USAID 22. CFR 226.91, Marking Requirements, "Branding Strategy" and "Marking Plan."

INSTRUCTION INSTRUMENT AND GUIDELINES

What criteria will USAID use to evaluate compliance?

 

ANSWER: The recipient’s Marking Plan, included as a term and condition in the assistance instrument establishes the basis of compliance.  The instructions to agreement officers state:

 

(1) Monitoring. Cognizant Technical Officers are responsible for monitoring marking requirements on the basis of the approved Marking Plan.

 

 (2) Noncompliance. Where the recipient fails to comply with the Marking Plan, the Agreement Officer will initiate corrective action. Corrective actions include informing the recipient of instances of noncompliance and requesting that the recipient carry out its responsibilities as set forth in the Marking Plan and award. If the recipient repeatedly fails to comply with the Marking Plan or if the recipient’s non-compliance is considered major or egregious, corrective action may include invoking the suspension and termination procedures set forth at 22 C.F.R. 226.61 and 226.62.

 

What instruction will USAID provide to “apparently successful applicants” that details the requirements of this collection?

 

ANSWER: USAID includes a provision “Marking Plan – Assistance” in all agency announcements for grant opportunities and requests for applications.  This provision includes a section that details the requirements for submission.  The section states:

 

(c) Submission Requirements. The Marking Plan will include the following:

 

(1) A description of the public communications, commodities, and program materials that the recipient will produce as a part of the grant or cooperative agreement and which will visibly bear the USAID Identity. These include:

 

 (i) program, project, or activity sites funded by USAID, including visible infrastructure projects or other programs, projects, or activities that are physical in nature;

 

 (ii) technical assistance, studies, reports, papers, publications, audiovisual productions, public service announcements, Web sites/Internet activities and other promotional, informational, media, or communications products funded by USAID;

 

 (iii) events financed by USAID, such as training courses, conferences, seminars, exhibitions, fairs, workshops, press conferences, and other public activities; and

 

 (iv) all commodities financed by USAID, including commodities or equipment provided under humanitarian assistance or disaster relief programs, and all other equipment, supplies and other materials funded by USAID, and their export packaging.

 

 (2) A table specifying:

 

 (i) the program deliverables that the recipient will mark with the USAID Identity,

 

 (ii) the type of marking and what materials the applicant will be used to mark the program deliverables with the USAID Identity, and

 

 (iii) when in the performance period the applicant will mark the program deliverables, and where the applicant will place the marking.

 

 (3) A table specifying:

 

 (i) what program deliverables will not be marked with the USAID Identity, and

 

(ii) the rationale for not marking these program deliverables.