Resonance Request for Proposals, on behalf of The Digital Economy and Market Development Activity
Request for Proposal (RFP) Number: 1087-2024-03
Project: USAID Digital Economy and Market Development Activity (DEMD) – Digital Economy Country Assessment (DECA) for Nigeria
RFP Title: Nigeria DECA
Date of Issuance: 14 December 2023
Closing Date for Questions: 15 January 2024 10:00am EDT
Response to Questions: 22 January 2024
Closing Date for Submission Proposal: 31 January 2024 10:00am EDT
Dear Sir/Madam,
You are invited to submit a technical and financial proposal in response to Resonance, on behalf of the USAID Digital Economy and Market Development (DEMD) Activity, RFP 1087-2024-03, DEMD Nigeria DECA Subcontract. All related correspondence for this proposal should be sent to: info@DEMDUSAID.org.
Resonance is an award-winning frontier market solutions firm based in Burlington, Vermont that helps a variety of donor, commercial and investor clients around the world to catalyze lasting impact. Sponsored by USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment, Office of Trade and Regulatory Reform (E3/TRR), the Digital Economy and Market Development (DEMD) activity provides technical leadership and innovative new approaches for program implementation to USAID Missions, USAID/Washington, and other United States Government (USG) Operating Units in the following areas: digital economy, trade capacity building, private sector development, and the business enabling environment.
USAID/Nigeria has requested DEMD’s assistance in conducting a Digital Economy Country Assessment (DECA). The DECA, a flagship initiative of the USAID Digital Strategy, informs the development, design, and implementation of USAID’s strategies, projects, and activities. The DECA examines three pillars of a country’s digital ecosystem: (1) digital infrastructure and adoption; (2) digital society, rights, and governance; and (3) the digital economy. The DECA aims to inform how USAID Missions can understand, work with, and strengthen a country’s digital ecosystem.
Resonance anticipates a budget range of approximately $160,000 - $175,000 for this activity.
This RFP does not obligate Resonance to execute a subcontract nor does it commit Resonance to pay any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of the proposals.
Appendix A
Scope of Work for RFP# 1087-2024-03
DEMD Nigeria DECA Subcontract
I. INTRODUCTION
This Scope of Work (SOW) is for the anticipated subcontractor, through the Digital Economy and Market Development (DEMD) mechanism, to provide technical services to implement a Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment (DECA). Through the SOW, Resonance aims to engage a contractor that can provide technical advisory and research services to identify development opportunities and risks in a country’s digital ecosystem.
The USAID Digital Strategy 2020–2024 charts an agency-wide vision for development and humanitarian assistance in the world’s rapidly evolving digital landscape. The Strategy’s goal is to achieve and sustain open, secure, and inclusive digital ecosystems that contribute to broad-based, measurable development, and humanitarian assistance outcomes. USAID’s Digital Strategy has two core, mutually reinforcing objectives: 1) improve measurable development and humanitarian assistance outcomes through the responsible use of digital technology in USAID’s programming and 2) strengthen the openness, inclusiveness, and security of country-level digital ecosystems.
The DECA, a flagship initiative of the Digital Strategy, informs the development, design, and implementation of USAID’s strategies, projects, and activities. The DECA analyzes three pillars of a nation’s digital ecosystem: (1) digital infrastructure and adoption; (2) digital society, rights, and governance; and (3) the digital economy. The DECA aims to inform how USAID Missions can understand, work with, and strengthen the country’s digital ecosystem.
Resonance will identify and propose a strong team with relevant experience in: a) providing technical expertise in digital development topics across the three DECA Pillars (access to local networks of technical expertise in these areas is preferred); b) conducting rigorous qualitative research; c) coordinating in-depth interviews with a broad range of stakeholders; d) using evidence-based and data-informed analysis approaches; and e) developing strategic short- and long-term policy and programmatic recommendations.
II. PURPOSE AND COUNTRY CONTEXT
Nigeria has a population of 221 million people and nearly 54 percent of the population is urban[1]. Nigeria has the most cellular mobile connections in the African continent with 193.9 million; accounting for 88 percent of its population. According to the International Telecommunication Union, Nigeria has the sixth-most internet users of any country in the world, at 123 million[2] or 55 percent of its population. The National Bureau of Statistics stated that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector accounted for 17 percent of the Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria in the first quarter of 2023[3]. With the penetration and advancement of digital innovation in Nigeria, the country has a weak digital infrastructure due to increasing cybersecurity threats.
In November 2019, the Government of Nigeria (GoN) launched the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030). The strategy aims to reposition the Nigerian economy toward opportunities that digital technologies provide. The vision, as the policy states, is “to transform Nigeria into a leading digital economy providing quality life and digital economies for all.” The Policy focuses on eight pillars to accelerate the development of the Nigerian digital economy; they include (1) developmental regulation (2) digital literacy and skills (3) solid infrastructure (4) service infrastructure (5) soft infrastructure (6) digital service development and promotion (7) digital society and emerging technologies (8) indigenous content development and adoption. Additionally, in 2019, the Nigerian government showed their commitment to advancing the digital economy by redesigning the Ministry of Communications to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
Additionally, the Nigeria Broadband Plan (2020-2025) and the Nigeria Cybersecurity Policy & Strategy complement the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy. The Nigeria Broadband Plan was created after the 2017 ranking placed Nigeria at 143 of 176 of countries in the ICT Development Index (IDI), this underlined the country’s limited broadband subscriptions. The target of the plan is to achieve 70 percent penetration by 2025. Since 2020, when the plan was first released to September 2022, the broadband penetration only increased by 5 percent. Furthermore, the Nigeria Cybersecurity Policy & Strategy was launched in 2014 to identify and prosecute cybercrimes that impact Nigeria.
This assessment is integral for USAID/Nigeria to advance the GoN’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030) to use digital technology as a platform for stimulating growth in all sectors of the economy. The goal of doing a digital ecosystem assessment is to improve Nigeria’s economic competitiveness in the digital sector, increase global trade, and use Nigeria’s large, young, and entrepreneurial population to become an engine of economic transformation. More broadly, the DECA will contribute to the USAID/Nigeria Country Development and Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) 2020-2025 Development Objective (DO) goal of a broadened and inclusive economic growth in Nigeria. You can find the CDCS 2020-2025 here.
USAID/Nigeria currently supports digital programming across various sectors, including health, education, agriculture, energy, government, and the private sector. For example, the Health, Nutrition, and Population Office works with Open Data Kit (ODK) technology to support offline data collection, enabling teams to continue working in areas with poor internet connectivity. Moreover, the Education Office worked with various state governments to introduce Edtech solutions and digitized content for better classroom engagement between learning facilitators and learners. You can find the extent each office at USAID/Nigeria has integrated digital components in their activities here and a recent assessment on the Gender Digital Divide in Nigeria. Additionally, previous digital assessments done in Nigeria include the Nigeria Digital Diagnostic Report, the Nigeria Small and Medium Enterprises cybersecurity toolkit and Digital Assessment of Institutional and Regulatory frameworks for personal data protection in [the] digital platform ecosystem: a study of Nigeria.
III. OBJECTIVE
The primary goal of the DECA is to support USAID/Nigeria to better understand Nigeria’s Digital Ecosystem and provide recommendations to 1) mainstream digital development into programming and 2) better understand, work with, and support the country’s digital ecosystem to meet critical Development Objectives. A secondary goal of this assessment is to produce an externally available report for key stakeholders to help them better understand the country’s digital ecosystem and how they advance digital programming in their work. This task will be carried out through a combination of desk research and interviews focused around three pillars:
Note that the following topics are cross-cutting and affect all three pillars in a DECA:
IV. DECA APPROACH
The DECA Research Team (Resonance/DEMD and subcontractor) will work closely with USAID/Nigeria to produce a high-quality digital ecosystem assessment following the DECA methodology as prescribed in the DECA Toolkit. The assessment is approximately a five-to-six-month engagement and includes three phases: 1) Desk Research and Planning, 2) Interviews, and 3) Analysis and Report Writing.
The Offeror will provide key personnel comprising the local DECA Research Team (the Principal Investigator, Research Analyst, and Technical Researcher roles) and will conduct the DECA with Resonance support using in-person and virtual interviews. The Offeror will propose members (as described below) of the DECA Research Team with proven capacity to: 1) understand nuance in interview responses; 2) have flexibility to adjust or extend the Interviews phase; and 3) deliver periodic presentations and briefings to the Mission over the course of the DECA. Periodic briefings or readouts over the DECA timeline will facilitate Mission engagement and will allow the Mission to act on preliminary DECA findings.
Below are estimated timing for each key milestone:
Key Milestones
Estimated Implementation Timeline (Feb 2024 – Jun 2024)
Desk Research and Planning
Five weeks
Interviews
Four to seven weeks
Analysis and Report Writing (and Clearances)
10 weeks
DECA Mission check-ins
Biweekly to Monthly
Weekly DECA Team check-ins
Weekly to Biweekly
Final Report and Presentation
June 2024
V. DECA TEAM QUALIFICATIONS
DECA research team: The team will need technical expertise across the three DECA Pillars. Regional or country expertise and language skills are required. When possible, the team should have experience writing assessment-type documents and targeted recommendations for a non-technical donor audience. A suggested four-person research team is outlined as follows. Resonance/DEMD will supply the Research Coordinator position.
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Principal Investigator (full-time; the Offeror will fulfill this role)
Throughout
Desk Research and Planning Phase
Interview Phase
Analysis and Report Writing Phase
Research Analyst (full-time; the Offeror will fulfill this role)
Desk Research and Planning Phase
Interview Phase
Analysis and Report Writing Phase
Technical Researcher/Pillar Expert (half-time) x2; the Offeror will fulfill these roles
Desk Research and Planning Phase
Interview Phase
Analysis and Report Writing Phase
Research Coordinator (half-time; Resonance will fulfill this role)
Desk Research and Planning Phase
Interview Phase
Analysis and Report Writing Phase
Subsidiary roles:
USAID/Mission engagement: The Mission will designate a DECA team lead, with twelve additional representatives from the Technical Offices. Throughout the assessment, the Mission DECA Team Lead will provide technical direction and insight on Mission priorities and programming.
VI. DETAILED TASKS
This section outlines key tasks for each DECA phase. Resonance and the Offeror may assign roles based on each team member’s strengths.
Phase 1: Desk Research and Planning
The Principal Investigator will manage USAID Mission engagement, including regular communication and requests for feedback on all written documents. The DECA Research Team will conduct detailed desk research to understand Nigeria's context, key themes, and emerging trends relevant to the digital ecosystem, including a review of relevant USAID Mission materials. The goal is to obtain baseline knowledge to enter the interview phase well-informed about the Nigerian context and what gaps need to be filled. During this phase, a DECA Research Team member will also initiate and lead interviewee identification and outreach. Specific tasks include:
Phase 2: Interviews
Based on the desk research and available networks, the DECA Research Team will identify and conduct outreach to interviewees to schedule interviews. A DECA Research Team member will manage the interview process (developing interview guides based on the templates and research materials provided in the DECA Toolkit[5]), ensure Mission engagement, and conduct stakeholder mapping and synthesis exercises to identify knowledge gaps and target interviewee outreach. Target geography for the interviews will include the states of Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Rivers, and Adamawa. Specific tasks include:
Phase 3: Analysis and Report Writing
The last phase of the DECA includes writing a report that brings together the desk research, interview findings, and specific actionable recommendations for how the Mission can integrate digital into its programming and processes to meet its Development Objectives. Two versions of the report will be published: internal for USAID and external.[6] The Mission will be involved at all critical junctures. The Research Team’s specific tasks include:
Detailed program milestones: Key deliverables to be completed by the DECA Research Team. Due dates will be updated according to the workplan.
Milestone
Estimated Due Date
Deliverable
Project kickoff: project work plan
Week 1
X
Phase 1: Desk Research and Planning
Four final research briefs (One per Pillar and one for country context)
Week 2
X
Interview tracker
Week 2
X
DECA Introduction Presentation (Google Slides) and recording
Week 3
X
Phase 2: Interviews
Interview notes/debrief. Include recordings if necessary.
Weeks 3–9 (Hybrid of in-person and virtual interviews)
X
Midway synthesis session summary
Week 6
X
DECA Post-Interview Presentation (Google Slides) and recording
Week 10
X
Contact list (interviewees and all consulted contacts)
Week 10
X
Phase 3: Analysis and Report Writing
Synthesis sessions/recommendations workshop preparation/notes/presentation
Week 11
X
Interim report deliverables (including graphics):
Weeks 12–17
X
X
X
X
Draft full report
Week 18
X
Mission review of full report
Week 21
Final report (internal and external, if necessary)
Week 23
X
Final designed internal report
Week 23
Final designed external report
Week 25
Mission clearance of full report
Week 27
DECA Internal Final Presentations (Google Slides) and recording
Week 29
X
DECA External Final Presentations (Google Slides) and recording
Week 31
X
Factsheets for each Pillar
Week 31
X
VI. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. Strategic Approach
This assessment implements USAID’s Digital Strategy, which seeks to improve USAID development assistance outcomes through responsible use of digital technology and seeks to strengthen openness, inclusiveness, and security of the country’s digital ecosystems.
This assessment also supports private sector-led efforts in line with USAID’s Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Policy. The PSE policy uses market-based approaches to solve development and humanitarian challenges more efficiently and sustainably; subsequently, driving progress beyond programs. Additionally, it supports policies led by the Government of Nigeria, such as the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030), the Nigeria Broadband Plan (2020-2025) and the Nigeria Cybersecurity Policy & Strategy.
2. Gender
DEMD through the Offeror must demonstrate that gender and social inclusion issues are suitably integrated into the assessment and will undertake specific efforts to ensure that the assessment does not discriminate against or disproportionately benefit either gender.
USAID Automated Directive System (ADS) states: “Gender issues are central to the achievement of strategic plans and Assistance Objectives (AO), and USAID strives to promote gender equality, in which both men and women have equal opportunity to benefit from and contribute to economic, social, cultural and political development; enjoy socially valued resources and rewards; and realize their human rights” (ADS 201.3.9.3). To the extent possible, the implementing partner is required to encourage the equal participation of men and women in all aspects of this contract.
DEMD and the Offeror should strive for a gender balance of interviews and develop targeted questions for interviewees that identify issues of the gender digital divide within Nigeria and across the three DECA Pillars outlined above. DEMD and the Offeror are required to identify and outline any potential gender and social inclusion issues that might be relevant to the Nigerian digital ecosystem and include recommendations on how these issues will be addressed in the final report.
3. Private-Sector Engagement
This assessment implements USAID’s PSE Policy that seeks to consult, strategize, align, and collaborate with the private sector for greater scale, sustainability, and effectiveness of development outcomes. As part of the DECA, Resonance and the Offeror will undertake efforts to engage companies for interviews to explore needs in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and discuss opportunities for collaboration. DEMD and the Offeror should articulate a strategy that actively engages the private sector and develops partnerships with business firms and associations to leverage resources. This assessment will provide recommendations for more sustainable and enterprise-driven outcomes and identify ways to work with the private sector to understand and address barriers to a strong digital ecosystem.
4. Collaborative Learning and Adaptive Management
Collaborative Learning and Adaptive Management will be key to the success of a DECA given its broad and cross-cutting approach. Adaptive management refers to adjusting execution or approach based on iterative learning. As such, close collaboration between the Mission, DEMD and the Offeror is required.
Appendix B
Proposal Requirements for RFP# 1087-2024-03
DEMD Nigeria DECA Subcontract
Technical Proposal Requirements: The technical proposal must be submitted in English and shall be submitted in the form set forth below. The technical proposal shall be submitted as a separate attachment to the same email from the cost proposal and clearly labeled. Please adhere to the page limitations:
Name
Rate
LOE/Units
Cost
I. Salaries and Wages
Personnel
Person 1
TBD
$0.00
0
$0
Person 2
TBD
$0.00
0
$0
TBD
TBD
Total Salaries and Wages
0
$0
II. Indirect Costs on Labor
Fringe (full-time employees)
$0
Overhead on Labor
$0
Total Indirect Costs on Labor
$0
III. Other Direct Costs
1. Project Management Expenses
Communications
$0.00
0
$0
TBD
$0.00
0
$0
2. TBD
Total Other Direct Costs
$0
Total Program Expenses
$0
Indirect Costs on All Costs
0
$0
Grand Total
$0
For our labor cost estimates, we have used the daily rates for personnel, as supported by actual salaries and/or prevailing labor rates.
This category includes basic support costs for the project such as XXXX. Included within this cost category are all costs necessary for the successful operation of this activity.
All indirect costs must be in accordance with the Firm’s policies
Appendix C
Proposal Evaluation Criteria for RFP# 1087-2024-03
DEMD Nigeria DECA Subcontract
Each technical proposal will be evaluated and scored against the technical evaluation criteria stated in the table below. Cost proposals are not assigned points and are evaluated for realism and reasonableness. Overall, combined technical evaluation factors other than cost are considered approximately equal to cost factors.
Resonance will review all proposals using the technical and cost evaluation criteria stated here. Award will be made to the Offeror whose proposal provides the best value to Resonance. Award could be made for a higher priced proposal if the proposal’s higher technical evaluation score merits the additional cost/price. All proposals must contain the Respon
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