Here's an unfortunate wrinkle around PRTs and their staffing.

Both in Afghanistan and Iraq, due, I suppose to the lack of enthusiastic volunteers, contractors occupy some positions on the teams. This makes some of the smaller NGOs like mine nervous about information sharing and anything beyond that.

Based on years of experience, when we meet USAID and Department for International Development (DfID, of the UK) personnel in the field, we ask if they are core or contract employees. It makes us nervous to share too much information with folks who might be tasked by their contributing company with both output delivered under the existing contract, as well as business development tasks on top. We've heard more than once, in the field, "well, we're supposed to do that" from contract employees of PRTs, and that causes us to immediately leave the room and cease all contact. The conflicts of interest seem obvious, but they continue to exist, and we're not overly enthusiastic about sticking our own heads in the noose.

Cheers,