Opportunity Information: Apply for MCC 13 RFI 0064
Apply for MCC 13 RFI 0064
- The Millennium Challenge Corporation in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information for El Salvador Investment Challenge (ESIC)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 28, 2013 and posted on Mar 28, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 26, 2013. (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 $25,000,000.00 in funding.
- 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Request for Information for the El Salvador Investment Challenge (ESIC) (Funding Opportunity Number MCC 13 RFI 0064) is not a grant solicitation and does not represent an active funding opportunity. Instead, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) issued it as a market research step to gather ideas and identify capable, experienced parties that may be interested in participating in a future public-private partnership program tied to El Salvador's prospective second Millennium Challenge Compact. MCC is explicit that this notice does not guarantee a future solicitation, does not obligate MCC or the Government of El Salvador to fund anything, and applicants should not request a solicitation document because none exists at this stage.
MCC is a U.S. government corporation focused on reducing poverty through economic growth in countries that demonstrate commitments to good governance, economic freedom, and investing in people. In late 2011 and again in late 2012, MCC's Board declared El Salvador eligible to develop a second compact. Within that context, the Government of El Salvador launched ESIC as a mechanism to support economic growth by funding public or quasi-public projects that unlock or accelerate private investment, particularly in tradeable goods and services. The underlying concept is that targeted infrastructure or service improvements, when paired with substantial private capital, can raise productivity, expand trade, and ultimately contribute to poverty reduction.
The ESIC model described in the RFI is structured as a competitive call for ideas in which private entities propose investments they want to make in El Salvador and identify the specific public or quasi-public infrastructure or services that are needed to make those investments viable or more impactful. In other words, private sector proponents are expected to bring forward a concrete investment plan and explain what public-side bottleneck (for example, infrastructure gaps, logistics constraints, shared services, or other enabling conditions) should be addressed through ESIC support so that the private investment can proceed at scale.
While ESIC does not set a strict maximum amount of financing that can be requested, the notice provides an informal reference range suggesting that awards would typically fall between about USD 100,000 and USD 6 million. Importantly, ESIC funding is intended only for public or quasi-public infrastructure or services that directly support the private investment; it is not described as a vehicle to directly subsidize a company's private assets or operations. Another core requirement is leverage: the private investment must exceed the value of the public support (stated as exceeding a 1:1 private-to-public investment ratio). Proposed concepts will also be subject to an Economic Rate of Return (ERR) analysis, signaling that MCC and the Government will screen ideas for measurable economic benefits relative to costs, consistent with MCC's broader emphasis on rigorous economic justification.
The practical purpose of the RFI is to collect Expressions of Interest (EOIs) using an attached Expression of Interest and Project Profile form and to evaluate those submissions against the Statement of Work (SOW) and the project profile requirements. MCC intends to use these submissions to assess whether there is enough quality demand and feasible project potential to justify launching one or more future funding opportunities. If MCC concludes that a viable funding opportunity exists, either MCC or the Government of El Salvador may follow up directly with selected respondents by issuing a Request for Application. The notice also makes clear that MCC and the Government reserve the right to use information submitted in response to the RFI in any legally appropriate way, and that they do not have to confirm receipt or provide feedback to respondents.
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any clarifications in the full text. There is no stated cost sharing or matching requirement in the listing itself, but the program design effectively demands significant private co-investment because the private investment must be larger than the requested public contribution. The opportunity category and instrument type are both labeled as "Other," reflecting that this is an RFI rather than a grant competition.
Key dates and submission logistics are clearly defined. Expressions of Interest were due by 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time on Friday, April 26, 2013, submitted electronically via email to esic@mcc.gov. Questions or requests for additional information were only accepted by email to the same address and had an earlier deadline of 5:00 PM EDT on April 12, 2013. Respondents were responsible for ensuring their EOI and any revisions reached MCC by the deadline. The posting date was March 28, 2013, with the archive date listed as May 26, 2013. The listing also shows an award ceiling of USD 25,000,000 and an award floor of USD 0, but those figures should be read cautiously in context because MCC repeatedly emphasizes that no solicitation or guaranteed funding exists at this RFI stage; they function more like system-level placeholders or planning references than committed award terms.
In short, this notice is best understood as an early intake process for investment-linked project concepts in El Salvador, where private investors propose bankable or near-bankable investments and request complementary public or quasi-public infrastructure or service improvements that would enable those investments to deliver measurable economic growth. The submission is an Expression of Interest rather than an application for funding, and MCC is using the responses to decide whether and how to structure a future, formal funding opportunity under the ESIC public-private partnership approach.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) Is the El Salvador Investment Challenge (ESIC) Request for Information (RFI) a grant solicitation?
No. Funding Opportunity Number MCC 13 RFI 0064 is a Request for Information (RFI) and is explicitly described as not being a grant solicitation and not representing an active funding opportunity.
2) Does this RFI guarantee that MCC will release a future funding opportunity?
No. MCC states that the notice does not guarantee a future solicitation. The RFI is a market research step to gather ideas and gauge whether there is enough quality demand and feasible project potential to justify launching one or more future funding opportunities.
3) Does submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) obligate MCC or the Government of El Salvador to fund a project?
No. MCC is explicit that the RFI does not obligate MCC or the Government of El Salvador to fund anything.
4) Should applicants request a solicitation document or application package?
No. MCC indicates applicants should not request a solicitation document because none exists at this stage.
5) What is the purpose of the ESIC RFI?
The purpose is to collect Expressions of Interest (EOIs) and project concept information so MCC can identify capable and experienced parties and assess whether there is sufficient, feasible demand to justify a future public-private partnership program tied to El Salvador's prospective second Millennium Challenge Compact.
6) Who issued this RFI?
The RFI was issued by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government corporation focused on reducing poverty through economic growth in countries committed to good governance, economic freedom, and investing in people.
7) How does ESIC fit into El Salvador's relationship with MCC?
MCC's Board declared El Salvador eligible to develop a second compact in late 2011 and again in late 2012. ESIC is presented as a mechanism within that broader compact-development context to support economic growth by funding public or quasi-public projects that unlock or accelerate private investment.
8) What kinds of ideas is ESIC designed to collect?
ESIC is described as a competitive call for ideas where private entities propose investments they want to make in El Salvador and identify the public or quasi-public infrastructure or services needed to make those investments viable or more impactful.
9) What is the basic ESIC model described in the RFI?
Private sector proponents are expected to present a concrete investment plan and explain what public-side bottleneck (such as infrastructure gaps, logistics constraints, shared services, or other enabling conditions) should be addressed through ESIC support so the private investment can proceed or scale.
10) Does ESIC fund private company assets or operations directly?
Based on the description provided, ESIC funding is intended only for public or quasi-public infrastructure or services that directly support the private investment. It is not described as a vehicle to directly subsidize a company's private assets or operations.
11) Is there a required leverage or co-investment component?
Yes in practice. A core requirement described is leverage: the private investment must exceed the value of the public support, stated as exceeding a 1:1 private-to-public investment ratio.
12) Is there a stated cost sharing or matching requirement?
The listing states there is no stated cost sharing or matching requirement in the listing itself. However, the program design effectively requires significant private co-investment because the private investment must be larger than the requested public contribution.
13) Is there a maximum ESIC financing amount that can be requested?
No strict maximum is set in the description provided. The notice gives an informal reference range suggesting awards would typically fall between about USD 100,000 and USD 6 million.
14) What do the award ceiling and award floor shown in the listing mean?
The listing shows an award ceiling of USD 25,000,000 and an award floor of USD 0. The description cautions these figures should be read carefully in context because MCC emphasizes that no solicitation or guaranteed funding exists at this RFI stage and those figures may function as placeholders or planning references rather than committed award terms.
15) What evaluation or screening criteria are mentioned for proposed concepts?
The description notes that proposed concepts will be subject to an Economic Rate of Return (ERR) analysis, indicating MCC and the Government will screen for measurable economic benefits relative to costs.
16) What is an Expression of Interest (EOI) in this context?
An EOI is the required submission in response to the RFI. It is not a funding application. MCC intends to use EOIs to assess market interest and the feasibility/quality of potential project concepts.
17) What form or template was required to submit an EOI?
EOIs were to be submitted using the attached Expression of Interest and Project Profile form referenced in the notice.
18) How would MCC use submitted EOIs?
MCC intended to evaluate submissions against the Statement of Work (SOW) and the project profile requirements, and use the results to determine whether to launch one or more future funding opportunities.
19) Can MCC or the Government of El Salvador follow up after reviewing EOIs?
Yes. If MCC concludes a viable funding opportunity exists, either MCC or the Government of El Salvador may follow up directly with selected respondents by issuing a Request for Application.
20) Is MCC required to confirm receipt of an EOI or provide feedback?
No. The notice indicates MCC and the Government do not have to confirm receipt or provide feedback to respondents.
21) Can MCC or the Government use information submitted in response to the RFI?
Yes. The notice states MCC and the Government reserve the right to use information submitted in response to the RFI in any legally appropriate way.
22) Who was eligible to respond to the RFI?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any clarifications in the full text.
23) What was the deadline to submit questions about the RFI?
Questions or requests for additional information were only accepted by email and were due by 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Friday, April 12, 2013.
24) What was the deadline to submit an EOI?
Expressions of Interest were due by 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Friday, April 26, 2013.
25) How were EOIs submitted?
EOIs were submitted electronically via email to esic@mcc.gov.
26) Where were questions sent?
Questions or requests for additional information were sent by email to esic@mcc.gov.
27) Who was responsible for ensuring the submission arrived by the deadline?
Respondents were responsible for ensuring their EOI and any revisions reached MCC by the deadline.
28) What were the posting and archive dates for this notice?
The posting date was March 28, 2013, and the archive date was May 26, 2013.
29) What is the opportunity category and instrument type listed for this notice?
Both the opportunity category and the instrument type are labeled as "Other," reflecting that this is an RFI rather than a grant competition.
30) What is ESIC ultimately trying to achieve according to the notice description?
ESIC is positioned as a way to support economic growth in El Salvador by funding public or quasi-public projects that unlock or accelerate private investment, particularly in tradeable goods and services, with the aim of raising productivity, expanding trade, and contributing to poverty reduction.
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