CIDC Now

January 5, 2023

Greetings and Happy New Years from PSC, where we are still basking in the glow of both our phenomenally successful 10th annual CIDC Development Conference

and our festive December Board Meeting/Holiday Party.

Hard to believe how much has already transpired since then, with Congress passing both the NDAA and the FY23 Budget. Key issues impacting the contracting community included:

  1. Increasing transparency into the future Department of Defense (DoD) needs so contracting partners can plan and make needed investments.
  2. Mitigating vulnerabilities to supply chains.
  3. Helping companies recover costs caused by factors out of their control.

You can read a fuller analysis here. 

 

The new year brings changes to our Executive Advisory Board. Sue Chodakewitz, CEO of Nathan Associates, is our new CIDC Chair, and Torge Gerlach, CEO of DT Global, is CIDC’s new Vice Chair. Sue takes over from Leland Kruvant, President of Creative Associates, who deserves a hearty round of applause and thanks for his two years as Chair. New EAB members for 2023 are Shiro Gnanaselvam, CEO of Social Impact, and John Gastright, SVP for Government Relations for Amentum. You can see the full EAB roster here.

 

Many thanks to all the CIDC members who provided input on GSA’s OASIS+ MAC RFP. PSC submitted formal comments on December 30. See below for more information.

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Please note that our January meeting with AID’s Mark Walther will be on January 12 – not our standard third Thursday. Based on feedback from the EAB, we will move to a hybrid meeting, using PSC’s large conference room – including lunch! – much as we did before COVID. We are capping in-person at 45, so please be sure to register below and indicate if you will be attending in person or via Zoom.

Our “From the Field” stories this month highlight how DT Global is pioneering a new approach in Kosovo to expanding renewable energy access using drone technology. Nathan Associates discusses their economic development work in Moldova as that country seeks to withstand the pressures brought on by the fighting in Ukraine next door. Many of our members also submitted thought leadership pieces that you can see in our Member News section below. Please contact me to help us get the word out about the great work CIDC members are doing to make the world a better place.

Paul Foldi

Vice President, International Development Affairs

Professional Services Council
 

Next Up 

When:

Thursday, January 12; from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.

[Note Date – Second Thursday in January]

Speaker:

USAID Mark Walther Chief Procurement Executive

Where:

Hybrid – In Person at the PSC Offices in Arlington, VA or Virtual [NOTE: In-person attendance is capped at 45]

Click here to register

Thanks to our sponsor:
 
 

From the Field

Map of Suhareke Industrial Zone generated from GIS spatial analysis and showing solar radiation and potential solar PV output for each rooftop. Credit: Lorik Haxhiu, DT Global

How DT Global is Using Digital Data to Power Clean Energy Transitions in Kosovo

By Torge Gerlach, Chief Executive Officer, DT Global

As Europe’s energy crisis deepens and global climate change impacts intensify, finding new ways to invest in clean, renewable energy is critical. Through the USAID Kosovo Energy Security of Supply (KESS) Activity, DT Global is pioneering a new approach to expanding renewable energy access: using drones and GIS technology to improve market and investment information on photovoltaic solar power potential.
 

Photo 1: At the MSRP launch event in 2018, (left to right) Karen Hilliard (former USAID Moldova Mission Director), Douglas Muir (former MSRP Chief of Party), Chiril Gaburici (former Moldovan Minister of Economy and Infrastructure), and H.E. James D. Pettit (former U.S. Ambassador to Moldova) answering questions from Moldovan news outlets. Image source: Nathan Associates Inc for USAID.

Stepping Up Moldova’s Efforts for Economic Recovery

By Susan Chodakewitz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nathan Associates Inc.

Moldova, a small country nestled between Romania and Ukraine, has made strides in achieving economic growth since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, but progress remained slow. 

Now, with a war in neighboring Ukraine, the ramifications of the regional conflict brought further disruptions to Moldova’s trajectory for economic growth, triggering a humanitarian crisis which resulted in more than 460,000 Ukrainian refugees, weakened trade routes and logistics, loss of export markets, supply chain issues, and vulnerability to malign influences and cyber threats. 
 
 

PSC Matters

PSC Submitted Comments to GSA on OASIS+ MAC RFP

Thanks to robust input from PSC member companies, EVP Stephanie Kostro submitted five pages of comments and recommendations to GSA on this RFP. Areas of concern/comment included: allowing vendors to provide independent audits; timing of approved billing rates; sections related to climate change and greenhouse gases. You can read the full submission here.

Complying with Federal Cybersecurity Requirements

Please join PSC’s Technology & Innovation Council on February 15, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET, for a virtual event on considerations for federal contractors facing new and/or updated cybersecurity requirements in 2023. Hear from a panel of experts—who specialize in accounting, disclosure, cybersecurity, and other compliance requirements—discuss key issues that impact the full range of prime and sub-tier contractors.  Please log in to your PSC and register here. Panel includes:

  • Azunna Anyanwu, Chief Technology Officer and Director, Technology Advisory, Aronson LLC | Bio
  • Eric Crusius, Partner, Holland & Knight | Bio
  • Jacob Horne, Chief Cybersecurity Evangelist, Summit 7 | Bio

State and USAID Inspectors General Oversight on Ukraine Continues

As the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine drags on, military, economic, disaster and development assistance from the United States continues. President Zelensky’s December 21 address to Congress has helped steady American support for Ukraine in spite of recent polling indicating decreased support among Republicans. USAID’s Inspector General has issued multiple reports on its oversight of spending; the Department of State OIG has issued similar reports.

DFC Approves Almost Half a Billion Dollars in FY23Q1 In the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2023, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Board of Directors approved five new investments supporting critical infrastructure, promoting health and sanitation, and increasing access to housing and financial technology in emerging markets. Three additional transactions received approval from the Corporation to advance DFC’s developmental priorities. Together the eight projects represent more than $465 million of investment including projects in Colombia, Ecuador, India, and Serbia. You can read the full list here. 
 

Congress/White House Matters

On January 3, the White House sent multiple ambassadorial nominations to the Senate including Cambodia, Ecuador, India, and Rwanda. You can see the extensive list here. 
 

Member News

Appointments/Retirements

Konektid International hired Christy Hollywood as Chief Operating Officer.

Appointments/Retirements

Cadmus helped prepare the IDB Report Building a More Resilient and Low-Carbon Caribbean.

Experts from Palladium issued a jobs report on the future of sustainable work in the global marketplace, others co-authored a study that assessed the willingness of Afghans to join and pay for health insurance.

URC experts contributed to two recently published reports based on research in Uganda on Tuberculosis Patients in Urban Areas and the Use of Iron-folic Acid Supplementation Among Pregnant Women.