R -- Merger of MIDAS and CAPP Projects with Associates in Rural Development, Inc. under Contract No. 514-C-00-06-00301-00

USAID/Colombia intends to terminate for convenience the Colombian Agribusiness Partnership Program (CAPP) task order no. 820 under contract no. PCE-I-00-99-00001-00 awarded to Associates in Rural Development, Inc. (ARD), and award a sole source contract modification using the remaining funds of approximately $24 million for the M's Inversi'n para el Desarrollo Alternativo Sostenible (MIDAS) Program under contract no. 514-C-00-06-00301-00 awarded to ARD Inc. on a full and open competition basis on December 23, 2005. The estimated completion date is December 31, 2010. The current total estimated contract amount is USD$ 159,999,977. The purpose of the MIDAS contract is to provide the necessary technical expertise to design, manage, and evaluate various program activities. Some of the primary foci to address are, eliminating illicit crop planting and production, creating an environment that will promote and enhance the viability of the overall level of political, economic, and social development, sustainability of programs. The Agribusiness Component of MIDAS has essentially the same approach and objectives as CAPP, from which its design was heavily drawn. Both further USAID/Colombia's Strategic Objective 2: Promote Economic and Social Alternatives to Illicit Crop Production. The objective and approach of both CAPP and the MIDAS Agribusiness Component is to help agricultural producers and others involved in illicit products shift into legal activities or remain uninvolved in illicit coca and poppy production. Both efforts are designed to provide responsible, larger and new Colombian agribusinesses with an effective combination of financial, training and technical support services to help them develop new or significantly expanded businesses (Projects) that will increase and sustain income opportunities in or near areas where illicit crops are produced. Also, both CAPP and the Agribusiness Component of MIDAS provide 1) pre-implementation technical assistance and training needed to produce commercially viable business plans, 2) linkages with other sources of development and implementation support, 3) financial support for technical assistance and training for Project implementation and 4) other - up-front financial assistance to facilitate Project implementation. Given the similarities between CAPP and the Agribusiness Component of MIDAS and the fact that the implementer is the same, they will be combined in the interest of improved efficiency and centralized management. The target date for this consolidation to take place is May 31, 2006. The majority of these funds and personnel will be merged into the MIDAS Agribusiness Component, as will be the existing CAPP portfolio of ongoing projects, and will become the majority of the Agribusiness Component's Project Implementation Unit. The funds will cover the transferred CAPP activities until their respective agreements have been fulfilled. USAID intends to negotiate this modification with only one source under the authority of AIDAR 706.302-70 (b)(5), where an award is for the continued provision of highly specialized services and award to another source would result in substantial additional costs to the Government or would result in unacceptable project delays. The required services include continuation and expansion of services of the same nature as described in the original statement of work of the original contract. This notice is not a request for proposals and no solicitation is available. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to satisfy the Government's requirement in accordance with numbered note 22. Any information received will be considered for the purpose of conducting a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition is solely within the discretion of the Government.