Contractor Notice 2004

October 24, 2004


Supersedes: Contractor Notice No. 12-02 dated August 14, 2002

As stated in AIDAR 752.7035, Public Notices, it is USAID’s policy to inform the public as fully as possible of its programs and activities. USAID-funded contractors are responsible for giving public notice of the receipt of their contract and, from time to time, announcing progress and accomplishments.

USAID/Egypt’s Public Outreach staff should be informed as far in advance of release as possible of activities involving the press or public notices of project accomplishments, announcements, or events. You should relay such information to the Public Outreach staff through your cognizant technical officer (CTO). The Public Outreach staff is then responsible for communicating the above to the U.S. Embassy.

The following guidelines should be kept in mind when dealing with media:

• Refer questions about U.S. Government policy to the USAID Mission, Public Outreach staff.
• Give the U.S. and USAID appropriate credit for providing technical assistance.
• Do not speculate what USAID will do in the future.
• Be sensitive to the concerns of the Government of Egypt (GOE) counterparts.

All communications materials funded through USAID grants or contracts, including print, video, and multimedia presentations, should prominently display the USAID logo (Ref: AIDAR 752.7009). All such materials are subject to legislative restrictions. For instance, communications materials with a total cost in excess of $25,000 must receive approval from USAID’s Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) in Washington before any final planning or funding commitment can be given. Exceptions will be made by LPA on a case-by-case basis. Total costs include research, writing and other editorial services, design, layout, and production costs. Contractors and grantees should contact USAID/Egypt’s Public Outreach staff to coordinate clearance with LPA.

It is USAID/Egypt’s policy that USAID funds should not be used to make payments to journalists or the media for writing articles, conducting interviews, or for the placement of such articles, interviews, or other related coverage. USAID/Egypt does not deem it a reasonable use of USAID funds to make such payments to journalists for work for which they are already receiving compensation from their employer. Additionally, such payments with USAID funds could create an appearance that articles or other coverage are biased toward USAID, undermining the notion of a free and independent press.

In specific cases where USAID/Egypt encourages or sponsors public awareness events, the USAID/Egypt Public Outreach staff will coordinate such events and determine, in consultation with the procurement office, what costs are reasonable for payment by USAID, either directly or through contractors or grantees, including costs for sponsoring journalists’ travel and per diem. Such requests should be made to the CTO on a case-by-case basis.

Some contracts specifically allow for paid advertisements to keep the public informed about messages that are necessary to a project’s success. Unless costs related to public relations are included in a contractor’s budget, a request must be made to the cognizant contracting officer to use funds for that purpose.

For any questions regarding the above notice, please contact the USAID Public Outreach staff at 522-6547.


Charles Drilling
Supervisory Executive Officer

This document was last updated on Monday, October 25, 2004