ADS Chapter 320

Branding and Marking

Partial Revision Date: 03/15/2022

Responsible Office: LPA

File Name: 320_031522

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ADS Chapter 320 2

320.3 POLICY DIRECTIVES AND REQUIRED PROCEDURES ...................... 10

320.3.1 General ................................................................................................... 10

320.3.1.1 Coordination of Policy on Branding and Marking ..................................... 10

320.3.1.2 Pre-Award Procedures............................................................................. 10

320.3.1.3 Post-Award Procedures ........................................................................... 11

320.3.1.4 Administrative Communications ............................................................... 12

320.3.1.5 Business Cards ........................................................................................ 12

320.3.2 Branding and Marking in USAID’s Direct Contracts ........................... 13

320.3.2.1 Branding Strategy for Contracts ............................................................... 13

320.3.2.2 Branding Implementation Plans for Contracts .......................................... 13

320.3.3.2 Requirements for Branding and Marking for Specific Grants, Cooperative

Agreements, or Other Assistance Awards ............................................... 21

320.3.3.3 Waivers to the Requirements for Marking for Assistance Awards ........... 22

320.3.4 Requirements for Branding and Marking for Other Types of

Implementation Mechanisms ................................................................ 23

320.3.4.1 Presidential Initiatives and Interagency Federal Initiatives Implemented

Solely with USAID’s Funding ................................................................... 23

320.3.4.2 Programs, Projects, or Activities Funded through Agreements between

USAID and Other Participating U.S. Government Departments and

Agencies or Other Donors ....................................................................... 23

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320.3.6.2 Obtaining the USAID Identity ................................................................... 27

320.3.6.3 Costs of Branding and Marking ................................................................ 27

320.3.7 Noncompliance ...................................................................................... 27

320.3.8 Audit of Requirements for Marking ...................................................... 28

320.4 MANDATORY REFERENCES ................................................................ 28

320.4.1 External Mandatory References ........................................................... 28

320.4.2 Internal Mandatory References ............................................................ 28

320.5 ADDITIONAL HELP ................................................................................ 29

320.6 DEFINITIONS .......................................................................................... 29

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identified as American aid, except in rare circumstances, as noted below. Identifying

assistance as American aid is critical to achieve the foreign-policy objectives of the

United States and appropriately provides credit to U.S. taxpayers, who generously fund

foreign assistance.

assistance as American aid. Note: The U.S. Department of State has its own policy for

marking its projects with the U.S. flag, but that policy does not apply to USAID’s

programs, projects, activities, public communications, and commodities.

branding and marking using the “USAID Identity.”

the USAID Graphic Standards Manual and Partner Co-Branding Guide, the USAID

American People.”

This ADS chapter addresses marking and branding requirements for both acquisition

and assistance. While many sections apply to both acquisition and assistance, some

sections are specific to particular instruments. Section 320.3.2 governs USAID’s direct

contracts. Section 320.3.3, in conjunction with Section 700 of Title 2 of the Code of

Federal Regulations (CFR) et seq., governs grants and cooperative agreements,

whether to U.S. or non-U.S. non-governmental organizations. Section 320.3.4 governs

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As explained more fully in Section 320.3.1.2, Pre-Award Procedures, all USAID

implementing partners are required to have a USAID-approved Branding Strategy and

Marking Plan. Marking Plans may receive rare exceptions and waivers, both of which

alter the requirement to mark in activity-specific ways and apply when USAID wishes to

avoid marking for programmatic reasons (e.g., to avoid undermining the credibility of

support for elections processes or drafts of constitutions or laws, or to preserve the

independence of the media). USAID should approve exceptions incorporated into a

Marking Plan before finalizing an award (see Sections 320.3.1.2 and 320.3.2.5).

Waivers are ad hoc, usually arise post-award, and reflect situational exigencies. USAID

will only grant waivers in rare circumstances, after considerable deliberation and

analysis, and they will be narrowly targeted in terms of geography, time, and

programmatic application. When USAID grants either an exception or a waiver,

the CFR, which applies as a matter of law to assistance funded by U.S. taxpayers.

320.2 PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Effective Date: 11/03/2020

a. The Administrator of the United States Agency for International

Development (A/AID) determines the overall public diplomacy and outreach policies of

presidential or other high-level interagency initiatives, in accordance with Sections 700.1

and 700.16 of Title 2 of the CFR. In addition, the Administrator must provide

country from the requirements for marking and branding outlined in this ADS chapter.

b. USAID’s Principal Officers are responsible for the following:

1) Explaining USAID’s requirements for branding and marking or designating a

USAID employee to communicate such requirements to Mission staff;

or U.S. Chief of Mission, and Public-Affairs Section; and other relevant host-

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Advisor for Brand-Management in the Bureau for Legislative Affairs (LPA),

whether to approve or deny requests for waivers of marking requirements, and

for administering the other required procedures in this ADS chapter (see Section

320.3.2.6.); and

3) Consulting with the Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for

Initiatives (OTI) in the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS) in

USAID/W on their exercise of waiver authority for BHA and CPS/OTI projects

that are taking place in the Principal Officer’s country or region of responsibility

c. Contracting Officers (COs) and Agreement Officers (AOs) are responsible for

1) Approving the Branding Strategies or Branding Implementation Plans and

disapproving—in consultation with the Principal Officer, Requiring Office

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, RLO

or USAID/W/GC, and Development Outreach and Communications Officers

activities—any exceptions to marking requirements (see Section 320.3.2.5.);

2) Including the applicable policy directives and required procedures in this ADS

chapter in solicitations and implementing award documents for acquisition and

assistance;

3) Administering contracts and assistance awards to ensure the implementing

solicitation and implementing award includes the appropriate requirements for branding

and marking; to the extent possible, the RO should identify to the CO/AO in advance

any programmatic exceptions for inclusion in the solicitation; and assists in the review of

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usually consists of the Development Objective Team, including the Activity Manager).

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e. Contracting Officer’s Representatives (CORs)/Agreement Officer’s

Representatives (AORs) are responsible for the following:

1) Monitoring compliance by USAID’s contractors, assistance recipients, and other

implementing partners with the Agency’s branding and marking requirements, in

accordance with the relevant provisions in the contract, grant, cooperative

agreement, or other funding mechanism; this includes ensuring that USAID

using the contractor’s own logo or other identity, and that assistance recipients

are using the USAID Identity in addition to their logo or other identity in the

approved Branding Strategy and Marking Plan.

important people (VIPs), provide the opportunity to verify that the project site and

all project deliverables are marked properly:

before a site visit and verify compliance during the visit.

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Affairs Section at a U.S. Embassy or to other U.S. Government Departments and

Agencies to advance the U.S. Government’s public-diplomacy and foreign-policy

goals;

3) Reviewing, as requested, Branding Strategies, Marking Plans, and Branding

Implementation Plans;

4) Consulting, as requested by the AO/CO, on requests for exceptions to marking

requirements; and

Communications Guide to ensure USAID’s brand is memorialized following a

for Brand-Management in LPA are responsible for the following:

on internal and external branding, as reflected in the USAID Graphic Standards

Manual and Partner Co-Branding Guide;

2) Ensuring that USAID’s staff and partners understand and comply with the

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h. Cognizant Assistant Administrators (AAs) are responsible for the following:

1) Ensuring compliance with USAID’s policy directives and procedures on branding

and marking by their Bureau/Office staff;

2) Consulting with the cognizant Principal Officer, the Senior Advisor for Brand-

Management in LPA, and the RLO or USAID/GC, when the relevant Principal

3) Adjudicating appeals by implementing partners of denied waiver requests; and

4) In exceptional cases, requesting the Administrator’s approval of a determination

Section 320.3.4.1.

are responsible for the following:

related policies and regulations on branding and marking, including by reviewing

waivers of marking requirements and appeals of denied waiver requests;

2) Assisting a Mission or the AO from a RO in negotiating the branding and marking

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public communications and program materials for compliance with USAID’s

graphic standards and the approved Marking Plan.

c. USAID reserves the right to provide guidance on USAID-funded social media

Media for Public Engagement.

All of the above requirements are subject to USAID-approved exceptions (see Section

320.3.2.5) and waivers (see Section 320.3.2.6).

The Branding and Marking Monitoring and Verification form serves as a tool to assist

320.3.2.5 Exceptions to Marking Requirements for Contracts

Effective Date: 02/05/2020

The following exceptions reflect USAID’s usual, non-emergency practices in not

marking certain contract deliverables for programmatic reasons. The CO—in

consultation with the Principal Officer, RO, GC/RLO, and DOCs at Missions or