Notes on ADS Series 300

NOTE that USAID’s policy is not binding on award recipients unless specifically cited in the terms of the award agreement.

HOWEVER, USAID award agreements always contain standard provisions that DO apply to the recipient as a condition of the award. See About USAID Standard Provisions] for a more detailed discussion of the SPs.


The ADS is USAID's Automated Directives System.

ADS Series 300 is devoted to USAID's internal policies concerning acquisition and assistance. (What's the difference? See Acquistion vs. Assistance.)

Chapter 303 governs grants and cooperative agreements to NGOs.

Chapter 310 governs source and nationality requirements for procurement of commodities and services. See also About 22 CFR 228.

Both of these chapters contain key mandatory references, such as the standard provisions that are attached to award agreements. You get to the current SPs by first opening Chapter 303 and then locating section 303.4.2, the internal mandatory references section. (The PDF version is extensively hotlinked. Locate the link in the TOC to navigate quickly to 303.4.2.) There, items l. and m. (303maa - SPs for US NGOs, and 303mab - SPs for non-US NGOs, respectively) are probably of greatest interest. But you'll find numerous other interesting tidbits in the mandatory references section.


NOTE that USAID is in the habit of updating the ADS pretty much at random and without notification. And they don't provide any historic record of previous editions. What you find on the USAID website is what you get. However, the standard provisions that were in effect at the time they were incorporated into your award are the ones that govern your award (unless and until the AO updates your agreement). So here's a tip: be sure to keep copies of all standard provisions incorporated into your agreement, as there may come a time during the life of the agreement when the ADS is updated and copies of the versions that govern your award are no longer available on the USAID website. This is a frustrating failure on the part of USAID. One might hope that they would eventually change their approach. Time will tell.

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