Sol_72062021R00010 - USPSC PEPFAR Country Coordinator -GS 15.docx

PEPFAR Country Coordinator 72062021R00010

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72062021R00010

ISSUANCE DATE: August 23, 2021

SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) PEPFAR Country Coordinator - USAID/Nigeria

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 offer.

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

Sincerely, Janine Scott Contracting Officer

ATTACHMENT 1

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72062021R00010

2. ISSUANCE DATE: August 23, 2021

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: September 22, 2021 (4:30pm Nigeria time)

4. POINT OF CONTACT: Clementina Edereka, e-mail at Abujahr@usaid.gov

5. POSITION TITLE: PEPFAR Country Coordinator

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years period, estimated to start o/a January 2022.

“The base period will be two (2) years, estimated to start on/about January 2022. Based on Agency need, the Contracting Officer may exercise (an) additional option period(s) for three (3) years for the date(s) estimated as follows.”

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/Nigeria, Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria with possible travel as stated in the Statement of duties.

9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: Open to U.S. Citizens (including lawful permanent U.S. residents).

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret Clearance Level.

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

1. General Statement of Purpose of the Contract:

The incumbent serves as a Senior Advisor to the Country Oversight and Operations (COO) unit of S/GAC. In this capacity, the incumbent serves as PEPFAR Country Coordinator. The PEPFAR Country Coordinator serves as the Embassy-based presence of S/GAC, fulfilling the mission through implementation of policy, program and strategy for PEPFAR as laid out by the Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator of the U.S. government activities to combat HIV/AIDS globally.

2. Statement of Duties to be Performed:

1. Is responsible for managing and overseeing implementation of the breadth, depth, scope, and complexity of the PEPFAR program in the country including negotiating and navigating the challenging environment for rights of MSM; sex workers; other donor partners providing assistance to the country; improving country relationships with the Global Fund; and managing the relationship with government partners in numerous line ministries. In this country, the budget size and level of authority required demand heightened attention and interaction with the Chief of Mission, increased congressional and media scrutiny due to the scale of the U.S. taxpayer commitment, and are subject to more frequent audits including those of the Office of the Inspector General, due to the significant number of agencies, projects and implementing partners, including country government partners required to execute on the large budget. The level of responsibility requires that the incumbent have a high level of seniority and experience to manage these interactions successfully.

1. Is responsible for leading the negotiations of effective and efficient financial and programmatic transitions that ensure epidemic control is on track and to ensure performance through analysis of impact, cost and quality data delivered with U.S. government resources is attained. In this country, the level of complexity in the financial and programmatic transitions of responsibilities for funding particularly core health systems work, and the technical resourcing related to managing the control of the HIV epidemic and achieving an AIDS-free generation require a very high level of diplomatic, technical and managerial knowledge. The process of negotiating and overseeing transitions, managing the transactional costs for efficiency and effectiveness, while sustaining the achievements to date and momentum against the epidemic requires a highly functional and skilled individual with experience. The Coordinator must function as a global health diplomat ensuring the geopolitical space is managed in the best interest of the U.S. government and U.S. taxpayer. This level of responsibility requires that the incumbent have a high level of seniority and relevant experience to manage these interactions successfully.

1. Is accountable to ensure that the budget received by the country delivers on the approved country operational plan and complies with congressional earmarks. In this country, there are vast numbers of implementing mechanisms required to control the epidemic. The Coordinator is responsible for facilitating productive discussions with the interagency team regarding determinations of projects that are “core” and must be done; “near core” that should be done and “non-core” that while nice to do, can be done by others or are not central to epidemic control. This context of growing mechanisms, contracting the scope to core interventions to control the epidemic, the number of implementing partners including country government agencies the U.S. team must coordinate a response through, the level of staff supervision required, country engagement and managing the interoperability and interconnection of mechanisms to mission, requires the incumbent have a high level of managerial and technical expertise, and field experience. The incumbent is also a key determinant in ensuring that predictable indicative funding can be informed by cost analysis and epidemiological data, negotiated with Washington and provided to country governments as a key element in sustaining financial commitments by Ministries of Finance for the long-term sustainability of the U.S. government investment through PEPFAR.

1. Reports directly to the Ambassador and/or Deputy Chief of Mission receiving on-site line management and country-level policy direction; has an official reporting relationship to the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator or his/her Principal Deputy in Washington D.C. The incumbent is accountable to both U.S. government heads of missions and for delivering a “whole of government” program, involving multiple U.S. government agencies in a single, strategic coordinated response that ensures that the bilateral funds deployed by PEPFAR are wisely and effectively used to address the in-country HIV/AIDS epidemic.

1. Is a crucial member of the Ambassador’s country team, participating in the Ambassador’s weekly Country Team meetings, and managing a significant proportion of the total U.S. government foreign assistance budget with the ultimate responsibility to successfully execute on a highly relevant tool for diplomacy for the U.S.

1. Coordinates with the PEPFAR implementing agencies to ensure that funds are located strategically across agency and technical areas; are coordinated with inputs from the partner country government and other donors; are consistent with U.S. government laws and policies, especially legislation pertaining specifically to PEPFAR; and support the national goals and plans of the partner government or governments. Balancing these factors requires the incumbent be a highly skilled and experienced professional.

1. With guidance from S/GAC’s Management and Budget division, the Country Coordinator works with implementing agency financial managers to coordinate reporting systems for tracking funds accurately so that resources are correctly directed and deployed rapidly. In this country, the responsibility is heightened because of the scope of the implementing mechanisms for which the Coordinator is held accountable.

1. Collaborates with the U.S. Embassy, partner government, and S/GAC to ensure achievement, not only of the primary HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care goals of PEPFAR, but also the public health sustainability and health diplomacy goals of PEPFAR. In this country, the requirement to demonstrate impact, transparency and accountability compels the selection of an incumbent who is highly skilled at managing multiple interests in order to achieve the goal of the open government initiative for data sharing.

3. USAID Consultation or Orientation (if applicable): The selected candidate will be required to complete the one-week mandatory Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT) course prior to proceeding to USAID/Nigeria. FACT is a mandatory course for service in Nigeria.

4. Supervisory Relationship: The Coordinator will report to the Deputy Chief of Mission.

5. Supervision Controls: The PEPFAR Country Coordinator supervises four full-time medium to senior level staff. The composition, roles and responsibilities and position grade of the office staff will vary depending on the country team approach. The Coordinator may also be required to provide administrative and technical guidance to a range of interagency staff for the accomplishment of program tasks and reports.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not pose undue physical demands.

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

1. Education: To be considered, the applicant should have a minimum of an advanced degree (Masters or higher) in a relevant professional discipline such as Public Policy, Public Heath, Administration, or other applicable degrees.

2. Prior work Experience:

· At least seven years of progressively more senior experience managing HIV/AIDS, health or other development programs, preferably in a developing country context.

· Demonstrated ability to develop and coordinate implementation of detailed work plans/timelines for major time-sensitive and complex work projects that are dependent on contributions from multiple US government agencies and dozens of individuals.

· Significant experience working directly for one or more of the United States government agencies responsible for implementing PEPFAR is preferable.

· Demonstrated ability to mediate interagency conflicts and facilitate consensus decisions on complex technical, programmatic, strategic, and financial issues.

· Strong capacity to multi-task; including managing, prioritizing, and fulfilling competing demands in real time.

· Excellent written and oral English communication skills.

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. FAR provisions of this solicitation are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far.

EVALUATION FACTORS

Applicants who clearly meet the minimum Education and Prior work Experience requirements and basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on scoring of the Evaluation Factors listed below. The highest-ranking applicants may be selected for an interview.

FACTOR #1:

Knowledge:

· Knowledge of other relevant programs in sub-Saharan Africa, and programmatic knowledge of different methods, models and approaches.

· Knowledge of other relevant programs in sub-Saharan Africa, and programmatic knowledge of different methods, models and approaches.

FACTOR #2:

Skills and Abilities:

· Demonstrated ability to develop and coordinate implementation of detailed work plans/timelines for major time-sensitive and complex work projects that are dependent on contributions from multiple US government agencies and dozens of individuals.

· Highly effective interpersonal skills.

· Demonstrated ability to mediate interagency conflicts and facilitate consensus decisions on complex technical, programmatic, strategic, and financial issues.

· Strong capacity to multi-task; including managing, prioritizing, and fulfilling competing demands in real time.

· The interagency PEPFAR team includes the Ambassador, Heads of Agency, HIV technical team leaders, Nigerian HIV/AIDS Specialists, Government of Nigeria Counterparts, Development Partner Representatives, Implementing Partner Chiefs of Party and an extended team within US Government HQ agencies, including OGAC, Centers for Disease Control, USAID, and the Department of Defense.

· Some key personal skills essential for an effective coordinator include:

· Communication skills: adeptness at conveying information to the COM, to agencies, local and international partners, and to OGAC;

· Organizational skills: ability to keep track of a large amount of data and manage complex interagency planning and reporting processes;

· Interpersonal skills: strong negotiation and facilitation skills with the ability to get along well with a variety of people; and,

· Leadership skills: ability to empower PEPFAR team members to apply available resources and expertise to addressing the local epidemic.

FACTOR #3:

Communication and Language Skills: Level IV English (fluent) Fluent English speaking, reading, and writing proficiency is required.

Evaluation Factors:

Factor #1 - 15 points Factor #2 - 10 points Factor #3 - 5 points

Factor #4 - Interview Performance: 70 points

Total Possible Points: 100 points

SELECTION PROCESS

(1) After the closing date for the receipt of applications, applications will initially be screened for conformity with minimum requirements and a short list of applicants developed.

(2) Following this initial review and short listing, a Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) will convene to review applications that meet the minimum requirements and evaluate them in accordance with the evaluation factors. Applications from candidates which do not meet the minimum requirements will not be scored. As part of the selection process, finalist candidates will be interviewed. Those applications from qualified applicants meeting the required minimum qualifications will be assessed based on the evaluation factors. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. No response will be sent to unsuccessful applicants.

(3) USAID reserves the right to interview only the highest ranked applicants in person or by phone OR not to interview any candidate.

(4) 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 past performance and abilities. If an applicant does not wish USAID to contact a current employer for a reference check, this should be stated in the applicant’s cover letter, USAID will delay such reference checks pending the applicant’s concurrence.

IV. SUBMITTING AN OFFER

For your application to be considered, the following documents must be submitted:

1. Eligible offerors are required to complete and submit the offer form AID 309-2, “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms.

2. Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section I.

3. Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.

4. A type-written and signed cover letter of no more than two (2) pages specifically applying for this position and addressing the minimum requirements and evaluation factors of the position.

5. A current Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume which, at a minimum, describes education, latest experience, and career achievements.

6. Offers must provide a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) references within the last five years from the offeror’s professional life, namely individuals who are not family members or relatives. Three (3) references must be from direct supervisors who can provide information regarding the applicant’s work knowledge and professional experience. Applicants must provide e-mail addresses and/or working telephone numbers for all references.

7. Hard copies of diploma, certificates and relevant degrees may be included to corroborate the CV/Resume.

8. Limit all electronic (e-mail) submissions to one entry/email not larger than 5MB. Please submit attachments in PDF and Word formats. Application packages must be submitted electronically to Abujahr@usaid.gov

V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS PRIOR TO AWARD

The CO will provide instructions about how to complete and submit the following forms after an offeror is selected for the contract award:

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

*The above listed forms (2 through 5) shall only be completed upon the advice of the Contracting Officer that an applicant is the successful candidate for the job.

VI. BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES

As a matter of policy and as appropriate, a USPSC is normally authorized benefits and allowances:

1. BENEFITS: (If applicable):

(a) Employer's FICA contribution

(b) Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance

(c) Pay Comparability Adjustment

(d) Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation)

(e) Eligibility for Worker’s Compensation

(f) Annual and Sick Leave

2. ALLOWANCES: (If applicable):

Section numbers refer to rules from the Department of State Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas), available at https://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=282&menu_id=101

(a) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120)

(b) Cost of Living Allowance (Chapter 210)

(c) Post Allowance (Section 220)

(d) Post Differential (Chapter 500)

(e) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260)

(f) Education Allowance (Section 270)

(g) Educational Travel (Section 280)

(h) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600)

VII. TAXES

USPSCs are required to pay Federal income taxes, FICA, Medicare, and applicable State Income taxes. A TCNPSC will be eligible to pay taxes as specified by their respective country.

VIII. USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING TO PSCs

USAID regulations and policies governing PSC 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, and Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts With a Cooperating Country National and with a Third Country National for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at 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.

Pricing by line item is to be determined upon contract award as described below:

LINE ITEMS

- Award Type: PSC

- Product Service Code: R497

- Accounting Info: 620-MAARD-0014-3-21005

- Product Service Code: R497

- Accounting Info: TBD

- Award Type: PSC

- Product Service Code: R497

- Accounting Info: TBD

- Award Type: PSC

- Product Service Code: R497 Accounting Info: TBD

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

5. PSC Ombudsman

The PSC Ombudsman serves as a resource for any Personal Services Contractor who has entered into a contract with the United States Agency for International Development and is available to provide clarity on their specific contract with the agency. Please visit our page for additional information:

https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/personal-service-contracts-ombudsman

The PSC Ombudsman may be contacted via: PSCOmbudsman@usaid.gov.

[END OF SOLICITATION]

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