Nadia Shaherzad

Nadia Shaherzad serves as an Acquisition & Assistance Specialist at USAID/Afghanistan, where she plays a pivotal role in executing the agency’s mission of advancing sustainable development through strategic procurement and assistance mechanisms. She manages the full lifecycle of contracts and cooperative agreements, focusing on technical services that strengthen governance, economic resilience, and institutional capacity. Her work ensures alignment with U.S. foreign policy objectives by facilitating expert-led interventions in education, health, and civil society development, with a strong emphasis on compliance, transparency, and performance-based outcomes. Nadia collaborates with a diverse range of international and local consulting firms, primarily engaging firms with deep expertise in public sector reform, technical advisory services, and field-based program implementation. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently partners with organizations possessing proven experience in Afghanistan’s operational environment, prioritizing firms with local presence, cultural competency, and demonstrated success in complex, high-risk contexts. Her approach emphasizes long-term partnership building over transactional engagements, fostering accountability and adaptive management. Nadia’s procurement activity reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions designated as “No Set-Aside.” This reflects a strategic decision to prioritize technical merit and programmatic impact over socioeconomic set-asides, aligning with USAID/Afghanistan’s operational needs in a challenging environment where qualified small businesses are limited. Her approach emphasizes capability over certification, ensuring that critical services are delivered by the most qualified providers available. Her primary procurement focus lies in three NAICS categories: 541370 (Surveying and Mapping Services), 541690 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services), and 541611 (Administrative Management Consulting Services). She routinely acquires technical assistance for institutional strengthening, data-driven program evaluation, and governance system design, demonstrating deep expertise in procurement for complex, results-oriented development programs.