Disaster management veteran wins USAID/OFDA contract in Latin America

This “And the winner is…” feature is part of ongoing Devex coverage and analysis of major donor contract awards that exceed $20 million. Each week, Devex will select a major contract award that we believe our community should know about and can learn from. Many of these prime awards can also lead to subcontract opportunities for both international and local partners. Please contact us directly to recommend contract awards Devex should cover in this series. Development consulting firm Engility was recently awarded the Regional Disaster Assistance Program for Latin America and the Caribbean by the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance or USAID/OFDA. The RDAP, formerly known as the Risk Management Training Program, will provide program management, technical assistance, training, and disaster response support throughout the region. The contract covers one year with four optional years and was recompeted. It is a cost-plus-fixed-fee completion-type contract, which required Engility and other bidders to propose a fixed price to meet program objectives and deliver an end product. The proposed fee may be adjusted should the scope of work change. The contract, which is valued at approximately $35 million, will require Engility to provide all necessary personnel, administrative, logistical, financial, and managerial resources necessary for the performance of the project tasks. Chief of party and program manager are among the key personnel required for this specific assignment. These are the positions considered to be essential to the work to be performed for RDAP. The entire procurement process — from the request for information notice through contract award — lasted approximately 2 years. “This award validates OFDA's trust and confidence in Engility to support ongoing efforts to refine and enhance USAID's emergency response capabilities in the LAC region," said Tony Smeraglinolo, president and CEO of Engility. "Our team has supported USAID and this program for more than 15 years and we appreciate the opportunity to continue our work on this critical program with USAID/OFDA." USAID/OFDA is specifically and primarily responsible for the management and coordination of disaster response in the LAC region. Through its regional office in San Jose, Costa Rica, the mandate of OFDA is to save lives, alleviate suffering and reduce the economic impact of disasters. The OFDA/LAC strategy against disaster promotes self-sufficiency during all phases of a disaster cycle. “Our company has supported USAID for nearly four decades; we’re grateful to be part of their mission to foster prosperous societies around the world,” according to Timothy Knight, a senior vice president and account executive with Engility. Engility is a U.S.-based corporation established in 2012 after spinning off from L-3 Communications. According to a Devex analysis of USAID contract data, Engility was the eighth largest USAID contractor in 2014 with $117.8 million in obligated USAID contract funding. Since 1998, USAID/OFDA has implemented successive iterations of the RDAP in partnership with Engility and its International Development Services Group known as International Resources Group. IRG secured an RDAP contract valued at $29 million in June 2009 and has supported USAID disaster response projects since 1979. In the past five years, Engility has assisted more than 100 significant disasters, including hurricanes, volcanoes, droughts, earthquakes, floods and forest fires. The firm recently supported OFDA in the Bahamas during and after Hurricane Joaquin. Engility has managed approximately $750,000 in small grants to 25 community-level disaster risk reduction under the latest iteration of the RDAP. This assignment, along with an extensive portfolio in disaster management in the LAC region, helped them secure this award. According to Eric Ruff, Engility’s director for corporate communications, the company’s regional office in Costa Rica also helped Engility secure this award. Check out more funding trends analyses online, and subscribe to Money Matters to receive the latest contract award and shortlist announcements, and procurement and fundraising news.