On July 18, 2024, ECODIT President Roula Attar moderated a panel discussion and Q&A session for a virtual Reverse Industry Day (RID) with USAID staff, hosted by USAID’s Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA) and Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), in collaboration with the Small Business Association for International Companies (SBAIC). Ms. Attar worked closely with USAID to organize the RID, in her capacity as co-chair of SBAIC’s Procurement Committee. SBAIC is a membership organization established to promote the meaningful utilization of U.S. small businesses at government agencies providing foreign assistance.
Jami Rodgers, USAID’s Senior Procurement Executive, opened the event, noting, “Small businesses are more than a metric, they're a strategic partner for realizing better development outcomes and promoting our foreign policy objectives.” USAID OSDBU Director Kimberly Ball also delivered remarks focused on small business utilization and the Agency’s priorities and targets in this area.
During the RID, Ms. Attar and five panelists - Betsy Bassan from Panagora Group, Erika Davis from Davis Management Group, Keith Ives from Causal Design, Kaylin Nickol from Nickol Global Solutions, and Michael Minkoff from Athena Infonomics - discussed their experiences in working with USAID as small business partners, and provided concrete recommendations to enhance the Agency’s small business utilization and partner diversification efforts. The event was a great success, with more than 150 USAID staff attending from around the world.
Key takeaways from the event include the following recommendations to USAID:
• Maximize opportunities for U.S. small businesses across all sectors and regions.
• Designate a USAID leader to advance a partner retention strategy, supporting the growth and success of businesses of all sizes.
• Share positive experiences with small business partnerships to foster growth, enhance capabilities, and expand USAID’s partner network.
• Recognize that small firms are specialized and provide exceptional technical delivery and customer service.
• Utilize existing tools and encourage government-industry engagement to address small business needs.
• Leverage the rule of two to reduce barriers for small businesses, even in overseas Missions.
• Explore and nurture opportunities to align increased localization with small business utilization.
• Be mindful of potential unintended consequences of certain localization approaches.
“It was a privilege to convene small business leaders and USAID staff to discuss ways for the Agency to better leverage small business capabilities to enhance development impact across sectors and regions,” said Ms. Attar. “Industry engagement events like these contribute to strengthening partnerships and I am grateful to USAID and SBAIC for their shared commitment to effective small business utilization.”
To watch a full recording of the RID, please visit the Work With USAID YouTube Channel here.