SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Agriculture Consultant for Cape Verde Watershed Management and Agriculture Support Project
- Notice Date
- 5/19/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Millennium Challenge Corporation, MCC, Washington DC, 875 Fifteenth Street, N.W., Washington, DC, 20005
- ZIP Code
- 20005
- Solicitation Number
- MCC-06-RFQ-0056
- Response Due
- 5/25/2006
- Archive Date
- 6/9/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for professional consultant services, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation No. MCC06RFQ0056 is being issued as a Request for Quotation. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-23. The National American Industry Classification System code is 541690 with a corresponding size standard of $6,000,000. The Millennium Challenge Corporation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division, 875 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20005, is a Federal Corporation created under Title VI of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2004. MCC seeks to contract a short-term Impact Evaluation Expert to assess the proposed impact evaluation of the Watershed Management and Agriculture Support Project of the Government of Cape Verde. This Scope of Work requires the provision of technical assistance to MCC and the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) counterpart country management unit (MCA-Cape Verde). Accordingly, MCC seeks to contract a short-term Agricultural Impact Evaluation Expert to improve the proposed impact evaluation plan, methodology and data collection instruments for the Watershed Management and Agriculture Support Project (WMAS). The Impact Evaluation should measure the increase in economic growth as well as the reduction in poverty in the intervention areas attributable to MCA funded project interventions.The Watershed Management and Agriculture Support (WMAS) Project is designed to increase agricultural productivity in three specific watershed areas through the following project activities: (i) improved water management and soil conservation (building reservoirs and small dams, monitoring aquifer levels, etc), (ii) enhanced agribusiness development and marketing services (training on drip irrigation, packing sheds, quality control centers, other technical assistance), and (iii) increased access to credit (specifically for farmers to adopt drip irrigation). The three intervention areas include: Paul (Island of Santo Antao), Faja (Island of Sao Nicolau) and Mosteiros (Island of Fogo). The current evaluation plan is to perform a ?difference in differences? comparison of the intervention areas and a small group of ?control? non-intervention areas. The Cape Verde Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries (MAAP) has designed baseline surveys for the intervention and control areas. Three baseline surveys being designed include: 1) The MCA Watershed Baseline Survey (agricultural production), 2) the MCA Agribusiness Survey, 3) the MCA Watershed Poverty Profile Baseline Survey. The aforementioned surveys are scheduled to be implemented during the summer of 2006 and will be repeated at the end of the Project. A fourth survey instrument, the MCA Seasonal Agricultural Survey, will track a sample of farmers throughout the October 2006 - October 2010 implementation period. Contract tasks are divided into two (2) technical assistance phases. Phase 1 (May to June 2006) are: Review relevant project documents and corresponding agricultural components of the M&E Plan; Review the MCA Watershed Baseline Survey and contribute to the improvement of the MCA Watershed Poverty Profile Baseline Survey questionnaire and corresponding implementation plans; Review the available data from the agriculture census, food security survey and national household survey to analyze the appropriateness of the intervention and control zones for the Watershed Poverty Profile; Teleconference with the MCC M&E staff and MCA-Cape Verde Project and Implementing Entity Managers to discuss the WMAS Project objectives, expected impacts, survey instruments, data collection plans, tabulation techniques and the proposed evaluation methodologies; Refine the hypotheses that the impact evaluation will seek to test and propose main indicators to measure economic growth and poverty reduction impacts; Revise and refine the impact evaluation plan for the WMAS Project; Recommend revisions to the MCA Watershed Poverty Profile Baseline Survey based on the new evaluation design; Discuss findings, conclusions and recommendations with MCC staff and MCA-Cape Verde. Phase II (October to December 2006) tasks are: Review the MCA Seasonal Agricultural Survey questionnaires and implementation plans; In Cape Verde, conduct data quality reviews of the MCA Watershed Baseline Survey results and the MCA Watershed Poverty Profile Baseline Survey results; In Cape Verde, meet with MCA-Cape Verde Staff and Implementing Entity counterpart personnel to a) discuss the MCA Seasonal Agricultural Survey questionnaires and implementation plans and b) report on results of the data quality reviews; In conjunction with MCA-Cape Verde and counterpart Implementing Entity personnel, a) analyze the results of the MCA Watershed Baseline Survey and the MCA Watershed Poverty Profile Baseline Survey, b) make initial calculations of key variables, such as aggregate household expenditures/income, value of assets, etc., c) generate initial descriptive statistics (frequencies, cross-tabulations, etc.) of key variables and d) discuss recommendations for the Final Impact Evaluation; Meet with MCC staff in Washington, DC for a one-day debriefing to present a consolidated Final Report (Phase I and II). PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The level of effort will not exceed thirty (30) work days including one site visit to Cape Verde and one visit to MCC in Washington, DC for the presentation of the Final Report to MCC M&E personnel. There is also an option for an additional 30 work days included in the solicitation. DELIVERABLES: Phase 1: Document the recommended impact evaluation plan, data collection plan, design methodologies, data tabulation techniques and improved MCA Watershed Poverty Profile Baseline survey instrument in a Phase I Final Report. Phase II deliverables are: Prepare a Final Report (Phase I and II) which Presents findings and conclusions of the results of the MCA Watershed Baseline Survey and the MCA Watershed Poverty Profile Baseline Survey including a) calculations of key variables (aggregate household expenditures/income, value of assets and access to assets disaggregated by gender, etc.), b) descriptive statistics (frequencies, cross-tabulations, etc.) of key variables, c) findings, conclusions and recommendations pertaining to the MCA Watershed Baseline Survey and the MCA Watershed Poverty Profile Baseline Survey data quality reviews; Present recommendations on how to improve the MCA Seasonal Agricultural Survey questionnaire, design methodology and implementation plan; Presents recommendations for conducting the Final Impact Evaluation. PERFORMANCE LOCATION: Performance locations include the consultant?s home office, MCA-Cape Verde and the MCC office in Washington, DC. There will be approximately 1-2 trips to Cape Verde. TYPE OF CONTRACT: The Government contemplates award of a Time and Materials contract, subject to mutual agreement. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA: All services provided under the contract shall be done in accordance with the best commercial operating practices. Employee (s) selected under this contract must be United States citizens, English speaking, and possess entry level computer skills. EVALUATION FACTORS: Offerors are requested to provide information in their quote that addresses the following evaluation factors: Technical Capability, Past Performance and Price. REQUIREMENTS: Minimal professional experience required includes a) five to seven years of professional experience designing and executing impact evaluations, b) using state-of-the-art methods for addressing selection bias and c) experience working with household surveys to measure poverty. Knowledge of agriculture projects and Cape Verde is highly desirable. Ability to read and speak Portuguese is essential. INVOICE INSTRUCTIONS: The Contractor shall submit each invoice electronically via email or fax to the following number: Fax: 303.969.7220 ATTN: MCC Payments, or Email: MCC_Accounting_NBCDENVER@nbc.gov. As an alternative to electronic submission of invoices, one copy of each invoice may be submitted to the following address: National Business Center, M/S D-2773, 7301 West Mansfield Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80235-2230. If it is determined that the amount billed is incorrect the invoice may be revised by the Government, or the Contractor may be required to submit a revised invoice. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice must include the following information and/or attached documentation: (1) Name, address and telephone of the Contractor (2) Date of invoice and invoice number (3) Contract number; also modification number, if applicable (4) Description of the supplies/services rendered, (5) Name of Contracting Officer?s Technical Representative (COTR); and (6) Signature of authorized representative of the firm with the following invoice certification: ?The undersigned hereby certifies to the best of my knowledge and belief that: the sum claimed under this contract is proper and due, and all the costs of contract performance have been paid, or to the extent allowed under the applicable payment clause, will be paid by the Contractor when due in the ordinary course of business; the work reflected by these costs has been performed, and amounts involved are consistent with the requirements of this Contract. BY:______________________________________ TITLE:___________________________________ DATE: ___________________________________ Thirty days following receipt of a proper invoice, invoices shall be paid in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act. Inquires regarding the status of invoices may be directed to NBC Accounting. The email address is: MCC_Accounting_NBCDENVER@nbc.gov. Inquires regarding the status of invoices may be directed to NBC Accounting. The email address is: MCC_Accounting_NBCDENVER@nbc.gov. FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items and FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Terms of the Contract (Mar 1989) applies to this acquisition. QUOTE SUBMISSION: Responses shall be received no later than 300p.m EST (Noon) May 25, 2006. Responses may be submitted via email, facsimile, US mail or any means desired. ALL responses must include (1) Resume to support technical capability; (2) Three reference contacts to demonstrate offerors ability to perform duties described above; and (3) A billing rate for cost per hour. Your response should be addressed to the attention of: The Millennium Challenge Corporation, 875 Fifteenth Street NW, Washington DC 20005, Attn: N. Denise Johnson
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