McGovern-Dole Program - Request for Information

Request for Information (RFI) No. I
Date of Issuance: January 23, 2020
Response Due Date: Friday, February 7, 2020 at 17:00 EST
Respond Via Email: PPDED@fas.usda.gov

This is a Request for Information (RFI). This is not a Request for Proposals or a Request for Applications and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue any solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunity, or ultimately award a contract or assistance agreement based on this RFI, or to pay for any information voluntarily submitted as a result of this request. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) posts its competitive business opportunities on www.grants.gov. It is the potential offeror’s/applicant’s responsibility to monitor these sites for announcements of new opportunities. Please note that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization or individual in any subsequent competition. Responses may be used by USDA without restriction or limitation, therefore proprietary information should not be sent.

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Office of Global Programs requests comments from the public to inform future program decisions for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (McGovern-Dole). This RFI offers interested parties the opportunity to provide USDA information on opportunities and challenges that affect the successful implementation of school feeding programs.

SUBMISSIONS

Responses may not exceed five (5) pages per country and should focus on addressing the questions. Please do not submit applications, proposals, resumes or promotional materials. The submission shall be written in English and typed on standard 8 1/2" x 11" paper (216mm by 297mm paper), single spaced, font size 12, with each page numbered consecutively. Please do not include information of confidential nature, such as sensitive personal data or proprietary information. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Federal Government to form a binding contract or issue a grant. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for response preparation or for the use of any information contained in the response. Information obtained as a result of this notice may be used by the Federal Government for program planning on a non-attribution basis. This RFI will be open from the date of release through February 7, 2020 at 17:00 EST. Please send all responses to this RFI via email to PPDED@fas.usda.gov. You will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response but will not receive feedback.

BACKGROUND

The McGovern-Dole program helps support education, child development, and food security in low-income, food-deficit countries around the world. The McGovern-Dole key objectives are to carry out: 1) preschool and primary school food for education programs in foreign countries to improve food security, reduce the incidence of hunger, and improve literacy and primary education, particularly with respect to girls; and 2) maternal, infant, and child nutrition programs for pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and children who are five years of age or younger. The program provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities, as well as financial and technical assistance, to support school feeding, literacy, maternal and child health and nutrition projects worldwide pursuant to an agreement with USDA-FAS. The program requires the inclusion of graduation as stipulated in section 3107 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1736o-1). This was amended by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 Public Law 115-334 to include the provision of local and regional procurement, whereby not more than 10 percent of the funds will be made available to purchase agricultural commodities through local and regional procurement.

By providing school meals, teacher training, and related education and nutrition support, McGovern-Dole helps boost school enrollment, attendance, and improve reading outcomes and literacy results. McGovern-Dole also provides support to maternal and child nutrition. To increase the use of improved health, nutrition, and dietary practices, McGovern-Dole encourages the inclusion of health- and nutrition-sensitive activities such as the use of micronutrient-fortified products, take home rations, treatments for deworming, sanitation and health (WASH) projects, and school garden projects.

QUESTIONS

USDA requests information from the public to help identify current constraints and opportunities in school feeding and suggestions on how to better develop programming in the coming years. Responses to the questions should be addressed to a specific country, either from the below list or per suggestion. Submissions can include qualitative and quantitative information on existing school feeding programs or in support of the need for such programs and their link to food security, alleviating hunger, increasing literacy and improved nutrition. Please include all relevant references to the data sources. The response to this RFI is voluntary, and the public is welcome to address any or all the questions below and provide additional information that may be relevant:

  1. What are the opportunities for USDA to partner with either local governments or other entities (donors, private sector, or other) to improve existing school feeding programs?
  2. What are some of the challenges faced by local governments and how can a McGovern-Dole Program help address these challenges?

Submission can include information on the below countries and from countries NOT on the list:

  • Angola
  • Bangladesh
  • Cote d Ivoire
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Madagascar
  • Mali
  • Mozambique
  • Nepal
  • Rwanda
  • Tajikistan