DevTech was part of USAID's effort to support the development of market economies by encouraging privatization programs in Central and Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia) and the Newly Independent States (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan). DevTech specialists guided USAID/ENI and foreign officials in the design and implementation of privatization education directed at parliament, government officials, labor leaders, and the public. Services included creating and implementing media campaigns; conducting qualitative and quantitative opinion and marketing research; designing and presenting public seminars and meetings; designing, implementing, and maintaining ongoing public relations programs; and preparing written and visual materials for print, radio, and television.

The goal of the Communications and Training task order under this contract was to provide technical assistance to the Russian Federation Commission on Securities Markets to implement policies promoting development of collective investment vehicles in Russia, enhance investor rights protection, form a multi-tier system of investment education for the public, and bolster small investor confidence in the collective investment markets. To achieve these objectives, DevTech

• Developed and disseminated several types of public education materials designed to explain in plain language the new types of collective investment vehicles being created in Russia;
  
• Provided technical assistance to develop and implement training programs for journalists as well as the general public;
  
• Designed and implemented a research program to support and assist the public education and training activities described above; and
  
• Provided technical assistance to each Inter-Regional Center for the Protection of Shareholders to design and produce educational materials.