Policies, Assistance, and Support Resources

Domestic Resources and Assistance

US. Department of State Information Directory: Telephone listings, foreign service post information, references, regulations, and supplemental information.

Bureau of Diplomatic Security investigates passport and visa fraud, conducts personnel security investigations, and issues security clearances.

Office of the Procurement Executive (OPE) provides overall leadership of the procurement and grants functions for the Department.  OPE issues procurement and grants policy, provides quality assurance and statistical reporting, and appoints contracting officers and grant officers.

• Competition in Contracting. It is the Department of State’s policy to maximize competition in contracting under applicable procurement regulations.  Questions regarding the competition in contracting practices of the Department, including unduly restrictive competition should be directed to:  Sharon James, Competition Advocate, 703-875-5429, cat@state.gov.
• Unsolicited Proposals. The Department of State’s policy requires that proposals be received by the Head of Contracting Activity, or his/her designee.  Proposals may be sent to UnsolicitedProposals@state.gov. Note, if the proposal is being submitted by a US Small Business, you may send a courtesy copy (CC:) to OSDBU.

Governing Law, Regulations, and Policies:

• Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 
• Department of State Acquisition Regulation (DOSAR)  
  • DOSAR: Small Business Program  
• Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM)
• Department of State’s Support of Accelerated Payments
• Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Act (SBREFA) Compliance Policy
• U.S. Department of State and USAID Joint Strategic Plan FY 2018-2022 [2 MB]
• New: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities

Doing Business Abroad

• Doing Business Abroad FAQs
• Import / Export:  Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) controls the export and temporary import of defense articles and defense services covered by the United States Munitions List (USML) and International Traffic in Arms (ITAR).  This office has among its primary missions:  taking final action on license applications for defense trade exports and handling matters related to defense trade compliance, enforcement, and reporting.
• Overseas construction: Section 402 of the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986  (P.L. 99-399; 22 U.S.C. 4852 ) limits certain construction projects abroad to “United States persons” or “United States joint venture persons”. This Statement of Qualifications shall be used to determine if a bidder/offeror meets the definition of a “United States person” or a “United States joint venture person”. Contracts subject to that law must contain a Statement of Qualifications for the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act (48 CFR § 652.236-72) .

Additional Information

Other Resources: External sites that provide additional information and resources for small businesses.