Somalia Program Support Services FY 2018 Q4 and Annual Progress Report

Agency for International Development (USAID)/Kenya and East Africa/Somalia Office (USAID/Somalia) during the fourth quarter of the 2018 fiscal year (FY). SPSS achieved the following results from five active Task Orders (TO), including the Core Services support TO. The Core Services Task Order (AID-623-TO-14-00008) involved the submission of the SPSS Quarter 3 Progress Report on July 31, 2018, which was approved on August 27, 2018. Additionally, a technical and cost proposal was prepared to implement the proposed Scope of Work (SOW) for the Monitoring, Verification, and Reporting (MV&R) Year 5 TO. A technical and cost proposal was also prepared to conduct a Data Quality Assessment (DQA) covering five implementing partners (IPs) and sixteen indicators. The revised Growth, Enterprise, Employment, and Livelihood (GEEL) activity Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP) was reviewed, and the Performance Management Plan (PMP) update was finalized, although completion was delayed due to missing indicator information. The Transition Initiatives for Stabilization Plus (TIS+) Baseline & End-Line Assessment (AID-623-TO-16-00015) involved an out-brief with USAID, which was conducted on July 24, 2018, and approved on July 25, 2018. The out-brief was completed 30 days in advance of the due date. The Monitoring, Verification, and Reporting (MV&R) -YR 4 (AID-623-TO-17-00008) Task Order involved the submission of a Synthesis Analysis Report (SAR) of all SPSS MV&R findings for all closing activities on July 31, 2018, which was re-submitted on August 29, 2018, and September 11, 2018, and approved on October 12, 2018. MV&R Reports, including a summary table of all flags, Action and Learning Points from that Round, and a MV&R site universe tracker as an annex, were provided to USAID for Round 3 (Q3 FY 2018) and submitted on June 29, 2018, and approved on August 27, 2018. MV&R Reports for Somali regional governments were also provided to USAID/SFO for Round 3 (Q3 FY2018) and submitted on July 06, 2018, and approved on August 27, 2018. The overall security risk remained high in most areas of Somalia during Quarter 4 of the FY2018 implementation period, with some regions recording critical threats. The regions of Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, and Xxxxxx were among the most affected, with a steady increase of both medium and low-scale armed clashes, crime, and terrorism-related incidents between July and September. Targeted assassinations were also experienced in the capital Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxx, and xxxx Xxxxx region, with at least seven assassination cases targeting government officials, security personnel, civil servants, businessmen, and religious leaders reported among others. Somaliland remained relatively stable, with only incidents of high tensions and inter-clan clashes witnessed in Xxxx region due to the unresolved border dispute with Xxxxxxx.