General Meeting for USAID Partners in Moldova

1
General Meeting for USAID Partners in Moldova

• Hosted by Christopher Crowley, MD, John Starnes,
  CPO, and Neil Price, Dir., RCO
• February 1, 2005

2
AGENDA

• Welcome/Introductions
• Purpose of Meeting
• Pre-Election Policy
• RCO Organization
• Limits of CTO Authority
• Branding
• Value-Added Tax (VAT)
• Questions and Answers
• Closing

3
Purpose of Meeting

• Provide an Opportunity for Open Exchange of
  Information and Ideas between USAID Implementing
  Partners in Moldova and USAID Management

4
Pre-Election Policy Environment

• Non-Partisanship

5
Regional Contracts Office
6
Day to Day Points of Contact
Shahid Pervaiz Sen. Acq. Spec.
Svetlana Podeyko Acq. Spec.
Marina Orlova Acq. Spec.
Tatyana Petrashko Acq. Spec.
OHST and Belarus
Moldova
OEG
ODG
AA Portfolio
7
Role of CTOs

• Principle Job---Monitor not Manage
• They are the eyes and ears of the Contracting
  or Agreement Officer

8
What CTOs Can Do

• Monitor and Verify Performance
• Participate in Performance Evaluation
• Recommend to CO any Changes in Scope
• Give WRITTEN Tech. Direction or Tech. Guidance
  for PBCs
• Receive and Inspect
• Monitor/Disposition of GFP or Contractor Acquired
  Govt. Owned Property
• Administrative Approval of Vouchers
• Monitor Contract Funding Levels

9
Limits on Technical Direction

• May Not Affect Scope or Price
• May Approve Workplans and Approaches
• Fill in Details or Answer Lines of Inquiry
• Direct Limited Shifting of Emphasis Among Tasks
  (if delegated).

10
What CTO May Not Do

• Authorize Work Beyond Funding Limit
• Alter
• Schedule or POP
• Quantity or Quality of Work
• Terms and Conditions
• Composition of Contractor Team Members
• Manage Contractor Employees
• Consent to changes in Key Personnel

11
CTO Role in Assistance

• Not much different from Acquisitionkey word is
  Monitoring
• Main Difference is with Substantial Involvement
  in Agreements
• ADS 303 allows Agreement Officer to Delegate some
  or all of the following
• Approval of no more than annual Implementation
  Plans
• Approval of Specified Key Personnel
• Areas of Collaboration (e.g. subawards, ME)
• Immediately Halt Construction Projects

12
Branding

• Acquisition
• USAID Administer Implemented Changes with General
  Notice dated 1/7/05.
• Requires Contractors to Comply with Graphic
  Standards
• Initial Official USAID/Notice by RCO Young Letter
  dated 1/11/05
• Graphic Standards Manual found at
  www.usaid.gov/branding/
• Assistance---Not applicable yet. See Federal
  Register Vol. 69, No. 243, 12/20/04 for Proposed
  Rules. Opportunity to comment ends 2/3/05.
• More to come---changes to AIDAR and ADS 320

13
Value Added Tax (VAT)

• FAR 31.205-41, Taxes
• Taxes that are required to be, and are paid, or
  accrued in accordance with generally accepted
  accounting principles are Allowable costs,
  except
• Where exemptions are available to the contractor
  directly, or available to the contractor based on
  an exemption afforded the Government, OR
• When the contracting officer determines that the
  administrative burden incident to obtaining the
  exemption outweighs the corresponding benefits
  accruing to the Government. In the case of the
  RCO, that amount has been determined to be lt500.

14
Value Added Tax (VAT) (cont.)

• OMB Circular A-122, Taxes
• Taxes which the organization is required to pay,
  and which are paid, or accrued in accordance with
  GAAP, , are allowable, except for taxes from
  which exemptions are available to the
  organization directly.

15
Questions???

• Thanks for attending!