Doing Business with USAID

Agency for International Development (USAID) is a federal government agency with Missions in more than 80 countries and programs in over 100. USAID operates in various technical areas, including Agriculture, Economic Growth, Environment, Education, Infrastructure, Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, Women's Empowerment, Water and Sanitation, Global Health, and Humanitarian Disaster Response and Relief. The Agency partners with diverse organizations to achieve its mission of ending extreme global poverty and enabling resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID's funding comes from Congress, and the Agency works with both Congress and the Executive Office to determine budget priorities. USAID operates under various policies, strategies, and frameworks that outline its work, which are available on USAID.gov. Country Development Cooperation Strategies (CDCS) govern USAID's work locally within Missions. Familiarizing oneself with USAID's policies and CDCS is essential for working with the Agency. USAID issues a quarterly Business Forecast of upcoming business and partnership opportunities, which can be accessed on the USAID Business Forecast web page. The majority of USAID's funds are awarded competitively through contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. Grants provide funds to a responsible grantee to implement a program with minimal direct involvement, while cooperative agreements involve more substantial involvement and contact with the partner. Contracts, on the other hand, purchase technical assistance services, goods, products, or other services from a responsible party to implement a program as directed by the Agency. USAID typically uses requests for applications (RFAs) for contracts and notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs) for cooperative agreements or grants. All contracts available for bidding are posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO.gov) website, while grants and cooperative agreements are available on Grants.gov. Additional grant programs and funding opportunities can be found under the Work with USAID>Partnership Opportunities section of USAID.gov. The U.S. Global Development Lab, established in 2014, offers funding opportunities through the Grand Challenges for Development and the Development Innovation Ventures. To be eligible to apply for USAID awards, organizations must register in the Data Universal Number system (DUNS), Commercial and Government Entity Code (CAGE) or NATO Commercial and Government Entity Code (NCAGE), and the System for Award Management (SAM). Online training modules are available on USAID.gov to help organizations understand how to work with the Agency. The Essential NGO Guide to Managing your USAID Programs is designed to help NGOs effectively manage USAID funds, and the Acquisition and Assistance Updates Email List shares updates on USAID contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements. The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) provides resources for Small Businesses looking to work with USAID.