U.S. Agency for International Development Kenya
Business and Procurement

USAID Works with Partners to Meet Its Development Objectives

USAID has a long tradition of working closely with government of Kenya, private sector and nongovernmental organizations.  To network and strengthen Kenyan organizations, USAID is providing increased assistance to government of Kenya (GOK), private voluntary organizations and NGOs that are key partners in implementing USAID’s program.

USAID is working closely with GOK in the areas of population and health, micro enterprise development, Natural resource management and governance. Working with nongovernmental organizations in these sectors, USAID also encourages the growth of these organizations. Working with NGOs takes advantage of their experience in specific areas.  For example, many NGOs are highly effective in the delivery of family planning and child survival services and are already working with some of the neediest segments of Kenyan society.  NGOs empower women and give women a greater voice and opportunities to participate as Kenya becomes a market economy.  In the belief that trade must eventually replace aid, USAID’s programs supports well-functioning markets – including cereals, fertilizers, and foreign exchange markets-to enable all Kenyans to increase their participation in the market economy.  USAID funding directly supports private sector firms and business associations that are advocating for better governance and policy. 

USAID/Kenya objectives and program approaches are Kenyan-owned.  Working together, USAID partners have developed a greater appreciation of USAID’s role in Kenya, and of Kenya’s economy.  USAID experience has proven that development partnerships-with the Government of Kenya, nongovernmental organizations, business associations, and private sector firms-have improved agricultural productivity, food security, and household incomes in targeted areas. 

USAID uses several instruments to provide funding to our partners.  They include the following:

Bilateral Agreements

Bilateral agreements are agreements between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Kenya specifying activities that both governments have agreed to support according to the terms of the agreement.  Some activities under these government-to-government agreements call for proposals to be solicited from the private sector, and some do not.  When proposals are solicited, they are usually for grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts.

Annual Program Statements, Request for Assistance, Cooperative Agreements, and Grants

USAID programs focus on particular results that USAID/Kenya intends to achieve.  USAID encourages organizations that share an interest in working towards those same goals to submit proposals for grant awards.  USAID encourages applications for grants by issuing Annual Program Statements (APS) or Requests for Assistance (RFA). To reach a broad audience, APSs and RFAs are published in local daily newspapers, on the USAID website, on USAID electronic bulletin boards, and in other appropriate media.  The purposes of APSs and RFAs are to notify the public of USAID’s funding priorities and to generate competitive proposals.

Annual Program Statements are valid for at least  six months or are open-ended.  They are intended to generate a range of creative approaches, proposals, and responses from potential partners.

Requests for Assistance are open for 30 days and are used when USAID needs proposals for a specific type of activity or methodology to support its strategy.

Both Kenyan and international potential partners are encouraged to respond when APSs and RFAs are advertised in the media.

RFPs and Contracts

Contracts are legal instruments for the purchase of goods or services.  When USAID requires specific goods or services, it goes through a procurement process to buy them with full and open competition.  To achieve this, USAID usually puts Request for Proposal (RFP) advertisements in local media (described above) asking potential suppliers to submit proposals.  Each RFP contains clear and complete statements of the work to be performed, an inventory of specific requirements, specific criteria for evaluating proposals, and the name of the person to be contacted for clarification on any issue regarding the RFP.  All potential bidders are encouraged to watch for and respond to these advertisements.  

Please click on the link to take you to USAID Washington's business and procurement section.

http://www.usaid.gov/business/