Eric Strong

Eric Strong serves as a DLI Contracting Officer for USAID/South Africa, where he leads the acquisition and management of professional, scientific, and technical services critical to advancing sustainable development outcomes across Southern Africa. In this role, he ensures compliance with federal procurement regulations while aligning contract vehicles with USAID’s mission to strengthen local institutional capacity, expand public health resilience, and promote environmental conservation. His portfolio primarily encompasses complex, performance-based contracts for technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity-building services that support HIV/AIDS response programs, governance reforms, and wildlife protection initiatives. He works closely with program officers to translate strategic objectives into solicitation requirements and oversees the full lifecycle of procurements—from market research and requirement development to contract award and closeout. Mr. Strong’s contracting patterns reflect a broad reliance on non-set-aside, open competitions, with no preferential use of 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic programs. His procurement strategy prioritizes technical merit, value, and mission alignment over socioeconomic targeting, consistent with USAID’s emphasis on performance-driven outcomes in complex international environments. He engages with a diverse pool of domestic and international service providers, including global consulting firms, research institutions, and local Southern African entities, fostering partnerships grounded in technical expertise and adaptive implementation capacity. His primary procurement focus is centered on NAICS 541990—All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services—encompassing a wide range of specialized services such as data analytics, policy advisory, community engagement design, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks. He routinely procures technical support for public health systems, civic governance platforms, and conservation management tools, demonstrating deep familiarity with the nuanced demands of international development contracting. His expertise lies in structuring flexible, results-oriented contracts that enable agile, locally led solutions in dynamic operational contexts.