PPL Surge Capacity Services Quarterly Report – Base Year 3, Quarter 2 January - March 2017

The project aimed to provide surge capacity services to support USAID's PPL Bureau. The project highlights include the completion of the Work Plan, which was approved on October 22, 2014. Recruitment of long-term support staff was also completed, with the Project Design Specialist position filled on November 16, 2015. Recruitment of short-term staff was ongoing, with Susan Levin, Deborah Rugg, Cynthia Clapp-Wincek, Carolyn Laurenzano, and Dana Bos completing their assignments. Technical assignments were also completed, with Dexis arranging facilities for PPL retreats that were completed in July 2015. Staffing status as of January 2017 showed that the Program Manager, Celeste Buccola, was officially confirmed as permanent Program Manager on April 1, 2015. The Administrative Assistant, Michael Ferry, started on December 1, 2014. The Local Solutions Evaluation Specialist, Danielle Pearl, started on December 15, 2014, but left on December 15, 2015. The Project Design Specialist, Carissa Page, started on November 16, 2015, and completed her consultancy on January 6, 2017. The AIDTracker + Program Manager, Hoang Anh Lam-Vieira, started on June 15, 2015. Consultants Susan Levin, Cynthia Clapp-Wincek, Deborah Rugg, Carolyn Laurenzano, William McCormick, Dana Bos, James Bednar, and Carissa Page completed their assignments. Management activities during the reporting period included working with the new COR, Georgette Giles, to identify hiring possibilities and run different scenarios to best utilize the funds under the contract. The Program Manager, Celeste Buccola, met with Ms. Giles on January 30 for their first meet-and-greet and established regular, ongoing check-ins. Carissa Page was successfully extended to avoid any gaps in service and to allow time for her other hiring mechanism to take effect. William McCormick's consultancy was also extended. The project accomplishments included submitting all report deliverables on time and approved. Carissa Page was successfully extended, and William McCormick's consultancy was also extended. The October - December quarterly report for Surge was submitted on January 27 and was approved by the COR on March 2. The project challenges included continuing to work with USAID to meet contractual obligations and deliverables as stated in the contract. The priorities for the next quarter included submitting the quarterly project status report, hiring additional Surge personnel as needed, scheduling additional TDYs as needed, and continuing regular check-ins with the COR, Georgette Giles. The point of contact for the Surge Capacity Services Project was Georgette Giles, Surge Capacity Services COR, [email protected].