Regional Contracts Office, USAID/Guatemala-CAP, Unit 3323, APO AA 34024

R -- TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE POC Lilian L. Rodas, Telephone (502) 332-0202, Fax (502) 331-1506, Contracting Officer: Paula S. Miller. USAID/G-CAP anticipates conducting sole source negotiations with the Academy for Education Development (AED) to provide ongoing technical support to the Guatemalan Ministry of Education (MOE) in the following areas during calendar year 1997: (1) bilingual-intercultural education; (2) active learning methodology for one-room rural schools; (3) girl's education; (4) management information systems (MIS) and training; and (5) achievement testing. The assistance will be provided under the Mission's Basic Education Strengthening (BEST) Project. The Best Project was reprogrammed in mid-1993 with the assumption that the World Bank III Education Project would be on-line well before the end of 1996. It was further expected that a significant portion of the World Bank III Project would be dedicated to taking to national scale the BEST Project pilot interventions. Hence, it was decided during the reprogramming to establish December, 1996 as the termination date for the AED contract, thereby allowing a bridge to the new World Bank program. However, the World Bank Project has been delayed and is not expected to be on line until the last quarter of 1997. In response to this situation, the MOE has requested USAID/G-CAP to provide an additional year of assistance under the BEST Project. Less than full and open competition is being used because of the need to avoid any interruption in support to the MOE before the World Bank III project commences as well as to take advantage of the profound in-country experience gained by AED to date in the BEST Project. No RFP is available, but all responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered by USAID/G-CAP. Inquiries should be forwarded to Regional Contracting Officer, Paula S. Miller; USAID/G-CAP, Unit 3323, APO AA 34024. See number Notes 22 and 25. (0302)

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