Attachment 4 - RRA FAQs.docx

April 2016 How to Apply for the Results Reporting Analyst (RRA) Position The Results Reporting Analyst (RRA) position in the Monitoring and Evaluation division of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a fantastic entry-level opportunity for recent bachelor’s-level graduates interested in international development and/or the social sciences. The job throws recent graduates into a quantitative, results-driven world with exposure to a number of different sectors in international development at an agency holding a strong reputation for evidence-based interventions and transparency. Unfortunately, recent graduates don’t usually look at federal contracting opportunities during the job hunt, and even if they do, they can be overwhelmed by the acronyms and jargon. As a result, we miss out on some great candidates, and these candidates miss out on a great job fresh out of college! Because the process of applying for this position can be difficult to navigate, we’ve put together this guide to decode the jargon and acronyms.

Is this really a job?

The position is a full-time personal services contract (PSC) with the federal government. Personal services contractors (PSCs) are not full-time equivalent (FTE) federal employees of the federal government, so they do not receive all federal benefits, including health care and retirement benefits. However, RRA PSCs are treated as employees in most other regards (You’ll have a desk onsite at the MCC headquarters in Washington D.C., you’ll get paid federal holidays, you’ll receive a W2 from MCC for tax purposes, etc.).

So what do I do next?

Because it is technically a contract between a small business (you) and the federal government, the RRA position is posted on the Contract Opportunities page at beta.SAM.gov. Use the solicitation/announcement number provided to navigate to the posting. The RFQ (Request for Quotation) package attached to the posting includes the details of the RRA position and contract. First, take a look at the information in the “Description” section, and then at the Position Description and MCC Bio-Data Form (attachments to the solicitation). The “PSC Solicitation Provision and Clauses” attachment includes the legal language of the RFQ and the clauses that will eventually be incorporated into your contract, should you be selected as the successful candidate.

This sounds great! What’s the first step to apply?

Because this is technically a contracting opportunity, before you submit your application, you must register as a small business/sole-proprietor with the federal government. If you are selected for the position, then you’ll need to provide your D-U-N-S number and a CAGE code, which are unique identification numbers assigned to businesses interested in doing business with the federal government. This involves making a request from Dun & Bradstreet, and registering as a sole proprietor in the System for Award Management (SAM). Obtaining both of these numbers requires some lead time, so we recommend getting started on this process as soon as you decide to apply.

1. Register at www.dandb.com and request a D-U-N-S number. Within a few days, Dun & Bradstreet will send an email with the new D-U-N-S number. As stated in the email they send, the number may not be valid for use for up to two days after issuance.

2. After the D-U-N-S number is valid, follow the instructions in the email from Dun & Bradstreet that issued the number to create a user account in SAM. The taxpayer identification information entered during registration will then take a few days to be validated by the IRS.

a. Register as a sole proprietor, using your name as the business name.

b. Add the Classification code and NAICS code that match the RFQ (to find this information, see the “Classification” section within the beta.SAM.gov announcement).

3. Once you receive an email confirming validation of the taxpayer identification information, log back into SAM and follow the instructions in the email to submit the entity registration.

4. Within a week or two, SAM will send another email confirming activation of the entity registration. Log back into SAM to view the CAGE code.

After getting the ball rolling on the SAM registration, go back to the RFQ document and work on pulling together the required and desired documents for the application. Good luck, and feel free to reach out to the point of contact listed on the solicitation/announcement with any questions!