Solicitation_Senior_FP_and_RH_advisor_one.doc

ATTACHMENT 1

720-612-18-B-00001

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720-612-18-B-00001

ISSUANCE DATE: February 21, 2018 CLOSING DATE/TIME: March 16, 2018, 5pm Lilongwe Time SUBJECT: Solicitation for a U.S or Third Country National Personal Service Contractor for Senior Family Planning and Reproductive Health Advisor, GS-14 equivalent USAID/Malawi 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, Sections I through V 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 the attached information.

Sincerely, Janine Scott Supervisory Executive Officer Solicitation for a Personal Service Contractor (PSC)

Senior Family Planning and Reproductive Health Advisor, GS-14 equivalent

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 720-612-18-B-00001

2. ISSUANCE DATE: February 21, 2018

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: March 16, 2018 no later than 1700 Hrs Lilongwe Time.

4. POSITION TITLE: Senior Family Planning and Reproductive Health Advisor

5. MARKET VALUE: $89,370.00 to $116,181.00 per annum (GS-14 equivalent). Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The Personal Services Contract will be for an initial two (2) year period, with three (3) one-year option years. Option years may be exercised based upon satisfactory Contractor performance, mutual agreement between the Contractor and USG, continued Mission requirements and the continued availability of funds. Tentative start date is o/a August 2018.

7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Lilongwe, Malawi; with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties.

8. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: USPSCs - Secret; TCNPSCs - Employment Authorization

9. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

1. General Statement of Purpose of Contract:

The Senior Family Planning/Reproductive Health Advisor (FP/RHA) will provide leadership and advisory services on the full range of family planning/reproductive health activities, incorporating the Agency’s five core values in all aspects of his/her work. These core values are: (1) customer focus, (2) managing for results, (3) empowerment and accountability, (4) teamwork and participation, and (5) valuing diversity.

The incumbent will work at a senior level in a high-priority USG foreign assistance program that requires a high degree of knowledge, experience, maturity, and an ability to function independently under a complex, highly demanding, frequently changing environment.

The position is located in the Health Population and Nutrition (HPN) Office of USAID/Malawi, in Lilongwe. S/he will be expected to work independently, take initiative, and manage a multi-cultural team with multiple results packages. S/he will advise USAID/Malawi on all aspects of family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH). The incumbent will represent USAID at the highest government and donor levels. Per ADS 103.3.1.1b(4), s/he will not be authorized to sign (1) obligations that require a warrant, and (2) grants to foreign governments and public international organizations, thereby prohibiting her/him from obligating USG funds in these instances. The incumbent will supervise one senior technical Foreign Service National (FSN).

The FP/RH Advisor will provide managerial oversight, and strategic and technical advice to support the implementation of HPN’s FP/RH program. These activities range from training in the provision of FP/RH methods, working with the host country to improve contraceptive security, developing private sector partnerships, behavior change communication intended to increase utilization of modern contraceptive methods, expanding growth of social franchises, and policy and advocacy activities aimed at repositioning family planning and reproductive health in Malawi’s national agenda.

S/he will also work closely with other USAID staff to ensure comprehensive FP/RH integration into maternal and child health, malaria, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, systems strengthening and education. Because of the integrated nature of the program and the importance of HIV/AIDS within reproductive health, the incumbent will work closely with the HIV/AIDS Team Lead, Health Systems Strengthening team, and Climate Change Specialist.

2. Statement of Duties to be Performed:

As the Senior Family Planning/Reproductive Health Advisor, the incumbent will:

He/she will carry out a full range of consultative, advisory, strategic, and planning responsibilities to ensure technical and programmatic soundness of USAID investments in FP/RH as well as compliance with USAID/Washington policy and US Federal legislation. The Advisor will provide strategic direction and technical leadership in FP/RH to USAID/Malawi's management and HPN, MCH Team Lead and FSN FP Specialist. S/he will keep abreast of current and new family planning issues and innovations to advise the Mission on implications and implementation options for the Mission and the broader Malawi FP/RH community. He/she will provide guidance to HPN regarding FP/RH investments and future programming, including design and modification of program activities, the determination of program direction, monitoring and evaluation and corrective action, where needed. He/she will interface within USAID/Malawi and with USAID/Washington on the mission’s FP/RH portfolio and keep current on health, population and nutrition trends in Malawi and other parts of Africa, and on relevant state of the art research and best practices and uses this information to inform RH/FP program design and management in Malawi. Work with staff and counterparts to inform them of state of-the-art practices. The Advisor will also be responsible for developing a research agenda for the FP/RH program, including “state of the art” approaches and operations research, including project evaluations. (30%)

Maintain and strengthen relationships with high-level GoM, donors, stakeholders and private sector officials. The Advisor will play a leadership role with these actors to advance FP/RH in the country as per the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy, National Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy, FP2020 Country Action Plan and other key national strategies and policies. The Advisor will play a leadership role in the roll-out of the FP2020 Country Action Plan in line with the Global Health Initiative and keep GoM and stakeholders informed of the program status and future development to ensure harmonization, coordination and collaboration. (15%)

Monitor the development of new policies and their impact on programming in the country. Coordinating the analysis and synthesis of key technical lessons learned and best practice recommendations based upon the research and documentation of experiences. This level of coordination will necessitate work with other technical staff on sub-sector activities contributing to program objectives to ensure complimentary, synergy and integration. (15%)

Play a lead role with the MoH and other stakeholders in mobilizing investments for contraceptive security including the implementation of the Essential Contraceptive Logistics System and the Integrated Health Logistics System. (15%)

Monitor and provide technical oversight to USAID’s FP/RH portfolio of activities and budget, including input for the preparation of program and budget documentation requirements from the Mission, USAID/W and the Government of Malawi the advisor will also ensure that FP/RH activities are implemented in a timely manner and of good quality. The advisor will also be responsible for submitting final draft of FP/RH-related sections of the Mission's annual reports. The Advisor will liaise with USAID/W FP/RH technical experts to inform them of Mission FP/RH activities and coordinate mutual activities accordingly. The Advisor will also assume Contracting Officer’s Representative/Assistance Officer’s Representative (AOR/COR)/Activity Manager responsibilities as required (15 %)

The Senior FP/RH Advisor will have extensive expertise on FP/RH and will build knowledge and learning across the Mission on the following areas:

· Family planning/contraception

· Condom education and promotion

· FP/RH and HIV linkages, particularly FP/RH for HIV+

· FP/RH and MCH linkages

· FP/Environment linkages

· Adolescent and youth health

The Senior FP/RH Advisor will ensure that the following activities are designed, implemented, evaluated, and documented in an appropriate manner:

· Integration of FP into HIV and MCH service delivery, emphasizing the development of quality services and provision of national level technical assistance in training and supervision, especially in long term and permanent methods, in close coordination with the MoH’s Reproductive Health Directorate (DRH).

· Expanded social marketing of FP/RH services, including behavior change communication, development of new products, and coordination with condom sales for HIV/AIDS control.

· Critical contraceptive security issues, including working with DRH, USAID contractors and grantees and other key development partners supporting assistance to family planning commodity logistics. This will include working closely with the USAID Supply Chain Advisor on forecasting, ordering, warehousing, distribution and reporting.

· FP/RH policy advocacy to strengthen FP/RH in the Malawi national agenda by working with government officials at all levels. Enhance multi-sectoral coordination of population policies and demographic dividend issues.

· Development and implementation of a comprehensive communications platform for FP/RH to deepen public knowledge about FP/RH, increase demand and uptake of FP/RH and strengthen community support for FP/RH. (10%)

3. USAID Consultation or Orientation (if applicable):

The selected applicant shall proceed to the Washington, DC area for one week of mandatory training to complete the Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT) course prior to proceeding to USAID/Malawi to commence duties as outlined in the statement of duties. FACT is a mandatory course for service in Malawi.

4. Supervisory Relationship: Incumbent will report to the Health Development Officer (Family Health).

5. Supervisory Controls: The incumbent is expected to collaborate closely with other team members, but also work independently in carrying out specific responsibilities. Supervisor provides general guidance and reviews work in terms of results achieved.

2. AREA OF CONSIDERATION:

For USPSC:

· Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident/registered alien (“green card holder”);

· Submit a complete application as outlined in the solicitation section titled APPLYING;

· Be able to attain a Secret security clearance;

· Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance;

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

For TCNPSC:

· Be a Third Country National Personnel Service Contractor (TCNPSC). “Third Country National” shall mean an individual (i) who is neither a citizen of the United States nor of the country to which assigned for duty, and (ii) who is eligible for return travel to the TCN’s home country or country from which recruited at U.S. Government expenses, and (iii) who is on a limited assignment for a specific period of time.

· Submit a complete application as outlined in the section titled APPLYING;

· Be able to attain employment authorization;

· Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance;

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

3. PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The primary location of work will be on the USAID/Lilongwe, Malawi. The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

4. POINT OF CONTACT:

Any questions about this solicitation may be directed to: Martha Nanthoka, Human Resources Specialist mnanthoka@usaid.gov

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

In order to be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the Minimum Qualifications. Applications will be pre-screened and only those that meet the Minimum Qualifications will be considered. These are the minimum qualifications necessary to be considered for the position:

a) Education: Masters of Population, Reproductive Health, Public Health, Community Health or related area required. Medical or nursing background with considerable experience in public health/development programming would be acceptable.

b) Prior Work Experience: At least ten years of continuous work in FP/RH in the developing world is required with significant experience in management and advisory roles

c) Knowledge Skills and Abilities: Demonstrated technical expertise in FP/RH in the developing world is required. The qualified person must possess broad FP/RH operational planning experience, analytical ability, excellent communication skills and the capacity to convert state-of-the-art evidence into achievable results to meet a variety of strategic and programmatic needs. The candidate must possess good interpersonal skills and an ability to work effectively as a member of a team, as well as a strong ability to coordinate groups. The qualified person must possess poise, be assertive and proactive, yet sensitive to any given situation when working with partners, beneficiaries and other agencies. The candidate must exemplify a high degree of personal initiative, organizational skills, the ability to work independently, and the capacity to present information articulately and professionally. This individual will directly supervise a CCNPSC Family Planning/Reproductive Health Specialist.

d) Communication Skills: Excellent proven written and oral English communication skills are required.

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

After an initial application screening, the best qualified applicants may be invited for a written examination and to an oral interview.

Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs):

1. Professional Experience – 40 Points

2. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities – 30 Points

3. Communication – 20 Points

4. Computer Skills – 10 Points TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS: 100 points

The successful candidate will be selected based on a review of his/her qualifications, work experience, skills, and abilities; an interview; and the results of reference checks. The hiring panel may check references that have not been specifically identified by applicants and may check references before or after a candidate is interviewed.

NOTE: Due to the high volume of applications received, we will only contact applicants who are being considered. Thank you for your understanding.

IV APPLYING

For an offeror to be considered for this position, s/he must adhere to the following guidelines and complete, sign and submit the following documents. This will enable the evaluation committee to thoroughly and objectively review the offer against the requirements of the position

1. AID 302-3, Offeror Information for Personal Services Contract Form Eligible offerors are required to complete and submit the offer form AID 302-3, “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts,” available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms.

2.

Resume/Curriculum Vitae

3.

Reference Persons

Offerors are required to provide five (5) reference persons who are not family members or relatives, with working telephones and email contacts. The references must be able to provide substantive information about offerors past performance and abilities. Reference checks will be made only for offerors considered as finalists. If an offeror does not wish for the current employer to be contacted as a reference check, this should be stated in the offeror’s AID 302-3 form and/or resume. The interviewing committee will delay such reference check pending communication with the offeror.

4. 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, item 11.

5. To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Offerors must prominently reference the Solicitation number in the offer submission.

V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSC HIRES

Once the 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. Medical History and Examination Form (Department of State Forms)

2. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions for National Security (SF-86), or

3. Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85)

4. Finger Print Card (FD-258)

VI. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC 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

(f) Annual and Sick Leave

2. ALLOWANCES:

Section numbers refer to rules from the Department of State Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas)

(a) Temporary Quarter Subsistence Allowance (Section 120)

(b) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130)

(c) Cost-of-Living Allowance (Chapter 210)

(d) Post Allowance (Section 220)

(e) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260)

(f) Education Allowance (Section 270)

(g) Education Travel (Section 280)

(h) Post Differential (Chapter 500)

(i) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600), and

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/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 .