Solicitation-_Travel_Assistasnt_SOL-72030619R00002.pdf

ATTACHMENT 1 [72030619R00002]

*Please see Section 11: Area Of Consideration

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72030619R00002

2. ISSUANCE DATE: October 08, 2018

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR

RECEIPT OF OFFERS:

October 22, 2018 no later than 16:30 Kabul time

4. POSITION TITLE:

Travel Assistant

5. MARKET VALUE:

$39,707 - $51,623 equivalent to GS-08

Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

The period of performance is one year, with four option years pending approval, need, performance, and funding, not to exceed five years.

7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/Afghanistan

8. WHO MAY APPLY: United States Citizens (including Permanent

Residents) and Third Country (non-US, non-

Afghan) Nationals*

9. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret clearance (if U.S. Citizen), or Moderate

Risk Public Trust (MRPT) access authorization (if

U.S. Permanent Resident or Third Country

National)

10. STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

1) General Statement of Purpose of Contract:

The Executive Office is responsible for providing a full range of management and administrative services required to support USAID/Afghanistan. Under the general direction of the Executive Officer, incumbent is responsible for providing a full range of travel services for USAID/Afghanistan including developing, organizing, and managing Mission travel requirements through the Department of State (DoS) designated travel agency; providing informed advise to Mission staff on USG travel rules and regulations covering all aspects of travel, including on-going changes that may affect staff travel; preparation and submission of

Travel Authorizations (TAs); coordination of required vehicles and scheduling pick-up and drop-off times for VIPs; coordination for temporary accommodations for VIP TDY visitors;

and ensuring all travel related files contain up to date information.

2) Statement of Duties to be Performed:

Management and Coordination of Travel Requirements of USAID/Afghanistan.

Prepares TAs for all USAID/Afghanistan Mission employees travelling on official USG orders. Responsible for ensuring TAs are prepared in a thorough and timely manner in accordance with travel regulations and approved Notices and Orders; prepares all annual blanket TAs for US Direct Hire (USDH) entitlement travel, training, and TDYs as established by Mission directives; prepares and maintains up to date Emergency Evacuation TAs for all

USDH and US Personal Services Contractors (USPSC), and other eligible staff as appropriate; coordinates lodging accommodation for incoming VIP TDY personnel (only), based on their length of stay in Afghanistan; when required, makes arrangements with DoS

Motor Pool for VIP vehicle support well in advance, and communicates lodging accommodation and transportation arrangements to incoming VIP TDY personnel; maintains chronological files of all TAs and all employee travel files that are inclusive of all relevant documents that may be required for audit purposes; advises employees on travel policies and entitlements in a wide range of travel situations, such as; TDY, Invitational Travel, Home

Leave, Rest and Recuperation (R & R), Emergency Evacuation, Emergency Visitation Travel

(EVT), and Education Travel. As the Mission travel expert, he/she may provide advice to staff on authorized travel routes and approved modes of travel.

E2 Travel Solution Systems

With the roll-out of E2 Travel Solution Systems completed, and is the Agency’s mandated electronic travel system, the incumbent is considered to be the Mission expert and advocate for utilization of E2 by all staff. As the Mission Travel Assistant, the incumbent is responsible for entering travel data into E2 that will generate TAs in support of approximately 550 USAID employees. He/she serves as the Mission E2 trainer and is responsible for training all Administrative Assistants to become proficient E2 as Arrangers, as well as training employees, travelers, and supervisors on how to initiate the TA process and informing them of their role and responsibilities in the TA and E2 process. When required, or upon request, the incumbent assists staff who are experiencing difficulty with initiating TA requests in E2. Incumbent also serves as the Mission’s E2 trouble-shooter and takes the lead in resolving E2 issues locally, or with the Washington based experts. On occasion, the incumbent may be called upon to assist non-presence countries with E2 related issues and problems.

Liaison with DoS General Services Office (GSO) Travel

Directly responsible for the coordination and liaison with DoS GSO Travel for travel reservations and issuance of travel tickets. Incumbent ensures that the Agency’s travel needs are satisfied by establishing a positive interactive working relationship with GSO Travel and the DoS GSO staff. He/she reviews all tickets prior to issuing them to the traveler, to ensure that the agency staff are fully aware of USG travel regulations with respect to the use of

American flag carriers, USG contract fares and special fares of international carriers existing for Afghanistan. Incumbentalso ensures that reservations and fare quotations reflect the best routing and costs for the USG, and that alternative routings are being explored, as appropriate.

Provides authoritative advice on travel related matters to USAID/Afghanistan staff.

Based on an in-depth knowledge of U.S. Government rules and regulations, provides guidance to USAID/Afghanistan staff concerning all aspects of travel including specific information concerning various entitlements related to different types of USG authorized travel.

3) USAID Consultation or Orientation:

The selected applicant shall proceed to Washington, D.C. for two weeks of mandatory training to complete the Foreign Affairs Counter Threat CT-650 (FACT) and the Afghanistan

Familiarization RS-415 (FAM) courses (if FAM was not completed within the past five years and if FACT training did not include the ESCAPE Module) prior to proceeding to

USAID/Afghanistan to commence duties as outlined in the statement of work. FACT and

FAM are mandatory courses for service in Afghanistan.

4) Supervisory Relationship:

Incumbent reports directly to the Executive Officer, USAID/Kabul. Assignments are generally performed independently.

5) Supervisory Controls:

None.

6) Other important information:

During the period of this contract, the incumbent must provide at least 15% of his/her time to training of Cooperating Country National (CCN) employees designated by USAID. The PSC

Supervisor will establish a training plan with benchmarks to measure the contractor's progress toward achieving this training deliverable.

11. AREA OF CONSIDERATION:

United States Citizens (including Permanent Residents) and Third Country (non-US, non-

Afghan) Nationals

For USPSC:

Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident (“green card holder”);

Submit a complete application as outlined in the solicitation section titled

APPLYING;

Be able to obtain a Secret clearance (if U.S. Citizen), or Medium Risk Public Trust

(MRPT) access authorization (if U.S. Permanent Resident);

Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance (Class 1);

Be available and willing to work additional hours beyond the established 40-hour workweek, including weekends, as may be required or necessary;

Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested;

Employment is subject to funds availability and all the required approvals obtained.

For TCNPSC:

Be a Third Country National. Third Country National means an individual: (1) Who is neither a citizen nor a permanent legal resident of the United States nor of the country to which assigned for duty (Afghanistan), and (2) Who is eligible for return to his/her home country or country of recruitment at U.S. Government expenses;

Submit a complete application as outlined in the solicitation section titled

APPLYING;

Be able to obtain Medium Risk Public Trust (MRPT) access authorization;

Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance (Class 1);

Be available and willing to work additional hours beyond the established 40-hour workweek, including weekends, as may be required or necessary;

Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested.

Employment is subject to funds availability and all the required approvals obtained.

According to ADS 309.3.1.4 (d) “USAID policy is that a CCNPSC is preferred over a

TCNPSC in order to integrate the foreign assistance effort into the community, enhance the skills of the cooperating country's population, and contribute to the local economy. If the

Agency needs to fill a gap in U.S Direct-Hire Staffing, a USPSC is preferred over a

TCNPSC.” Therefore, Unites States National (USN) offerors will be evaluated in isolation first and only when/if there is no USN qualified, only then Third Country National (TCN) offerors will be considered.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

13. POINT OF CONTACT:

Any questions about this solicitation may be directed to: KblAIDHR@usaid.gov.

Note: No in-person appointments or telephone calls will be entertained, unless you require more information about this solicitation.

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

In order to be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the Minimum

Qualifications. Offers will be pre-screened and only those that meet the Minimum

Qualifications will be considered. The minimum qualifications necessary to be considered for the position are as follows:

a) Education: A minimum of 2 Years (college diploma) or two years progressive study towards a Bachelor’s degree in Management, Business Administration, Public

Administration or related Social Science or Liberal Art field is required. (Education requirement must be met at the time of application for the subject position).

b) Work Experience: A minimum three (3) years of increasing responsible duties in travel management or as a lead travel agent managing/leading travel and ticketing services or working in a related customer service field is required. (Work experience requirement must be met at the time of application for the subject position).

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

According to ADS 309.3.1.10 (g), Offers received from the USNs (preferred) will be evaluated first and TCNs will only be considered if there are no qualified offerors from the

USNs.

mailto:KblAIDHR@usaid.gov

The Evaluation Factors listed will be the basis for evaluating and ranking applicants for the position. Applicants will be scored based on the documentation submitted within the application. Applicants must submit a supplemental document outlining their responses to the evaluation factors in order to be considered. Only the highest-ranked applicants will be interviewed.

1. SELECTION PROCESS

After the closing date for receipt of applications, a committee will convene to review applications that meet the minimum requirements and evaluate them in accordance with the evaluation criteria. Applications from candidates who do not meet the minimum requirements will not be scored. As part of the selection process, finalist candidates will be interviewed.

Reference checks will be made only for applicants considered as finalists. The applicant’s references must be able to provide substantive information about his/her past performance and abilities. If an applicant does not wish USAID to contact a current employer for a reference check, this should be stated in the applicant’s cover letter; USAID will delay such reference checks pending the applicant’s concurrence.

2. EVALUATION FACTORS

Those applicants who meet the minimum education and experience qualifications will be evaluated based on the content of their application as well as on the applicant’s writing, presentation, and communication skills. On a supplement document included with the application package, applicants should cite specific, illustrative examples to address each factor. Responses are limited to 500 words (approx. 1/2 typewritten page) per factor.

Applicants should describe specifically and accurately the experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to the factor. Applicants should include their name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to specifically address the Evaluation Factors will result in the applicant not receiving full credit for pertinent experience.

FACTOR #1: Demonstrate your knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer service. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, critical thinking, active listening, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

FACTOR #2: Describe technical experience and competence in the travel sector.

FACTOR #3: Outline your management and teamwork skills that you have utilized in previous work environments.

3. BASIS OF RATING

Applicants who clearly meet the Education/Experience requirements and basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on scoring of their Evaluation Factor responses.

Those applicants determined to be competitively ranked will also be evaluated on their interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks. The Applicant Rating

System is as follows:

Evaluation Factors:

Factor #1 15 points

Factor #2 15 points

Factor #3 15 points

Interview Performance 100 points

Interview questions will revolve around the candidate’s ability to:

Knowledge/Experience

Customer Service

Teamwork/Productivity

Judgement/Decisiveness

Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks – Pass/Fail (no points assigned)

Total Possible Points: 100

IV. APPLYING

All applications must be submitted electronically by e-mail with the subject line SOL-

72030619R00002 – Travel Assistant to: Afgpscjobs@usaid.gov

Attention: Executive Officer

USAID/Afghanistan

Human Resources Office

Offerors must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3.

Eligible offerors are required to submit the following documents to be considered for this position:

1. Form AID 309-2, “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contract with Individuals,” available at: https://www.usaid.gov/forms/aid-309-2

2. A current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.

3. A supplemental document with written responses to the Evaluation Factors.

Short-listed candidates will be requested to provide educational documents such as degrees, diplomas, certificates and other pertinent documents as needed. Failure to provide the required documentation will result in removal from further consideration.

To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Offerors must prominently reference the Solicitation number and position title in the subject line of email offer submission. Any attachments provided via email must be compatible with Microsoft Word or

PDF and not compressed (.rar/.zip etc).

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

The Agency retains the right to cancel or amend the solicitation and associated actions at any stage of the recruitment process.

mailto:kblaidpscjobs@usaid.gov https://www.usaid.gov/forms/aid-309-2

V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSC HIRES

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:

1. Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet (AID 1420-17 );

2. Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306);

3. Medical History and Examination Form (DS-6561);

4. Pre-Deployment Physical Exam Acknowledgement Form (DS-6570);

5. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions for National Security (SF-86), or Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85);

6. Finger Print Card (FD-258);

7. Statement of Prior Service (SF-144A).

VI. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances:

1. BENEFITS:

1) Employer’s FICA Contribution (for USPSC’s only)

2) Contribution toward Health & life insurance

3) Pay Comparability Adjustment

4) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation

5) Annual & Sick Leave

6) Access to Embassy medical facilities, commissary and pouch mail service as per post policy

7) Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation)

2. ALLOWANCES (If Applicable)*:

1) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120)

2) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130)

3) Post Allowance (Section 220)

4) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230)

5) Post Differential (Chapter 500)

6) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600)

7) Danger Pay (Section 650)

8) Education Allowance (Section 270)

9) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260)

10) Education Travel (Section 280)

* Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas).

*Eligibilities for allowances are in accordance with Standardized Regulations (Government

Civilians Foreign Areas) based on the type of appointment and Mission Policy.

VII. TAXES

USPSC’s are required to pay Federal income taxes, FICA, Medicare and applicable State income taxes.

VIII. USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING

TO PSCs

USAID regulations and policies governing USPSC and TCNPSC awards are available at these sources:

1. USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR),

- Appendix D, “Direct USAID Contracts with a U.S. Citizen or a U.S. Resident Alien for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,”

- Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts with a Third Country National for Personal

Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf.

2. Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms.

3. Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins

(AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs.

4. Ethical Conduct. By the acceptance of a USAID personal services contract as an individual, the contractor will be acknowledging receipt of the “Standards of Ethical

Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch,” available from the U.S. Office of

Government Ethics, in accordance with General Provision 2 and 5 CFR 2635.

See https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: The U.S. Mission provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation. The Department of State also strives to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs. The EEO complaint procedure is not available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation. Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/forms http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations