Today, USAID announced that it is launching the next phase of its Burden Reduction Program, focused on reducing bureaucratic burdens for implementing partners, private sector partners, and job applicants.
The program, launched last year, initially focused on addressing administrative hurdles and other paperwork burdens impacting USAID's workforce and operations, has already resulted in the reduction of an estimated 3.8 million hours of inefficient, duplicative, or outdated processes for staff to make the Agency more efficient and effective. Examples of internal burdens reduced include: streamlining a lengthy internal review process for all awards above $50 million; eliminating outdated and unnecessary pre-award documents; streamlining policies and the policymaking process; and the scaling up of a tool to automatically route documents through approval queues.
In response to feedback from development and humanitarian organizations, and job applicants, and to improve customer experience, USAID recognizes that it must reduce bureaucratic burdens and time taxes. The Agency is focused on reducing burdens that affect its implementing partners, particular burdens that disproportionately impact local organizations in the countries we work, and underrepresented U.S. organizations. USAID is also focused on reducing burdens for private sector partners who bring their resources to advance mutual commercial and development objectives. Additionally, USAID is committed to strengthening our workforce by improving the hiring process, including by reducing burdens and creating a more user-friendly, accessible hiring experience.
Some of the examples include:
- USAID is pursuing opportunities to streamline the proposal process for prospective implementing partners. This includes making use of short initial concept notes for assistance awards, rather than the ten to hundreds of pages the Agency has required in the past.
- USAID recently launched WorkwithUSAID.gov - it's digital front door for partners, with resources and training materials on how to partner with USAID - in Spanish and in French, and will be launching in Arabic shortly.
- USAID is also translating many of our procurement resources and technical guidance documents into even more local languages. USAID has also developed a new Translation Program to translate solicitation and funding announcements for our Mission staff around the world into Amharic, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili. USAID has also launched a Sub-Opportunities portal on WorkwithUSAID.gov, so that prospective partners can more easily access all USAID-related subcontract and subaward opportunities, reducing time spent on researching potential opportunities.
- USAID recently launched a new Corporate Partnering Portal on WorkwithUSAID.gov, simplifying the way private sector entities learn how they can collaborate with USAID to achieve both development and commercial goals and streamline responses to private sector inquiries on partnership opportunities.
- USAID is partnering with other agencies across the federal government to enhance coordination on hiring, and better build and equip the workforce for the future, in line with recommendations in the recent OPM Workforce of the Future Playbook.
This is just a starting point. USAID continues to engage with external stakeholders to understand how to improve, and welcomes input and ideas on potential solutions.
USAID's efforts reflect the United States government's vision for a more efficient and effective government. On December 13, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government, directing federal agencies to "reduce administrative hurdles and paperwork burdens to minimize 'time taxes'" and to "simplify both public-facing and internal processes to improve efficiency."
