J3 FAQ.pdf

UNCLASSIFIED

March 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Apply for the Economic Program Analyst position at MCC

The Economic Program Analyst position in the Economic Analysis (EA) Division of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) (www.mcc.gov) is a fantastic entry-level opportunity for recent graduates interested in applied economics, international development, and US government foreign assistance to reduce poverty around the world. The job offers candidates the chance to showcase their quantitative, organizational, and interpersonal skills on the professional staff of a results-focused development federal agency that has built a strong reputation for evidence-based interventions.

Understandably, candidates can be unaware of federal contracting opportunities such as this position, or can be turned off by the acronyms and unfamiliar jargon included in the job announcement. As a result, MCC may pass up excellent candidates, and these candidates miss out on a great entry-level job. We’ve prepared this guide to decode the jargon and acronyms in the hope that you will apply!

Is this a real job?

Yes! The position is a full-time personal services contractor (PSC) with the federal government. PSCs are not direct-hire employees of the federal government, so they do not receive certain benefits provided to such employees, e.g., health insurance, life insurance, or retirement benefits. However, PSCs are eligible for a 15% pay supplement in lieu of fringe benefits; our Division strives, wherever possible, to make the PSC experience comparable to that of employees. For example, as a full-time PSC, you would earn paid time off for federal holidays, vacation, and sick leave; receive a W-2 for tax purposes; and work alongside employees on multiple teams designing and implementing MCC programs. Significantly, this PSC position also offers opportunities for several levels of advancement as well as training and professional development!

How do I learn more about this opportunity?

This position is technically a contract between a sole proprietorship—i.e., you—and the federal government.

You may access this position’s announcement (“solicitation”) via https://sam.gov/content/opportunities on the “System for Award Management” (SAM) website, where all competitive solicitations for federal contracts must be posted. Enter the solicitation number 95332422Q0021 under “Search Contract Opportunities” on that website to navigate to the page for the Economic Program Analyst solicitation.

Once you locate that page, here are some helpful tips to learn more:

• Please review the information in the “Description” section of the posting, and also the files o Position Description (“J1 Position Description.pdf”) and o Bio-Data Form (“J2 Bio-Data Form.docx”), both of which are linked to this solicitation.

• Also linked on that page is a PDF file (“RFQ 95332423Q0021 Economic Program Analyst.pdf”) of the full

“Request for Quotation” (RFQ), containing additional details on the Program Analyst position and contract, the required and desired qualifications, and important instructions for your application submission. Section C of the solicitation captures the most pertinent information (be sure to submit ALL required documents and follow ALL instructions).

• Also, please review any amendments to the RFQ that may be released in future (and that will also appear under the above solicitation number).

http://www.mcc.gov/ https://sam.gov/content/opportunities

UNCLASSIFIED

This sounds great! What should I do next?

As mentioned above, this is technically a contracting opportunity for a sole proprietorship. So, prior to award, you must register as a sole proprietor with the federal government. This means registering with SAM and obtaining a Unique Entity ID (UEI). This process does require some lead time, so please start this process as soon as you decide to apply. You may visit the website https://sam.gov/content/duns-uei for additional guidance on this process.

While you will not be required to have a complete SAM registration in order to apply and be considered for this position, you should have initiated the process by the time that you submit your offer. SAM registration must be complete by the time a contract is awarded (approximately 30 days after the offer submission deadline), and MCC may remove a candidate from further consideration if they have not yet completed their registration at the time of award.

So, to summarize the overall process:

1. First please get the ball rolling on registering with SAM and obtaining your UEI as described above.

2. Then, kindly go back to the RFQ as detailed on page 1 and continue preparing your application— please follow the instructions carefully.

3. Finally, feel free to reach out to the points of contact listed on the posting (Ms. Daniela Dimitrova, dimitrovad@mcc.gov; Ms. Regina Maxwell, maxwellre@mcc.gov) with any questions.

Thanks for your interest, and good luck!

https://sam.gov/content/duns-uei mailto:maxwellre@mcc.gov