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Dear SBAIC Members and Friends,
Over the last year we worked tirelessly with our members and USAID’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization to achieve:
- Significant increase in total and partial small business set-aside awards under USAID IDIQs.
- Mandatory small business utilization language in all IDIQs, and a commitment on the part of USAID to include similar language in all RFPs.
- Improved balance between U.S. small business and local entity utilization, a new Mission performance indicator for small business utilization, and, for FY2016, a small business target for individual Missions set at the Regional level.
- Passage of the bill that allows federal agencies, including USAID, to sole-source contracts to WOSBs for service contracts under $4 million.
This newsletter features SBAIC member activities in Africa. The newsletter is SBAIC’s way to showcase the innovative and meaningful work that our members provide to across the world for USAID and the international development sector. Our members work in many African countries supporting important initiatives and efforts related to protecting the environment, infrastructure development, mobile money, trade policy, education, and capacity building.
We are pleased to announce that SBAIC will be participating in USAID’s Partner day December 1st. Members of our executive committee will be participating as speakers in the panel discussions and many of our members will be in attendance. SBAIC is excited to continue our efforts to promote the small business utilization through new innovative strategies of our trusted committees and members.
 Sincerely,
Betsy Bassan
President and CEO, Panagora Group
Chair, Small Business Association of International Companies (SBAIC)
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About SBAIC
SBAIC currently has 167 members, of which 60 percent are small disadvantaged businesses. Our members work in every development sector, including conflict zones and other high-profile, complex settings. Each has an average of almost 15 years of USAID experience. We serve as prime contractors on 80 percent of the work we implement, maintaining USAID compliant contract and financial management systems. Contracts range from $100,000 to $42 million. Small businesses implement projects as prime contracts equivalent in size and complexity to those held by larger entities with equally strong performance. Staffed by development entrepreneurs and former USAID staff and large business executives, small businesses combine seasoned oversight with the agility and innovation characteristic of smaller organizations. Small businesses access the worldwide consultant expertise available across the industry, using the stringent internal quality and cost controls necessary for excellence, timeliness, and cost-effective services. Small businesses formally and informally mentor emerging small businesses in the U.S. and local organizations overseas.
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Visit our website to learn more about all the SBAIC Members: www.sbaic.org
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