Global: partnership. The effective PRIME II partnership model. Prioritizing the common good.

Abstract

Like many large USAID global projects, PRIME II is designed for implementation by a consortium of partners who bring a broad set of complementary skills and capacities rarely available from a single organization. This is a strategy with many advantages, but it creates a complex structure to lead and manage. From the earliest stages of forming a partnership, responding to the Request for Application and the startup of operations, the five PRIME partner organizations have shared a powerful vision of the partnership in action. The resulting collaboration has proven unusually rewarding, and a review of its successes and lessons learned is provided here. Composed of two senior leaders from each partner organization, the Partner Leadership Group (PLG) provides a stable and consistent mechanism for direct participation in the Project's strategic direction and technical leadership. This tight-knit group meets four times a year, rotating venues among partner offices. These leaders must set the example of a willingness to prioritize the common good of the Project and to seek win-win decisions. (excerpt)