Below is a glossary of terms used in this sourcebook. The glossary is an excerpt of the Automated Directives System (ADS) glossary. The ADS is a two-tier standardized system that separates policy from essential procedures. This system also includes a supplementary reference section, consisting of "how to" guides, forms, and other publications from other agencies that affect the Agency.

ACQUISITION: Means the acquiring by contract with appropriated funds of supplies or services (including construction) by and for the use of the Federal Government through purchase or lease, whether the supplies or services are already in existence or must be created, developed, demonstrated, and evaluated. Acquisition begins at the point when agency needs are established and includes the description of requirements to satisfy agency needs, solicitation and selection of sources, award of contracts, contract financing, contract performance, contract administration, and those technical and management functions directly related to the process of fulfilling agency needs by contract. (Chapter 331)

ACTIVITY: A set of actions through which inputs, such as commodities, technical assistance, and training, are mobilized to produce specific outputs, such as vaccinations given, schools built, or micro-enterprise loans issued. Activities are undertaken to achieve Strategic or Special Objectives that have been formally approved and notified to Congress. (Chapters 200-203)

ACTIVITY MANAGER: Member of a Strategic Objective (SO) Team or sub-team who is responsible for the day-to-day management of one or more specific activities. The Activity Manager is selected by the SO Team, and may or may not also have the delegated authorities of a Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO), whose authority to carry out contract or assistance instrument management functions are designated by a Contracting or Agreement Officer. (See "Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO)") (Chapters 200-203)

ADVISORY COMMITTEE: A committee, board, commission, council, conference, panel, task force, or other similar group, or any subcommittee or subgroup thereof, which is formed or utilized by USAID to obtain advice or recommendations and is NOT composed entirely of full-time employees of the Federal Government. (Chapter 105)

AGENCY: United States Agency for International Development, its offices, bureaus, divisions, and posts abroad. (Chapter 485, 508)

AGENCY ACRONYM: The Agency's acronym, USAID, refers to both the Washington office and field missions. The field missions use USAID/(name of Mission) and Washington uses USAID/W. (Chapter 503)

AGENCY GOAL: A long-term development result in a specific area to which USAID programs contribute. An Agency goal has been identified as a specific goal in the Agency Strategic Plan (ASP) (Chapters 200-203)

AGENCY MISSION: The ultimate purpose of Agency programs; it is the unique contribution of USAID to U.S. national interests. There is one Agency mission, and it is described in the Agency Strategic Plan (ASP). (Chapters 200-203)

AGENCY OBJECTIVE: A development result that contributes to the achievement of an Agency goal as defined in the Agency Strategic Plan (ASP). Agency Objectives generally denote preferred approaches or areas of emphasis for programs that support specific goals. They should not be confused with Strategic or Special Objectives. Agency Objectives provide a general framework for more detailed planning that occurs for specific country and regional programs. (Chapters 200-203)

AGENCY ORGANIZATIONS: In USAID/Washington (USAID/W) this includes bureaus and independent offices. Overseas this includes USAID missions, USAID Offices, USAID Sections of Embassy, Offices for Multi-country Programs, Offices for Multi-country Services, etc. (See also Major Functional Series 100). (Chapters 541, 542, 543)

AGENCY PROGRAM APPROACH: A tactic commonly used to achieve a particular Agency Objective. These are identified in the Agency Strategic Plan (ASP). (Chapters 200-203)

AGENCY STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK: A graphical or narrative representation of the Agency's strategic plan; the framework is a tool for communicating USAID's development strategy. The framework also establishes an organizing basis for measuring, analyzing, and reporting results of Agency programs. (Chapters 200-203)

AGENCY STRATEGIC PLAN (ASP): The overall Agency plan for providing development and humanitarian assistance; the strategic plan articulates the Agency mission, goals, objectives, and program approaches. The Agency Strategic Plan is coordinated with and reflects U.S. Government foreign policy priorities, as described in the International Affairs Strategic Plan (IASP). (Chapters 200- 203)

AGREEMENT OFFICER (See CONTRACTING OFFICER): A person with the authority to enter into, administer, terminate and/or closeout assistance agreements, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of USAID. An Agreement Officer can only act within the scope of a duly authorized warrant or other valid delegation of authority. The term "Agreement Officer" includes persons warranted as "Grant Officers." It also includes certain authorized representatives of the Agreement Officer acting within the limits of their authority as delegated by the Agreement Officer. (Chapters 303, 304)

ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT: Is comprised of (a) an Overview of the Reporting Entity, (b) Principal Financial Statements, (c) Combining Statements, where applicable, and (d) Supplemental Financial and Management Information. (Chapter 594)

ASSISTANCE MECHANISM: A specific mode of assistance chosen to address an intended development result; a particular intervention chosen to solve a particular development problem or set of development problems. Examples of mechanisms include: food aid, housing guaranties or other loan guarantees or direct loans, debt-for-nature swaps, endowments, cash transfers, etc. (Chapters 250)

AUTOMATED DIRECTIVES SYSTEM (ADS): The ADS is a standardized system comprising (1) USAID internal mandatory guidance, including policy directives and required procedures; (2) external mandatory guidance applicable to USAID; and (3) non-mandatory guidance to help employees interpret and properly apply internal and external mandatory guidance. (Chapter 501)

AWARD: Financial assistance that provides support or stimulation to accomplish a public purpose. Awards include grants and cooperative agreements. (Chapter 303)

BASELINE: (See PERFORMANCE BASELINE) (Chapters 200-203)

BILATERAL GRANT AGREEMENT OR BILATERIAL GRANT: A grant by USAID to a foreign government or a subdivision thereof, e.g. Ministry of Health, or a local or state government or agency, to finance activities in furtherance of a strategic objective or for other purposes. Bilateral grants range from grants financing specific objectives and limited scope grant agreements to SOAGs, commodity import program (CIP) grants and cash transfer grants. (Chapter 350)

CD-DIS: USAID's Development Information System on CD-ROM (quarterly publication) containing the complete USAID Document and Project Databases, and full text of selected USAID reports and publications. The databases identify projects initiated since 1975 and associated project and technical reports. CD-DIS is available from the Development Information Services Clearinghouse. (Chapter 540)

CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR): The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. (Chapter 509)

CONGRESSIONAL REPORTING: Any reporting required under the Foreign Assistance Act, the Foreign Assistance and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, or any reporting requested by a Congressional Committee, Senator, or Congressman. (Chapter 506)

CONTRACT (PROCUREMENT): A mutually binding legal instrument where the principal purpose is the acquisition, by purchase, lease, or barter, of property or services for the direct benefit or use of the Federal Government, or in the case of a host country contract, the host government agency that is a principal, signatory party to the instrument. (Chapter 304, 305) A mutually binding legal relationship obligating the seller to furnish the supplies or services (including construction) and the buyer to pay for them. It includes all types of commitments that obligate the Government to an expenditure of appropriated funds and that, except as otherwise authorized, are in writing. In addition to bilateral instruments, contracts include (but are not limited to) awards and notices of awards; job orders or task letters issued under basic ordering agreements; letter contracts; orders, such as purchase orders, under which the contract becomes effective by written acceptance or performance; and bilateral contract modifications. Contracts do not include grants and cooperative agreements covered by 31 U.S.C. 6301, et seq. For discussion of various types of contracts, see Part 16. (Chapter 331)

CONTRACT INFORMATION BULLETINS (CIBs): Issued by the Director, Office of Procurement (M/OP) to provide information of interest to contracting personnel, such as advance notification or interim implementation of changes in acquisition or assistance regulations, reminders, procedures, and general information. (Chapter 302)

CONTRACTING OFFICE: Means a person with the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate procurement contracts and make related determinations and findings. The term includes certain authorized representatives of the Contracting Officer acting within the limits of their authority as delegated by the Contracting Officer. "Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO)'' refers to a contracting officer who is administering contracts. "Termination Contracting Officer (TCO)" refers to a Contracting Officer who is settling terminated contracts. A single contracting officer may be responsible for duties in any or all of these areas. Reference in this regulation to administrative contracting officer or termination contracting officer does not (a) require that a duty be performed at a particular office or activity or (b) restrict in any way a contracting officer in the performance of any duty properly assigned. (Chapter 331)

CONTRACTING OFFICER: (See also, AGREEMENT OFFICER) A person representing the U.S. Government through the exercise of his/her delegated authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. This authority is delegated by one of two methods: to the individual by means of a "Certificate of Appointment", SF 1402, as prescribed in FAR 1.603-3, including any limitations on the scope of authority to be exercised, or to the head of each contracting activity (as defined in AIDAR 702.170), as specified in AIDAR 701.601. (Chapters 302, 331, 535)

CONTRACTOR: A non-government organization or individual acting as an agent of USAID and carrying out a scope of work specified by USAID. (Chapter 102) The seller of the goods and/or services. It includes both organizations and individuals.

a. Contractor Employee: An individual employed by a contractor who will be directly involved in the performance of the contract.

b. Subcontractor: Any person who furnishes services to, or for, a prime contractor.

c. Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO): The designated USAID official responsible for monitoring the performance of the contractor and exercising technical cognizance over the USAID contract, previously referred to as the Project Officer. The CTO is normally responsible for writing the contract's Statement of Work. A for-profit or non-profit organization that has a contract with USAID. (Chapter 636)

COOPERATING COUNTRY: (See also HOST COUNTRY and LOCAL COUNTRY) The country receiving the USAID assistance.(Chapters 305, 322, 495) Cooperating Country means the same as "host country." (Chapter 495)

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT: A legal instrument used where the principal purpose is the transfer of money, property, services or anything of value to the recipient in order to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by Federal statute and where substantial involvement by USAID is anticipated. (Chapter 304)

CORE TEAM: Term no longer used. (See "STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE (SO) Team")

COST-SHARING: Any instance where USAID or its contractor identifies and arranges financial or in-kind support from counterpart organizations or independent non-governmental organizations to the benefit of a participant or training program. Cost-sharing can be with the training provider, training contractor, host-country institution, or any other stakeholder. Typical cost-sharing includes tuition remissions, assistantships, training-fee discounts, home-stays, in-kind contributions, international transportation costs, participant salary, and payment of any direct participant cost by the non-USAID funding source. Cost-sharing mobilizes additional financial resources for training, and increases the coverage and effectiveness of USAID's limited budget resources. (Chapter 303)

CRITICAL ASSUMPTION: A general condition under which the development hypothesis or strategy for achieving the objective will hold true. Critical assumptions are outside the control or influence of USAID and its partners (i.e., they are not results), but they reflect conditions likely to affect the achievement of results in the Results Framework, such as the level of world prices or the openness of export markets. (Chapters 200-203)

CUSTOMER: The person or group who is receiving a service, or who is considered the recipient or beneficiary of a given result or output. There are several different types of USAID customers:

• ULTIMATE CUSTOMERS: Those host country individuals, especially the socially- and economically-disadvantaged, who are beneficiaries of USAID assistance and whose participation is essential to achieving sustainable development results.
• INTERMEDIATE CUSTOMERS:: Those organizations, including host country governments that receive USAID services to implement programs that are designed to benefit the ultimate customer. This includes private voluntary organizations (PVOs), contractors, and host country entities.
• INTERNAL/PROCESS CUSTOMER: Bureaus, Offices, and individuals within USAID that benefit from and participate in the activities undertaken by other Bureaus, Offices, and individuals within the Agency.
• WASHINGTON CUSTOMERS: U.S. Government entities, or individuals representing such an entity, at whose behest USAID carries out its programs and who have a stake in the program results that USAID produces. Examples include Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Department of State. Congress represents U.S. taxpayers. (Chapters 200-203)

CUSTOMER SERVICE PLAN: A planning document previously required for every individual Operating Unit. The plan is no longer required. This term is no longer used. (Chapter 200-203)

DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE: The cumulative knowledge derived from implementing and evaluating development assistance programs. Development experience is broader in scope than "lessons learned", and includes research findings, applications of technologies and development methods, program strategies and assistance mechanisms, etc. Chapter 540)

DEVELOPMENT HYPOTHESIS: A narrative description of the specific causal linkages in a given Strategic Objective (SO) between Intermediate Results (IRs) and an SO that are expected to lead to the achievement of the SO. The hypothesis is based on sound development theory, knowledge, and experience within the context of a specific SO. Generally, the term refers to plausible linkages, and not statistically accurate relationships. (Chapters 200-203)

DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION: The corpus of published literature, unpublished "gray literature", statistical data, current awareness information, knowledge bases, etc. which document, describe, measure, and communicate the methods, technologies, status, performance, results and experience of development practices and activities by the international development community and local, indigenous development practitioners. (Chapter 540)

DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE CLEARINGHOUSE: The Bureau for Policy and Program Coordination, Center for Development Information and Evaluation, Development Experience Information Division (PPC/CDIE/DI) office which acquires, processes, and disseminates, on demand, intellectual materials which describe the planning, design, implementation, evaluation, and results of USAID development assistance activities. (Chapter 540)

DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE SYSTEM: A collection of databases providing access to USAID produced or funded development experience documents and descriptions of USAID development assistance activities. (Chapter 540)

ENVIRONMENT: The term environment, as used in these procedures with respect to effects occurring outside the United States, means the natural and physical environment. With respect to effects occurring within the United States see 22 CFR 216.7(b).. (Chapter 204)

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: A detailed study of the reasonably foreseeable significant effects, both beneficial and adverse, of a proposed action on the environment of a foreign country or countries. (Chapter 204)

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT: A detailed study of the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts, both positive and negative, of a proposed USAID action and its reasonable alternatives on the United States, the global environment or areas outside the jurisdiction of any nation. (See ADS 204 and Mandatory Reference, 22 CFR 216) (Chapters 200-203, 204)

EVALUATION: A relatively structured, analytic effort undertaken selectively to answer specific management questions regarding USAID-funded assistance programs or activities. (Chapters 200- 203)

EVALUATION DOCUMENTS: Program and project evaluation, performance measurement and development result reports, and any other document containing significant evaluative information and observation. Those publications describing a relatively structured, analytic activity undertaken selectively to answer specific management questions regarding USAID-funded development assistance activities. (Chapter 540) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) The primary document containing the uniform policies and procedures for all executive agencies for acquisition of supplies and services with appropriate funds. It is issued as Chapter 1 of Title 48, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). (Chapters 302, 330)

FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Assistance provided by a federal agency in the form of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, loans, loan guarantees, property, interest subsidies, insurance, or direct appropriations, but not including direct federal cash assistance to individuals. It includes awards received directly from federal agencies, or indirectly through other units of state and local governments, educational institutions, and other nonprofit organizations. (Chapter 591)

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: The degree to which an organization collects sufficient revenues from sale of its services to cover the full costs of its activities, evaluated on an opportunity-cost basis. (Chapter 219)

FULL FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: A situation in which the revenues an organization generates from its clients cover the full (opportunity) costs of its activities, thus allowing it to continue operating at a stable or growing scale without ongoing support from governments, donor agencies, or charitable organizations. When applied to a microfinance institution, full financial sustainability requires that the interest and fees the MFI collects on its lending equal or exceed the sum of its operational and financial costs, with the latter evaluated on an opportunity-cost basis. (Chapter 219)

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE: The Agency's new business model promoting public-private alliances as a central element of USAID's strategic assessment, planning, and programming efforts. This initiative involves recognition of a changed role for USAID in development assistance, outreach to an expanded range of potential partners, and organizational changes within the Agency to recruit, train, support, promote, and reward employees. (Chapters 200-203)

GRANT: A legal instrument where the principal purpose is the transfer of money, property, services or anything of value to the recipient in order to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by Federal statute and where substantial involvement by USAID is not anticipated. (Chapters 304, 591, 595)

HIGHER EDUCATION: Refers to education, training, research, and community service outreach at the postsecondary level. (Chapter 216)

HOST COUNTRY: (See also COOPERATING COUNTRY) The country in which the USAID sponsoring unit is operating. (Chapter 253) The country in which the employing USAID mission is located and the country for whose benefit a USAID program is being implemented. (Chapters 301, 305, 311, 322, 495) Host Country The country in which a USAID funded activity takes place. (Chapters 200-203, 253, 301, 305, 311, 322, 495)

INDICATOR: (See PERFORMANCE INDICATOR) (Chapters 201, 202, 203)

INHERENTLY GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTION: A function that is so intimately related to the public interest as to mandate performance by Government employees. OMB Policy Letter 92-1 provides additional information and a list of functions considered to be inherently governmental functions. (Chapter 104)

INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION: The first review of the reasonably foreseeable effects of a proposed action on the environment. Its function is to provide a brief statement of the factual basis for a Threshold Decision as to whether an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement will be required. (See ADS 204) (Chapters 200-203)

INPUT: A resource, such as technical assistance, commodities, training, or provision of USAID staff, either Operational Expenses (OE) or Program funded, that is used to create an output. (Chapters 200-203)

INTERMEDIATE CUSTOMER: (See "CUSTOMER")

INTERMEDIATE RESULT: An important result that is seen as an essential step to achieving a Strategic Objective (SO). IRs are measurable results that may capture a number of discrete and more specific results. IRs may also help to achieve other IRs. (Chapters 200-203)

LESSON LEARNED: The conclusions extracted from reviewing a development program or activity by participants, managers, customers or evaluators with implications for effectively addressing similar issues/problems in another setting. (Chapter 540) Leveraging: Significant resource mobilization. In the case of public-private alliances, USAID seeks the mobilization of resources of other actors on a 1:1 or greater basis. Resources may include funds, in-kind contributions, and intellectual property.

LOCAL COUNTRY: (See also HOST COUNTRY and COOPERATING COUNTRY) The country to which assistance is being provided.(Chapter 305)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Any unit of local government within a state, including a county, borough, municipality, city, town, township, parish, local public authority, special district, school district, intrastate district, council of governments or other instrumentality of local government. (Chapter 591)

MANAGEABLE INTEREST: The concept of manageable interest recognizes that achievement of results requires joint action on the part of many other actors such as host country governments, institutions, other donors, civil society, and the private sector. When an objective is within our manageable interest, it means that we have reason to believe that our ability to influence, organize, and support others around commonly shared goals can lead to the achievement of desired results, and that the probability of success is high enough to warrant expending program and staff resources. An outcome is within an entity's manageable interest when there is sufficient reason to believe that its achievement can be significantly and critically influenced by interventions of that entity. (Chapters 200-203)

MISSION: The USAID Mission or representative in a cooperating country. (Chapter 310)

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION: Any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that is operated primarily for service, charitable, scientific, educational or other similar purposes; is not organized for profit; and uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations. (Chapter 591)

OPERATING UNIT: USAID field Missions, regional entities, and USAID/W organizations that expend program funds to achieve a Strategic or Special Objective (SO). (Chapters 200-204, 623)

ORGANIZATION: An official, identifiable work unit within USAID that is recognized by a unique title, abbreviation, and code number. (Chapter 102)

OUTCOME: A result sought by USAID. In ADS 200-203, the term "outcome" is equivalent to "result." (See "RESULT") (Chapters 200-203)

OUTPUT: A tangible, immediate, and intended product or consequence of an activity within USAID's manageable interest. Examples of outputs include people fed, personnel trained, better technologies developed, and new construction. Deliverables included in contracts will generally be considered outputs, as will tangible products and consequences of USAID grantees. (Chapters 200-203)

PARTICIPATION: The active engagement of partners and customers in sharing ideas, committing time and resources, making decisions, and taking action to bring about a desired development objective. (Chapters 200-203)

PARTNER: An organization or individual with which/whom the Agency collaborates to achieve mutually agreed upon objectives and to secure participation of ultimate customers. Partners include host country governments, private voluntary organizations, indigenous and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), universities, other U.S. Government agencies, United Nations and other multilateral organizations, professional and business associations, and private businesses and individuals. (Chapters 200-203)

PARTNERSHIP: An association between USAID, its partners and customers based upon mutual respect, complementary strengths, and shared commitment to achieve mutually agreed upon objectives. (Chapter 101)

PERFORMANCE BASELINE: The value of a performance indicator at a point in time that is relevant to tracking performance. (Ideally, this is just before the implementation of USAID-supported activities that contribute to the achievement of the relevant strategic element.) (Chapters 200-203)

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR: A particular characteristic or dimension used to measure intended changes defined by an organizational unit's results framework. Performance indicators are used to observe progress and to measure actual results compared to expected results. Performance indicators serve to answer "how" or "whether" a unit is progressing towards its objective, rather than why such progress is or is not being made. Performance indicators are usually expressed in quantifiable terms, and should be objective and measurable (numeric values, percentages, scores and indices). (Chapters 200- 203)

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: Performance management is the systematic process of monitoring the results of activities; collecting and analyzing performance information to track progress toward planning results; using performance information to inform program decision-making and resource allocation; and communicating results achieved, or not attained, to advance organizational learning and tell the Agency's story. (Chapters 200-203)

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PLAN: A tool used by an Operating Unit and SO Team to plan and manage the process of assessing and reporting progress towards achieving a Strategic Objective. (Chapters 201-203)

PERFORMANCE TARGETS: Specific, planned level of result to be achieved within an explicit time frame. (Chapters 200-203)

PILLAR: Pillar refers to sector Bureaus that provide leadership and innovation in their respective fields. The activities funded by pillar bureaus, however, will continue to have as their prime objective the maximizing of program dollars available to field mission programs. Pillar bureaus concentrate on program activities that support missions. (Chapters 200-203)

POLICY: USAID policy includes both mandatory guidance (policy directives and Internal Mandatory References) as well as broader official statements of Agency goals, guiding principles, and views on development challenges and best practice in addressing those challenges. (Chapter 501)

PRE-AWARD SURVEY: An evaluation of a prospective recipient's ability to perform under a Government sponsored agreement. Such surveys are normally limited to assessing the adequacy of the recipient's accounting system to accumulate cost information under an agreement and/or the financial capability to perform under a prospective award. Surveys may also encompass technical, production and quality assurance considerations. This survey is not conducted in accordance with standards approved by the Comptroller General of the U.S. (Chapter 591)

PUBLIC-PRIVATE ALLIANCE (PPA): An agreement between two or more parties involving joint definition of a development problem and shared contributions to its solution. Alliances are characterized by a shared understanding of the development problem or issue; a shared belief that an alliance will be more effective than any approach taken by a single actor; a shared commitment of resources; includes significant leveraging; and perhaps most important, a willingness to share risks. (Chapters 200-203)

RECIPIENT: An organization receiving direct financial assistance (a grant or cooperative agreement) to carry out an activity or program. (Chapters 303, 304, 305, 567) An organization receiving financial assistance directly from USAID to carry out a program under a grant or cooperative agreement. The term includes public and private institutions of higher education, public and private hospitals, and other quasi-public and private nonprofit organizations. The term may also apply to profit-making organizations that are performing work under a grant or cooperative agreement relationship with USAID. (Chapters 591, 636)

REQUESTS FOR APPLICATIONS: Invite interested parties to submit applications for USAID assistance and explain what the application should contain, how it should be written, and the evaluation criteria to be used. (Chapter 303)

RESULT: A significant, intended, and measurable change in the condition of a customer, or a change in the host country, institutions, or other entities that will affect the customer directly or indirectly. Results are typically broader than USAID-funded outputs and require support from other donors and partners not within USAID's control. (Chapters 200-203)

RESULTS FRAMEWORK: A planning, communications, and management tool. It includes the objective and the Intermediate Results (IRs), whether funded by USAID or its partners, necessary to achieve it. The framework also conveys the development hypothesis implicit in the strategy and the cause-and-effect linkages between the IRs and the objective. It includes any critical assumptions that must hold for the development hypothesis to lead to achieving the relevant objective. Typically, it is laid out in graphic form supplemented by narrative. (Chapters 200-203)

RESULTS PACKAGE: A results package is a shorthand designation of items that contributes to achieving a particular result. Some Operating Units have used the term as a name for documentation used to obtain approval for a set of activities and to define SO sub-teams that concentrate on a particular new set of activities. The term is no longer "officially" used. Documentation to approve activities is called Activity Approval Documentation. (Chapters 200-203)

SPECIAL OBJECTIVE: A Special Objective (SpO) is an objective that is more difficult to define and measure or that is not directly linked to an Agency Strategic Plan goal. Special Objectives are expected to be small in scope, relative to the total portfolio of any bureau. Special Objectives should meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Represents a response to a legislated earmark or special foreign policy interest beyond what is described in the Agency Strategic Plan or that does not contribute directly to an Operating Unit's Strategic Objectives.
• Is exploratory or experimental in nature, such as development of a new program area.
• Is research and contributes to the achievement of an Agency goal.
• Responds to an emergency or short-term post-crisis stabilization effort, such as when an Interim Strategy is indicated. (Chapters 200-203)

STAKEHOLDERS: Those who are affected by a development outcome or have an interest in a development outcome. Stakeholders include customers (including internal, intermediate, and ultimate customers) but can include more broadly all those who might be affected adversely, or indirectly, by a USAID activity who might not be identified as a "customer." (Chapters 200-203)

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE (SO): The most ambitious result that a USAID Operating Unit, along with its partners, can materially affect, and for which it is willing to be held accountable. SOs can be designed for an Operating Unit to provide analytic, technical, logistical, or other types of support to the SOs of other Operating Units (whether bilateral, multi-country, or global in nature). (Chapters 200-203)

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE AGREEMENT (SOAG): A formal agreement that obligates funds between USAID and the host government or other parties, such as, in certain cases, regional organizations created by governments. It sets forth a mutually agreed upon understanding of the time frame, results expected to be achieved, means of measuring those results, resources, responsibilities, and contributions of participating entities for achieving a clearly defined Strategic Objective. (Chapters 200-203)

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE TEAM: A group of people with complementary skills who are empowered to achieve a specific USAID development objective for which they are willing to be held accountable. The primary responsibility of SO Teams is to make decisions and carry out activities related to accomplishing the objective. Another essential function is to ensure open communication and collaboration across organizational boundaries at all phases of the development process. SO Teams may decide to organize sub-teams if they wish, to more efficiently manage complex SOs. SO Teams are composed of USAID employees and those partners and customers considered to be essential for achieving the SO. (Chapters 200-203)

STRATEGIC PLAN: A document used to describe and obtain approval for one or more Strategic Objectives or Special Objectives to be implemented by an Operating Unit. Approved Operating Unit Strategic Plans represent an Agency-wide commitment to a set of objectives and Intermediate Results (IRs) to be accomplished by an Operating Unit. (Chapters 200-203)

STRATEGIC SUPPORT OBJECTIVE: Term no longer used. (See STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE (SO))

SUBRECIPIENT: Any person or government department, agency, establishment or nonprofit organization that receives financial assistance to carry out a program through a primary Recipient or other subrecipient. (Chapter 591)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Continued economic and social progress that rests on four key principles: improved quality of life for both current and future generations; responsible stewardship of the natural resource base; broad-based participation in political and economic life; and effective institutions which are transparent, accountable, responsive and capable of managing change without relying on continued external support. The ultimate measure of success of sustainable development programs is to reach a point where improvements in the quality of life and environment are such that external assistance is no longer necessary and can be replaced with new forms of diplomacy, cooperation and commerce. (Chapter 101)

TARGET: (See PERFORMANCE TARGET) (Chapters 200-203)

TEAM: A group of individuals coming together through consensus to achieve agreed upon objectives or results. Teams may be comprised of employees of USAID and/or other federal agencies, partners, customers, and contractors. A team may or may not exist as an official organization unit. When serving as an organization unit, it functions within a bureau, independent office or mission, as a Level II or below organization. (Chapter 102)

TEAMWORK: The process whereby a group of people work together (often by dividing tasks among members based on relative skills) to reach a common goal, to solve a particular problem, or to achieve a specified set of results. (Chapter 102)

ULTIMATE CUSTOMER: (See "CUSTOMER")

USAID ACQUISITION REGULATION (AIDAR): USAID's supplement to the FAR, issued as Chapter 7 of Title 48 CFR. (Chapters 302, 330)