Launch Date: March 22, 2021
Deadline for Submission of Proposal:  April 5, 2021, 17:00 (Chisinau local time)

Peace Corps/Moldova seeks a local Moldovan contractor to conduct a performance evaluation of select Peace Corps Volunteers’ projects completed under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Peace Corps Small Project Assistance (SPA) Program in Moldova. The evaluation will examine the extent to which the SPA Program in Moldova has met its goal of local capacity-building to address community needs in the community development and education sectors. The evaluation will provide the perspective of the projects from the people of Moldova with whom the Volunteers lived and worked.

The contractor will evaluate 25 SPA projects (small scale, up to $5,000 grant funds, addressing community identified problem) completed by Peace Corps Volunteers and their community partners over fiscal years 2014-2020.  The contractor will utilize a snapshot design that includes in-person and online interviews. With COVID precautions in place, it would be preferable that at least 50% of the interviews take place in person so that a site visit can be included to assess the sustainability of the project over time. 

Peace Corps/Moldova invites interested contractors (companies or firms) to send a proposal via email with “SPA Project Evaluation” in the subject line to MD-HR@peacecorps.gov . Interested contract bidders must provide a research-based evaluation proposal by April 5th. All proposals and documents must be submitted in English. If you need additional information, send an email to the email address above. No photos or phone calls please. Proposals submitted after the deadline may not be reviewed.

Qualifications of the Contractor

The Contractor must have demonstrated social science research experience, research team selection and management skills, and the academic preparation to carry out the project fieldwork in a timely, efficient and quality manner.

Specific qualifications are described below:

1. Demonstrated experience in implementing social science research projects.
2. Experience conducting field interviews and using survey instruments in evaluative studies.
3. Flexibility and the ability to work within a range of field conditions.
4. Experience conducting and writing qualitative and quantitative research/evaluation and reports.
5. Language – the Senior Researcher will be fluent in both written and spoken English, Romanian and Russian.
6. Must be able to travel throughout Moldova.
7. Must have proficient computer skills for data collection, entry, analysis, and reporting.

 Evaluation Factors for Award:

Peace Corps/Moldova anticipates awarding a firm, fixed price contract resulting from this Statement of Work (SOW) to the responsible organization or bidder whose offer conforms to the solicitation and will be most advantageous to Peace Corps, price and other factors considered. Peace Corps/Moldova will use the following factors, listed in the order of importance, to evaluate offers:

1. The qualifications of the key personnel (senior researcher) and additional personnel as defined in Qualifications of the Contractor.
   • Evaluation of key personnel will focus on relevant and demonstrated qualifications, experience, language competency and skills applicable to the personnel requirements contained in the statement of work.
2. Technical approach as detailed in the research work plan.
   • Contractors will be evaluated on their description of a clear and comprehensive plan and rationale on the technical approach to complete the activities in the SOW.
3. • Price proposal will be evaluated separately and overall price are considered less important than the strengths of the technical proposal and qualification of key personnel. However, where proposals are considered essentially equally, price may be the determining factor in selecting a Contractor for award.

Period of Performance

Period of Performance: April, 2021 - September, 2021.

 Deliverables:

1. Document review and initial consultations with Peace Corps.
2. Final research design.
3. Draft questionnaires for review with and approval by Peace Corps.
4. Translation of questionnaires and surveys.
5. Data collection/data entry.
6. Brief midterm progress report.
7. Data analysis and preparation of first draft of report, and case studies.
8. Final evaluation report and case studies (electronic and 2 hard copies in color). The final report will be reviewed against the criteria.
9. Final in-person briefing to Peace Corps/Moldova and USAID/Moldova.
10. Evaluation data in an electronic file in an easy to read format.

The total fixed price indicated in the proposal should be quoted in Moldovan Lei (MDL) or US Dollars (USD), should include VAT and can’t be a subject of further changes.

This solicitation in no way obligates Peace Corps Moldova to award a contract, nor does it commit Peace Corps Moldova to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposal.