MCC-15-RFQ-0030_-_PSC_MandE_Director_01092015.docx

Date: January 09, 2015

Announcement Number MCC-15-RFQ-0030

Title Director, Monitoring and Evaluation

One-year contract, renewable for up to four years at the sole discretion of the U.S. Government

Hourly rate (range) & pay band $55.10 to $77.23 - Pay Band 3A

Closing date for questions January 15, 2015 no later than 1:00 p.m. EST

Application deadline February 09, 2015 no later than 1:00 p.m. EST

Who may be considered An individual who is a U.S. citizen or legal, permanent resident with five years of residency history

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. Government corporation created under Title VI of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2004 (“ACT”). MCC’s mission is to provide assistance that will support economic growth and poverty reduction in carefully selected developing countries that demonstrate a commitment to just and democratic governance, economic freedom and investments in their citizenry. Key MCC operating principles relating to the award of grants include emphasis on economic impact, reward for performance, partnership with recipient countries, and focus on results. Eligible countries are invited to develop and submit grant proposals to MCC for consideration. MCC will seek to enter into a compact for assistance with those countries that submit quality proposals for poverty reduction through economic growth.

SCOPE OF POSITION

MCC requires a personal services contractor (PSC) to coordinate monitoring and evaluation activities for multiple Compacts and/or Threshold programs. The M&E activities can be broadly divided into four categories:

1. development of an M&E Plan;

2. performance monitoring;

3. surveys and evaluations; and

4. technical guidance to the MCA.

These categories will be reflected in the development of the M&E Plan which specifies the indicator targets, the need to have baseline and follow up surveys, the need to have independent evaluations and other studies, and the need to have independent data quality reviews.

MCC technical assistance and guidance will need to be targeted to the needs of the MCA M&E staff and those of the implementing entities.

The PSC will serve as the Monitoring and Evaluation point of contact. This person will be responsible for overseeing the performance monitoring component of all activities in the Compact, support and management of baseline surveys, technical support and project management of evaluations, integration of monitoring and evaluation into activity implementation, and other M&E tasks as may arise.

A personal services contract is different from a non-personal services government contract, which establishes an independent contract relationship. Under a non-personal services contract, the contractor or employees of the contractor are subject to the technical direction but not the supervision of MCC. As defined by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 37.104 (http://www.acquisition.gov/far/), a personal services contract is characterized by the employer-employee relationship it creates between the government and the contractor personnel. Thus, the PSC is subject to the relatively continuous technical direction, supervision and control of MCC. PSCs may be assigned inherently governmental duties (see FAR 7.502) (http://www.acquisition.gov/far/). By law and by the contract’s terms, the PSC is subject to most of the laws, rules and regulations applicable to the direct hire employee, such as MCC regulations, conflict of interest, under some circumstances MCC authorized employment security clearances, and financial disclosure. However, under the MCC personal services contract authority, PSCs are not employees for purposes of laws administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The following elements apply to this contract:

1. Performance on-site

2. Principal tools and equipment furnished by the government.

3. Services are applied directly to the integral effort of agencies or an organizational subpart in furtherance of assigned function or mission.

4. Comparable services, meeting comparable needs, are performed in the same or similar agencies using civil service personnel.

5. The need for the type of service provided can reasonably be expected to last beyond one (1) year.

6. The inherent nature of the service, or the manner in which it is provided, reasonably requires directly or indirectly, government direction or supervision of contractor employees in order to—

(i) Adequately protect the government’s interest;

(ii) Retain control of the function involved; or

(iii) Retain full personal responsibility for the function supported in a duly authorized Federal officer or employee.

PLEASE NOTE: This contract shall be awarded solely to an individual(s), not to a firm. The individual must have an active DUNS # and active record in the System for Award Management (SAM).

KEY REQUIREMENTS

1. U.S. citizenship or legal, permanent resident with five years of residency history

2. Must be able to obtain and maintain a Federal security clearance.

3. Overseas travel will be required to the countries where MCC works.

4. Statement of Employment & Financial Interest (i.e. Office of Government Ethics Form-450, or similar statement) may be required.

5. Active and approved SAM record (listed as sole-proprietor).

DUTIES

Below is a list of anticipated M&E tasks that may need to be completed by the contractor or by the MCA with the contractor’s assistance. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. M&E Plan development

a. Define monitoring indicators and select data sources

b. Set annual and end-of-Compact targets for all indicators

c. Determine how quarterly reporting system will flow from implementing entities to the MCA to MCC

d. Review and refine workplans and budgets for MCA M&E activities

e. Make plans and develop terms of reference for independent evaluations, data quality reviews and other studies to be undertaken

2. Performance monitoring

a. Oversight of data collection activities at the activity level, review of data collection plans, and monitoring data collected

b. Review and quality control of the Indicator Tracking Table (ITT) quarterly submission as part of Quarterly Disbursement Request Packages (QDRP)

3. Surveys and evaluations

a. Draft terms of reference for evaluation contracts, including consultant qualifications, level of effort, and budget

b. Working with MCC’s evaluation firms, develop baseline and follow up surveys for independent evaluations

c. Identify where baseline data is needed by Project and activity, including discussions with implementing entity and MCA M&E staff

d. Serve as liaison between implementers and independent evaluators

e. Oversight and technical support of evaluation firms

4. Technical guidance to MCA

a. In collaboration with MCA, identify key roles and responsibilities within the MCA M&E unit and develop position descriptions

b. Review MCA M&E budget and procurement plans

c. Review of reports and deliverables with M&E-related content from MCAs implementing entities and contractors

d. Conduct regular teleconferences with MCA

e. Travel to Compact/Threshold countries to work with MCA and MCC Resident Country Mission (RCM) as necessary

f. Participate in MCC Implementation Support Team (IST) meetings, either in person or by phone

5. General M&E support to MCC as needed

The designated consultant would be precluded from bidding on work and services (design, construction and supervision) to be procured by the local MCA accountable entity or using funds advanced under a Compact in the relevant country. The designated consultant would be expected to coordinate with local authorities responsible for MCC Compact implementation as well as other donors, where relevant.

DELIVERABLES

Deliverables are associated with the tasks identified in DUTIES above, to include reports as required by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

Monthly Progress Reports are due the first workday of each month and shall consist of the following format to measure progress of each task:

Task: XXXXXX

Status: XXXXXXXX

Recommendations: XXXXXXX

The PSC also will produce other reports and analyses as requested by MCC. Examples of such reports and analyses include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Trip reports.

2. Bi-weekly timesheet with summary of activities during reporting period.

3. Bi-weekly conference calls and/or reports with the HCD Senior Director and/or HCD Team.

4. Detailed written reports of findings and compilations of documents to MCC/HCD, as required.

5. Detailed and comprehensive written reports on progress of a Project, Project Activities, and Sub-Activities to MCC Management and the HCD Senior Director and HCD Team as appropriate.

Deliverables will be considered draft upon initial receipt. Drafts will be reviewed and accepted or concerns raised/comments provided within two weeks of receipt. The PSC shall appropriately address the corporation’s concerns and provide final deliverables within one week of receiving MCC’s response.

The PSC shall submit biweekly timesheets on a schedule and format determined by MCC. Timesheets shall include a list of hours worked per compact or country program, along with a brief description of the tasks undertaken for each program during the pay period.

Performance will be monitored on an ongoing basis.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Applicants must meet all the qualification requirements, including education and all qualifying specialized experience described below, by the closing date of this announcement. Desired qualifications will be considered only once all education and qualifying specialized experience requirements are met. Please clearly demonstrate and document that you possess the following:

Education/Certification:

Advanced degree (Masters or higher) in fields such as economics, social sciences, policy analysis or public administration.

Qualifying specialized experience:

1. Experience with performance management, and monitoring and evaluation of complex international development programs;

2. Experience working with survey methods, including sampling methods, survey design, survey fielding, and survey analysis;

3. Experience with performance and impact evaluation including experimental design, quasi-experimental design, and pre- and post-evaluations;

4. Experiencing developing Monitoring and Evaluation Plans for complex economic development programs;

5. Experience working with management information systems, databases and spreadsheets to analyze and record economic data;

6. On-the-ground monitoring and evaluation experience in developing countries, particularly with programs funded by the US government and developing country governments; and;

7. Language proficiency in French, Spanish, Russian, and/or Portuguese.

NOTE: Your application must clearly show experience for each bullet under Qualifying specialized experience.

Desired qualifications:

Please include in your resume any demonstrated experience with the following:

1. Training and facilitation skills; and

2. Experience working with multidisciplinary teams both in the US and in developing countries to implement economic development projects.

COMPENSATION

PSCs for the services of individual experts or consultants are limited by the Classification Act. In addition, OPM has established requirements that apply in acquiring the personal services of experts or consultants in this manner (e.g., benefits, taxes, conflicts of interest).

This is an intermittent (part-time) position and thus, the maximum number of hours allowed is 1,664 per twelve month period. The contract will have four (4) one-year option periods that may be exercised at the sole discretion of MCC.

The pay range for this position is $55.10 to $77.23 per hour, inclusive of Washington, DC locality pay. Final compensation will be negotiated within this pay range based upon the successful candidates’ salary history, work experience, and educational background. A salary above this pay range will NOT be entertained or negotiated. Candidates who live outside of the Washington, DC area may be considered for this contract, but relocation expenses will NOT be reimbursed.

MCC issues W-2s to the PSC. For U.S. citizens and legal resident aliens, MCC makes the employer contribution to FICA and Medicare for the PSC. MCC withholds FICA, Medicare, federal tax, and state tax on behalf of the PSC. The PSC is not eligible for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.

Benefits:

Under the MCC personal services contract authority, PSCs are not employees for purposes of laws administered by OPM, such as Federal retirement benefits and health and life insurance. As such, the incumbent PSC is not eligible for participation in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Moreover, the PSC is ineligible to receive Federal Health and Life Insurance, nor participate in the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

The intermittent PSC does not earn sick leave, annual leave, holiday pay, and is not eligible for parking or transit subsidy.

Travel:

The PSC is subject to the Federal Travel Regulations and MCC travel policies and procedures to the same extent as MCC direct-hire employees.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

Interested applicants must submit all required documents to include, but not limited to:

· Completed and signed Biodata Form;

· Curriculum vitae or resume (limit 5 pages);

· A written narrative (limit 5 pages) clearly describing relevant experience and knowledge of each of the Qualifying specialized experience requirements and any Desired qualifications;

· No less than three and no more than five professional references with current contact information.

NOTE: Submittals shall be in accordance with the INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS. Please ensure that your most recent contact information (telephone numbers and e-mail address) are accurate. Any other documentation will not be accepted.

Delivery:

Electronic submission is required and all application packages shall be submitted to MCCPSC@mcc.gov so that they arrive before the deadline as given on page1. Submission shall reference the position title and announcement number on the subject line of the e-mail. Electronically submitted packages must include a scanned signature on the Biodata Form.

MCC does not accept responsibility for delays in transmission or receipt of any application. Applicants are responsible for submitting the application package to reach the designated government office by the closing date and time given on page1. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered, unless there is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received by the government prior to the time and date specified in this announcement. Receipt of an application in response to this announcement does not constitute an award commitment. The government will not reimburse applicants for any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application.

Questions:

Any questions regarding this announcement should be submitted in writing via email to MCCPSC@mcc.gov before the deadline as given on page1.

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS

The QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED are the basis for evaluating all applications. Applicants must separately address each listed qualification and demonstrate how s/he meets each. Unless stated otherwise, all qualification elements are weighted equally.

(a) Qualified individuals must submit a completed and signed Biodata Form. Please ensure that you provide a current, valid e-mail address and telephone number for notification purposes. The Biodata Form must include a proposed hourly rate and be physically signed.

(b) Qualified individuals must submit a resume (or a curriculum vita) which clearly demonstrates their education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities as they relate to the qualification elements. Resume must indicate the earliest possible start date for the applicant as well as formal title and duration (start date/end date) for each listed position. Resume must not contain a photo or any salary information.

(c) Describe your experience and knowledge of each of the Qualifying specialized experience requirement and Desired qualifications if applicable. (Note: A page means 8 ½” x 11” paper, 11 point font or larger, and double sided pages count as two pages). Clearly demonstrate how your prior experience is either relevant or directly related to the duties of this position as listed under DUTIES and should include relevant experience, training, education and/or awards you have received for each factor. Cite specific examples where appropriate.

(d) Qualified individuals must submit three to five (3–5) professional references, who are not relatives. Submitted references must include current information as follows:

a. Name of reference

b. Applicant’s relationship to reference

c. Title of reference at current job

d. Reference current telephone number (work or personal)

e. Reference e-mail address (work) At least two references must be from direct supervisors (current or prior) who can provide information regarding the applicant’s knowledge and experience in the field of Monitoring and Evaluation. All references must be from within the last 10 years of the applicant’s professional life.

(e) Applications must be signed and received prior to the closing date and time specified above to be considered for this position.

To ensure consideration of applicants for the intended position, please reference the position title and announcement number on the subject line of your submission email, on supporting documentation and any cover letter.

SELECTION PROCESS

In order to be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the qualifications listed above. Consideration and selection will be based on a panel evaluation of applicants vis-à-vis the QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED. In addition to the materials listed above, applicants are strongly encouraged to write a cover letter, not to exceed one page, to highlight their suitability for this position. The cover letter does not count toward the page count in the required written narrative.

All applicants will be evaluated based on the documentation submitted, the applicant’s evidence of the above qualification requirements, performance in a potential interview, if conducted, and information provided by references if contacted. All applicants will received one of three scores for each of the required qualifications: Does Not Meet, Meets or Exceeds. Only qualified applicants will receive one of two scores for the desired criteria: Present, Not Present. MCC reserves the right to call the highest qualified candidates for an interview and/or conduct a reference check on those individuals. Reference checks may be conducted on the highest qualified applicants.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to ensure the work history portion thoroughly documents the duties, responsibilities and accomplishments that are directly related to this position in order to verify specialized experience. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation.

The U.S. Government and MCC are not obligated to make an award or pay for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this announcement. Award of this contract is contingent on availability of funds, and MCC reserves the right not to award any contract as a result of this announcement.

MCC-15-RFQ-0030 Page 2 of 10 image1.png image2.png