Gender Integration Technical Assistance II (GITA II) Task Order: Year 1 - Quarterly Report No. 1

The task order applies expertise in gender research and practice to the process of designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating USAID strategies, projects, and activities to reduce the gender and women's empowerment gaps that impede development outcomes. Banyan Global is working with USAID to develop standard operating procedures to improve overall workflow and ensure overall compliance. The agreed-upon procedures include bi-weekly meetings between Banyan Global and USAID to discuss GITA-II developments and provide updates, as well as the development of a work order tracking system on Google Drive to follow the status of current and future work orders under GITA II. During the quarter, Banyan Global received notification of three new work orders from USAID's GenDev Office, including work orders for USAID/Ghana, USAID/Kenya, and USAID/Serbia. Banyan Global is currently working to finalize work order checklists for these work orders. Additionally, Banyan Global received an obligation for an upcoming Women's Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative work order, although the scope of work for this work order has not been provided. Under GITA-II, Banyan Global is partnering with USAID on multiple upcoming work orders, including GITA II Primary, which captures work carried out that is directly related to work order preparation. This includes kick-off calls with USAID missions to carry out preliminary discussions on the scope of work and budget for future work orders, as well as the development and finalization of the scope of work and budget, travel approval requests, and the deliverables calendar. One of the work orders, USAID/Ghana Gender Analysis and Assessment, involves conducting a gender analysis and assessment to inform the Mission's 2020-2024 Country Development and Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). The analysis will focus on key sectors, including health, economic growth, education, and democracy and governance, and will address behavioral change related to gender equality, gender-based violence prevention and response, and self-reliance as key cross-cutting themes. The GITA II Task Order has a period of performance from September 17, 2019, to September 16, 2022, and a ceiling price of $4,351,644. The current obligated amount is $3,372,694. The task order is managed by the E3 Bureau Office of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, with Bonnie K. Robinson as the Contracting Officer Representative and Shannon White as the Contracting Officer.