USAID - Regional Services Center for Europe and Eurasia

Countries served by RSC

Szabadság tér 7-9, Bank Center
1054 Budapest, Hungary
Telephone: (36-1) 475-4604; Fax: (36-1) 302-0693

Located in Budapest, Hungary, USAID/RSC is a regional service provider, responsible for procurement, legal, financial, administrative and training support for its client missions and offices in the region. In 2002, the RSC also assumed responsibility for regional program coordination and management and it currently manages four active regional programs. In February, 2009, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance established a regional office within the RSC.

The annual budget for programs in Central and Eastern Europe managed by USAID Missions and offices in the region is $250 million, counting SEED and ESF resources, but excluding disaster assistance. The RSC serves six active medium-sized to large programs in Southeastern Europe (SEE): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as USAID’s program in Cyprus, and sustaining partnership activities in Bulgaria. The RSC supports USAID’s Office of Development Partnerships’ overseas offices in the US Mission to the European Union (Brussels) and in the US Mission in Geneva. Furthermore, the RSC also provides financial services for USAID officers posted to the European and Africa Command (EUCOM and AFRICOM) located in Stuttgart, Germany.

• The Office of the Regional Director has overall responsibility for planning, direction, and management of all offices within the RSC. The Regional Director maintains regular contact with USAID Mission Directors managing bilateral programs to ensure the delivery of timely and effective services, and to organize appraisal committees for employee performance reports from smaller Missions. The office is also a training hub for the region, managing a variety of training and continuous education courses throughout the year.
• Two Regional Legal Advisors (RLA) provide a wide range of legal services and advice to the six SEE Missions/offices, Cyprus, Bulgaria, the RSC, USAID offices in Belgium and Switzerland, and transition and disaster assistance organizations. Guidance is provided on U.S. foreign assistance legislation, USAID program operations, anti-terrorism financing, USAID policies and regulations, and ethics and standards of conduct issues.
• The Regional Contracting Office (RCO) provides acquisition and assistance (A&A) services for program activities and services in six SEE Missions, USAID Offices in Switzerland, Belgium and Bulgaria, and regional projects with the RSC Regional Program Office. With 14 staff members, the RCO manages an award portfolio of approximately 410 awards with a combined value of $2.3 billion, providing the full range of A&A support to client Missions/Offices and is responsible for each phase of the A&A cycle, including pre-award, award, administration and close-out.
• The Regional Financial Management Center is the official accounting station, which includes accounting, budgeting, financial analysis, financial management, payroll, and payment services for USAID activities of the E&E & ODP Bureaus in six SEE Missions and offices in Cyprus, Bulgaria, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland. Seventeen staff members maintain the accounting and financial reporting systems for the region, ensuring that financial activities are conducted in accordance with US Government laws and regulations and providing USAID programs with timely and accurate financial information vital to effective program management. The office provides advice and assistance to USAID programs with respect to audit matters emanating from USAID’s Office of Inspector General, the General Accounting Office, and other groups auditing or inspecting USAID financed activities in the region.
• The Executive Office (EXO) is responsible for administrative management activities for RSC. Eleven EXO staff provide administrative services and logistic support for program operations through direct staff services, indirect commercial and Embassy ICASS services. The Executive Officer also supervises Regional Management Support Office (RMSO, see below).
• The Regional Management Support Office (RMSO) provides management assistance to 14 Missions in the region and offices in Brussels and Geneva. Technical assistance, training, consulting, and EXO operations backup are provided through this office. Upon request from client Missions, RMSO also conducts management assessments of Executive Office operations and recommends courses of action to correct deficiencies identified.
• The Regional Program Office (RPO) has two staff members responsible for regional projects. Currently, RSC manages three activities supporting civil society strengthening and higher education. The RPO also manages an Emerging Donors initiative for the region, working alongside new and aspiring EU member states as they establish their official development assistance (ODA) programs, helping them to build their capacity to deliver ODA while also building partnerships in the region between USAID missions and the new donor countries. Additionally, the RPO represents USAID at various fora with a regional perspective. A brief description of the activities follows.
• The Office of the Regional Alliance Builder (RAB), under the general guidance of the Director of the Regional Program Office, is the primary regional point of contact on alliances and serves as a resource to E&E Missions on a variety of aspects. The RAB assists USAID Missions throughout the E&E region to develop and implement strategies for effective outreach to private corporations and other potential alliance partners. She facilitates the technical aspects of alliance building, including conducting due diligence and working with contracting and technical officers to draft MOUs and terms and conditions of agreements on alliances. Additionally, she organizes and conducts training for USAID staff and partners to develop and promote alliances. Also, the RAB identifies financial resources and investments and the way in which they could be leveraged to address USAID goals and objectives and develops relationships with stakeholders in the region to continue to expand opportunities in the area of alliance building.
• The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) opened a regional office in the RSC in early 2009 covering Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East. OFDA is responsible for facilitating and coordinating U.S. Government emergency assistance overseas. OFDA provides humanitarian assistance to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the social and economic impact of humanitarian emergencies worldwide, responding to natural disasters or in situations when lives or livelihoods are threatened by civil conflict, acts of terrorism, or industrial accidents. In addition to emergency assistance, OFDA funds mitigation activities to reduce the impact of recurrent natural hazards and provides training to build local capacity for disaster management and response.

For additional information on RSC programs, visit the USAID Bureau for Europe and Eurasia website.