The United States Agency for International Development, USAID/RDMA intends to issue a solicitation for the ASEAN-U.S. Partnership for Good Governance, Equitable and Sustainable Development and Security (ASEAN-U.S. PROGRESS) activity to provide technical assistance, training, materials, and other resources as needed to support and enhance ASEAN's capacity to advance good governance and regional security, and to promote equitable and sustainable human development in Southeast Asia in line with ASEAN Political-Security and Socio-Cultural Blueprints, as well as the ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership Plan of Action 2011-2015 (PoA). The activity will also provide technical assistance to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, in order to expand its capacity to facilitate and support meetings, agreements and protocols and outreach central to ASEAN's regional integration agenda.

The overall development goal of the activity is to enhance ASEAN's ability to advance good governance, regional security and equitable and sustainable human development. It will focus on improving regional responses and ASEAN-U.S. cooperation to address emerging regional and global challenges. The activity will contribute to the overall ASEAN-U.S. Partnership Program effort.

The component objectives of the activity are: (a) enhancing ASEAN's ability to advance good governance and political and security integration, particularly in the areas of public-private sector dialogue, promotion of human rights, cooperation to combat transnational crimes and non-traditional security threats; (b) enhancing ASEAN's ability to advance socio-cultural integration, particularly in the areas of women's and children's rights, disaster management, and the capacity and quality of science-based policy-making; and (c) supporting the ASEAN Secretariat's function to facilitate and support meetings, agreements and protocols central to the three Pillars, as well as Secretariat's implementation of the ASEAN-U.S. PoA, the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), and the Masterplan on Connectivity, particularly in the areas of project management, capacity for outreach and use of ICT in Secretariat's activities. In addition, the activity will incorporate coordination and communications support for overall USAID assistance to ASEAN. Reflecting the demand-driven nature of U.S. assistance to ASEAN and to take advantage of "windows of opportunity" that were not present or accounted for at the design/award stage, the activity will provide flexibility to address other relevant elements of the ASEAN Community Blueprints and the ASEAN-U.S. PoA.

USAID/RDMA envisions a combination of technical assistance, training and grants (for either U.S. or ASEAN-region based organizations) to ensure rapid response to emerging opportunities to achieve activity objectives. USAID also places emphasis on the utilization of regional expertise and partnerships in the provision of technical assistance.

All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered by the agency.

This notice does not obligate USAID to release a solicitation or award a contract nor does it commit the Government to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. In addition, final award cannot be made until funds have been fully appropriated, allocated, and committed and internal USAID procedures have been completed. This notice satisfies the synopsis requirement in FAR 5.201.

 

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