72038622R00001 - USPSC Solicitation - Energy Team Leader.pdf

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

American Embassy Chanakyapuri

New Delhi 110 021 Tel: 91-11-24198000 Fax: 91-11-24198612 www.usaid.gov/in

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72038622R00001

ISSUANCE DATE: February 17, 2022

CLOSING DATE/TIME: March 16, 2022/ 23:59 hours Indian Standard Time (IST)

SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) – Offshore USPSC, Energy Team Leader

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking offers from qualified persons to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation.

Offers must be in accordance with Attachment 1 of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their records.

This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the offer.

Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in Attachment 1.

Sincerely, R. Christopher Gomes Contracting Officer

ATTACHMENT 1 Solicitation No. 72038622R00001

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72038622R00001

2. ISSUANCE DATE: February 17, 2022

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: March 16, 2022/ 23:59 hours Indian Standard Time (IST)

4. POINT OF CONTACT: Ms. Vandana Sharma, Human Resources Specialist, e-mail at indiaper@usaid.gov.

5. POSITION TITLE: Energy Team Leader (Offshore USPSC)

6. MARKET VALUE: $95,973 - $124,764 equivalent to GS-14

Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The period of performance for this contract will be two years with the possibility of three one-year extensions.

This is a full-time position with 40 hours per week schedule (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/India, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, India (with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties).

9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: All U.S. Citizens and U.S. Resident Aliens. U.S. Resident Alien means a non-U.S. citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States.

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Facility Access.

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

1. General Statement of Purpose of the Contract:

The Indo-Pacific region, spanning the west coast of the United States to the west coast of India, is home to about half of the world’s population, major trade routes, and some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies. USAID is advancing America’s vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific by supporting bilateral and regional efforts focused on three objectives: 1) strengthen democratic systems; 2) foster economic growth; and 3) improve the management of natural resources. USAID also plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and addressing its impacts by implementing ambitious emissions reduction measures, protecting critical ecosystems, transitioning to renewable energy, building resilience against the impacts of climate change, and promoting the flow of capital toward climate-positive investments in target countries.

USAID/India supports various U.S. whole-of-government initiatives under the Indo-Pacific Strategy, including what is currently being described as Clean Asia Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy (Clean EDGE), as well as the Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity

Partnership (DCCP) and the Infrastructure Transaction and Assistance Network (ITAN) initiatives. Building on their longstanding energy and climate cooperation, the United States and India are working together on connectivity and sustainable economic development in the region.

In 2021, the U.S. and India announced the Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership, strengthening bilateral collaboration across climate and clean energy. The Partnership will proceed along two main tracks: the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) and the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue (CAFMD). The Clean EDGE initiative is a U.S. whole-of-government effort to grow sustainable and secure energy markets throughout the Indo-Pacific region. As part of Clean EDGE, USAID is supporting South Asian countries to develop an appropriate mix of energy resources to provide access to clean, reliable, and affordable power.

Meeting this goal will reduce poverty, drive economic growth and job creation, mitigate global climate change, and increase energy security in South Asia.

USAID/India is investing close to $60 million in regional clean and renewable energy and energy efficiency activities for South Asia. The new activities- the South Asia Group for Energy, the South Asia Regional Energy Hub, and the South Asia Regional Energy Partnership- will help the countries of South Asia benefit from the new opportunities and face the challenges brought on by advanced energy technologies.

USAID/India’s Indo-Pacific Office, which is designated as the Indo-Pacific Hub for South Asia, is working with India to engage in free, fair, and reciprocal trade and improve the management of natural resources. IPO is responsible for managing and implementing the Indo-Pacific initiatives as well as overseeing USAID/India’s clean and renewable energy portfolio. A major responsibility of the regional hubs is to elevate USAID's contributions to implementing the Indo-Pacific vision in Asia. The hubs will work with Headquarters and bilateral missions to amplify development impact; examine issues from a regional perspective; and identify opportunities for regional program alignment. The IPO team includes 16 staff members, consisting of three U.S. Direct Hires, two U.S. personnel service contractors and 11 Cooperating Country Nationals (CCN).

2. Statement of Duties to be Performed

The energy team leader position is in the IPO and manages a team of up to four CCN staff. The energy team leader is a senior energy and climate change advisor within USAID and is responsible for providing strategic and technical guidance to the IPO energy staff. S/he plays an important role in supporting coordination within the team, with other USAID/India Mission offices, with the interagency, and with other Missions in South Asia and the Regional

Development Mission for Asia (based in Bangkok). Working closely with the energy program management specialists, s/he will engage with high-level officials of the Government of India, build partnerships with private sector enterprises, and develop public awareness of energy and climate-related topics. The energy team leader will support the transition of bilateral energy programs to the United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation once that framework is established. Working with the energy team and other Mission staff, s/he will work with the U.S.

Development Finance Corporation representative based in Mumbai and other U.S. agencies to develop energy and related infrastructure priorities in the region, in collaboration with USAID bilateral Missions.

The energy team leader will lead regional and interagency coordination of energy topics, including energy related climate change issues, and will play a key role in supporting USAID’s contributions to CAFMD and SCEP. S/he may provide support for USAID’s engagement with the Japanese-United States Strategic Energy Partnership (JUSEP), or collaboration with the Quad

(Australia, India, Japan, and the US) and work with regional organizations such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The energy team leader will work with the energy team to serve as a technical resource for USAID Missions located in South Asia.

Working closely with office management, s/he will coordinate with like-minded donors in South Asia to coordinate and complement regional energy programming.

The energy team leader works independently on most technical matters. Being a key expert upon whom the Mission relies to guide policy, program and resource allocation decisions, s/he interacts directly with a range of Mission staff, including the USAID Mission Director, USAID Deputy Mission Director, other Office Directors, and interagency representatives, on related issues. S/he works collaboratively and proactively with other technical experts and support offices throughout the Mission on energy program matters. For example, s/he will represent the IPO on the USAID/India Country Development and Coordination Strategy Development Objective 2 (DO2) project team, which aims to reduce air pollution and its negative impacts on health. S/he will lead the coordination of energy programs with DO2 activities and objectives as well as with climate change programming. Finally, s/he works directly with energy and climate staff in USAID/Washington, DC in various Agency bureaus.

Specifically, the Energy Team Leader is expected to perform duties in the following areas:

A. Managing and Reporting Services - 40%

● Manage USAID/India energy portfolio:

o Leads energy team meetings;

o Coordinates regional and bilateral work across the energy and climate change portfolio including providing support to Missions in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka;

o Provides feedback on reports and technical strategies, monitoring the budget, and project reviews and evaluations;

o Provides inputs and coordination for long- and short-term U.S. and Indian consultants, visiting USAID colleagues, and U.S. government officials that are relevant to the energy portfolio;

o Plans and arranges program-related technical assistance, including identification of specific needs and opportunities for Program Design and Learning activities, preparation of scopes of work, and budgets.

● Lead the preparation of speeches, briefing memos, and talking points for senior embassy officials. Coordinate and contribute to the drafting of Operational Plans, Program Performance Reports, Portfolio Review documents, and other program management and reporting materials.

● Provide briefings to USAID and its partners on the status of USAID energy and climate activities in India. Prepare and deliver technical presentations on the same issues to local government and U.S. government officials and international and local program partners and colleagues. In collaboration with IPO’s outreach and communication specialist, work with the Office of Program Support to communicate achievements and progress in the energy sector to

Embassy, Washington and external stakeholders as necessary. In collaboration with IPO’s outreach and communication specialist, work with the Office of Program Support to communicate achievements and progress in the energy sector to Embassy, Washington and external stakeholders as necessary.

● Lead the Annual Performance Plan and Report and the Annual Indo-Pacific Reporting for the energy area, which includes setting the performance target for the upcoming years and reporting on the past year’s achievements.

● In collaboration with energy program specialists, represent USAID in national, and international fora, in advocating for USAID programs, and in events to showcase USAID energy initiatives.

B. Technical and Strategy Support - 40%

● Support the energy program management specialists to provide effective guidance on all aspects of activity design and implementation, including leverage of additional financial resources, synergies with other U.S. Government (USG) agencies promoting U.S. foreign policy interests, partnerships with the U.S. and Indian private sector, knowledge management for staff, work plan development for the most complex energy programming, and performance measurement.

● Lead work to assess and address policy and institutional constraints impacting the energy sector and connections to climate change, and identify priority issues requiring policy reform, such as utility reform, institutional strengthening, benchmarking, and regulatory reform.

● Lead work to identify key technical challenges in achieving energy development and climate change goals in India and South Asia.

● Design energy-related strategies, programs and activities to meet Mission strategic objectives based on knowledge of international best practice and the constraints presented in each country in South Asia. This includes preparing concept papers, statements of work or program descriptions, requests for proposals/applications, Acquisition and Assistance requests, decision memos, Congressional Notifications, inter-agency agreement letters, bilateral and multilateral agreements, and other related documents with the goal of ensuring that program design and implementation will achieve planned results and USAID goals.

● Develop, maintain and strengthen working relationships with key partners, in cluding Government of India organizations, regional organizations, international organizations and other donors, private sector, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to identify and implement efforts to increase synergy among the key stakeholders and promote collaborative planning toward long term sustainable solutions.

● Communicate and collaborate with Washington-based USAID bureaus and offices such as the Asia bureau and the bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation, as well as USAID

Missions in South Asia and the IPS Hub based in Bangkok, on current and future activities, strategy and direction for South Asia, budgets and earmarks/directives, and sharing proven practices between the field and headquarters.

C. Cross-sector coordination - 20%

● Participate in, coordinate, and manage energy evaluations and assessments that are conducted in conjunction with other offices, U.S. government agencies, international organizations, or other donors.

● In coordination with the Mission’s Development Partnership and Innovation Office and the energy program management specialists, support the transition of bilateral energy programs to the United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation once established.

● Lead coordination with the Mission pollution and health impacts (DO2) team. Advise DO2 project team on how energy portfolio activities are contributing to DO2 goals, and work with the energy team to integrate pollution and health objectives into the energy portfolio, and provide support for broader coordination on climate change as appropriate.

3. USAID Consultation or Orientation (if applicable): Consultation/Orientation will be provided as applicable.

4. Supervisory Relationship: The Energy Team Leader reports to the IPO Director or his/her designee.

5. Supervisory Controls: Completed work is reviewed in terms of achievement of work objectives, effectiveness in meeting host country and USAID goals, and adherence to USAID guidelines, and business practices. Supervisor provides administrative direction in terms of broadly defined missions or functions. Incumbent independently plans, designs and carries out project, studies, and programs.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

1. Education: The incumbent must have at least a master’s degree in a field that is relevant to energy issues, such as engineering, environmental management, international development, economics, or a related field such as public administration or political science.

2. Work Experience: The incumbent must have a minimum of seven years of experience related to the design and implementation of energy initiatives including clean energy transition and scaling renewable energy technologies. S/he should have demonstrated prior experience in energy and climate mitigation. S/he should have experience managing teams and collaborating with senior government and private sector officials. Candidates must have prior experience working on clean energy and climate change issues preferably in India or South Asia.

3. Job Knowledge: The incumbent must demonstrate their knowledge of key challenges, analytical methods, operational approaches, and key stakeholders for providing access to clean, reliable, and affordable power in South Asia. Knowledge of governance and capacity building of local governments, utilities, regulatory agencies is valued.

4. Skills and Abilities: The Energy Team Leader must have excellent leadership skills, initiative, and independent judgment in supporting the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of strategies and programs in the energy sector. The incumbent must have the ability to understand USAID’s internal analysis and reporting requirements, particularly as they relate to activity design, management, and evaluation requirements. The candidate must also have the ability to advise power sector professionals on strategies for providing access to clean, reliable, and affordable power in South Asia. S/he must be able to write clearly and effectively so that editing requirements are minimized. S/he must have the ability to manage resources, programs and people, and interact effectively and diplomatically with representatives of national and local governments and USG agency staff , the private sector, and international partners. The candidate must possess strong interpersonal and team building skills.

5. Language Proficiency: Fluency (Level IV) in English is required.

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The CO reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c). In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers. The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

EVALUATION FACTORS: To be considered for this position, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications noted above. For those who do, further consideration and selection will be based on panel assessment of the Selection Criteria listed below. Candidates will be evaluated and ranked based on the following selection criteria to a maximum score of 100 points .

SELECTION PROCESS:

Phase-I: Offerors who meet the Education / Experience minimum qualifications will further advance to evaluation phase-II. Offerors who do not meet the Education / Experience minimum qualifications will be eliminated from further evaluation process.

Phase-II: The Applications of those Offerors who meet the Education / Experience minimum requirements will be further evaluated based on the evaluation factors below. The most highly rated Applications will further move to phase-III.

Phase-III: The Offerors determined to be most highly rated will be interviewed and asked to complete a written exercise. The interview and written exercise performance will be evaluated based on the evaluation factors given below to determine the most highly rated Offerors.

https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far

a) Education and Knowledge: Total Points 20

● An understanding of clean energy project development and project management policies and procedures.

● An understanding of planning, deployment, and scaling of energy issues in the context of India’s and South Asia’s overarching policies for energy security, clean energy development and climate change.

● Advanced degree in engineering, environmental management, international development, economics, or a related field such as public administration or political science.

● Broad professional knowledge and skills sufficient to guide and contribute to the development and implementation of realistic, relevant and sustainable regional and bilateral programs and activities in energy areas, such as the deployment of distributed energy resources in commercial contexts, grid operations and planning with high penetration of variable renewable energy resources, energy efficiency for commercial buildings and appliances, least-cost energy resource planning, energy utility modernization and reform, cross-border power trade, regional energy markets, and transparent and competitive practices for procurement in the energy sector.

b) Past Working Experience: Total Points 35

● Experience in promoting new value propositions, business models and policy design capabilities for supporting the energy transition in a developing country context and within a region.

● Demonstrated ability to build private sector partnerships in the energy sector in the Indian and U.S. contexts.

● Demonstrated ability to work on demanding projects and timelines.

● Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, program design, implementation, reporting and oversight of development programs in the energy sector.

c) Leadership/Interpersonal Skills: Total Points 30

● Ability to manage and empower a team of highly skilled professionals.

● Ability to interact effectively with senior representatives of national and local governments, both U.S. and foreign.

● Ability to establish strong working relationships with representatives of other donors, multi-lateral institutions, research institutes and NGOs, and the private sector.

● Ability to function independently in complex, frequently changing political and economic conditions.

d) Communication Skills: Total Points 15

● Excellent oral and written English communication skills.

● Proven ability to produce professional reports, analysis and tracking tools.

● Submission of an effective writing sample.

● Ability to organize complex issues and data in a logical manner and communicate them clearly and concisely.

Total = 100 points

IV. SUBMITTING AN OFFER

1. Eligible offerors are required to complete and submit the offer form AID 309-2, “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Cover_Form_and_AID_309- 2_Offeror_Information_For_Personal_Services_Contracts_With_Individuals.pdf

2. Offerors may attach a covering letter and/or resume/curriculum vitae to support their application.

3. Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section I.

4. Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.

5. Ensuring Adequate COVID-19 Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors - The Offeror will be required to show proof that the Offeror is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on or before the first date of onboarding, or submit an approved reasonable accommodation to the CO. If the contractor does not meet this requirement the contract may be terminated.

6. Submit electronic copies of applications to: indiaper@usaid.gov.

V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS PRIOR TO AWARD

The CO will provide instructions about how to complete and submit the following forms after an offeror is selected for the contract award:

1. Instructions and forms related to mandatory security clearance.

2. Instructions and forms related to mandatory pre-employment medical examination and clearance, as applicable.

VI. BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES

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

1. BENEFITS:

(a) Employer's FICA Contribution

(b) Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance

(c) Pay Comparability Adjustment

(d) Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation)

(e) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation mailto:indiaper@usaid.gov

(f) Annual and Sick Leave

2. ALLOWANCES:

Allowances are described in Department of State Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas), available at https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=282&menu_id=101

For applicable allowances, please refer to Appendix D of USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), linked below in Section VIII.

VII. TAXES

USPSCs 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 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” available at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/aidar.pdf

2. ENSURING ADEQUATE COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR FEDERAL

CONTRACTORS (OCT 2021)-Alternate 70 (OCT 2021) (M/OAA-DEV-FAR-22-01c)

(a) Definition. As used in this clause -

United States or its outlying areas means—

(1) The fifty States;

(2) The District of Columbia;

(3) The commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands;

(4) The territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands; and

(5) The minor outlying islands of Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Atoll.

(b) Authority. This clause implements Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety

Protocols for Federal Contractors, dated September 9, 2021 (published in the Federal Register on

September 14, 2021, 86 FR 50985).

https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=282&menu_id=101 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/aidar.pdf

(c) Personal Services Contracts with individuals. As a matter of policy, the contractor must comply with the USAID’s guidance applicable to direct-hire federal employees.

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

Pricing by line item is to be determined upon contract award as described below:

ITEM

NO

(A)

SUPPLIES/SERVICE

(DESCRIPTION)

(B)

QUAN-

TITY

(C)

UNIT

(D)

UNIT

PRICE (E)

AMOUNT (F)

0001 Base Period –

Compensation

- Award Type: Firm-

Fixed-Price

- Product Service Code:

R497

- Accounting Info: TBD

1 LOT - $TBD at Award after negotiations with Contractor

0002 Base Period -Benefits

- Award Type: Firm-Fixed- Price

- Product Service Code:

R497

- Accounting Info: TBD

1 LOT - $ TBD at Award after negotiations with Contractor

4. 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

5. 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.

6. PSC Ombudsman. The PSC Ombudsman serves as a resource for any Personal Services Contractor who has entered into a contract with the United States Agency for International

Development and is available to provide clarity on their specific contract with the agency. Please visit our page for additional information: https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/personal-service-contracts-ombudsman

The PSC Ombudsman may be contacted via: PSCOmbudsman@usaid.gov.

The U.S. Mission in New Delhi 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 (EEO) in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs.

https://www.usaid.gov/forms http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs mailto:PSCOmbudsman@usaid.gov

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.

END OF SOLICITATION