International Cooperation
Doing business with USAID
On June 18, AmCham’s International Cooperation Committee hosted guest speaker John May, director of the Office of Procurement, USAID Egypt, under the theme “Doing business with USAID.”
May began by noting that USAID’s main purpose is to provide technical assistance to developing countries, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. It concludes over 5,000 contracts each year. He pointed out that USAID provides over $2 billion worth of aid to various development programs in Arab countries every year, and has provided almost $26 billion in economic assistance to Egypt since the beginning of the program in 1975. Current programs focus on economic growth, workforce development, education, health, democracy and governance, the environment and infrastructure.
According to May, democracy and governance, and education, are the largest two programs financed by USAID in Egypt. Books account for the largest contribution by USAID, which purchases $20 million worth of books annually and could soon double that. The agency also has special programs to offer financial assistance to small businesses, which constitute over 10 percent of its contracts. In addition, USAID sends several thousand Egyptians for training in the US through its various training programs every year.
Following the presentation, attendees were given a chance to ask questions about USAID’s operations and its contracts. May explained that notices of contract opportunities and corresponding solicitations are publicized at FedBizOpps (www.fbo.gov). The agency may also publish a Request for Assistance (RFA) in order to satisfy the requirement for public notice. The RFA invites interested parties to submit applications for USAID assistance and explains what the application should contain, how it should be written and the evaluation criteria to be used.
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Taking care of business
On February 12, AmCham's International Cooperation Committee met
with guest speaker Art Daniels, former assistant deputy minister,
Government of Ontario, Canada. Under the theme "Taking care
of business," Daniels highlighted the role of governments in
facilitating business, calling on all governments to be customer-oriented.
He said governments need to restructure their systems according
to the needs of "customers" to attract more business to
their countries.
He cited the example of the Canadian government's survey of all
businesses in various sectors to ascertain what is needed to facilitate
procedures. This resulted in many recommendations, among which were
reducing the wait in lines or on the phone, cutting red tape, creating
"one-stop" services where people can get a group of related
services in a single visit, simplifying forms and extending office
hours.
To implement these suggestions, the Canadian government repealed
over 50 acts, amended more than another 200 and eliminated over
1,700 regulations. Issuing a company license in Canada now takes
only 20 minutes, compared to 16 weeks in the past. Such accomplishments
have helped Canada to build one of the world's leading customer-focused
governments online (e-government).
As part of a USAID project (TAPR II), consultants working under
Daniels are preparing a report for the Egyptian government on improving
government services for the private sector to boost investment.
Issuing a company license in Egypt, for instance, entails 30 procedures
over 263 days. Daniels and his team are working to streamline the
process and alter the businessman's perception, thus making Egypt
a better environment for foreign investment.
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