Bureau of International Information Programs

The Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs is the civilian agency component responsible for administering international public diplomacy and information exchange programs; it procures services and awards grants to support cultural outreach, educational initiatives, and media programs that advance U.S. diplomatic interests abroad.

The Bureau's contract activity has contracted substantially since its peak. Between 2017 and 2020, it issued 131 awards in 2017, 103 in 2018, 52 in 2019, 1 in 2020, and 3 in 2022 — the most recent recorded award closed on October 25, 2022. Across its lifetime portfolio, the Bureau has issued 1,355 federal contract awards since 2003, with combined potential value of $601.2 million and $425.2 million obligated to date. The contract base spans 320 distinct prime contractors. Recent awards show highly fragmented competitive concentration: among the last five years of awards, Interface Media Group Inc. leads with only one award valued at $322 thousand, alongside two other single-awardee vendors (Miscellaneous Foreign Awardees, $21 thousand; New TECH Solutions, Inc., $19 thousand). The set-aside mix is dominated by open competition — 82 percent of all awards carry no set-aside designation. Small-business set-asides account for 10 percent (predominantly Total Small Business), with Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business representing 4 percent, 8(a) sole source 2 percent, Competitive 8(a) 1 percent, and HUBZone 1 percent.

Grant activity ended in 2020. The Bureau has issued 188 federal grant awards since 2011, obligating $29.6 million in federal share and $29.8 million combined with non-federal contributions. Activity peaked in 2018 and 2019 — 85 awards in 2018 and 78 in 2019 — before declining to 3 awards in 2020, with no recorded grant awards since July 1, 2020. The 52 distinct grant recipients are not individually listed by award concentration. Assistance is dominated by Project Grants (89 percent of awards), with Cooperative Agreements representing 11 percent.

No recent contract opportunities or grant opportunities are recorded against the Bureau.