Advancing Basic Education: Access for All (ABE ACCESS)

The US Agency for International Development Bureau for Management Office of the Assistant Administrator established this Master IDIQ for education access programs in critical-priority countries on June 30, 2014, with a shared ceiling of $500 million and a five-year ordering period that closed on August 8, 2019. This vehicle is no longer active for new task orders.

The Master IDIQ funded three delivery orders totaling $109.6 million in combined potential value, with $100.3 million obligated (92% of potential value). The most recent task order was awarded in September 2017, more than eight years ago. Activity concentrated in 2016 and 2017, with no awards since. The vehicle succeeded the Assistance to Basic Education Master IDIQ (awarded September 2005).

Work contracted centers on education quality and access in conflict-affected and vulnerable regions. Task orders addressed crisis mitigation and education continuity in the Middle East and North Africa, accelerated quality education delivery in Liberia, and the Afghanistan education support program. Pricing structures varied: one order used labor hours, one cost-plus-fixed-fee, and one cost-plus-award-fee.

Prime contractor concentration was significant: one undisclosed domestic awardee held 63% of combined potential value ($69.5 million) on a single Afghanistan education order; Education Development Center, Inc., held 31% ($33.9 million) on the Liberia program; Social Impact Inc., held 6% ($6.1 million) on the Middle East research task order. Customer concentration was similarly narrow: Afghanistan operations represented 63% of potential value, Liberia 31%, and the Middle East 6%. All three task orders were awarded as unrestricted (non-set-aside) procurements. The vehicle funded only USAID regional bureaus and country missions; no other federal agencies placed orders.

With ordering authority expired nearly seven years ago and no task orders awarded since 2017, this vehicle presents no near-term pursuit opportunity. Successor vehicles or new USAID education IDIQs would be the relevant contracting vehicles for similar work.

This is a five year Master IDIQ for critical priority countries to further the goals of the E3/ED office related to ensuring education access to 15 million people.