Easy Ways to Access IRIS Services

IRIS holds a number of contracts that simplify procurement for US government agencies. We can also suggest effective ways to structure and manage projects, and can provide or assist in the development of model scopes of work.

USAID Indefinite Quantity Contracts (IQCs)
IQCs are sector-based contracts that simplify procurement and provide high-quality services for USAID Missions. You can learn more about each IQC, as well as what type of services they cover, by contacting the listed IRIS representative.

GSA Schedules
IRIS services are covered under two GSA Schedules, FABS and MOBIS. GSA Schedules are pre-approved price lists that provide federal government agencies with easy access to the services of qualified organizations. Procurement through GSA schedules is faster because awards are pre-competed and meet the requirements for full and open competition. Visit the GSA’s web site.

USAID Indefinite Quantity Contracts (IQCs)

Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement:
Enabling Environment (AMAP/EE)
Designed to promote a legal and policy environment that facilitates the creation, growth, and maintenance of small enterprises— potentially improving the quality of life for millions of people. Contact: Dennis Wood.

Accelerated Microenterprise Advancement:
Microfinance (AMAP/MF)
As a subcontractor to Chemonics, IRIS provides assistance to increase the ability of financial institutions to serve low-income households and promote policy reform in support of microenterprise development. Contact: Dennis Wood.

Analytical Services
As a subcontractor to ARD, IRIS helps USAID Missions and operating units to conduct assessments, develop strategies, formulate indicators, and initiate other tasks required for sound and sustainable democracy and governance programs. Contact: Patrick Meagher.

Building Recovery and Reform through Democratic Governance (BRDG)
As a subcontractor to Development Alternatives, Inc., IRIS provides assistance to USAID Missions to promote democratic governance by reinforcing state legitimacy, improve state capacity for effective public management, and facilitate critical policy and institutional reforms. Contact: Malcolm Russell-Einhorn

Decentralization, Democratization and Local Governance (DDLQ)
As a subcontractor to Research Triangle Institute (RTI), IRIS provides USAID with rapid-response, short-term (up to 6 months), medium-term (up to 1 year), and long-term (multiple years) advisory services, technical expertise, assistance, and training in the areas of decentralization and participatory government and public management and administration. Contact: Patrick Meagher.

FIELD-Support Program
This program takes an innovative, holistic, and integrated approach in addressing challenges to sustainable, broad-based economic growth; it provides USAID operating units and Missions streamlined access to the resources and expertise they need to achieve a range of Strategic Objectives. The Financial Integration, Economic Leveraging, Broad-Based Dissemination Program (FIELD) is a Leader with Associates award (LWA).

Activities under FIELD-Support are designed to promote sustained, equitable growth that increases poor households' assets and strengthens their economic coping strategies through market-based approaches. These include supporting micro and small enterprises' access to market opportunities, through interventions such as

• growing industries (value chains)
• strengthening and deepening financial systems
• promoting sustainable livelihoods
• improving the enabling environment (national and local) to boost productivity, earnings, and competitiveness

IRIS is a subgrantee to the Academy for Educational Development, and the Core Team Member for work on the Enabling Environment.
Contact: Patrick Meagher

Impact Evaluation Services
For the Millennium Challenge Corporation, IRIS provides evaluation services of MCC programs, projects, and activities proposed by eligible countries; provide technical assistance to MCC and country staff to carry out required data collection; and contributes knowledge to the broader development community about the effectiveness of development programs. Contact: Diana Rutherford

Instability, Crisis and Recovery Programs (ICRP) IQC
Under this IQC, IRIS provides assistance to USAID policy and program decision makers with diagnosis and prescription tools in conflict affected and fragile states. Contact: Dennis Wood

Support for Economic Growth & Institutional
Reform: Commercial Legal & Institutional Reform (SEGIR/CLIR)
Building on the work completed under SEGIR/LIR, CLIR focuses on understanding and overcoming legal and institutional constraints to economic growth. The scope of the contract is broad, covering the general commercial legal framework as well as institutional reform, property rights, business environment, financial services, commercial dispute resolution, and trade and investment. Advancing development practice and theory, as well as knowledge management, are also core objectives. Contact: Malcolm Russell-Einhorn.

Support for Economic Growth & Institutional
Reform: Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty
Alleviation & Economic Institutions Analysis II
(SEGIR/MACRO II)
MACRO II is designed to provide research, technical assistance, and training to address issues concerning macroeconomic policy, poverty alleviation, and economic institutions, as well as the analysis necessary to support broad-based, sustainable economic growth. As a BearingPoint consortium member, IRIS can provide technical assistance, analysis, and training on a broad range of macroeconomic areas, including poverty reduction, capacity building, and macroeconomics and development. Contact: Patrick Meagher.

Women in Development

As a subcontractor to DevTech Systems, Inc., IRIS provides technical assistance to USAID Bureaus, Missions, and operating units to ensure that gender is integrated in to all activities and in phases of program planning, implementation, and assessment.
Contact: Malcolm Russell-Einhorn

GSA SCHEDULES

• Law
• Economics
• Research
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Policy Analysis
• Financial Analysis
• Management
• Information Technology
• Communications
• Logistics

For a full description of the services covered FABS, please refer to IRIS’s contractor catalog on the GSA web site.

Consultation Services (SIN 874-1)
IRIS can advise government leaders, departments, and agencies on an array of technical assistance, research, training, and consultancy. Our capabilities include:

• Identifying, analyzing and designing reform activities tailored to the client

• Developing case studies

• Developing state of the art toolkits, techniques, and indicators

• Designing and conducting customized training programs

• Organizing workshops, seminars, and conferences
  Monitoring, evaluation, and measuring impact

• Desk studies

• Research

• Organizing study tours
  

Survey Services (SIN 874-3)
IRIS designs, conducts, and analyzes surveys in project-related activities. We also provide training in survey techniques to implementing partners as part of a larger technical assistance initiatives. Several features distinguish the IRIS approach to survey services:

1. IRIS’s focus on the institutional “landscape” highlights specific opportunities and obstacles confronting local stakeholders.

2. An integrated package of survey and technical assistance design enhances the usefulness of both elements.

3. An initial baseline survey allows the IRIS team to accurately calibrate the size of the survey sample and — more importantly — to derive valuable insights to guide the design of the technical assistance activity.

IRIS can provide services that cover all aspects of surveying, with particular strength in the following areas:

• Developing research design and methodology
• Planning survey design
• Defining and refining the agenda
• Determining proper survey data
• Collection methodology
• Survey development
• Pre-test and pilot surveying
• Assessing reliability and validity of data
• Analyzing quantitative and qualitative survey data

Program Integration & Project
Management Services (SIN 874-7)
IRIS has successfully managed hundreds of projects, ranging from assisting Washington-based clients on program development to multi-year, multi-country projects. IRIS oversees the following activities:

• Program and project design

• Establishing, staffing, and supervising local offices

• Establishing and monitoring administrative, logistical, financial management, and accounting systems, as well as related procedures to ensure accountability

• Liaising and coordinating between host country, donor agency, and counterpart organizations

• Developing work plans and progress reports

• Conducting monitoring and evaluation

• Oversight of program and project implementation

• Conducting site visits by home office supervisors

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