must sign and submit the cost application using the SF-424 series. Standard Forms can be accessed electronically at www.grants.gov or using the following links:

Instructions for SF-424

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424-instructions.html

Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

http://www.grants.gov/





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Instructions for SF-424A

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424a-instructions.html

Budget Information (SF-424A)


Instructions for SF-424B

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions/sf-424b-instructions.html

Assurances (SF-424B)


Failure to accurately complete these forms could result in the rejection of the application. c) Required Certifications and Assurances The applicant must complete the following documents and submit a signed copy with the application: (1) “Certifications, Assurances, Representations, and Other Statements of the Recipient” document found at http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/303mav.pdf (2) Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B) (3) Certificate of Compliance: Please submit a copy of your Certificate of Compliance if your organization's systems have been certified by USAID/Washington's Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA). d) Budget and Budget Narrative The Budget must be submitted as one unprotected Excel file (MS Office 2000 or later versions) with visible formulas and references and must be broken out by project year, including itemization of the federal and non-federal (cost share) amount. Files must not contain any hidden or otherwise inaccessible cells. Budgets with hidden cells lengthen the cost analysis time required to make an award and may result in a rejection of the cost application. The Budget Narrative must contain sufficient detail to allow USAID to understand the proposed costs. The applicant must ensure the budgeted costs address any additional requirements identified, such as Branding and Marking. The Budget Narrative must be thorough, including sources for costs to support USAID’s determination that the proposed costs are fair and reasonable. The Budget must include the following worksheets or tabs, and contents, at a minimum: ● Summary Budget, inclusive of all program costs (federal and non-federal), broken out by major budget category and by year for activities implemented by the applicant and any potential sub-applicants for the entire period of the program. ● Detailed Budget, including a breakdown by year, sufficient to allow the Agency to determine that the costs represent a realistic and efficient use of funding to implement the applicant’s program and are allowable in accordance with the cost principles found in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E.







http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/303mav.pdf


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● Detailed Budgets for each sub-recipient, for all federal funding and cost share, broken out by budget category and by year, for the entire implementation period of the project.

The Detailed Budget must contain the following budget categories and information, at a minimum: 1) Salaries and Allowances – Must be proposed consistent with 2 CFR 200.430 Compensation - Personal Services. The applicant’s budget must include position title, salary rate, level of effort, and salary escalation factors for each position. Allowances, when proposed, must be broken down by specific type and by position. Applicants must explain all assumptions in the Budget Narrative. The Budget Narrative must demonstrate that the proposed compensation is reasonable for the services rendered and consistent with what is paid for similar work in other activities of the applicant. Applicants must provide their established written policies on personnel compensation. If the applicant’s written policies do not address a specific element of compensation that is being proposed, the Budget Narrative must describe the rationale used and supporting market research.

2) Fringe Benefits – (if applicable) If the applicant has a fringe benefit rate approved by an agency of the U.S. Government, the applicant must use such rate and provide evidence of its approval. If an applicant does not have a fringe benefit rate approved, the applicant must propose a rate and explain how the applicant determined the rate. In this case, the Budget Narrative must include a detailed breakdown comprised of all items of fringe benefits (e.g., superannuation, gratuity, etc.) and the costs of each, expressed in U.S. dollars and as a percentage of salaries. 3) Travel and Transportation – Provide details to explain the purpose of the trips, the number of trips, the origin and destination, the number of individuals traveling, and the duration of the trips. Per Diem and associated travel costs must be based on the applicant’s normal travel policies. When appropriate please provide supporting documentation as an attachment, such as company travel policy, and explain assumptions in the Budget Narrative. 4) Procurement or Rental of Goods (Equipment & Supplies), Services, and Real Property – Must include information on estimated types of equipment, models, supplies and the cost per unit and quantity. The Budget Narrative must include the purpose of the equipment and supplies and the basis for the estimates. The Budget Narrative must support the necessity of any rental costs and reasonableness in light of such factors as: rental costs of comparable property, if any; market conditions in the area; alternatives available; and the type, life expectancy, condition, and value of the property leased. 5) Subawards – Specify the budget for the portion of the program to be passed through to any subrecipients. See 2 CFR 200.330 for assistance in determining whether the sub-tier entity is a subrecipient or contractor. The subrecipient budgets must align with the same requirements as the applicant’s budget, including those related to fringe and indirect costs. 6) Construction – If applicable

7) Other Direct Costs – This may include other costs not elsewhere specified, such as report preparation costs, passports and visas fees, medical exams and inoculations, as well as any other miscellaneous costs which directly benefit the program proposed by the applicant. The applicant should indicate the subject, venue and duration of any proposed conferences and seminars, and their relationship to the objectives of the program, along with


58

estimates of costs. Otherwise, the narrative should be minimal. 8) Indirect Costs – Applicants must indicate whether they are proposing indirect costs or will charge all costs directly. In order to better understand indirect costs please see Subpart E of 2 CFR 200.414. The application must identify which approach they are requesting and provide the applicable supporting information. Below are the most commonly used Indirect Cost Rate methods:

Method 1 - Direct Charge Only Eligibility: Any applicant Initial Application Requirements: See above on direct costs

Method 2 - Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) Eligibility: Any applicant with a NICRA issued by a USG Agency must use that NICRA Initial Application Requirements: If the applicant has a current NICRA, submit your approved NICRA and the associated disclosed practices. If your NICRA was issued by an Agency other than USAID, provide the contact information for the approving Agency. Additionally, at the Agency’s discretion, a provisional rate may be set forth in the award subject to audit and finalization. See USAID’s Indirect Cost Rate Guide for Non-Profit Organizations for further guidance.

Method 3 - De minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) Eligibility: Any applicant that has never received a NICRA Initial Application Requirements: Costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. If chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as a non-Federal entity chooses to negotiate an indirect rate, which the non-Federal entity may apply to do at any time. The applicant must describe which cost elements it charges indirectly vs. directly. See 2 CFR 200.414(f) for further information.

Method 4 - Indirect Costs Charged as A Fixed Amount Eligibility: Non-U.S. non-profit organizations without a NICRA may request, but approval is at the discretion of the AO. Initial Application Requirements: Provide the proposed fixed amount and a worksheet that includes the following: ● Total costs incurred by the organization for the previous fiscal year and estimates for the current year. ● Indirect costs (common costs that benefit the day-to-day operations of the organization, including categories such as salaries and expenses of executive officers, personnel administration, and accounting, or that benefit and are identifiable to more than one program or activity, such as depreciation, rental costs, operations and maintenance of facilities, and telephone expenses) for the previous fiscal year and estimates for the current year ● Proposed method for prorating the indirect costs equitably and consistently across all programs and activities of using a base that measures the benefits of that particular cost to


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each program or activity to which the cost applies. If the applicant does not have an approved NICRA and does not elect to utilize the 10% de minimis rate, the Agreement Officer will provide further instructions and may request additional supporting information, including financial statements and audits, should the application still be under consideration after the merit review. USAID is under no obligation to approve the applicant’s requested method.

e) Prior Approvals in accordance with 2 CFR 200.407 Inclusion of an item of cost in the detailed application budget does not satisfy any requirements for prior approval by the Agency. If the applicant would like the award to reflect approval of any cost elements for which prior written approval is specifically required for allowability, the applicant must specify and justify that cost. See 2 CFR 200.407 for information regarding which cost elements require prior written approval. Approval of Subawards

The applicant must submit information for all subawards that it wishes to have approved at the time of award. For each proposed subaward the applicant must provide the following: ● Name of organization ● DUNS Number ● Confirmation that the subrecipient does not appear on the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list ● Confirmation that the subrecipient does not have active exclusions in the System for Award Management (SAM) ● Confirmation that the subrecipient is not listed in the United Nations Security designation list ● Confirmation that the subrecipient is not suspended or debarred ● Confirmation that the applicant has completed a risk assessment of the subrecipient, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.331(b) ● Any negative findings as a result of the risk assessment and the applicant’s plan for mitigation.

[End of Instructions]


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II. APPLICATION REVIEW

INFORMATION Criteria

The merit review criteria prescribed here are tailored to the requirements of this particular NOFO. Applicants should note these criteria serve to (a) identify the significant matters that applicants should address in their applications, and (b) set the standard against which all applications will be evaluated. Technical and other factors will be evaluated as described here and prescribed in the Technical Application Format. The Technical Application will be evaluated by a Selection Committee (SC) using the criteria described in this section.

Review and Selection Process USAID will conduct a merit review of all applications received that comply with the instructions in this NOFO. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated in accordance with the following criteria shown in descending order of importance Evaluation Criteria #1: Technical Approach The following merit review criteria are listed in descending order of importance and will be evaluated as such.

i. Extent to which the proposed technical approach demonstrates understanding of the issues and priorities of livestock production in Bangladesh and presents a clear, detailed, technically sound, and ambitious yet feasible approach to achieving the goals, objectives and results identified in this NOFO with emphasis on applying market systems approach and private sector engagement. ii. Extent to which innovative approaches and lessons learned from programs elsewhere are identified and effectively included in the proposed approach. iii. Extent to which gender and social inclusion issues are meaningfully identified and addressed, including plans to ensure attention to such issues during implementation of the award. iv. Extent of synergistic linkages with other assistance activities that are discussed in the Program Description and other relevant activities. v. Extent to which the Applicant’s approach demonstrates a sound understanding of the impacts of climate change on the Activity and incorporates opportunities to adapt and mitigate climate change over the life of the Activity. vi. Extent to which the information on GIS technology and geographic data will be included in the overall evaluation of the Technical Approach.


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Evaluation Criteria #2: Management and Staffing Plan Staffing Plan Staffing plans and proposed personnel must offer an effective combination of management and technical skills. Technical qualifications, professional competence, appropriate academic background, and demonstrated experience in the relevant fields of expertise as identified in the Program Description are key considerations in reviewing staffing plans. Proposed personnel must meet all the requirements mentioned in the Program Description. USAID/Bangladesh will encourage and reward staffing plans which demonstrate an understanding of the importance of personnel’s technical knowledge, ability to build cooperative relationships with stakeholders, and long-term commitment to work in Bangladesh. Special emphasis must be put on experience and performance of key personnel in managing complex agricultural programs; their experience in building and effectively supervising a diverse team of employees; demonstrated effective interpersonal skills, creative problem-solving and ethical management; and prior experience in working with USAID or other donors international development programs/projects. Experience using USAID adaptive management techniques is preferred but not mandatory. Management Plan

i. Organization: The extent to which the proposed management structure and approach will ensure program effectiveness and efficiency in achieving maximum benefits and results will be considered. The Management Plan must consist of a clear and concise description of how internal management plans, organizational structures, lines of communication and authority, and partnerships are conducive to effective project implementation.

ii. Aptitudes and Effort: The composition and organizational structure of the entire project team must be justified. The roles and estimated Level of Effort (LOE) for each staff member must also be clearly explained. Applicants should also explain how the sum of technical expertise and experiences of all staff members is compatible with the technical and operational strategies of the project.

Evaluation Criteria #3: Institutional Capability The extent to which the Applicant and its consortium members (if proposed) convincingly demonstrate effectiveness in the organization and management of complex development programs on animal husbandry, livestock production and agriculture related technical assistance, nutrition and a track record of effective partnership and capacity building of market actors and value chain actors. Inclusion of management of sub grants to promote innovative applications (ideas, processes, equipment, training, designs) and partnerships is also important. Applicants’ experience in promoting livestock value chain and improving the utilization of diverse livestock products by rural households in Bangladesh or other countries with similar development context is important, including supplemental institutional capacities and experience of sub-awardees will also be evaluated favorably. Applicants are also encouraged to describe any presence and long-term capacity in the South Asian region that may be an asset to the implementation of this program. Evaluation Criteria #4: Past Performance Information Past achievements as evidenced by measurable or verifiable success in implementing programs of similar scope and size. In articulating past achievements, applicants must explain why and how their


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past performance would positively contribute to this project. Performance information will be used for both the responsibility determination and best value decision. USAID may use performance information obtained from other than the sources identified by the Applicant. USAID will initially determine the relevance of similar performance information as a predictor of probable performance under the subject requirement. USAID may give more relative importance performance information that is considered more relevant and/or more current.

Cost Review USAID will evaluate the cost application of the applicant(s) under consideration for an award as a result of the merit criteria review to determine whether costs are allowable in accordance with the cost principles found in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E. The Agency will also consider (1) the extent of the applicant's understanding of the financial aspects of the program and the applicant's ability to perform the activities within the amount requested; (2) whether the applicant's plans will achieve the program objectives with reasonable economy and efficiency; and (3) whether any special conditions relating to costs should be included in the award. The AO will perform a risk assessment (2 CFR 200.205). The AO may determine that a pre- award survey is required to inform the risk assessment in determining whether the prospective recipient has the necessary organizational, experience, accounting and operational controls, financial resources, and technical skills – or ability to obtain them – in order to achieve the objectives of the Activity and comply with the terms and conditions of the award. Depending on the result of the risk assessment, the AO will decide to execute the award, not execute the award, or award with “specific conditions” (2 CFR 200.207).

[End of Merit Review Criteria]

[END OF ATTACHMENT 1]


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ATTACHMENT 2: INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION (IEE), “Asia 17-078-MTF-12” Attached as a separate file

[END OF ATTACHMENT 2]

[END OF NOFO]

issue date: october 27, 2020

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