This Grant Program: Offering Funding to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in Asia

These are detailed in Attachment A of this Amendment.

All other terms and conditions indicated in the RFA issued on September 8, 2010 remain unchanged.

Subject: Request for Applications USAID-RDMA-486-10-032-RFA Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in Asia

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA), is seeking applications (proposals for funding) from U.S. or non-U.S. non-profit or for-profit nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), public international organizations (PIO or IO), and other non-USG organizations to implement a Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trafficking in Asia program, pursuant to section 634(h) of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, 2008. The authority for the RFA is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.

The chosen recipient(s) will be responsible for ensuring achievement of the program goal and objectives (as identified in Section C) to combat wildlife trafficking in Asia, in coordination with other relevant activities of USAID/RDMA, USAID bilateral missions in the Asia region, UN and intergovernmental agencies. Please refer to the Program Description (RFA Section C) 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 program and are in accordance with applicable cost standards (22 CFR 226, plus OMB Circular A-122 for non-profit organizations, OMB Circular A-21 for universities, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 31 for for-profit organizations), may be paid under the award.

Subject to the availability of funds, USAID/RDMA plans to provide approximately $8,000,000.00 in total USAID funding for this activity to be allocated over a five-year period. USAID/RDMA reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted. Although one cooperative agreement award is anticipated under this RFA, USAID in its discretion may make awards to more than one organization.

For the purposes of this program, this RFA is being issued and consists of this cover letter and the following:

1. Section A – Application Format;
2. Section B – Selection Criteria;
3. Section C – Program Description; and
4. Section D – Certifications, Assurances, and Other Statements of Applicant/Recipient.

To be eligible for award, the applicant must provide all required information in its application, including the requirements found in any attachments to this www.Grants.gov opportunity. Applicants must submit the full application package by one of the methods indicated in Section A of this RFA.

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”.

Any questions concerning this RFA shall be submitted in writing to Ms. Karittha Jenchiewchan, Procurement Specialist, via email to kjenchiewchan@usaid.gov no later than September 24, 2010, 4:00 pm Bangkok local time. If you decide to submit an application, it must be received by the closing date and time indicated at the top of this cover letter at the place designated below for receipt of applications.

The federal grant process is now web-enabled. As of December 19, 2005, grant and cooperative agreement Request for Application (RFA) and Annual Program Statement (APS) announcements, modifications to the announcements, and the corresponding application packages must be posted via Grants.gov on the World Wide Web (www) to allow for electronic submission of applications. Applicants may upload applications to www.grants.gov, however, hard copy submissions are still required by USAID/RDMA. This RFA and any future amendments can be downloaded from this website www.grants.gov. It is the responsibility of the recipient of the application document to ensure that it has been received from www.grants.gov in its entirety. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes associated with electronic submissions.

Applicants may also submit their applications by e-mail attachment formatted in Microsoft Word (up to 5 MB limit per email), with hard copies to follow. Important: please see Section A.1.e of the RFA for detailed instructions regarding submission of applications via email. Applications and modifications thereof shall be submitted with the name and address of the applicant and the RFA number (referenced above) inscribed thereon, via email, to kjenchiewchan@usaid.gov.

Applicants shall confirm with Ms. Karittha Jenchiewchan that their electronic submissions (either via grants.gov or via email) were successfully received by the required due date. In addition to the submission of applications via email or www.grants.gov, an original and three (3) hard copies of the technical applications, and an original and one (1) hard copy of the cost proposals, shall be sent to:

(By U.S. Mail)
Mr. Patrick J. Wilson
Regional Agreement Officer, USAID
Box 47, Bangkok
APO, AP 96546

(By All Other Means of Delivery)
Mr. Patrick J. Wilson
Regional Agreement Officer
USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia Athenee Tower, 25th Floor
63 Wireless Road
Bangkok, Thailand 10330

Hard copies of submissions should arrive by the due date. It is recommended that applicants use courier service instead of international mail for the hard copies. Applications will be accepted for consideration as long as they arrive in Bangkok, Thailand by the time stipulated. See RFA Section A.1.b regarding late applications.

Applicants are requested to submit the technical and cost portions of their applications in separate volumes so that they may be reviewed separately. Award will be made to that responsible applicant(s) whose application(s) best meets the requirements of this RFA and the selection criteria contained herein.

Faxed proposals are not acceptable.

Issuance of this RFA does not constitute an award commitment on the part of USAID, nor does it commit USAID to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application. Further, USAID reserves the right to reject any or all applications received. 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, and all preparation and submission costs are at the applicant’s expense.

In the event of any inconsistency between the sections comprising this RFA, it shall be resolved by the following order of precedence:
(a) Section B – Selection Criteria;
(b) Section A – Grant Application Format;
(c) Section C – The Program Description; and
(d) This Cover Letter.

Applicants should take into account the expected delivery time required by the proposal transmission method they choose, and are responsible to ensure that proposals are received at USAID/RDMA, Bangkok (and not at another location) by the due date and time specified above.

Applicants should retain for their records one copy of all enclosures which accompany their application.

Thank you for your interest in USAID/RDMA.

Sincerely,
/s/
Patrick Wilson
Regional Agreement Officer
USAID/RDMA, Bangkok