Pakistan Capacity Development Services (PCDS) Small Business Set-aside

The primary focus of the U.S. civilian-assistance program is to develop a stable, secure and tolerant Pakistan with a vibrant economy. Many local institutions face institutional capacity issues and overall weaknesses in their internal controls, financial management and absorptive capacity. Weak systems that are not transparent and lack accountability and limited human resource capacity of implementing partners pose risks. This has accentuated the need for risk assessment and capacity development to be in place to ensure that resources are spent in a transparent, efficient and effective manner and to ensure that the projects achieve their objectives within the specified timeframes. In order to address the various fiduciary risks and capacity development needs, services are being requested to assist USAID in providing a wide range of services for USAID indirect partners and key institutions in Pakistan, including those that work on increasing participation of and reducing vulnerabilities of women and other excluded groups. USAID/Pakistan defines Indirect G2G Partner as Government of Pakistan entities that do not receive direct funding from USAID. Instead these government entities indirectly provide support to G2G activities and play a crucial role in the effective use of the host country systems by USAID. These services will include provision of the technical assistance required to assess organizational fiduciary risks. In addition, support is needed in risk management and capacity development that will enable organizations to support USAID and Pakistan's common goals and development objectives. It is important that USAID implementing partners have sound, effective, transparent and accountable systems in place to manage public funds and that there is a decrease in opportunities for corruption, inefficiencies and mismanagement. Sound systems can facilitate: - Good management practices - Access to useful, accurate and timely information for better decision-making - Systems that complement each other across entities These outcomes are important, because organizations and government entities with sound financial management systems, including transparency, accountability, and internationally recognized standards, tend to be more stable, have more credibility, and are better able to achieve broad-based results on a sustainable basis for men, women, boys and girls.