How can I Become an Implementing Partner with USAID?

USAID conducts competition for contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements to find the most qualified implementing partners for USAID/Colombia's development assistance programs at the best value to the U.S. Government. An implementing partner can be a U.S. or local non-governmental organization (NGO), commercial organization, an individual, or a public international organization.

The USAID/Colombia Partnership Opportunities site is your one-stop place for finding important information to get you started doing business with USAID/Colombia. Contracts are awarded primarily for technical assistance but also for commodities and/or equipment, transportation services, and occasionally, construction. Grants and cooperative agreements are awarded for a variety of programs --- some recurring and some for unique non-recurring programs. All contracts grants and cooperative agreements issued ultimately support objectives of that part of the U.S. foreign assistance program managed by USAID and implemented for the people of Colombia.

USAID uses various acquisition and assistance instruments to implement its activities. Contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and purchase orders are some of the instruments that are negotiated and signed by USAID/Colombia. These instruments provide a variety of commodities and technical assistance to support the attainment of the agency's objectives. Acquisition refers to obtaining goods and services, through various types of contracts, for the use or benefit of the Agency. Assistance refers to transferring funds (or other valuables) from USAID to another party for the implementation of programs that will contribute to the public good through the furtherance of the objectives of USAID’s service to the people of Colombia.

USAID's relationships with its implementing partners are generally categorized as:

• Grants - USAID provides funds to a grantee to implement a program without direct involvement from USAID during the program;
• Cooperative Agreements - USAID provides funds to a cooperator, but has substantial involvement and contact with implementer during project; or
• Contracts - USAID uses for services or equipment to implement a project or program, and USAID has management responsibility.

To solicit help for its programs, USAID uses requests for applications (RFAs) and requests for proposals (RFPs). USAID publishes information about these public solicitations on the U.S. Government Points of Entry: http://www.fbo.gov/ and http://www.grants.gov/. In all cases, a request for applications or a request for proposls will provide an adequate time for a potential implementing partner to respond.

A request for application (RFA) or request for proposal (RFP) is used when USAID has a specific type of program in mind to meet our development assistance goals. An RFA results in a grant or cooperative agreement; an RFP results in a contract. These requests can be issued any time for any activity or program.