Design and Planning of PHCs

The success of U.S. Government (USG) initiatives [e.g., Global Health Initiative (GHI) and Feed the Future (FtF)] prioritizes collaboration and effective partnerships with diverse local, national, and global stakeholders in order to implement the core principles guiding these initiatives and accelerate progress towards achieving their goals and targets through country-led and country- owned policies and strategies. U.S. Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO) and their local partners, and local and national NGOs are well poised to contribute to the core principles of these initiatives[footnoteRef:1] as well as key areas within USAID’s reform agenda, including but not restricted to promotion of research and innovation, integration, sustainability and systems strengthening, a focus on women and girls, and new partnerships with civil society as a part of procurement reform. [1: The seven principles underlying the foundation of GHI are the following: Implement a woman- and girl-centered approach; Increase impact through strategic coordination and integration; Strengthen and leverage key multilateral organizations, global health partnerships and private sector engagement; Encourage country ownership and invest in country-led plans; Build sustainability through health systems strengthening; Improve metrics, monitoring and evaluation; and Promote research and innovation. A public consultation document focusing on the GHI may be accessed at: http://www.usaid.gov/ghi/ ]

Through the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Grants Program (MNCH), USAID’s Bureau for Global Health (BGH) has developed effective partnerships with U.S. PVOs and leveraged their entrepreneurship and expertise for community health and development, particularly for designing, implementing, and evaluating innovative community oriented approaches through local/sub-national/national partnerships in order to effectively and sustainably improve the coverage of high impact MNCH interventions in vulnerable populations.

Specifically, this MNCH Request For Applications (RFA) focuses on the New Partner category which seeks new and diverse partnerships with new partners (U.S. PVOs and national NGOs) and provides opportunities to build technical and organizational capacity for MNCH programming, and contributes to documenting promising models for local capacity and sustainability

General RFA Information

Issuance of this RFA 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/or submission of an application. Applicants who come under consideration for an award that have never received USAID funding will be subject to a pre-award audit to determine fiscal responsibility, ensure adequacy of financial controls, and establish an indirect cost rate (if applicable). For the purposes of this RFA, the term “Grant” is synonymous with “Cooperative Agreement”; "Grantee" is synonymous with "Recipient;" and "Grant Officer" is synonymous with "Agreement Officer". The authority for this RFA is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.

USAID intends to award up to eight (8) Cooperative Agreements in total under this RFA totaling up to $40,000,000. Cooperative Agreements issued under this RFA may have an implementation period of up to five (5) years. Applicants may propose implementation periods of less than five (5) years (cost efficiencies and project effectiveness should be considered) but no more than five (5) years. The Government reserves the right to reject any or all applications received and may or may not award the specified number of Cooperative Agreements in any category.

New Partner Cooperative Agreements: Up to 8 New Partner awards (up to $5 million each, up to five years; total estimated cost of total awards: $12,000,000). The guidance and evaluation criteria for this supports USAID’s procurement reform objectives for increasing direct partnerships with new partners (national, U.S.) and documenting promising practices and processes to advance local capacity building and sustainability.

Eligible Applicants: U.S. PVOs and local/national NGOs.

Application Limitations: Eligible applicant organizations may submit up to one (1) application in the New Partner category..

Estimated Award Period of Performance: Project implementation periods shall begin on October 1 of this year..

Cost Share Minimum Amount: 15% of the total cooperative agreement amount shall be provided by the prime recipient.

Application Specifications

1. Technical Application: All applicants shall submit a Technical Application by the closing date of this RFA. Technical Applications shall be no more than 10 pages (a one page Executive Summary and nine pages of technical approach) in length not to include Technical Application Attachments (not to exceed 12 pages). Any pages in a Technical Application that exceed the specified number of pages for the application or attachments will not be reviewed or considered during evaluations. MNCH Recipients will utilize their Strategic Workplan development phase (which follows initial grant approval) to add detail to the project’s technical approach

Applicants may only propose projects in country(s) listed in the RFA Eligible Country List under each MNCH category a focus on USAID priority countries). Projects proposed in any country(s) not on the Eligible Country List within each specific category will not be considered. See Section III: Eligibility Information for the full country listings.

2. Cost Application: A Cost Application will accompany this proposal. This will follow the guidelines set out in Section IV J. The Cost Application shall be separate companion document to the Technical Application. See Section IV. Application and Submission Information for more specific information.

While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award. No costs chargeable to the proposed Agreement may be incurred before receipt of either a fully executed Agreement or a specific, written authorization from the Agreement Officer.

Key Updates for Previous MNCHGP Applicants

· The RFA continues to recognize the entrepreneurial role of U.S. PVOs and their local partners in designing, testing, evaluating, and facilitating the scale up of new and/or promising solutions that improve maternal, newborn, and child health and survival, particularly at the primary health care and community levels in resource poor

settings.

· The MNCH RFA Eligible Country List has been modified to focus on USAID priority countries. Please see Section III: Eligibility Information.

· Key personnel required in the FY2019 are a Headquarters Technical Backstop, a Project Manager, and a Final Evaluation Consultant. At the time of application, USAID form 1420 are suggested for the Headquarters Technical Backstop and Project Manager.

· Applications for the MNCH RFA will only be accepted through the jhu courseplus dropbox . It is recommended that interested applicants not already registered with course 604.221.86 begin the registration process as soon as possible. Please see Section IV: Application and Submission Information and Annex J.

Thank you for your interest in this USAID initiative. USAID looks forward to your organization’s participation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents 6 ACRONYM LIST 7 SECTION I: Funding Opportunity Description 8 Introduction 8 Overview of the MNCHGP 9 Technical Interventions 10 SECTION II: Award Information 14 Type of Award 14 Substantial Involvement 14 Total Estimated Funds Available 14 Anticipated Award Schedule 15 SECTION III: Eligibility Information 15 Eligibility Requirements 15 Project Restrictions 18 SECTION IV: Application and Submission Information 19 Address to Request Application Package 19 Content and Form of Application Submission 19 Summary Document Due Dates 20 Required Format of Application(s) 20 Branding Requirements 20 Cost Application Funding 21 Content Application Document 22 Cost Application Content 26 SECTION V: Application Review Information 27 Evaluation Criteria 29 Technical Evaluation Criteria for New Partner Category Applications 29 Cost Effectiveness and Cost Realism 30 SECTION V: Reporting 30

A. Introduction

Achieving high, equitable and sustained coverage of proven, high impact interventions is critical to reducing mortality and improving nutrition and other health outcomes among women of reproductive age, newborns and children under five years of age in low resource settings. The challenge rests in introducing, evaluating, and scaling up new and/or promising implementation solutions that address key gaps in national and global policies and programs to improve the delivery and use of these proven, high impact interventions in communities most in needIt is important to identify, understand, and address gaps in coverage and quality of care along the continuum of care for maternal, newborn and child health, improve the delivery and use of essential interventions and packages to achieve sustainable impact at scale, and work to eliminate disparities in coverage.

The success of U.S. Government (USG) initiatives [e.g., Global Health Initiative (GHI) and Feed the Future (FtF)] prioritizes collaboration and effective partnerships with diverse local, national, and global stakeholders in order to implement the core principles guiding these initiatives and accelerate progress towards achieving their goals and targets through country-led and country- owned policies and strategies. U.S. Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO and their local partners, and local and national NGOs are well poised to contribute to the core principles of these initiatives[footnoteRef:2] as well as key areas within USAID’s reform agenda4, including but not restricted to promotion of research and innovation, integration, sustainability and systems strengthening, a focus on women and girls, and new partnerships with civil society as a part of procurement reform. [2: The seven principles underlying the foundation of GHI are the following: Implement a woman- and girl-centered approach; Increase impact through strategic coordination and integration; Strengthen and leverage key multilateral organizations, global health partnerships and private sector engagement; Encourage country ownership and invest in country-led plans; Build sustainability through health systems strengthening; Improve metrics, monitoring and evaluation; and Promote research and innovation. A public consultation document focusing on the GHI may be accessed at: http://www.usaid.gov/ghi/]

MNCHGP USAID’s Bureau for Global Health (BGH) has developed effective partnerships with U.S. PVOs and leveraged their entrepreneurship and expertise for community health and development, particularly for designing, implementing, and evaluating innovative community oriented approaches through local/sub-national/national partnerships in order to effectively and sustainably improve the coverage of high impact MNCH interventions in vulnerable populations. The MNCHGP’s strategic focus on operations research for new and/or promising implementation solutions and new partnerships has positioned U.S. PVOs and their partners to significantly advance the science of implementation and contribute to the global and national evidence base for advancing solutions that address critical bottlenecks in policies and strategies for community health. The GH Bureau’s Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition (GH/HIDN) supports USAID’s role in USG strategic initiatives (e.g., GHI, FtF) and the Agency’s reform agenda through the several strategies and mechanisms at the global and country levels. This RFA continues to align the guidance for U.S. PVO designed implementation solutions, particularly at the primary health care and community levels, with the principles and priorities of USAID’s broader strategic work. The MNCHGP grantees, MCHIP PVO Support, CORE Group network) are well positioned to contribute to identification, testing, and dissemination of new and/or promising solutions to implementation challenges and research as well as to strengthening dialogue and effective exchange of technical resources, new and/or promising solutions, research methodologies, and use of evidence and lessons within a wider network of innovators supported by USAID.

This Request for Applications (RFA) for the Child Survival and Health Grants Program (MNCHGP) is seeking effective partnerships with U.S. PVO/NGO and non-U.S. NGOs to enable the identification, testing, and scale up of new and/or promising solutions that address the most critical bottlenecks faced by governments in order to improve the implementation of policies and strategies for integrated community health and strengthen the capacity of health systems and their local partners to respond to local needs.

The New Partner program seeks new and diverse partnerships with new partners (U.S. PVOs, international and national NGOs) and provides opportunities to build technical capacities with local partners, and contributes to documenting promising models for local capacity and sustainability. Please see Section IV: Application and Submission Information for additional information on the New Partner categories.

B. Overview of the MNCHGP

Since 1985, USAID has supported community-oriented maternal, neonatal and child health projects implemented by U.S. PVOs and their local partners. The purpose of this program is to contribute to sustained improvements in maternal and child survival and health outcomes, particularly in vulnerable populations, by supporting the innovative, integrated community oriented programming of PVOs and their in-country partners.

MNCHGP Program Model

The Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Grants Program’s unique program model combines (1) global implementation with (2) specialized PVO technical assistance and (3) collaboration for learning and action to advance the intellectual and technical leadership for integrated, community-oriented health globally and nationally, combining national action with global collaboration and learning through communities of practice.

(1) PVO Cooperative Agreements : Each year, new cooperative agreements are awarded to support community-oriented health projects in specific child survival and health technical areas. Of the 30 integrated MNCH projects in the active portfolio, the primary focus of 23 projects (approximately 80%) is on operations research for new and/or promising solutions to critical challenges for improving and scaling up integrated MNCH service delivery and use, particularly at the community level, in low resource settings; and, seven (7) MNCH projects in the portfolio focus on new partners and previous categories of awards. Prevention and treatment of Tuberculosis is the central focus of four (4) projects in the MNCHGPMNCH portfolio.

C. Technical Interventions

A. Type of Award

The anticipated type of assistance instrument(s) to be awarded under this RFA is a cooperative agreement(s).

B. USAID’s Substantial Involvement in implementation of this award

USAID’s involvement during the implementation of the program will be limited to approval of the elements listed below:

2. Key Personnel - Approval of key personnel to include the following positions:

a. Headquarters Technical Backstop

b. Program Manager

c. Final Evaluation Consultant

3. Subawards - All subsequent subawards not included and approved in the original Cooperative Agreement require approval.

C. Total Estimated Funds Available

The total estimated funding available under this RFA for new partners is $40,000,000. Pending the availability of funds, USAID expects to award up to eight (8) cooperative agreements in the following category:

1. New Partners: Up to 8 awards in the New Partner category (up to $5 million each, up to five years; total estimated cost of eight awards: $40,000,000). The focus of this category is to support USAID’s procurement reform objectives for increasing direct partnerships with new partners (national, U.S.) and documenting promising practices and processes to advance local capacity building and sustainability.

Application Limitations:

New Partner: Eligible applicants may submit up to one (1) application in the New Partner category.

See Section IV. Application and Submission Information for a detailed description of this category and application limitations, New Partner.

D. Anticipated Award Schedule

End of Section II

A. Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a MNCH Cooperative Agreement under this RFA, principal applicants must meet the below applicable eligibility requirements.

1. Eligible Applicants

Applicants are advised to read section a (1-4) carefully.

a) Organizational Status and Experience: Principal applicants must be a U.S. PVO (any category) or a partnering local/national NGO. See below for additional information on organizational status.

1. Definition of New Partner:

To be eligible as a New Partner, both U.S. PVOs and local/national NGOs must have been awarded no more than $1.5 million in total, USAID direct assistance funding over the three fiscal years prior to the submission of an application.

Furthermore, for a non-U.S. local/national NGO to be eligible as a New Partner, it 3must:

1) Be a local non-governmental organization organized under the laws of the country or region of the proposed activity;

2) Have its principal place of business in the country or region of the proposed activity;

3) Be managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the country or region of the proposed activity;

4) Not be controlled by a foreign entity or by an individual or individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of the recipient country; and

5) Attach official documentation of their formal legal status as an NGO in the host country or in a country in the region. Local/national NGOs are not required to register with USAID. Local/national NGO applicants must be non-profit organizations.

2. Project Eligibility Requirements

1) Documented Legal Presence: The prime applicant must have legal presence in the country where the MNCH project is proposed.

2) Eligible Country List: The eligible country list is prepared in conjunction with Bureau of Global Health leadership and selected Missions in order to align the potential contributions of PVOs/NGOs supported through the MNCHGP with USG/USAID strategic initiatives in focal countries and coordination at the global level to address country needs.

New Partner Eligible Countries for MNCH projects:

b) Application Submission Limitations:

New Partner

Applicants to the New Partner category may submit up to one (1) application total.

b) Level of Effort (LOE) Restrictions:[footnoteRef:12] An HIV/AIDS intervention may be proposed up to a 30% LOE under the New Partner funding category m. (e.g. 40% LOE for HIV/AIDS would be deemed ineligible). For all intervention areas, including HIV/AIDS, the LOE proposed is an estimate determined by the applicant. MNCHGPUSAID expects that the value proposed reflects the applicant’s best estimate of the amount of time and resources that will be required for the proposed activities per intervention area over the life of the project. [12: Please see definition for LOE under Section I (C) Technical Interventions.]

c) Page Limitations:

Technical Applications shall contain a total of 10 pages (1 page executive summary

+ 9 pages). Technical Applications submitted with pages that exceed 10 pages will not be reviewed. This page limit restriction for the body of the Technical Application does not include attachments, preliminary matter (title page, table of contents, acronym list), or the Application Screening Form. [Technical Attachments cannot exceed 12 pages in length.] Information required in the Technical Application per the RFA guidance cannot be included as an attachment and will NOT be reviewed unless it is specified that this information may be provided as an attachment.

d) Local Partnerships:

The applicant must work in partnership and/or coordinate with a range of partners, such as local government, local community and faith-based organizations, networks of C/FBOs, local or regional academic or research institutions, private sector groups, or other local organizations at the regional, national and sub-national level, on the design and overall implementation of projects, including monitoring and evaluation and OR efforts.

Applicants are encouraged to partner with and build the capacity of women’s civil society organizations, as relevant. All applications must be prepared in collaboration with the project partners in the proposed site or country.

For the purposes of this RFA local organizations are those organizations that have been locally conceived, supported and staffed, whose inception was initiated by nationals from the country of application and whose headquarters originated and currently resides in the country of application. Partnerships with women-led organizations are encouraged.

Regional organizations are those organizations that have been conceived, supported and staffed in the broader sub-region or region of the world.

e) Key Personnel: The following positions must be included as key personnel in the applications and require USAID approval upon award:

Headquarters Technical Backstop : Assign at least one public health professional at the applicant organization’s U.S. headquarters with at least 20% LOE devoted toward MNCHGPMCNH activities. This staff person must be employed by the principal applicant, and will have responsibility for coordinating with the project team, principal investigator, the final evaluation consultant and any implementing partner(s). In addition, the Headquarters Technical Backstop will ensure quality in the deliverables as well as responsiveness to USAID guidelines (e.g. project workplans, the operations research protocol, budgets, annual reports and other project deliverables) submitted to USAID. The Headquarters Technical Backstop is the primary point of contact for all coordination with USAID/Washington regarding the progress of the project. coordinating with the project team, principal investigator, the final evaluation consultant and any implementing partner(s). The Headquarters Technical Backstop is the primary point of contact for all coordination with USAID/Washington regarding the progress of the project.

Project Manager The designated Project Manager assumes oversight for the quality of the implementation and outcomes of the project.

3. Cost Share

Each organization must propose to contribute a percentage of the cost of the proposed project in non-U.S. Government resources, in cash or in-kind. U.S. Government resources of any type or source do not count toward the applicant’s cost share contribution for the MNCHGP.

4. Other Project Reuirements Reporting Requirements

The following are reporting requirements for all MNCHGP grantees. All grantees must be able to comply with the requirements as set forth below:

a) Strategic Workplan: To be submitted per MNCHGP reporting guidelines within the first project year. Grantees must complete an in-depth assessment and analysis of the current health situation in the project site through qualitative and quantitative baseline surveys. Grantees must establish strong partnerships with local counterparts and jointly prepare the Strategic Workplan for submission to USAID for approval. The Strategic Workplan will provide a plan for the program, including plans for baseline and final surveys and collection of required indicators.

b) Annual Reports: Per MNCHGP reporting guidelines, annual reports are to be submitted 90 calendar days after the award year.

c) Final Evaluation Report: Per MNCHGP reporting guidelines, final evaluations are to be submitted 90 calendar days after the expiration or termination of the award.

d) Financial Reporting: Financial Reports will be required on a quarterly basis. (See Annex I for Financial Reporting Forms.)

All proposed activities must directly contribute to improved maternal, neonatal and child survival and health outcomes. Applications for which the main purpose is: equipping hospitals, orphanages, or other residential facilities; curative care in hospitals; surgical procedures and prosthetics; construction; manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, or other health aids; evacuation of children to the U.S. for medical treatment; emergency relief activities; or adoptions are beyond the scope of the the program.

End Section III

A. Address to Request Application Package

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

A complete application shall consist of the following documents

1. To be submitted by the closing date of this RFA:

a) Full Technical Application consisting of:

i. Technical Approach—general discussion of the points in the required parts of the proposal with special details on the deliverables requested

2. Full Cost Application consisting of:

i. Budget Narrative in Word Format

ii. Detailed Budget in Excel Format

21

Document	Due Date
Technical Application	Closing date of the RFA
Cost Application	Closing data of the RFA

Further specification of the contents that are required in each of these documents is described in the section below entitled Content of Application Documents Guidance.

D. Required Format of Application

General

1. All information shall be presented in the English language.

2. The Application shall use the Letter Format 8 ½” x 11” (There are two exceptions to the aforementioned instruction: 1) budgets may be in a slightly smaller font (10 point) with smaller margins, and 2) tables may use smaller fonts and margins, however, must be easily readable).

3. 12-point font

4. 1” margins on standard, letter-sized paper (8½” x 11”).

Title Page Format

The title page of the application should include:

1. The name and address of the PVO/NGO applicant

2. The country for which the project is proposed.

.

Technical Application Format

The following are formatting instructions for the Technical Application:

1. The Technical Application shall be formatted Microsoft Word.

2. The Technical Application shall not contain any cost information.

3. Number of Overall Pages: All applicants shall submit a maximum 10 page Technical Application, INCLUDING a one-page Executive Summary and no more than nine additional pages which respond to the evaluation criteria for New Partner applications This page number restriction does not include attachments, preliminary matter (title page, table of contents, acronym list) or the Application Screening form.

4. Technical Attachments: All Technical Attachments should be 12 pages or less (EXCLUDING Past Performance Short Forms). All Technical Attachments should be clearly marked, included at the end of the application, and listed in the table of contents.

Technical Attachments (annexes) (cannot exceed 12 pages EXCLUDING Past Performance Short forms) can consist of the following documents:

· Map of Program Area

· Letters of Support (e.g. MOH or other host country government, local/international NGOs, research institutions, private sector partners).

· Technical Package and LOE Table

· Brief summary of biographic information of the two key positions

· Past Performance Short Form References (3)

E. Branding Strategy and Marking Plan Format

A Branding Strategy and Marking plan template will be provided to the successful applicants at the time of notification of a successful application.

F. Cost Application Format General

The following are formatting instructions for the Cost Application:

1. There is no page limit for the cost application. However, Applicants are encouraged to be as concise as possible and still provide the necessary details.

2. The Cost Application shall be completely separate from the Technical Application.

3. The Cost Application Detailed line-item budget shall be formatted in Microsoft Excel. Budgets shall display all formulas (to illustrate method of calculation) with unlocked cells.

Budget Narrative and Detailed Budget Format

The Budget Narrative shall have appropriate headings that match those of the Detailed Budget. For example, the Budget Narrative shall explain how salaries and wages were determined and give the appropriate rational under the Salaries and Wages heading. And the Detailed Budget shall display the estimated costs for salaries and wages under the Salaries and Wages budget line item. The Budget Narrative shall explain in t detail how costs were derived and the methodologies used to derive and estimate costs. The Detailed Budget shall display the estimated costs proposed for each budget line item.

G. Content of Application Documents Guidance

This section provides guidance on the contents of the required documents such as the Technical Application, Cost Application, and the Past Performance Short forms.

Technical Application Content

The New Partner application is for an amount up to five years, up to $5 million.

Category Purpose and Scope

This category expands and strengthens USAID’s partnerships with civil society in response to procurement reform and advances effective and sustainable approaches and models for integrated maternal, newborn, and child health. New Partners (U.S. NGO/PVOs or local/national NGOs) have an opportunity to develop partnerships with organizations that contribute to strengthening their technical and organizational capacity as well the capacity building needs identified by local partners engaged in implementation, as relevant (e.g. MOH, private sector, civil society).

New Partners are expected to design and implement effective MNCH projects that are replicable, and that complement USAID Mission and national health programming. Applicants are expected to work in close coordination with the national/local MOH to support MOH priorities, MOH ownership; and “mainstreaming” of MOH supported interventions and delivery platforms New Partner applicants are encouraged to integrate high impact MNCH interventions as relevant and feasible within existing programmatic platforms for project they are already implementing. Eligible LOEs are the following: Nutrition, Immunization, Control of Diarrheal Disease, Pneumonia Case Management, Prevention and Treatment of Malaria, Maternal and Newborn Care, HIV/AIDS. Please see Section I (C) Technical Interventions for more information.

Budget Requests: New Partner category applicants may submit budget requests for up to five year projects for up to $5 million total. Applicants should adequately budget for capacity building activities.

Who Should Apply: U.S. PVOs and non U.S. local/national NGOs who meet the eligibility, organizational, and program requirements identified in Section III: Eligibility Information of this RFA.

Technical Application Guidance

Applicants must follow the format and guidance described below to prepare their application in response to this RFA. Suggested content is provided as a guide and is only illustrative; applicants may distribute the pages and develop the content of the narrative as appropriate and relevant to their submission.

a) A Technical Application shall include the following sections and address the identified bullets unless otherwise specified:

1. Executive Summary This will summarize your proposal, the problems identified and what you intend to do about them

This section should be a succinct one-page summary and must contain the following information as applicable and any additional information the Applicant believes necessary to best represent its proposed project.

The summary should include:

· Problem statement What problem will the project address?

· State the problem and challenge, who it affects (individuals/group), project location, context, and magnitude. What are the current efforts locally or nationally to address this problem, by whom, and what are the gaps in terms of existing options and strategies?

· Description of and the rationale for the proposed partnership, including plans for organizational/local capacity building needs and sustainability.

· Approach: What approach(es) or strategy does this project take to address the problem?

· Key technical package, delivery strategies and nature of integration if applicable (both technical and within systems).

· Goal(s), Key Objective(s) and Impact or outcomes: What are the main goals and objectives? What is the expected impact of the project if successful?

As part of the above, please include the following information;

· Estimated total population in the project location and number of children under five and women of reproductive age (see calculation guidelines in Annex C.

· Local partners involved in project implementation, including name and type of any sub-grantees and total level of USAID funding to be sub-granted.

· Level of USAID funding requested for the project and cost-share amount..

· Proposed start/end dates.

b) Body of the proposal

Organizational and Local Capacity Building Needs. Information on local partner(s) please summarize how you would approach this

This section outlines the organizational and local capacity building needs of the local NGO applicant. This section also describes plans for measuring and documenting the proposed partnership model designed to promote local capacity building and sustainability. Since the US applicant will be engaged in local partnerships, this section must also describe the selected local partner(s) and their role(s) and responsibilities in the proposed project implementation. This should describe:

● Identify specific technical and organizational capacity development needs of the New Partner organization, to be addressed through the proposed project.

● Describe each area of capacity building specifically (e.g. M&E, sustainability planning and measurement, financial or human resources management, etc.).

● Describe how these needs were determined as well as the feasibility of addressing these needs during the course of the project. Reference any institutional assessments the organization may have already conducted.

· Discuss the proposed project’s approach to and use of local partnerships.

· Discuss how the applicant will build and/or leverage the capacity of any local partner(s) to contribute to expected project results, as appropriate or relevant to the partner and proposed programming and partner(s).

· Describe the role of local partners in project activities, and as relevant, the role of local partners in sustainability planning and measurement.

A. Evaluation Criteria

The Technical Applications will be evaluated in accordance with the Technical Evaluation Criteria set forth below. If an application is recommended for award following the technical review, a Cost Application will be requested, and cost negotiations will be conducted based on a detailed budget (to be requested upon notification of successful applicant status).

Applicants should note that the technical evaluation criteria serve to: (a) identify the significant issues which applicants should address in their applications; and (b) set the standard against which all applications will be evaluated. To facilitate the review of applications, applicants should organize the narrative sections of their applications in the same order as the evaluation criteria. Awards will be recommended based on the ranking of applications according to the technical evaluation criteria and the quality of the response to these criteria.

All criterion are weighted equally within each of the four (4) sections (see the breakout of points below). These criteria apply to each of the sub-categories detailed in Section IV: Application and Submission Information. Please see Section IV for further guidance. Annex B will provide assistance for completeness during preparation.

1. Organizational and Local Capacity Building Needs and Partnership (45 points total)

1a. Clear description of technical and capacity building needs of applicant and relevant local partners. Clear description of the organization’s characteristics and experience to adequately address identified capacity building needs during the course of the project, as well as sustainability planning and measurement.

1b. Compelling rationale for proposed local organizational partnerships for advancing capacity building and sustainable programming.

1c. Clear description of plans for measuring and documenting partnership models that promote local capacity building and sustainability.

2. Project Context, Strategy, and Logical Framework (30 points total)

2a. Clear and concise situation analysis that presents a strong rationale for prioritization of the proposed project strategy (technical interventions, delivery strategies, local partnerships) responsive to the local/national health systems and national policy and strategy contexts, including USG/USAID strategic priorities in-country.

2b. Logical framework is comprehensive and consistent with a goal, objective(s), and expected results appropriate to the proposed project. Proposed technical interventions and strategies effectively contribute to the proposed project outcomes. These should be illustrated by a results based framework matrix showing strategic (main) objectives, intermediate results, and results or outcomes.

2c. Clear discussion of how the proposed local partnership(s) will contribute to the implementation of effective and sustainable MNCH programming. Support and/or engagement of local/national partners in project implementation is demonstrated in letters of support.

3. Organizational Capacity (20 points total)

3a. Clear description of organizational capacity to implement the proposed activities through discussion of past relevant programming experience.

3b. Clear demonstration of a management plan that is feasible and appropriate to carry out the proposed activities. Clear demonstration that proposed HQ Technical backstop meets the criteria described in Section III.

4. Past Performance (5 total possible points)

End of Technical Evaluation Criteria for New Partner

C. Cost Effectiveness and Cost Realism

The Applicant’s Cost Application are expected to allowable, allocable to the project, fair and reasonable, and cost effective. They are expected to follow the format provided in Section IV J. with the financial over view provided separately in SF 424 (JHU). The budgets will be weighed carefully against the budget narrative provided. All Cost Applications are subject to a cost realism analysis. Information gathered from such considerations will clarify the evaluators’ understanding of various application details and lend itself to an adjustment of scores. In the event Technical Applications are ranked/scored substantially the same, the applicant that represents the best value in terms of cost may be the determining factor for award.

End of Section V

SECTION IV: Reporting

1. Reporting Requirements : The following are reporting requirements for MNCHGP grantees:

a. Strategic Workplan: to be submitted per MNCHGP reporting guidelines within the first project year.

b. Annual Reports: to be submitted 90 calendar days after the award year which is in accordance with 22 CFR 226.51(b).

c. Final Evaluation Report: to be submitted 90 calendar days after the expiration or termination of the award which is in accordance with 22 CFR 226.51(b).

d. Financial Reporting: in accordance with 22 CFR 226.52, the SF 425 and SF 272 will be required on a quarterly basis. (See Annex H for Financial Reporting Forms.)

RFA ANNEXES