SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720FDA20B00049

ISSUANCE DATE: April 16, 2020
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: May 15, 2020, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time

SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC)

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government (USG), represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as Program Officer (PO) under a United States Personal Services Contract (USPSC), as described in the solicitation.

Submittals must be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Offerors interested in applying for this position MUST submit the following materials:

1. Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your offer, your resume must include:

(a) Paid and non-paid experience, job title, location(s), dates held (month/year), and hours worked per week for each position. Dates (month/year) and locations for all field experience must also be detailed. Any experience that does not include dates (month/year), locations, and hours per week will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
(b) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.
(c) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments.
(d) U.S. Citizenship
(e) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (beta.SAM.gov, OFDA Jobs, Career Fair, etc.).

Your resume must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation. This information must be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide information sufficient to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration.

1. Supplemental document specifically addressing the Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs) shown in the solicitation.

2. USPSC Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted. AID 309-2 is available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms.

NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBERS AND THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

All USPSCs with a place of performance in the United States are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database prior to receiving an award. You will be disqualified if you either fail to comply with this requirement or if your name appears on the excluded parties list. The selectee will be provided with guidance regarding this registration.

NOTE: As of March 28, 2018, all new SAM.gov entity registrations will now require a signed notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity administrator for the entity associated with the DUNS number. Additional information on the format of the notarized letter and where to submit can be found via the below Federal Service Desk link:

https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=d2e67885db0d5f00b3257...
sysparm_search=kb0013183

Offerors can expect to receive a confirmation email when offer materials have been received. Offerors should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their offers. Your complete resume and the supplemental document addressing the QRFs must be emailed to:

OFDA Recruitment Team
E-Mail Address: recruiter@ofda.gov
Website: www.OFDAjobs.net

Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to OFDA Recruitment Team via the information provided above.

Sincerely,

Renee Newton
Contracting Officer

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Working under the guidance and supervision of the SHA, the PO will support OFDA’s program office in DRC with full time in-country coordination and management of OFDA programming for humanitarian emergency and disaster risk reduction activities throughout DRC. The PO may assist in humanitarian assistance activities elsewhere in the region as needed. The PO will work in close collaboration with a program team that may include Senior Regional Advisors (SRAs), SHAs, Senior Program Officers (SPOs), POs, Field Monitors, Team Leaders, Deputy Team Leaders, Disaster Operations Advisors and Specialists, and/or Program Assistants.
This position requires substantial coordination with representatives from other USAID offices, the U.S. Embassy, other USG agencies, the Government of DRC, U.S. military representatives, as well as with relevant donor representatives and with UN and NGOs. This level of coordination requires an individual with a highly collaborative work style. The PO must be prepared to function effectively in a challenging and restrictive work environment and be willing to strictly adhere to U.S. Embassy security guidelines.
The PO’s responsibilities will include the following:

Contextual Specialty
• Develop and maintain a specialized understanding of humanitarian developments within DRC to include political, social, and operational issues impacting humanitarian efforts.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of USAID and USG humanitarian priorities and strategies within DRC and USAID/OFDA’s contributions and comparative advantages to those efforts.
• Provide regular reporting, through official cables and other means, on issues related to the humanitarian situation in DRC. Provide overviews of patterns and trends in the humanitarian situation and keep the SHA and other program staff current on response issues. Provide regular reports on site visits, meetings, general atmospherics and other issues that impact humanitarian relief efforts.
• Prepare briefing papers, notes and presentations on OFDA programming for official USG visitors interested in humanitarian issues.

Portfolio Management
• Develop and maintain a detailed working knowledge of OFDA’s humanitarian portfolio in DRC.
• Work with OFDA’s program staff based in Washington, D.C., the regional office in Nairobi, Kenya, and in DRC on the development of OFDA’s programming for response and disaster risk reduction activities in DRC; ensure complementarity between the two strategies; and oversee implementation of each activity.
• Support team efforts to continually assess emergency response and disaster risk reduction needs in DRC in order to ensure that OFDA’s programs are appropriately responsive.
• In close coordination with the SHA and Disaster Operations Specialist, work with NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies that are developing proposals for OFDA (including grant amendments and extensions). Ensure that draft proposals are in compliance with OFDA’s Guidelines for Unsolicited Proposals and Reporting. Review concept papers and proposals, and provide recommendations/comments to OFDA for final funding determination.
• Assist headquarters-based Agreement Officer’s Representatives in managing humanitarian awards by providing field-based insights, knowledge, and perspectives.
• Travel as permitted to support team efforts to assess, evaluate and monitor humanitarian conditions in DRC, and make strategic recommendations for appropriate interventions.

Representation
• Support the SHA in maintaining relations with the humanitarian community in DRC in representing USAID and OFDA on humanitarian issues. This will include but is not limited to UN agencies, IOs, NGOs, USG personnel, donors, host government authorities, and others.
• Participate in and report on joint donor humanitarian evaluations and UN-led assessments, and participate actively in the international community response structures.
• With guidance from the SHA, coordinate with the donor community on policy issues affecting humanitarian operations, and develop integrated, non-duplicative programs.
• Maintain regular contact with OFDA grantees, as well as other UN agencies, IOs, and NGOs. As requested by the SHA, meet regularly with donors, host government officials, USG agencies, and others on humanitarian issues in order to explain, advocate for, and advance OFDA’s priorities, and to help coordinate USG and international humanitarian activities.

Leadership
• Serve as peer mentor to team members on grants management and portfolio management, to include OFDA’s business process, portfolio-specific budget and workload management, and post-award monitoring and management.
• Participate, as assigned, in office-wide discussions on initiatives that impact program implementation to provide field-based perspectives.

General Duties
• Serve in program positions on response teams, assessment teams, or to provide coverage for field offices within and outside the region, which may deployment on short notice for up to 90 days.
• May serve in program positions on Washington-based RMTs for up to 45 days.
• May serve on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an extended period of time.
As needed, may serve on temporary detail within the office to meet operational needs during staff shortages, not to exceed six months. Duties performed while on detail will be directly related to the duties and responsibilities outlined in the scope of work.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)

Bachelor’s degree with significant study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field (including, but not limited to, international relations, political science, economics, food policy, or a related field), and five (5) years of progressively responsible experience working in emergency relief and humanitarian assistance, which must include at least one (1) year of on-the-ground international field experience working in humanitarian assistance. This experience must include one or more of the following: needs assessment, analysis, emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation aid.

OR
Master’s degree with significant study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field (including, but not limited to, international relations, political science, economics, food policy, or a related field), and four (4) years of progressively responsible experience working in emergency relief and humanitarian assistance, which must include at least one (1) year of on-the-ground international field experience working in humanitarian assistance. This experience must include one or more of the following: needs assessment, analysis, emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation aid.

SELECTION FACTORS
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)
• Offeror is a U.S. Citizen.
• Complete resume submitted. See cover page for resume requirements. Experience that cannot be quantified will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
• USPSC Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
• Supplemental document specifically addressing the Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs) submitted.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level clearance as provided by USAID.
• Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance.
• Must not appear as an excluded party in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).
• Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.
QUALITY RANKING FACTORS (QRFs)

(Used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified offerors in comparison to other offerors. The factors are listed in priority order from highest to least. The evaluation of QRF responses will also take into consideration the quality of written responses. Aspects of written responses including, but not limited to typos, grammatical errors, spelling errors, and incomplete sentences will be factored into the evaluation process.)

QRF #1 Describe your experience in working on overseas disasters, developing country strategies, and integrating disaster response, rehabilitation, and preparedness activities.

QRF #2 Describe your experience in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating USG grants, cooperative agreements, proposals, and contracts. Demonstrate your knowledge of USG regulations as they relate to the above award stages.

QRF #3 Describe your knowledge of and experience in coordinating relief, transition, or disaster risk reduction activities with host country governments, USG agencies (such as the State Department and Department of Defense), UN and other IOs, or NGOs involved in humanitarian response.

QRF #4 Outline your unique experience and qualifications to serve as a PO for USG humanitarian programs in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, juggling multiple priorities and tasks.

BASIS OF RATING: Offerors who meet the Education/Experience requirements and Selection Factors will be further evaluated in accordance with the QRF responses. Those offerors determined to be competitively ranked may also be evaluated on interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks.

Offerors are required to address each of the QRFs in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, and/or education they have received as it pertains to each factor. Be sure to include your name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to address the selection factors and/or Quality Ranking Factors may result in not receiving credit for all pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards.

The most qualified offerors may be interviewed and required to provide a writing sample. OFDA will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for offerors being considered for selection. Note: Please be advised that references may be obtained independently from other sources in addition to the ones provided by an offeror. OFDA reserves the right to select additional offerors if vacancies become available during future phase of the selection process.