USAID/Uzbekistan intends to contract services to conduct a local governance assessment
Background
In Uzbekistan there are no elections for local or regional leadership. Governors (khokims) and makhalla leaders are appointed by the central government, with most authority remaining in Tashkent. The local and regional levels have been difficult targets for the government’s reform program, as the local governments often lack the resources, personnel, or buy-in to effectively implement the president’s mandates.
Subnational governments have little autonomy over revenue collection. Major local taxes have their rate and tax base established and reviewed by the Cabinet of Ministers or in the annual budget resolution. by the tax code) are subject to annual review by the Cabinet of Ministers. Governments are now allowed to keep locally collected revenues (own revenue) that exceeds planned revenues. Nonetheless, limited revenue autonomy, combined with the gap filling features of the transfer system design, reduces the incentives for increasing own revenues.
Purpose
The purpose of the Local Governance Assessment is to look at the framework for local governance in Uzbekistan and identify the necessary changes that would lead to a more effective and decentralized system that delivers for the people of Uzbekistan (e.g., effective service delivery, more capital coming in).
The contractor is required to examine the political, fiscal and administrative aspects of devolution and deconcentration and identify if the environment in Uzbekistan is conducive to local governance programming, and if yes provide recommendations for potential entry points for USAID programming.
The assessment will lay the groundwork for potential future USAID programming that looks to improve devolution/deconcentration as a way to enhance stability by improving services.
Performing the Local Governance Assessment
In performing the Local Governance assessment, the consultant must collect data from a wide range of sources e.g., Uzbekistan local governance laws and regulations, other donors’ local governance initiatives, local governance country reports, best practices, stakeholders’ interviews, and focus groups. The consultant is required use the USAID “Democratic Decentralization Programming Handbook”1 for assessing the local governance and should look at four areas: authority, autonomy, capacity and accountability.
The consultant should plan for either in-country, virtual meetings or a combination of both, depending on the COVID situation at the time of the assessment. The consultant should budget to hire a local expert who could assist with the assessment from Uzbekistan. The consultant must adequately plan for appropriate translation needs as needed and be flexible to conduct interviews during working hours in Uzbekistan
Submissions must be submitted electronically to AlmatyEXOSolicitation@usaid.gov with the subject line: “USAID Uzbekistan – Local Governance Assessment - RFQ.” Submissions received after the submission date and time may be deemed unacceptable and may not be reviewed or evaluated. The submitted information must not exceed 7 pages including, annexes/attachments (excluding the FAR representation and disclosure 52.204-24). Submissions will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt.
Deadline: March 19, 2021
Note: Institutions and individuals alike can apply for this tendering opportunity.
