Award coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-US dialogue
On September 26, 2007, USAID awarded Nathan Associates an indefinite quantity contract to support ASEAN-US Enhanced Partnership activities over the next five to eight years. The project—the ASEAN Development Vision to Advance National Cooperation and Economic Integration (ADVANCE)—will allow USAID Missions to support the ASEAN Secretariat and work with and through ASEAN Member Country governments, civil society, and the private sector to achieve results consistent with the goals of the Enhanced Partnership.

USAID envisions both regional and bilateral activities under the project. To implement ADVANCE, Nathan Associates formed a consortium of experienced and trusted firms who are already supporting the ASEAN Secretariat and Member Countries on high-priority issues that will likely be the focus of ADVANCE activities.
One of the most successful regional organizations in the developing world, ASEAN intends to further integrate its member countries into an ASEAN community by 2015. The United States actively supports ASEAN’s intention. The Enhanced Partnership, announced by President George Bush and his ASEAN counterparts in 2005, encapsulates the scope of the ASEAN-US relationship.
When President Bush and ASEAN leaders met in Australia earlier this month, they noted the wide ranging accomplishments of the Enhanced Partnership—in economics, health, ICT, transport, disaster management, and the environment. They also discussed accomplishments under the 2006 US-ASEAN Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, particularly progress on the ASEAN Single Window for customs clearance and pharmaceutical regulatory harmonization. Many of those accomplishments are in part due to the work of the Nathan-managed ASEAN-US Technical Assistance & Training Facility in Jakarta, jointly funded by USAID and the State Department since 2004.
Activities under the first ADVANCE Task Order, Phase II of the ASEAN-US Facility, begin on October 1.