USAID/OTI Program Development Quickly (PDQ II)

Program Development Quickly II (PDQ II) was a single-award indefinite quantity contract (IQC) awarded to QED Group by USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). The project was designed to give rapid response support to –

1. Assist OTI and the program teams to be able to monitor the implementation of the programs, their results, and to be able to document their impact within the various Agency processes by designing program-specific indicators and monitoring plans; opinion polls; program assessments; management reviews; after exist reviews; final programmatic evaluations; and logistical support to all monitoring and evaluation activities.
2. Assist program personal to deploy quickly and demonstrate results immediately in high-risk, conflict-prone environments through training of program staff in monitoring and evaluation for implementation and impact; developing training materials on technical program areas, interpersonal skills, teambuilding, political analysis, procurement, and grants management; facilitate kick-off sessions; management meetings, management retreats, and other planning sessions; and provide logistical support for all professional development activities.
3. Provide technical assistance, and corresponding logistical support, in the form of short term technical experts for existing and future OTI activities in the technical program areas of reconciliation, conflict resolution, media, strategic governance, infrastructure, communications, economic recovery, civil society capacity, protection, and reintegration.

Illustrative Activities under Task Orders Issued 

• Provided STTA for planning assistance with processes and functions; strategy sessions, team building sessions, facilitation, and training activities to conflict and post-conflict countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Colombia, Haiti, Venezuela, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe
• Coordinated and facilitated OTI 2008 Worldwide Retreat, bringing together OTI/Washington and OTI/Field Staff
• Developed a communications strategy for OTI in Paraguay
• Performed the final evaluation of OTI’s Nepal program
• Provided an analysis of local dynamics in Darfur, Sudan to identify interventions that USAID could undertake to facilitate improved community security and peace-building initiatives at the local, regional, or national level.
• Conducted an independent evaluation of Phase III of OTI’s Sudan program
• Developed an On-line Activity Database Training
• Designed and facilitated an Strategy Review Sessions (SRS) for multiple OTI programs including for OTI/Afghanistan, OTI/Colombia, OTI/Kenya, OTI/Kyrgyzstan, OTI/Lebanon, OTI/Pakistan, OTI/Venezuela, and OTI/Yemen.
• Conducted an independent final evaluation of OTI’s Venezuela program, focusing on the impacts of OTI projects on the preservation of democractic space and the role of civil society over the life of the project.
• Conducted a final evaluation of OTI’s Colombia program, focusing on the impact of the program on the consolidation of state presence in priority areas where the Colombian government recently re-established permanent territorial security.