Mercy Lapolo

Mercy Lapolo serves as a key procurement professional within USAID/Uganda, supporting the agency’s mission to build sustainable development and institutional resilience through strategic acquisitions. She manages a portfolio of technical assistance contracts focused on health systems strengthening, governance capacity building, and ecosystem management, ensuring alignment with U.S. foreign assistance priorities including PEPFAR initiatives. Her work centers on securing expert services that enable evidence-based programming, localized service delivery, and robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Lapolo’s acquisitions are designed to enhance local ownership and long-term self-reliance, emphasizing performance-based outcomes and adaptive management approaches. Lapolo collaborates with a diverse array of international and local professional service providers, including technical consultants, research institutions, and implementation partners with deep expertise in public health, policy analysis, and environmental sustainability. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, her contracting patterns reflect a preference for firms with demonstrated experience in complex, multi-sectoral development contexts. She fosters long-term, performance-driven partnerships that prioritize technical rigor, cultural competency, and adaptive implementation methodologies. Lapolo’s procurement strategy reflects a uniform preference for open competition, with 100% of awards issued under non-set-aside conditions. This approach underscores a strategic emphasis on selecting the most qualified providers based on technical merit and programmatic impact, rather than socioeconomic categorization. While small business participation is not formally prioritized through set-asides, her contracting practices remain inclusive, allowing all eligible firms—regardless of size or certification—to compete on equal footing. Her primary focus lies in NAICS 541990, encompassing all other professional, scientific, and technical services. This includes contracting for epidemiological research, institutional capacity assessments, data systems design, training curriculum development, and impact evaluation services. Lapolo’s domain expertise centers on health systems strengthening, governance reform, and climate-resilient natural resource management, ensuring that all procurements are grounded in technical precision and developmental impact.