Sandzak Textile Association (ASSTEX) to have permanent Moscow presence

Novi Pazar / Belgrade / Moscow, October 16: ASSTEX representatives traveled to Moscow last week to rent offices for its fashion show room and apparel distribution center; the grand opening is expected November 1.  This permanent presence in Russia’s capital is key to the association’s strategy to capture part of the annual $53 billion the country’s consumers spend on clothing; ASSTEX opens the facility with the help of a $240,000 grant from the Serbian Investment and Export Promotion Agency, which was facilitated by USAID's Economic Security project.  This next step in Sandzak’s textile industry expansion is part of a larger, multifaceted effort to stimulate the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises from Sandzak and South Serbia. In its five years of operation, Economic Security project-supported companies have generated over $12.5 million in new sales at trade fairs alone and entered new domestic and foreign markets including those of Germany, Poland, Turkey, Russia, Belarus and the Czech Republic.

Open Request for Proposal for ESP Program Communication Support

Belgrade, October 12, 2011: Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), is the primary implementer of the Economic Security Project, an activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Economic Security Project core objective statement is to enhance economic security in Serbia through the implementation of two program areas:

• Support to Bussineses:assists businesses in difficult environments grow, expand into new markets and create new jobs; and,
• Support to Youth:  works with Serbia’s youth to prepare them for their first job or to open their own business:

Please refer to the Project Description section E contained in the attached document (please find below) for a statement of ESP goals and expected results from the action that will be supported under this RfP.

The ESP Project plans to select one or more company(ies)/organization(s) under this RfP. The total projected budget for the award is not pre-defined, but the costs should be in line with market rates, reasonable and realistic. A contract for services will be made with the applicant(s) whose application offers the best value in proposed services.