72068521R10008 Solicitation for the SDP Advisor GS-14 SRO....pdf

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72068521R10008

ISSUANCE DATE: March 12, 2021

CLOSING DATE: April 2, 2021

SUBJECT: Solicitation for a U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) Sahel Development Partnership (SDP) Advisor Sahel Regional Office (SRO)

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 offers.

Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in the attached information.

Sincerely, Rodney Stubina, PhD Deputy Regional Executive Officer

72068521R10008

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72068521R10008

2. ISSUANCE DATE: March 12, 2021

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: April 2, 2021 - 5:00 p.m. (Senegal time)

4. POINT OF CONTACT: Recruitment team, email at usaiddakar-hr@usaid.gov

5. POSITION TITLE: Sahel Development Partnership (SDP) Advisor

6. MARKET VALUE: GS-14 ($93,907 – $122,077) per annum) (Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.)

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Immediate upon receipt of security/medical clearances (The duration of the

US Personal Services Contract will be for one (1) year, with one (1) one-year option period, subject to satisfactory performance, availability of funds and continuing need of the position.)

Base Period: o/a June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 Option Period 1: o/a June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: US Embassy/USAID compound in Dakar, Senegal.

9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: Open to U.S. citizens

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: HSPD-12/Facility Access

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION

USAID’s Sahel Development Partnership for Burkina Faso and Niger (SDP) is USAID’s integrated approach to countering violent extremism and building local communities’ resilience in vulnerable areas of Niger and Burkina Faso. Through SDP, USAID seeks to halt the spread of violent extremist groups, avert costly humanitarian crises, and stem the flow of destabilizing migration. SDP activities develop government and community capacity to manage their own security, promote self-reliance, galvanize donor support, and reduce the need for long-term assistance. SDP complements both the United States’ diplomatic engagements with these countries in the framework of the G5-Sahel and our ongoing national security interests in these countries. SDP is the optimization of 14 different activities that will require a management structure designed to assure timely and quality coordination and collaboration across the U.S Government (USG) agencies involved.

USAID’s Sahel presence under SDP includes the country office in Burkina Faso and USAID/Niger. In addition, the USAID/Senegal’s Sahel Regional Office (SRO), located in Dakar, Senegal serves to coordinate the efforts of the country office and Niger Mission as well as additional USAID and USG mailto:usaiddakar-hr@usaid.gov entities for the purposes of SDP. The USAID Senegal Mission Director serves as the SDP Regional Coordinator.

The SDP Advisor position serves with the SRO. SDP began implementation in March 2019. The incumbent of this position will be tasked with assuring that programs under SDP are aligned and delivering an impact that is greater than the sum of its parts. This position will be based in Dakar, Senegal, and will be focused on tracking USG programs in both Burkina Faso and Niger, and their effects on improving local communities’ ability to cope with shocks and stresses. The incumbent will be charged with tracking programs from the Office of Transition Initiative, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (former Food for Peace and Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance), USAID/West Africa, and SRO. Given the desire to make SDP a “Three D” (3D) approach (Diplomacy, Defense, and Development), the incumbent will also be charged with advising on layering and monitoring programs from the Departments of State (DoS) and of Defense (DoD). The ideal candidate will therefore have a combination of strong managerial skills, excellent communication skills, and exhibit attention to detail.

The incumbent will be expected to represent USAID at various forums to present USG technical and policy positions. This will include regular meetings with senior and mid-level host government officials, representatives of various national and regional institutions and organizations, other donors, U.S.

Embassy officials and other USG agencies.

The job may be expected to perform work-related travel.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Monitoring and Coordination (75%) The Advisor will need to have continual visibility of the various activities being carried out by implementing partners, digesting partner reports and assessing results, and compiling and reporting those to the interagency. Monitoring will also include closely reviewing changes to the security situation.

● Coordinating: Another significant responsibility of the Advisor will be to review the proposed responses by implementing agencies to the changes in the security situation and consult with DoS and DoD representatives in Burkina Faso and Niger as well as USAID, (and elsewhere, as appropriate) and other partners working on security issues on proposed changes in programming. This coordination function is critical to the success of both the SDP program and other programs in the region. This process will entail organizing frequent meetings to review and make decisions in common. The Advisor will be responsible for regularly organizing, directing, and reporting out on decisions reached. The Advisor will, when needed, also represent the U.S. Government in external meetings called by the GoBF, GoN and other bodies.

● Messaging: Timely, accurate and actionable information is also critical to the success of the SDP and related programs. This will be a joint communications strategy for inter-agency bodies, including U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAF), DoS, and collaborating partners. The Advisor will coordinate with staff in Burkina Faso and Niger to produce briefing papers and prepare visits for internal visitors such as CODELs, senior-level USAID officials.

● Monitoring and Evaluation: A robust Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan for SDP has already compiled through an intensive multi-stakeholder process involving all the offices contributing to SDP. All of the indicators that will be used in this plan are either already being collected as a part of current project M&E plans, or will be collected by new projects. The Advisor will work with project managers from various operating units to collect the indicator data, and organize said data into an annual M&E report. The Advisor will use this annual report as an opportunity to narrate the progress of SDP as a whole. The Advisor will work with the SRO Development Outreach and Communication Officer to disseminate this report to appropriate audiences in Washington, D.C.

2. Outreach with Departments of Defense, and State, and other donors (25%)

The Advisor will spend time communicating the goals and ideals of SDP to the DoS and DoD as well as to other donors. The desire to make SDP a truly 3D effort will require an organized and robust plan of action to garner the support of senior policymakers at stakeholder organizations. The incumbent will have the communication skills to effectively distill and nuance the importance of SDP to each organization, and craft plans of action for how to integrate the programming from all three organizations. The incumbent will develop relationships with all relevant colleagues from regional and bi-lateral offices such as political and economic offices from the DoS, and offices of security cooperation (OSC) from DoD and relevant regional donors.

The contractor is eligible for temporary duty (TDY) travel to the U.S., or to other Missions abroad, to participate in the Foreign Service National Fellowship Program, in accordance with USAID policy.

Supervision Received: The SDP Advisor is directly supervised by the USDH Sahel Regional Technical Office Director. Performance will be evaluated on the basis of specific work objectives/benchmarks pre-determined with the Office Director.

Supervision Exercised: This position is non-supervisory.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

a. Education: The position requires a Master’s Degree in International Development, social sciences or other relevant field. A Bachelor’s Degree in the same fields with an additional 3 years of professional level experience can substitute for a Master’s Degree.

b. Prior Work Experience: Seven (7) years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in the management of development assistance programs or related work required. If no Master’s Degree, Ten

(10) years of prior work experience are required. This should include experience with donor agencies, host-government organizations, non-government organizations, or private sector institutions. Experience in programming conjointly with Departments of State and Defense.

c. Knowledge: In-depth and profound knowledge of development theory and practice that tests new hypotheses and leads to the generation of new ways of implementing development is required, with a preference for extensive management and strategy experience. An expert understanding of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation and, the objectives, methodology, and status of the programs and projects to which assigned is preferred. A thorough mastery of the Sahel’s highly complex and rapidly shifting economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics and of the history of development assistance activities in the region is required.

d. Intellectual: The incumbent must be capable of working independently on a number of tasks simultaneously with minimal supervision, overall the supervisor will provide administrative direction but the incumbent will be independently responsible for planning, designing and carrying out studies, analysis, coordination and collaboration tasks, and other duties. Project implementation work involves the independent analysis of financial, administrative, economic, social, and technical factors, as well as management of complex obligation, contracting, and implementation actions and procedures. Monitoring and coordination responsibilities involve the creation of, application of, and training on reporting and management control systems, as well as analysis/interpretation of problems and advice to Mission management, including the Mission Director or her designate. All of these responsibilities require the incumbent to plan ahead and develop, check, analyze, interpret, and evaluate facts before work can progress. Incumbent must be able to analyze complex and technical information to make independent recommendations for USG programming and management. The incumbent will also encourage innovation in the management and use of Mission programs and resources.

e. Language & Communications Proficiency: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required. Capacity to read and speak French also required. Must be able to obtain, analyze, and evaluate complex data and to prepare precise and accurate reports to various audiences. The incumbent must be able to communicate complex technical issues to diverse audiences.

f. Other Skills and Abilities: Demonstrated capability for perceptive analysis and the ability to write and speak effectively in these contexts are required skills. Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills are required, as well as mentoring skills for new and existing employees. A broad knowledge of basic computer applications, such as word processing, Excel, PowerPoint and email software is necessary.

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.

Selection Process After the closing date for receipt of application, 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 performance and abilities.

Basic Eligibility Requirements Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.

● Offeror is a U.S. Citizen;

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

● All documentation submitted; (See Section IV for requirements)

● Ability to obtain a Facility Access clearance;

● Ability to obtain a Worldwide available medical clearance (Class 1);

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

A USAID HSPD-12/Facility Access and Department of State medical clearance are required prior to issuance of the contract for this position.

Evaluation Factors

Work Experience (35 points):

Minimum of seven - ten (7-10) years (depending on education) of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in the management of development assistance, humanitarian or conflict-prevention programs or related work required. This should include experience with donor agencies, host-government organizations, non-government organizations, or private-sector institutions. Strong preference for candidates with experience programming jointly with USAID and Departments of State and or Defense.

Knowledge (25 points):

In-depth knowledge of development is required, with a preference for management and strategy experience.

A developed understanding of USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation, and the objectives, methodology, and status of the programs and projects to which assigned is preferred. A thorough knowledge of the Sahel’s economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics and of the history of development assistance activities in the region is desired.

Abilities and Skills (25 points):

The incumbent must be capable of working independently on a number of tasks simultaneously with minimal supervision. Monitoring and coordination responsibilities involve the creation of, application of, and training on reporting and management control systems, as well as analysis/interpretation of issues, in order to advise Mission management, including the Mission Director or his/her designate. Incumbent must be able to analyze complex and technical information to make independent recommendations for USG programming and management. The incumbent will also encourage innovation in the management and use of Mission programs and resources.

The incumbent must be able to identify, mobilize, and effectively draw upon the expertise of technical and managerial personnel in the Mission and other USAID offices. In addition, the incumbent will be expected to participate actively in meetings as appropriate with the Embassy, other embassies in the region, USAID/Washington representatives, other donors, counterpart government officials, partners, and technical experts.

Demonstrated capability for perceptive analysis and the ability to write and speak effectively to decision makers about the complex Sahelian context. Ability to develop and maintain a network of technical experts and partners in technical and geographic areas that contribute to SDP. Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills are required. A broad knowledge of basic computer applications, specifically Microsoft office and the Google suite is necessary.

Language Skills (15 points):

Excellent written and oral communication skills in English (Level 4) and French (at least Level 2+) required (FSI or equivalent). Must be able to analyze and evaluate complex data and to prepare precise and accurate reports to various audiences. The incumbent must be able to adapt communication style on complex technical issues to diverse audiences, both for written materials and in person communications.

Evaluation Summary Prior Work Experience: 35 points Knowledge: 25 points Abilities and Skills: 25 points Language skills: 15 points

Total Possible Points: 100 points In order to be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the Minimum Qualifications listed above.

Consideration and selection will be based on a panel evaluation of the Evaluation Factors.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY SHORTLISTED APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED OR INTERVIEWED.

PAST PERFORMANCE/PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE CHECKS

Applicants must provide no less than five (5) references with current contact information, preferably both an email address and a telephone number. The references will be asked to provide a general assessment of the applicant's suitability for the position. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure submitted references are available to provide a written or verbal reference in a timely manner.

In addition to comments from references, the Selection Committee will take into account awards or other evidence of outstanding performance in any areas related to the above selection criteria. USAID/Senegal reserves the right to obtain from previous employers relevant information concerning the applicant's past performance and may consider such information in its evaluation.

IV. APPLYING

Offers must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted electronically to: usaiddakar-hr@usaid.gov with the Solicitation number in the application submission. Note that applications from non-U.S. citizens cannot be considered. Likewise applications that have unsigned forms will also not be considered.

Qualified applicants are required to submit:

1. A signed and dated Cover letter with current résumé/curriculum vitae (CV) attached. The CV/résumé must contain sufficient relevant information to evaluate the application in accordance with the stated evaluation criteria. Broad general statements that are vague or lacking specificity will not be considered as effectively addressing particular selection criteria.

2. Applicants must provide no less than five (5) references who are not family members or relatives.

References should be from direct supervisors who can provide information regarding the applicant's job knowledge and professional work experience. Applicants must provide e-mail addresses and/or working telephone numbers for all references.

3. Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts form AID 309-2 which can be found at http://www.usaid.gov/forms/. Applicants should note that the salary history for the purposes of the AID mailto:usaiddakar-hr@usaid.gov

309-2 is the base salary paid, excluding benefits and allowances such as housing, travel, educational support, etc. Offerors are required to complete and sign the AID 309-2 form. No substitute AID form will be accepted.

ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ENGLISH AND ALL DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AS ONE

COMPLETE PACKAGE.

NOTE: This position requires the submission of complete forms and/or supplemental materials as described above. Failure to provide the required information and/signed documents will result in the applicant not being considered for employment. Applicants are required to sign and date both the Cover Letter and a completed USAID AID 309-2 form.

V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSC HIRES

Once the Contracting Officer (CO) informs the successful applicant about being selected for a contract award, the CO will provide the successful applicant instructions about how to complete and submit the following forms:

Forms outlined below can found at: http://www.usaid.gov/forms

1. Medical History and Examination form (DS-6561)

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

Positions (SF-85)

3. Finger Print Card (FD-258)

4. Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306)

VI. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES (if/as applicable)

(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

(j) Danger Pay Allowance (Section 650)

VII. TAXES

USPSCs are required to pay Federal income taxes, 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.

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 Policy

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

END OF SOLICITATION

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

SUBJECT: Solicitation for a U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) Sahel Development Partnership (SDP) Advisor Sahel Regional Office (SRO)