Quarterly Progress Report FY 2020 Quarter IV: Partners for Transparency Activity

The Activity seeks to advance national-level government transparency and accountability initiatives, promote local-level civic participation, strengthen oversight and control institutions' efforts to fight corruption, promote a culture of transparency and accountability, and enhance local partner capacity and sustainability. The Activity is being implemented by DAI Global LLC, with the support of the Home Office team, which will provide a Political Economy Analysis (PEA) Specialist to conduct PEA and guide the project team in developing their analyses. The PEA Specialist will also provide quality control and standardization across the 5-6 analyses that the project team will produce by February 2021. During the reporting period, the Activity made significant progress in establishing a working relationship and protocols with USAID. A kick-off call was held with the Mission on September 25th, which covered USAID expectations regarding security protocols, agreement administration, indicators for monitoring and evaluation, and gender considerations, among other topics. The discussion established roles and responsibilities for DAI's relationship with the Agreement Officer (AO) and Agreement Officer Representative (AOR). The Activity also made progress in establishing a base of operations for the project. Due to the health risks associated with opening a physical office during the COVID-19 contingency, the team decided to postpone this task. Instead, the project staff have been working remotely since the beginning of the Activity, maintaining close contact and coordination with local partners and the Mission. The team has also obtained necessary documentation for PfT operations in Colombia, including registering as a foreign branch in April 2020 and opening a local bank account with Bancolombia. In addition, the Activity initiated project procurement, including the procurement of various goods and services, such as legal and health insurance services, in support of project operations. The procurement process is ongoing, and the Activity is working to ensure that all necessary documentation and protocols are in place to support project operations. The Activity is closely monitoring the situation and following Government of Colombia (GOC), USAID, and DAI policies to minimize the risk of work-related virus transmission. The project staff have been working remotely since the beginning of the Activity, maintaining close contact and coordination with local partners and the Mission. The Activity is also working to promote a culture of transparency and accountability, and to enhance local partner capacity and sustainability. The project team is working closely with local partners to identify new and non-traditional partners for the implementation of PfT, and to develop a strategy for promoting a culture of transparency and accountability in Colombia. Overall, the USAID Partners for Transparency Activity is making significant progress in implementing its objectives and achieving its goals. The Activity is working closely with local partners and stakeholders to promote transparency and accountability in Colombia, and to enhance local partner capacity and sustainability.