
USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project
Request for Application (RFA)
Issuance Date: September 4th, 2018
Deadline for Receipt of Questions:
September 28th, 2018
Closing Date/Time for Submission of Applications: October 5th, 2018
Informative Sessions Dates:
Details to be announced through media, the tentative schedule is at the end of this RFA
SUBJECT: Request for Application (RFA) Number: AID-472-C-15-00001-RFA-#009-Support
Women Entrepreneurs Food Preservation
USAID’s
Avansa Agrikultura Project in Timor-Leste is seeking applications from
qualified, legally registered US and Timorese non-profit, for-profit,
and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
for a grant agreement to support entrepreneurs or already established women owned businesses in small-scale food preservation.
The
Successful Applicant will be responsible for ensuring achievement of
specified grant objectives. Please refer to Section 1 – Funding
Opportunity Description for a complete statement
of goals and expected results.
This RFA consists of the following sections:
1.
Section 1 – Funding Opportunity Description
2.
Section 2 – Grant Award Information
3.
Section 3 – Eligibility Information
4.
Section 4 – Application and Submission Information
5.
Section 5 – Application Review Information
6.
Section 6 – Grant Award and Administration Information
7.
Section 7 – Annexes
Pursuant
to 22 CFR 226.81, it is USAID policy not to award profit under
assistance instruments. However, all reasonable, allocable and allowable
expenses, both direct and indirect, which are
related to the grant activity and are in accordance with applicable cost
standards (22 CFR 226, 2 CFR 230 for non-profit organizations, the
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 31 for for-profit
organizations, and 2 CFR 220 for educational institutions),
may be paid under the Grant.
Subject to the availability of funds, the Project intends to provide approximately
US$ 30,000 in total funding to be allocated over a one-year
period. Maximum amount of a single grant to be awarded under this RFA
is US$6,000.
The
Project reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications
submitted. Issuance of this RFA does not constitute a grant commitment
on the part of the Project, nor does it commit
the Project to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission
of an application. Further, the Project reserves the right to reject any
or all applications received if such action is considered to be in the
best interest of the US Government. Applications
are submitted at the risk of the Applicant; should circumstances prevent
making a grant, all preparation and submission costs are at the
Applicant’s expense.
Applicants should
submit any questions concerning this RFA in writing to USAID’s Avansa
Agrikultura Project Grants and Subcontracts Manager, electronically, via
email at
grants@avansaag.com . The deadline for receipt of requests for clarifications/explanations is
September 28th 2018. No questions will be accepted after this date.
Applicants should submit applications electronically, referencing RFA No.
AID-472-C-15-00001-RFA-#009, via email at grants@avansaag.com . The Closing Date for Submission of Applications is
October 5th 2018 and the Closing Time for Submission
of Applications is 17:00 hour’s local, Timor-Leste time. Applications
that arrive after this deadline will not be considered.
Section 1 – Funding Opportunity Description
A. Background
The USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project in Timor-Leste is a horticulture
value chain activity aimed at addressing the key challenges in rural
poverty, natural resource degradation, and food insecurity and under
nutrition. The value chain approach will be applied
in achieving increased productivity along key horticulture value chains
that include vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Through the promotion of
sustainable production practices, increased functionality of farmer
groups and associations, improved market linkages,
and increased availability and access to quality agricultural inputs and
services, including access to finance, the project will aim to
stimulate and support increased economic activity and growth in targeted
rural communities and districts.
The purpose of this
RFA is to solicit applications to support the Project in the achievement
of its program objectives, specifically to
support entrepreneurs or already established women owned businesses in small-scale food preservation.
B. Program Description
B.I. Background on the specific grant activity
The
World Food Program has found that despite development efforts, 40% of
the population still live in poverty in Timor-Leste and malnutrition
rates of the country among
the highest in Asia.
According to the FAO and
WHO, traditional food preservation practices can be used to increase
and fortify a Timorese diet in the absence of markets and inadequate
income. The preservation practices can fill the
nutrients gaps (vitamins and minerals) in a daily diet, as well during
the lean or hungry season when farmers are waiting for maize or rice
harvest. It is believe that food preservation practices not only extend
the lifespan of Timorese produce, but also
promote food security and food variety for Timorese livelihoods. On a
national scale, food preservation practices could reduce the dependency
of rural and urban populations on the costly imported foods, and create
local business opportunities.
USAID’s
Avansa Agrikultura Project has observed while working with the farmers,
excess fresh fruits and fresh vegetables produced are wasted when
buyer only take certain quantity and there is a lack of storage
facilities. There is also a lack of knowledge on how to produce
value-added foods or food preservation techniques. The agribusiness
survey conducted by the project in 2017 shows that about 31.71%
farmers experience hunger at some point from December to May, especially
during the heavy rains. The project wants to assist with increasing
food security through food preservation techniques.
The
project is also aware of traditional jarring occurring in the rural
areas and would like to expand on that. Through the grants program we
would like to help women, who are jarring already, to expand, create
more employment opportunities, and increase their incomes. In addition,
the grants will support women who are interested in starting a business
in food preservation.
B.II. Goals and objectives of the activity
The goal of this Request for Applications (RFA)
is to support women entrepreneurs to develop or expand their food jarring/drying businesses.
The objectives are:
1.
To support up to ten women to expand or develop food preservation businesses;
2.
Promote traditional jarring as a way to reduce hunger and increase food security;
3.
To create income-generating opportunities for women
By
working toward fulfilling the above objectives, it is expected the
grants will support the traditional Timorese jarring to fill the
nutrient gaps during the lean
or hungry season and reduce dependency imported processed while
creating sustainable job opportunities for women. While also creating
employment opportunities and increasing incomes of women-owned
businesses.
B.III. Expected deliverables
1.
Applicants must participate in food jarring/food drying training that will be provided by the project.
2.
Those who attended the training will be eligible to apply for this grant.
3.
Applicants
are expected to submit their business plan and design on their product.
If a product is already being produced the applicant will present
sample of their products with
the tested recipes. The business plan must specify which product the
applicant will jar or dry, expected costs, and who the market is. The
plan should also include an assessment of which products they will jar
based on what the market will demand, particularly
will people in their area eat it.
The fresh fruits and vegetables jarring/drying can
be in the forms of the following taste using seasonal/available fruits
and vegetables:
a.
Sweet, sour, salty and/or spicy pickles
b.
Sweet and/o salty sauces
c.
Chutney (Molho)
d.
Relish (Salga)
e.
Dried products
It is expected that the
grant recipient(s) will use the contribution grant offered to expedite
all the activities base on the agreement. The grant recipient(s) are
expected to:
1.
With
support from the project, successful applicants will start-up and
register their business, if this has not been done already.
2.
The
grant recipient will be expected to participate in food preservation
training prior to awarding this grant, and participate in other training
programs the project is provided
to improve their technical and business skills. The food preservation
training will only be required if the applicant is not already working
in this area.
B.IV. Expected results
Grant activity must contribute to fulfilment of the expected results listed below.
1.
Support up to ten new/established women-owned businesses to involve in food preservation.
2.
Support traditional Timorese jarring and drying as a viable food option during hunger season.
3.
Increase full-time and part-time employment for women in agribusiness.
4.
Increase income for households involved in the activity.
B.VI. Performance Monitoring Plan
Results of the
activities (as per defined in the application and grant agreement) will
be measured through regular monitoring and follow-up. Grant
recipient(s) will provide information needed for monitoring and
evaluation purposes during and after activity implementation. USAID’s
Avansa Agrikultura Project will treat as confidential any information
that is determined sensitive in regards to competition.
Section 2 – Grant Award Information
Subject to the
availability of funds, the Project intends to provide grants to be
allocated over a twelve-month period. The anticipated period of
performance of the grant is expected to be between September 2018
and July 2019. The Project anticipates awarding Fixed Amount Awards
(FAA) under this RFA. Under the FAA, all payments will be fixed amount
payable upon achievement of milestones/accomplishment of benchmarks,
which will be defined in detail during grant agreement
negotiations.
Section 3 – Eligibility Information
Eligible organizations shall be able to comply with and achieve the
proposed Program Description, Tasks, and Results and have a satisfactory
performance record and record of integrity and business ethics.
Eligible organizations include legally registered US,
Timorese non-for-profit, for-profit, and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs).
Prior
to the award of grant under this RFA, successful applicants will be
required to sign a Certification Regarding Terrorist Financing
certifying that the applicant’s organization does not
provide and has never provided assistance to terrorists for terrorist
activities. Successful applicants may also be required to sign other
Certifications as applicable to the grant award. The Certifications are
attached as Annex A of this RFA.
Ineligible organizations include:
·
Public International Organizations;
·
Entities
that have misused USAID funds in the past, organizations that advocate,
promote or espouse anti-democratic policies or illegal activities;
·
Political parties or institutions;
·
Organizations that intend to use the grant for religious objectives;
·
Organizations
that are on the list of parties excluded from federal procurement and
non-procurement programs or the United Nations Security Sanctions
Committee.
Minimum
qualifications for applicants to participate in this RFA include have
knowledge about how to run a business and understand their market for
their proposed product and participate in
food preservation training provided by the project.
Contribution cost is required by the Project for this activity,
and the amount of contribution cost proposed by grantees will be
considered when evaluating the cost effectiveness of applications.
Contribution may include:
·
Project costs financed with cash or in-kind contributions, either provided by the grantee or other donors;
·
Unrecovered indirect costs;
·
Volunteer
services furnished by professional and technical personnel,
consultants, and other skilled and unskilled labor if the services are a
necessary part of the grant activity.
Rates for volunteer services will be consistent with those paid for
similar work in the grantee’s organizations;
·
Donated
supplies (such as expendable equipment, office supplies, etc.),
non-expendable equipment, buildings, and land. Values for donated
supplies, equipment, buildings and land will
be reasonable and will not exceed their fair market value.
Contribution cost must meet the following criteria:
·
Verifiable from the grantee’s records;
·
Not included as contributions for the any US Government project or program;
·
Necessary and reasonable for the accomplishment of grant objectives;
·
Allowable under the applicable cost principles;
·
Not paid by the Federal Government under another grant;
·
Provided for in the approved budget.
Program income
is defined as gross income earned by the grantee that is directly
generated by a supported activity or earned as a results of a grant
award. Program income includes,
but it is not limited to, income from fees for services performed, the
use or rental of property, including equipment, acquired under the grant
agreement; the sale of commodities or items produced under the grant
agreement, and interest on loans made with
grant funds.
In the event that a grant activity result in
program income earned during the period of performance of the grant, it
will be retained by the grantee but must be used in one of the following
ways:
a)
Added to the grant budget and used to further the grant objectives (this does not apply for any for-profit grantees);
b)
Used to finance the grantee’s contribution cost requirements; or
c)
Deducted from the total grant allowable cost on which the Federal share of costs is based
If
program income is used based on a. and/or b. above, any program income
in excess of the amounts that were used towards a. and/ or b. shall be
used in accordance with c. above. Grantees will
have no obligation to the US Government regarding program income earned
after the end of the grant period of performance. Grantees also have no
obligation to the US Government with respect to program income earned
from license fees and royalties for copyrighted
materials, patents, patent applications, trademarks, and inventions
produced under a grant.
Environmental Compliance
The USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project will consider all potential environmental implications of proposed grant activities.
All applications must
also meet and adhere to project environmental compliance requirements,
which will be considered as part of the evaluation of the proposal, and
during implementation. Proposals that will risk
and adverse impact on the environment will not be considered without
mitigation plans, and must be done in accordance with USAID’s Avansa
Agrikultura Project Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Plans.
Section 4 – Application and Submission Information
Applicants should submit applications electronically, referencing RFA No.
AID-472-C-15-00001-RFA-#009, via email at grants@avansaag.com . The closing date for submission of applications is
October 5th, 2018 and the closing time for submission
of applications is 17:00 hour’s local, Timor-Leste time. Late
applications will not be considered.
All applications in
response to this RFA shall consist of a technical proposal and a budget
proposal. The technical proposal must be no longer than 10 pages in
length. Pages submitted in excess of 10 pages will
not be reviewed. The budget proposal shall be submitted as a separate
file from the technical proposal. The required format for applications
is included as Annex B - Full Application Format and Budget Format.
Section 5 – Application Review Information
Applications will be
evaluated in accordance with the criteria set forth below. The criteria
have been tailored to the requirements of this RFA. Applications should
note that these criteria serve to: (a) identify
the significant matters which Applicants should address in their
applications; and (b) set the standard against which all applications
will be evaluated.
To
the extent necessary, the Project may request clarification and
supplemental materials from Applicants whose applications have a
reasonable chance of being selected for grant award. The
entry into discussion is to be viewed as part of the evaluation process
and shall not be deemed as indicative of a decision or commitment upon
the part of the Project to make a grant award to the applicants with
whom discussions are being held.
Applications
will be evaluated by the Grants Selection Committee on the basis of 100
possible points. The weighting of various sections will be as follows:
1.
Understanding
of the Key Issues (30 points): Does the applicant demonstrate a clear
understanding of how to run a business? Does the applicant have a
creative business idea related
to food preservation and understand who their market is?
2.
Grant Activity Goals and Objectives (20 points):
Is the overall goal of the proposed grant activity clearly stated and achievable?
3.
Outcomes / Expected Results (15 points):
Do the expected results of the proposed grant activities relate to the key issues and overall grant objective?
Are anticipated results directly linked to a specific objective?
4.
Staffing/Management Plan
(20 points): Does the proposed staffing/management plan reflect the personnel/management needs of the grant activity? Does
the applicant propose personnel with experience and skills necessary to successfully implement the proposed activities?
5.
Cost
Realism (15 points): Is the proposed budget realistic, well-thought
out, and in-line with the proposed activities? Are the proposed costs
reasonable, allowable and allocable
to the grant? Is the grantee contributing cost-share and to what extent?
The selection of the Applicant for award will be
made by the Project’s Grants Steering Committee (GSC). Prior to the
award of any resultant grant agreement, the Project must obtain prior
approval from USAID.
Section 6 – gRANT Award and Administration Information
Successful applicant(s)
will receive written notice from the Grants and Subcontracts Manager
informing the applicant(s) that the Project either intends to award a
grant to the applicant without negotiation, or
that the Project intends to engage the applicant(s) in further
negotiations with respect to a potential grant award. Negotiations
conducted after the receipt of an application do not constitute an
obligation on the part of the Project to award a grant. Unsuccessful
applicants will be notified in writing by the Grants and Subcontracts
Manager.
Any resultant award will
be subject to the terms and conditions of the Prime Contract for the USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura
Project, 22 CFR 226 and the Standard
Provisions for U.S. Non-governmental Recipients and for Non-U.S.
Non-governmental Recipients.
Section 7: Annexes
Annex A: Certifications
Annex B: Full Application Format and Budget Format
Annex C:
Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants
Schedule for Informative Sessions
|
Municipality
|
Day/Date
|
Time
|
Venue/Location
|
Dili - Metinaro
|
Monday - Morning
Sept 10, 2018
|
10.30 am
|
Metinaro – Venue to be Confirmed
|
Dili - Hera
|
Monday - Afternoon
Sept 10, 2018
|
15.00pm
|
Hera – Venue to be Confirmed
|
Dili
|
Tuesday - Afternoon
Sept 11, 2018
|
14:00pm
|
USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project’s Office Dili
|
|
|
|
|
Aileu
|
Wednesday - Morning
Sept 12, 2018
|
10.00am
|
USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project’s Office Aileu
|
|
|
|
|
Ermera
|
Thursday - Morning
Sept 13, 2018
|
10.00am
|
USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project’s Office, Gleno - Ermera
|
|
|
|
|
Bobonaro - Maliana
|
Friday - Morning
Sept 14, 2018
|
09.30am
|
Maliana – Venue to be Confirmed
|
Bobonaro - Atabae
|
Friday - Afternoon
Sept 14, 2018
|
14.30pm
|
Atabae – Venue to be Confirmed
|
|
|
|
|
Ainaro - Hato-Udo
|
Monday - Afternoon
Sept 17, 2018
|
14.00pm
|
USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project’s Office Hato-Udo, Ainaro
|
Ainaro - Ainaro Villa
|
Tuesday - Morning
Sept 18, 2018
|
9.00am
|
Ainaro Villa - Venue to be Confirmed
|
Ainaro – Maubisse
|
Tuesday - Afternoon
Sept 18, 2018
|
14.00pm
|
Maubisse - Venue to be Confirmed
|
|
|
|
|
NOTE: Send email to: grants@avansaag.com
or Call: 331 1296, for confirmation of the schedule in each respective municipality
|
Grants Team
USAID’s Avansa Agrikultura Project
Email:
grants@avansaag.com