USAID/SA partners
Regional Partners (dated June 2008)

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Customer Service Principles USAID approaches its customers and partners through a variety of assistance mechanisms--grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. USAID, along with its partners provides:

• training,
• technical services,
• information,
• networking assistance,
• financial assistance, and,
• results packages management services.

Our Commitment to our Customers and Partners

• Exercise greater cultural sensitivity.
• Practice mutual respect.
• Improve quality in USAID procedures.

• Involve customers and partners in planning and implementing USAID's development work.
• Involve our customers and partners in determining if services are being delivered in a satisfactory manner.
• Assure that USAID's programs provide high quality, technical services tailored to our customers needs.
• Reduce time needed for response by USAID

• Improve the turnaround time for effective and efficient service to our customers.
• Endeavor to disburse funds to allow for timely implementation of activities.
• Make information to USAID/South Africa procedures accessible and transparent

• Distribute customer information guides to activities, processes, and procedures.
• Schedule more site visits.
• Convene at least one annual meeting with customers and partners to share information and facilitate an open dialogue regarding USAID programs.

Solicitation Process: As a rule, USAID does not receive and review unsolicited proposals for assistance. Rather, USAID emphasizes full and open competition in awarding grants to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and contracts with profit-making firms and NGOs. There are two processes utilized to request proposals to meet identified needs:

· Program Statements are published on USAID's Homepage (http://www.usaid.gov). These solicitations are general statements of intent to award a grant in a specific sector. Solicitation processes are identified within the statement.

· Specific request for proposals for grants or contracts. These solicitations are published in the local press and are available on the USAID homepage.

While most program statements and solicitations will stipulate format and content, the following will serve as a general guide to facilitate the preparation and review of proposals.

Proposal Format:

Executive Summary

1. Overview of Proposal
2. Background (including a statement of the organization's long-term goal or strategic vision)
3. Proposed Program (including the measures and target by which your organization will monitor and evaluate your program performance)
4. Sustainability and Phase Out Plan
5. Illustrative Budget (including counterpart contribution)

General Selection Criteria: Proposals will be reviewed utilizing criteria published in the original solicitation or program statement. In general, the following criteria will apply:

• Strategic Fit: The likelihood that the programs for which funding is sought will make a significant contribution towards achieving the strategic objective and intermediate results identified.
  
• Organizational Effectiveness: The demonstrated effectiveness of an organization, in terms of internal structure and technical capacity, in meeting its educational goals. In addition, the organization must demonstrate adequate financial management capability, to be measured by a pre-award financial review.
  
• Experience: Experience of the organization and/or proposed personnel in South Africa or the developing world, with emphasis placed on specific experience in the sector being supported by USAID through the proposed contract or grant
  
• Technical Approach: Workability of the proposed technical approach, i.e., can the proposed technical approach reasonably be expected to produce the intended outcomes.
  
• Disadvantaged Communities: The extent to which the organization supports disadvantaged communities in South Africa, including women, rural areas, informal settlements, people with disabilities, the unemployed, and the poverty-stricken.
  
• Sustainability: The likelihood that the program being supported will continue beyond USAID funding.
  
• Cost Effectiveness: The cost effectiveness of the organizations approach and its ability to effect a wide base of beneficiaries.
  
• Counterpart Contribution: The ability of the NGO or PVO to contribute a minimum of 25% of the total amount of the grant towards the activities of the grant agreement.

Solicitation Process:

Solicitation Announcement/Advertisements
Submission of Proposals (minimum of 30 days after announcement)
Evaluation of Proposals
Award of Grant/Contract (not less than two months after announcement)