Request for Applications (RFA) At Helen Keller International

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Country: Nigeria
Request for Application Number: ANN-218590104
Title of RFA: Strategic Learning and Knowledge Management
Activities for The Advancing Nutrition in Nigeria Project
RFA Issued Date: July 5, 2024
RFA Questions Due Date: July 11, 2024
Pre-Application Meeting: July 12, 2024
RFA Closing Date: July 22, 2024
Closing Time: 5.30pm, WAT

Applicants are encouraged to read this RFA in its entirety (including any and all attachments), paying specific attention to the instructions and requirements included herein. Issuance of this solicitation does not, in any way, obligate Helen Keller International to issue an award, nor does it commit Helen Keller International to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. All recipients of this RFA shall treat all information and details included herein as private and confidential.

I. OVERVIEW

Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl), an international non-governmental organization (headquartered in New York, NY, USA), with a local office in Nigeria intends to enter into multiple subawards for comprehensive implementation of the program entitled, “Strategic Communications for Advancing Nutrition in Nigeria.” This is a Request for Application (RFA), and we welcome interested organizations to review the description of work and criteria that follows, and to submit an application by the Closing Time above.

Helen Keller commenced operations in Nigeria in 1999. Nigeria has been a flagship program in vitamin A supplementation, significantly reducing vitamin A deficiency and child mortality. Helen Keller is working nationwide with a program focused on 12 states to support the Federal Government of Nigeria and state governments in improving health and nutrition status and control and prevention of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Helen Keller works with other key stakeholders, including government regulatory agencies, local and international nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and communities and is funded by various public and private donors, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, GiveWell, Sightsavers, EndFund, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The Advancing Nutrition in Nigeria project is a USAID-funded 5-year project (Dec 2023 – Dec 2028), implemented by Helen Keller Intl in collaboration with National Partners (NPs). The goal of the project is to “improve the nutritional status and health of populations of most vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies in Nigeria” and this will be achieved through local partnerships and providing technical assistance to the government of Nigeria, USAID, and implementing partners. The project has 5 targeted states of Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kebbi and Ebonyi with Adamawa and Akwa Ibom categorized under intensive intervention states and others as standard intervention.

The activity aims to improve the diets, nutritional status, and resilience of vulnerable populations, especially women, adolescents, and children aged 0–59 months (about 5 years) to meet Nigeria’s State/LGA-specific goals and objectives. The specific objectives include the following:

IR 1: Strengthen multi-sectoral linkages and coordination for nutrition
IR 2: Improved community-based nutrition practices and utilization of nutrition services. ▪ IR 3: Evidence Generation and Research.

Helen Keller Intl is seeking an application from interested organizations in providing the services described in this Application. Helen Keller Intl plans to award one (1) subaward under this program. Subject to the availability of funds, and final funder approval, the costs of the subaward is estimated to range between NGN133,431,000 and NGN200,146,500 ($100,000 and $150,000) per year over a 4-year period for activities implemented in the following states of Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kebbi and Ebonyi.

II. PROJECTED ACTIVITIES

The purpose of this RFA is to engage a National Partner to support the strategic learning and knowledge management activities for the Advancing Nutrition in Nigeria Project. The subawardee will actively engage in strategic learning and knowledge management, facilitate learning by collecting, analyzing, and sharing knowledge to inform program improvements and policy recommendations, establish a learning platform to share insights, best practices, and innovations with stakeholders – including government and other project partners to encourage practices that will improve nutrition effectiveness in Nigeria.

Helen Keller Intl will fund programs in Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kebbi and Ebonyi States of Nigeria as described below:

Recognizing the critical issue of malnutrition in Nigeria, this project aims to leverage applicant’s expertise to improve nutrition for a healthy, productive, and resilient Nigeria through provision of technical support, implementation of innovative nutrition interventions, and generation of evidence to enhance nutrition programming. The applicant will provide human resources that will provide technical assistance, guide the operations, reporting, and technical support to the communitybased organizations to carry out designated activities and contribute to meeting the project objectives. The sub-award aims to promote multisectoral linkages, improve community-based nutrition practices and utilization of nutrition services, generate evidence, and engage in strategic advocacy to tackle malnutrition.

Illustrative Activities:

Evaluation –

Design and implement specific impact learning agenda to showcase the effectiveness of project interventions.
Evaluate the effectiveness of knowledge management approach of different interventions by the project.

Learning and Knowledge Management –

Capture, store, share and leverage knowledge to achieve key objectives
Train project staff and partners on MEL practices to strengthen sustainable capacity to evaluate learning and best practices.
Facilitate questions and answer sessions that will translate into feedback for quality decision making.
Develop and maintain an online platform to facilitate knowledge sharing among stakeholders.
Work closely with project teams, stakeholders, and partners to foster a culture of learning and continuous improvement.

Technical Assistance –

Provide technical guidance and support to partner organization staff on issues related to learning and knowledge management.
Promote the use of learning approaches and technologies to encourage collaboration, learning and adapting.

Illustrative Deliverables:

A detailed framework outlining the knowledge management and learning.
Detailed reports on specific impact studies conducted during the project.
Policy briefs, case studies, and other knowledge products to disseminate findings.
An operational online platform for sharing insights, success stories, best practices, and resources among stakeholders.

III. INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES AND GOODS

The following activities and goods are unallowable and should not be included in the proposed budget:

Used equipment
Alcoholic beverages and non-program related entertainment costs
Military equipment
Surveillance equipment
Commodities and services for support of police or other law enforcement activities
Abortion equipment and services
Luxury goods or gambling equipment
Weather modification equipment
Goods or services from any individual or firm on the ‘List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement’
Infrastructure or construction activities
Real property (land, including land improvements, structures and appurtenances thereto)

IV. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

This RFA is open to non-governmental/nonprofit entities, institutions of higher learning, local civil society organizations and networks, etcthat are deemed capable of implementing the activities, with a solid record of integrity and business ethics, and that meet the eligibility requirements stated in this Section. Applicants must be willing to comply with relevant USAID rules and regulations, including signing Attachment B – Certifications and Assurances, applicable ADS, as well as Helen Keller Intl requirements.

The organization must meet the following requirements in order for Helen Keller Intl to review their full Application:

Legally Registered: The applicant should be a legally registered entity in the country of implementation. If required by local law, the applicant must also be legally authorized to work in the specific district, province, etc. Applicants must attach a copy of their registration documentation.

Technical Capacity: The applicant should possess the required experience to successfully implement the subaward activity, verified through past performance and reference checks. Examples of such requirements include years of operation, size of annual operating budget, experience working within the relevant sector, financial audit track record, etc.

Prohibition against Fee: Applicants must not include a fee-for-profit in their proposal.

Conflict of Interest: The subrecipient’s other relationships, associations, activities, and interests should not create a conflict of interest that could prevent full impartiality in implementation of the subaward activities. Applicants must complete the attached Conflict of Interest Certification, declaring that no known conflicts exist.

Prohibition against transactions with Ineligible or Excluded Individuals and Organizations: In accordance with Helen Keller International and donor policies, Helen Keller International prohibits transactions with ineligible or excluded individuals and organizations. Applicants will be subject to screenings against international debarment and suspension lists, to ensure they are not associated with terrorism, fraud, or other types of criminal activity. Applicants will also be asked to certify that it has not and will not promote or engage in violence or terrorism and are in full compliance with all U.S. Executive Orders, laws and regulations that prohibit transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): Applicants must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in order to be eligible to receive federal assistance, such as grants and cooperative agreements. Unless an exemption applies (see ADS 303maz – https://www.usaid.gov/about-us/agencypolicy/series-300/references-chapter/303maz), For further information on how to obtain a UEI, please contact Helen Keller Nigeria.

Note: Helen Keller Intl will not award a contract to any firm that is debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment by the U.S. Government, or who proposes to do business with firms or firms’ principals who are debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment, in the performance of the requirement of this activity.

V. REQUIRED APPLICATION FORMAT AND CONTENT

All application submissions must comply the following format requirements:

English language only
Font size 12 or larger
Line spaced 1.5 or larger
No more than 20 pages for Part A and Part B combined.
Include applicant organization name, date, RFA number, and page number as a header or footer throughout the document.

The complete application shall consist of the items listed and detailed below. All sections must be completed.

Cover Letter/Page
1. PART A: Narrative
1. PART B: Work Plan
1. PART C: Budget and Budget Narrative
1. PART D: Past Performance References
1. Appendices

Detail for the application components are as follows:

COVER PAGE

Include the following information on the cover page:

Name of the organization
- Name of project
- Date of submission
- Contact person name, title, contact information
- Budget amount requested
- RFA number

PART A: NARRATIVE

Project Overview: Provide a snapshot of the overall proposal by briefly summarizing the project and its significance, goal and objectives, strategies, expected outputs and how they will be achieved. Be specific and concise. Do not go into detail on aspects that are further described in other parts of the proposal.

Problem Statement and Justification: Show why your proposed project is needed. Describe the nature, magnitude and causes of the problems your program will address, as well as their significance. Identify the gaps you intend to fill. Is there a special reason why your organization is uniquely suited to conduct the project activities (e.g., geographical location, prior experience in this area, cultural issues, etc.)? Demonstrate that you are aware of relevant socio-economic, political, cultural and/or gender considerations.

Project Area Description: Describe the geographic area where the proposed project will be implemented, including the district and specific communities. Explain why this geographic area has been selected for the proposed interventions. Describe the socioeconomic situation of the selected communities, livelihood systems, and other factors that contribute to the problem the proposed project will address. Describe the groups most affected by the problem and the extent to which they are affected.

Gender Equality & Social Inclusion: Describe the strategies for integrating gender equality and social inclusion to promote active participation of women, adolescent girls and boy, men and persons with disabilities in project intervention.

Safeguarding Competence: Provide a description of your safeguarding competence, specifically address your safeguarding policies and procedures, training and capacity building initiatives, incident reporting and response mechanisms, risk assessment and mitigation strategies, compliance and accountability measures any relevant and experience.

Project Beneficiaries: Describe who will directly benefit from your project, and who will indirectly benefit. Include the total number of direct and indirect beneficiaries, if possible. Describe how beneficiaries will be identified and selected. Indicate how the beneficiaries’ feedback on the project implementation will be collected and utilized during the project life.

Goal and Objectives: Clearly state the goal and objectives of the proposed project. The goal of the project should be a higher-level statement of the ultimate change in condition or situation that your project will contribute to, but will not accomplish by itself in the project life. Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, reliable and time-bound (SMART). Objectives should show clearly what will be achieved during the project period to achieve the project goal. Be sure that the objectives state what you intend to achieve, not the activities that will produce these results. Limit the number to between three and five of the most important objectives.

Activities by Objective: Describe in detail how your organization will achieve the project objectives. Show how your activities will build upon what communities are already doing to respond to the problems, and will utilize community resources to address the problems. Show how your work will further strengthen collaboration among relevant government and civil society entities and initiatives already active in your project areas. Clearly link your activities to the appropriate objectives outlined above.

Outputs: Identify what concrete, quantifiable results will be achieved during the project period. For example, how many children will be reached with which specific services? How many mothers will receive training on nutrition in which specific skills areas?

Monitoring and Reporting: Describe the activities and tools you will use to monitor project implementation. Describe how you will use monitoring information to improve project activities. Describe the process you will use to prepare regular reports. Describe approaches you will use to use project data to improve quality.

Project Management and Structure: Identify principal staff members who will be involved in ensuring program success and accountability. Describe their responsibilities and qualifications. Describe your supervisory systems with special attention to how you will ensure quality of project activities. Discuss your strategies for managing and motivating volunteers.

Organizational Capacity and Potential: Why do you believe your organization should be selected to receive a subaward under this program? Describe your past experience that you will build upon in order to implement the proposed project. Has your organization undergone an “organizational capacity assessment” (if so, describe)? What are some of your organization’s key strengths that can be built upon for future growth and achievement? What are some of the capacities your organization needs to strengthen further in order to succeed in its mission and sustain itself?

Risk and Mitigation Plan: Identify potential risks that may be detrimental to the project implementation as well as mitigation plan to be put in place to address the identified risks.

PART B: WORK PLAN

Applicants should list the activities they will implement by objectives and activities as described by applicant above. Indicate with an “X” in which quarter you will undertake the most important activities to achieve each objective. “Cross-cutting” activities are those that relate to more than one activity area (for example, report preparation). These can go in the “cross-cutting” section at the bottom. Base your work plan on an initial 12-month period that could start at any time. Feel free to add additional rows to this table as needed.

WORKPLAN

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

YEAR 4

Q 1

Q 2

Q 3

Q 4

Q 1

Q 2

Q 3

Q 4

Q 1

Q 2

Q 3

Q 4

Q 1

Q 2

Q 3

Q 4

IR 1: (state here)

Activity 1.1: (state here)

Activity 1.2: (state here)

IR 2:

IR 3:

Cross-Cutting:

PART C: BUDGET AND BUDGET NARRATIVE

Detailed Budget:

Provide a detailed budget in the attached format, with an accompanying budget narrative which provides detail of the total costs to implement the proposed program. Include a breakdown of all costs and organize by major budget category. The detailed budget must be included in the Appendices section of the proposal (see the attached for use).

In addition to the detailed budget, include a summary budget in the following format:

Cost	Amount Requested from Helen Keller Intl
Cost	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Total
Salaries
Fringe Benefits
Utilities & Office Support Cost
Equipment (working tools)
Other Direct Costs
Indirect Costs (if applicable)
TOTAL COST

Note: All costs should be presented in Nigeria Naira (NGN₦) and all costs will be paid in Nigeria Naira. In the budget narrative, state the currency conversion rate you are using.

Budget Narrative: Include a narrative for your budget that describes, in detail, a breakdown of unit costs for each budget line item. The budget narrative must be included in the Appendices section of the proposal in the following format (see the attached template for use):

Salaries: Indicate each proposed staff member by position title, the % time (level of effort) to be dedicated solely to this project, and proposed salary.

Fringe Benefits: Describe fringe benefits that are required by local law and provided according to common practice and your organization’s policies. Describe how benefits are calculated (add a separate sheet on the budget if necessary).

Travel: Include all estimated costs for local and regional travel to be charged to the subaward as well as any stipends or per diems provided to staff according to your organization’s policies. Include locations of travel (to and from), as well as unit costs for airfare, lodging, per diem, and number of days. Include a brief description of the purpose of travel. All airfare must be coach-class. International travel will not be permitted without prior approval by Helen Keller Intl. Fuel costs for land travel should also be included in this section.

Equipment (working tools): Clearly indicate any equipment to be purchased under this subaward including unit costs.

Utilities & Office Running: Detail other direct costs, including office rent, utilities, banking fees, postage, courier, and other costs allocated directly to the project.

Consultants: Describe any external consultants or outside services that will be hired under this grant. Clearly state their role in the project, as well as daily rates and number of days to be hired. Identify any consultant travel in this section.

Other Direct cost: Detail how meeting costs such as room rental, equipment rental, supplies, refreshments, etc. determined? Lumpsum and contingencies are not allowed, hence all costs must be specific and have proper breakdown.

Restricted Items (if applicable): Identify any costs in your budget that are considered “restricted items” per the criteria below. The following items are restricted and will require prior approval from the donor before costs may be incurred to purchase the below items.

Helen Keller Intl will obtain donor approval on behalf of the applicant for the items listed below:

Agricultural commodities
1. Motor vehicles
1. Pharmaceuticals
1. Pesticides
1. Rubber Compounding Chemicals and Plasticizers
1. Used equipment
1. US Government-owned excess property
1. Fertilizer

PART D: PAST PERFORMANCE REFERENCES

Please provide evidence of three USAID awards received during the last three years. If your entity doesn’t have experience with USAID funding, please provide other past performance data.

REFERENCE ONE
Project Name:
Project Description:
Name of the Donor:
Program Period of Performance:
Award Amount (in US Dollars):
Type of Award (Cost Reimbursement or Fixed Price; Grant/ Cooperative Agreement/ Contract; etc)
Was your entity the prime recipient?	Choose One: Yes/No
Client Reference (Name, Title, Email, Phone):
Results/ Key Accomplishments:

REFERENCE TWO
Project Name:
Project Description:
Name of the Donor:
Program Period of Performance:
Award Amount (in US Dollars):
Type of Award (Cost Reimbursement or Fixed Price; Grant/ Cooperative Agreement/ Contract; etc)
Was your entity the prime recipient?	Choose One: Yes/No
Client Reference (Name, Title, Email, Phone):
Results/ Key Accomplishments:

REFERENCE THREE
Project Name:
Project Description:
Name of the Donor:
Program Period of Performance:
Award Amount (in US Dollars):
Type of Award (Cost Reimbursement or Fixed Price; Grant/ Cooperative Agreement/ Contract; etc)
Was your entity the prime recipient?	Choose One: Yes/No
Client Reference (Name, Title, Email, Phone):
Results/ Key Accomplishments:

APPENDICES:

The following attachments are required with the applicant’s proposal:

APPENDIX 1: Evidence of local registration status
APPENDIX 2: Helen Keller Intl’s Conflict of Interest Certification
APPENDIX 3: USAID Certifications and Assurances
APPENDIX 4: Budget and Budget Narrative

VI. TIMELINES AND POINTS OF CONTACT

Applications must be received no later than July 22, 2024 at 5:30 pm Nigeria Local Time. This deadline will be strictly enforced.

Applications should have a 60-day validity period from the application submission date.

Please send applications via email to: [email protected]. An e-mail will be sent to you when the application is received. Please do not e-mail an application more than once unless you receive an email response that asks you to re-send it. If you are sending multiple files, please attach them to one e-mail.

If you have questions about any part of this Request for Application, please send an e-mail to Nigeria –[email protected].

A virtual pre-application meeting will be held on July 12, 2024. Interested parties that would like to attend this workshop must confirm their attendance by sending the participant’s name and the organization’s name to [email protected]. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend, so that they can discuss any questions they have about the RFA and application requirements.

Faxed, and hard copy applications are not acceptable.

Applicant organizations will be notified whether they’ve been selected to be a subrecipient no later than October 2024.

VII. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Applications will be evaluated by Helen Keller Intl, based on the evaluation criteria below:

Evaluation Criteria	Total Points/ Percentage of Score
A. Technical Approach	40 points (40%)
B. Monitoring and Evaluation	10 points (10%)
C. Gender Equality & Social Inclusion	10 points (10%)
D. Cost Effectiveness/Realism	25 points (25%)
E. Organization and Past Performance	15 points (15%)
Total	100 points

VIII. QUESTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS AND CHANGES

Offerors may submit questions and requests for clarifications regarding this RFA in writing (email correspondence accepted) no later than July 11, 2024.

All correspondence regarding this solicitation must reference the RFA number in the subject line.

No phone calls or in-person inquiries will be accepted. Any verbal information received from an Helen Keller Intl employee or any other entity shall not constitute an official response to any questions regarding this RFA.

If Helen Keller Intl determines that changes to this RFA are required, such changes will be made via formal written addenda. Clarifications, interpretations, corrections, and changes to the RFA made in any other manner shall not be binding.

No offer, payment, consideration, or benefit of any kind shall be made, either directly or indirectly, by Applicants as an inducement or reward for the granting of a subaward. Any such practice constitutes an illegal or corrupt practice and will result in the cancellation of the procurement, elimination of an Applicant’s participation in this and future request for applications and consideration for award, or termination of an awarded subaward. Such practices may also constitute grounds for additional civil and/or criminal actions, as may be applicable.

TERMS OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS:

Helen Keller Intl may contact Applicants to confirm contact person, address, and to confirm that the application was submitted for this RFA.

False Statements: Applicants must provide full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation and its attachments.

Helen Keller Intl reserves the right in its sole discretion to:
- To disqualify any application based on Applicant’s failure to follow solicitation instructions;
- To waive any deviations by Applicants from the requirements of this RFA that in Helen Keller Intl’s opinion are considered not to be material defects requiring rejection or disqualification;
- Extend the time for submission of all RFA responses after notification to all potential Applicants;
- Terminate or modify the RFA process at any time and re-issue the RFA to whomever Helen Keller Intl deems appropriate;
- Award only part of the activities in the RFA or issue multiple subawards based on RFA activities.

Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted. Issuance of this RFA does not constitute an award commitment on the part of Helen Keller Intl. Final award of any resultant subaward(s) cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated, and committed by our donors. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award. All proposal preparation and submission costs are at the Applicant’s expense and will not be reimbursed.

IX. DONOR REGULATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

If selected, all subawards will be administered following the donor’s regulations which are listed below:

2 CFR 200, Subpart E, Cost Principles	http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR –2013 –12 26/pdf/2013 –30465.pdf
22 CFR 228	https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title –22/chapter –II/part 228
Standard Provisions for Non-U.S. Nongovernmental Organizations (A Mandatory Reference for ADS Chapter 303)	http://www.usaid.gov/ads/policy/300/303mab
Branding and Marking Guidelines	https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title –2/subtitle B/chapter –VII/part –700#700.16
Environmental Compliance	https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title –22/chapter –II/part 216?toc=1

Applicants must complete and submit the attached donor certifications, which are included in Section X ATTACHMENTS.

X. ATTACHMENTS

The list of attachments below (see the link to download) are included and a part of Helen Keller Intl’s Request for Application (RFA).

ATTACHMENT A: Helen Keller Intl’s Conflict of Interest Certification
ATTACHMENT B: USAID Certifications and Assurances
ATTACHMENT C: Budget and Budget Narrative
ATTACHMENT D: Logical Framework