Dear SBAIC Members,

I hope that this newsletter finds each of you well and preparing for the traditional end-of-the-Federal-fiscal-year bid frenzy! Taking advantage of the FY-2018 proposal season is of particular importance given the Administration’s proposed budget changes for FY-2019.

So far, 2018 has been an incredibly busy time for SBAIC! Our organization has tackled rules and regulations that could potentially be very damaging to small businesses and worked closely with offices of small and disadvantaged businesses (OSDBUs) to expand the number and quality of business opportunities available to small businesses. As part of these efforts, we held positive working meetings with members of the Congressional Committee on Small Business, White House Staff, Small Business Administration (SBA) and several major funders of U.S. international programs including the Department of Defense, Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Directors of OSDBUs at all three entities also met with SBAIC members earlier this year.

SBAIC also supported the Department of State’s 3rd Annual Overseas Small Business Government Contracting Conference and hosted a well-attended networking event in conjunction with the conference on May 17. Both the conference and the reception benefited from small business sponsorships. We also anticipate enthusiastic SBAIC member participation in the upcoming USAID 11th Annual Small Business Conference. SBAIC will once again host its Annual Networking Reception immediately following the conference on July 11 at the City Club of Washington from 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM. This traditionally well-attended networking event will bring together SBAIC members, non-members and USAID Washington and Mission staff and will provide an opportunity to discuss the issues that are most current and most salient to the international development community and to small businesses. We will look forward to seeing you there!

As you will see, we have focused this issue of our newsletter on the incredible work that our members are doing around the world, highlighting efforts to support Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance worldwide for USAID, the Department of State, the Department Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and many foreign governments. This newsletter is being shared with our U.S. Government contacts, all member firms, and other external constituents. We are proud to spotlight the innovative partnerships that SBAIC members have formed as well as highlight key accomplishments by some of our member companies. As you take a moment to review these articles, you will undoubtedly note a common thread that runs through all of them - the importance of small businesses and their role as invaluable partners in international development.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Communications Committee Co-Chair, Jasmine Gould (Strategic Consulting Partners), for managing the publishing of this newsletter, and for organizing the upcoming reception on July 11.

Remember, this is YOUR quarterly newsletter. It is your readership, your timely quality input, and your thoughtful discourse that make the publication a valuable and engaging communications tool, reasserting SBAIC’s role as an influential organization working and advocating on behalf of U.S. small businesses.

Sincerely,

Carlos G. Rivera
SBAIC Chair

DEVIS SUPPORTS HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE WITH AGILE IT MODERNIZATION

USAID’s FFP must account for the worldwide allocation of more than $2 billion in awards to partners around the world to provide urgently needed food commodities, local procurement and cash and vouchers to meet the needs of populations dealing with food insecurity and the threat of starvation around the globe.

K&M EXAMINES THE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPING A SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANT IN KENYA

K&M is an internationally recognized finance and engineering advisory firm. Since its creation in 1987, K&M has advised private investors and governments on the development of power projects valued at more than US$50 billion.

SUPPORTING USG AGENCIES INTERNATIONALLY

For over six years, Rumph and Associates have assisted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with its mission to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both domestic and foreign.

HIGHLIGHTING SBAIC LEADERSHIP IN SUPPORTING CONFLICT RESOLUTION & HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL ANIMATIONS AND ONLINE LEARNING

Small businesses are responding to the rapid growth of information and communication technologies (ICT) in international development through innovative approaches to global project needs.

VISIONARY’S DEDICATION TO CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT

As a business consultant to the Merck Foundation Childhood Asthma Network (MCAN), Visionary Consulting Partners, LLC (VCP) was selected to provide advisory consulting services to help develop comprehensive and innovative community outreach strategies, build partnerships and implementation plans, and disseminate asthma counselor/case management intervention models throughout the U.S.

GREENLEAF INTEGRATIVE ENHANCES RESILIENCE OF AID WORKERS BY CRAFTING A CULTURE OF WELLBEING

A group of ten people sit around a table, eyes-closed with palms down, relaxed posture, and feet planted firmly. Inhale. Exhale. This is not a yoga class, but rather a team meeting.

OPTIMAL PROVIDES USAID WITH RIGOROUS ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION IN 26 COUNTRIES

Since July 2011, Optimal Solutions Group, with help from USAID’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Businesses (OSDBU), has been supporting USAID in many rigorous evaluations projects by leveraging domestic experience and partnerships.

STRATEGIC IMPACT ADVISORS SHEPHERDS AGREEMENT ON COMMON PRINCIPLES TO DELIVER CASH DIGITALLY IN HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Increasing the use and coordination of cash as a form of humanitarian assistance is a tenet of The Grand Bargain adopted at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016.

THREE STONES INTERNATIONAL EMPLOYS END-USER MONITORING IN REFUGEE CAMPS AND EMERGENCY SETTINGS

Three Stones International uses End-User Monitoring (EUM) as a part of its outcome monitoring approach, so countries and managers better understand programming progression towards the intended impact as well as the satisfaction of the beneficiary.

WI-HER’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO GENDER INTEGRATION IN ZIKA EMERGENCY RESPONSE

The USAID Applying Science to Strengthen and Improve Systems Project (ASSIST) has been working globally since 2012 to improve the quality and outcomes of health care and other services by enabling host country providers and managers to apply the science of improvement.

Visit our website to learn more about all the SBAIC Members

www.sbaic.org

Small Business Association for International Companies (SBAIC) is a membership organization established to promote the meaningful utilization of U.S. small businesses at U.S. government agencies providing foreign assistance, such as the: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, Health and Human Services and Agriculture.