01 - FAQ - RRA 2023.docx

June 2022March 2023

How to Apply for the Results Reporting Analyst (RRA) Position at MCC The Results Reporting Analyst (RRA) position in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) division of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a fantastic entry-level opportunity for recent undergraduates interested in international development, US government foreign assistance, and M&E. The job immerses candidates in a quantitative, results-driven world at an agency that has a strong reputation for evidence-based interventions international development assistance and transparency about its results.

Candidates are often unaware of federal contracting opportunities, like this position, or can be overwhelmed by the acronyms and jargon included in an announcement. As a result, MCC misses out on great candidates, and these candidates miss out on a great entry-level job! Therefore, we’ve prepared this guide to decode the jargon and acronyms in the hopes you will apply!

Is this a real job?

Yes! The position is a full-time personal services contract (PSC) with the federal government. PSCs are not direct hire employees of the federal government, so they do not receive certain benefits provided to direct-hire employees, e.g., health insurance, life insurance, or retirement benefits. However, RRA PSCs are eligible for a 15% pay supplement in lieu of fringe benefits and are treated as employees in other regards. 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 right alongside direct-hire employees on the M&E team and the country teams that design and implement MCC’s programs. Note: this consultancy does not include a career-track/promotion opportunities.

How do I learn more about this opportunity?

Because this opportunity is technically a contract between a sole proprietorship (i.e., you) and the federal government, the RRA position is posted on the “Contract Opportunities” page at www.sam.gov, where all competitive solicitations for federal contracts are posted. Use the solicitation number provided to locate the posting on the System for Award Management (SAM) website. The Request for Quotation (RFQ) package attached to the posting includes the details of the RRA position and contract. To learn more, you should review the information in the “Description” section of the posting, and then the Position Description and Bio-Data Form, which are both attachments to the solicitation. The full RFQ will also be attached and contains additional information about the opportunity, 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), while other sections dive deeper into the details. Also, please review any amendments to the RFQ for additional information/guidance, as applicable.

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 requires some lead time, so please start this process as soon as you decide to apply. Please visit the following website: https://sam.gov/content/duns-uei which provides additional guidance on this process.

Given that the registration process has recently changed, applicants will not be required to have a complete SAM registration in order to be considered but should have initiated the process by the time of offer submission. SAM registration must be complete by the time of contract award (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.

After getting the ball rolling on your SAM registration, go back to the RFQ and continue preparing your application, and please follow the instructions carefully. Feel free to reach out to the point of contact listed on the posting (Regina Maxwell, maxwellre@mcc.gov) with any questions.

Thanks for your interest and good luck!