On July 18, 2023, USAID hosted a Reverse Industry Day with the Small Business Association for International Companies (SBAIC). During the event, there were members on the panel from different types of small businesses that answered questions and brought recommendations to a variety of topics in the discussion for USAID staff.  

The conversation was moderated by SBAIC's Betsy Bassan from the Pangora Group. We welcomed panelists: Varlee Sannor from CollaborateUp, Michelle Hayes from the Cloudburst Group, Carla Briceno from Bixal, David Snelbecker from the International Development Group, Martine Laney from Alliance for Sustainable Development, and David Wall from the International Business Initiatives. 

Feel free to watch the recording of the event, check out the slide deck, and see some key takeaways: 

• Understand the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in USAID’s small business utilization
• Define small business targets within all full and open solicitations
• Need to expand each rung of the partner ladder to make it easier for partner's to access appropriate funding and move up
• Ensure that the shared investments of USAID and the small business community are not lost when we
  reach the "Valley of Death"
• Well crafted RFPs result in better proposals, including templates and annexes
• Remember small businesses can play a pivotal role in advancing USAID’s localization Agenda