Mahesh Kanjee

Mahesh Kanjee serves as a Regional Acquisitions and Assistance Specialist for USAID/South Africa, where he plays a pivotal role in advancing the agency’s mission of sustainable development through strategic procurement and assistance mechanisms. He manages the full lifecycle of non-construction acquisitions, focusing on professional services that build local institutional capacity in public health, governance, and environmental conservation. His work directly supports USAID’s technical assistance programs by securing expert consulting, analytical, and implementation services tailored to Southern Africa’s development priorities. Kanjee ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurements with USAID’s strategic objectives and local partnership goals. Kanjee collaborates with a diverse array of professional service providers, including international consulting firms, regional technical experts, and local civil society organizations with specialized knowledge in HIV/AIDS response, civic engagement, and wildlife protection. His procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting and outcome-driven deliverables, fostering long-term partnerships grounded in technical excellence and adaptive management. He prioritizes vendors with demonstrated field experience in sub-Saharan Africa and a track record of delivering culturally competent, context-specific solutions. Kanjee’s procurement portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of acquisitions conducted without set-asides, indicating a focus on selecting the most qualified providers regardless of socioeconomic status. While he does not prioritize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, his process remains transparent and inclusive, ensuring equitable access for all eligible vendors through full and open competition. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), encompassing technical advisory services, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity-building support, with a secondary emphasis on NAICS 541611 (Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services). He routinely procures services related to program design, data analytics, policy reform, and institutional strengthening, demonstrating deep expertise in development-sector consulting and results-based management frameworks.