U.S. Agency for International Development, (USAID), Office of Procurement, M/OP/ENI/EEUD, Room 7.09-091, RRB, Washington, D.C. 20523-7900

R -- ENVIRONMENTAL PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND THE NEW INDEPENDENT STATES SOL M/OP-98-274 POC Contact Point: Elaine Smialek, Fax: 202-216-3396; E-mail: esmialek@usaid.gov The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) seeks applications from qualified U.S. organizations or consortia of organizations for award of a three to five-year Cooperative Agreement in support of a program to promote market-oriented solutions to environmental problems facing local governments and industries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the New Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. The successful applicant will coordinate a partnership grants program that will facilitate linkages among organizations within the CEE and the NIS and between U.S. entities and partners within the region, and promote CEE/NIS business opportunities for U.S. firms in the environmental sector. USAID seeks an organization with demonstrated capability to identify opportunities for partnering, as well as the capacity to nurture and facilitate such partnerships. Applicants must be prepared to contribute non- USAID resources toward meeting the overall cost of the program; all partnership grants within the program will also be made on a cost-sharing basis. This competitive RFA will be awarded as a component of a new initiative, entitled "Environmental Partnership Program (EPP)," which is a result of a year-long series of discussions on appropriate transition strategies for environmentally sound economic improvements by the U.S. in CEE/NIS. The goal of the overall EPP is to forge relationships with new partners, particularly private partners, to expand and accelerate environmental trade, investment and policy reform in this region. In addition to market-oriented solutions to environmental problems facing localities and industry in these countries, the purpose of the EPP is to stimulate sustainable environmental trade and investment linkages between the U.S. and the ENI region. It will complement, and be supported by, existing and future USAID programs to meet the continued need for strengthening environmental policies and regulatory frameworks within CEE/NIS nations. In some cases, it is expected, within the context of the overall EPP, limited technical assistance will be provided to ensure that policies exist and are implemented to support the investments stimulated by the Program's primary work. USAID anticipates that the Program will serve as a catalyst across the region to increase public/private participation in environmentally sound economic development by: (1) stimulating dialogue between the these sectors and action on policies that encourage private participation in environmental projects; and (2) assisting ENI-based environmental decision-makers in accessing information on environmental technologies, approaches and services or locating partners who can help them solve priority environmental problems that are predominantly transboundary or regional in nature (air and water pollution, climate-change mitigation, solid and toxic waste cleanup, etc.). The RFA will fully describe the competitive application process, as well as the overall EPP and the Program Description for the proposed cooperative agreement. The RFA will outline what information is to be submitted for review by USAID. As stated above, the successful applicant will be expected to contribute to the proposed Program's cost in cash and/or in kind, in order to demonstrate commitment to the principles of the EPP and maximize its potential impact. The Agreement will be incrementally funded by USAID, subject to availability of funds. USAID expects to release the RFA for the anticipated cooperative agreement on or about January 21, 1998. The preferred method of distribution of USAID procurement information is via the Internet or by request of a solicitation on a 3.5" floppy disk (WordPerfect 5.1/5.2 format). This CBD notice can be viewed and downloaded using the Agency Website. The RFA, once issued, may be downloaded from the Agency Website at: http//www.info.usaid.gov. From this homepage, select "Business and Procurement Opportunities," then "USAID Procurements," then "Download Available USAID Solicitations." Receipt of this RFA through the Internet must be confirmed by written notification to the contact person listed above. It is the responsibility of the recipient of this RFA to ensure that it has been received from the Internet in its entirety as USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from the transmission on conversion processes. (0008)

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