Ajaya Parajuli

Ajaya Parajuli serves as an Acquisition and Assistance Assistant at USAID/Nepal, supporting the agency’s mission to advance sustainable development through strategic procurement and assistance mechanisms. In this role, Parajuli facilitates the acquisition of professional services critical to program implementation, including technical assistance, capacity building, and institutional strengthening initiatives. They work closely with program officers to translate development objectives into compliant, performance-based solicitations, ensuring alignment with federal acquisition regulations and USAID’s policy framework. Parajuli typically handles non-construction services under simplified acquisition procedures and assists in managing cooperative agreements and grants, with a focus on locally led, data-driven solutions in health, governance, agriculture, and community empowerment. Parajuli collaborates with a diverse array of international and local service providers, including consulting firms, research institutions, and civil society organizations, to deliver technical expertise tailored to Nepal’s development context. While no single contractor dominates their portfolio, working relationships are characterized by long-term partnerships with organizations demonstrating deep local knowledge, technical proficiency, and adaptive management capabilities. These collaborations emphasize performance outcomes, transparency, and alignment with USAID’s principles of localization and sustainability. Parajuli’s procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for open, unrestricted competition, with 100% of acquisitions classified as “No Set-Aside.” This approach prioritizes merit-based selection over socioeconomic set-asides, aligning with USAID/Nepal’s emphasis on technical excellence and programmatic impact over socioeconomic categorization in procurement decisions. The primary NAICS categories under Parajuli’s purview are 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), which constitutes two-thirds of acquisitions, reflecting a heavy reliance on expert advisory services in development programming. Additional focus areas include 925120 (Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development) and 611710 (Educational Support Services), underscoring expertise in governance reform, rural development, and education system strengthening. Their procurement activity centers on high-value professional services that enhance institutional capacity and public service delivery across Nepal’s most underserved communities.