Ousay Wahaj

Ousay Wahaj serves as an Acquisition Specialist with the U.S. Agency for International Development/Afghanistan (USAID/Afghanistan), where they play a critical role in executing mission-critical procurement activities aligned with the agency’s mandate to advance sustainable development and institutional capacity building. Responsible for managing the full lifecycle of acquisitions—from needs assessment and market research to contract award and administration—Wahaj specializes in professional and technical services that support governance, education, health systems, and civil society strengthening. Their work ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while advancing USAID’s strategic objectives through timely, transparent, and effective contracting. Wahaj collaborates with a diverse array of professional service providers, including international consulting firms, technical assistance organizations, and local Afghan implementers, fostering partnerships grounded in performance-based outcomes and adaptive management principles. While no specific contractor relationships are currently identifiable in the dataset, their procurement patterns reflect a preference for experienced, mission-aligned vendors capable of delivering complex, context-sensitive technical support in fragile environments. Engagement is characterized by rigorous evaluation of technical merit, past performance, and local capacity-building potential. Wahaj’s contracting portfolio demonstrates a strong orientation toward open competition, with 92.3% of acquisitions conducted without set-asides, reflecting the nature of specialized technical requirements and the limited availability of qualified small businesses in certain domains. However, they maintain a deliberate 7.7% focus on Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, signaling a measured but consistent commitment to expanding economic opportunities for small businesses where feasible and compliant. The majority of Wahaj’s acquisitions—90%—fall under NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), encompassing advisory services, program evaluation, and institutional strengthening support. An additional 10% are classified under NAICS 611430 (Professional and Management Development Training), highlighting expertise in designing and procuring capacity-building curricula, leadership development programs, and technical training interventions tailored to Afghan public institutions. Their domain knowledge centers on conflict-sensitive programming, results-based monitoring, and cross-cultural implementation strategies.