President, International Development Affairs, PSC

Welcome

CIDC’s Role in International Development

In 2011, the 50 PSC member companies whose work centered on foreign assistance, in all its many forms, came together to form our Council of International Development Companies (CIDC). In the last ten years, the CIDC has grown to 75 members firms which work primarily with the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the new US Development Finance Corporation (DFC), but also with the Department of Defense, Centers for Disease Control, Department of Homeland Security and others. US Government foreign assistance programs have been at work for decades, and these efforts have helped spur real improvements across the globe: lifting millions out of poverty and helping nations achieve lasting gains through sustained, longterm efforts that help create stable corners of the world that turn into key U.S. economic and security partners. CIDC members are proud of their role in helping to achieve tangible progress such as helping cut infant mortality rates in half since 1990, dramatically reducing extreme poverty through viable economic programs, and raising 33 countries from low to middle income status. Recently they were involved in economic development programs designed to curb migration, medical infrastructure programs that helped prevent Ebola from spreading and laid the foundation for local healthcare systems currently combatting COVID. And these gains have been accomplished on far less than 1% of the federal budget. International development companies are indispensable partners in delivering accountable and transparent development projects through competitively-awarded, results-oriented contracts. In awarding contracts, competition lowers costs, assures greater responsiveness, and offers better value to the US Government and the American taxpayer though rigorous oversight and accountability. Here at PSC, guided by CIDC’s ten-member Executive Advisory Board (EAB), we hold monthly meetings with key stakeholders in the executive and legislative branches. These events ensure that both sides of the implementation equation understand fully the needs and expectations of the other and serve as exceptional opportunities for policy and programmatic discussions. What follows next is a compendium of certain, key development policy issues impacting the Biden Administration, presented by a representative from each of the ten companies on the EAB. As with PSC, these companies range from small businesses to large companies, yet each is passionate about their work improving lives around the world and ensuring programs are delivered as effectively and efficiently as possible. I hope you enjoy reading and learning from their experiences and expertise. Paul Foldi, Vice President - International Development Affairs, PSC

Close Engagement with Locals

CIDC member companies bring private sector solutions to complex problems in fields ranging from health, governance, economic growth, education, infrastructure, and security. Some CIDC members are decades old with thousands of employees, and some are newly formed Women/Veteran Owned Small Businesses. Regardless of their size, they all engage closely with local partners to effect changes that promote the environment, sustainable agriculture, women’s education and economic empowerment, minority rights, intellectual property standards, land reclamation and titling.