Louis Berger awarded USAID project to strengthen local governance in El Salvador

MORRISTOWN, N. J., Sept. 20, 2017 -- Louis Berger has been selected by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement a five-year, $36.6 million project to strengthen decentralization and local government capacity in El Salvador in order to increase security and accelerate economic development. 

“We look forward to working with our longtime partner USAID to strengthen local governance and increase citizen engagement in El Salvador,” said Charles Bell, Louis Berger senior vice president for economic and institutional development. “This project will improve the capacity of municipalities in El Salvador to serve their citizens and will foster the development of more secure, stable and inclusive communities.”

The USAID-funded “Strengthening Local Governance for Security and Development in El Salvador” project aims to build consensus around increased decentralization, enhance intergovernmental coordination, and strengthen the ability of municipalities to plan for, administer, pay for and deliver effective, responsive services in a participatory and accountable manner.

The project will operate at the national, intermediary and municipal levels. At the national level, the project will focus on improving national support and frameworks for decentralization. At the intermediary level, the project will strengthen intergovernmental coordination and foster inter-municipal partnerships. At the municipal level, the project will build the fundamental capacity of municipalities to effectively govern. 

Working with 30 representative municipalities, Louis Berger will provide technical assistance that links improved governance to better security, positions mayors as the drivers of reform, focuses on solutions-based management planning and implementation practices, and ensures the sustainability of project investments.

“USAID is one of our most valued, and longest-standing clients. We’re honored to work with USAID to strengthen local governance in El Salvador,” said Jim Stamatis, Louis Berger’s chief executive officer. “Louis Berger has been providing services to USAID since the early 1960s, supporting them on over 100 initiatives in more than 40 countries across the globe. Our seasoned team of economic and institutional development experts is very knowledgeable of USAID’s mission and objectives and well equipped to meet this complex challenge.”

With 17 projects in El Salvador over the past 20 years, the Louis Berger team has an in-depth knowledge of the country and has forged strong working relationships with key local, regional and national counterparts. Worldwide, the company has implemented a multitude of economic and institutional development projects, including the USAID Increasing Sustainable Local Government Services Program in South Africa, the USAID Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program in Iraq and the USAID Growth with Equity in Mindanao Program in the Philippines.

About Louis Berger

Louis Berger is a global professional services corporation that helps infrastructure and development clients solve their most complex challenges. We are a trusted partner to national, state and local government agencies; multilateral institutions; and commercial industry clients worldwide. By focusing on client needs to deliver quality, safe, financially-successful projects with integrity, we are committed to deliver on our promise to provide Solutions for a better world.  

Louis Berger operates on every habitable continent. We have a long-standing presence in more than 50 nations, represented by the multidisciplinary expertise of 6,000 engineers, economists, scientists, managers and planners.

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