USAID/Guatemala-Central American Programs/Contracting Office, Unit 3323, APO AA 34024

R -- NON-US POLICY ADVISOR DUE 100397 POC Contact Point: Margaret Dula, Contracting Officer, or Patricia Sigui, Tel: (502) 332-0202, Fax: (502) 331-1506, Internet address: psigui@usaid.gov. USAID/G-CAP anticipates a non-competitive extension of contract activities for a period of one (1) year with Mr. Carlos Monge to provide advisory services as follows: 1. Advise the Central American Ministers of Labor on the following: a) current status of hemispheric economic and social integration process, and how labor issues are incorporated into that process, b) modernization process in areas related to improve labor management relations, labor inspections, definition of social, economic and labor policies, c) hemispheric integration development, d) specific policies to strengthen the labor market, d) conceptual frame of regional policies, e) strategy to be followed to incorporate the labor topic in the agenda of the Fourth Ministerial Forum of the Free Trade Area of the Americas to be held in Costa Rica in February 1998. 2) Assist the Ministers in the coordination of the regional activities supporting the Central American and hemispheric agendas of the Ministers of Labor. 3) Monitor Central American progress in strengthening the enforcement of national labor codes and the protection of internationally recognized workers rights. Provide concrete information on changes in labor codes, institutional reforms, available labor statistics and innovative labor agreements. 4) Prepare quarterly analyses on the status of readiness of Central American Governments to honor commitments made in international conventions related to the protection of workers rights. Propose readiness indicators for labor objectives. Prepare periodic reports on results of specific events, studies and analyses. 5) Advise and facilitate the coordination and development of PROALCA Labor Component by participating in the Technical Unit and in the Project's Strategic Objective Team, as well as in activities with the Ministers of Labor, USAID/G-CAP, other bilateral USAID missions, U.S. embassy labor officers in Central America, other international donors and lending agencies, labor organizations, private sector organizations, and other civilsociety groups. 6) Facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices among the Central American Ministries of Labor and between the Ministries of Central America and those from outside the region, as appropriate. 7) Analyze the studies, treaties, and agreements that provide a base to regional integration, in order to provide recommendations about the viability of the constitution of a labor organism that will carry out function of a technical secretariat, integrated to that regional system. 8) Determine the viability of subscribing multilateral agreements with institutes or universities in order to establish a formal career, professionally -- oriented courses or specialization on topics to the stress areas. 9) Support the Regional Strategy of USAID/G-CAP in labor subjects by means of recommendations, analysis and technical support. This in order to improve regional capabilities towards sustained development with equity. 10) Coordinate and make proposals to the Ministers to identify the qualified regional technical personnel that will provide the required assistance, coordinate and supervise the technical execution of the horizontal cooperation, and secure the obtention of the proposed results, and follow-up of the recommendations derived from the missions of horizontal cooperation. This contract action is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority of AIDAR 706.302-70 (b) (5). Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. This publication is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all expressions of interests received within 7 days after date of publication will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based on responses to publication is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. (0269)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0045 19970930\R-0002.SOL)