**ANNUAL PROGRAM STATEMENT**\
**2006**\
**FOR USAID/KENYA'S**

**WATER AND SANITATION PROGRAM**

APS Number USAID-EA- 623-06-048

Issuance Date: [08-10-2006]{.mark}

Closing Date [02-09-2007]{.mark}

Award: USAID reserves the right to award the agreement(s) any time
between September 10, 2006 and February 09, 2007.

**I.  Introduction**

The purpose of this Annual Program Statement (APS) is to disseminate
information about the USAID/Kenya's safe water and sanitation program -
herein referred to as the "Water Program", to ensure that interested
parties will have a fair opportunity to submit applications for
funding.  This APS describes USAID/Kenya's assistance to the water
sector and explains the process and criteria for evaluating
applications.

Issuance of this Annual Program Statement does not constitute an award
commitment on the part of the U.S. Government, nor does it commit the US
Government to pay for the costs incurred in the submission of a
proposal.  Further, the U.S. Government reserves the right to reject any
or all applications received and to negotiate separately with an
applicant if such an action is considered to be in the interest of the
U.S. Government.

USAID/Kenya anticipates awarding a maximum of three (3) assistance
instruments (grants or cooperative agreements -- herein referred to as
grants) from applications submitted in response to its Water Program
Annual Program Statement.  Applications under this APS can be submitted
at any time up to February 03-2007. ***However,*** ***review of***
***applications received*** ***will commence*** ***by*** ***September***
***12^th^*** ***2006.*** It is anticipated that grants will be funded
for amounts between \$500,000 and \$2,500,000.  Due to limited funding
levels proposals for larger grant programs than stipulated above are not
eligible. Successful programs may be requested for continuing
applications if additional funding is available, and the program
objectives and outcomes continue to be consistent with Mission
priorities.

**II. Authority**

This APS is issued under the authority of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961, as amended.  Awards to U.S. organizations will be in accordance
with 22 CRF 226, Mandatory Standard Provisions for U.S. Non-governmental
Recipients, and the applicable additional Standard Provisions for U.S.
Non-governmental Recipients. Awards to non-U.S. Organizations will be
administered in accordance with the USAID Standard Provisions for
Non-U.S. Non-governmental Grantee/Recipients.  Awards to Public
International Organizations will be administered in accordance with the
USAID Standard Provisions for Public International Organizations.  The
mandatory and other applicable standard provisions for all organization
types are available on the USAID internet site:
(<http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/ads>).

**III.  Water** **Program Description**

1\. [Objective]{.underline}

The core objective of the program is to assist the Kenyan government and
communities through grants or cooperative agreements to non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and/or Public International Organizations (PIOs) to
increase access to improved water supply and sanitation services and
improved hygiene behaviors for poor and vulnerable []{.mark}populations
in Kenya. Through its investments, USAID/Kenya proposes to:

-   increase access to water supply and sanitation services in poor and
    needy communities;

-   decrease the prevalence of water-related diseases through
    appropriate household hygiene interventions;

-   promote sustainable management of water resources' quantity and
    quality; and

-   improve the resiliency of vulnerable populations in Kenya to future
    climatic shocks.

-   

-   

It is expected that these interventions will result in improved health
and nutritional status, increased school attendance (especially by
girls), reduced food insecurity, and more sustainable livelihoods. The
proposed program will be administered as part of Strategic Objective 7
(SO7): Increased Rural Household Incomes, under the Program Component:
Protect and Increase the Assets and Livelihoods of the Poor. The
activities to be funded under this program will be carried out in Arid
and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of Kenya, particularly those associated with
recurrent droughts, in a non-emergency, sustainable development context.

2\. [Background]{.underline}

Kenya is classified as a water scarce country,[^1] limited by an annual
renewable fresh water supply of only 647 cubic meters per capita, and
this amount is projected to fall to 235 cubic meters by 2025 as the
population increases. In Kenya, ASALs occupy over 80% of the country.
The uneven distribution of rainfall, in addition to temporal and spatial
variations, often lead to recurring droughts in the north and east and
flooding during the rainy seasons.

In addition to difficult natural conditions in ASALs, the country also
faces significant deficits in water supply and sanitation service
coverage. Only 46 per cent of the rural population has access to
improved drinking water supply from a variety of sources.[^2] The 2003
Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) found that 31.1% of Kenyan
rural population got its drinking water from rivers and streams, 21.1%
from wells, 18.4% had access to piped water, 16.9% from springs, 8.8%
from ponds, lakes, dams and rainwater sources and 3.5% from other
sources.

There are marked urban/rural differentials in the total coverage as well
as type of drinking water service available. Urban water supply coverage
in Kenya reached 89% in 2002. More than three-quarters of the households
in Nairobi have piped water in their dwelling, compound, or plot,
compared with only 2 to 4 percent of households in other provinces,
including Western, Nyanza, and North Eastern.

About 48 percent of all households in Kenya have access to an improved
sanitation facility, with about 43% coverage in rural areas.[^3]
Traditional pit toilets are the predominant type of toilet in all rural
provinces where they are used (e.g., with the exception of North Eastern
Province, where all toilet facilities are rare). In rural areas, the
proportion of households with private toilets is almost identical to the
proportion with shared toilets. There is little national-scale
information about the actual use of these facilities or the adoption of
associated hygiene behaviors with the highest health benefits, including
hand-washing, feces handling, and point-of-use water treatment.

3\. [Problem Statement]{.underline}

The severe natural water resources conditions as well as huge gaps in
service access have had significant consequences on the development of
Kenya as a whole, and its most vulnerable regions in particular. The
country's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands are populated by more than 10 million
people, with more than 60% of them living below the poverty line. Basic
services are not adequately provided nor adapted to the population\'s
needs, and inhabitants have poorer health and lower levels of education
than people in the rest of the country. The ratio of livestock to human
population continues to decline as pastoralists lose high numbers of
animals during extreme climatic events. There has been inadequate public
and private investment in infrastructure and economic development in
these regions, and overall economic opportunities are severely
constrained in many areas due to lack of water resources or water
services for income-generating activities.

Drought is chronic, and conflicts and household food insecurity are
common features in significant areas of the country. The gravity of
recent droughts reflects a weakening of the traditional coping
mechanisms by which people have traditionally sustained themselves, as a
result of shorter recovery periods between droughts and gradual erosion
of the asset base. Because of the frequency of drought events and the
long-standing conditions of food insecurity in ASAL areas, Kenya has
been a large recipient of U.S. and other donor foreign disaster
assistance and food aid over many years. Since September 2004, the U.S.
Government has contributed over 140,000 MT of food commodities valued at
\$98.5 million for the current drought emergency in Kenya. In addition,
USAID/Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) continues to provide
significant non-food assistance, including over \$7 million in water and
sanitation and other life-saving interventions.

A high percentage of rural Kenyans have to walk for more than half an
hour to get water, very often from unhealthy sources. Lack of convenient
water supply access has severe gender implications, as the
time-intensive pursuit of water collection often prevents women from
taking up income-generating opportunities or girls from attending
school. Similarly, the impacts of water-related disease are often borne
by female members of the family, since they are the primary caretakers
of children and the ill.

Sanitation also remains a major challenge in the country, and lags
significantly behind water supply coverage. There is a marked lack of
awareness about and adoption of adequate hygiene behaviors which limits
increased demand for sanitation facilities. In the rural areas, an
especially difficult challenge is providing sanitation access among the
pastoral communities living in Kenya's ASAL districts.

The lack of potable drinking water, limited sanitation facilities, and
poor hygiene behavior is a major cause of water-related illness and
death in the region. The national prevalence of diarrheal disease among
children under three in the last two weeks (a common measure of
morbidity) reached 21.4 percent in 2002. Girls' school attendance is
likewise impacted, as lack of gender-segregated sanitation facilities
often presents cultural and safety challenges to adolescent girls who
might otherwise attend school.

Finally, it should be noted that rural water supply in Kenya is rarely
used exclusively for domestic purposes, and most systems (surface or
groundwater) provide water not only for drinking, cooking, washing and
other household uses, but also for small-scale agriculture, livestock,
and other economic enterprises. New rural water provision schemes often
do not build in measures that take a diversity of needs and uses into
account, and miss opportunities to meet more than one objective through
cost-effective multiple-use systems. Well conceived multiple-use water
systems can in fact contribute greatly to long-term system
sustainability by increasing revenue generated from water use and
raising incomes to permit long-term maintenance of the system, and
ensuring ecological sustainability that takes into account all demands
on the community water source.

Support to new and innovative activities for improved access to water
supply, sanitation and hygiene through the Water Program will help
support the Mission's overall development objectives. Strategic
investments in the sector will build on what has been done before,
complement the efforts of other development partners in the sector, and
increase the long-term development impacts of water-related investments
made through USAID's disaster relief and food security programs in the
target geographic areas.

4\. [USAID Activities]{.underline}

Current USAID/Kenya support to the water sector is integrated within the
PL 480 Title II development programs in the ASAL and other food insecure
areas, implemented through several Private and Voluntary Organization
(PVO) partners. The following are illustrative USAID/Kenya water sector
assistance activities through these programs:

-   Promotion of micro-irrigation systems;

-   Development of new safe water sources for humans and livestock; and

-   Promotion of sustainable management of community water systems,
    e.g., community water users' fees, community water/sanitation
    committees, operations and maintenance training, etc.

Beyond these activities, USAID is also implementing several humanitarian
water and sanitation activities in the drought-affected areas in the
northern and eastern parts of Kenya through the Office of Foreign
Disaster Assistance (OFDA), including water point rehabilitation and
some development of new water points, in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera
Districts.

Longer-term development or sector reform objectives are not the primary
focus of OFDA or either Title II emergency or development programs,
which are most focused on saving lives in the short-term and/or
addressing acute and chronic drought and/or food insecurity.
Water-related investments under these programs have been limited to the
most vulnerable areas of the country, and have responded to program
objectives and criteria specifically related to mitigating disasters,
and addressing food insecurity and chronic malnutrition (based on the
requirements of the specific funding sources available).

In addition to these water supply and sanitation activities, USAID/K and
other USG agencies are also investing in other sectors with direct or
indirect linkages to water resources or service delivery, including
natural resources management, economic growth, education, and health,
with some existing activities in the ASALs. The Department of Defense's
Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) is investigating
opportunities to assist Kenya and other countries in the Horn with water
resource development activities, including contributing to the
development of a regional water resources database.

Water supply, sanitation and hygiene investments could be an important
complement to many existing USAID programs. For example:

-   Much of the USAID/K education portfolio is currently focused in the
    North Eastern and Coast Provinces, with the objective of achieving
    equitable access to quality education from this historically
    marginalized area. To realize this goal and to ensure that children
    have an environment that is conducive to teaching and learning,
    under the NEP School Infrastructure Project USAID is providing water
    and sanitation facilities. Through a system of grants and school
    improvement initiatives. The Education for Marginalized Children in
    Kenya (EMACK) program is also providing water and sanitation
    facilities for school in all four districts of the North Eastern
    Province.

-   The USAID/K Population and Health portfolio also offers
    opportunities for working across sectors, including via
    community-based services such as point-of-use water purification
    with USAID-funded health partners working in the Rift Valley,
    Eastern and North Eastern Provinces. USAID has health programs
    operational in the North Eastern Province in Garissa, Wajir,
    Mandera, and Ijara. These programs work with the Ministry of Health
    in the local hospitals and clinics. USAID will soon be implementing
    health programs in Rift Valley and Eastern provinces. Water
    resources and purification are identified as tremendous needs in the
    northern tier of Kenya.

-   USAID's Natural Resource Management program has activities in five
    drought-affected districts of Rift Valley, Coast and Eastern
    Provinces that enhance livelihoods and promote sustainable
    management of natural resources. Activities in Isiolo, Marsabit and
    Samburu districts include supporting community wildlife management,
    nature-based businesses and eco-tourism, conflict resolution
    (including over water resources), and range management. In addition
    to the above interventions, the SO also promotes participatory
    forest management and agroforestry on the coast and in Laikipia
    district.

-   In addition to its PL 480 Title II development programs operating in
    ASALs, USAID's Rural Incomes Strategic Objective also includes a
    North Eastern Pastoralist Development Program (NEPDP) that covers
    four districts in the North Eastern Province and one district in the
    neighboring Coast Province -- Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Ijara and
    Tana River. The project focuses on improving livestock marketing
    opportunities for pastoral populations, increased livestock health
    service provision and strengthening local associations to enhance
    their effectiveness in providing livestock marketing and trade
    services to their members. NEPDP offers significant potential for
    promoting prudent and efficient utilization of natural
    resources---including water\--through organized community groups,
    including among others, pastoralists at watering points. The SO also
    manages a project implemented by the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA)
    aimed at increasing water supply and improving sanitation and
    hygiene in rural and peri-urban areas of Kisumu District in Nyanza
    Province. In addition, USAID's horticultural development program is
    working to improve productivity and develop markets for mango,
    cashew and other tree crops in Tana River and other districts of the
    Coast Province.

-   Finally, USAID/Kenya's Democracy and Governance program has a small
    conflict mitigation projects in North Eastern Province and
    coordinates closely with USAID East Africa on cross-border conflict
    interventions.

See the USAID/Kenya Strategy Statement, FY 2006-2011, for more
information on USAID/Kenya programs:
<http://dec.usaid.gov/index.cfm?p=search.getCitation&CFID=19801&CFTOKEN=24385386&rec_no=140297>

5\. [Government and Other Donor Activities]{.underline}

The Government of Kenya's water policy emphasizes enhancing the role of
private sector providers (PSP) as well as community management for
sustainable services; improving coordination of institutions in the
sector by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation; and reviewing the legal
framework to provide legal reforms in support of the changing needs of
the water sector. It has a very strong focus on empowering communities
in managing water and sanitation and on strengthening decentralized
water governance structures such as registered Water User Associations
(WUAs), community water/sanitation committees and Regional Water Boards.
This includes support for attaining legal status for these institutions,
accessing sustainable financing, and increasing accountability for
service delivery.

Other donors and development partners with activities in the
water/sanitation sector include, but are not limited to: UNICEF, the
European Commission/ECHO, Oxfam, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision
International, Action Against Hunger, the World Bank/Government of Kenya
Office of the President Special Programs Arid Lands Resource Management
Project, German Agro-Action, DFID, Irish Government/Concern Universal,
and the Japanese Government. Among other activities, UNICEF works with
schools in Northern Kenya and North East, including supporting a 4km
pipeline for water supply and connection of water mains to schools in
Mandera district. Rotary International works through Adventist
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in the Kitui area in strengthening
community water point management. German Agro-Action operates in the
Makueni and Machakos districts, where they construct shallow wells,
primary school roof catchments and construct/expand storage tank
capacity. World Vision works in Turkana and the Makueni districts,
rehabilitating boreholes and constructing shallow wells, sub-surface
dams, gravity water supplies, and the extension of pumped water
supplies. Oxfam works in the Wajir district on water trucking and
borehole, storage and distribution system rehabilitation. Catholic
Relief Services/Kenya, in the Tana River district, works on the
construction of shallow wells serving a population of 10,000 people, the
construction of pans with infiltration galleries, production wells
fitted with hand pumps, and the construction of sub-surface dams fitted
with production wells and hand pumps.

A lead group for program coordination in the water sector is the Water
Environmental Sanitation Coordination (WESCOORD), a working group of the
Kenya Food Security Steering Group, comprising over 40 NGOs in the water
sector and co-chaired by UNICEF and the Ministry of Water and Irrigation
(MOWI). As such, it is essential that applicants under this APS liaise
closely with WESCOORD and MOWI to ensure that their proposed
interventions are geographically targeted on high priority areas and
that coordination mechanisms are well established.

6\. [Geographic Priorities]{.underline}

Specific geographic regions within Kenya will be targeted for all
activities funded under this APS with FY06 funds. The areas eligible for
consideration are the Arid and Semi-Arid districts of Kenya, as defined
by the Government of Kenya in the "Draft National Policy for the
Sustainable Development of Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya (2005)"
(see map below).

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="5.822222222222222in"
height="8.378472222222221in"}

[7.]{.underline} [Activities and results to be achieved]{.underline}

Activities funded under this APS will support Strategic Objective 7
(SO7)   I.R 7.3 Protect and Increase Food Security of Vulnerable
Populations.

As indicated above, all activities to be supported with these funds must
directly address the critical water, sanitation, and hygiene needs of
the people of the Arid and Semi-Arid districts of Kenya. Activities
should go beyond immediate service delivery goals and strategically
target water sector interventions that lay a foundation for longer-term,
sustainable development in target geographic areas. The following
general areas of activity will be eligible for funding under this
program. In all cases, applicants are encouraged to partner with a wide
variety of institutions in the public, private, and NGOs sectors to
achieve program objectives.

1.  [Sustainable Service Access:]{.underline} Applications should
    include small-scale infrastructure activities that increase access
    to improved water supply and sanitation services in target
    communities. This can include both surface water and groundwater-fed
    systems, as well as the full range of appropriate, affordable, and
    GOK-approved technologies and approaches for water supply
    infrastructure (e.g., boreholes, spring boxes, gravity-fed
    conveyance mechanisms, rainwater harvesting, etc.). Development of
    new infrastructure as well as rehabilitation of existing systems may
    be proposed. Proposed sanitation service provision interventions
    should take a demand-driven approach in both the selection of
    technologies and program implementation mechanisms.

2.  [Health Promotion:]{.underline} In order to achieve desired health
    impacts of these investments, water supply and sanitation
    infrastructure interventions should be complemented as appropriate
    by hygiene behavior-change promotion activities. Efforts that
    address water quality are also encouraged (including water sources
    protection; safe water transport, storage and handling; and/or
    point-of-use water treatment approaches).

3.  [Livelihoods and Multiple-Use:]{.underline} All water supply and
    sanitation infrastructure investments under this APS are required to
    provide for increased service access for domestic purposes. At the
    same time, applicants are also encouraged to propose strategic,
    innovative and integrated approaches that build on domestic service
    access and address a wider range of needs for water supply and
    sanitation to enhance resiliency, build food security and increase
    incomes.

4.  [Governance and Enabling Environment:]{.underline} Activities will
    be supported at appropriate geographic scales that strengthen Kenyan
    water sector governance for water supply and sanitation service
    delivery, hygiene/health impacts, and to reduce vulnerability of
    chronically drought-affected areas. This may include work to
    sustainably empower community stakeholders, build local technical
    capacity, and/or develop mechanisms to resolve disputes related to
    water supply and sanitation service provision.

Interested, eligible organizations are encouraged to propose innovative
activities as described above, to be completed within a three-year time
frame.  Results to be achieved may be measured by indicators such as:

-   Number of people (male and female) with access to an improved water
    supply increased

-   Number of people (male and female) with access to improved
    sanitation facilities increased

-   Number of community water systems with functioning management
    committees and sustainable long-term financing increased

-   Adoption of hygiene and sanitation behaviors leading to improved
    health increased

-   Number of legally registered decentralized water governance bodies
    increased

-   

-   Applicants will be required to provide a more comprehensive
    monitoring and evaluation framework, including proposed indicators
    and targets, per the Instructions to Applicants below.

    **IV. Application** **Competition:**

USAID/Kenya requests interested parties to adhere to the following
guidelines for the APS competition process. Applications will be
evaluated by a USAID Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC).  Additional
discussions with applicants may take place if the applications submitted
do not adequately describe the activities to be funded and/or there are
one or more points to be clarified or modified based on the
recommendations of the TEC.

1\. Technical applications submitted should be in the following format:

I. Table of Contents listing all page numbers and attachments\
II. Executive Summary\
III. Program Description\
A. Goal and Objectives\
B. Proposed Outcomes\
C. Technical Approach\
D. Expected Impact\
IV. Management Plan (including partnership arrangements where
applicable)\
V. Implementation Schedule (including milestones)\
VI. Annexes\
A. Relevant Past Performance Information (Recipient and Key Partner
Organizations, if applicable)\
B.  Curriculum Vitae for Key Personnel\
C.  Performance Monitoring Plan

Applications should not exceed 15 pages single spaced typed pages
(excluding Annexes). All applications should be submitted in English
with a font size of 12 only.

2\. Financial Plan[^4]

There is no page limitation on the Financial Application. The
application should include the following:

1.  Standard Forms: Applicants must complete and submit the following
required forms: (a) SF 424 Application for Federal Assistance, (b) SF
424A Budget Information - Non-Construction Program and (c) SF 424B,
Assurances - Non-Construction Programs. The forms may be downloaded from
USAID\'s website:
http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/forms/SF-424/

The financial plan (budget) should be fully supported by adequate cost
data to establish the reasonableness of proposed program costs. At a
minimum, the financial plan shall contain the following: a) a summary
budget page of total costs, b) a detailed budget of cost inputs, and c)
detailed budget notes (narratives) and supporting justification of all
proposed budget line items. Detailed budgets and supporting notes and
justifications should include the following:

\(a\) The name, annual salary, fringe benefits and expected level of
effort of each person charged to the program.\
(b) If not included in the indirect cost rate agreement negotiated with
the U.S. Government, specify the applicable fringe benefit rates for
each category of employee, and all benefits covered by the rate.\
(c) The same information shall be provided for individual consultants as
for regular personnel.\
(d) Allowances should be broken down by specific type and by person and
must in accordance with the applicant\'s policies. All salaries,
benefits and allowances must be based on written compensation policies
of the employer organization.\
(e) Other direct costs such as visas, passports and other general costs
should be separate cost line items.\
(f) Travel, per diem and other transportation expenses should be
detailed in the financial plan to include number of international trips,
from where to where (origin and destination of each trip), number of per
diem days and rates. Per Diem and other travel allowances must be based
on written travel policies of the employer organization.\
(g) Details of all home office support to be provided.\
(h) Specific budget details and narrative information, in addition to
the percentage and total dollar amount of the proposed cost-share
contribution. Cost-share, once accepted, becomes a condition of payment
of the federal share.

3\. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA): Applicants must
provide a copy of the most recent indirect cost rate agreement
negotiated with your organization\'s cognizant U.S. Government agency.

**V. Evaluation Criteria**

Applications received in response to this Annual Program Statement will
be evaluated on the following technical selection criteria: 

-   [Responsiveness to the]{.underline} [Program
    Description]{.underline} - The likelihood that the activities for
    which funding is sought will make a significant contribution towards
    achieving the objective and expected results identified in this
    Program Description (45 points total) 

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-   Project is technically sound, reflects the best principles and
    practices of the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, is consistent
    with GOK priorities and policies, and is designed for sustainability
    in Arid and Semi-Arid districts of Kenya;

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-   Project is feasible and can achieve its objectives as designed and
    with the level of funding and time period proposed;

-   Performance monitoring plan is well-articulated, with ambitious but
    realistic indicator targets;

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-   Proposal addresses long-term environmental soundness (including
    hydrological impacts), social soundness (including conflict
    prevention and mitigation), and economic sustainability;

-   Activity is designed to reinforce and contribute to implementation
    of the Government of Kenya's Water Policy and structures, and
    complements and is closely coordinated with water and sanitation
    interventions of the GOK, other donors, and NGOs;

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-   Activity adds value to the current Mission portfolio and fosters
    innovative action in the water sector, including building synergies
    with existing USG investments;

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-   Activity addresses and incorporates gender issues, including
    proposing specific and effective approaches to action.

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-   [Organizational capability]{.underline} and approach- The
    demonstrated ability of the organization to carry out the
    implementation of program activities. (20 points total)

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-   Applicant demonstrates depth and breadth of experience in technical
    areas identified in the Program Description, and proposed
    backstopping is appropriate;

-   Applicant demonstrates depth of organizational experience in
    managing relevant projects of this type, scale, and complexity;

-   The proposed approach to management, organizational structure and
    implementation is efficient and realistic in terms of meeting
    program objectives within the life of activity.

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-   [Personnel]{.underline} - The technical and managerial quality and
    experience of the Project Director and other key personnel. (15
    points total)

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-   Project Director demonstrates the following demonstrated technical
    qualifications:

    -   Experience managing complex and complicated activities with time
        sensitive deliverables;

    -   Technical leadership and operational experience in programmatic
        areas discussed in the Program Description;

    -   Experience in managing the administrative, contracting, hiring,
        recruitment, financial, and logistical aspects of the proposed
        contract; and

    -   Appropriateness of academic credentials

-   Other key personnel demonstrate technical experience and expert
    qualification in all the programmatic areas outlined in this Program
    Description.

-   Applicants must propose to use highly skilled United States
    volunteers

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-   [Resource Leverage]{.underline} -- Activity successfully leverages
    funding and/or other support from the applicant as well as from
    other outside partners (10 points)

-   [Past performance]{.underline} -- The quality of past performance
    based on assessment by the TEC of 5-10 references submitted by the
    applicant for relevant past performance during the last three years.
    (10 points)

This assessment will focus on the offeror's demonstrated:

> \(1\) Quality of product or service, including how cooperative and
> effective the Prime was in fixing problems;
>
> \(2\) Timeliness of performance, including adherence to contract
> schedules, timely delivery of short-term technical advisors, and
> effectiveness of home and field office management to make prompt
> decisions and ensure efficient operation of tasks;
>
> \(3\) Cost control;
>
> \(4\) Customer satisfaction, including satisfactory business
> relationship to clients, prompt and satisfactory correction of
> problems, and cooperative attitude in fixing problems; and
>
> \(5\) Effectiveness of key personnel, including effectiveness and
> appropriateness of personnel for the job, and prompt and satisfactory
> changes in personnel or deliverables when problems were identified
> either by the contractor or by the client; and

In addition to the above scored criteria, the review panel may consider
other factors in its decision including the severity of the water
resources problems in the target area, or the project's potential
support to existing U.S. Presidential Initiatives and/or USAID Agency
directives.

Once the technical review of proposals is complete, USAID will
independently evaluate the financial plan and cost-effectiveness of the
organization's approach. The realism of budget estimates for proposed
activities, the degree to which the budget allocation results in optimal
use of program funds, and the cost reasonableness to implement the
proposed program activities will all be considered in determining the
best value to the U.S. government.

**VI. Instructions to Applicants**

Following is additional information to guide the preparation of
proposals, and more explanation of each of the technical evaluation
criteria outlined above:

**Responsiveness to the Program Description:** The proposal must include
a clear description of the conceptual approach and the general strategy
(i.e. methodology and techniques) being proposed; describe the target
population (including geographic location and proposed number of
beneficiaries); outline specific, focused activities; and explain how
the approach is expected to achieve the proposed results. A plan for
long-term sustainability of all investments should also be included.
Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative and integrated program
designs to reach the desired results.

The application must provide a detailed implementation schedule for
achieving expected program outcomes and the proposed results. The
applicant is encouraged to propose an aggressive but feasible schedule
of performance milestones as steps toward achieving objectives and
should include a realistic timeline for achieving semi-annual, annual,
and end-of-program results. The implementation plan should clearly
outline links between the proposed results, conceptual approach and
performance milestones.

The performance monitoring plan must include periodic (semi-annual),
annual, and end-of-program indicators and targets to measure the
progress of the proposed activities and the achievement of results. The
end-of-program indicators must be quantified in the performance
monitoring plan: e.g., number of people with access to improved water
supply increased by X%, etc

**Organizational Capability:** The management plan should provide a
brief summary of the history of the respondent\'s work in Arid and
Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya on water and sanitation sector issues. The
application must also provide evidence of the organization's technical
resources, expertise and capabilities for implementing similar programs.
The organization/consortium should describe its comparative advantage in
implementing the proposed activities. The application must specify the
composition and organizational structure of the program team (including
home office support) and describe the role of each proposed staff member
and the amount of time the staff member will be devoted to the program.
Applicants are encouraged to work with or through Kenyan organizations
when appropriate and to identify cost-effective means for reaching the
program results.

**Key Personnel:** Applicants should submit CVs of key personnel only in
an Annex to the full proposal. Reference information for all candidates
should be included. The Government retains the right to contact
employment references for all key personnel (including those not
provided by the Applicant), and to use this information in the rating of
personnel proposed.

**Past Performance:** All potential recipients are subject to past
performance scrutiny. Applicants must supply names of organizations,
both commercial and federal, from which they have received contracts or
assistance awards for similar activities over the past three years.
Reference information should include addresses, current telephone
numbers, current e-mail addresses, points of contact, award numbers if
available, and brief descriptions of the work performed.  The Agreement
Officer shall contact the references and use the past performance data,
along with other information to determine the applicant's
responsibility. The Government reserves the right to obtain information
for use in the evaluation of past performance form and all sources
outside the Government. Applicants lacking relevant past performance
history will receive a neutral rating for past performance.

**VII. Administration of Awards:**

The awards will be administered in accordance with the following USG
regulations:  For U.S. organizations, 22 CFR 226, OMB Circulars and the
USAID Standard Provisions will be applicable; and for non-U.S.
organizations, the Standard Provisions will apply.  These documents are
available on the USAID website --
[www.usaid.gov](http://www.usaid.gov/).

If all of this information is not contained in the application, but the
application generally has merit (particularly in terms of technical
approach and strategic fit), the applicant may be requested to re-submit
the proposal in accordance with these requirements. Applications that
comply with these requirements shall generally be evaluated on a
quarterly basis.  All applicants must be legally recognized entities
under the laws of Kenya or other appropriate jurisdictions and
authorized to operate in Kenya.

**VIII. Point of Contact**

Please direct all queries and submissions to:

Francis Kavulu\
Regional Contracts Office\
USAID/ESA\
P.O. Box 629\
Village Market 00621

Nairobi, Kenya

Telephone:  254-20-8622000\
Fax: 254-20-8622680  \
Email Address: fkavulu@usaid.gov

[^1]: Water scarcity is defined as annual available renewable freshwater
    of 1000 m3 or less per person in a given geographic area. This
    figure does not measure access to potable water supply services.

[^2]: WHO/UNICEF. 2004. Joint Monitoring Programme. Meeting the MDG
    Drinking Water and Sanitation Targets: A Mid-Term Assessment.

[^3]: Improved sanitation facilities are defined by the WHO/UNICEF JMP
    as: Connection to a public sewer; Connection to a septic system;
    Pour-flush latrine; Simple pit latrine; or Ventilated improved pit
    latrine

[^4]: This section does not apply to Public International Organizations.