Inactive

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 7200AA20R00038 ISSUANCE DATE: April 21, 2020 CLOSING DATE/TIME: June 4, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Time SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) Dear Prospect... SOLICITATION NUMBER: 7200AA20R00038 ISSUANCE DATE: April 21, 2020 CLOSING DATE/TIME: June 4, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Time SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) Dear Prospective Offerors: The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified persons to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation. Applications must be submitted in accordance with Attachment 1 of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned applications will not be considered. Applicants should retain copies of all submissions for their records. This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the application. Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in Attachment 1 of this solicitation. Sincerely, Mir Ershadullah Contracting Officer ATTACHMENT 1 GENERAL INFORMATION SOLICITATION NUMBER: 7200AA20R00038 ISSUANCE DATE: April 21, 2020 CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: June 4, 2020 CLOSING TIME FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: 12:00 PM Eastern Time POSITION TITLE: Survey Specialist in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance; Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DCHA/DRG), USAID/Washington MARKET VALUE: GS-14 Equivalent: $121,316 - $157,709 per annum Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value, based upon the selected candidate’s salary history, qualifications, previous relevant experience and work history, and educational background as reported on AID-309-2. Salaries over and above the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated. This position is for a Washington based PSC. Candidates who live outside the Washington, D.C. area will be considered for employment, but no relocation expenses will be reimbursed. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two Year, with three one-year options PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Washington, D.C., with possible field assignments SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret STATEMENT OF DUTIES: Background As the home base for USAID’s Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) programs, the DRG Center focuses on advocating for democratic governance, driving important research, and supporting over 90 field missions worldwide to develop programs. USAID’s DRG sector includes support for good governance, rule of law, elections and political processes, civil society and media, human rights, and other DRG fields. These efforts are critical to ensure citizens are empowered to play a role in public affairs and the decisions that affect their daily lives. They also underpin the sustainability of the Agency’s socio-economic development sectors. The DRG Center's annual budget is over $146 million, with a staff of over 90, comprised of U.S. Direct Hires (USDHs), contractors, and Fellows. In collaboration with USAID practitioners and academic experts, Learning guides DRG learning initiatives, conducts impact and performance evaluations, advances measurement in the DRG sector, and commissions research to understand the most effective approaches to DRG assistance. To advance these efforts, the Learning Division provides technical assistance and training, and currently manages four contracts worth over $100 million. The Division also facilitates learning communities of practice inside and outside of USAID. DRG/Learning is the focal point for USAID’s implementation of the DRG Learning Agenda, a dynamic collection of research questions that serve to guide the DRG Center’s and USAID Field Missions’ analytical efforts. As part of DRG/Learning, the Survey Specialist will leverage his/her considerable survey, monitoring, evaluation, measurement and research expertise to support USAID missions and the DRG cadre to design and manage support for USAID-funded surveys in the DRG sector. The Survey Specialist will go beyond support for traditional political polling to contribute expertise to the Center's portfolio of research by designing surveys that can probe and test fundamental assumptions and theories of change in the DRG sector. The Survey Specialist will be able to design instruments to measure phenomena ranging from trust in government to attitudes about key aspects of human rights and democratic governance. The incumbent is expected to carry out work assignments using independent professional judgment to ensure the design and implementation of effective surveys in support of USAID’s DRG sector. S/he will work closely with USAID and other U.S. Government colleagues, implementing partners, academics, and recognized experts in the DRG sector to advance DRG surveys, metrics and learning initiatives and to analyze survey results and develop dissemination materials. The incumbent’s responsibilities will be geographically world-wide, varied, and dynamic to reflect changing circumstances and needs. S/he will be expected to support USAID DRG efforts in a multitude of countries and regions through a combination of international travel and Washington-based support. Duties and Responsibilities Serve as the senior survey expert for USAID’s DRG sector including liaising with officials from national and international organizations (e.g., Pew, Freedom House) who conduct surveys related to the DRG sector. Provide technical assistance related to the design, implementation, and analysis of DRG survey research, including to USAID Missions and Bureaus. This includes providing expert advice to help develop or identify learning agendas, survey questions, sampling, and survey experiments, including monitoring contractor and grantee performance when they are commissioned to develop and implement surveys on behalf of USAID. Liaise with other survey experts in USAID, the Department of State, other USG agencies, NGOs, international donors, academic institutions, and the private sector to stay up-to-date on the latest evidence and innovations being generated around measuring democracy, human rights, good governance and related sectors. This includes contributing to internal and external DRG learning communities of practice on issues related to DRG survey research and measurement. Coordinate and/or contribute DRG survey expertise to agency-wide DRG initiatives, including related to survey design and implementation, data analysis, data and evidence utilization, learning agendas, research methodologies, and strategy/policy/program development and implementation. Serve as Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and/or Activity Manager for learning, evaluation, and research contracts and learning initiatives that link policy and field research with leading academics. Develop and advance technical assistance tools and training related to DRG surveys, including how to design and carry out surveys, how to analyze the data collected, and how to present findings and recommendations in a way that will be accessible to USAID’s cadre of DRG professionals. This will include helping the DRG cadre to use survey data to improve the performance of their DRG strategies, projects, activities, etc. Promote the creation and utilization of DRG evidence generally by: a) supporting rigorous data collection and analysis that leads to the development of actionable findings and recommendations; b) advising on and overseeing the incorporation of evidence into DRG trainings and dissemination materials for the USAID DRG cadre; c) participating in the incorporation of evidence into strategic and program planning at USAID Missions; and d) providing technical assistance to USAID staff and partners in locating, interpreting, and acting on new evidence in the DRG sector. Backstop one or more of the DRG Center’s technical divisions or working groups, serving as a member of their extended team and their point of contact for learning activities in their subsector. This may include serving on technical review committees or reviewing proposals related to learning, and incorporating partner activities into learning agendas, if appropriate. Backstop one or more USAID Regional Bureau and related Missions to advance DRG learning activities. This includes establishing contact with, learning their portfolio of related activities, and supporting the development and implementation of appropriate learning activities. Illustrative support activities include meetings and calls with field missions and/or evaluators, TDYs to participate in the development of MEL plans, evaluations, support for other strategic learning processes, and to conduct training on DRG learning approaches. This could include multiple-week visits to USAID partner countries, including critical restricted environment countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, South Sudan, and others to assist Missions in various stages of their learning agendas, to train USAID, host government or implementing partner staff, and to contribute to strategy development and project design. Decision Making At the GS-14 level, the Survey Specialist will serve as a top-level DRG survey expert for USAID globally. The Survey Specialist will be experienced in survey design and implementation and will assist USAID globally in the design, monitoring, and analysis of survey research related to numerous DRG sectors and programs. S/he will exercise independent judgment while performing challenging work. S/he will receive minimal day-to-day technical guidance and will make decisions related to his/her area of expertise and responsibility. Knowledge Level Required by the Position The Survey Specialist must demonstrate advanced mastery of survey research; monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches; and knowledge of the DRG sector. S/he will have obtained a master’s or doctorate degree with significant quantitative study in a pertinent field, including, but not limited to, political science, economics, statistics, sociology, or another social science field with strong quantitative research methods, and at least 3 years of progressively responsible experience in survey design, measurement, research and/or rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and learning related to democracy, human rights and governance in international development. Supervisory Controls The Survey Specialist will report to the Chief of the Learning Division or her/his designee. The supervisor and Survey Specialist will develop a work plan that includes responsibilities and deadlines. The Survey Specialist will also work closely with other USAID operating units and leaders, including USAID Mission officials and contractors, and be accountable to them for the performance of high quality work. The Survey Specialist will meet with his/her supervisor formally on a quarterly basis to discuss progress against the work plan, in addition to regular attendance at team meetings. Guidelines The Survey Specialist will work within Agency guidelines that are often broadly stated and non-specific, requiring extensive interpretation. S/he will demonstrate sound judgement, technical expertise, ingenuity and innovation in the measurement of complex DRG contexts and activities. Complexity The Survey Specialist’s duties will be significantly varied and will require a high degree of knowledge of complex processes and methods as they are applied to a broad range of circumstances. S/he will be required to support USAID regional Bureaus and Missions in making decisions on largely undefined issues and elements that require extensive research and analysis to determine the nature and scope of the problems, including the identification of targets and indicators, the design and implementation of surveys and other research activities, the analysis of research findings, and the innovative incorporation of findings into the design of new programs. The incumbent will be expected to contribute new approaches and new information to address continuing changes in the related programmatic, technological, and political environments. S/he will develop and coordinate country-specific learning and measurement strategies with defined goals, guidelines, and benchmarks. S/he will be expected to overcome complicated issues such as balancing political pressure from US Government colleagues and host country counterparts, incorporating multi-disciplinary approaches and recent research findings, and resolving conflicts among possible technical solutions. Scope and Effect The Survey Specialist will be highly involved in all Learning responsibilities (impact and performance evaluations, studies, dissemination activities, and others) and will support survey and research activities in all DRG sub-sectors, including civil society and media, elections and political transitions, governance and rule of law, human rights, and others. S/he will plan, organize, direct, design, and coordinate these activities as needed to meet the needs of USAID bureaus and missions. This work will require independent analysis, defining conditions and criteria, and resolving critical problems using creative approaches. The Survey Specialist will contribute to interagency efforts to address critical DRG learning, measurement and research issues, such as high-profile self-reliance metrics, and will maintain regular working relationships with counterparts in the Department of State and other agencies as needed. The incumbent may be required to work as a team leader and guide and coordinate the work of technical staff. Personal Contacts The Survey Specialist will serve as one of the Agency’s lead technical experts in DRG survey design and implementation and will advise USAID and interagency counterparts on survey research. S/he may represent the US Government in meetings with foreign governments and multilateral institutions, will communicate with U.S. congressional staff, the National Security Council, the Department of State, and other interagency counterparts, and will maintain professional contact with senior level professionals of academic institutions and independent DRG organizations. The Survey Specialist will represent USAID to these organizations in different forums, including conferences, workshops, panels, and more. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open to all U.S. Citizens PHYSICAL DEMANDS The work requested does not involve undue physical demands. POINT OF CONTACT: Kyle Davis U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Acquisition and Assistance Email: kydavis@usaid.gov Tel: 202-916-2699 MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: Master’s or PhD degree in political science, international development/relations, anthropology, sociology, statistics, or a related social science field with strong background in quantitative research methods (verification required upon request for transcripts and/or certificates). Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience with a Master’s in international development related to measurement, applied research, and/or rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and learning related to democracy, human rights and governance or Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience with a PhD in international development related to measurement, applied research, and/or rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and learning related to democracy, human rights and governance. Relevant field experience working with U.S. government, international organizations, donor development agencies, non-governmental organizations, private sector, academic organizations, or other agencies and processes involved in DRG issues. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The CO reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c). In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers. The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far. 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; USPSC Application form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically or Electronically signed and scanned; Satisfactory verification of academic credentials; Three (3) Professional references; Supplemental document specifically addressing the Evaluation Factors; Ability to obtain a Secret level clearance after offeror acceptance. If a full security investigation package is not submitted by the selected offeror within 30 days after it is requested, the offer may be rescinded; and Must not appear as an excluded party in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs): (Used to determine the competitive ranking of all qualified offerors in comparison to other offerors. The factors below are of equal value.) 1. Technical Expertise (40 points) Demonstrated ability to design surveys, oversee their implementation and analyze the data collected. Demonstrated technical expertise in rigorous measurement, monitoring, and research methodologies including but not limited to 1) operationalizing complex concepts; 2) analyzing longitudinal data for trends; 3) drafting rigorous research designs that include power analyses; 4) employing methodologies that permit causal inference; and 5) adhering to the highest standards of academic research. 2. Communications (15 points) Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with various audiences, including high-level officials, academics, and field practitioners. Proven track record of quickly gathering, analyzing and synthesizing information for use by principals. Demonstrated ability to effectively adjust presentation styles and to summarize and explain highly complicated information to non-technical audiences. Demonstrated productive and positive working relationships and communication with colleagues and peers. 3. Teamwork (15 points) Proven track-record of working effectively and collaboratively on diverse teams, both as a team leader and as a team member. Sound judgment and collegiality when working in environments with colleagues of diverse backgrounds and opinions. The total possible points are as follows: Technical Expertise: 40 points Communication: 15 points Teamwork: 15 points Interview: 30 points Total possible points: 100 points The successful candidate will be selected based on a review of his/her qualifications, work experience, skills, and abilities; an interview; and the results of reference checks. The hiring panel may check references that have not been specifically identified by applicants and may check references before or after a candidate is interviewed. Applicants who are selected for an interview will be contacted by the chairperson of the Technical Evaluation Committee. Security clearances will be required after selection of candidate and prior to the contract award. BASIS OF RATING Offerors who meet the Minimum Qualifications will be further evaluated based on scoring of the Evaluation Factors, which will consider the offeror’s responses to the Evaluation Factors as well as information provided in other offer materials (e.g., form AID 309-2). The most qualified offeror(s) will be interviewed. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for offeror(s) being considered for selection. USAID will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. Interviews conducted in person will be held at USAID offices in the Washington, D.C. region. While in person interviews are preferred, interviews by telephone or video may also be conducted. Please be advised that references may be obtained independently from other sources in addition to the ones provided by the offeror. In the event that USAID is unable to obtain any information from references, the offeror will be assigned a “neutral” rating for professional references. Offerors may be requested to submit official academic transcripts or other certification showing that the offeror has obtained the required education level. Satisfactory verification of academic credentials is required prior to receiving an offer. USAID reserves the right to select additional offerors to fill possible future vacant positions if vacancies become available during the selection process. APPLYING Qualified individuals are required to submit: A USAID form AID 309-2 (Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts) with hand-written signature (available at the USAID website, http://www.usaid.gov/forms/). This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted; A resume must be attached to the form AID 309-2. Resumes must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination of meeting experience requirements as stated in this solicitation. This information should be clearly identified in the resume. Failure to provide information sufficient to determine qualifications for the position will result in a loss of full consideration. In order to fully evaluate applications, resumes must include: 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. Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work. Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments. Upon request Transcripts and/or certifications must be submitted. A brief appendix or cover letter that demonstrates how prior experience and/or training address directly the evaluation criteria should be attached. Names and current contact information of three professional supervisory references that have knowledge of the applicant’s ability to perform the duties set forth in this solicitation. Applications must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, and submitted, via email, to the Point of Contact identified in Section I. To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, applicants must prominently reference the Solicitation number in the application submission. By submitting your application materials, you certify that all of the information on and attached to the application is true, correct, and complete and made in good faith. You agree to allow all information on and attached to the application to be investigated. False or fraudulent information on or attached to your application may result in your being eliminated from consideration for this position, or being terminated after award, and may be punishable by fine or imprisonment. NOTE REGARDING GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS FOR THIS SOLICITATION This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the application.