The U.S. Agency for International Development is looking to increase competition for contracts in order to make programs more accessible to small businesses, according to the Washington Post.
This is all part of the agency’s reform effort, as it has considered itself to have “fallen short” on awarding small and disadvantaged businesses in the U.S. and developing countries.
USAID Chief Acquisition Officer Aman Djahanbani told the Post the agency has established a review board to help make large contracts more available to small businesses. Littleton Tazewell, senior adviser to USAID’s general counsel for implementation and procurement reform, told the Post the agency is looking to work with companies that are local to the countries it works with.
The Post reports USAID seeks to reduce rules and regulations in order to encourage more organizations and companies to compete for grants and contracts. Tazewell said the reform will be a five-year process.
