It is no secret that more and more members are starting to look into diversifying their portfolios from FCDO following the massive budget cuts and re-direction of the budget towards supporting the refugees in the UK. USAID has clearly been among the top choices with its ODA budget commitment almost tripling in size since 2019.
Following our USAID event in the beginning of the year, when we hosted the USAID’s External Relations team who shared with us the organisation’s priorities and wish to engage with suppliers outside the USA’s boarders, this week was marked by a series of engagements led by Mike Shanley, CEO of Konektid International. Konektid International is an organisation which supports both new and established partners to work with the USAID, by accelerating market access.
On Wednesday, I visited the USA’s Embassy to London at their new office in Vauxhall, where Mike chaired a panel discussion on ways of engaging and entering the USAID market as a British organisation. Part of the panel were colleagues from Adam Smith International (ASI) and Sightsavers who highlighted their roadmap on becoming USAID subcontractors and even more recently for ASI becoming primes. Throughout the session, Mike focused the discussion on main ways of entering the USAID market, which allows companies to access the full range of USAID opportunities under the ‘937 geographical code’:
- Merger & Acquisition of a USA registered organisation
- Re-bid for live opportunities you are already part of as a subcontractor
- Organic growth in the USA, establishing offices in the country
On Thursday, it was BEI’s time to host Mike for an in-person clinic workshop on Doing Business with USAID, which took a more in-depth presentation on successful ways of engaging and partnering up with USAID:
- Organisational assessment: is USAID a good fit for your organisation? Do you have the right profile and track record to deliver for USAID in the capacity of a subcontractor?
- Identifying partnering opportunities: monitor anticipated and live procurements
- Building relations with USAID prime implementing partners: based on procurements you are targeting and track record
- Coordinate partnering process
- USAID market brand awareness and market support: engage with USAID country offices and Chief of Parties
BEI will continue their close partnership with Konektid to ensure facilitating the right support to our members who wish to partner up with USAID and I am glad to announce that Mike will be back in London in October for a follow up session.
Meanwhile, if you would like us to share the slides used by Mike during the presentation, please follow up with Lara Mattaliano lm@britishexpertise.org.
