Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) in Humanitarian Settings | 720FDA19RFI01

FAQs: USAID RFI - Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) in Humanitarian Settings (720FDA19RFI01)

1) What is this opportunity?

This is a USAID Request for Information (RFI) titled "Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) in Humanitarian Settings" under funding opportunity number 720FDA19RFI01. An RFI is a market research tool the government uses to gather input, ideas, and information from potential partners and stakeholders.

2) Is this a grant competition or a request for proposals?

No. Based on the information provided, this is not a solicitation for full proposals or immediate awards. It is categorized as a discretionary opportunity using an "Other" instrument type, which commonly indicates USAID is collecting information rather than running a funding competition.

3) What is USAID trying to learn by issuing this RFI?

USAID is seeking practical, field-tested approaches and lessons learned for MEAL in humanitarian contexts. The aim is typically to understand what methods, tools, and models work in crisis conditions and what capabilities exist across the market to support monitoring, evaluation, accountability to affected populations, and learning/adaptive management during emergencies.

4) What does MEAL mean in the context of this RFI?

MEAL stands for Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning. In humanitarian programming, it generally covers: tracking progress (monitoring), assessing results and effectiveness (evaluation), enabling community feedback and complaints/concerns (accountability), and using evidence to improve decisions and performance (learning).

5) Why is MEAL different or harder in humanitarian settings?

The RFI highlights that humanitarian settings can involve fast-changing operating environments, constrained access and security risks, urgent life-saving timelines, and the need to maintain data quality and ethical standards while working with vulnerable populations. These conditions can make traditional data collection and evaluation approaches difficult to implement.

6) What activity area does this RFI fall under?

The activity area is listed as Disaster Prevention and Relief, aligned with CFDA number 98.001, which is commonly associated with USAID humanitarian assistance programming.

7) Who is eligible to respond to this RFI?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted. That means a wide range of entities may respond, including NGOs, international organizations, private sector firms, universities, research institutions, and other stakeholders with relevant experience in humanitarian MEAL, community feedback mechanisms, information management, or learning and adaptive management.

8) Does unrestricted eligibility mean anyone can apply for funding?

Not necessarily. Unrestricted eligibility here indicates who can provide input to the RFI. Since this is an information-gathering notice (not a funding solicitation), responding is about sharing capabilities, ideas, and experience rather than submitting an application for an award.

9) What kind of information would USAID typically expect in an RFI response like this?

Based on the synopsis, respondents would generally be expected to describe relevant experience and propose workable MEAL approaches for humanitarian operations. This can include tools and methods that perform well in low-resource or high-risk environments, ways to collect and use data ethically during emergencies, and best practices for real-time learning, adaptive management, and accountability to affected populations.

10) Are there specific questions or a required format for responding?

The synopsis notes that "the detailed full RFI is attached." That implies the substantive instructions, specific questions, and any requested response format are contained in the attachment rather than in the short public description.

11) What is the closing date for responses?

The original closing date listed is January 11, 2019.

12) When was this opportunity posted?

The creation date is December 21, 2018, which suggests a short response window that is typical for RFIs.

13) Is there an award amount, funding ceiling, or number of awards?

No. No award ceiling or expected number of awards is provided, which is consistent with an RFI intended for information gathering rather than a grant competition announcing planned funding.

14) What does it mean that the instrument type is listed as "Other"?

"Other" instrument type generally signals this is not a standard grant or cooperative agreement competition. In the context provided, it supports the interpretation that USAID is gathering information from the market rather than soliciting full proposals for immediate awards.

15) What kinds of humanitarian situations are in scope?

The description references crisis conditions, including sudden-onset disasters and complex emergencies, where operating environments can change quickly and access/security constraints may limit conventional MEAL approaches.

16) What is USAID likely to do with the information collected?

In practical terms, an RFI like this is usually used to shape future programming, procurement strategies, or partner engagement related to humanitarian MEAL. USAID may use the input to inform how future MEAL frameworks are designed to support rapid decision-making, real-time learning, accountability, and stronger evidence generation in difficult settings.

17) Does responding to the RFI guarantee future funding or selection?

The information provided does not indicate any guarantee of funding or selection. An RFI is typically used to collect input and understand the landscape; it is not the same as a solicitation that leads directly to awards.

18) What types of capabilities are most relevant to highlight in a response?

Based on the description, relevant capabilities include humanitarian monitoring and evaluation experience, community feedback and accountability mechanisms, information management in crisis contexts, learning and adaptive management approaches, and ethical data collection practices suitable for vulnerable populations and constrained environments.