USAID’s Request for Information on Future Civil Society Assistance Strategies in Cambodia

This strategy could include assistance across a range of areas in which civil society is active in Cambodia, in all situations – urban and rural; at local, provincial and national levels; nascent and advanced civil society organizations. It could include technical and/or financial support.
Comments or information are sought about the following broad objective areas:

• Objective 1 – Strengthen organizational capacities to promote constructive civic engagement in the national policy debate and community development

• Objective 2 – Strengthen constituencies for reform through alliance, network or coalition-based advocacy

• Objective 3 – Promote an enabling environment for freedom of expression, association and respect for human rights

• Objective 4 – Improve the quality, public understanding and utilization of civic education

• Objective 5 – Expand programming by and strengthen capacity of independent media to deliver diverse information to the public

• Objective 6 – Reconcile conflicts among communities and rehabilitate citizens to enable greater participation in public affairs

In the above areas, USAID is interested, in particular, in helping vulnerable populations. USAID is also interested in supporting qualitative and quantitative research to support any of the objectives above.

USAID/Cambodia is seeking comments on these strategic objectives.

Please consider the following in preparing your response:

• Please ensure comments are concise and specific to objectives. While there are no established limits on the length of submissions accepted, USAID values concise, issue-specific responses

• Please ensure submitted comments make specific reference to objective number

• Please give special consideration to the following questions:

a. Based upon your experience, are there any lessons learned you wish to share relative to working to achieve the six listed objectives?

b. What specific inputs (activities) would be necessary for achieving each objective?

c. What, if any, data or studies are relevant to these objectives?

d. What alternative objectives, or re-worded objectives, if any, could reasonably be expected to more effectively and efficiently accomplish the aim of that objective?

Please submit electronic written information via email to RFIcambodia@usaid.gov by June 1, 2013, at 17:00 p.m. Phnom Penh local time. Please indicate if the organization/entity responding would like to be named as a reviewer or remain anonymous in its submissions. Should you elect to label elements of your response “confidential,” those labeled elements will not be shared outside the U.S. Government.

This announcement is a Request for Information (RFI), not a Request for Applications (RFA) and is not to be construed as a commitment by USAID to issue a solicitation or ultimately to award a grant or cooperative agreement on the basis of this RFI or otherwise compensate an organization or individual for any information submitted as a result of this request.

It should be noted that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to an organization or individual if a subsequent solicitation is publicized. USAID will not provide answers to any questions submitted in response to this request.
If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in www.grants.gov. It is the potential applicant’s responsibility to monitor the site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. It should be noted that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement. USAID will not provide answers to any question submitted in response to this request. Responses will be held confidential. Proprietary information should not be sent.

Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID/Cambodia programs.