Feed the Future Bangladesh Improving Trade and Business Enabling Environment Activity

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bangladesh intends to make a noncompetitive modification to Task Order no. 72038820F00002, the Feed the Future Bangladesh Improving Trade and Business Enabling Environment Activity for the purpose of extending the period of performance by nine months and increasing the total estimated cost (TEC) by $1,550,730. The statutory authority permitting this award without providing full and open competition is AIDAR 706.302-70(a)(2), Citation; 40 U.S.C.

113, Impairment of Foreign Aid Programs, which states: “full and open competition need not be obtained when it would impair or otherwise have an adverse effect on programs conducted for the purposes of foreign aid, relief, and rehabilitation.” This authority pursuant to AIDAR 706.302- 70(b)(5) may be used for: “An award for the continued provision of highly specialized services when award to another resource would result in substantial additional costs to the Government or would result in unacceptable delays."

International Development Group (IDG) was awarded the above-referenced task order under USAID’s Public Financial Management II IDIQ #7200AA18D00012 and has provided highly specialized services to USAID and the Government of Bangladesh. The current award period is November 15, 2019 to November 14, 2024 with a TEC of $20,078,940.

USAID/Bangladesh intends to extend the period of performance to allow the contractor to complete ongoing reform work related to the Customs Act of 2023 and work that was delayed due to the 2024 general elections in Bangladesh.

This modification will extend the task order for nine months beyond the current completion date of November 14, 2024, resulting in a new end date of August 8, 2025. Under this action, the contractor, IDG, will continue to improve private sector efficiencies and capacity related to clearing and forwarding, management of inland container depots, and private testing laboratories.

The modification will also enable IDG to support implementation of the 2023 Customs Act, to complete digitization and operationalization of procedures related to customs appeals and advance rulings, and to continue to enhance the capabilities of various stakeholders such as exporters, aggregators, supply chain participants, academia, export associations, and government regulatory bodies, to meet foreign market food import requirements.