In FY 2017, USAID obligated $17.2 billion through 24,172 actions through acquisition and assistance (A&A) mechanisms. This continues the upward trend of Agency funding obligated through A&A mechanisms and along with an increased number of actions.

One of the major areas of progress in FY 2017, was the launch of our live-feed Business Forecast. Located in the Work With USAID section of the Agency’s website, this interactive tool enables organizations to identify funding opportunities quickly and easily, by filtering down to exactly the type of solicitation or award that is most relevant. The site is updated on a daily basis, pulling directly from our internal A&A Planning Tool, ensuring that our partners have the most up-to-date information available.

In the critical area of Procurement Action Lead Time (PALT), we continued to see areas of reductions in the amount of time it takes to make an award, thanks to re-examining and streamlining workflows, and implementing best pr actices. This year we will be launching a new internal PALT tracking tool in our A&A Planning system to continue these pursuits.

We saw a number of other positive trends in FY 2017, and have been actively embarking on further advancements in FY 2018. From the launch of new A&A Labs, to integrating the concepts of co-creation and collaboration across A&A activities, we have continued to seek out and implement innovative ways to increase efficiency and achieve more impactful results. We are constantly exploring how we can enhance our program design methods, and our use of solicitations, to include practices that invite the partner community to engage and collaborate.

We recognize that enhanced engagement can be fostered through many approaches, such as concept papers and statement of objectives, allowing partners to become active participants. We have also used these and other techniques in Broad Agency Announcements and Public-Private Partnerships. Moving into FY 2018, we want to prioritize approaches that embrace collaboration, creativity and entrepreneurship, local ownership, adaptability, and lasting results.