Steve Peacock's U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor

USTDA Paying for El Salvador Shipping-Vessel Safety Project

The subsidization of a shipping-vessel safety project in El Salvador is the latest overseas endeavor for which American taxpayers are footing the bill, U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor has discovered. 

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), an independent White House entity, is paying for an endeavor planned by the Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma de El Salvador, or  CEPA, the administrative body of that nation's port, railway, and airport infrastructure.

USTDA initially will take care of the cost of hiring  a U.S. contractor to provide "technical assistance" specifically for the Port of La Unión Vessel Traffic Program. The initial grant to CEPA is $217,000.  The agency did not disclose future potential costs.

A formal Request for Proposals is available upon request via USTDA’s online system.Bids are due June 29.

Source document: Solicitation #2012-51012A.

FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE U.S TRADE & DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, VISIT THE MONITOR'S USTDA PAGE.

ALSO SEE THE MONITOR'S EL SALVADOR PAGE.

 

USAID Justice Project Aims to Cut Crime, Boost Economy of El Salvador

A U.S.- funded "Justice Sector Improvement Project" (JSIP) in El Salvador valued at upwards of $25 million is being launched to battle violent crime and simultaneously achieve the goal of improving El Salvador's economy.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today released a solicitation (#SOL-519-12-000003) governing details of the endeavor, which would be carried out by a private contractor in the violence-plagued Central American nation.

JSIP will take a two-pronged approach, the first component which is called "Criminal Justice Reform and Judicial Transparency." Plus:

There will also be an overarching Citizen Participation Campaign that promotes public oversight and awareness of the reforms taking place under the first two components, as well as a study to inform decisions about future utilization of host government systems.

The document pointed out that the new initiative would build upon a prior Rule of Law project designed to improve El Salvador's judiciary:

To combat criminality and create a climate for economic growth, the government needs an efficient, well-coordinated, and independent justice sector that can act as a real deterrent to crime. One of the greatest challenges of the judiciary is to improve credibility through efficient investigations and prosecution. Without an efficient and independent judiciary, impunity will perpetuate criminal activity and work done in the investigation phases will be lost.

The JSIP is a separate but corollary USAID initiative planned for El Salvador. As U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor  reported late last year, the agency began searching for contractors to carry out a Crime and Violence Prevention Project with a similar potential value of $25 million (Monitor,  12/26/2011). That endeavor likewise builds upon previous regional programs:

In the last four years, USAID has funded three key prevention programs: Crime and Violence Prevention Project (CVPP), currently being implemented by Research Triangle Institute International; the Regional Youth Alliance Project (AJR), currently being implemented by Creative Associates; and, Strengthening the Judicial System project implemented by Checchi Consulting.

At the JSIP program's end, USAID expects to:

increase the Government of El Salvador’s inter-agency cooperation, reduce the current rates of impunity in violent crimes, decrease homicides and robberies through the community policing strategy, and set up the mechanisms and legal framework for increased transparency within the judiciary and to monitor accountability of public officials.

Bids are due June 21.

FOR RELATED COVERAGE, SEE U.S.TRADE & AID MONITOR'S LAW ENFORCEMENT/POLICE ISSUES PAGE.

FOR ADDITIONAL REPORTING ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SEE THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

ALSO SEE THE MONITOR'S EL SALVADOR PAGE.

USAID Launching El Salvador Food & Trade Initiative

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)  will embark upon a what it is calling the Regional Integrated Trade and Food Security Project in El Salvador, according a presolicitation notice released about an hour ago. The document offered a one-sentence description:

The purpose of this Program is to promote inclusive economic growth, improve food security and facilitate trade in the region.

Aside from contact information for the USAID acquisition specialist handling the project, it provided no other specifics.

Solicitation #SOL-596-12-000004.

Feds Hiring Contractor to Help Fight Crime Across Nation

The U.S. government is reaching out to the private sector for help in implementing a new municipal crime-prevention program across the nation -- across the nation of El Salvador, that is.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates just a $25 million price tag for the "El Salvador Crime and Violence Prevention Project" (Solicitation #SOL-519-12-000002);  it should be noted, however, that the endeavor is only the latest in a series of such multi-year, U.S.- funded initiatives in El Salvador, which the agency says has "one of the highest rates of non-political violence in the world."

In the last four years, USAID has funded three key prevention programs: Crime and Violence Prevention Project (CVPP), currently being implemented by Research Triangle Institute International; the Regional Youth Alliance Project (AJR), currently being implemented by Creative Associates; and, Strengthening the Judicial System project implemented by Checchi Consulting.  Together, these programs have supported the [Government of El Salvador] (GOES) as it improves the capacity of municipal government, civil society and communities to: better analyze crime patterns; plan and implement activities to combat crime and violence; and, measure the impact of interventions.

The selected contractor will be tasked with exploring "the greater use of science and technology to target crime and violence prevention" as well as employing "creative responses and approaches in order to achieve the desired results," according to the Statement of Work (SOW).

Among the results desired for this Central American nation is modifying its Mano Dura, or "Iron Fist," approach to contending with gang violence. USAID says this approach alone will not solve the problem, as heightened investments in law enforcement have taken away from national investments into economic growth.  Likewise, according to the SOW:

The root causes of violence and gang activity are largely understood to include income disparity and issues of significant social inequality...  Additional sources of insecurity include limited employment and education opportunities, large numbers of readily available small arms, rapid and disorganized urban growth without adequate services, and lack of societal support to prevent at risk youth from being recruited into gangs.

USAID expects to award a three-year base contract with two possible option years.

FOR RELATED COVERAGE, SEE U.S.TRADE & AID MONITOR'S LAW ENFORCEMENT/POLICE ISSUES PAGE.

FOR ADDITIONAL REPORTING ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, SEE THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

(Image caption: MS-13 gang graffiti in San Salvador.)