Request for Information (Criminal Justice practitioners, civil society organizations, private sector, academia) | USAID MEXICO RFI 2024 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for USAID MEXICO RFI 2024 006

This opportunity is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Mexico (USAID/Mexico City). Its purpose is not to award a typical grant right away, but to gather input from knowledgeable stakeholders so USAID can better understand how Mexico's criminal justice system is functioning, where the key gaps are, and what approaches might realistically improve outcomes. The focus is especially on practical ways to increase the effectiveness of criminal prosecutions and to strengthen the local capacities of justice-sector institutions, meaning the ability of institutions and professionals on the ground to perform their roles consistently, fairly, and effectively.

The RFI is open-ended in terms of who can respond. Eligible applicants are listed as "Unrestricted," and the title explicitly invites perspectives from criminal justice practitioners, civil society organizations, the private sector, and academia. In practice, that means USAID is seeking a broad range of views from people who work inside and alongside the justice system, including prosecutors, police, public defenders, judges, forensic and investigative specialists, victim support organizations, human rights groups, universities and research centers, and private-sector actors who may support technology, compliance, training, analytics, or other services relevant to justice-sector performance.

Several details in the posting signal that this is an information-gathering step rather than a funding competition. The funding instrument type is listed as "Other," the award ceiling is shown as 0, and the expected awards field lists 1, which often reflects an administrative placeholder rather than a commitment to fund a project. RFIs are commonly used by agencies to test assumptions, identify promising interventions, understand implementation realities, map the stakeholder landscape, and refine the scope of a future solicitation. Responding to an RFI can help shape what USAID might fund later, how it defines priorities, what geographic areas it targets, what results it seeks, and what constraints it acknowledges.

The activity category is broadly labeled "Other," and the CFDA number provided is 98.001, which is associated with USAID foreign assistance. The opportunity was created on 2024-08-07 and has an original closing date of 2024-09-05. Interested parties should treat the closing date as the deadline to submit their information, questions, recommendations, or relevant evidence and experience in the format USAID requests in the RFI document.

The description also notes that a courtesy Spanish translation is attached, but the English version controls in the event of any discrepancy. That matters for anyone drafting a response based on the Spanish text: if there is any mismatch, USAID will rely on the English wording when interpreting what it asked for and how it evaluates submissions.

In practical terms, a strong RFI response usually draws on real experience, data, and concrete observations about where prosecutions stall, why cases fail, what institutional bottlenecks exist, and what capacity constraints affect performance (for example, investigative quality, evidence handling, forensic capacity, case management, coordination across police-prosecutor services, witness and victim support, pretrial processes, courtroom skills, workload management, integrity safeguards, training effectiveness, or the use of technology). Because USAID states an interest in strengthening local capacities, useful input would typically address sustainability: what local institutions can realistically adopt and maintain, what incentives or governance structures matter, what partnerships could work, and what changes are feasible within Mexico's legal and institutional context.

Key identifiers for reference are the Funding Opportunity Title "Request for Information (Criminal Justice practitioners, civil society organizations, private sector, academia)" and the Funding Opportunity Number "USAID MEXICO RFI 2024 006."

• The Mexico USAID-Mexico City in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (Criminal Justice practitioners, civil society organizations, private sector, academia)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-05. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for USAID MEXICO RFI 2024 006

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