USAID Business Forecast FAQs

Question: What is the USAID Business Forecast?

Question: How often is the Business Forecast updated? 

Question: How is USAID’s Business Forecast created (what is the process for collecting information)?

Question: What type of planned actions are included on the Business Forecast?

Question: How should partners interpret changes to information on the Business Forecast? 

Question: Why are planned actions removed from the Business Forecast? 

Question: What is the role of the point of contact listed in the Forecast?

Question:  What type of questions can we ask the Point of Contact?

Question: I have a question about the Business Forecast, who can I contact?

Question: There are a number of items on the Business Forecast that Small Businesses have the capabilities and skills to implement. What is the best way to notify USAID of the small businesses capabilities to implement these activities?

Question: What is the USAID Business Forecast?

Answer: The Business Forecast is an informational resource on potential funding and partnership opportunities at USAID. It is an advanced look at grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements that USAID is in the process of developing.

Question: How often is the Business Forecast updated?

Answer: The Forecast is updated daily. Information from the Forecast is pulled directly from the Agency’s Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Plan and published on USAID.gov. 

Question: How is USAID’s Business Forecast created (what is the process for collecting information)?

Answer: USAID uses its Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Plan to help create the Forecast. The A&A Plan is used across the Agency by leadership, technical staff, program officers, and contracting and agreement officers to help track future actions. Out of this planning tool comes all of the information that is included in the Business Forecast.

Question: What type of planned actions are included on the Business Forecast?

Answer: USAID includes all full and open competitive actions on the Business Forecast.

Below are the list of types of actions that are included on the Forecast:
Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA),
Broad Agency Announcement (BAA),
Contract,
Cooperative Agreement,
Development Innovation Accelerator (DIA),
Fixed Amount Award (FAA),
General Services Administration (GSA) BPA,
Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract,
Leader with Associate (LWA),
Personal Services Contractor (PSC),
Purchase Order,
Task orders issued under IDIQs and GSA schedules.
Activities that are To Be Determined (TBD).

Question: How should partners interpret changes to information on the Business Forecast?

Answer:  The Business Forecast represents activities that are in the design and planning phase and therefore are subject to change. Partners should view changes in the Forecast as a natural outcome of the program design process. USAID makes a concerted effort to balance the need to have information about future opportunities available as early as possible while still providing reliable information..

Question: Why are planned actions removed from the Business Forecast?

Answer: There are a number of different reasons why opportunities are removed from the Business Forecast. Most of the time opportunities are removed because they have been awarded. In some cases opportunities are removed because USAID is no longer planning on implementing the activity or funding is no longer available. If you have questions about specific opportunities, we recommend reaching out to the point of contact listed on the Forecast or by e-mailing ombudsman@usaid.gov.

Question: What is the role of the point of contact listed in the Forecast?

Answer: A point of contact is listed to help answer questions regarding the specific opportunity. They are also able to validate the data that is on the Business Forecast and can provide information on the current status.

Question: What type of questions can we ask the point of pontact?

Answer: Industry is encouraged to reach out to contracting officers and contracting specialists to ask questions about solicitations listed on the Business Forecast. This is not to say, however, that any and all questions arising from the Forecast are questions that the CO will be able to answer.  

The CO is likely to be able to respond to questions of the following nature: (i) whether target dates and other information in the Business Forecast is accurate, (ii) small business set-aside requirements, and (iii) set-asides for local organizations.  

In contrast, the following types of questions can potentially raise concerns about procurement sensitive information: (i) questions concerning non-public information, (ii) questions about the evaluation criteria, and (iii) questions about the composition of the TEC panel. The bottom line is it remains a matter of CO judgment whether and when a question can be answered.  

Also note that all questions should be sent via e-mail.

Question: I have a question about the Business Forecast, who can I contact?

Answer: If you have a question related to a specific item on the Business Forecast, please reach out to the point of contact listed. For more general questions about the Forecast, you can contact USAID’s Ombudsman at businessforecast@usaid.gov.  

Question: There are a number of items on the Business Forecast that Small Businesses have the capabilities and skills to implement. What is the best way to notify USAID of the small businesses capabilities to implement these activities?

Answer: The best way to notify USAID of the small business capabilities to implement the activities is to contact the Mission’s contracting officer directly. Please provide the mission with your capabilities and your knowledge of other small businesses who are capable of implementing the activities.  Please copy OSDBU (osdbu@usaid.gov) on any requests for Missions to consider an activity for a small business set-aside. Most importantly, provide a brief capability statement which addresses the requirement. Do not send a general capability statement.