Call for Independent Contractor(s)

United States Institute of Peace

Independent Contractor: Program on Violence and Extremism B/MHPSS Integration Advisor

Washington, D.C.

Release Date: August 6, 2024

RFP Due Date: 5:00 pm EST on August 20, 2024

Introduction and Background

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. For more information, please visit http://www.usip.org.

Purpose of the RFP

USIP is seeking an independent contractor to serve as a Behavioral/Mental Health and Psychosocial support (B/MHPSS) Integration Advisor within the Program on Violence and Extremism (PVE). The contractor will coordinate USIP’s B/MHPSS brownbag roundtable series, develop a set of guidelines and standards to inform USIP programming related to B/MHPSS, and provide ad hoc technical advisory support to relevant USIP program teams. This project is part of the Program on Violence and Extremism’s (PVE) efforts to address the violent ecosystems that perpetuate identity-based and community violence. The B/MHPSS Integration Advisor will have a Master’s degree in public health, psychology, psychiatry, or social work and 2-4 years of demonstrated experience in in public health and/or psychology, preferably related to global mental health and/or violent behavior & behavior change in fragile or conflict-affected settings.

Background and Scope of Work

As the B/MHPSS Integration Advisor, the Contractor will complete the following deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Coordinate the B/MHPSS brownbag series

• In coordination with the PVE team, B/MHPSS integration advisor will plan, coordinate, execute, and lead the ongoing B/MHPSS brownbag series to include the following:

• 4-5 internal USIP brownbags with USIP programs that are actively engaging in B/MHPSS programming. Contractor will schedule, set the agenda, coordinate with respective USIP programs to serve as keynotes to highlight certain aspects of existing programming, conduct the events, and provide a debrief to PVE team. Brownbags will be offered in a hybrid mode (in-person at USIP and virtual) to allow for maximum participation.
• B/MHPSS integration advisor will coordinate with external experts to participate in the USIP brownbags as subject matter experts.
• Upon conclusion of brownbag series, B/MHPSS integration advisor will provide PVE team with a write up (2-4 pages) of the series outlining the major points discussed; common themes, concerns, and areas of interest; a brief assessment of USIP’s current B/MHPSS programming challenges and opportunities, as well as alignment with global mental health good practice; implications for future USIP programming; and gaps in research/knowledge, along with recommendations.

Deliverable 2: Develop set of guidelines/standards for B/MHPSS

• B/MHPSS integration advisor will develop a set of guidelines/standards to inform the integration of B/MHPSS elements into USIP programming. The guidelines/standards document will provide the following:

• Summary section of the nature of USIP’s B/MHPSS programming, its alignment with global mental health good practice, and challenges and opportunities vis-à-vis integrating B/MHPSS elements into USIP programming.
• Set of guidelines drawn from good practices in the global mental health and other relevant areas of practice to provide considerations and guardrails to prevent unintentional harm and good practices to inform program design and implementation while integrating B/MHPSS elements into peacebuilding programs.
• Curated list of further resources and potential partners.
• Recommendations on how USIP can better integrate B/MHPSS programming.
• The final document will serve as a resource across the Institute and ensure USIPs work that integrates B/MHPSS activities adhere to global mental health standards and good practices. The document will not be made public but will be available to USIP programs but portions of the document may be adapted for online publication by USIP or externally.

Deliverable 3: B/MHPSS integration advisor will meet regularly with PVE team and other relevant USIP program teams.

• B/MHPSS integration advisor will hold ongoing meetings (4-5 times) with interested USIP program teams that incorporate B/MHPSS elements into their programming to review documents and advise on program design, inform implementation, connect with relevant practitioners and subject matter experts, and provide other forms of technical support in coordination with the program team and the PVE.
• B/MHPSS integration advisor will meet with the PVE team regularly in between brownbags to discuss progress, areas of future focus, and assistance in coordination. Meetings will be held virtually or in-person (4-5 times) and provide regular correspondence with the PVE team.

Tentative Timeline

A tentative timeline for the completion of deliverables is provided below. USIP will work with the selected proposer to finalize deliverables and deliverable due dates upon selection.

Level of Effort

This work is expected to be completed with eight (8) hours of hours per week for six (6) months.

Expected Type of Contract: Firm Fixed Price.

Submission Requirements

Any proposal that does not contain all items listed below may be considered nonresponsive. For more detail on the selection process, including corresponding evaluation criteria, please see Section V below. To be considered under this RFP, please submit the following:

Technical Requirements

To be considered, please submit a cover letter of no more than 1 pages with the following information:

• Summarize your interest in this opportunity, including your experience with global mental health in fragile or conflict-affected settings.
• Describe your previous work experience with a project of similar scope and complexity.
• Specify your approach to planning and implementing events, designing or trainings workshops, and any past project management experience.
• Specify any past work experience developing written guidelines/standards for a specific project, particularly as it relates to B/MHPSS, global public/mental health, psychology, violence prevention, behavior change, or related themes in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Please provide a CV of no more than 2 pages. CVs will not count towards technical narrative proposal page limit.

Cost Proposal

Provide a budget specifying hourly or daily rate and any other costs and a budget narrative. Budget must be in US dollars. Detailed budgets should be in spreadsheet format (e.g., Excel).

References

Provide the name and contact information for two references, preferably those that have experience supervising you or working with you on a similar project

Exceptions to Contract Terms (optional)

Any exceptions to the attached USIP Terms & Conditions must be clearly outlined in an annex to the submitted proposal. The annex will not count toward the technical proposal page limit.

1. Selection Process
2. Schedule

USIP may adjust dates in the schedule or cancel this RFP at any time prior to contract award.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria below. For more detail on each submission requirement, see Section IV of this RFP. The USIP Selection Committee will review all proposals received on time using the evaluation criteria established below based on the best value offered to USIP. The Selection Committee reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in whole or in part, to award multiple contracts, and/or to enter into negotiations with any party, in the best interests of the Institute.

General Instructions and Terms

1. Complete proposals must be submitted by email to Michael Darden at mdarden@usip.org by 5:00 pm on August 20, 2024.
2. The Institute is not liable for any costs incurred by offerors prior to issuance of an executed contract with the Institute.
3. Submissions must be typed and submitted electronically and must include all submission requirements outlined in the Submission of Requirements section of this RFP. No changes or corrections to a response will be allowed after the deadline.
4. All submissions should be in English and US dollars.
5. Any questions concerning this RFP should be directed to Michael Darden at mdarden@usip.org. Pertinent responses will be made available to all offerors by email. No inquiries will be accepted after specified time and date.
6. Any proposal not addressing all RFP requirements may be considered non-responsive. Late proposals may be rejected as non-responsive.
7. This RFP is not an offer to enter into an agreement with any party, but rather a request to receive proposals from offerors (organizations or persons) interested in providing the services outlined herein. Such proposals shall be considered and treated by USIP as offers to enter into a contract.
8. USIP shall not be obligated for the payment of any sums whatsoever to any recipient of this RFP until and unless a written contract between the parties is executed.
9. Unless stated otherwise within this RFP, the selected Contractor shall be responsible for providing all equipment and/or supplies required to perform the services.
10. The selected Contractor shall not discriminate against any person in accordance with Federal, state, or local law.
11. The submission of any materials to USIP in response to this RFP will constitute (i) a representation that the Offeror owns or has unrestricted license to use and license such materials and all intellectual property expressed therein; and (ii) the grant of a non-exclusive license to USIP to use such materials and intellectual property for any purpose, including specifically the evaluation, negotiation, and documentation of a contract with any party.
12. Offeror will commit to adhering to the attached USIP Terms & Conditions, else risk removal from consideration. Exceptions to these terms must be clearly outlined in an annex to the Technical Proposal. Please reach out to Michael Darden (mdarden@usip.org) to request a copy of USIP Terms and Conditions if they are not attached to the solicitation.

Certification Page

Complete and sign the Certification Page below and submit with the proposal. (Please submit with the proposal)