Infographic: The Procurement Chain of Command

Resources for Implementing Partners

The Procurement Chain of Command and Pope’s 4 P’s of decision-making

Did you know……

• The Director of ROAA (who is also a CO/AO) oversees nearly 100 awards.
• The 2 Cognizant CO/AO’s manage around 50 awards each.
• The 4 A&A Specialists manage approximately 25 awards each.
• AOR/CORs manage 2-3 awards each.
• The Chief of Party (or equivalent) manages 1 award.

While the Director of ROAA always enjoys hearing from partners, following the procurement chain of command typically leads to expedited decisions, especially if they are within the AOR/COR's authority. In case a decision has to go up the chain of command, if the 4 Ps below are followed, typically a more expedited decision can be made because the research has already been done.

Keep Chuck Pope's 4 Ps in mind as you structure your emails, conversations and requests with your AOR/COR. This approach will make interactions more efficient and productive - allowing the right decisions to be made as quickly as possible.

• Problem: Tell us the who, what, where, when, why and how of your problem/issue.
• Proposed Solution: If you think you have a way to solve the problem, let us know your idea!
• Policy: Where in the award or policy/regulation does it give USAID the authority to make a decision, give approval, offer direction and/or provide guidance? What policy allows (or doesn't expressly prohibit) the proposed solution?
• Precedent: Where, when and with whom (CO/AO) have you tried the recommended course of action before AND was it successful? Precedent is very important when there isn't a specific policy governing the proposed solution.

Developed by USAID/India’s Regional Financial Management Office and Regional Office of Acquisition and Assistance and the Central and South Asia Acquisition and Assistance Innovation Lab in support of Local Capacity Building.