I ETHIOPIA Issuance Date: February 8, 2012 Deadline for Submission of Questions: Closing Date for Application Submission: February 22, 2012, 17:00 Local Time March 23, 2012 Closing Time: 17:00 Local Time Subject: Request for Applications (RFA) Number RFA-663-12-000003, Reading for Ethiopia's Achievement Developed (READ) Technical Assistance Project The United States Agency for International Development (US AID) is seeking applications for an Assistance Agreement to provide funding in support of a program entitled "Reading for Ethiopia's Achievement Developed (READ) Technical Assistance Project" in Ethiopia. The main objective of this program is to support the Ethiopian Ministry of Education's (MOE's) efforts in developing a nationwide reading and writing program that will reach the vast majority of Ethiopian primary students. This project has a heavy focus on providing technical expertise in international best practices of teaching reading and writing; expertise that is to be applied to a variety of Ethiopian languages in order to develop syllabi, curricula and materials for both students and teachers. This project will provide direction, support, technical leadership and administrative support to the MOE at both national and local levels. The authority for the RFA is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. The Recipient will be responsible for ensuring achievement of the program objectives as described in the Program Description. Please refer to the Program Description in Section I for a complete statement of goals and expected results. Pursuant to 22 CFR 226.81, it is USAID policy not to award profit under assistance instruments. However, all reasonable, allocable, and allowable expenses, both direct and indirect, which are related to the grant program and are in accordance with applicable cost standards (22 CFR 226, OMB Circular A-122 for non-profit organization, OMB Circular A-21 for universities, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 31 for-profit organizations), may be paid under the assistance agreement. Applicants under consideration for an award that have never received funding from US AID will be subject to a pre-award audit to determine fiscal responsibility, ensure adequacy of financial controls and establish an indirect cost rate. Subject to the availability of funds, USAID intends to provide approximately $45,000,000 in total USAID funding to be allocated over a five year period. Applicants are encouraged to propose a cost share contribution under this program. USAID reserves the right to fund any or none of the application(s) submitted in response to this RFA. This RFA consists of this cover letter and the following: Funding Opportunity Description Award Information Eligibility Information Application and Submission Information Application Review Information Award and Administration Information Agency Contacts Other Information Standard Provisions Section I Section II Section III Section IV Section V Section VI Section VII Section VIII AnnexA AnnexB Certifications, Assurances and Other Statements of Applicants u.s. Agency for International Development US Embassy Addis Ababa, Entoto Street P. O. Box 1014 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Tel.: 00251 -11 -1306001 Fax: 00251 -11 -1242438 Website: www.usaidethiopia.org USA Address: 2030 Addis Ababa Place Washington, DC 20521 -2030
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~T~At~ I ETHIOPIA Issuance Date: February 8, 2012 Deadline for Submission of Questions: Closing Date for Application Submission:
February 22, 2012, 17:00 Local Time March 23, 2012
Closing Time: 17:00 Local Time
Subject: Request for Applications (RFA) Number RFA-663-12-000003, Reading for Ethiopia's Achievement Developed (READ) Technical Assistance Project
The United States Agency for International Development (US AID) is seeking applications for an Assistance Agreement to provide funding in support of a program entitled "Reading for Ethiopia's Achievement Developed (READ) Technical Assistance Project" in Ethiopia. The main objective of this program is to support the Ethiopian Ministry of Education's (MOE's) efforts in developing a nationwide reading and writing program that will reach the vast majority of Ethiopian primary students. This project has a heavy focus on providing technical expertise in international best practices of teaching reading and writing; expertise that is to be applied to a variety of Ethiopian languages in order to develop syllabi, curricula and materials for both students and teachers. This project will provide direction, support, technical leadership and administrative support to the MOE at both national and local levels. The authority for the RFA is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.
The Recipient will be responsible for ensuring achievement of the program objectives as described in the Program Description. Please refer to the Program Description in Section I for a complete statement of goals and expected results.
Pursuant to 22 CFR 226.81, it is USAID policy not to award profit under assistance instruments. However, all reasonable, allocable, and allowable expenses, both direct and indirect, which are related to the grant program and are in accordance with applicable cost standards (22 CFR 226, OMB Circular A-122 for non-profit organization, OMB Circular A-21 for universities, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 31 for-profit organizations), may be paid under the assistance agreement.
Applicants under consideration for an award that have never received funding from US AID will be subject to a pre-award audit to determine fiscal responsibility, ensure adequacy of financial controls and establish an indirect cost rate.
Subject to the availability of funds, USAID intends to provide approximately $45,000,000 in total USAID funding to be allocated over a five year period. Applicants are encouraged to propose a cost share contribution under this program. USAID reserves the right to fund any or none of the application(s) submitted in response to this RFA.
This RF A consists of this cover letter and the following:
Funding Opportunity Description Award Information Eligibility Information Application and Submission Information Application Review Information A ward and Administration Information Agency Contacts Other Information Standard Provisions
Section I Section II Section III Section IV Section V Section VI Section VII Section VIII AnnexA AnnexB Certifications, Assurances and Other Statements of Applicants
u.s. Agency for International Development US Embassy Addis Ababa, Entoto Street P. O. Box 1014 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
USA Address: 2030 Addis Ababa Place Washington, DC 20521 -2030
RFA-663-12-000003 READ Technical Assistance
Award(s) will be made to the responsible applicant whose application offers the best value to the U.S. Government. 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 submission of an application. In addition, final award of any resultant cooperative agreement(s) cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated and committed through internal USAID procedures. While it is anticipated that these procedures will be successfully completed, potential applicants are hereby notified of these requirements and conditions for award. Applications are submitted at the risk of the applicant. Should circumstances prevent USAID from making an award, all preparation and submission costs are at the applicant's expense.
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".
This RFA and any future amendments to it can be downloaded from www.grants.gov. Select "Find Grant Opportunities" then click on "Browse by Agency", and select the "U.S. Agency for International Development" and search for the RFA. In the event of an inconsistency between the documents comprising this RFA, it shall be resolved at the discretion of the Agreement Officer.
Any clarification questions concerning this RFA should be submitted via email to Mr. Abdissa Woldeyohannes, Acquisition and Assistance Management Specialist at [email protected] and Mr. Alan Garceau, Agreement Officer at [email protected] by the date and time listed at the top of this cover letter.
An Applicant must submit its application in two separate parts: (a) technical, and (b) cost or business application. Applications must be emailed to only [email protected]. Email notification for submission without attachment shall be sent to [email protected] and [email protected]. Telegraphic or fax applications are not authorized for this RF A and will not be accepted.
An Applicant must submit its application by the closing date and time listed at the top of this cover letter. Applications must be directly responsive to the terms and conditions of this RFA. To be eligible for award, the applicant must provide all required information in its application, including all the requirements found in any attachments to this RF A.
SECTION I – PROGRAM DESCRIPTION/FUNDING OPPORTUNITY 4 ACRONYMS 4 1. PURPOSE 5 2. BACKGROUND 5 3. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE READ PROJECT 8 4. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 9 4.1 PROJECT GOAL AND OBJECTIVE 9 4.2 RESULTS FRAMEWORK, EXPECTED RESULTS, ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES AND 11 INDICATORS 11 4.2.1 EXPECTED RESULTS 11 4.2.2 ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES 11 4.3. ILLUSTRATIVE INDICATORS TO MEASURE RESULTS 13 4.3.1. OUTCOME INDICATORS FOR WHICH THE RECIPIENT WILL CONTRIBUTE 13 4.3.2. ILLUSTRATIVE INTERMEDIATE RESULT INDICATORS FOR WHICH THE RECIPIENT WILL
CONTRIBUTE 13 4.3.3. ILLUSTRATIVE OUTPUT INDICATORS FOR WHICH THE RECIPIENT SHALL BE
ACCOUNTABLE 14 5. IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS, TARGET BENEFICIARIES AND GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS 14 5.1. IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS 14 5.2. TARGET BENEFICIARIES 15 5.3. GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS 15 6. LINKS TO RELEVANT USAID AND NON-USAID PROJECTS 15 7. PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY 16 8. GENDER, DISABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS 17 9. DESIGNATION OF POSITIONS AND KEY PERSONNEL 18 9.1. KEY PERSONNEL 18 9.2. HEAD OFFICE AND REGIONAL REPRESENTATION 18 9.3. HEADQUARTERS’ SUPERVISION AND SUPPORT 19 10. PERFORMANCE MONITORING PLAN (PMP) 19
SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION 21 SECTION III – ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 22 SECTION IV – APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 23 SECTION V – APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 33 SECTION VI – AWARD AND ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 38 SECTION VII – AGENCY CONTACTS 40 SECTION VIII – OTHER INFORMATION 41 ANNEX A – STANDARD PROVISIONS 42 ANNEX B - CERTIFICATIONS, ASSURANCES AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF APPLICANTS 54
RFA-663-12-000003 READ Technical Assistance
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SECTION I – PROGRAM DESCRIPTION/FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
ACRONYMS
AOR Agreement Officer‘s Representative
AO Agreement Officer
BE Basic Education
BEO Bureau Environmental Officer
BES Basic Education Services
BIP Branding Implementation Plan
CCN Cooperating Country National
CDCS Country Development Cooperation Strategy
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
COP Chief of Party
CST Contractor Salary Threshold
CTE College of Teacher Education
DEC Development Experience Clearinghouse
DQA Data Quality Assessment
EFA Education for All
EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment
EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan
ENLA Ethiopian National Learning Assessment
ESDP Education Sector Development Program
ETP Education and Training Policy
FAA Foreign Assistance Act
FACTS Foreign Assistance Coordination and Tracking System
FSN Foreign Service National
ESR Environmental Status Report
GEQIP General Education Quality Improvement Program
GOE Government of Ethiopia
IEE Initial Environmental Examination
IFESH International Foundation for Education and Self-Help
IQPEP Improving Quality Primary Education Program
IR Intermediate Result
LOE Level of Effort
MLC Minimum Learning Competency
MOE Ministry of Education
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
OCI Organizational Conflict of Interest
OP Operational Plan
PPR Performance Plan & Report
PTA Parent-Teacher Association
READ Reading for Ethiopia‘s Achievement Developed
RSEB Regional State Education Bureau
SCC School Cluster Center
SES Senior Executive Service
SOW Statement of Work
STTA Short Term Technical Assistance
TCN Third Country National
TELL Teaching English for Life Learning
TWG Technical Working Group
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USG United States Government
VSO Voluntary Service Overseas
WEO Woreda (District) Education Office
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READING FOR ETHIOPIA’S ACHIEVEMENT DEVELOPED (READ)
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Program Description is to obtain technical assistance and services proposals from
qualified institutions for implementation of “Reading for Ethiopia‘s Achievement Developed (READ) Technical Assistance project‖ in Ethiopia.
Recipients should develop technical and financial descriptions for a five-year project that begins on or
about May 2012 and ends no later than June 2017. This project will provide an innovative approach to
supporting the Ethiopian Ministry of Education‘s (MOE‘s) efforts in developing a nationwide reading and
writing program that will reach the vast majority of Ethiopian primary students. This project has a heavy
focus on providing technical expertise in international best practices of teaching reading and writing;
expertise that is to be applied to a variety of Ethiopian languages in order to develop syllabi, curricula and
materials for both students and teachers. This project will provide direction, support, technical leadership
and administrative support to the MOE at both national and local levels.
The READ Technical Assistance project will be led by USAID and performed in direct collaboration with
the Ministry of Education (MOE), Regional State Education Bureaus (RSEBs), Colleges of Teacher
Education (CTEs), and Universities. The goal is to revise grades One through Eight syllabi and the
corresponding Minimum Learning Competencies (MLCs) and to develop reading and writing curriculum
and training materials for eight Ethiopian languages (Affan Oromo, Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya, Sidama,
and two additional languages to be identified by the MOE and USAID) and English. The curricular
materials will be designed to be appropriate for primary classrooms (Grades One through Eight), teacher
training and the practice of effective methodologies and strategies of language teaching that are focused on
helping students learn to read and write.
The development of these new materials will reflect a shift to a reading and writing curriculum and a move
away from a traditional language curriculum – a shift that the MOE has initiated in response to recent
studies and assessments. The MOE will provide appropriate experts in language development, curriculum
and materials development and teacher training that will produce the materials needed with the support of
READ‘s international reading experts to ensure that materials are focused on reading and writing. The
Ethiopian MOE has initiated this revision process and is ready to begin the project with strong support
from USAID‘s READ program.
The READ Technical Assistance project will also i) provide technical expertise, guidance, coordination,
and capacity building for the CTEs, Universities, RSEBs and the MOE to develop a reading faculty at the
public CTEs and improve the pre- and in-service teacher training and capacity at the CTEs related to
language-specific, evidence-based, quality reading and writing instruction; ii) identify gaps and find means
of availing reading and writing technology support and teaching aids in schools and CTEs; and iii) provide
technical input to USAID, the education community including other donors, district education offices, and
RSEBs about community-based campaigns and co-curricular activities on reading and writing.
The total estimated budget to execute this project for five years, through an assistance agreement, will not
be more than USD $45,000,000. The major partner to the recipient will be the MOE and the relationship
between the two shall be facilitated by USAID leadership and the USAID Agreement Officer‘s Technical
Representative (AOTR). Ultimately the recipient will contribute to a nationwide effort to improve learning
outcomes in Ethiopia. The end goal is literacy for 15 million children. The READ project will provide
necessary inputs to improving the reading and writing skills of children, which will lead them to literacy.
2. BACKGROUND
In 1994, the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) introduced a new Education and Training Policy (ETP), which
among other aspects, declared the use of mother tongue in primary education. The ETP states that English
will be the medium of instruction for secondary and higher education and will be taught as a subject
beginning from grade one. After the new ETP, a number of policy and strategy changes were made
governing the planning, management and delivery of education services, including decentralization.
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The Ethiopian decentralization policy gave important decision-making power to the communities, and
today Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) play a part in managing schools. Further, decentralization has
brought educational access to nearly all children. Ethiopia is on the verge of fulfilling its pledge for
Education for All (EFA). In 2009-10, student enrollment at the primary level reached 93.4%.
Currently, the MOE has developed a five-year (2011-2015) Education Sector Development Program IV
(ESDP IV) that emphasizes producing democratic, efficient and effective, knowledge-based, inspired and
innovative citizens who can contribute to the realization of the long term vision of making Ethiopia a
Middle Income Country. One of the ESDP‘s important priorities is improving and ensuring the quality and
efficiency of education at all levels. To realize this, the MOE has developed the General Education
Quality Improvement Program (GEQIP). GEQIP‘s impact on improving student achievement, in terms of
knowledge, skills and attitudes, will be verified through regular monitoring and evaluation schemes and
through the Ethiopian National Learning Assessments (ENLAs) which are conducted every three years
throughout the country. Recently, the MOE conducted Ethiopia‘s fourth ENLA for grade Four and grade
Eight students. USAID will also support the Ministry of Education to undertake an early grade reading
assessment (EGRA) in English in 2011. The lessons learned from the ENLAs and EGRAs (EGRA in both
mother tongue and English) will be used as inputs to further enrich GEQIP, increase achievements in
education excellence, and improve access to quality education for all. This program will work in
coordination with GEQIP and support improvement to the quality of education in Ethiopia. Components of
GEQIP will also support READ.
Although enrollment and completion rates are important, learning outcomes in early grade education in the
country have not yet met the expectations of the GOE. The MOE has established MLCs across the
curriculum. According to these competencies, by the end of grade one, students are expected to read at a
―fluent‖ rate (although this is not defined in terms of words per minute) and are expected to be ―readers.‖
However, an EGRA conducted in 2010 shows that most students are not ―readers‖ well past grade one.
The READ Technical Assistance project will analyze these education standards and curricular documents
to provide input, technical expertise and revisions.
The READ Technical Assistance project will contribute to the ESDP IV which is part of Ethiopia‘s overall
Growth and Transformation Plan 2011 to 2015. The key intervention of this program is to improve
children‘s reading and writing achievements in primary grades nationwide – skills that will lead to literacy.
The intervention will directly support the Development Objective for the USAID/Ethiopia Country
Development Cooperation Strategy addressing education: Improved Learning Outcomes and the
USAID/Ethiopia Education Strategy Intermediate Result 1: Increased achievement in basic education,
particularly in reading. The program will also support USAID‘s global Education Strategy Objective 1:
Improved reading skills for 100 million children in primary grades by 2015.
As Ethiopia has more than 20 languages being used as mediums of instruction, the eight languages that
will be targeted by this project are those that cover approximately 90% of the population in the country.
The reading and writing curriculum and training materials that will be developed in the eight main local
languages will serve as a model to be replicated by the MOE for the remaining local languages with
technical assistance from this project.
It is necessary to note possible factors that might affect the implementation of the READ Technical
Assistance project. Community awareness on learning outcomes and the capacity to support education
remains low; capacity at all levels of the education system is low; staff turnover is endemic throughout the
education system; teachers are undertrained and overburdened; school sessions are normally shifted
meaning that students spend less than 4.5 hours per day in the classroom and; overall education
infrastructure is below minimum standards. It is, therefore, critical to identify and implement innovative
approaches to increase reading and writing learning outcomes for primary education students. Background
on Ethiopia and USAID programs in Ethiopia is available at ―Ethiopia‖ in USAID‘s Development
USAID/Ethiopia’s New Approach to Education Development
Previously, the main challenges of the Ethiopian education system were low access, high gender and
regional disparity in enrollment, high dropout and repetition rates, low quality and low capacity of the
education system. USAID/Ethiopia has been supporting the Ethiopian education system to address all
these challenges with a focus on equity and quality of education. The results of the three learning
assessments and the 2010 EGRA have shown that children are not learning the required skills and hence
are not achieving the MOE‘s MLC in all subjects.
The MOE took a leadership role in developing, administering, and disseminating the results of the 2010
EGRA. The MOE and Regional State Education Bureaus (RSEBs) are taking swift action on the findings
and recommendations of EGRA and READ technical assistance will bring the necessary support to the
MOE to develop materials and approaches to reading that are necessary for the Ethiopia. The MOE and
RSEBs are ready to make policy reforms to improve reading fluency in early grades and thereby learning
achievements in all grades.
USAID/Ethiopia and other donors and stakeholders have been working with the MOE and RSEBs on
mapping out the necessary steps to improve early grade reading in the short term and learning outcomes in
the medium term. This endeavor will require policy reform and coordination of a variety of stakeholders.
USAID will continue to engage in the reform process with the MOE and READ will provide relevant
information to USAID and the MOE as the process unfolds. The recipient implementing READ will be
responsible for providing technical assistance to the MOE in order for the MOE to realize policy reforms
in which they have set into motion. The MOE will remain in the forefront of undertaking policy reforms
and working with all stakeholders, including READ implementers, to realize these efforts. USAID will
continue to lead this process.
Based on the findings of EGRA and negotiations with MOE and RSEBs, USAID/Ethiopia‘s programs will
focus entirely on those elements of the teaching and learning process that directly bring improved learning
outcomes for students. The USAID/Ethiopia education program will measure and determine all success on
the basis of improved learning outcomes at the student level. The READ Project is designed in line with
this objective and will contribute to the overall USAID/Ethiopia goal. READ‘s success will ultimately
depend on the inputs and efforts of a variety of actors in the education development sector in Ethiopia.
Overall READ Program
With Millennium Development Goal #2, Achieve universal primary education, nearly being met,
USAID/Ethiopia is focusing on quality of curriculum and instruction and evidence-based early grade
reading and writing improvement. Improving the quality of curriculum and instruction in primary schools
has a remarkably large impact on student reading in a relatively limited amount of time.
The Education Office of USAID/Ethiopia has developed a five-year, $100 million reading and writing
program, ―READ‖, composed of four separate projects: Technical Assistance, Institutional Improvement,
Community Outreach and Impact Evaluation. The READ Technical Assistance Program will have four
components: curriculum improvement and evaluation, pedagogical techniques, appropriate technology and
teaching aids, and technical assistance support to MOE and RSEBs. This solicitation is for the first project,
READ Technical Assistance, which will work in coordination with the other projects that are part of this
interconnected program, in particular providing support for the READ Institutional Improvement project.
The Impact Evaluation project will conduct a baseline, mid-term and final evaluationsof the complete
READ program to determine the impact of the program intervention. The 2010 EGRA will serve as part of
the baseline for the mid-term and final evaluations. The Impact Evaluation project will be a separate
solicitation in the future.
The READ Institutional Improvement project is expected to be a four-year project, starting about one year
after the READ Technical Assistance project, once the reading curriculum and training materials are
developed, consisting of direct grants from USAID/Ethiopia to the MOE and RSEBs to develop a reading
faculty at each public CTE and improve the teacher training, pre-service training and capacity at CTEs
related to language-specific, evidence-based, quality reading and writing instruction. This project will be
managed by USAID/Ethiopia. The READ Institutional Improvement project interventions will include the
RFA-663-12-000003 READ Technical Assistance
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following activities led by the RSEBs and MOE:
Development of a reading faculty at each CTE;
Development of targeted, evidence-based reading and writing pre-service teacher training
programs;
Institutionalization of pre-service instruction on reading and writing using improved curricula;
Training of all primary school (grades One through Four) language teachers (for the target eight
languages) in teaching reading and writing (starting the beginning of year 2);
Teacher and school supervisor trainings and monitoring of the use of reading and writing
assessment tools;
Support for the development of language teaching technology and aids and resource centers; and
Teacher and support personnel trainings on the development of low-cost technology and
supplemental instructional language materials.
The READ Community Outreach project will also be a four year project, which will start one year after the
READ Technical Assistance project. It will develop and roll-out community-based campaigns on reading
and writing. There is expected to be a separate solicitation for the READ Community Outreach project in
the future.
3. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE READ PROJECT
Although the GoE‘s capacity building efforts and USAID‘s work over the past ten years have helped
teachers to rethink the way they teach, the vast majority of instructors employ traditional methodologies of
teaching. These methodologies are based on rote learning as opposed to inclusive, participatory
methodologies that have been proven effective at achieving desired learning outcomes throughout the
world. The three ENLAs conducted in the last ten years have shown low academic achievement for
children in grade Four and grade Eight. The mean scores for grade Four children were 47.9% and 48.5% in
the baseline ENLA conducted in 2000 and the second ENLA conducted in 2004 respectively. In the third
ENLA conducted in 2007, however, the mean score for grade 4 children went down to 40.9%. It is clear
that while enrollment is rising, learning outcomes for students in Ethiopian primary schools, as measured
by the ENLA‘s, are decreasing.
Looking at the reading comprehension scores of Ethiopian students, the grade Four reading mean score in
2007 was 43.9%, which was much lower than the previous two national learning assessments‘ results, i.e.
64.3% in 2000 and 64.5% in 2004. In addition, in 2007, only 14.6% of the grade Four children surveyed
were proficient in reading comprehension; over 51.7% of the children achieved below the basic level in
reading comprehension, and 33.7% only demonstrated basic knowledge in reading comprehension.
In the ENLA in 2004, the mean score for grade four English language was 38.7%, and 41.1% for grade
eight. Further, the mean scores for English language in the ENLA in 2007 declined to 36.5% and 38.4%
for grade Four and grade Eight, respectively.
However, the 2007 grade Eight ENLA showed a positive impact on achievement when children were
taught in the same language that they speak at home. Children who took the tests in certain mother tongue
languages (e.g. Tigrinya and Affan Oromo) performed better than those who took the tests in English. In
Biology, for example, there was a mean difference of 13 percentage points between those who took the test
in Tigrinya and those who took the test in English.
In 2009, a study done by DeStefano and Elaheebocus in Wolliso area of Oromiya regional state showed
that there is a consistent lack of instruction in reading and writing at the early grade level, little student
exposure to text in the classroom and a lack of opportunity for students to spend time reading both inside
and outside the classroom.
A year later in 2010, USAID conducted an EGRA in six local languages, covering eight regions of the
country, in collaboration with USAID‘s Improving the Quality of Primary Education Program (IQPEP),
Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and the MOE. The EGRA is considered to be the foremost international
comprehensive assessment by experts in reading. The Ethiopian assessment shows shocking results in oral
RFA-663-12-000003 READ Technical Assistance
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reading fluency and reading comprehension, indicating that students are both slow readers and do not
comprehend what they read. It also finds that in Oromiya, Somali, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Sidama only
one in six children had any reading materials to learn from. The assessment results also find that providing
books to children and encouraging families and communities to have books at home improves reading
skills for students in Ethiopia.
The primary concern related to the EGRA results is that a significant percentage of children in grade Two
read zero words correctly. The results show Sidama zone with the most zero-word readers, at 69.2%, and
Harar region and Addis Ababa with the least zero-word readers at 17.9% and 10.1% respectively. In some
regions more than half of the children in grade Two did not understand at all the story that they were asked
to read. The findings show that even though the purpose of mother tongue instruction is to ensure that
children understand what they read, the children‘s inability to decode the words means that they were
unable to understand the text. The gap between the reading comprehension and listening comprehension
scores is consistently large, and shows that the problems identified by the EGRA are specific to the
teaching of reading and having a lack of access to materials to read.
The EGRA results also show that in grade Three, a significant number of children remained nonreaders in
their mother tongue: 54.0% in Sidama, 21.4% in Somali, 20.6% in Oromiya, and 17.0% in Amhara. In
each of the eight regions, at least 80% of children, and in the case of Sidama, 100%, were not reading at
the expected oral reading fluency rate.
Among the critical factors that have contributed to low reading fluency as well as reading comprehension
of Ethiopian children is the lack of reading materials at home or tied to lesson plans at school, lack of an
established time for reading in the schools, and lack of families‘ support to their children with reading and
homework. Further, the lack of language media technologies and teaching aids coupled with the teacher-
centered teaching methodology in most schools has negatively affected all subjects in general and language
subjects in particular. Teachers focus mainly on correcting the grammar of students; and the pedagogy
encourages memorization rather than the nurturing of students‘ writing, reading, listening, speaking and
decoding skills.
4. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
4.1 PROJECT GOAL AND OBJECTIVE
GOAL: Improve reading and writing skills of children in grades One through Eight in their mother tongue
and English as measured by improvements in learning outcomes.
The initial focus of the project will be grades One through Four. The project will continue with grades
Five through Eight in years Two through Five of the program.
OBJECTIVE: Institute, with the MOE, curricular materials with effective methodologies and strategies
for learning to read and write in the majority of Ethiopian languages. Materials will be appropriate for
primary classroom level reading and writing instruction and teacher training. Support stated elements of
the reading and writing initiatives of the MOE with USAID.
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READ Technical Assistance Results Framework
Goal: Improve reading and writing skills of children in grades 1 to 8 in their mother tongue and English as measured by improvements in student learning outcomes.
Objective: Institute, with the MOE, curricular materials with effective methodologies and strategies for learning to read and write that are appropriate for primary classroom level reading instruction and teacher training.
IR 1: Reading and writing materials appropriate for primary classrooms and pre and in-service teacher training developed.
IR2: Language specific teaching and learning methodologies and strategies that focus on helping students learn to read and write effectively are applied.
IR 3: Language teaching and learning supported by appropriate technology and teaching aids.
IR 4: Technical Assistance support to RSEBs &MOE for the READ Institutional Improvement.
Illustrative Activities:
Review current language learning materials to see gaps in the reading curriculum: content, pedagogy and assessment areas;
Develop reading and writing curriculum and textbooks for grades 1-8 with MOE and RSEBs;
Develop learning materials to enrich existing materials with emphasis on early grade reading proficiency and comprehension;
Build capacity of teachers to teach using improved materials and utilize reading assessment tools;
Follow-up use of learning materials and tools in classroom.
Illustrative Activities:
Assess current teaching methods, learning culture, initial reading level of students, and practice;
Identify new teaching-learning methods and practices;
Train master trainers and teacher trainers;
Follow-up use of the new methodologies/strategies;
Utilize innovative approaches to support the RSEBs to institute a systemic change to improve reading and writing teacher training and support systems.
Illustrative Activities:
In collaboration with MOE and RSEB officials, develop and share innovative models, resources, and tools for reading curriculum development for grades 1-8;
Support the facilitation of teacher training by RSEBs;
Provide support related to best practices and innovative approaches in developing and rolling out reading faculty in specific CTEs (grades 1-8); and
Illustrative Activities:
Assess teaching and learning technology resources in the schools;
Identify gaps and find means of availing modest level of technology support and teaching aids that improve early primary grade level reading and writing skills;
Help organize existing language resource centers;
Build the capacity of education officials to assess learning technology needs and determine appropriate options for addressing the need.
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4.2 RESULTS FRAMEWORK, EXPECTED RESULTS, ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES AND
INDICATORS
4.2.1 EXPECTED RESULTS
The results of this project will be measured in terms of student outcomes using several methods. It is
expected that the following data will be utilized to determine success of the project: reading achievement
among the target audience, national exam achievement, literacy rate increase among the target population,
comparison of EGRA and the ENLA as baselines with subsequent mid-term and final assessments in
reading. Results measurement will also include the provision of curriculum and training in literacy for
teachers, teacher trainers, and the quality of reading instruction delivered.
In order to contribute to USAID/Ethiopia‘s Education Development Objective, Improved Learning
Outcomes, and USAID/Ethiopia‘s Education Intermediate Result 1, Increased Achievement in Basic
Education, Particularly in Reading, the READ Technical Assistance project will focus on one result:
Improved achievement of children in primary grade level reading and writing.
Intermediate results (IRs) from this project that will contribute to attaining this result as depicted in the
chart below are:
Reading and writing materials appropriate for primary classrooms(grades One through Eight with
the main focus on grades One through Four)and pre-and in-service teacher training developed;
EGRA developed and instituted by READ Technical Assistance project (estimated in year Two)
Language specific teaching and learning methodologies and strategies that focus on helping
students learn to read and write effectively are applied;
Language teaching and learning supported by appropriate technology and teaching aids; and
Technical Assistance support to RSEBs and MOE for the READ Institutional Improvement
Project.
4.2.2 ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES
The achievement of the project objective and the four expected intermediate results will depend on the
recipient‘s innovativeness, suggested activities and strategies. There is an urgent need to develop quality
reading and writing materials for millions of Ethiopian students, therefore the recipient must be ready to
initiate a large program working simultaneously on a variety of activities, especially in the first year. Those
related milestones and targets that will be achieved over the project period shall be refined when the
recipient is in place. The activities listed below are illustrative and not exhaustive. While this project‘s
overall activities are the same throughout the regions of Ethiopia, given regional differences and
preferences, this project is expected to have different specific activities and approaches across the regions,
so that the project will have a slightly different appearance in different regions.
i) Illustrative Activities for IR 1–Reading and writing materials appropriate for primary
classrooms and pre-and in-service teacher training developed.
Analyze current reading teaching-learning materials (grades One through Eight) to
identify gaps in the reading and writing curriculum (content, pedagogy and assessment
areas);
Review the Ethiopian reading and writing minimum learning competencies and syllabi
for grades One through Eight and provide technical expertise to lead the revisions (year
One);
In collaboration with the MOE develop new and culturally appropriate reading and
writing curricula (grades One through Eight; year 1), textbooks (grades One through Four
in year One; and grades Five through Eight year Two); and teacher resource books
(grades One through Four in year One; and grades Five through Eight year Two) in
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target eight languages and teacher training materials in target languages and
English1(grades One through Four; year One);
Build the capacity of relevant MOE and RSEB staff to develop appropriate new and
culturally appropriate reading and writing curricula, teacher resource books, and training
materials in the remaining non-targeted languages used as a medium of instruction for
grades One through Eight (years Two and Three);
Provide technical assistance to improve pre-service and in-service reading and writing
teaching and instruction; and
Develop student reading and writing assessment tools, which will be used by used by
teachers regularly.
ii) Illustrative Activities for IR 2– Language specific teaching and learning methodologies and
strategies that focus on helping students learn to read and write effectively are applied.
Assess current language teaching methods, initial reading and writing level of students,
learning culture, and practice for grades One through Eight through review of relevant
documents and classroom observation;
Identify innovative student-centered reading and writing teaching-learning methods and
practices and effectively incorporate them in new curricula;
Train master trainers and teacher trainers (beginning of year Two);
Utilize innovative approaches to support the RSEBs to institute a systemic change to
improve reading and writing teacher training and support systems; and
Suggest innovative and best practices to USAID, WEOs, and RSEBs on the development
and roll-out of community-based campaigns and co-curricular activities to improve
reading and writing.
iii) Illustrative Activities for IR 3 – Language teaching and learning supported by appropriate
technology and teaching aids.
Assess reading teaching and learning technology resources and teaching aids in the
primary schools and CTEs (grades One through Four);
Identify gaps and find means of availing modest level of reading learning technology
support and teaching aids in the School Cluster Centers (SCCs) and CTEs for grades One
through Four;
Develop Global Development Alliances and Public Private Partnerships as relevant with
traditional and nontraditional partners;
Help organize existing reading and writing resource centers in schools for teachers and
for grades One through Four; and
Build the capacity of education officials to assess learning technology needs and
determine appropriate options for addressing the needs.
iv) Illustrative Activities for IR 4 - Technical Assistance support to RSEBs and MOE for the
READ Institutional Improvement. The recipient shall support USAID/Ethiopia‘s direct grants
to the MOE and RSEBs with technical and administrative assistance for quality
implementation of the READ Institutional Improvement project.
In collaboration with MOE and RSEB officials, develop and share innovative models,
resources, and tools for reading curriculum development for grades One through Eight;
Support the facilitation of teacher training by RSEBs;
Provide support related to best practices and innovative approaches in developing and
rolling out reading faculty in specific CTEs (grades One through Eight); and
Provide mentoring and support for developing and actualizing a specific, individualized
vision for systemically addressing reading and writing teacher training needs at individual
CTEs for primary level education to RSEBs (and as designated, directly with specified
CTEs), particularly addressing the critical components of a quality reading and writing
program that uses evidence-based and innovative approaches specific to the target local
languages (years One and Two).
1 English language curriculum and textbooks will be revised and developed according to the schedule of the MOE and
continued dialogue on the subject.
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Although a bulk of the activities will be completed in the first three years of the project, years Four and
Five of the READ Technical Assistance project will undertake follow on activities including revisions to
materials based on learning throughout the project, conducting EGRA studies and other nontraditional
reading and writing assessments, and providing technical support to MOE, RSEBs and CTEs.
4.3. ILLUSTRATIVE INDICATORS TO MEASURE RESULTS
USAID is committed to measuring the learning outcomes of students as its highest level impact. The
USAID/Ethiopia education portfolio is focusing entirely on the elements of the teaching and learning
process that directly yield improved learning outcomes for students. The education program will no longer
measure success based on number and quality of inputs provided to the education system. All measures of
impact and success will be directly related to achievement and outcomes at the student level. Some of
these outcomes will not be directly attributable solely to USAID‘s efforts but will be a result of intense
coordination between the MOE and other donors and stakeholders. In terms of early grade reading
USAID‘s programs will serve as a catalyst to bring improved student level outcomes to fifteen million
children.
Below is a list of indicators; however, a final list of indicators and measurable learning outcomes shall be
reflected in the recipient‘s five-year plan. The recipient shall focus on those indicators that show real
impact rather than lower-level indicators and shall include relevant standard learning outcome indicators.
The outcome and intermediate result indicators require the efforts of various stakeholders. Therefore, the
READ Technical Assistance project will not be accountable to the achievements of these indicators; it will
only contribute to the achievement of these indicators. The READ Technical Assistance project will be
mainly responsible for the achievement of the output indicators.
4.3.1. OUTCOME INDICATORS FOR WHICH THE RECIPIENT WILL CONTRIBUTE
Number of grade One through Four students with improved scores on reading and writing
assessments(in medium of instruction);
Percentage of students in grades Two and Three who are proficient in reading (in medium of
instruction);
Percentage of children in grades Two and Three who have proficiency in reading
comprehension;
Mean scores of standardized learning achievement test in grade Four and grade Eight;
Student achievement in English language learning in grades Two, Four, Six and Eight; and
Proportion of students reading English with fluency and comprehension after two years of
English language instruction.
4.3.2. ILLUSTRATIVE INTERMEDIATE RESULT INDICATORS FOR WHICH THE
RECIPIENT WILL CONTRIBUTE
Number of schools with teacher reading and writing resource books for every grade One
through Eight teacher and reading and writing texts for every grade One through Eight
student;
Percent of teachers observed using reading and writing materials provided by the project;
Percent of teachers observed using interactive and communicative methodologies in the
classroom;
Percent of teachers who use formative continuous assessment methods using sound tools.
Percentage of teachers using technologies to support reading and writing learning in their
classrooms; and
Percent of education officials capable of assessing reading learning technology needs and
determine appropriate options for addressing the needs built.
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4.3.3. ILLUSTRATIVE OUTPUT INDICATORS FOR WHICH THE RECIPIENT SHALL BE
ACCOUNTABLE
Number of syllabi and MLCs revised;
Number of reading and writing materials for teachers developed;
Number of textbooks developed;
Number of teacher training manuals developed;
Number of formative continuous assessment tools developed;
Number of teacher trainers trained;
Number of teacher educators trained;
Number of teachers trained;
Number of administrators and officials trained;
Two nationwide EGRA‘s administered (years Two and Five)
Number and type of technologies to support new reading and writing texts and learning
materials provided to Colleges of teacher education (CTEs), schools and cluster resource
centers; and
Percentage of regions with RSEB-led and managed quality, institutionalized reading and
writing teacher training in-service program.
5. IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS, TARGET BENEFICIARIES AND GEOGRAPHIC
FOCUS
5.1. IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS
The MOE, with USAID, will be the major partner and the lead in implementing the READ program. The
MOE and RSEBs staff will be working with READ Technical Assistance project in revising the syllabi
and MLCs, developing textbooks and teacher training manuals. MOE will also coordinate with other
donors the development and printing of supplementary reading materials, and printing of textbooks
developed through the support of the READ Technical Assistance project.
Within the READ program, it is expected that RSEBs and the MOE will implement the Institutional
Improvement project. The READ Technical Assistance project shall directly support and coordinate with
the Institutional Improvement project, ensuring that a sustainable and effective reading and writing
program is in place. The READ Technical Assistance project shall coordinate closely with the planned
READ Community Outreach project to ensure synergies and achievement of the overarching program
goal. In addition, the READ Technical Assistance project will need to coordinate with the READ
evaluation implementers to ensure reliable and timely data. Moreover, the READ Technical Assistance
project shall coordinate with the USAID-funded IQPEP project which focuses on overall quality education
and has developed reading modules for teacher training. Through the USAID/Ethiopia office, this project
will also coordinate with the multi-donor pooled fund GEQIP which also addresses quality education and
will be working in conjunction with this project.
Similarly, the READ Technical Assistance project‘s results require close collaboration and coordination
with the various partners including USAID, SCCs, WEOs, CTEs, RSEBs, and the MOE. By involving key
stakeholders in this process, mutual understanding of all aspects of the project will develop, which will
lead to better collaboration and results, and enhanced prospects for sustainability. The READ Technical
Assistance project shall work to ensure the use of resources available in the SCCs and CTEs by teachers in
the school cluster groups (satellite schools), help roll out early grade reading and writing teaching aids and
methodologies, and promote use of reading and writing materials developed for both teachers and students.
Currently, the Ethiopian education system benefits from volunteers from many different countries. The
volunteers from Peace Corps‘ Improving Teaching English Language in Ethiopia program (funded by
USAID), the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH) support (funded by USAID),
and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) cover different subject areas, working primarily with the CTEs and
universities. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Philippines, and China provide
volunteers in the technical and vocational areas, while the Korea International Cooperation Agency focuses
on technical faculties of the universities and secondary schools.
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The USAID-funded U.S. Peace Corps program focuses on improving English language teaching in
Ethiopia. Peace Corps Volunteers are being placed in selected CTEs and primary schools and will teach
English language in primary schools and work with their counterparts in the CTEs to increase availability
and use of teaching resources, help roll out new teaching aids and methodologies, promote supplemental
reading materials for both teachers and students, and promote an English speaking and reading
environment. Support of and collaboration with the Peace Corps will be coordinated with the READ
Technical Assistance project through the Language Departments (English Language Improvement Centers)
of the CTEs and the MOE‘s English Language Teaching Improvement Program.
In order to maximize the potential for project sustainability, USAID strongly encourages the recipient to
incorporate participation of Ethiopian NGOs and/or Ethiopian civil society organizations in its plan to
achieve the project results.
USAID strongly encourages recipients to submit innovative approaches to the READ technical
assistance program. However, keep in mind that the core of the program has been pre-negotiated
with the MOE and therefore innovations should fall within the existing structure of the program. If
the recipient suggests alternate methods to achieve the same outcomes they must be realistic, cost
effective, sustainable and achievable within the advised time period to be considered valuable.
5.2. TARGET BENEFICIARIES
The READ Technical Assistance project will benefit Ethiopian students (projected 15 million), teachers,
teacher trainers, curriculum development officers, school directors, school cluster coordinators/supervisors,
woreda, regional and national education officers, and the MOE. By the end of the project, it is expected
that all students in all CTEs and primary schools across Ethiopia will receive improved reading and writing
instruction.
Selection of beneficiaries for training should be based on a strategic approach to the overall project,
including collaboration with the MOE and RSEB‘s. USAID/Ethiopia has supported training of thousands
of individuals annually. Lessons learned from the past show that careful selection of training recipients is
necessary to facilitate implementation of the project and sustainability of the capacity building efforts.
More importantly, building the capacity of Ethiopian Institutions to provide training in a sustainable
fashion is the end goal. The recipient will propose a Human and Institutional Training and Capacity plan
(with a strong and measurable focus on women) per school, CTE, university, woreda, RSEB, and MOE to
feed into the Performance and Monitoring Plan.
5.3. GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
The project will have national impact. Regions that use one of the following eight languages, Affan
Oromo, Aff Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya, Sidama, and three other identified local languages as their medium
of instruction for primary education will be targeted. The MOE will be supported in scaling up and
expanding the intervention to additional languages for long-term language teaching-learning improvement
throughout Ethiopia. The project is expected to reach 15 million children in all schools and all regions of
Ethiopia.
6. LINKS TO RELEVANT USAID AND NON-USAID PROJECTS
The recipient shall, at each design and implementation phase, assess applicable community and external
resources available to beneficiaries and facilitate linkages to wrap additional services that would help to
improve reading fluency in early grades. In addition to working closely with the other project components
of the READ program, the READ Technical Assistance project will need to coordinate their activities with
other existing programs. The Peace Corps‘ Improving Teaching English Language in Ethiopia program,
IFESH, and VSO provide volunteers to CTEs and schools. USAID‘s Teaching English for Life Learning
(TELL) and IQPEP provide continuous capacity building at the primary schools and CTEs. USAID/IQPEP
has already developed four early grade reading training modules for use in schools and is in the process of
printing. To be effective, it is important that the new project is well coordinated with all these resources.
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The recipient shall assure that all research or data collection under the READ Technical Assistance project
are coordinated with USAID BES partners and/or other Ethiopian or Mission entities. In this regard, the
recipient will utilize existing resources of collaborating partners; including libraries, documentation centers,
and field personnel, to the extent practical in the collection of selected datasets, as opposed to generating
parallel data and/or hiring separate staff.
USAID encourages broad Private Voluntary Organization/NGO and private sector networking and
collaboration in all activity undertakings. The recipient will participate in periodic seminars and conferences
to share and disseminate experiences among key actors in the public and private sectors.
7. PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY
In development work, an NGO should not act as beneficiary-donor intermediary. It must build the capacity
of the targeted beneficiary and stimulate them to identify problems and devise local solutions. This is the
essence of sustainability.
A one off training or workshop on sustainability does not ensure sustainability. Furthermore, uncertainty
over government commitment and lack of explicit plan for transferring responsibility put education
projects‘ sustainability/initiatives at risk. Other aspects that affect sustainability are:
If there is no official agreement among stakeholders (in the case of this Project, the Recipient,
CTEs, RSEBs and woredas) or plan to maintain the results of the project interventions/initiatives;
Frequent staff turnover at regional, woreda, and CTEs levels result in interruption of project
activities and decelerate the momentum generated;
Transfer of core personnel (deans of CTEs, teachers, woreda education officers, curriculum
experts, RSEBs heads, etc.) affect maintaining the skills and knowledge acquired through the
project;
If training materials are not made available for future reference; and
If orientation for new staff on the overall project principles, objective, practices/process and
understanding that foster sustainability do not exist (if new staffs assume responsibility without
catch-up training on project activities).
In an attempt to ensure the continuation of the initiatives of the READ Technical Assistance project
beyond its life, the Recipient together with the SCCs, CTEs, WEOs, RSEBs, and MOE shall employ the
following and other similar mechanisms:
Develop an effective organization and management in-service structure/system;
Plan activities at a regional level such that RSEBs can have control over their own development;
At the woreda level, foster sustainability through the design and implementation of policy that
integrates the principles and practices of the Project into everyday woreda work plans;
WEOs and RSEBs to allocate adequate recurring budgets to support and sustain in-service
activities at the SCCs –for training, supervision, equipment maintenance, etc.;
Establish a system of accountability through supervision and evaluation;
Establish an incentive system such as recognition and certificates or points that will have
implications for promotions or position upgrading and scholarships;
Strengthen the capacity of WEOs, CTEs, RSEBs, and MOE staff to actively participate in
developing new curriculum materials - conducting needs assessment, training, carrying out follow
up support; and
Assign capable and responsible personnel (coordinators, supervisors, school directors) for
organizing trainings and analyzing curricular materials; etc.
The recipient shall work with stakeholders to identify and document best practices of the project to provide
for sustainability and to scale up a primary grade level reading and writing program. The recipient shall
also provide technical assistance and build the capacity of the Ethiopian MOE and RSEBs to develop
similar curricular materials appropriate for primary classroom instruction and teacher training that are
focused on helping students learn to read and write.
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8. GENDER, DISABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
USAID/Ethiopia has a priority to target underserved groups, including and people with disabilities.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, a person with
disability is defined as someone who has ―long term physical mental and intellectual or sensory
impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in
society in an equal basis with others.‖
Every effort will be made to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities in this project.
Furthermore, the recipient/applicant shall include a disability inclusion plan specifically delineating how
the project will address barriers for people with disabilities relevant to the project and ensure equal access
and disability inclusive development practices. The applicant should illustrate how the project will include
people with disabilities, including women and girls with disabilities, in the design, implementation,
monitoring, and evaluation phases. The recipient/applicant must ensure people with disabilities, including
women and girls with disabilities, will participate in and benefit from activities. The recipient/applicant
should show evidence of linkages to local Disabled People‘s Organizations (organizations managed and
led by people with disabilities) and local community structures illustrating how they will work in
partnership with them.
USAID/Ethiopia‘s Basic Education Services (BES) Office has a priority to target underserved groups,
including women and girls and people with disabilities and supports the GoE in reducing gender inequality
and disparity levels between men and women. The BES Office will apply a gender analysis in reviewing
the recipient‘s proposal, designing baselines and impact assessments, and tracking indicators. It will also
work to minimize unintended consequences, including an increase of burden on people with disabilities,
female teachers, and education experts at the different levels of the education system. USAID will work
with the recipient to consider gender issues as well as to ensure maximum female teachers and education
experts are targeted for trainings during the work plan preparation. Finally, all materials will be developed
with specific attention to gender, including specific analysis and attention to the ways in which girls and
women are portrayed in the materials in order to promote positive and healthy gender roles.
USAID/Ethiopia will also work with the recipient to ensure that all curricula, materials and training are
promoting teaching techniques known to be inclusive for all students, including those with disabilities.
This includes provisions for student and teacher materials development in both braille and sign language.
Every effort will be made to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities in this project.
Furthermore, the recipient shall include a disability inclusion plan specifically delineating how the project
will address barriers for people with disabilities relevant to the project and ensure equal access and
disability inclusive development practices.
Additionally, this project complies with USAID‘s environmental regulations, found at 22 CFR, Part 216. It
falls under the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) for USAID/Ethiopia, BES Office (663-SO 14.3,
August 26, 2004).
Categorical Exclusions from environmental examination are recommended for the following activities
covered by the following citations in Reg. 216, by subparagraph of 22 CFR 216.2(c) (2):
(i) Activities involving education, training, technical assistance or training programs;
(ii) Activities involving controlled experimentation exclusively for the purpose of research and
field evaluation and carefully monitored;
(iii) Activities involving analyses, studies, academic or research workshops and meetings;
(iv) Activities involving document and information transfers;
(v) Studies, projects or programs intended to develop the capacity of recipient countries and
organizations to engage in development planning.
Based on the project activities and pursuant to 22 CFR 216.2(c) (2) (i, ii, iii, v, and xiv), the READ
Technical Assistance project is Categorically Excluded from environmental review. If additional
activities not described in this document are added to this project, an amended environmental examination
will be required.
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9. DESIGNATION OF POSITIONS AND KEY PERSONNEL
The recipient shall have limited technical staff; they shall have a strong capacity to implement, monitor,
evaluate and develop teacher resource books, primary grade level reading and writing teaching and
learning materials, and student reading and writing assessment tools.
Existing staff and resources of the Ethiopian Government and its partners will be drawn upon through
partnerships to implement a linkage approach, and creative ways will be identified to reach those local
languages not presently covered by this READ Technical Assistance project.
The recipient will work with the MOE and RSEB‘s to create teams composed of international and local
language experts for each of the target eight languages that will be working directly with and among the
MOE and RSEBs staff.
Based on: (a) an understanding of the issues/problems and the challenges and opportunities and activities
described herein; and (b) the recipient‘s proposed activities, milestones, and targets to be accomplished
over the life-of-the-READ Technical Assistance project, USAID/Ethiopia strongly encourages the
employment of host country nationals, in particular women, who can bring appropriate technical expertise,
language and cultural experience to these key personnel.
The recipient is advised that appropriate gender balance of proposed professional personnel and
commitment to maintaining 50% women and 10% disabled personnel throughout the life of plan is highly
desired. Further, the recipient should include a discussion of proposed headquarters‘ supervision.
The recipient is advised to strongly support diversity in the workforce, equal employment opportunity and
appropriate gender balance, and highly encourages qualified female professionals and hiring professional
of physical challenged personnel throughout the life of the project.
9.1. KEY PERSONNEL
Approval of specified key personnel: Only those positions which are considered to be essential to the
successful implementation of the Grant shall be designated as key personnel. USAID‘s policy limits this to
a reasonable number of positions, generally no more than five positions or five percent of recipient
employees working under the Grant, whichever is greater. Before assignment of key personnel, his/her bio
data shall be communicated to USAID and approval will be made in writing by the USAID Agreement
Officer. Further, no diversion or replacement of key personnel will be made by the recipient without prior
written consent of the USAID Agreement Officer.
Prior to diverting any of the time of the a) CoP, b) two Deputy CoPs or c) Financial and Human Resources
Manager to other duties, the recipient will notify the USAID Agreement Officer and the AOR reasonably
well in advance, and will submit a justification and explanation, including proposed substitutions, in
sufficient detail to permit evaluation of the impact on the Contract (including budget implications).
The recipient will indicate a staffing structure that includes other full-time or regular part-time project
positions in specific priority technical areas that are clearly defined (by the recipient) and accepted by
USAID within the Contract. USAID anticipated that the recipient will hire senior reading and writing
experts for each targeted language that will work with local experts in each of the target regions.
Within one month upon contract signature, those designated as Chief of Party (CoP), Deputy Chiefs of
Party, Senior Reading Experts, Financial and Human Resources Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation
Officer and other staff of the Project must be hired and available to commence work in Ethiopia.
9.2. HEAD OFFICE AND REGIONAL REPRESENTATION
The recipient shall register with the Government of Ethiopia and establish an office in Addis Ababa equal
to the requirements needed to provide necessary support for management and technical assistance activities
under the Grant. It will operate under the general supervision of the CoP.
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The recipient should plan to provide all administrative and management support necessary to the
functioning of the READ Technical Assistance project and for the selected languages of intervention as it
is phased in. This includes support to visiting recipient staff, implementation of financial and accounting
systems for local commodity procurement, arranging for and supporting local training and events,
provision of all travel and support for long- and short-term personnel, etc.
In addition to the long-term technical positions necessary to the achievement of Grant outputs, the
recipient is expected to propose adequate technical and support staff for the central office. Further, the
recipient is encouraged to maintain a low budget and minimal administrative costs, and to define in detail
its proposed arrangements and staffing.
The recipient may at its option establish some mode of permanent representation as necessary in regions
and zones (woredas) of interventions. The recipient is encouraged to consider "least-cost" possible means
of achieving such representation, i.e., obtaining office space from the relevant RSEBs, WEOs, or CTEs.
9.3. HEADQUARTERS’ SUPERVISION AND SUPPORT
Given provisions for designation of a fully authorized CoP, and provision for project-funded full-time staff
at the local office, any direct level of effort attributable to headquarters activities is expected to be focused
primarily on that required for sourcing information and technical expertise to support the field team.
10. PERFORMANCE MONITORING PLAN (PMP)
The recipient shall describe and specify the project goal, intermediate results, and outputs. The PMP
should specify each indicator (with explicit definition and justification, data collection and verification
method, data sources, frequency of data collection, and indication of data quality limitations and proposal
of data), and targets. To ensure reliability and accuracy of progress towards expected results and that
monitoring and evaluation systems are as cost-effective as possible, the recipient is encouraged to cross
reference results and indicators of the READ Technical Assistance project with results and indicators of
host government and other USAID/Ethiopia education programs. Further, the recipient shall establish the
necessary project baseline data as per the agreed upon indicators at the commencement of the project. The
recipient must demonstrate methods and approaches to capture data for project beneficiaries and people
targeted for outreach, disaggregated by sex and type of disability and geographic operation area
(region/district).
The READ Technical Assistance Contract shall contribute to the achievement of the USAID/Ethiopia
Education Development Objective. Therefore, the recipient is expected to coordinate with the overall
READ Program on impact assessments, evaluation, and learning.
The PMP should allow USAID to gauge the recipient‘s performance and understand any unforeseen
changes in strategy to achieve intended results. Standard indicators from various agency frameworks, such
as the USAID Basic Education Program results framework, the Foreign Assistance Coordination and
Tracking System (FACTS), will be incorporated into the PMP to show the contribution made by READ
Technical Assistance Project. Indictors should be sex disaggregated where appropriate, and recipients
should propose amendments to the proposed illustrative indicators provided under the above READ
Technical Assistance Project Results Framework and Indicators section (see C.4.2).
The PMP shall also indicate the various evaluations planned to be undertaken with their purpose,
illustrative research question, and schedules the major M&E undertakings. Wherever possible and
appropriate, these shall be presented in tabular and/or graphical forms that portray progress over time,
presentable to an executive audience an immediate sense of progress or the lack thereof. The PMP will be
a living document and will be updated based on changing context and program assumptions. The PMP
should be linked to the various projects coming up during life of the project. Thus, all projects under
READ program will have their own PMP logically connected and contributing to the bigger program. A
draft PMP must be submitted with the technical proposals; the draft PMP will be finalized after project
start-up and submitted for USAID‘s approval. Any subsequent changes in the PMP will require
concurrence from USAID.
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Within three months of the Contract signing, the recipient shall submit a comprehensive Performance
Monitoring Plan (PMP), directly related to the results and standardized performance indicators of the
READ Technical Assistance project, to the designated USAID/Ethiopia COR for approval.
USAID, using an external evaluator, will undertake evaluations at the beginning of the program and at the
end of the third and fifth years to assess the overall implementation of the full READ program. The
evaluation that will be conducted at the end of the third year will inform the project and contribute to
improved methods of implementation during the fourth and fifth years of the project. Similarly, the
evaluation that will be conducted at the end of the fifth year will determine the level of impact of the entire
READ program, including the READ Technical Assistance project.
[END OF SECTION I]
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SECTION II – AWARD INFORMATION
1) Subject to the availability of funds, USAID intends to provide approximately $45,000,000 in total
funding for this program and expects to make one award as a result of this RFA. However, USAID
reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted.
Funding for accepted application(s) shall be provided on an incremental basis subject to the
availability of funds and successful performance. USAID reserves the right to change the funding
amounts, cycle, and terms of the grant agreement as a result of availability of funding and US
Government requirements. Should such changes occur, recipients will be appropriately notified.
2) The anticipated period of the award is for five years beginning in approximately June 2012 through
June 2017.
3) USAID anticipates that the award will be a Cooperative Agreement. In accordance with ADS
303.3.11, Cooperative Agreements permit the ―substantial involvement‖ of USAID in certain aspects
of the supported program. Specifically, USAID substantial involvement will include:
a) Approval of the Recipient’s Implementation Plans
b) Approval of Specified Key Personnel
c) Agency and Recipient Collaboration or Joint Participation - Approval of the recipient‘s
monitoring and evaluation plans.
[END OF SECTION II]
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SECTION III – ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
1) USAID policy encourages competition in the award of Grants and Cooperative Agreements. In
response to this RFA, any U.S. or non-U.S. organization, non-profit, or for-profit entity is eligible to
apply.
2) USAID encourages applications from potential new partners.
3) Applicants are encouraged to propose a cost share contribution under this program. Type of costs
acceptable for cost share are consistent with 22 CFR 226, including overhead and/or indirect costs.
4) There are no additional minimum qualifications other than those described herein.
[END OF SECTION III]
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SECTION IV – APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
(1) Applications and modifications thereof shall be submitted either via:
a) ELECTRONICALLY – Option 1. Package in email(s) with attachments shall be sent only to
the following: [email protected]. Email notification for submission without attachment shall
ii. Local - Hand delivery/Int’l Courier Address (including commercial courier) to:
USAID/Ethiopia-RFA-663-12-000003, Office of Acquisition and Assistance, USAID-
Ethiopia US Embassy Addis Ababa, Entoto Street, P. O. Box: 1014, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The hard copies of applications and modifications thereof shall be submitted in sealed
envelopes or packages addressed to the office specified in the cover letter of this RFA, with
the RFA number, the name and address of the applicant, and whether the contents contain
technical and/or cost proposals noted on the outside of the envelopes/packages.
iii. Address to Request Application Packages or questions:
This application is found on the internet at www.grants.gov . Potential applicants that
cannot download application materials electronically may request an electronic copy of the
RFA by contacting the following persons:
(2) Applicants must submit budget applications using the SF-424 series which includes the:
SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance,
SF-424A, Budget Information – Non-construction Programs, and
SF-424B, Assurances – Non-construction Programs.
(3) Applicants must submit all the required certifications described in ADS 303.3.8
(http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/303sad.pdf), and reproduced here below. These documents
are also found in Annex B to this RFA.
a. A signed copy of Certifications and Assurances, which includes:
1. Assurance of Compliance with Laws and Regulations Governing Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs (This assurance applies to Non-U.S. organizations, if any part of
the program will be undertaken in the U.S.);
2. Restrictions on Lobbying (22 CFR 227);
3. Prohibition on Assistance to Drug Traffickers (ADS 206); and,
• Central Contractor Registration and Universal Identifier (October 2010)
• Reporting Subawards And Executive Compensation (October 2010)
BRANDING STRATEGY - ASSISTANCE (December 2005)
(a) Definitions
Branding Strategy means a strategy that is submitted at the specific request of a USAID Agreement
Officer by an Apparently Successful Applicant after evaluation of an application for USAID funding,
describing how the program, project, or activity is named and positioned, and how it is promoted and
communicated to beneficiaries and host country citizens. It identifies all donors and explains how they will
be acknowledged.
Apparently Successful Applicant(s) means the applicant(s) for USAID funding recommended for an
award after evaluation, but who has not yet been awarded a grant, cooperative agreement or other
assistance award by the Agreement Officer. The Agreement Officer will request that the Apparently
Successful Applicants submit a Branding Strategy and Marking Plan. Apparently Successful Applicant
status confers no right and constitutes no USAID commitment to an award.
USAID Identity (Identity) means the official marking for the Agency, comprised of the USAID logo and
new brand mark, which clearly communicates that our assistance is from the American people. The
USAID Identity is available on the USAID website and is provided without royalty, license, or other fee to
recipients of USAID-funded grants or cooperative agreements or other assistance awards or subawards.
(b) Submission. The Apparently Successful Applicant, upon request of the Agreement Officer, will
submit and negotiate a Branding Strategy. The Branding Strategy will be included in and made a part
of the resulting grant or cooperative agreement. The Branding Strategy will be negotiated within the
time that the Agreement Officer specifies. Failure to submit and negotiate a Branding Strategy will
make the applicant ineligible for award of a grant or cooperative agreement. The Apparently
Successful Applicant must include all estimated costs associated with branding and marking USAID
programs, such as plaques, stickers, banners, press events and materials, and the like.
(c) Submission Requirements
At a minimum, the Apparently Successful Applicant‘s Branding Strategy will address the following:
(1) Positioning
What is the intended name of this program, project, or activity?
Guidelines: USAID prefers to have the USAID Identity included as part of the program or project name,
such as a "title sponsor," if possible and appropriate. It is acceptable to "co-brand" the title with USAID‘s
and the Apparently Successful Applicant‘s identities. For example: "The USAID and [Apparently
Successful Applicant] Health Center."
If it would be inappropriate or is not possible to "brand" the project this way, such as when rehabilitating a
structure that already exists or if there are multiple donors, please explain and indicate how you intend to
showcase USAID's involvement in publicizing the program or project. For example: School #123,
rehabilitated by USAID and [Apparently Successful Applicant]/ [other donors].
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Note: the Agency prefers ―made possible by (or with) the generous support of the American People‖ next
to the USAID Identity in acknowledging our contribution, instead of the phrase ―funded by.‖ USAID
prefers local language translations.
Will a program logo be developed and used consistently to identify this program? If yes, please attach a
copy of the proposed program logo. Note: USAID prefers to fund projects that do NOT have a separate
logo or identity that competes with the USAID Identity.
(2) Program Communications and Publicity
Who are the primary and secondary audiences for this project or program?
Guidelines: Please include direct beneficiaries and any special target segments or influencers. For Example: Primary audience: schoolgirls age 8-12, Secondary audience: teachers and parents–specifically
mothers.
What communications or program materials will be used to explain or market the program to
beneficiaries?
Guidelines: These include training materials, posters, pamphlets, Public Service Announcements,
billboards, websites, and so forth.
What is the main program message(s)?
Guidelines: For example: "Be tested for HIV-AIDS" or "Have your child inoculated." Please indicate if
you also plan to incorporate USAID‘s primary message – this aid is "from the American people" – into the
narrative of program materials. This is optional; however, marking with the USAID Identity is required.
Will the recipient announce and promote publicly this program or project to host country citizens? If yes,
what press and promotional activities are planned?
Guidelines: These may include media releases, press conferences, public events, and so forth. Note:
incorporating the message, ―USAID from the American People‖, and the USAID Identity is required.
Please provide any additional ideas about how to increase awareness that the American people support
this project or program.
Guidelines: One of our goals is to ensure that both beneficiaries and host-country citizens know that the aid
the Agency is providing is "from the American people." Please provide any initial ideas on how to further
this goal.
(3) Acknowledgements
Will there be any direct involvement from a host-country government ministry? If yes, please indicate
which one or ones. Will the recipient acknowledge the ministry as an additional co-sponsor?
Note: it is perfectly acceptable and often encouraged for USAID to "co-brand" programs with government
ministries.
Please indicate if there are any other groups whose logo or identity the recipient will use on program
materials and related communications
Guidelines: Please indicate if they are also a donor or why they will be visibly acknowledged, and if they
will receive the same prominence as USAID.
(d) Award Criteria. The Agreement Officer will review the Branding Strategy for adequacy, ensuring
that it contains the required information on naming and positioning the USAID-funded program,
project, or activity, and promoting and communicating it to cooperating country beneficiaries and
citizens. The Agreement Officer also will evaluate this information to ensure that it is consistent with
the stated objectives of the award; with the Apparently Successful Applicant‘s cost data submissions;
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with the Apparently Successful Applicant‘s project, activity, or program performance plan; and with
the regulatory requirements set out in 22 CFR 226.91. The Agreement Officer may obtain advice and
recommendations from technical experts while performing the evaluation.
[END OF PROVISION]
MARKING PLAN – ASSISTANCE (December 2005)
(a) Definitions
Marking Plan means a plan that the Apparently Successful Applicant submits at the specific request of a
USAID Agreement Officer after evaluation of an application for USAID funding, detailing the public
communications, commodities, and program materials and other items that will visibly bear the USAID
Identity. Recipients may request approval of Presumptive Exceptions to marking requirements in the
Marking Plan.
Apparently Successful Applicant(s) means the applicant(s) for USAID funding recommended for an
award after evaluation, but who has not yet been awarded a grant, cooperative agreement or other
assistance award by the Agreement Officer. The Agreement Officer will request that Apparently
Successful Applicants submit a Branding Strategy and Marking Plan. Apparently Successful Applicant
status confers no right and constitutes no USAID commitment to an award, which the Agreement
Officer must still obligate.
USAID Identity (Identity) means the official marking for the Agency, comprised of the USAID logo and
new brand mark, which clearly communicates that our assistance is from the American people. The
USAID Identity is available on the USAID website and USAID provides it without royalty, license, or
other fee to recipients of USAID funded grants, cooperative agreements, or other assistance awards or
subawards.
A Presumptive Exception exempts the applicant from the general marking requirements for a particular USAID-funded public communication, commodity, program material or other deliverable, or a category of
USAID-funded public communications, commodities, program materials or other deliverables that would
otherwise be required to visibly bear the USAID Identity. The Presumptive Exceptions are:
Presumptive Exception (i). USAID marking requirements may not apply if they would compromise the
intrinsic independence or neutrality of a program or materials where independence or neutrality is an
inherent aspect of the program and materials, such as election monitoring or ballots, and voter information
literature; political party support or public policy advocacy or reform; independent media, such as
television and radio broadcasts, newspaper articles and editorials; and public service announcements or
public opinion polls and surveys (22 C.F.R. 226.91(h)(1)).
Presumptive Exception (ii). USAID marking requirements may not apply if they would diminish the
credibility of audits, reports, analyses, studies, or policy recommendations whose data or findings must be
seen as independent (22 C.F.R. 226.91(h)(2)).
Presumptive Exception (iii). USAID marking requirements may not apply if they would undercut host-
country government ―ownership‖ of constitutions, laws, regulations, policies, studies, assessments, reports,
publications, surveys or audits, public service announcements, or other communications better positioned
as ―by‖ or ―from‖ a cooperating country ministry or government official (22 C.F.R. 226.91(h)(3)).
Presumptive Exception (iv). USAID marking requirements may not apply if they would impair the
functionality of an item, such as sterilized equipment or spare parts (22 C.F.R. 226.91(h)(4)).
Presumptive Exception (v). USAID marking requirements may not apply if they would incur substantial
costs or be impractical, such as items too small or otherwise unsuited for individual marking, such as food
in bulk (22 C.F.R. 226.91(h)(5)).
Presumptive Exception (vi). USAID marking requirements may not apply if they would offend local
cultural or social norms, or be considered inappropriate on such items as condoms, toilets, bed pans, or
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similar commodities (22 C.F.R. 226.91(h)(6)).
Presumptive Exception (vii). USAID marking requirements may not apply if they would conflict with
international law (22 C.F.R. 226.91(h)(7)).
(b) Submission. The Apparently Successful Applicant, upon the request of the Agreement Officer, will
submit and negotiate a Marking Plan that addresses the details of the public communications,
commodities, program materials that will visibly bear the USAID Identity. The marking plan will be
customized for the particular program, project, or activity under the resultant grant or cooperative
agreement. The plan will be included in and made a part of the resulting grant or cooperative
agreement. USAID and the Apparently Successful Applicant will negotiate the Marking Plan within
the time specified by the Agreement Officer. Failure to submit and negotiate a Marking Plan will make
the applicant ineligible for award of a grant or cooperative agreement. The applicant must include an
estimate of all costs associated with branding and marking USAID programs, such as plaques, labels,
banners, press events, promotional materials, and so forth in the budget portion of its application.
These costs are subject to revision and negotiation with the Agreement Officer upon submission of the
Marking Plan and will be incorporated into the Total Estimated Amount of the grant, cooperative
agreement or other assistance instrument.
(c) Submission Requirements. The Marking Plan will include the following:
1) A description of the public communications, commodities, and program materials that the
recipient will produce as a part of the grant or cooperative agreement and which will visibly bear
the USAID Identity. These include:
(i) program, project, or activity sites funded by USAID, including visible infrastructure projects
or other programs, projects, or activities that are physical in nature;
(ii) technical assistance, studies, reports, papers, publications, audio-visual productions, public
service announcements, Web sites/Internet activities and other promotional, informational,
media, or communications products funded by USAID;
(iii) events financed by USAID, such as training courses, conferences, seminars, exhibitions, fairs,
workshops, press conferences, and other public activities; and
(iv) all commodities financed by USAID, including commodities or equipment provided under
humanitarian assistance or disaster relief programs, and all other equipment, supplies and
other materials funded by USAID, and their export packaging.
2) A table specifying:
(i) The program deliverables that the recipient will mark with the USAID Identity,
(ii) The type of marking and what materials the applicant will be used to mark the program
deliverables with the USAID Identity, and
(iii) When in the performance period the applicant will mark the program deliverables, and where
the applicant will place the marking.
3) A table specifying:
(i) What program deliverables will not be marked with the USAID Identity, and
(ii) The rationale for not marking these program deliverables.
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(d) Presumptive Exceptions.
(1) The Apparently Successful Applicant may request a Presumptive Exception as part of the overall
Marking Plan submission. To request a Presumptive Exception, the Apparently Successful
Applicant must identify which Presumptive Exception applies, and state why, in light of the
Apparently Successful Applicant‘s technical proposal and in the context of the program
description or program statement in the USAID Request For Application or Annual Program
Statement, marking requirements should not be required.
(2) Specific guidelines for addressing each Presumptive Exception are:
(i) For Presumptive Exception (i), identify the USAID Strategic Objective, Interim Result, or
program goal furthered by an appearance of neutrality, or state why the program, project,
activity, commodity, or communication is ‗intrinsically neutral.‘ Identify, by category or
deliverable item, examples of program materials funded under the award for which you are
seeking exception 1.
(ii) For Presumptive Exception (ii), state what data, studies, or other deliverables will be
produced under the USAID funded award, and explain why the data, studies, or deliverables
must be seen as credible.
(iii) For Presumptive Exception (iii), identify the item or media product produced under the
USAID funded award, and explain why each item or product, or category of item and
product, is better positioned as an item or product produced by the cooperating country
government.
(iv) For Presumptive Exception (iv), identify the item or commodity to be marked, or categories
of items or commodities, and explain how marking would impair the item‘s or commodity‘s
functionality.
(v) For Presumptive Exception (v), explain why marking would not be cost-beneficial or
practical.
(vi) For Presumptive Exception (vi), identify the relevant cultural or social norm, and explain
why marking would violate that norm or otherwise be inappropriate.
(vii) For Presumptive Exception (vii), identify the applicable international law violated by
marking.
(3) The Agreement Officer will review the request for adequacy and reasonableness.
In consultation with the Agreement Officer‘s Technical Representative and other agency personnel as
necessary, the Agreement Officer will approve or disapprove the requested Presumptive Exception.
Approved exceptions will be made part of the approved Marking Plan, and will apply for the term of the
award, unless provided otherwise.
(e) Award Criteria: The Agreement Officer will review the Marking Plan for adequacy and
reasonableness, ensuring that it contains sufficient detail and information concerning public
communications, commodities, and program materials that will visibly bear the USAID Identity. The
Agreement Officer will evaluate the plan to ensure that it is consistent with the stated objectives of the
award; with the applicant‘s cost data submissions; with the applicant‘s actual project, activity, or
program performance plan; and with the regulatory requirements of 22 C.F.R. 226.91. The Agreement
Officer will approve or disapprove any requested Presumptive Exceptions (see paragraph (d)) on the
basis of adequacy and reasonableness. The Agreement Officer may obtain advice and
recommendations from technical experts while performing the evaluation.
[END OF PROVISION]
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MARKING UNDER USAID-FUNDED ASSISTANCE INSTRUMENTS (December 2005)
(a) Definitions
Commodities mean any material, article, supply, goods or equipment, excluding recipient offices, vehicles,
and non-deliverable items for recipient‘s internal use, in administration of the USAID funded grant,
cooperative agreement, or other agreement or subagreement.
Principal Officer means the most senior officer in a USAID Operating Unit in the field, e.g., USAID
Mission Director or USAID Representative. For global programs managed from Washington but executed
across many countries, such as disaster relief and assistance to internally displaced persons, humanitarian
emergencies or immediate post conflict and political crisis response, the cognizant Principal Officer may
be an Office Director, for example, the Directors of USAID/W/Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and
Office of Transition Initiatives. For non-presence countries, the cognizant Principal Officer is the Senior
USAID officer in a regional USAID Operating Unit responsible for the non-presence country, or in the
absence of such a responsible operating unit, the Principal U.S Diplomatic Officer in the non-presence
country exercising delegated authority from USAID.
Programs mean an organized set of activities and allocation of resources directed toward a common
purpose, objective, or goal undertaken or proposed by an organization to carry out the responsibilities
assigned to it.
Projects include all the marginal costs of inputs (including the proposed investment) technically required
to produce a discrete marketable output or a desired result (for example, services from a fully functional
water/sewage treatment facility).
Public communications are documents and messages intended for distribution to audiences external to the
recipient‘s organization. They include, but are not limited to, correspondence, publications, studies,
reports, audio visual productions, and other informational products; applications, forms, press and
promotional materials used in connection with USAID funded programs, projects or activities, including
signage and plaques; Web sites/Internet activities; and events such as training courses, conferences,
seminars, press conferences and so forth.
Subrecipient means any person or government (including cooperating country government) department,
agency, establishment, or for profit or nonprofit organization that receives a USAID subaward, as defined
in 22 C.F.R. 226.2.
Technical Assistance means the provision of funds, goods, services, or other foreign assistance, such as
loan guarantees or food for work, to developing countries and other USAID recipients, and through such
recipients to sub-recipients, in direct support of a development objective – as opposed to the internal
management of the foreign assistance program.
USAID Identity (Identity) means the official marking for the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), comprised of the USAID logo or seal and new brand mark, with the tagline that
clearly communicates that our assistance is ―from the American people.‖ The USAID Identity is available
on the USAID website at www.usaid.gov/branding and USAID provides it without royalty, license, or
other fee to recipients of USAID-funded grants, or cooperative agreements, or other assistance awards
(b) Marking of Program Deliverables
(1) All recipients must mark appropriately all overseas programs, projects, activities, public
communications, and commodities partially or fully funded by a USAID grant or cooperative
agreement or other assistance award or subaward with the USAID Identity, of a size and
prominence equivalent to or greater than the recipient‘s, other donor‘s, or any other third party‘s
identity or logo.
(2) The Recipient will mark all program, project, or activity sites funded by USAID, including
visible infrastructure projects (for example, roads, bridges, buildings) or other programs,
projects, or activities that are physical in nature (for example, agriculture, forestry, water
management) with the USAID Identity. The Recipient should erect temporary signs or plaques
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early in the construction or implementation phase. When construction or implementation is
complete, the Recipient must install a permanent, durable sign, plaque or other marking.
(3) The Recipient will mark technical assistance, studies, reports, papers, publications, audio-visual
productions, public service announcements, Web sites/Internet activities and other promotional,
informational, media, or communications products funded by USAID with the USAID Identity.
(4) The Recipient will appropriately mark events financed by USAID, such as training courses,
conferences, seminars, exhibitions, fairs, workshops, press conferences and other public
activities, with the USAID Identity. Unless directly prohibited and as appropriate to the
surroundings, recipients should display additional materials, such as signs and banners, with the
USAID Identity. In circumstances in which the USAID Identity cannot be displayed visually,
the recipient is encouraged otherwise to acknowledge USAID and the American people‘s
support.
(5) The Recipient will mark all commodities financed by USAID, including commodities or
equipment provided under humanitarian assistance or disaster relief programs, and all other
equipment, supplies, and other materials funded by USAID, and their export packaging with the
USAID Identity.
(6) The Agreement Officer may require the USAID Identity to be larger and more prominent if it is
the majority donor, or to require that a cooperating country government‘s identity be larger and
more prominent if circumstances warrant, and as appropriate depending on the audience,
program goals, and materials produced.
(7) The Agreement Officer may require marking with the USAID Identity in the event that the
recipient does not choose to mark with its own identity or logo.
(8) The Agreement Officer may require a pre-production review of USAID-funded public
communications and program materials for compliance with the approved Marking Plan.
(9) Sub-recipients. To ensure that the marking requirements ―flow down'' to sub-recipients of
subawards, recipients of USAID funded grants and cooperative agreements or other assistance
awards will include the USAID-approved marking provision in any USAID funded subaward,
as follows:
“As a condition of receipt of this subaward, marking with the USAID Identity of a size and
prominence equivalent to or greater than the recipient’s, subrecipient’s, other donor’s or third party’s is required. In the event the recipient chooses not to require marking with its own identity or logo by
the subrecipient, USAID may, at its discretion, require marking by the subrecipient with the USAID Identity.”
(10) Any ‗public communications‘, as defined in 22 C.F.R. 226.2, funded by USAID, in which the
content has not been approved by USAID, must contain the following disclaimer:
“This study/report/audio/visual/other information/media product (specify) is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of [insert recipient name] and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.”
(11) The recipient will provide the Agreement Officer‘s Technical Representative (AOTR) or other
USAID personnel designated in the grant or cooperative agreement with two copies of all
program and communications materials produced under the award. In addition, the recipient will
submit one electronic or one hard copy of all final documents to USAID‘s Development
Experience Clearinghouse.
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(c) Implementation of marking requirements.
(1) When the grant or cooperative agreement contains an approved Marking Plan, the recipient will
implement the requirements of this provision following the approved Marking Plan.
(2) When the grant or cooperative agreement does not contain an approved Marking Plan, the
recipient will propose and submit a plan for implementing the requirements of this provision
within 45 days after the effective date of this provision. The plan will include:
(i) A description of the program deliverables specified in paragraph (b) of this provision that
the recipient will produce as a part of the grant or cooperative agreement and which will
visibly bear the USAID Identity.
(ii) the type of marking and what materials the applicant uses to mark the program deliverables
with the USAID Identity,
(iii) when in the performance period the applicant will mark the program deliverables, and
where the applicant will place the marking,
(3) The recipient may request program deliverables not be marked with the USAID Identity by
identifying the program deliverables and providing a rationale for not marking these program
deliverables. Program deliverables may be exempted from USAID marking requirements when:
(i) USAID marking requirements would compromise the intrinsic independence or neutrality
of a program or materials where independence or neutrality is an inherent aspect of the
program and materials;
(ii) USAID marking requirements would diminish the credibility of audits, reports, analyses,
studies, or policy recommendations whose data or findings must be seen as independent;
(iii) USAID marking requirements would undercut host-country government ―ownership‖ of
and "voluntarily excluded," as used in this clause, have the meaning set out in the Definitions and
Coverage sections of the rules implementing Executive Order 12549. [4] You may contact the
department or agency to which this application is being submitted for assistance in obtaining a
copy of those regulations.
6. The prospective primary participant agrees by submitting this application that, should the
proposed covered transaction be entered into, it shall not knowingly enter into any lower tier
covered transaction with a person who is debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily
excluded from participation in this covered transaction, unless authorized by the department or
agency entering into this transaction.
7. The prospective primary participant further agrees by submitting this application that it will include
the clause titled "Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary
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Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transaction," [5] provided by the department or agency entering into
this covered transaction, without modification, in all lower tier covered transactions and in all
solicitations for lower tier covered transactions.
8. A participant in a covered transaction may rely upon a certification of a prospective participant in
a lower tier covered transaction that it is not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily
excluded from the covered transaction, unless it knows that the certification is erroneous. A
participant may decide the methods and frequency by which it determines the eligibility of its
principals. Each participant may, but is not required to, check the Non-procurement List.
9. Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be construed to require establishment of a system of
records in order to render in good faith the certification required by this clause. The knowledge
and information of a participant is not required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a
prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealing.
10. Except for transactions authorized under paragraph 6 of these instructions, if a participant in a
covered transaction knowingly enters into a lower tier covered transaction with a person who is
suspended, debarred, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction, in
addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the department or agency may
terminate this transaction for cause or default.
(b) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters--Primary
Covered Transactions
(1) The prospective primary participant certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief, that it and its
principals:
(A) Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily
excluded from covered transactions by any Federal department or agency;
(B) Have not within a three-year period preceding this application been convicted of or had a civil
judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with
obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State or local) transaction or contract
under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of
embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements,
or receiving stolen property;
(C) Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity
(Federal, State or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (1)(B) of this
certification; (D) Have not within a three-year period preceding this application/application had one or
more public transactions (Federal, State or local) terminated for cause or default.
(2) Where the prospective primary participant is unable to certify to any of the statements in this
certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to this application.
PART II: KEY INDIVIDUAL CERTIFICATION NARCOTICS OFFENSES AND DRUG
TRAFFICKING
I hereby certify that within the last ten years:
1. I have not been convicted of a violation of, or a conspiracy to violate, any law or regulation of the
United States or any other country concerning narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled
substances.
2. I am not and have not been an illicit trafficker in any such drug or controlled substance.
3. I am not and have not been a knowing assistor, abettor, conspirator, or colluder with others in the illicit
trafficking in any such drug or substance.
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Signature: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Name: ____________________________
Title/Position: ____________________________
Organization: ____________________________
Address: ____________________________
____________________________
Date of Birth: ____________________________
NOTICE:
1. You are required to sign this Certification under the provisions of 22 CFR Part 140, Prohibition on
Assistance to Drug Traffickers. These regulations were issued by the Department of State and require
that certain key individuals of organizations must sign this Certification.
2. If you make a false Certification you are subject to U.S. criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001.
PART III: PARTICIPANT CERTIFICATION NARCOTICS OFFENSES AND DRUG
TRAFFICKING (ADS 206)
1. I hereby certify that within the last ten years:
a. I have not been convicted of a violation of, or a conspiracy to violate, any law or regulation of the
United States or any other country concerning narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled
substances.
b. I am not and have not been an illicit trafficker in any such drug or controlled substance.
c. I am not or have not been a knowing assistor, abettor, conspirator, or colluder with others in the
illicit trafficking in any such drug or substance.
2. I understand that USAID may terminate my training if it is determined that I engaged in the above
conduct during the last ten years or during my USAID training.
Signature: ___________________________________
Name: ___________________________________
Date: ___________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
___________________________________
Date of Birth: ___________________________________
NOTICE:
1. You are required to sign this Certification under the provisions of 22 CFR Part 140, Prohibition on
Assistance to Drug Traffickers. These regulations were issued by the Department of State and require
that certain participants must sign this Certification.
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2. If you make a false Certification you are subject to U.S. criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1001.
PART IV: SURVEY ON ENSURING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR APPLICANTS
Applicability: All RFAs must include the attached Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants
as an attachment to the RFA package. Applicants under unsolicited applications are also to be provided
the survey. (While inclusion of the survey by Agreement Officers in RFA packages is required, the applicant’s completion of the survey is voluntary, and must not be a requirement of the RFA. The absence
of a completed survey in an application may not be a basis upon which the application is determined incomplete or non-responsive. Applicants who volunteer to complete and submit the survey under a
competitive or non-competitive action are instructed within the text of the survey to submit it as part of the
application process.)
PART V - OTHER STATEMENTS OF RECIPIENT
1. Authorized Individuals
The recipient represents that the following persons are authorized to negotiate on its behalf with the
Government and to bind the recipient in connection with this application or grant: