Top USAID women-led small business implementers in 2018

The U.S. Agency for International Development works with a number of women-owned small businesses that are implementing its projects around the world. In this article, we dig into the top women-owned small business implementers, following Devex’s analysis of USAID’s top awardees for the fiscal year 2018. One of USAID’s goals is to ensure 12 percent of its total worldwide contract obligations go to small businesses, with a goal of 5 percent to women-owned small businesses. As can be seen in the chart below, USAID has comfortably met the goal of small business prime contracting for the past five years, but it has recently failed to achieve the women-owned small business goal. As we wait for the official data for the fiscal year 2018 to be released by the Small Business Procurement Scorecard, officials taking part in USAID’s Q1 Business Forecast call said 14 percent of contract obligations went to small businesses in the fiscal year 2018. The U.S. government’s women-owned small business federal contracting program aims to increase the number of women-owned businesses competing for contracts in industries where women are not well represented. This supports the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. In fiscal year 2018, the total amount obligated by USAID was at $16.7 billion. About $365 million was awarded to women-owned businesses and within that, $200 million went to women-owned small businesses. Overall, the top 20 implementers make up about 91 percent of the total funding for women-owned small businesses ($200 million), or about 25 percent of the total financing for small businesses ($744.5 million). Ranked first, Social Solutions International was awarded just over 34 percent ($66 million) of the total funds provided to women-led small business in 2018. The consulting firm is currently carrying out a health program geared toward the promotion of child and maternal health, prevention of AIDS, and protection of communities from infectious diseases. USAID’s top 20 women-owned small businesses implementers Provided are the current awarded funding and focus area, and for the top 10 businesses, we have included some of the notable contracts they are currently implementing. 1. Social Solutions International, Inc. USAID awarded funding in 2018: $66,377,754.82 Headquarters: Rockville, Maryland, United States Founded: 2007 CEO: Susanna Nemes Social Solutions is a consulting firm offering quality research and evaluation; training and technical assistance; and institutional support services dedicated to the creation of social and health solutions for underserved populations worldwide. As a consistent implementer for USAID, Social Solutions has already established itself as a reliable partner of the agency. A notable project that it’s still currently implementing is the $17 million Coordinating Implementation Research to Communicate Learning and Evidence project. Also known as the CIRCLE project, it aims to provide technical, logistical, and administrative support to the USAID Health Research Program in its efforts to implement and facilitate systematic research-to-use activities on ending preventable child and maternal deaths, achieving an AIDS-free generation, and protecting communities from infectious diseases. 2. Resonance (formerly SSG Advisors) USAID awarded funding in 2018: $14,834,561.48 Headquarters: Burlington, Vermont, United States Founded: 2005 CEO: Nazgul Abdrazakova Resonance is a consulting firm working with the private sector, NGOs, foundations, and development agencies to deliver market-based solutions that address global economic, social, and environmental needs. Other than implementing monitoring and evaluation; political and economic advisory; and general management consulting services, in 2018, Resonance was one of the selected partners to implement the USAID Power Africa Expansion Program. This 5-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, or IDIQ, contract has a ceiling of $900 million and aims to support efforts to drive investments into Africa’s power sector. Other firms awarded with this IDIQ are Green Powered Technology, CORE International, ECODIT, SEGURA Consulting, Amec Foster Wheeler, Nexant, RTI International, and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. 3. EnCompass LLC USAID awarded funding in 2018: $14,207,253.31 Headquarters: Rockville, Maryland, United States Founded: 1999 CEO: Tessie Tzavaras Catsambas EnCompass is a global development consulting firm offering innovative and customized solutions for leadership, capacity strengthening, technical assistance, and monitoring and evaluation with expertise in global health, inclusive development, education, human rights, and food security. For the fiscal year 2018, the bulk of USAID contracts implemented by EnCompass were for capacity strengthening and training services, as well as on the provision of English writing proficiency courses for some of USAID’s country offices staff. In 2018, Encompass was also one of the firms awarded a $500 million integrated health systems IDIQ contract to assist USAID in planning and implementing health system strengthening programs globally. Other firms awarded were Banyan Global, University Research Co, Management Sciences for Health, Palladium, and Abt Associates Inc. 4. ZemiTek USAID awarded funding in 2018: $13,115,251.41 Headquarters: Bethesda, Maryland, United States Founded: 2007 CEO: Rosa Caldas Providing information technology and management consulting services worldwide, Zemitek partners with the U.S. government in delivering innovative solutions to contribute to development worldwide. The majority of Zemitek’s USAID contracts are for technical, advisory, and support services. The largest that it’s currently implementing is a $10.7 million contract, of which $1.7 million was obligated in 2018, for management and oversight of internal communication, knowledge management systems, and web services. 5. Highlight Technologies USAID awarded funding in 2018: $9,624,771.28 Headquarters: Fairfax, Virginia, United States Founded: 2008 CEO: Rebecca Andino Highlight Technologies works with various U.S. government agencies to provide IT development and transformation; secure IT operations; and mission support services. There are no new awards for Highlight Technologies in 2018 but it is still currently implementing its largest contract to date — a $50 million prime contract to provide system and program management support to the USAID Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning. 6. International Business Initiatives USAID awarded funding in 2018: $8,194,747.27 Headquarters: Fairfax, Virginia, United States Founded: 1996 Owner and chair: Lucie Phillips IBI is a consulting and training firm that provides insightful analysis and practical, timely solutions to governments and companies to positively impact individuals in the developing world. Since its founding, IBI has implemented multiple projects in over 40 countries. In 2018, it was awarded $3.5 million by USAID as part of a $4.9 million, three-year program in Pakistan. The project aims to help the country become stable, secure, tolerant, and economically vibrant. IBI contributes to this goal by providing technical assistance for organizational fiduciary assessment, and risk management and capacity development services. 7. Panagora Group USAID awarded funding in 2018: $8,096,557 Headquarters: Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Founded: 2011 CEO: Betsy Bassan Panagora offers high-quality, high-impact international health, development, and learning consulting services and provides expertise as short- or long-term technical assistance through institutional support mechanisms. With two contracts that started in 2018, Panagora is currently supporting USAID for its health-related programs in the Philippines and South Africa. For the Philippines, Panagora is providing monitoring and evaluation and learning and adaptive management services through a $6.5 million contract aimed toward the improvement of health for underserved Filipinos. Of that total value, $5.25 million has been obligated in 2018. Meanwhile, in South Africa, the group is providing monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning services to help USAID maximize results for its health development objective in the country through an $8.8 million contract of which $1.7 million was obligated in 2018. 8. Insight Systems Corporation USAID awarded funding in 2018: $6,546,737.2 Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States Founded: 2001 CEO: Nancy Abramson Insight is a business and IT consulting firm that provides needs analysis for finding business and technical solutions to government agencies and commercial organizations. In 2013, Insight received $34.7 million from USAID for Knowledge-Driven Agricultural Development in the U.S. The project, forecast to end in 2019, seeks to expand knowledge management capabilities, training, and communication. Insight supports this by utilizing knowledge capture and curation, providing a better understanding of USAID and its partners. 9. Integrative Sciences LLC USAID awarded funding in 2018: $5,311,056.35 Headquarters: Lowell, Massachusetts, United States Founded: 2009 CEO: Kumkum M. Dilwali Integrative Sciences is a technical and management consulting firm that offers environmental health management; training and development; program and operations management; cyber-authentication; and digital interactive services. For 2018, it received several contracts related to training services in Kenya, South Africa, Ukraine, and other countries. Of significant value is a contract worth $17.6 million, of which $3.3 million was obligated in 2018. This contract mandates Integrative Sciences to give technical and professional services to be performed in the U.S., to support USAID’s Congressionally-mandated child blindness directive. 10. Banyan Global USAID awarded funding in 2018: $5,173,352.03 Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States Founded: 2002 CEO: Meaghan Smith Banyan Global is a development consulting firm that works in the areas of health; finance and investment; enterprise development; gender; youth; and evaluation and learning. Through market-driven business approaches, it improves livelihoods, builds markets, and promotes efficient resources allocation in developing and transitional economies. In 2018, Banyan Global was awarded a $1.7 million task order for the Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality Technical Assistance, or W3 TA, program under the Advancing the Agenda of Gender Equality, or ADVANTAGE, IDIQ contract in which Banyan Global is also a prime recipient. 11. Jefferson Consulting Group USAID awarded funding in 2018: $4,419,371.88 Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States Founded: 1998 CEO: Julie Susman 12. CounterTrade Products, Inc. USAID awarded funding in 2018: $4,188,465.67 Headquarters: Arvada, Colorado, United States Founded: 1985 CEO: Sharon Norwell 13. New Editions Consulting, Inc. USAID awarded funding in 2018: $2,800,000 Headquarters: Falls Church, Virginia, United States Founded: 2002 President: Shelia S. Newman 14. SafeHaven Enterprises, LLC USAID awarded funding in 2018: $2,704,534 Headquarters: Jennings, Louisiana, United States Founded: 1998 CEO: Alta Baker 15. TCS Interpreting, Inc. USAID awarded funding in 2018: $2,059,950 Headquarters: Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Founded: 1982 CEO: Jessica Moseley 16. Davis Management Group, Inc. USAID awarded funding in 2018: $1,881,172 Headquarters: Alexandria, Virginia, United States Founded: 2007 CEO: Erika Davis 17. Trison Construction Inc. USAID awarded funding in 2018: $1,817,393.38 Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland, United States Founded: 1997 President: Clara Raju 18. International Center for Language Studies, Inc. USAID awarded funding in 2018: $1,472,756.7 Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States Founded: 1966 President: Karen Decker 19. The Panum Group, LLC USAID awarded funding in 2018: $1,437,864.45 Headquarters: Bethesda, Maryland, United States Founded: 1997 CEO: Sujata Gupta 20. The Manoff Group, Inc. USAID awarded funding in 2018: $1,430,000 Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States Founded: 1967 President: Marcia Griffiths