JoAnn C. Sparacino

JoAnn C. Sparacino serves as a Contracting Officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development/Afghanistan (USAID/Afghanistan), where she plays a pivotal role in executing the agency’s mission of advancing sustainable development and institutional capacity building. She manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for technical assistance and program management services, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and USAID’s development objectives. Her portfolio centers on strategic consulting services that support governance, economic growth, education, and health system strengthening across Afghanistan. Sparacino is responsible for soliciting, evaluating, and awarding contracts that align with U.S. foreign policy goals and donor accountability standards. Sparacino collaborates with a diverse array of international and domestic consulting firms specializing in public sector reform, institutional development, and technical advisory services. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages firms with demonstrated expertise in Afghan context-specific challenges, fostering long-term partnerships built on performance, adaptability, and cultural competency. Her contracting approach emphasizes competitive solicitation, rigorous source selection, and performance-based contract management to ensure value and impact. Sparacino’s procurement activity reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions classified as “No Set-Aside.” This indicates a focus on selecting the most qualified providers regardless of socioeconomic status, consistent with the unique operational environment and limited availability of certified small businesses in Afghanistan. Her approach prioritizes technical capability and programmatic alignment over socioeconomic set-asides, though she remains compliant with all applicable federal small business policies. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541611—Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services—reflecting her specialization in securing expert-led advisory support for public sector modernization. She procures services including organizational development, policy design, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and capacity-building interventions tailored to Afghan institutions, demonstrating deep expertise in development consulting and performance-driven contracting.