Solicitation_-_Project_Management_Specialist_(Energy_Infrastructure).pdf

ATTACHMENT 1 [72030619R00005]

*Please see Section 11: Area Of Consideration

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72030619R00005

2. ISSUANCE DATE: October 16, 2018

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR

RECEIPT OF OFFERS:

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

4. POSITION TITLE:

Project Management Specialist (Energy

Infrastructure)

5. MARKET VALUE:

$75,628 - $98,317 equivalent to GS-13

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:

Afghanistan has one of the lowest rates in the world for access to electricity. Expanding the power supply to Afghans and improving the national energy supply are among the highest priorities of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and the United

States Government (USG).

USAID/Afghanistan has approximately $600 million of current energy projects that directly support these priorities by providing infrastructure that will expand low-cost grid power.

Providing reliable, affordable grid-based power to major population centers supports economic growth and creates jobs. The energy infrastructure improvements will help to reduce power interruptions and increase the capacity of transmission lines delivering imported power from Central Asia to Kabul/Afghanistan.

USAID/Afghanistan energy programs are also increasing the capacity of Da Afghanistan

Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the national electric utility, to ensure sustainability of the national energy system.

ATTACHMENT 1 [72030619R00004]

2) Statement of Duties to be Performed:

The position is based in USAID’s Office of Infrastructure (OI). The incumbent performs the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Provides technical direction to implement energy projects, including formal evaluation of contractor performance, procurement of goods and services, project coordination and scheduling, and in compliance with USG and USAID regulations including the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Agency environmental regulations (i.e. 22 CFR 216).

2. The incumbent advises on budgetary, technical, and program matters.

3. Provides financial oversight including but not limited to review of payment vouchers, response to audits, and assessment of claims.

4. Facilitates and helps provide oversight to on-budget funding (government to government) for approximately $700 million of infrastructure including but not limited to drafting implementation letters and monitoring implementation of funds.

5. Represents USAID to GIRoA officials, other donors, implementing partners and other USG leadership effectively articulating the interests and policy of USAID.

6. Develops and strengthens working relationships with key stakeholders, including senior GIRoA officials, other USG entities, and other donor agencies, including the

World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Leads planning and implementation meetings on complex project coordination.

7. Advises on the development of detailed engineering designs, plans and cost estimates for energy programs and activities. Reviews, evaluates, and makes professional recommendations concerning the engineering feasibility of plans developed. Analyzes and evaluates designs, drawings, specifications, schedules and equipment requirements.

8. Briefs stakeholders, including USG leadership and interagency partners, on a regular and as-needed basis concerning progress and problems encountered in the program. Develops written reports, project documents, and other reporting instruments as required.

9. Participates in master planning processes related to Afghan energy infrastructure, taking into account population distribution patterns, geographic/geologic features, security and cultural concerns, and the location of other USAID activities.

10. Gathers and reviews project documents, project costs and fee estimates, and daily project status reports, process automated program progress and status reports, obtain and validate original and contractor submitted bills-of-materials, and maintain and validate a current list of projects detailing their status and cumulative costs with regard to the status of bills of materials purchased and expended.

11. Tracks and compiles all project reporting and documentation requirements as appropriate to include the receipt and filing of project designs, as-built drawings, test data, engineering field and analysis reports, all design and contractor bills-of-materials, and all project close out and facility acceptance documentation.

12. Anticipates project requirements, monitors implementation, takes actions to keep the project on track, manages the flow of information, making timely recommendations, coordinates implementation, and synchronizes and maintains the continuity of operations within the incumbent’s assigned areas of responsibility.

13. Continuously monitors project operations as well as the actions of outside forces that could potentially disrupt or desynchronize project efforts. This includes working to identify unforeseen obstacles and problems, implementing measures to reduce their effects whenever possible, and reporting problems and recommendations.

14. Continuously conducts risk management to identify hazards affecting plans and operations, and recommends control measures.

15. Effectively manages time and resources within assigned areas of responsibility.

During the period of this contract, the incumbent contractor must provide at least 35% of their time to the training of a Cooperating Country National (CCN) designated by USAID.

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

Incumbent is broadly responsible for managing USAID energy infrastructure activities, including independence on day-to-day technical challenges that are unique and sensitive to high-level U.S. government objectives. Incumbent would refer only those issues which are especially difficult or unusual.

3) USAID Consultation or Orientation:

The selected applicant shall proceed to Washington, D.C. for at least two (2) 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 (5) 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:

The incumbent will be supervised by the Energy Infrastructure Team Lead.

5) Supervisory Controls:

Directly supervise CCN staff within the Energy Infrastructure Team. Incumbent is expected to supervise two to four staff. Incumbent is responsible for providing broad guidance to subordinates related to engineering, construction, management, and other technical areas, as well as general management, judgement, and communication guidance.

6) Other important information:

During the period of this contract, the incumbent must provide at least 35% of their time to training of a Cooperating Country National (CCN) employee 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:

mailto:KblAIDHR@usaid.gov

a) Education: A Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or civil engineering is required. (Education requirement must be met at the time of application for the subject position).

b) Work Experience: Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive technical and project/program management experience related to infrastructure and/or energy required. Three (3) years of experience working on projects in developing countries is required. Experience coordinating infrastructure projects with host government officials 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.

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 a combined total of two pages (paper size A4 or Letter) typed

(approximately 12 point font). 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: Describe your project management experience and its applicability to the duties and responsibilities for the Project Management Specialist (Energy Infrastructure) position.

FACTOR #2: Describe your experience working on projects in developing countries and its applicability to the duties and responsibilities for the Project Management Specialist (Energy

Infrastructure) position.

FACTOR #3: Describe your communication skills and experience in terms of writing, presentations, and meetings.

FACTOR #4: Describe your expertise in the design, construction, quality control, and management of infrastructure projects and its applicability to the duties and responsibilities for the Project Management Specialist (Energy Infrastructure) position.

FACTOR #5: Describe your experience interacting with partners, such as the US government, host government, international organizations, and contractors, and its applicability to the duties and responsibilities of the Project Management Specialist (Energy

Infrastructure) position.

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 10 points

Factor #3 5 points

Factor #4 5 points

Factor#5 5 points

Interview Performance: 60 points

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

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

Manage infrastructure projects effectively

Communicate effectively in writing and verbally

Coordinate between multiple stakeholders

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-

72030619R00005 – Project Management Specialist (Energy Infrastructure) 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.

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

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

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

1. BENEFITS:

1) Employer’s Federal Insurance Contribution Act (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 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.

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.

http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations