USAID/OTI MENARS SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

The activity is implemented by The Kaizen Company under the USAID/OTI Support Which Implements Fast Transitions (SWIFT) 5-Support Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. During the reporting period, April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021, Kaizen primarily provided support to USAID/OTI's Middle East Team through staffing a Senior Regional Advisor (SRA) position. The SRA provides technical support to the USAID/OTI Middle East Team and USAID/OTI country programs, including participation in assessment missions and start-ups, advising regional teams in program design and program strategy formulation/revision, and delivery of field-based orientations and trainings. The SRA provided technical support to the USAID/OTI Middle East Team and USAID/OTI programs in Iraq and Libya. In addition, the SRA provided on-the-ground support to the Iraq program in Erbil, Iraq, in late September and early October. Kaizen maintains a firewall between SRA technical work and its home office (HO) staff to ensure that HO staff do not have access to procurement sensitive information and thus an unfair advantage in future USAID/OTI procurements. Kaizen undertook several initiatives to establish operational capacity during the start-up phase (Phase 1). These initiatives included recruiting, deploying, and supporting regional and in-country long-term technical assistance to support USAID/OTI operations and providing support to program-funded USAID/OTI personnel. Kaizen collaborated with USAID/OTI to finalize a recruitment plan for a SRA, which included finalizing a scope of work for USAID/OTI concurrence. Kaizen then recruited and deployed the first SRA under the MENARS contract. Kaizen also initiated the legal registration process in Tunisia upon award of the MENARS Task Order. The first step was to obtain in-country legal counsel, which allowed Kaizen to start the three-step registration process. These steps include obtaining a Certificate of Reservation of the company's corporate name from the National Register of Companies, filing an Investment Declaration with the Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation (API), and formally registering the Tunisian entity with the API's one-stop office (Guichet Unique). Upon formal registration, Kaizen can then obtain a customs card, procure residency permits, and procure work permits. In the first six months of the contract, Kaizen quickly recruited and mobilized an SRA for the MENA region. The SRA has provided high-quality and timely support for USAID/OTI programming throughout the region. In the coming six months, Kaizen will focus on continued logistical and human resources support for the existing SRA, preparation for future requests for short-term technical support and regional advisors, finalization of in-country legal registration, residency permits, and work permits, and continued pursuit of a change to Kaizen's facility clearance level.