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PRGI/MyFedAccess
Contract Activity & Project Profiles: Africa - Tanzania


1.    Acquisitions & Assistance Training Course for Cognizant Technical Officers (CTOs)
2.    Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund
3.    Africa Global Information Infrastructure Gateway Project -- The Leland Initiative


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.

Acquisition & Assistance Certification Training Program
Administered to COs & CTOs/COTRs in Over 40 Countries, including Tanzania

Teaching COs & CTOs/COTRs How to Write a SOW and Evaluate Proposals


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 in Tanzania 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. Special programs that upgrades medical and surgical services for victims of accidental detonations of unexploded ordnance has been successful in some countries (like Laos) and is being replicated in other countries.

Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund
Provides Accessible and Appropriate Prosthetic Services

Helping Land Mine Victims, Child Soldiers/Combatants, and Victims of Human Trafficking


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

____________________
*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. 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.

As the fund evolved, its agenda became more challenging. Plans were made to include people with disabilities in planning and implementing programs; improved training; expanded community-based rehabilitation; development and production of appropriate wheelchairs; and increased coordination with other donors.

Project Title in Tanzania:    The Tanzanian Training Center for Orthopedic Technologists

Cooperating Agency in Tanzania:    World Health Organization (WHO)

Background:    The Tanzanian Training Center for Orthopedic Technologists (TATCOT) was founded in 1981. The center enrolls students from English-speaking African countries, as well as from other continents. It is the only African center recognized by the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO). Graduates of this program are employed in over 19 countries, many sponsored by their ministries of health.

Students who graduate from TATCOT find employment as prosthetic and orthotic technicians. Most already come with job offers from various ministries that help fund their training.

This activity will improve institutional capacity in many African countries to deliver orthopedic services. USAID support offers hope of reaching long-term sustainability through education and training in human capacity development.

With support to training centers in Ethiopia (through ICRC) and Central American (through PAHO), the fund continues to emphasize certified training as a long-term strategy.

Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund
Provides Accessible and Appropriate Prosthetic Services

Prosthetics Assistance Project
Prosthetic and Orthotic Worldwide Education and Relief (POWER)


Project Description in Tanzania:    The grant is implemented by WHO/Tanzania. Their financial and managerial oversight compliments the technical expertise offered by the Leahy War Victims Fund. Although the purpose of the grant is to support prosthetics training for qualified African applicants, special priority will be given to applicants from programs supported by the Leahy War Victims Fund.

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 Tanzania. 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.

Since 1989, the Patrick J. Leahy War Victims Fund has worked in war-affected developing countries to provide a dedicated source of financial and technical assistance for civilian victims of war. The fund has now provided over $60 million in more than 16 countries, including Tanzania. The fund serves people who suffer from mobility-related injuries, including those with land-mine injuries, and those who suffer from polio as a result of interrupted immunization services.


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Contract Activity:    Africa Global Information Infrastructure Project -- The Leland Initiative


Background:    The Africa Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Gateway Project, also known as the Leland Initiative, was a five-year $15 million project designed to provide or extend full Internet connectivity to up to 21 African nations. The project facilitated and encouraged Internet use by Africans and their development partners to meet the challenges of achieving Sustainable Development. Approved by the U.S. Congress in 1995, the initiative was named in honor of the late U.S. Congressman, Mickey Leland, who was killed in a plane accident in Ethiopia, in 1989. Mr. Leland had worked extensively on African affairs and was a strong advocate of U.S. support to African nations.

Leland Initiative Partner Countries


1. Benin

  8. Guinea Bissau

15. Rwanda

2. Botswana

  9. Kenya

16. Senegal

3. Cote d'Ivoire

10. Madagascar

17. South Africa

4. Eritrea

11. Malawi

18. Tanzania

5. Ethiopia

12. Mali

19. Uganda

6. Ghana

13. Mozambique

20. Zambia

7. Guinea

14. Namibia

21. Zimbabwe

The Leland Initiative was an inter-agency effort coordinated by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), but also included the U.S. Departments of State and Defense (Navy). Project activities were governed by three Strategic Objectives:

  • Strategic Objective 1: Create an enabling policy environment in project countries to facilitate electronic networking and access to Global Information Infrastructure technologies.

  • Strategic Objective 2: Strengthen the local telecommunications infrastructure to facilitate Internet access and support a local Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry to ensure the local availability of reliable, accessible, and cost-effective Internet access.

  • Strategic Objective 3: Achieve broad-based utilization of Global Information Infrastructure technologies by USAID and its development partners, including host country governments, to promote Sustainable Development strategies.

Africa Global Information Infrastructure Gateway Project

(The Leland Initiative)

Bringing Information Affluence to 21 African Countries


In each country where the Leland Initiative was active, the three (3) Strategic Objectives (SO3) began with a series of country assessments that addressed 1) the national and regional policies and regulations concerning telecommunications and information access and use; 2) the condition of the national telecommunications infrastructure; and 3) the potential demand for Internet access in the public and private sectors. Data gathered from these assessments formed the foundation for individualized country reports and action plans for SO3 activities. Critical to the success of the project was the negotiation of Memorandums of Understanding among the stakeholders (the U.S. government, host country government, and primary local telecommunications provider) and technical training of local engineers to continue operating the Internet Gateway after it was installed. The details of how these Strategic Objectives were accomplished are provided below.


Project Profile:    Professional Resource Group International, Inc. (PRGI) was contracted to provide Technical, Logistical, Managerial, and Administrative Support Services in support of accomplishing the Strategic Objectives of the Leland Initiative by: a) providing policy and technical assistance; and b) teaching the USAID Mission staff and host country government personnel how to use the Internet to effectuate Sustainable Development strategies. Before technical assistance was provided, PRGI conducted initial field assessments in each participating country to examine the current telecommunications policy and regulatory environment, as well as the existing telecommunications infrastructure.

Having an open and competitive market for potential Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the private sector was viewed as key to the success of the Leland Initiative, and a major condition of the resultant Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) that was signed by the U.S. government, the host country government, and the local telecommunications providers/operators. Hence, the initial field assessments were also designed to gauge the interest of local entrepreneurs to become ISPs. After the data gathered during the initial field assessments were submitted and analyzed, PRGI personnel returned to each country and negotiated the Memorandums of Understanding. Once the conditions of the MOU were successfully negotiated and signed, financial and technical assistance was given to the host country governments to obtain and install equipment that provided them with a gateway to the Internet; hence, paving the way for the development of ISPs in the private sector.

Anatomy of the Africa Global Information Infrastructure Gateway Project

(The Leland Initiative)

1) Meeting w/Stakeholders; 2) Signing the MOU; and 3) Promoting the Internet Inauguration
Bringing Information Affluence to the Continent of Africa


Technical assistance to the host country government and local telecommunications providers also consisted of broad dissemination of information concerning Leland Initiative activities. This included drafting speeches and press releases, developing brochures, and making direct contact with groups interested in the Leland Initiative activities (i.e., gaining access to the Internet). A heavy promotional campaign (television and radio interviews & ribbon cutting ceremonies) was conducted to build wide user awareness. In addition to highlighting that (affordable) access to the Internet was available, the campaign was complemented with training for the USAID Mission staff and their partner organizations.

To provide Technical, Logistical, Managerial, and Administrative Support Services throughout Africa, PRGI established partners and Leland Liaison Offices in key regions of the continent (Morocco--North Africa, Guinea--West Africa, and Madagascar--Southeast Africa). The Leland Liaison Offices were staffed by PRGI personnel and tasked with providing short-term support to help the USAID Missions, their partner institutions, and new ISPs develop promotional and training materials for their respective organizations. New ISPs were also provided assistance with obtaining financing, establishing operational procedures, and setting their rates.


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