US TCNPSC Senior HIV Prevention Advisor Solicitation.pdf

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72061223R000011

ISSUANCE DATE: September 11, 2023 QUESTIONS DEADLINE: October 4, 2023, 5pm Lilongwe Time CLOSING DATE/TIME: October 11, 2023, 5pm Lilongwe Time

SUBJECT: Solicitation for a U.S or Third Country National Personal Service Contractor for Senior HIV Prevention 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 the instructions in Attachments 1 and 2 of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their own records.

Any questions must be directed in writing to the lilongwehr@usaid.gov address with the subject line: “Questions Solicitation No. 72061223R000011 US/TCNPSC Senior HIV Prevention Advisor.” not later than October 4, 2023, at 15:00 hours, Malawi time. We will post responses as soon as possible afterward.

Offers must be sent to lilongwehr@usaid.gov with the subject line: “Solicitation No.

72061223R000011 US/TCNPSC Senior HIV Prevention Advisor.” To ensure delivery by the due date, it is recommended that offers be sent as email attachments.

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.

Sincerely, Adam Gaskins Acting Supervisory Executive Officer mailto:lilongwehr@usaid.gov mailto:lilongwehr@usaid.gov

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72061223R000011

2. ISSUANCE DATE: September 11, 2023

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: October 11, 2023, no later than 17:00

Hours Lilongwe Time.

4. POSITION TITLE: SENIOR HIV PREVENTION ADVISOR

5. MARKET VALUE: $99,908.00 to $129,878.00 per annum (GS-14 equivalent). Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The contract will be for two years (appointment with a preferable start date of March 2024), with three renewable one-year option periods up to a maximum of five years. Extensions will depend on the need for continuation of such services, availability of funds, satisfactory performance, and the needs of the USAID/Malawi Mission.

Level of effort is full time (40 hours per week)

6. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Lilongwe, Malawi; with possible travel as stated in the

Statement of Duties.

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

8. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Hiring preference - Reference: ADS 309.3.1.4.d.

U.S. Citizens, Resident Aliens and Third country Nationals (TCN). Per ADS 309.3.1.11(c), if the CO issues a combined solicitation that was open to multiple eligible sources (USNs and TCNs or CCNs and TCNs), the TEC must not evaluate USN and TCN offers or CCN and TCN offers together. To comply with the order of preference in section 309.3.1.4, the CO must provide the TEC only those offers received from the preferred type first. After the evaluation of USN or CCN offers, if CO, as the Source Selection Authority, determines that there are no qualified USNs and CCNs for the position, the CO may then provide the TCN offer to the TEC for evaluation.

9. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

1. General Statement of Purpose of Contract:

Similar to other southern African countries, Malawi faces a generalized HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The Government of Malawi has endorsed evidence-based prevention methods aimed at reducing sexual transmission of HIV and is currently revitalizing HIV prevention efforts in the country. Malawi has 1.1M people living with HIV (PLHIV), including 350,000 people who are not yet on antiretroviral therapy (ART), most of whom (75%) are unaware of their status.

Although the 2016 Malawi Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (MPHIA) reported significant progress toward 95-95-95 targets (73-90-91 in 2016), we must make innovative investments targeting those geographic areas and population groups furthest behind in the treatment cascade for Malawi to reach 95-95-95 by the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 19 (2020).

Although the annual number of new HIV infections has dropped more than 60% since 2003 coinciding with the increase in ART coverage, HIV incidence (30,000/year) still exceeds HIV mortality (15,500/year), showing the need for effective, targeted strategies to achieve epidemic control.

In Malawi, a consortium of United States Government (USG) agencies is charged with coordinating and managing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) under the leadership of the US Ambassador. These agencies include USAID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Peace Corps, the Department of State (DOS) and the Department of Defense (DOD). The goal is to develop and implement one USG HIV/AIDS program in support of Malawi’s national HIV/AIDS program. HIV prevention efforts, especially targeting priority populations such as men, youth, and key populations, are key priorities to the PEPFAR and Government of Malawi program and USAID/Malawi is seeking a dynamic and critical thinker who can lead these efforts. The successful candidate will combine technical leadership, interpersonal skills, management skills, strategic vision, and programming experience.

The HIV/AIDS Senior Prevention Advisor position is located in the HIV Team in the Health, Population and Nutrition (HPN) Office at USAID/Malawi. USAID's Health program in Malawi represents approximately 70% of the USAID Mission's budget and the HIV portfolio currently constitutes almost 50% of the overall Health budget. The HIV team manages an annual budget of approximately $50 million and oversees programs in behavioral and biomedical prevention, care and treatment, health systems strengthening, and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and community development. The HIV Team has over twenty staff members.

2. Statement of Duties to be Performed:

The HIV Senior Prevention Advisor is a senior public health advisor on all aspects of HIV prevention to the HIV/AIDS Team, the broader Health Office, and the Mission as a whole. The position is responsible for the design, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of a broad range of HIV prevention program activities required to implement PEPFAR in Malawi.

The incumbent represents USAID/Malawi within the USG and to host country Ministries (including the Ministries of Health and Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare), the National AIDS Commission, partner agencies, and other stakeholders such as Global Fund and other donors, in the implementation of a broad array of prevention programming. The incumbent may supervise three staff in the Prevention branch as delegated. The position serves as contract/agreement officer representative and/or activity manager for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements and coordinates funding, reporting, and administration with the interagency team and within HPN to ensure projects are conducted according to both technical and regulatory guidelines and USG funds are utilized appropriately.

This position will provide oversight of key technical areas such as condom promotion and distribution, social and behavior change communication, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) community platforms for delivering HIV prevention services including HIV testing, and programs targeting young boys and men (including voluntary medical male circumcision

(VMMC)), key populations (including female sex workers and men who have sex with men) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). These priority populations require special focus in order to bring Malawi closer to epidemic control. The position will be a key advisor for the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe) initiative, aimed at reducing new HIV infections among AGYW 10-24 years old through a combination of interventions that address biological, behavioral and socioeconomic determinants of HIV risk. While the prevention branch will consist of technical experts in interventions such as VMMC, PrEP, condoms, and AGYW prevention programming, this position will need to be conversant and up to date on the latest best practices related to all HIV prevention interventions. The position will also provide technical and programmatic advice and guidance in the areas of Community Care, Palliative Care, and Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

Specifically, the SENIOR HIV PREVENTION ADVISOR shall provide:

Technical (40%)

1. As a subject matter expert for HIV prevention interventions, the incumbent incorporates new prevention technologies into the national and USG program. The incumbent acts as a national, regional and international resource in all matters pertaining to HIV/AIDS prevention, including but not limited to behavior change communication, linking prevention and community programs to care and treatment services, key populations, gender in HIV, condoms, biomedical interventions (such as VMMC and PrEP) and AGYW programming (such as DREAMS). The incumbent keeps abreast of information, trends, and breakthroughs concerning HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS prevention and provides guidance and advice about HIV/AIDS prevention to colleagues and implementing partners.

2. The incumbent participates in the development of national strategies, guidelines, operational procedures and manuals, educational materials, teaching modules, etc.

for implementing HIV/AIDS prevention activities and for incorporating new HIV/AIDS prevention interventions into the national strategy.

3. The incumbent prepares and presents briefings for visitors, participates in making arrangements for visits and serves as spokesperson as required on matters within his/her technical expertise. Serves as control officer for site visits to prevention program activities by agency and interagency PEPFAR officials or other VIP visitors.

4. The incumbent represents USAID/Malawi at technical, policy and strategic meetings, including with other national collaborators and donor agencies.

5. The incumbent liaises with all other HPN teams and Mission offices to ensure full integration and coordination of prevention activities, approaches, and strategies into other related program areas.

Program Management (40%)

1. The incumbent oversees key USAID HIV prevention activities. Manages HIV prevention implementing partners including developing sustainable strategies to facilitate medium to long-term impact of partner activities, providing technical direction and capacity strengthening, monitoring progress toward key milestones and recommending program course corrections as needed. Ensures that all implementing partners’ HIV prevention activities are evidence-based, best practice or theory-driven, and that partners adhere to the latest PEPFAR technical guidance. Assist implementing partners to understand compliance with all relevant USAID and PEPFAR regulations and procedures. The incumbent also provides technical and programmatic guidance and advice in OVC programming.

2. As the Senior Prevention Advisor, the incumbent drafts strategic planning documents and contributes to HPN’s and the Mission’s operational planning, particularly the PEPFAR Country Operational Plan (COP). S/he reviews and approves implementing partner work plans and quarterly reports and contributes to PEPFAR quarterly reporting processes and virtual and in-person reviews with PEPFAR headquarters.

S/he also drafts the HIV prevention component of portfolio reviews, budget submissions, briefing papers, cables, action memos, justifications, acquisition documents, among others, for the design, implementation, and reporting on HIV prevention activities.

3. The incumbent conducts regular site visits to review implementation of prevention programs. Based on information collected during field visits, communicates findings and recommendations for strengthening prevention activities to the HIV Team and broader Health Office and, as appropriate, to implementing partners and Malawi Government counterparts.

4. The incumbent leads the implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities for prevention programs and guides performance monitoring across the HIV prevention portfolio.

Leadership and Coordination (20%)

1. The incumbent represents USAID/Malawi at technical, policy and strategic planning meetings, including meetings with collaborators and donor agencies. Briefs agency officials on the results of such meetings and prepares written reports for submission to other interested parties.

2. The incumbent serves on the interagency PEPFAR Prevention and Treatment cascade technical working groups, ensuring effective interagency coordination of COP submissions, implementing partner strategies and work plans, quarterly data reviews, and presentations to outside stakeholders.

3. The position may supervise three other prevention branch members, requiring strong management and leadership skills to guide the HIV prevention portfolio in a cohesive manner.

Supervisory Relationship: The HIV/AIDS Senior Prevention Advisor works under the general supervision of the HIV Division Chief. Assignments are made orally and in writing.

Supervisory Controls: As required, may exercise full supervisory responsibility for up to three program management specialists.

2. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: US Nationals and US Resident Aliens

● 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. 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 (Malawi), and (2) who is eligible for return to his/her home country or country of recruitment at the U.S. Government expenses.

• Submit a complete application as outlined in the solicitation section titled APPLYING.

• Be able to attain a facility access 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 in Lilongwe at the USAID/Malawi Mission. 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 at mnanthoka@usaid.gov

I. 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:

Education: Master’s Degree in Public Health, health policy, behavioral or social sciences, or related field is required.

Prior Work Experience: minimum 10 years of experience in implementing and evaluating mailto:mnanthoka@usaid.gov

HIV/AIDS behavioral and biomedical prevention programs in international/resource poor settings. This includes experience with USG PEPFAR or PEPFAR implementing partners, with progressively increasing responsibility for activity management and design. Managerial experience is required. Must have demonstrated skill in the management of cooperative agreements/contracts, familiarity with USG procurement and documentation requirements, and experience in project design, implementation, management, and evaluation. Experience should demonstrate ability to manage mid-level coordination and relationships with public sector entities, bilateral and multilateral donors, and NGOs.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

Comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS epidemiology and current strategies for treatment, care, behavioral and biomedical prevention, with emphasis on HIV prevention, is required.

Must have thorough knowledge of HIV/AIDS program design, implementation and evaluation in general, and HIV prevention in particular.

Strong interpersonal, management and leadership skills, including the ability to work effectively on a team and to lead a team. Incumbent must be able to plan, implement, monitor and advocate for programs. The incumbent must have strong management skills and time-management competency in order to prioritize and manage several activities simultaneously

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

After an initial application screening, the best qualified applicants may be invited for an oral interview.

Quality Ranking Factors (QRFs):

1. Professional Experience – 40 Points

2. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities – 30 Points 3.Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills – 20 Points

4. Language, Communication, and 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 to malawijobs@usaid.gov. This will enable the evaluation committee to review the offer thoroughly and objectively 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 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. 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. Fingerprint 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 http://www.usaid.gov/forms

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)

(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. TCN PSCs are required to abide by local laws with regards to applicability of local income tax to their contract.

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. USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts With a Cooperating Country National and 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

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

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 .

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