Inactive

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72C0T121R00015 ISSUANCE DATE: February 1, 2021 CLOSING DATE AND TIME: February 17, 2021, 1:00 PM Eastern Time SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) De... SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72C0T121R00015 ISSUANCE DATE: February 1, 2021 CLOSING DATE AND TIME: February 17, 2021, 1:00 PM 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), is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as a Chief of Staff – Washington, D.C. (Tandem) under a personal services contract, as described in the attached 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: 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 overseas 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) Names and contact information (phone and email) of your current and/or previous supervisor(s). (d) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments. (e) U.S. Citizenship. Note: Your resume should contain explicit information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. Offerors must specify in their offer materials whether they would like to be considered for the GS-13 or GS-14. Offerors who would like to be considered for both the GS-13 and GS-14 positions should submit separate offers specifying which grade level in the submission. Offerors will only be considered for the grade level specified in the submission. The offer will be considered for the lower grade level if the offeror does not specify the grade level in the submission. Offerors who are unsure of which grade level they meet the minimum qualifications for should submit separate offers for the GS-13 and the GS-14 positions. This information should be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide explicit information to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration. 2. Supplemental document specifically addressing: Each of the four (4) Evaluation Factors shown in the solicitation. Responses must be limited to 500 words per factor. Any additional words above the limit will neither be read nor scored. NOTE: The Evaluation Factors are worth 70 out of 100 points. Offerors are required to address each of the Evaluation Factors in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to each factor. 3. USPSC Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete and sign the form. Due to COVID-19 and limited access to equipment, we are currently accepting electronic and typed signatures on the AID 309-2 form. NOTE ABOUT THE DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS 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 offer. 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. Additional documents submitted will not be accepted. Incomplete or late offers will not be considered. Your complete resume and the AID309-2 form must be mailed or emailed to: Office of Transition Initiatives 529 14th Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20045 E-Mail Address: OTIjobs@usaid.gov 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. 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 offer. Offeror resources are available at www.otijobs.net/#!guidance-for-applying/c1ggu. Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to: OTI Recruitment Team Telephone Number: (202) 836-7487 E-Mail Address: OTIjobs@usaid.gov Website: www.OTIjobs.net Sincerely, Cristina Sylvia Contracting Officer ATTACHMENT 1 72C0T121R00015 I. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72C0T121R00015 2. ISSUANCE DATE: February 1, 2021 3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: February 17, 2021, 1:00 pm Eastern Time 4. POINT OF CONTACT: OTI Recruitment Team, (202)836-7487, e-mail at OTIjobs@usaid.gov. 5. POSITION TITLE: Chief of Staff 6. MARKET VALUE: This position has been designated as a “tandem” position that, depending on the qualifications of the offeror, can be filled at the GS-13 ($103,690 - $134,798 per annum) D.C. locality pay equivalent level or at the GS-14 ($122,530- $159,286 per annum) D.C. locality pay equivalent level. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value based upon qualifications, previous relevant experience, work history, salary and educational background. Salaries over and above the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated. Candidates who live outside the Washington, D.C. area will be considered for employment, but no relocation expenses will be reimbursed. Final compensation will be negotiated within the GS-13 or GS-14 equivalent level based upon the selected offeror’s salary history, qualifications, previous relevant experience and work history, and educational background as reported on the AID 309-2. For selected offerors whose salary has been established on a Federal pay scale (i.e. General Schedule) or its equivalent, the base salary (not including locality pay) of their grade/step will be the basis of the salary negotiation. The final salary will be negotiated at a step on the General Schedule (Base) Salary Table articulated as an annual rate amount. Note: Offerors must specify in their offer materials whether they would like to be considered for the GS-13, GS-14, or both. Offerors will only be considered for the grade level specified in the submission. The offer will be considered for the lower grade level if the offeror does not specify the grade level in the submission. Offerors who are unsure of which grade level they meet the minimum qualifications for should submit separate offers for the GS-13 and the GS-14 positions. 7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year, with four one-year option periods. START DATE: Within 45 days of receiving notification that required security clearance has been obtained. 8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Washington, D.C. 9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: United States Citizens 10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: SECRET 11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES POSITION DESCRIPTION BACKGROUND USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) is seeking highly motivated, highly qualified individuals who want the opportunity to help support rapid international transition programs for priority conflict-prone countries. Created in 1994 as a distinct operating unit within USAID, OTI helps local partners advance peace and democracy in politically-transitioning countries. In support of U.S. foreign policy, OTI seizes emerging windows of opportunity in the political landscape to promote stability, peace, and democracy by catalyzing local initiatives through adaptive and agile programming. Countries experiencing a significant political transition in the midst of a disaster or emerging from civil conflict have unique needs that cannot be fully addressed by traditional disaster relief. Timely and effective assistance to promote and consolidate peaceful, democratic advances can make the difference between a successful or a failed transition. OTI assists in securing peace by aiding indigenous, mostly non-governmental, civil society and media organizations. OTI uses such mechanisms as support for re-integration of ex-combatants into civilian society; development of initiatives to promote national reconciliation; identification of quick-impact community self-help projects to meet urgent economic needs; and aid to independent media outlets and community-based organizations to help promote informed debate and broaden public participation. To respond quickly and effectively and meet its program objectives and mandate OTI retains a group of high level professionals and experts under U.S. Personal Services Contracts (USPSCs). These knowledgeable and skilled professionals make up the vast majority of the OTI work force and are at its forefront implementing and achieving the office’s programmatic goals and objectives. There are several benefits that USPSCs may participate in, such as partial reimbursement for health and life insurance costs, as well as full coverage of workers’ compensation, among other benefits. For more complete information on USPSC benefits, please see Section VI of this solicitation. For more information about OTI and its country programs please see: https://www.usaid.gov/stabilization-and-transitions INTRODUCTION The Chief of Staff must be able to articulate OTI’s vision and business model to, and collaborate with, a wide range of audiences both inside and outside the Office. The incumbent must possess an in-depth understanding of all aspects of political transition and stabilization programming, including management and implementation of grants under contracts. The Chief of Staff facilitates effective executive management, facilitating communication, managing relationships, and facilitating and/or taking on high priority tasks and projects that are of high value to the office. By increasing the efficiency and communication between the Director’s Office and operations and program implementation staff, the role helps maintain a key office metric of agility to ensure effective implementation of political transition and stability programs. The incumbent must have the ability to take on a range of special projects that positively affect the implementation of OTI’s mission. CORE FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The work of the Chief of Staff requires teamwork, the exercise of discretion, judgment, and personal responsibility. As a member of an operational office, the incumbent is willing and able to perform a wide range of administrative functions to help ensure programmatic success. The incumbent is flexible and willing to work under conditions of ongoing change, and remains professional and respectful of colleagues and authority in a diverse workforce. She or he places a premium on the building of positive relationships with his or her respective team both in the field and in Washington, DC and with key stakeholders both in and outside of USAID. The incumbent is able to prioritize and complete tasks without follow-up by the supervisor, filling in gaps as needed to ensure the responsiveness of the team. The incumbent is service-oriented, organized and pays close attention to detail. He or she is a strategic thinker, articulates innovative ideas, presents solutions, and is a positive role model for colleagues both in and outside of OTI. The work will be in direct support of political transition program implementation. The position utilizes the experience and skills gained from working with political transition programs and operations in the field and/or Washington, DC to provide support and guidance for program implementation, staff training and mentoring, assessments, and the development and application of lessons learned. The selected candidate’s role will be to serve in the OTI Director’s Office, utilizing the experience and skills gained from working with political transition programs and operations in the field and/or Washington, DC to provide strategic internal communications and management, strategic planning and decision making, and support for special projects to help ensure effective implementation of political transition and stabilization programs. Position priorities are expected to evolve in accordance with the requirements of OTI and will be determined in consultation with the supervisor. Under the direct supervision of the OTI Deputy Director or his/her designee, the incumbent will perform the following duties: At the GS-13 level: Support strategic planning and decision making, anticipating supervisory requirements, raising awareness of key issues within the office and supporting efforts of the supervisor to maintain the direction of the office and manage organizational development and change efforts to ensure the Office’s ongoing, agile operational response. This includes supporting the supervisor and/or their designee in strategically preparing for meetings, providing analysis, identifying key issues, preparing talking points, facilitating meetings, and following up on required actions; Support the prioritization, tracking and coordination of high priority tasks and projects that support the Office’s mission, ensuring follow up and adherence to strategic vision and priorities; Assist in the development and/or maintenance of OTI program and/or operations processes, protocols, and guidance, and assist with the development of information management products and improved business practices for OTI based on research and experience based on political transition and stabilization program and operational lessons learned; Advise on Office program budget processes and reviews; Serve as a liaison with other bureau offices and the Department of State on program and policy direction; Represent and articulate OTI’s mission and global programs to external stakeholders and visitors, including senior officials from international organizations, potential partners, bilateral donors and national and local foreign government officials; Provide training and mentoring on OTI program operations implementation for OTI staff as required; When required fill critical program needs in Washington, D.C. and the field by providing ad hoc support to new OTI country program start-ups and on-call technical assistance, and when required act as an Advisor, Team Leader, Division Chief or other team roles, within the office and/or bureau that directly affect the implementation of OTI’s mission; Manage day-to-day tasks and/or supervise staff when required. Provide orientation, training and mentoring for staff supervised; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations, and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolved complaints; and approve leave requests and timesheets as well as training, travel and program and operations requests; and, Perform services under this scope of work at physical locations other than Washington D.C. OTI headquarters, including within other USAID offices, bureaus or other USG agencies not to exceed a period of six months. At the GS-14 level: Provide strategic planning and decision making, anticipating supervisory requirements, raising awareness of key issues within the office and supporting efforts of the supervisor to maintain the direction of the office and manage organizational development and change efforts to ensure the Office’s ongoing, agile operational response. This includes supporting the supervisor and/or their designee in strategically preparing for meetings, providing analysis, identifying key issues, preparing talking points, facilitating meetings, and following up on required actions; Manage the prioritization, tracking and coordination of high priority tasks and projects that support the Office’s mission, ensuring follow up and adherence to strategic vision and priorities; Support the development and/or maintenance of OTI program and/or operations processes, protocols, and guidance, and assist with the development of information management products and improved business practices for OTI based on research and experience based on political transition and stabilization program and operational lessons learned; Advise on Office program budget processes and reviews; Serve as a liaison with other bureau offices and the Department of State on program and policy direction; Provide training and mentoring on OTI program operations implementation for OTI staff as required; Represent and articulate OTI’s mission and global programs to external stakeholders and visitors, including senior officials from international organizations, potential partners, bilateral donors and national and local foreign government officials; When required fill critical program needs in Washington, D.C. and the field by providing ad hoc support to new OTI country program start-ups and on-call technical assistance, and when required act as Team Leader, Division Chief or other team roles, within the office and/or bureau that directly affect the implementation of OTI’s mission; Manage day-to-day tasks and/or supervise staff when required. Provide orientation, training and mentoring for staff supervised; assign work, explain how duties are to be performed to meet expectations, and communicate how the successful performance of those duties will be measured; evaluate staff performance; recognize good performance; communicate where performance needs to be improved; resolved complaints; and approve leave requests and timesheets as well as training, travel and program and operations requests; and, Perform services under this scope of work at physical locations other than Washington D.C. OTI headquarters, including within other USAID offices, bureaus or other USG agencies not to exceed a period of six months. SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP: The Chief of Staff will take direction from and will initially report to the OTI Deputy Director or his/her designee. This is a supervisory position, and the candidate may be required to supervise a range of staff for a portion or the duration of the contract. SUPERVISORY CONTROLS: The supervisor will provide administrative directions in terms of broadly defined missions or functions. The employee will be responsible for independently planning, designing, and carrying out activities, projects, studies or other work assignments. The employee’s work will be considered technically authoritative and normally accepted without significant change, and will be reviewed in terms of fulfillment of program objectives, influence on the overall program, or contribution to the advancement of the objective. Keeping the supervisor informed of progress, the employee may determine the approach to be taken and the methodology to be used. 12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The work is generally sedentary and does not pose undue physical demands. If traveling overseas, the employee may be subject to some additional physical exertion including long periods of standing, walking over rough terrain, or carrying of moderately heavy items (less than 50 pounds). 13. WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is performed in an office setting. If the employee travels overseas, the work may additionally involve safety and/or security precautions, wearing of protective equipment, and exposure to severe weather conditions. II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 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. See detailed instructions for demonstrating Education/Experience under “Submitting an Offer”) At a minimum, the offeror must have: At the GS-13 level: A Master’s Degree with five (5) years of work experience; OR A Bachelor’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience; OR High School diploma or equivalent with ten (10) years of work experience; AND 2. One (1) year of executive management, senior management team support and/or business development experience; 3. Four (4) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, international assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, human rights activities, and/or political analysis; 4. One (1) year of overseas field experience working in a developing country; 5. One (1) year of experience with supervision, mentoring, training, and/or guiding staff. At the GS-14 level: A Master’s Degree with seven (7) years of work experience; OR A Bachelor’s Degree with nine (9) years of work experience; OR High School diploma or equivalent with twelve (12) years of work experience; AND 2. Two (2) years of executive management, senior management team support of executive management and/or business development experience; 3. Six (6) years of project management experience with a U.S. Government foreign affairs agency, international or domestic assistance organization, or non-governmental organization in community development, economic development, mediation/arbitration, conflict resolution, democracy and governance, international law, human rights activities, and/or political analysis; 4. Two (2) years of overseas field experience working in a developing country, of which some experience must include working in one or more countries undergoing political transition; 5. Two (2) years of supervisory experience (including mentoring, training, and/or guiding staff). III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS (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.) 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. FAR provisions of this solicitation 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; Complete resume submitted. See cover page for resume requirements. Experience that cannot be quantified will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements; Supplemental document specifically addressing how the candidate meets each of the Evaluation Factors submitted; Ability to obtain a SECRET level security clearance (NOTE: Dual citizens may be asked to renounce second-country citizenship); Satisfactory verification of academic credentials. A USAID Secret level security clearance is required prior to issuance of the contract for this position. NOTE: If a full security investigation package is not submitted by the selected within 30 days after it is requested, the offer may be rescinded. If a security clearance is not able to be obtained within four months after the selected submits the initial security clearance documentation, the offer may be rescinded. EVALUATION FACTORS: (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.) Offerors should cite specific, illustrative examples for each factor. Responses must be limited to 500 words per factor. Any additional words above the limit will neither be read nor scored. Evaluation Factors: Factor #1 Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating political transition activities, especially small grant activities. Factor #2 Demonstrated experience managing strategic planning and strategic communications. Factor #3 Demonstrated analytical and organizational problem-solving skills. Factor #4 Demonstrated experience providing senior management team support in challenging work environments. BASIS OF RATING: Offerors who clearly meet the Education/Experience Requirements and Selection Factors will be further evaluated based on scoring of the Evaluation Factor responses. Offerors are required to address each of the Evaluation Factors in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to each factor. Be sure to include your name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to specifically address the Selection and/or Evaluation Factors may result in your not receiving credit for all of your pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards. The Offeror Rating System is as Follows: Evaluation Factors have been assigned the following points: Factor #1 – 20 Factor #2 – 20 Factor #3 – 15 Factor #4 – 15 Total Possible – 70 Points Interview Performance – 30 points Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks – Pass/Fail (no points assigned) Total Possible Points: 100 The most qualified offerors may be interviewed, required to provide a writing sample, and demonstrate an ability to operate commonly used office applications. OTI will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. In addition, offers (written materials and interviews) will be evaluated based on content as well as on the offerors writing, presentation, and communication skills. In the event that an offeror has fully demonstrated his/her qualifications and there are no other competitive offerors OTI reserves the right to forego the interview process. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for offerors being considered for selection. OTI reserves the right to contact previous employers to verify employment history. IV. SUBMITTING AN OFFER Offers must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section I, item 4. Qualified offerors are required to submit: 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 overseas 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) Names and contact information (phone and email) of your current and/or previous supervisor(s). (d) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments. (e) U.S. Citizenship. Your resume should contain explicit information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the minimum qualification requirements as stated in this solicitation for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. If you do not specify which grade level(s), your offer will be considered at the lower grade level. This information should be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide explicit information to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration. 2. Supplemental document specifically addressing: Each of the four (4) Evaluation Factors shown in the solicitation. Responses must be limited to 500 words per factor. Any additional words above the limit will neither be read nor scored. NOTE: The Evaluation Factors are worth 70 out of 100 points. Offerors are required to address each of the Evaluation Factors in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to each factor. 3. Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete and sign the form. Due to COVID-19 and limited access to equipment, we are currently accepting electronic and typed signatures on the AID 309-2 form. Additional documents submitted will not be accepted. To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position offers must prominently reference the solicitation number in the offer submission. Offeror resources are available at www.otijobs.net/#!guidance-for-applying/c1ggu. DOCUMENT SUBMITTALS Via mail: Office of Transition Initiatives, 529 14th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20045 Via email: OTIjobs@usaid.gov Please note in your document submittal where you heard about this position. 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 offer. NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBERS AND THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT All individuals contracted as USPSCs with a place of performance in the United States are required to have a DUNS Number and be registered in the SAM database. USAID will provide a generic DUNS Number for USPSC’s with a place of performance outside the United States. The selected offeror will be provided with guidance regarding this registration. For general information about DUNS Numbers and SAM, please refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.204-6, Unique Entity Identifier and FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management. https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_204_7 or www.sam.gov. ALL QUALIFIED OFFERORS WILL BE CONSIDERED REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, COLOR, SEX, CREED, NATIONAL ORIGIN, LAWFUL POLITICAL AFFILIATION, NON-DISQUALIFYING DISABILITY, MARITAL STATUS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AFFILIATION WITH AN EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION, OR OTHER NON-MERIT FACTOR. V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS PRIOR TO AWARD Once the Contracting Officer (CO) informs the successful offeror about being selected for a contract award, the CO will provide the successful offeror instructions about how to complete and submit the following forms. Forms outlined below can found at http://www.usaid.gov/forms/ Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306). Medical History and Examination Form (DS-6561). Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National Security) (SF-86), or Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85). Finger Print Card (FD-258). VI. BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a USPSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances: 1. BENEFITS: Employer's FICA Contribution Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance Pay Comparability Adjustment Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation Annual and Sick Leave 2. ALLOWANCES: Section numbers refer to rules from the Department of State Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas), available at https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=282&menu_id=101 (a) Post Differential Chapter 500 and Tables in Chapter 900. (b) Living Quarters Allowance Section 130. (c) Temporary Lodging Allowance Section 120. (d) Post Allowance Section 220. (e) Supplemental Post Allowance Section 230....