Engineering firm wins USAID project in Sudan

Top U.S. Agency for International Development contractor AECOM has won a $22.8 million service contract to provide the donor agency a quick-response mechanism in support of efforts to achieve stability in Sudan. Under the cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort-type contract, AECOM has been tasked to implement Toward Enduring Peace in Sudan for three years, or until the agreed man-hours needed to fulfill the contract has been completed. The project aims to bolster peace-building capacity, encourage community resilience especially in conflict-prone areas, and support national and civic dialogue as a way to promote democratic processes in Sudan. Two-thirds of the project funding will be used to finance grants under the contract, short-term technical assistance, direct distribution of goods and services, and training. GUCs will primarily be in kind. Financing for these activities will be given in increments over the three-year period, subject to availability of funds. AECOM also needs to facilitate the procurement and distribution of resources, goods and services; carry out political assessments; and develop a monitoring and evaluation strategy for the project. AECOM’s proposal was evaluated as having the best value in terms of cost and technical approach. Among the factors considered in the technical proposal are the methodology AECOM will employ in implementing a flexible small-grants program and how well the firm understands the political and social context in Sudan. The firm is expected to deploy a startup team to Sudan this month. The team is expected to set up the project headquarters in Khartoum, hire local staff and establish procedures and systems for program activities. Among the key personnel required for this contract are a chief of party, an operations manager, a finance manager and a grants manager. These are the positions considered essential for the work to be performed for this specific contract. A monitoring and evaluation specialist, a procurement manager and team leaders or area experts for each field office or geographic area of responsibility may also be required. The program is expected to start operations Oct. 1. AECOM has been among the top recipients of USAID contract awards over the past few years. In fiscal 2012, the firm won $145.1 million in obligated USAID contract funding, up from $130 million in fiscal 2011. Based in Los Angeles, California, AECOM is among the leading engineering firms involved in international development. Its core areas of expertise are on public policy and economic institutions, democracy and governance, humanitarian response and stabilization, and industrial and commercial area development. AECOM has won more than 45 USAID-funded consultancy projects and is currently implementing various donor-funded projects in more than 150 countries. These include the Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Yunnan Province, funded by the Asian Development Bank, and USAID’s Action Plan for Yunnan Province and Aqaba Community and Economic Development II. Check out more practical business and development advice online, and subscribe to Money Matters to receive the latest contract award and shortlist announcements, and procurement and fundraising news.