Marcelline A. Ochola

Marcelline A. Ochola serves as an Acquisition & Assistance Specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Kenya Mission (USAID/KEA), where she plays a pivotal role in designing and executing complex procurement and assistance strategies that advance U.S. development objectives across East Africa. She specializes in managing non-construction contracts for technical services that support governance, public health, economic resilience, and social behavior change initiatives. Her work directly enables USAID’s mission to build locally led solutions by ensuring timely, compliant, and context-appropriate acquisition of expert services from qualified vendors, often in fragile or high-risk operational environments. Marcelline collaborates with a diverse range of professional service providers, including international consulting firms, local African-based technical organizations, and U.S.-based development contractors. Her procurement patterns reflect a preference for flexible, performance-based agreements that emphasize adaptive management and measurable outcomes. She works closely with implementing partners to align contractual deliverables with programmatic goals, fostering collaborative vendor relationships grounded in accountability and technical excellence. Marcelline’s contracting portfolio is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic alignment with USAID’s emphasis on selecting the most qualified entities regardless of socioeconomic status, prioritizing technical capability and local relevance over mandated set-asides. While she does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her process ensures rigorous evaluation criteria that still create equitable access for capable small and medium-sized enterprises. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 561990 (All Other Support Services) and 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), encompassing monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, data analytics, stakeholder engagement, and institutional strengthening services. She frequently procures technical assistance for public sector reform, health system strengthening, and community-led development programs, demonstrating deep expertise in context-sensitive, results-driven acquisition practices tailored to East Africa’s dynamic operational landscape.