RASSA and PASA Slides

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RASSA and PASA Slides
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A Case Study

• Interagency Cooperation with each other and with
  for Profit and Non-Profit Sectors

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The Spirit and Intent of RSSAs and PASAs

• Within a USDA/USAID Partnership
• Transfers can exist throughout the Federal
  Government
• And between Agencies and Cooperants

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Historical Perspective

• USDA and President Trumans Point Four Program
• administered the agricultural training and
  technical assistance programs
• 1950, Technical Cooperation Administration (TCA)
  created
• Predecessor to USAID

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Historical Perspective

• 1955, International Cooperation Administration
  (ICA)
• All foreign economic development efforts were
  consolidated
• USDA expertise and institutional resources were
  still critically needed
• As a result, ICA and USDA drew up a major
  agreement to facilitate cooperation in technical
  assistance, training, and information
  dissemination

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Historical Perspective

• Passage of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and
  the creation of USAID
• A new General Agreement in 1966 laid the
  framework for cooperative relationships

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Historical Perspective

• USAID recognized "the unique personnel
  resources, capabilities and experience of the
  Department
• sought to use this expertise through cooperation
• USDA recognized "...its responsibility, within
  its authority, to contribute toward U.S. foreign
  policy by participation in foreign assistance
  programs"

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Historical Perspective

• General Agreement between USDA and USAID
• Based on the premise of a partnership between
  USDA and USAID
• emphasis on joint planning, coordination and
  consultation

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Historical Perspective-2

• General Agreement between USDA and USAID
• Agreement affirmed new partnership mechanisms to
  access USDA expertise
• Participating Agency Service Agreements (PASAs)
• Resources Support Services Agreements (RSSAs)

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The Government to Government Agreement

• The agreement is not like a contract (more like
  grant)
• establishes operational guidelines and a spirit
  of cooperation to link the institutional
  resources of two government agencies in
  accomplishing U.S. foreign assistance goals
• Cooperative Agreement

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Higher Education and Development for Archaeology
and Environmental Health Research SUNY at Stony
Brook

• Cooperative Agreement

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Performance Management Cooperative Agreement
1979-1991

• United States Agency for International
  Development
• National Association of Schools of Public Affairs
  and Administration (Louis A. Picard Director,
  1984-1986)
• DPMC- Development Planning Management Center-
  University of Maryland)
• IDMI- International Development Management
  Institute U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Coffee Break

• Ten Minutes

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USAID RSSA/PASA Partners

• United States Department of Agriculture
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Department of
• Health and Human
• Services

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Other Foreign Aid Agencies

• Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
• Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
  (PEPFAR)
• Department of Defense
• Department of State

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Authorizations for PASAs and RSSAs

• Sections 621(a) and 632(b) of the Foreign
  Assistance Act, 1961
• Enables USAID officers to secure "technical
  assistance...in the field of education, health,
  housing, or agriculture..." by utilizing "to the
  fullest extent practicable, the facilities and
  resources of the Federal agency or agencies with
  primary responsibilities for domestic programs in
  such fields...
• Key Professional Expertise

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Authorizations for PASAs and RSSAs

• Amendment to Section 621of the Foreign Assistance
  Act of 1962
• Participating Agency resources must be
  particularly or uniquely suitable for technical
  assistance
• Are not competitive with private enterprise and
• Can be made available without interfering with
  domestic programs

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Authorizations for PASAs and RSSAs

• Economy Act (No Competition Clause)
• Requires both the Secretary of Agriculture to
  certify that assisting USAID is in the best
  interest of the Government and USAID's
  Administrator to ascertain that "the ordered
  goods or services cannot be provided as
  conveniently or as cheaply by a commercial
  enterprise."

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Re-Authorizations for PASAs and RSSAs Over the
Years

• Office of Management and Budgets (OMB) Circular
  A-76
• USAID can enter into PASAs or RSSAs with USDA
  only if the following conditions are met

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RSSAs and PASAs

• USDA resources and expertise are used for
  technical assistance
• USDA can provide technical assistance better than
  USAID, the private sector or another Federal
  agency
• USDA has a formal program for managing excess
  personnel capacity that allows staff to provide
  assistance under RSSAs and PASAs and
• USDA services are not competitive with private
  enterprise.

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Possible Foreign Aid RSSA Cooperants
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Authorizations for PASAs and RSSAs

• Office of Management and Budgets (OMB) Circular
  A-76
• Before a RSSA or PASA can be approved and issued,
  a detailed justification must be provided on
  USDA's unique suitability, and all other A-76
  requirements must be met

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Spirit and Intent Responsibilities in
Implementing PASAs and RSSAs

• USAIDs Handbook 12
• Spirit and Intent Cover the Competition issue
• Defines PASAs as agreements with other Federal
  agencies for specific services or support tied to
  a specific project goal and performed within a
  definite time frame

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Spirit and Intent Responsibilities in
Implementing PASAs and RSSAs

• PASAs Overseas Assignments (PSCs- Personal
  Services Contracts)
• Normally issued by Missions for support outside
  the U.S., but can be used to carry out a specific
  goal or goals of an AID/W project
• Effectively the two terms have become
  interchangeable

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Spirit and Intent Responsibilities in
Implementing PASAs and RSSAs

• RSSAs
• Agreements funded in AID/W for continuing general
  support assistance, usually provided in an AID/W
  office, and have no specific, readily measurable
  goals to be accomplished within a set time period
• In the 1990's, most USDA/USAID agreements have
  been RSSAs

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Spirit and Intent Responsibilities in
Implementing PASAs and RSSAs

• Intent and Spirit of PASAs and RSSAs
• Strengthen the partnership between USAID and USDA
  by fully utilizing Departmental competence,
  resources and experience and exchanging critical
  information and knowledge to benefit both agencies

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Spirit and Intent Responsibilities in
Implementing PASAs and RSSAs

• Staff Responsibilities
• RSSA and PASA staff should have a clear
  understanding of USDA's unique capabilities as
  the world's largest source of technical expertise
  n agriculture, natural resources management, and
  related areas
• RSSA staff should cooperate and interact with
  USDA agency employees having mutual interests
  whenever possible

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Spirit and Intent Responsibilities in
Implementing PASAs and RSSAs

• Staff Responsibilities
• Sharing RSSA knowledge with Departmental
  officials can positively impact U.S. agriculture
  and USDA goals
• can ultimately advance development efforts

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RSSA Human Resources

• USDA hiring for RSSA positions
• Recruits from Departmental agencies and
  land-grant university network first, drawing on
  its unique pool of expert resources nationwide
• When USDA makes decision, USAID is asked to concur

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RSSA Human Resources

• USDA hiring for RSSA positions
• Once appointed, RSSA employees receive technical
  advice and guidance from their USAID Project
  Officer, but their official supervisor is at USDA
• In Practice they work for Receiving Agency

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Human Resources

• RSSA performance appraisals are determined by the
  USDA supervisor
• With input from USAID Project Officer
• RSSA employees' annual work plans should also be
  developed consistent with USDA policies and
  objectives

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In Summary

• Through collaboration and cooperation, benefits
  will continue for U.S. foreign assistance as
  information and knowledge flows from USDA to
  USAID
• Equally important - benefits will flow from USAID
  to the Department
• Critics Sweetheart Arrangements

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In Summary

• RSSA employees play a crucial role in
  facilitating this exchange and are key to
  sustaining the long-standing partnership between
  the two agencies
• Intra-government transfer of skills and money is
  a neglected component of foreign aid.