Communities- Building- Peace-Together_CBPT | USAID GUATEMALA DRAFT CBPT PD FY17

Opportunity Information: Apply for USAID GUATEMALA DRAFT CBPT PD FY17

The Communities-Building-Peace-Together (CBPT) opportunity is a USAID/Guatemala cooperative agreement concept focused on community development and peacebuilding, with an anticipated single award of up to USD 30,000,000. Rather than requesting full proposals right away, USAID Guatemala issued this as a draft Program Description (PD) and explicitly invited interested organizations to provide feedback to help shape the final solicitation. The agency opened eligibility broadly (unrestricted, subject to any additional eligibility language in the draft), signaling that a wide range of entities could potentially compete, including local and international non-profits, for-profits, universities, and others that meet USAID requirements. The draft notice was released on December 28, 2016, with feedback due by 9:00 a.m. Central Standard Time on January 11, 2017, submitted via email to Guatemalaproposals@usaid.gov.

The core purpose of this request is market research and program design refinement. USAID asked respondents to review the draft PD and submit comments, but it also required that feedback be paired with direct answers to three specific questions. Responses had to be concise and standardized in format: no more than three pages, single-spaced, using 11-point Times New Roman or Arial. This format requirement implies USAID wanted substantive but tightly organized input that could be compared across organizations without excessive length or variable formatting.

The first question seeks to gauge the competitive landscape and implementation capacity: how likely the organization is to apply as the Prime Applicant if and when the opportunity is formally competed. In practical terms, USAID is trying to estimate the level of interest, the likely number and type of prime bidders, and whether the opportunity as drafted is attractive and feasible for potential implementers. This can influence how USAID structures the final award, including the scope, partnership expectations, and risk/oversight provisions typical of cooperative agreements (where USAID generally has substantial involvement in implementation compared to a standard grant).

The second question is more technical and politically sensitive. USAID asks whether it is feasible, under the proposed project, to support the Government of Guatemala in developing and establishing regulations for community consultations under ILO Convention 169 (the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention). This signals that CBPT may intersect with conflict prevention and dispute resolution around land, extractive industries, and infrastructure projects, where consultation processes are often central. USAID is not only asking if such support is feasible, but also what implementation modality would make sense. The examples provided (direct technical assistance, sub-grants to local organizations, international NGOs, international organizations, etc.) suggest USAID is weighing options such as: providing embedded technical advisors to relevant ministries; channeling funds through local civil society organizations with legitimacy in Indigenous territories; using international organizations for neutrality and convening power; or structuring a layered approach where an international prime manages a portfolio of local subgrants alongside targeted policy and legal technical assistance.

The third question focuses on financing and access: USAID is considering a cost share requirement of at least 15% and wants feedback on whether that is realistic given the draft program design. Cost share can be cash and/or in-kind depending on the final rules, but it typically affects who can compete and how quickly activities can scale. By asking for comments at the draft stage, USAID is effectively inviting organizations to flag whether a 15% requirement could exclude local actors, distort programming choices, or slow implementation, or whether it is manageable and could strengthen buy-in and sustainability. This question also hints that USAID had not yet finalized whether cost share would be mandatory, and wanted field-informed input on the tradeoffs before locking the requirement into the final solicitation.

In short, CBPT is a high-value, single-award cooperative agreement concept from USAID Guatemala in the community development space, with a strong peacebuilding/conflict-mitigation angle and potential emphasis on improving governance mechanisms related to community consultations under ILO 169. At this stage, USAID was not collecting full applications; it was collecting structured stakeholder feedback on the draft Program Description, including intent-to-apply signals, feasibility and delivery options for supporting consultation regulations, and practicality concerns about a proposed minimum 15% cost share.

• The Agency for International Development, Guatemala USAID-Guatemala City in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Communities- Building- Peace-Together_CBPT" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 28, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 11, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $30,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for USAID GUATEMALA DRAFT CBPT PD FY17

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