5 minutes with Dr Dan - Unlocking Opportunities: Maximizing Benefits from the Updated USAID Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Strategy for Local Organi

So, what happened of importance in the last few days in the Development Space?

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched an updated Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Strategy on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, to guide the Agency's overall approach for engaging with implementing partner organisations. This is an important milestone that flows on from The USAID Local Capacity Strengthening Policy I talked about last week and I want to take that conversation further since they are linked. ?The new A&A strategy aims to increase USAID's engagement with local organisations and reduce bureaucratic burdens for staff and partners, enabling sustainable, inclusive, and locally led development results through acquisition and assistance. Three key objectives will be achieved: enabling and empowering the A&A workforce, streamlining and integrating A&A throughout the Agency's development approach, and engaging a more diverse set of partners to implement locally led development solutions. An implementation plan with actionable steps has also been developed to support each objective of the A&A Strategy. This strategy can inform the planning for Sub-Saharan Governments, NGOs, and private sector players to the benefit of local communities and organisations.

What is the opportunity for Local GNGOPVTs in Africa?

While the strategy has been finalised and set, the USAID has invited all stakeholders to get involved in the implementation plan for the A&A strategy. USAID welcomes continued feedback on?the A&A Strategy implementation plan which will be updated on a rolling basis. ?The USAID website provides the following contact address for stakeholders to send their feedback:[email protected].

So how are we using our 5 minutes this week?

In our discussion this week, I would like to focus on various approaches that can be employed to honour this invitation for participation. By enhancing one's own strategic planning, implementation, and monitoring of activities, it is possible to derive maximum benefits from the new A&A Strategy and Implementation Plan.

The Strategy has been condensed from 7 Pillars (objectives) in the 2018 document to only 3 objectives now. USAID's Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) strategy has been updated to address the evolving needs and challenges of the agency's work in international development. The strategy aims to expand partnerships, particularly with diverse and small businesses, private sector actors, faith-based and community groups, and organisations based in the countries in which USAID works. The agency is reducing bureaucratic burdens to make it easier for these prospective partners to engage with USAID. For instance, the strategy outlines steps like allowing prospective partners to submit brief concept notes instead of full submissions and translating final applications from local languages into English. By cutting down on red tape, USAID hopes to better support existing partners and increase the impact of its programs beyond their lifetimes.

The Strategy and Implementation documents are long. What should my organisation take home to chew on?

We are going to only concentrate on Objective 3 because the first 2, in my opinion, are internally facing. ?Where-as Objective 3 has a myriad of opportunities that exist for public, private and NGO sectors.

Objective 3 of the USAID A&A Implementation Plan aims to engage a diverse set of partners for locally led development solutions. It consists of three sub-objectives:

3.1 Flexible and adaptable approaches mainstreamed to collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders when designing and implementing new activities.

• Expand the WorkwithUSAID platform with features like a live feed of funding opportunities, a forum for subaward opportunities, a partnership pathway tool, automation of the unsolicited proposal/application process, and a Private Sector Engagement (PSE) digital front door.
• Update Non-U.S. Organization Pre-Award Survey (NUPAS), simplifying the renewal award process, and reducing pre-award risk assessment requirements for Simplified Grants.
• Reduce burden on partners by adapting training and coordinating with USAID operating units for co-designing implementing mechanisms.
• Develop staff PSE knowledge by identifying and training A&A staff in PSE competencies and setting up a PSE Consultation Desk.
• Clarify communication types by developing new guidance that updates the USAID Procurement Executive’s Bulletin 16-03 which is the document that provides guidance and updates on procurement policies and procedures for USAID contracts and grants.

3.2 Localization goals advanced through reduced barriers and A&A best practices.

• Strengthen the Agency’s capacity for "pay-for-results" awards by educating staff on their appropriate use and creating flexible awards with suitable milestones.
• Provide tools to operationalize the 50% local voices metric, such as Localization Playbook, RFIs, Industry Days, and guidance on involving local actors.
• Expand exceptions for SAM.gov registration and explore additional operational, regulatory, or statutory changes for obtaining UEIs and SAM registration.
• Improve local partners' ability to recover full costs by expanding existing and introducing new indirect cost recovery options.
• Address English language barriers by translating assistance solicitations, providing translated versions of provisions, and translating WorkwithUSAID resources.
• Improve subaward and subcontract tracking and increase prime partner commitments to prospective subrecipients and subcontractors.
• Communicate accurate procurement timelines for engaging local organisations by developing new procurement action lead time (PALT) metrics.

3.3 U.S. small businesses and underserved U.S. partner communities engaged more equitably.

• Develop and promote an outreach toolbox for marketing to small businesses, including templates for Industry Day, RFIs, and other business opportunity announcements.
• Create job aids that collate expedited procedures for awarding contracts to small businesses under various socioeconomic programs/categories.
• Clarify when and where subcontracting plans are required and highlight opportunities for contracting U.S. small businesses overseas.
• Remind Contracting Officers (CO) and Contracting Officer Representatives (COR) staff of the importance of accurately evaluating contractors' good faith efforts related to subcontracting with small businesses.

My team and I spent 5 minutes each on this. Any thoughts or advice from you Dr Dan?

Local organisations, including governments, NGOs, and private sector companies, can strengthen their strategy, planning, implementation, and monitoring of activities to get the most out of the new USAID A&A Implementation Plan by taking the following steps:

1. Familiarize with the WorkwithUSAID platform: Keep up-to-date with funding opportunities, subaward and subcontract opportunities, partnership pathway tools, and PSE resources. Regularly check the platform for new developments and features.
2. Understand the new A&A guidelines and requirements: Stay informed about the revisions to ADS 303, NUPAS, pre-award risk assessment requirements, and other USAID procurement policies.
3. Engage in co-design and collaboration: Participate in Industry Days, RFIs, and other co-design opportunities with USAID to better align local strategies and activities with USAID's objectives.
4. Improve internal capacity: Invest in organizational capacity strengthening, focusing on financial management, administrative, and monitoring and evaluation (MEL) capabilities to better meet USAID requirements and expectations.
5. Optimize cost recovery: Familiarize yourselves with the new indirect cost recovery options and adjust financial management practices to maximize cost recovery when implementing USAID-funded activities.
6. Leverage localization resources: Utilize the Localization Playbook, guidance on involving local actors, and other resources provided by USAID to strengthen the organization's ability to engage with USAID on a local level.
7. Address language barriers if your primary language is not English: If necessary, utilize the translated assistance solicitations, provisions, and WorkwithUSAID resources to improve comprehension and communication with USAID once the site has been updated.
8. Strengthen subaward and subcontract management: Enhance internal systems for managing subawards and subcontracts, track prime partner commitments, and comply with the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) requirements.
9. Align with USAID's procurement timelines: Understand and plan for the revised PALT metrics for engaging with local organisations and adjust internal processes to align with USAID's procurement timelines.
10. Monitor and evaluate performance: Establish robust MEL frameworks to assess the impact and effectiveness of USAID-funded activities and demonstrate the value of your organization's contributions to USAID's objectives.
11. Familiarize yourselves with "pay-for-results" awards: Build internal capacity and understanding of "pay-for-results" awards, such as firm fixed-price contracts or fixed amount awards, to better align with USAID's approach and be prepared to participate in such funding opportunities.
12. Develop flexible awards with appropriate milestones: Enhance project design and management processes to create flexible awards that include suitable milestones for "pay-for-results" awards, improving your organisations ability to adapt to USAID's funding mechanisms.
13. Leverage the WorkwithUSAID platform features: Maximize the use of the platform's features, such as the live feed of funding opportunities, the forum for subaward opportunities, the partnership pathway tool, automation of the unsolicited proposal/application process, and the PSE digital front door. Regularly engage with these features to stay informed about new opportunities and resources.

Local organisations can enhance their collaboration with USAID in the implementation of locally led development solutions and benefit from the USAID A&A Implementation Plan by incorporating these additional steps. This will further strengthen their strategy, planning, implementation, and monitoring of activities

Great Dr Dan! What’s next?Top of Form

Maybe you want to talk to me about how you can implement all of this. Connect with me here on LinkedIn for more updates on this or any other opportunities/ideas in the field of healthcare and development. You can also send me an email on [email protected]. In my next "5 Minutes with Dr. Dan," I will discuss how private sector players can tap into multi-billion-dollar opportunities in the development sector, particularly in healthcare, to make a positive impact on the world's well-being.

Reference:

USAID. (2023, March). Agency-wide Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Strategy Implementation Plan. Retrieved from https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/AA-Strategy-Implementation-Plan-3-2023-draft.pdf