Inactive

** See attachments for the complete detail ** Request for Quotes DCO Human and Community Development (HCD) Associate Director (AD) in Education Full-Time (FT) PSC 95332420Q0029 Amendment 1 Announcemen... ** See attachments for the complete detail ** Request for Quotes DCO Human and Community Development (HCD) Associate Director (AD) in Education Full-Time (FT) PSC 95332420Q0029 Amendment 1 Announcement Number: 95332420Q0029 Amendment 1 Title: DCO Human and Community Development (HCD) Associate Director (AD) in Education Full-Time (FT) Personal Services Contractor (PSC) Position Information: One full-time, Personal Services Contractor (PSC). One Base year (2,087 hours per year), renewable for up to 4 Option years at the sole discretion of the government (a total of 10,435 hours over five years). Pay Band: Associate-Director-level Pay Band 3B ($47.44 – $75.70 per hour) https://www.mcc.gov/careers/pay-bands The PSCs may receive a pay supplement of up to 15% of the direct labor cost in lieu of fringe benefits. Closing Date for Questions: 2:00PM ET on 8 May 2020 (Friday) Questions must be submitted via email to leeae@mcc.gov Submission Deadline: 5:00PM ET on 15 May 2020 (Friday) Quotes must be submitted via email to leeae@mcc.gov Position Security Level: Secret Clearance (Noncritical Sensitive/Moderate Risk (T-3)) Who May Be Considered: U.S. citizens. Duty Location: Principal place of performance in Washington, DC, USA and/or PSC's home of record. Type of Contract: Time-and-material (T&M) with 1 Base Year and 4 Option Year Periods. Multiple awards may result from this solicitation prior to 30 September 2020. Submissions must be valid until 30 September 2020. Amendment 1: The purpose of Amendment 1 is to address questions submitted by interested offerors. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged. Question 1: Is the PSC eligible for the 12-week paid parental leave recently authorized by the US Government? Answer 1: Unfortunately, this benefit extends only to Government Federal Employees, not to contractors. Therefore, it does not apply to this PSC position. Question 2: Is the PSC eligible for the MCC WorkLife Program? Answer 2: Unfortunately, this benefit is a program managed by the MCC HR Officer only for the Federal Employees. Therefore, it does not apply to this PSC position. Question 3: Does the PSC allow for annual salary adjustments based on performance? Answer 3: The PSC is eligible for a benefit we call Structural Adjustment. This is detailed in the MCC Local Clause 52.237-72 Personal Services—Structural Adjustments (July 2012), which is included in this solicitation. Based on the annual OPM General Schedule (GS) Locality Pay adjustment, PSC’s satisfactory performance, and MCC’s availability of funds, the PSC is eligible—but not guaranteed—an annual cost-of-living adjustment. Introduction and Background This position is located in the Human and Community Development Group, Sector Operations Division, Department of Compact Operations, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). MCC is a U.S. Government corporation whose mission is to provide assistance that will support economic growth and poverty reduction in carefully selected developing countries that demonstrate a commitment to just and democratic governance, economic freedom, and investments in their citizenry. To receive assistance, eligible countries are required to enter into a public agreement (Compact) with the MCC that includes a multi-year plan for achieving shared development objectives and the responsibilities of each country in achieving those objectives, regular benchmarks to measure progress, multi-year financial plan, and a plan to ensure accountability for the use of MCA assistance. Scope of Position This position will serve as a Personal Services Contractor (PSC) within Human and Community Development (HCD) in Department of Compact Operations (DCO), Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). DCO is responsible for developing and implementing MCC’s compact programs. The department ensures that MCC compacts are designed and implemented in compliance with agency standards for procurement, financial management, environmental and social performance, and gender integration. The PSC will report to and be supervised by the Practice Lead and Senior Director (PLSD) for HCD and/or the Managing Director for Sector Ops. This position is not authorized to supervise any Federal employees. Personal Services Contract MCC is authorized to enter into a contract with an individual as a Personal Services Contractor (PSC) under the authority of Section 614(a) (8) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003. A personal services contract is different from non-personal services Government contract, which establishes an independent contract relationship. Under a non-personal services contract, the contractor or employees of the contractor are subject to the technical direction but not the supervision of the MCC. As defined by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 37.104, a personal services contract is characterized by the employer-employee relationship it creates between the Government and the contractor personnel. Thus, the PSC is subject to the relatively continuous technical direction, supervision, and control of the MCC. PSCs may be assigned inherently governmental duties (see FAR 7.502). By law and by the contract’s terms, the PSC is subject to most of the laws, rules and regulations applicable to the direct hire employee such as MCC regulations, conflict of interest, under some circumstances MCC authorized employment security clearances and financial disclosure. However, under the MCC personal services contract authority, PSCs are not employees for purposes of laws administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The following elements apply to this contract: Performance in Washington, D.C., US, MCC eligible countries, other US and foreign cities (as required for outreach purposes), and/or at the PSC’s home of record. Principal tools and equipment furnished by the Government. Services are applied directly to the integral effort of agencies or an organizational subpart in furtherance of assigned function or mission. Comparable services, meeting comparable needs, are performed in the same or similar agencies using civil service personnel. The need for the type of service provided can reasonably be expected to last beyond 1 year. The inherent nature of the service, or the manner in which it is provided, reasonably requires directly or indirectly, Government direction or supervision of contractor employees in order to— Adequately protect the Government’s interest; Retain control of the function involved; or Retain full personal responsibility for the function supported in a duly authorized Federal officer or employee. Key Requirements Awardee must satisfy the following key requirements: U.S. citizenship. Must be able to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance. Performance in Washington, DC USA, MCC eligible countries, other US and foreign cities (as required for outreach purposes), and/or at the PSC’s home of record. Domestic and international travel will be required. Statement of Employment & Financial Interest (e.g., Office of Government Ethics “OGE Form-450” or similar statement) may be required. Active System for Award Management (www.sam.gov) registration (this is a free, Government website) and be listed as sole-proprietor. Designated and/or random drug testing required. Duties Major Duties and Responsibilities Participates as a member of a team or individually in a variety of assignments related to the development, validation and documentation of education projects and programs; is responsible for or assisting in defining and developing the Corporation's approach to the development and preparation of education projects and programs with eligible countries. Serves as a technical resource to provide advice and assistance to country counterparts as they manage procurements and other implementation tasks related to specific program activities. Such assistance includes managing preparation and clearance of official documents; reviewing procurement-related documents such as statements of work, reviewing performance relative to budget and progress benchmarks, and proposing remedial interventions to address implementation challenges; and reviewing and participating in evaluations as needed. Provides eligible countries with advice and assistance, as appropriate, to address education program issues and to improve the chances for success of ongoing and planned projects and operations. Such success may be defined either as meeting disbursement and commitment targets, as meeting certain output indicators or in achieving impact objectives. Coordinates with other Federal agencies, multi-lateral/bi-lateral organizations and other donors on matters related to the coordination of in-country resources and activities. Provides technical advice and guidance on problems regarding coordinating agency development assistance efforts with those of other donors and multilateral organizations. Prepares and provides subsequent oversight for contracts and inter-agency agreements to provide assistance regarding specialized compact proposals, as well as to monitor implementation of those components post-Compact. Assists with the recruitment of consultants with requisite areas of expertise. Serves as a resource and advisor, providing authoritative technical and managerial guidance for a broad range of program/project management activities associated with education compact development and/or implementation. Ensures MCC development education policies are interpreted and applied consistently across all programs and partnerships, and that successful strategies, programs or projects are disseminated for potential replication. Coordinates and consults with other donors and research providers to keep abreast of industry best practices and trends. Perform other duties as assigned by the Senior Director of Education, Health and Community Development. Performs other duties as assigned. Travel MCC estimates that the incumbent may undertake 3-4 international trips annually. Supervisory Controls The incumbent reports to the Senior Director and/or higher graded staff who set the overall objectives of the work as well as the available resources. The employee, in consultation with the supervisor(s), develops specific objectives and priorities. The employee independently plans and carries out the work, selecting the approaches and techniques to be used, and informs the supervisor of progress and significant problems. Work is evaluated on the degree to which program and regulatory requirements are met. Guidelines Guidelines consist of broad administrative and program policy statements, basic legislation, related court decisions, or local laws that require extensive interpretation. The employee uses judgment and discretion in determining intent, and in interpreting and revising existing policy and regulatory guidance for use by others within or outside the employing organization. Complexity Work consists of a variety of duties to plan and direct work efforts to address program issues where existing policies and precedents do not exist. The incumbent determines what needs to be done by conducting extensive research and analysis to assess the nature and scope of problems/issues and to develop comprehensive solutions. Assignments are complicated by the need to deal with subjective concepts and findings and conclusions are highly subjective and not readily susceptible to verification through replication of study methods or reevaluation of results. Options, recommendations, and conclusions take into account and give appropriate weight to uncertainties about the data and other variables which affect long-range program performance. Scope and Effect The purpose of the work is to analyze and evaluate substantive, MCC mission-oriented programs. The employee develops program plans, goals, objectives, and milestones to evaluate the effectiveness of education, health and/or community development programs. The employee resolves problems or copes with issues which directly affect the accomplishment of principal MCC program goals and objectives. The employee develops regulations or guidelines for the conduct of program operations, or new criteria for measuring program accomplishments. Study reports contain findings and recommendations of major significance to MCC top management. Personal Contacts/Purpose of Contacts Personal contacts are with individuals outside the agency and may include consultants, contractors, or business executives in a moderately unstructured setting. Contacts also include employees at all levels of the Corporation. The purpose of contacts is to influence managers or other officials to accept and implement findings and recommendations on organizational improvement or program effectiveness issues. The employee may encounter resistance due to such issues as organizational conflict, competing objectives, or resource problems. Physical Demands The work is primarily sedentary, although some walking, bending, or carrying of light items may be involved. Frequent travel may be required. Work Environment Work is performed in an office setting, although there is an expectation of work in the field. Deliverables Deliverables are associated with the tasks identified in Section 5. Duties to include reports as required by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The PSCs will submit biweekly timesheets on a schedule and format determined by MCC. Timesheets will include a list of hours worked per compact or country program, along with a brief description of the tasks undertaken for each program during the pay period. The PSCs also will produce reports and analyses as requested by MCC. Qualifications Offerors must meet all the Required Qualifications described below by the closing date of this announcement. Desired Qualifications are not required but preferred and will only be considered once all Required Qualifications are met. Offerors must demonstrate that they possess the following: Required Qualifications: Master’s or higher advanced degree in education, international development, human development, or another relevant field. Minimum five years of relevant experience in implementing education and/or skills projects, including design and oversight of projects, technical support to implementation counterparts, and managing stakeholder engagement. Knowledge of best practices in fields related to human and community development (education skills/workforce development, community engagement, institutional capacity building, etc.). Demonstrated project management skills. Familiarity with MCC model, systems, and procedures or relevant equivalents. Demonstrated interpersonal skills in working with cross-cultural and multidisciplinary teams. Strong written and oral communication skills. At a minimum Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Level 3 General Professional Proficient for French language. Desired Qualifications: Work experience managing MCC project(s). Work experience in the countries where MCC works. Note: All experience must be well-documented on the resume and within the Quote Submission. All aspects of the Submission must specifically show how the offeror meets the qualifications required. Credit may be given for appropriate unpaid and/or part-time work. To receive credit, Submissions should clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours worked per week. Required Documentation Interested offerors must submit following required documents, including but not limited to: A completed and signed Bio-Data Form (Addendum 2) with proposed salary (see Subsection 12(c). Quote Submission Instructions to PSCs Candidates (Offerors) in regards to permissible signature types); A curriculum vitae or resume (limit 10 pages); A written narrative clearly describing relevant experience and knowledge of each of the qualification requirements (limit 5 pages); and At least 3 and no more than 5 professional references with current contact information. Desired Documentation: A cover letter, not to exceed one page, to highlight your suitability for this position. The cover letter is not considered as the required written narrative (bullet no. 4 above); and A copy of Transcript(s). Transcript(s) may be requested by MCC before award to validate the offeror’s successful education history. Compensation PSCs for the services of individual experts or consultants are limited by the Classification Act. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established requirements which apply in acquiring the personal services of experts or consultants in this manner (e.g., benefits, taxes, conflicts of interest). This is a full-time position for the DCO HCD Associate Director in Education FT PSC and the maximum number of hours allowed is 2,087 hours per year for each position. Each contract will include four one-year option periods that may be exercised at the sole discretion of MCC. Overtime is not authorized on this contract. However, compensatory time (also called “credit hours”) may be authorized. The pay range for this position is Associate-Director-level Pay Band 3B ($46.48 – $73.46 per hour) (https://www.mcc.gov/careers/pay-bands), inclusive of locality pay. Final compensation will be negotiated within this pay range based upon the successful offeror’s salary history, work experience and educational background. A salary above this pay range will not be entertained or negotiated. MCC issues W-2s to the PSCs. For U.S. citizens and legal resident aliens, MCC makes the employer contribution to FICA and Medicare for the PSCs. MCC withholds FICA, Medicare, federal tax and state tax on behalf of the PSCs. The PSCs is not eligible for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. Benefits Under the MCC personal services contracting authority, PSCs are not employees for purposes of laws administered by OPM, such as Federal Retirement Benefits and health and life insurance. As such, the PSCs is not eligible for participation in the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees Retirement System. Moreover, the PSCs is ineligible to receive Federal Health and Life Insurance or participate in the Federal Thrift Savings Plan. Notwithstanding the above, and if agreed upon by the Government and the PSCs before the award of a contract, the PSCs may receive a pay supplement of up to 15% (for full-time PSCs) of the employee’s direct labor cost in lieu of fringe benefits. Sick Leave A full-time PSC earns sick leave on the same basis as direct-hire MCC employees, that is, maximum four (4) hours for every biweekly pay period. Annual Leave A full-time PSC earns four, six, or eight hours of annual leave for each biweekly pay period depending on the number of years of previous federal government employment based upon determination made by MCC. Parking & Transit Subsidy A full-time PSC working at MCC Headquarters in Washington, DC is eligible for parking or transit subsidy, subject to the availability of funds. The full-time PSC whose duty station is overseas is not eligible for this subsidy. Credit Hours A full-time PSC is eligible for credit hours (up to 24 hours earned) under the MCC Credit Hour Program. PSCs may not receive credit hours for time spent in travel status. The PSCs shall be compensated for the credit hour balance upon termination, subject to availability of funds. Travel Rules The PSCs is subject to the Federal Travel Regulations and MCC travel policies and procedures to the same extent as MCC direct-hire employees. Quote Submission Instructions to PSC Candidates (Offerors) In accordance with FAR 52.214-34 and 52.214-35, all submissions are to be in the English language and US Dollars. Submissions in other languages or monetary denominations will not be considered. This section is the basis for evaluating all Submissions. Offerors must separately address each listed qualification requirement and demonstrate how s/he meets each qualification under Section 7. Qualifications. Unless stated otherwise, all qualification elements will be weighted equally. Qualified individuals must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submission, either in “Active” or “Submitted” status. The approval of your record in SAM may take weeks and the Government cannot award a contract without an “Active” SAM registration. Offerors without a SAM registration (neither “Active” nor “Submitted”) at the close of the RFQ submission deadline may be rejected. MCC will extract pertinent representations and certifications from the offeror’s SAM account. Submissions shall be formatted to fit on 8 ½ x 11” paper. Suggested margins are 1” all around and the font should be Calibri or Times New Roman, no larger than 12-point. Hourly rates shall not be mentioned anywhere in your submission other than on the Bio-Data Form (Addendum 2). It is the responsibility of the offeror to ensure that all pages are properly formatted to fit and that all information properly fits within the margins of each page. Qualified individuals must submit a completed and formally signed Bio-Data Form (Addendum 2). Typed signatures are not acceptable. Either physically sign or save the Bio-Data Form as a PDF and electronically sign it. Please ensure that you provide a current, valid e-mail address and telephone number for notification purposes. The Bio-Data Form must be fully completed including a proposed hourly rate & signed for the submission to be considered. A Bio-Data Form without a proposed hourly rate and/or signature may cause you to not be considered. Qualified individuals must submit a curriculum vitae or a resume, which clearly demonstrates their education, experience, knowledge, and skills and abilities as they relate to the qualification elements. Resume must indicate: the earliest possible start date for the offeror; as well as formal title, and duration (start date / end date) for each listed position. Resume is limited to 10 pages and must not contain a photo or any salary information. Describe your experience and knowledge in regards to the qualification requirements in no more than five pages. Clearly demonstrate how your prior experience is either relevant or directly related to the duties of this position as listed under Section 5. Duties. The responses should describe specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards you have received that are relevant to each factor. Cite specific examples where appropriate. Qualified individuals must submit at least three but no more than five professional references, who are not relatives or family members. Submitted references must include current information, as follows: Name of reference Offeror’s relationship to reference Title of reference at current job Reference current telephone number (work or personal) Reference e-mail address (work) At least one reference should be from direct supervisors (current or prior) who can provide information regarding the applicant’s knowledge and experience in the relevant field. Preferably, the references should be from within the last 5 years of the applicant’s professional employment history. Submissions must be signed and received prior to the closing date and time specified above to be considered for this position. Only physically signed or electronic signature are permitted; typed signatures are not acceptable, e.g. “/s” or “[typed name of the offeror].” To ensure consideration of submissions for the intended position, please reference the position title and announcement number on the subject line of your submission email and on supporting documentation and any cover letter. Response Deadline Electronic submission is required. Mailed copies of any submission shall not be accepted. Electronic packages shall be submitted by e-mail to leeae@mcc.gov before the deadline stated on page 1 of this Combined Synopsis Solicitation. Submission shall reference the position title and the announcement number on the subject line of the e-mail. MCC does not accept responsibility for delays in transmission or receipt of any submission. Offerors are responsible for submitting their package so as to reach the designated Government office by the closing date and time specified on page 1 of this Combined Synopsis Solicitation. Submissions received after the closing date and time will not be considered, unless there is acceptable evidence to establish that it was indeed received by the Government installation prior to the time and date specified in this announcement. Receipt of submissions in response to this announcement does not constitute an award commitment. The U.S. Government will not reimburse any costs incurred in the preparation of a submission. Any submission is at the sole risk of the offeror. Question Deadline Any questions regarding this announcement must be submitted in writing via email to MCCPSC@mcc.gov and leeae@mcc.gov before the submission deadline as given on page 1 of this Combined Synopsis Solicitation. Selection Process Selection Process In order to be considered for the requirement, an offeror must at a minimum meet the Required Qualifications listed above in Section 7. Qualifications. Consideration and selection will be based on a panel evaluation of the offeror’s qualifications. In addition to the materials listed above, offerors are strongly encouraged to write a cover letter, not to exceed one page, to highlight their suitability for this position. The cover letter is not required and is not accepted as the required written narrative. All Submissions will be evaluated based on the documentation submitted, the offeror’s evidence of the above qualification requirements, performance in a potential discussion/negotiation session, if conducted, and information provided by references, if contacted. Please note that for evaluation purposes, MCC will take into consideration your proposed labor rate and any requested pay supplement in lieu of fringe benefits. All submissions will receive one of three scores for each of the required and desired qualifications: Does Not Meet, Meets, or Exceeds. MCC reserves the right to conduct interviews with the most qualified offerors and/or conduct a reference check on those individuals. Offerors are strongly encouraged to ensure the work history portion thoroughly documents the duties, responsibilities and accomplishments that are directly related to this requirement in order to verify specialized experience. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. The U.S. Government and MCC are not obligated to make any award or pay for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this announcement. Award of this contract is contingent on availability of funds. MCC reserves the right to not award any contract as a result of this announcement. Contract Award This contract shall be awarded directly by MCC to an individual, not to a firm. The individual must have an active DUNS No. and “Active” status in the System for Award Management (SAM) for award. The approval of your SAM account may take several weeks; please make sure to start this registration process as soon as possible if you are interested in this position. The Government may choose not to consider those offerors who are not registered in SAM by the close of this RFQ. Contract and Period of Performance The successful offeror(s) may be offered a full-time, personal services type contract for a one-year base period plus four one-year option periods, based upon performance, agency requirements, and available funding. The base period of performance shall be from date of award for 12 months. All option periods are exercised at the sole discretion of MCC. The contract will be for a full-time PSCs position with 10,435 total hours over the duration of the contract. Place of Performance Principal place of performance in Washington, DC, USA and/or PSC's home of record. Addenda See attachments for: PSC Timesheet (For Reference Only) Position Description Bio-Data Form (End of Solicitation)