Deadline: 19 February 2019
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is issuing this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to seek participants to co-create, co-design, co-invest, and collaborate on research and development interventions for the Community Resilience Initiative that seeks to strengthen communities by addressing internal and external destabilizing factors, specifically the recent influx of Venezuelan migrants to Trinidad & Tobago (T&T).
The overall purpose of the award is to develop more resilient and safe communities in Trinidad and Tobago by strengthening the capacity of targeted populations, organizations, and networks.
USAID defines resilience as the ability of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth7 . For the purpose of this award, the presence of crime and violence and the recent influx of migrants have been identified as stressors affecting residents in Trinidad and Tobago.
USAID/ESC will engage with motivated community, government, civic and private sector stakeholders in implementing a locally-driven, politically feasible response to the core and modifiable issues related to creating safe, inclusive communities in Trinidad and Tobago.
Problem and Challenge Statement
This Problem Statement describes the objectives of the U.S. Agency for International Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean Mission (USAID/ESC) for an activity that will strengthen community resilience and capacity to address internal and external destabilizing factors, specifically the recent influx of Venezuelan migrants to Trinidad and Tobago. The activity will allow potential contractors/partners the flexibility to develop cost effective solutions and propose innovative approaches to meet the stated objectives. USAID/ESC will assess potential contractors/partners based on their proposed solutions to the stated objectives and illustrative results outlined below.
The activity should provide targeted community strengthening services to municipalities with high crime and violence. The activity should increase opportunities for highly vulnerable migrant and local populations and deter recruitment of children and youth into crime and violence or other exploitative or extremist activities. To achieve this, the activity will work in close collaboration with regional corporations, civil society organizations, and other key actors.
USAID/ESC is seeking to develop and test new and innovative approaches towards actionable solutions to strengthen communities’ resilience to destabilizing factors in T&T. These solutions will be focused on specific locations (at a municipal or community level) that are expected to be identified during Stage 2 of this BAA.
Innovation will be critical to addressing the recent challenge of irregular migration to a country comprised of two islands in the West Indies in the Caribbean. The project design should increase the resilience and safety of communities in Trinidad and Tobago by strengthening the capacity of targeted populations, organizations, and networks. Proposed solutions and activities should be replicable, scalable, sustainable, and account for the need to eventually transfer of the response to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago or other stakeholders. Flexibility in modifying solutions and activities to respond to changes in the country context is key to the success of the innovation transfer process.
Key Considerations
- Relationship to the Strategy and U.S. Foreign Policy Objectives in Trinidad and Tobago
- Relationship to Government of T&T Priorities
- Coordination with other donors
- Cross-Sectoral Collaboration and Coordination With Other USAID Programs
- Journey to Self-Reliance
- Private Sector Engagement
Eligibility Criteria
- Public, private, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations, as well as institutions of higher education, public international organizations, non-governmental organizations, U.S. and non-U.S. governmental organizations, multilateral and international donor organizations are eligible under this BAA. All organizations must be determined to be responsive to the BAA and sufficiently responsible to perform or participate in the final award type.
- Organizations can submit more than one EoI.
How to Apply
Expression of Interest (s) should:
- Be in English, no more than 2 pages in length, and no smaller than 12 point font;
- Be submitted electronically at the address given in the website.
- Contain a header with the following information (included in the page count):
- Respondent Name/Group and Contact Information;
- Response Title;
- BAA Name/Number;
- Optional graphic that fits on an 8.5”x11” or A4 piece of paper (included in the page limit);
- Be in editable .pdf or Microsoft Word format.
Review of Submitted EOIs
The following criteria will be applied to all expressions of interest:
- Idea/Approach: In evaluating the idea/approach, USAID/ESC will focus on how the applicant contributes fresh, informed and realistic thinking, and how the applicant uses supporting evidence and analysis. The idea/approach will not be judged solely on its merit, but in addition to the qualities that the applicant would bring to the discussion. Partnership
- Expectations and Value: Strengths of your group as a partner, including the talent your organization would bring to the discussion, and your ability, if any, to provide a financial, in-kind, or leveraged match at various stages of the process.
- Diversity of Perspectives and Capabilities: USAID/ESC seeks to bring together a diverse set of co-creators in collaboration in order to enable broader thinking and innovation. The selection of individual applicants will be with the goal of achieving this diversity.
For more information, please visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=312578