Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OAA 10 000011
Apply for RFA OAA 10 000011
- The Agency for International Development in the education employment, labor and training energy environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Vocational Training and Education for Clean Energy (VOC TEC)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001 USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 7, 2010 and posted on Sep 7, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 27, 2010. (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 $10,000,000.00 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
USAID's Vocational Training and Education for Clean Energy (VOC TEC) is a worldwide funding opportunity built around a Leader with Associate (LWA) Cooperative Agreement model. The central idea is to strengthen the ability of local institutions and practitioners to keep renewable energy projects running long after initial investments are made, with a clear emphasis on practical, workforce-oriented skills. Rather than focusing on large centralized power plants, VOC TEC targets decentralized and distributed energy solutions that are typically deployed closer to end users and often in areas where grid access is limited or unreliable.
Program activities are aimed at building local capacity across the full life cycle of small-scale and community-level energy systems, including the ability to assemble components, perform system design and engineering, install equipment, and handle ongoing operations and maintenance. The technical scope centers on distributed wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), and micro-hydropower systems, plus hybrid configurations that combine one or more of those renewable technologies with fossil-fueled generators. A key priority is enabling local stakeholders to support facility-specific or community microgrids, meaning the program is oriented toward real-world deployment and reliability, not just classroom instruction.
Structurally, the award is set up as an LWA, which generally means USAID would make a "Leader" award to a main recipient (either a single institution or a consortium) that can provide overarching technical leadership, tools, and training approaches, while additional "Associate Awards" can be added later for specific countries or contexts as needs and funding become available. This arrangement is designed to make the program adaptable and scalable across different regions while keeping a consistent technical and training framework.
Financially, USAID anticipated a total funding ceiling of up to $10,000,000 for the overall initiative, with about $3,000,000 expected to come from USAID's EGAT Energy Team for the Leader Award over an estimated five-year period (roughly FY2010 to FY2015). The remaining amount, anticipated as up to $7,000,000, would be available for Associate Awards under the LWA structure. The opportunity was issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement, indicating substantial USAID involvement in guiding or collaborating on implementation rather than a hands-off grant model.
From an eligibility and administrative standpoint, applicants were listed as unrestricted, meaning proposals were open to any type of entity as long as they met the requirements described in the full announcement. Cost sharing or matching was required, so applicants needed to contribute some portion of resources (cash or in-kind, depending on the terms) as part of their proposed program. The solicitation was posted on September 7, 2010, and closed on October 27, 2010. USAID expected to make one award. The funding opportunity number is RFA OAA 10 000011, and the CFDA number is 98.001 (USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas), with activity categories spanning education, employment/labor/training, energy, and environment.
For access issues or official questions tied to the original posting, the point of contact listed was William Sedlak, Contracts Specialist, at 202-712-4469, with a VOC TEC support email address referenced in the announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): USAID Vocational Training and Education for Clean Energy (VOC TEC)
What is USAID's VOC TEC funding opportunity?
USAID's Vocational Training and Education for Clean Energy (VOC TEC) is a worldwide funding opportunity focused on strengthening practical, workforce-oriented skills so local institutions and practitioners can keep renewable energy projects operating long after initial investments are made.
What is the main goal of the VOC TEC program?
The main goal is to build local capacity to reliably deploy, operate, and maintain decentralized and distributed clean energy systems over the long term, with an emphasis on hands-on vocational and technical training tied to real-world performance and reliability.
Is VOC TEC focused on large power plants or smaller energy systems?
VOC TEC targets decentralized and distributed energy solutions rather than large, centralized power plants. These smaller systems are typically deployed closer to end users and often in areas where grid access is limited or unreliable.
What types of renewable energy technologies are included in the technical scope?
The technical scope centers on distributed wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), and micro-hydropower systems.
Are hybrid energy systems included?
Yes. The scope includes hybrid configurations that combine one or more renewable technologies (such as wind, solar PV, and/or micro-hydro) with fossil-fueled generators.
Does the program support microgrids?
Yes. A key priority is enabling local stakeholders to support facility-specific or community microgrids, emphasizing deployment and operational reliability rather than classroom-only instruction.
What kinds of activities does VOC TEC support across the energy system life cycle?
Activities are aimed at building local capacity across the full life cycle of small-scale and community-level systems, including assembling components, system design and engineering, installation, and ongoing operations and maintenance.
What funding mechanism is being used for this opportunity?
The opportunity was issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement, which indicates substantial USAID involvement in guiding or collaborating on implementation rather than a hands-off grant model.
What does "Leader with Associate (LWA) Cooperative Agreement" mean in this program?
The LWA model generally means USAID makes a "Leader" award to a main recipient (either a single institution or a consortium) that provides overarching technical leadership, tools, and training approaches, and then can add "Associate Awards" later for specific countries or contexts as needs and funding become available.
How does the LWA structure make the program scalable?
The LWA arrangement is designed to keep a consistent technical and training framework while allowing USAID to add Associate Awards later as needs and funding become available in different regions or country contexts.
How many awards did USAID expect to make under this solicitation?
USAID expected to make one award.
What was the anticipated total funding ceiling for VOC TEC?
USAID anticipated a total funding ceiling of up to $10,000,000 for the overall initiative.
How much funding was expected for the Leader Award?
About $3,000,000 was expected to come from USAID's EGAT Energy Team for the Leader Award.
Over what period was the Leader Award expected to be funded?
The Leader Award funding was described as over an estimated five-year period (roughly FY2010 to FY2015).
How much funding was anticipated for Associate Awards?
The remaining amount, anticipated as up to $7,000,000, was expected to be available for Associate Awards under the LWA structure.
Who was eligible to apply for this opportunity?
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning proposals were open to any type of entity as long as they met the requirements described in the full announcement.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. Cost sharing or matching was required, meaning applicants needed to contribute some portion of resources as part of their proposed program (subject to the terms described in the full announcement).
When was the solicitation posted and when did it close?
The solicitation was posted on September 7, 2010, and it closed on October 27, 2010.
What is the funding opportunity number for VOC TEC?
The funding opportunity number is RFA OAA 10 000011.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 98.001, listed as USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas.
What activity categories does this opportunity fall under?
The activity categories span education, employment/labor/training, energy, and environment.
Who was the point of contact for official questions related to the original posting?
The point of contact listed was William Sedlak, Contracts Specialist, at 202-712-4469. The announcement also referenced a VOC TEC support email address.
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