USAID unveils plan for climate change support contract
By
Nick Wakeman
The U.S. Agency for International Development is setting up a new contract with an eye toward how climate change will impact its operations.
The U.S. Agency for International Development is setting up a new contract to help it prepare for the impact of climate change on its operations.
In a new request for information, USAID explains its views on how climate change will change the way it operates around the world.
USAID is setting up a new Climate Adaption Support Activity, or CASA, as an organization to offer a suite of services and products to USAID and its partners when climate change issues impact their operations.
CASA is intended as a base of knowledge on adaption activities to help decision makers take informed actions, USAID says in the RFI. The support will include assessments, analytical work, thought leadership, capacity development and coalition strengthening.
USAID is currently working on a climate strategy that CASA will support. The strategy will focus on continuing development gains and mitigate the risk of backsliding. The strategy and CASA’s work will recognize that “women, youth, indigenous peoples, and marginalized populations as particularly vulnerable to climate risks,” the RFI states.
Some objectives laid out in the RFI include increasing the actionable information need to design and implement impactful adaption approaches, interventions and systems shifts. For example, how will climate change impact food production and what kind of changes need to be made to maintain production?
A second objective is to look at resilience. USAID is also looking to expand inclusive capacity building, partnerships and coalitions.
Responses are due Nov. 19. The RFI is specifically targeting companies on Pool 1 of the governmentwide OASIS professional services vehicle.