SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Evaluation of USAID/OFDA Efforts Against Cassava Mosaic Disease
- Notice Date
- 4/23/2004
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 111998
— All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming
- Contracting Office
- Agency for International Development, Washington D.C., USAID/Washington, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Room 7.10-006, Washington, DC, 20523
- ZIP Code
- 20523
- Solicitation Number
- PR-DCHA-OFDA-02977
- Response Due
- 5/6/2004
- Archive Date
- 5/6/2004
- Point of Contact
- Edwin Hedvall, Program Operations Assistant, Phone 202-712-5361, Fax 202-216-3191, - Carol Chan, Disaster Operation Officer, Phone 202-712-0841, Fax 202-216-3132,
- E-Mail Address
-
ehedvall@usaid.gov, cchan@usaid.gov
- Description
- Evaluation of USAID/OFDA Efforts Against Cassava Mosaic Disease 1997 ? 2004 This is a combined Synopsis/Solicitation. The US Agency for International Development, Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/DCHA/OFDA) intends to award a Purchase Order using Simplified Acquisition Procedures for the services outlined below. Proposals should include a brief work plan, budget, and the resume of the evaluator. Proposals should be submitted electronically to the contacts at the bottom of this solicitation. Proposals must be received by 5:00 pm, Thursday, May 6, 2004. PURPOSE: The U.S. Agency for International Development?s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) seeks to evaluate its efforts to combat Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) from 1997 to the present. This evaluation will focus on the effectiveness, sustainability, and overall impact of OFDA?s support to the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) for CMD-related activities. OFDA seeks one experienced professional to conduct research in the field and Washington over an estimated period of 41 days. BACKGROUND: Since 1997, OFDA has been funding work to combat the Cassava Mosaic Disease in eastern, central, and western Africa. CMD is devastating to cassava, which is a valuable food security crop to subsistence farmers throughout most of the continent. Over the past seven years, OFDA has provided approximately $1.7 million to the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture to monitor the spread of the disease and to multiply and disseminate cassava plant varieties that are resistant to CMD. EVALUATION QUESTIONS: The evaluation will address the following series of questions. What outputs have resulted from OFDA funding to IITA, from 1997 to the present? Approximately how many households have benefited from the project? What were the broad demographic characteristics of the project?s beneficiaries? Were any vulnerable populations in target countries excluded from the project?s impacts? How has the IITA CMD project impacted productivity and food security for small subsistence farmers? Have the IITA activities resulted in a real and tangible difference in farmers? lives? What was the geographic scope of the project? Was this scope appropriate? Have other donors provided support to complement OFDA?s funding to IITA in combating cassava mosaic disease? Are there any ways in which the effectiveness and sustainability of the CMD project could be enhanced? Have there been any unanticipated side effects to the IITA CMD project, positive or negative? Should OFDA continue to fund the IITA CMD program as currently organized? In what capacity should OFDA be involved? What criteria might OFDA use in determining whether similar projects should be funded in the future? METHODOLOGY AND ESTIMATED TIMELINE: The notional start date for the evaluation is May 2004. The evaluator will conduct the evaluation and complete the report by end of September 2004. The evaluator will review documents and available data, conduct interviews and organize field interviews with the assistance of IITA prior to embarking on field visits (estimated at 10 days). S/he may review strategic assessments, grant files, and other relevant documents. The OFDA Evaluation Coordinator will assist with facilitation of meetings and procurement of documents as necessary. The evaluator will then conduct field visits and data collection in Uganda, Tanzania, and/or Kenya in July or August 2004 (estimated at 20 days). IITA will assist in identifying appropriate key informants, establishing contacts and organizing field visits. The IITA research will accompany the evaluator for at least some of the field visits. The evaluator will write a report of his/her findings (estimated at 7 days). The evaluator will draft the report, and will provide a draft copy to the OFDA Evaluation Coordinator. The evaluator will debrief USAID staff (estimated at 2 days). Approximately one week after delivery of the draft report to OFDA for review, the evaluator will conduct one or more briefings in Washington over one to two days for managers and staff from OFDA and other parts of USAID, and possibly the NGO community. The briefings will present findings and will solicit feedback. Incorporation of feedback & delivery of final report (estimated at 2 days). The evaluator will present a final copy of the report to OFDA (which may or may not incorporate feedback received in the debriefings, at the discretion of the evaluator). DELIVERABLES: The evaluator will produce the following deliverables: Work Plan: Prior to departure to the field, the evaluator will provide to OFDA a 1 page written strategy detailing how the evaluation will be completed, for OFDA review and approval. The work plan will include a list of potential interviewees, a draft list of interview questions, and a description of any other data collection instruments (e.g., surveys) to be used. Field Debrief: Upon completion of research in July and August 2004, the evaluator will provide a courtesy debrief of preliminary findings to IITA staff, and will request preliminary feedback which may be incorporated into the final report. Written Report: The evaluator shall write and present for review a first draft of the evaluation report at least one week prior to the oral OFDA briefings (discussed above). The report will include an executive summary, overview of IITA?s OFDA-funded CMD activities, description of methodology, and a detailed description of the evaluation?s findings and recommendations. Additional information including itinerary, interviewee lists, questionnaires, surveys, and bibliography should be included in annexes. The report should be no more than 25 pages, excluding annexes. No later than ten calendar days following the final oral briefings and taking into account any new information obtained, the evaluator will prepare and deliver a final version of the evaluation report, including twenty bound copies and an electronic copy. SELECTION CRITERIA: Proposals will be ranked based on the following factors: Qualifications of Evaluator: o Years of practical experience and/or advanced academic training concerning tropical agriculture, including specific familiarity with Cassava Mosaic Disease; (at least five years are required); o Demonstrated experience assessing impact of relief or development interventions; o Demonstrated researching and writing skills; and o Demonstrated familiarity with mandate and structure of USAID?s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. Cost
- Place of Performance
- Address: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC
- Zip Code: 20523
- Zip Code: 20523
- Record
- SN00571551-W 20040425/040423211530 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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