Promoting Gender Equality in National Priority Programs (PROMOTE)

USAID/Afghanistan established this Master IDIQ on September 23, 2014, to support gender equity initiatives in Afghanistan's public, private, and civil-society sectors, with ordering authority that closed on September 22, 2019—more than six years ago. This vehicle is no longer active for new task-order issuance.

The PROMOTE program targeted educated women between 18 and 30 years of age with at least secondary education to enter and advance into decision-making positions, aiming to directly benefit a minimum of 75,000 women from an estimated cohort exceeding 200,000. The vehicle operated under a shared ceiling of $416 million.

Four task orders were issued under the vehicle between September 2014 and September 2015, all cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery orders supporting the same program. The combined potential value of these four orders totaled $184.8 million, with $184.8 million fully obligated. One undisclosed domestic contractor received all awards. All orders were unrestricted, non-set-aside procurements. USAID/Afghanistan was the sole customer across all four awards.

Task orders ranged from approximately $33.8 million to $71.6 million in individual ceiling value. Three of the four orders have ultimate completion dates between 2020 and 2024; one task order completed in December 2023. Recent activity reflected funding adjustments and closeout modifications rather than new program expansion—one 2015 order reflected a fund swap across fiscal years, and a September 2015 order was issued partly to de-obligate unliquidated funds.

Since the vehicle's last ordering date passed six years and nine months ago, no new task orders can be placed. Any current work supporting gender equity in Afghanistan would proceed under successor vehicles or new procurements outside this IDIQ structure.

PROMOTE will invest in opportunities that enable educated women (i.e., women between 18 and 30 years of age who have at least a secondary education) to enter and advance into decision-making positions in Afghanistan's public, private and civil society sectors. This cohort is estimated at over 200,000 strong--and growing fast, with approximately 164,000 girls attending secondary school nationwide. These women represent a valuable source of talent and expertise for the country. Focused on these groups, PROMOTE will activate a sustainable process leading to a critical mass of new and upcoming generations of Afghan women assuming decision making and leadership roles in mainstream social, political and economic spheres. PROMOTE will directly benefit a minimum of 75,000 women within the targeted cohort.