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PRGI/MyFedAccess
Contract Activity & Project Profiles: Asia - Laos

1.    Acquisitions & Assistance Training Course for Cognizant Technical Officers (CTOs)
2.    Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund


Contract Activity:    Acquisitions & Assistance Training Course for Cognizant Technical Officers (CTOs)


Background:    The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) routinely enters into contracts with vendors to acquire a variety of goods and services in support of its development projects and initiatives. When requirements that need to be fulfilled are identified, the requesting Program/Project Office submits its Scope of Work (SOW) to a Contract Officer. In turn, the Contract Officer incorporates the SOW into the resultant Request for Proposals/Quotations (RFP/Q).

To help ensure the agency receives responsive Proposals/Quotations, the SOW and RFP must clearly describe the technical requirements, as well as the rules and regulations that must be followed by all vendors. The next critical step in the Acquisitions & Assistance process is evaluating the Proposals/Quotations that are submitted by prospective vendors. Finally, after a contract is awarded, a Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO)--historically known as the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative--oversees the actual delivery of the goods and/or services that were procured.

Certain procurement policies are subject to change, and there is a constant turnover of Contract Officers and CTOs; hence, ongoing training must be provided in all phases of the Acquisition & Assistance/Procurement process to ensure compliance with the prevailing procurement policies.

Project Profile:    Professional Resource Group International, Inc. (PRGI) was contracted to design a curriculum and training manuals, provide Subject Matter Experts, and Professional Facilitators to assist government procurement personnel in delivering the Acquisition & Assistance training course for Contract and Cognizant Technical Officers from Laos and other countries throughout Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America (including the Caribbean Basin), and the Middle East. Case studies, audio-visual materials, small group discussions, and other tools were used to enhance the effectiveness of the overall training presentation.

The course included instructions and guidance on how to write a comprehensive Scope of Work and how to evaluate responses to Request For Proposals/Quotations.

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Contract Activity:    Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund (WVF)


Background:    The War Victims Fund supports programs that provide for the improved mobility of people with disabilities by providing accessible, appropriate prosthetic services. With a renewed focus on quality of service, the fund added patient follow-up and monitoring as part of its projects. In Laos a special program that upgrades medical and surgical services for victims of accidental detonations of unexploded ordnance has been successful and is being replicated in other parts of the country.

Historically, war victims and other people living with disabilities face daunting obstacles in gaining access to education, training, and employment opportunities. Appropriate policies and construction codes for barrier-free accessibility for people living with disabilities can help overcome these obstacles. Toward this end, an innovative program of assistance in Vietnam that began with a focus on barrier-free accessibility has resulted in passage of a comprehensive national disabilities law. This legislation was drafted with the assistance of Americans who participated in efforts to pass and implement the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund was Active in 20 Countries

1. Afghanistan	6. El Salvador	11. Laos	16. Philippines
2. Cambodia	7. Ethiopia	12. Lebanon	17. Sri Lanka
3. Colombia	8. Guatemala	13. Nepal	18. Sudan
4. Costa Rica	9. Honduras	14. Nicaragua	19. Uganda
5. Congo*	10. Kenya	15. Panama	20. Vietnam

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*Democratic Republic of the Congo-Kinshasa


Improved economic conditions and the ability to increase earned income are essential to the health and welfare of all individuals, including those living with disabilities. In Cambodia, the fund has supported a variety of innovative approaches to increase income-generating opportunities for war victims and their families. Lessons learned from these approaches can be used to develop similar programs in other countries.

Project Title in Laos People's Democratic Republic (PDR):    War Victims Assistance Project, Lao PDR

Cooperating Agencies in Laos:    The Consortium (World Education, World Learning, Save the Children/US)

War Victims Assistance Project, Lao PDR
Provides Accessible and Appropriate Prosthetic Services

World Education, World Learning, Save the Children/US Consortium
Produces and Distribute Prostheses, Orthotic Braces, and Wheelchairs to War Victims

Project Description in Laos:    Laos suffered some of the heaviest aerial bombing in history. In addition to enduring a civil war, Laos became part of the Vietnam conflict as ordnance was dropped on Northern provinces of Houapan and Xieng Khouang by planes returning to Thailand. And in the South, provinces that traversed the Ho Chi Minh Trail suffered heavy aerial bombing as attempts were made to cut North Vietnamese supply routes. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) has caused thousands of deaths and injuries in Laos and continues to be a major hazard for farmers and children. Ordnance victims die or are permanently disabled because of low-quality emergency care.

USAID began providing assistance for the prosthetics and orthotics needs of the disabled in Laos in 1990. In 1995, the program shifted its emphasis toward strengthening activities to prevent UXO accidents as well as strengthening the medical and surgical treatment capabilities in Xieng Khouang. Today, the Consortium implements a two-pronged program to work with the Laos government in providing both educational and medical services.

Project Profile:    Professional Resource Group International, Inc. (PRGI) was contracted by USAID to administer these funds and provide Technical, Logistical, and Administrative Support Services for civilian victims of war in more than 20 countries, including Laos. The Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund (WVF) compliments the Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF), both were under the administration of PRGI. Each year, through the efforts of its collaborating partners and the dedicated and professional commitment of their local and international staff, the U.S. Agency for International Development's Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund provides assistance to thousands of war victims, their families, and other people living with disabilities.

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Please Click Here to read a Letter from the Principal