Technical Strengths of Members of Louis Berger SEGIR Macroeconomic II IQC Consortium

The Louis Berger Group, Inc.

The Louis Berger Group (LBG) is one of the largest consulting groups in the world with more than 4,000 employees worldwide. Berger has field offices and projects in more than 60 developing countries and economies in transition worldwide. With this platform of offices and staff in most USAID-assisted countries, we are able to respond very rapidly to IQC task orders by mobilizing local logistical and support staff. This allows us to field teams of expatriate experts quickly and effectively, and to supplement their skills with local experts from our own staff and from the network of local partners and consultants associated with our field offices.

The Louis Berger Group understands the objectives and resources required to make the MACRO II a successful program. Louis Berger has jointly and separately held the Macroeconomics IQC as a prime contractor since the mid-1980s. Throughout this period, Berger has provided economic policy advice and technical assistance to help foment and accelerate economic development, and in particular, private sector development, in USAID-assisted countries. From Currency Reform in Afghanistan and Fiscal Reform in Russia, to Clean Technology Policies in Asia, Louis Berger understands the unique needs of successful, results oriented macroeconomic program design and implementation. We know the importance of providing quick turn-around and timely logistical and administrative support. We recognize the need to quickly integrate local staff and other resources into the program. Another important element is our ability to communicate effectively with U.S. government partners (e.g. Embassy, USAID) in-country, as well as in Washington. Berger understands the importance of working with donor-funded programs to track project start-up and implementation, as well as, monitor for results. Berger knows how to be responsive, and we have organized our corporate and field offices so that we can provide rapid deployment globally within 72-hours and have operational grant making capability completed within four weeks. Berger has considerable experience working in transition countries and has demonstrated its ability to provide innovative, timely and effective approaches to complex problems.

Consortium Partners and Technical Areas of Expertise

Monetary Policy, Banking and Central Bank Operations

The Aries Group, Ltd.—a U.S. consulting firm specializing in global capital markets and financial sector development; privatization of state-owned enterprises; investment advisory services; and global strategic management for financial sector institutions. The Aries Group provides a full range of consulting services including advice on strategy and project implementation. Aries’ advisory and technical assistance services extend worldwide to central banks, merchant and commercial banks, stock exchanges, regulatory agencies, mutual funds, pension institutions, the insurance and leasing industries. Clients include national governments; international development and lending institutions; and private sector establishments.

Fiscal Policy

Georgia State University, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies—recognized worldwide for the contributions it has made in supporting economic and policy reforms through technical assistance and training in developing and transition economies. This reputation has been built serving a diverse client base, including multilateral assistance organizations, foreign ministries and government organizations, legislative bodies and private sector institutions. The mission of the International Studies Program is to provide academic and technical training, research and technical assistance in support of sound public policy and sustainable economic growth in transition and developing economies. The International Studies Program specializes in the provision of technical assistance and training in the areas of fiscal policy, budgeting and fiscal management, intergovernmental fiscal relations (fiscal decentralization) as well as economic and fiscal policy analysis in developing and transition economies.

Trade and Exchange Rate Policy

The Louis Berger Group, Inc.—in the Philippines, Louis Berger has been the lead contractor in developing trade and investment promotion programs for the Mindanao region. Over the past 7 years, more than $700 million in investment commitments have been made. In Egypt, Berger established the Egyptian Accreditation Council to build the institutional and technical capacity of Egyptian laboratories to certify that Egyptian products and services meet international standard to enhance trade and market access. In Peru, Berger sought to promote non-traditional exports and increased participation of microenterprises and small producers (the project generated more than $100 million in increased sales).

National Income Accounting and Strategic Planning

International Knowledge Universal Benefit (IKUB)—is dedicated to the alleviation of poverty in developing countries as a part of both its mission and its objectives. IKUB’s key function is to assist clients overcome the most challenging tasks thrust upon them by the global economy. IKUB’s staff consists of ex-World Bank and IMF advisors who have vast experience in executing multi-faceted and complex reform and technical assistance programs under, sometimes, extreme conditions. They have worked in more than eighty countries across the globe, particularly in Africa, Asia (including emerging economies in the former Soviet Union), the Middle East, and the Pacific, as well as in countries emerging from protracted conflicts and civil strife, including Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

Sector Policy

International Business and Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI)—is a leading consulting firm focused on meeting the development assistance needs of countries in transition and emerging economies by offering regional expertise in financial sector reforms, trade development, private sector development, accounting and auditing. IBTCI has worked extensively on export and trade development, competitiveness and investment promotion, and banking reforms. Their in-house experts have carried out numerous feasibility studies, sector studies, technical assistance and training programs.

Poverty Alleviation

Harvard University, School of Public Health—The Department of Population and International Health seeks to respond to global health problems through education, research, and service from a population-based perspective. Drawing on demography, economics, ethics, medicine, political science, and sociology, department faculty members apply their disciplinary expertise to population and international issues. The department's research interests span a wide spectrum of topics, including social and economic development and demography. Department faculty use quantitative and qualitative methods to assess policies that affect health and to understand the relationships between health, labor, population, education, gender, poverty, and economic development.

Other Macroeconomic or Sector Issues

East-West Management Institute (EWMI)—is a not-for-profit, organization that promotes economic and legal reform in countries making the transition to a free-market economy. EWMI, provides advice and technical services in legal and regulatory reform, rule of law, privatization, enterprise restructuring, and capital markets development. Recognizing the importance of viable civil societies in reinforcing economic and legal reform, EWMI also supports local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through training and networking opportunities.

Management Information Systems and Information Dissemination

Renaissance Information Systems, Inc.—is a small, minority- and veteran-owned business that combines superior next-generation products with expert consultants for the complete solution to information technology needs. RIS has years of experience in the development, marketing, and support of information management and information technology products, specializing in applications for the health field. RIS brings key technical and management personnel to each program to provide the best technology solutions to meet program goals.

Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF)—will participate as a resource group. As a resource group, Berger will only utilize OEF based on the specific needs of a task order. Berger will draw on OEF’s expertise in economic forecasting and economic modeling and training. OEF is the UK parent of Oxford Economics USA and was founded in 1983 by a group of academics and professional forecasters. Its clients include industrial and financial corporations and public sector institutions worldwide.