USAID is seeking recommendations for improving Georgia’s economic growth sector.

Recommendations should fall within the following four broad objective areas:
(1) Expand and Deepen Georgia’s Economic Governance Capacity and Country-Level Competitiveness
(2) Improve Private Sector Competitiveness
(3) Improve Economic Security for Georgian citizens
(4) Improved Access to Information and Skills Development

USAID is particularly interested in approaches that:

1. Strengthen and develop local capacity.
2. Can develop and utilize clear benchmarks, targets and end-states to be achieved.

Use of Global Indices:
USAID would also be interested in feedback on the use of Global indices, such as the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual “Global Competitiveness Report”, to identify and target reforms and assistance activities, particularly for use in areas 1 and 2. For example, while WEF’s indicator set is not without flaws, its comprehensive nature, its economic rationale, and its global applicability make it a strong candidate for establishing a broad reform agenda and for benchmarking improvements. The following list is indicative of the areas that Georgia might consider targets for future reform activities, as a way of enhancing economic growth and foreign investment:

World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2009 – 2010
Indicator Ranking
1.01 Property Rights 109
1.02 Intellectual Property Protection 100
1.05 Judicial Independence 117
1.19 Protection of minority shareholder’s interests 117
5.05 Quality of management schools 106
5.07 Local availability of research and training services 122
6.01 Intensity of local competition 115
6.03 Effectiveness of anti-monopoly policy 125
6.08 Agricultural policy costs 103
6.14 Degree of customer orientation 119
8.02 Financing through local equity market 125
8.08 Regulation of securities exchanges 117
9.01 Availability of latest technologies 93
9.02 Firm-level technology absorption 115
11.01 Local supplier quantity 130
11.02 Local supplier quality 129
11.07 Production process sophistication 101
11.08 Extent of marketing 97
12.01 Capacity for innovation 119
12.04 University-industry collaboration in R&D 122

Mechanisms for Program Implementation: USAID also welcomes recommendations regarding the best mode of implementation to maximize impact.

This is not a Request for Applications. Please do not submit proposals or statements of qualifications in response to this request. Please submit your comments via email to Eka Gamezardashvili at egamezardashvili@usaid.gov by December 4, 2009 at 10:00 AM Tbilisi local time.

This announcement is a Request for Information (RFI), not a Request for Applications (RFA) and is not to be construed as a commitment by USAID to issue a solicitation or ultimately to award a grant or cooperative agreement on the basis of this RFI or otherwise compensate an organization or individual for any information submitted as a result of this request. It should be noted that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to an organization or individual if a subsequent solicitation is publicized. USAID will not provide answers to any questions submitted in response to this request.

Thank you for your assistance and interest in USAID programs.

Contracting Office Address:
Dept. of State
Washington, District of Columbia 20521-3180

Primary Point of Contact.:
Eka Gamezardashvili,
Acquisition Specialist
egamezardashvili@usaid.gov