SOL-497-15-000027_Senior_Acquisition_ _Assistance_Specialist _GS-15.pdf

U.S. Agency for International Development American Embassy, Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 3-5 Jakarta 10110 – Indonesia Tel: (62 21) 3435-9000 Fax: (62 21) 386-0336

SOLICITATION NO: SOL-497-15-000027

ISSUANCE DATE: August 14, 2015 CLOSING DATE: September 3, 2015

4:00 PM JAKARTA TIME

SUBJECT: Solicitation for Off-Shore U.S./TCN Personal Services Contractor

(US/TCN PSC) for the position of SENIOR ACQUISITION AND

ASSISTANCE SPECIALIST

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications (Optional Form 612) from qualified U.S.

citizens or Third Country Nationals to provide services as a Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist under a Personal Services Contract, as described in the attached solicitation. The place of performance for this position will be in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Submissions to this solicitation shall be in accordance with the attached information, at the place and time specified. Incomplete, unsigned or late applications will not be considered.

Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their applications. Applications received after the closing date and time contained in this solicitation will be considered late and will not be considered. USAID/Indonesia will not consider an extension to the submission deadline for this procurement.

Any questions regarding this solicitation should be in writing and directed to the undersigned at jktrecruitmentpsc@usaid.gov.

Phone calls or e-mail to any address other than the one specified in this solicitation will not be accepted.

Sincerely, /s/

Susan L. Cheung Supervisory Executive Officer USAID/Indonesia mailto:jktrecruitmentpsc@usaid.gov

ATTACHMENT 1

Solicitation for Off-Shore U.S. / TCN Personal Services Contractor for the position of

SENIOR ACQUISITION AND ASSISTANCE SPECIALIST

SOLICITATION NO.: SOL-497-15-000027

ISSUANCE DATE: August 14, 2015

CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: September 3, 2015 at 4:00 P.M. Jakarta Time

POSITION TITLE: Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist

MARKET VALUE: GS-15 ($101,630 - $132,122 per annum). Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value based upon the candidate’s past salary, work history and educational background. Salaries over and above the top of the GS-15 pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One (1) year, with one (1) optional year

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: United States Citizens and Third Country Nationals.

SUPERVISORY CONTROL: In the absence of all U.S. Direct Hire personnel, the contractor may supervise FSN personnel in the Office of Acquisition & Assistance.

POSITION TITLE OF DIRECT SUPERVISOR: Director of Office of Acquisition & Assistance.

MEDICAL CLEARANCE: The apparently successful applicant must be able to obtain required medical clearance as a pre-condition for employment and/or residence in Indonesia.

SECURITY CLEARANCE: If a U.S. citizen, the apparently successful applicant shall be required to obtain a Facility Access level security clearance as a pre-condition for employment. For a TCN, an Employment Authorization is required as a pre-condition for employment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The primary location of work will be the U.S. Embassy Annex in Jakarta, Indonesia. Work in the office is expected to be mostly sedentary. Secondary locations will include implementing partner offices and field offices, project site field locations, the location of program beneficiaries in rural and in urban areas, GOI departments and offices and the offices of bi- and multi-lateral donors and NGOs, and attendance at conferences and training. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist may occasionally face challenging living and working conditions while in travel status.

The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will also face heavy workload and occasional in-country travel is a requirement of the position.

I. POSITION DESCRIPTION

A. Overview and Background

This position is located in the Office of Acquisition & Assistance (OAA) at USAID/Indonesia, American Embassy in Jakarta. This office is responsible for the execution, management and administration of the Mission’s A&A role for a total Mission portfolio valued in excess of $700 million (as of July 2015) over four Development Objectives (DOs) implemented by four DO Teams across four technical offices (Democratic Governance, Education, Environment and Health). The incumbent is responsible for advising on A&A to the USAID/Indonesia Mission and the Mission’s Contracting Officers with the objective of ensuring the successful attainment of the Mission’s foreign assistance development objectives for Indonesia as elaborated on in the Country Development and Cooperation Strategy and the Country Operational Plan.

The incumbent will be assigned to backstop selected sectors of the Mission’s major portfolios, with the primary assignment of the Mission’s Environment and Education portfolios, and thus DOs 2, (“Essential Services for the Poorest and Most Vulnerable Improved”), 3 (“Global Development Priorities of Mutual Interest Advanced”) and 4 (“Collaborative Achievement in Science, Technology and Innovation Increased”). The incumbent may also support other portfolios as needed. In this regard, the incumbent is responsible for managing a full range of A&A functions for the Mission portfolios which the incumbent is assigned as well in assisting in the management of the OAA’s other supported Mission portfolios. The incumbent has a comprehensive knowledge of the manner and method for executing the position’s roles and responsibilities, to include all applicable statutory, regulatory and Agency guidance and directives, while possessing the necessary skills, experience, expertise, judgment and capabilities required. The incumbent serves as an integral and active member of the OAA’s management staff as well the Mission’s Development Objective (DO) Teams assisting in mentoring and training staff to develop their understanding and abilities to properly apply A&A processes. Incumbent interacts in a similar fashion with the Mission’s implementing partners, particularly in building institutional capacity of local organizations as implementers of the Mission’s foreign assistance programs, as well with the host-country government and its ministries/departments. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will act in this regard in the capacity as a Contracting/Agreement Officer, and will execute actions with a Contracting/Agreement Officer’s warrant if the USAID Procurement Executive agrees to assign a warrant to the incumbent.

This position entails: a) advising on resolving complex A&A issues; b) advising on the most advantageous and appropriate method of achieving DO Team’s strategies through A&A methodologies, c) assisting in the development of requirements and their definition to ensure contractibility and meeting the needs of the DO Teams, d) managing a full range of complex A&A actions as well as the resultant mechanisms, d) consulting on and drafting

A&A policy guidance for the Mission, e) participating in the OAA’s overall execution of the Mission’s A&A program, f) providing A&A advice to Mission implementing partners (IPs), to specifically include indigenous organizations and their capacity building, and g) maintaining contacts throughout the Mission as well within the American Embassy community and with the host-country government.

Given the sensitivity, scope, and purpose of the role and position of the Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist and the critical nature and complexity of the Mission programs that are being implemented in a very fluid political environment, it is essential that the Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist be able to function as an expert in all technical areas of the assignment, and fulfill the position responsibilities with the complete confidence of the supervisor in the Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist’s understanding of the assignment and ability to integrate issues, conflicts, continually changing working requirements, creative problem solving, and the introduction of new theories and methods to resolve unique problems.

The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist reports directly to the Supervisory Contracting Officer, who is the Office Director and serves as one of the three Contracting/Agreement Officers in the Mission. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist may be responsible for participating in the supervision of the work of PSC and FSN Acquisition staff working on the assigned portfolios. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will be responsible for the mentoring and development of this staff as a necessary part of the assignment.

B. Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will provide technical competence and leadership support to the Mission’s OAA as follows:

1. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will provide technical assistance to

USAID/Indonesia in the execution of program/project-funded contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and inter-agency agreements, including providing staff support on all aspects of procurement and contract management relating to and affecting USAID assistance programs, policy and project planning, design, implementation and evaluation, and participating in project and mission policy formulation, project design resource assessments, sector analyses, and other studies.

The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will serve as a primary contractual advisor to major development program initiatives and activities as well to infrastructure projects in the Mission. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will prepare and negotiate modifications of basic contractual text, terms and conditions, specifications, scopes of work, program descriptions, and costs in the full range of award instruments. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will plan for and provide A&A management support to accomplish program objectives, and provide proper and timely administration of all assigned A&A awards, to include clarifications and interpretations of directive correspondence, and other miscellaneous administrative modifications to procurement instruments. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will seek resolution and settlement of contract disputes, termination and settlement of A&A instruments, close outs, and reporting of contractor performance. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will compose and prepare all manner of A&A correspondence.

2. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will be authorized to make commitments on behalf of the government in accordance with the terms of his/her Contracting/Agreement Officer's warrant.

3. The majority of the Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist’s responsibilities will be in direct contracting and administration of large, complex foreign assistance implementing programs. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist’s responsibilities will encompass the negotiation, award, and administration of both Assistance and Acquisition-type instruments to accomplish both development programs and infrastructure and construction projects. Specifically, in all cases the Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will supervise and prepare pre-award documents, conduct negotiations, and prepare award documents and award file documentation for his/her signature (if warranted) or a Contracting/Agreement Officer's review and signature, requiring the obligation of potentially tens of millions of dollars in U.S. Government funds. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist must be available for consultation on contracting issues with USAID/W and Mission senior management and technical staff, other in-country U.S.

Government officials and representatives (Ambassador level and below), Government of Indonesia (GOI) officials (Minister level and below), implementing partners (CEO level and below), and others, as required. This effort requires extensive knowledge of Federal and USAID regulations, and the associated governing guidance (e.g., the FAR and USAID Supplement (AIDAR), CFR, OMB Circulars, FAM, and FTR) for all types of A&A awards.

4. In addition to the execution of contracts and modifications as identified above, the

Senior Contracts Specialist will also research issues contained in, and draft responses to, items of correspondence as assigned. Examples include, but are not limited to: subcontract consent requests, salary approvals, equipment approvals, etc., on a wide variety of contract and assistance awards.

5. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will serve as senior and trusted policy and technical advisor to the Supervisory Contracting Officer, USAID/Indonesia and the U.S. Mission to Indonesia on all manner of A&A issues and will speak for the Supervisory Contracting Officer on technical A&A matters, as directed by the Supervisory Contracting Officer or as required. The Specialist will provide on-the-job training on A&A matters to all mission staff, as directed.

6. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will participate (as assigned) in the supervision and mentoring of the Team’s staff, which includes US/TCNPSCs and Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs). The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will be required to assist in creating a supportive work environment that values diversity, and elicits the highest possible level of performance from the assigned

OAA staff; set clear individual and team work objectives; ensure that the staff carries those assignments; and, as required, evaluate staff performance, formally and through providing ongoing feedback.

C. Period of Performance

The contract will be for one year with the option to extend for one additional year upon satisfactory performance and at the bilateral agreement of USAID/Indonesia and the contractor, and availability of funding.

D. Position Elements

1. Supervision Received: The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will receive supervision, policy direction, and guidance from the Supervisory Contracting Officer, Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA), located in USAID/Indonesia.

2. Available Guidelines: Federal and USAID regulations, and the associated governing guidance (e.g., the FAR and USAID Supplement (AIDAR), CFR, OMB Circulars, FAM, and FTR) for all types of A&A awards.

3. Exercised of Judgment: The incumbent must has a comprehensive knowledge of the manner and method for executing the position’s roles and responsibilities, to include all applicable statutory, regulatory and Agency guidance and directives, while possessing the necessary skills, experience, expertise, judgment and capabilities required which the incumbent serves as an integral and active member of the OAA’s management staff as well the Mission’s Development Objective (DO) Teams assisting in mentoring and training staff to develop their understanding and abilities to properly apply A&A processes.

4. Authority to Make Commitments: The incumbent will be authorized to make commitments on behalf of the government in accordance with the terms of his/her Contracting/Agreement warrant. The incumbent will have the authority to execute A&A instruments or other documents that require a warrant, and have the authority to make decisions that have the effect of binding the Government. The incumbent will have considerable latitude in dealing with problems arising during the pre-award or post-award phases of the procurement action, and to independently manage full and open competitive transactions from inception to completion, including award within the limitations of his/her warrant. If the incumbent has no warrant, he/she will be responsible for preparation of award documentation for signature by the Supervisory Contracting Officer. He/she makes decisions on the basis of analysis of alternatives, adaptation, or modification of procedures, or resolution of incomplete or conflicting technical or contractor data. Decisions that are unsound result in legal conflicts and put the Agency at risk and may be assumed as a personal responsibility of the incumbent.

5. Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: the Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will supervise and prepare pre-award documents, conduct negotiations, and prepare award documents and award file documentation for his/her signature (if warranted) or a Contracting/Agreement Officer's review and signature, requiring the obligation of potentially tens of millions of dollars in U.S. Government funds. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist must be available for consultation on contracting issues with USAID/W and Mission senior management and technical staff, other in-country U.S. Government officials and representatives (Ambassador level and below), Government of Indonesia (GOI) officials (Minister level and below), implementing partners (CEO level and below), and others, as required.

6. Supervision Exercised: The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist is expected to exercise considerable independent judgment and initiative. Such initiative is critical to the success of the assignment. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will keep the Supervisory Contracting Officer apprised of all major decisions, including the obligation of U.S. Government funds into A&A awards.

Overall management of the Office is in a collaborative team environment, with the Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist participating fully as a peer and colleague. Specific work plans and anticipated results are developed in consultation with the OAA Team. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist performs many assignments independently, providing leadership to others involved in the management of the OAA portfolio, and in the development, design, and drafting of the A&A instruments. The work is reviewed in terms of achievement of established milestones, and the appropriateness of program/project activity focus.

E. Medical and Security Clearance

The selected candidate must obtain a U.S. Government Facility Access security clearance and medical clearance. TCNs must obtain an Employment Certification by the RSO/U.S.

Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia. If such clearances are not obtained within a reasonable time or negative suitability issues are involved, any offer made may be rescinded. Details on how to obtain U.S. Government security and medical clearance will be provided once a job offer is made and accepted. You must be available to start work as soon as valid medical and security clearance are obtained. This availability must be indicated in your cover letter.

II. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION CRITERIA

In order to be considered for the position, a candidate shall be a U.S./TCN citizen and must meet the minimum qualifications listed below. The applicant must submit an application in accordance with the guidance below – HOW TO APPLY.

Consideration and selection will be based on a panel evaluation of the Selection Criteria.

Please note that only shortlisted/finalist applicants will be interviewed or contacted.

USAID does not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews unless expenses are pre-authorized. Reference checks will be conducted on those candidates selected for an interview. The applicant’s references must be able to provide substantive information about his/her past performance and abilities.

Candidates will be evaluated and ranked based on the following criteria:

20 Points Education

A Baccalaureate degree or equivalent of a four-year U.S. university degree (equivalency accreditation if a non-U.S. institution) in accounting, law, business, finance, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, organization and management, or a related field. An advanced degree in one of the fields is desirable but not required.

50 Points Job Knowledge and Prior Work Experience

a. Experience in Direct U.S. Federal Government Contracting

Applicants must have a minimum of ten (10) years of A&A experienc with the U.S. Government in complex pre-award, award, and post-award responsibilities.

b. A&A Competency Requirements:

Applicants must demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following A&A competencies: Knowledge of FAR, USAID A&A regulations, and agency-specific policies and procedures; knowledge contract types and possession of requisite skills for the particular A& assignments (e.g. task orders, construction, commercial items, etc.);

analytical skills to review a statement of work (or program descriptio for contractibility, consistency, readability and completeness; ability prepare solicitations and review and assist in the development of instructions for offerors/applicants and evaluation criteria; verbal skil sufficient to present information to A&A staff and other Mission (non procurement) personnel.

30 Points Other Skills and Abilities:

Applicants must demonstrate their skills, and abilities in advanced conceptualization, analyzing and organizing a large amount of compl information simultaneously, and strategic planning. Attention to deta and an ability to work calmly and skillfully under pressure are essential. Ability to analyze business proposals and negotiate to orchestrate “win-win” settlements between disparate parties is required. The abilities to organize and manage a large volume of work; establish and sustain high-level missions/agency, host country/business community relationships; and collaborate with, lead and supervise professional-level staff are required. Skills in researching, preparing and presenting oral and written reports and ability to influence opinions of others are necessary. Required computer skills: Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, web-based applications, and data base front-end programs. Fluency in spoken and written English is required.

Maximum Points Available: 100 points

At USAID’s discretion, reference checks and interviews may be conducted as part of the evaluation process.

III. FINAL OUTBRIEF REPORT

Submission of final out brief report by the Contractor to his/her Supervisor prior to departure.

The final out brief report will summarize the activities undertaken and the result during the performance of the contract.

IV. HOW TO APPLY

A. Please send a completed and signed Optional Form 612 and a curriculum vitae containing the following information. Forms is available at the USAID website, http://www.wrc.noaa.gov/wrso/forms/of0612.pdf

1. Personal Information: Full name, mailing address (with Zip Code) day and evening phone numbers, social security number, country of citizenship, highest federal civilian grade held (also give job series and dates held);

2. Education: high school name, city and State (Zip code if known) date of diploma or GED; colleges and universities, name city and State (Zip code if known, majors, type and year of any degrees received;

3. Work Experience: give the following information for your paid and non-paid work experience related to the job for which you are applying (do not send job descriptions); job title (include series and grade if Federal job), duties, and accomplishments, employers name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours per week, salary. Indicate if we may contact your current supervisor;

4. Other Qualifications: job-related training courses (title and year), job related skills; for example, other languages, computer software /hardware, tools, machinery, typing speed, job related certificates (current only), job-related honors, awards, and special accomplishments, for examples, publications, memberships in professional or honor societies, leadership, activities, public speaking, and performance awards (give dates but do not send documents unless requested).

B. Applicants must also include in their application package as follows:

1. A cover letter of no more than 3 pages that demonstrates how the candidate’s qualifications meet the work requirements;

http://www.wrc.noaa.gov/wrso/forms/of0612.pdf

2. A curriculum vitae which, at a minimum, describes education, latest experience and career achievements;

3. A relevant writing sample, minimum of two pages and maximum of ten pages;

4. Names, current and accurate contact numbers (e-mail and phone) of three professional references that have knowledge of the applicant’s abilities to perform the duties set forth in the solicitation;

5. A written statement certifying the date and length of time for which the candidate is available for the position;

All of the above information must be included in the application package in order for the package to be considered complete.

IV. MAILING ADDRESS

Interested candidates should send the above information via US or International mail to the attention of: Ms. Susan L. Cheung, Supervisory EXO, at one of the following addresses

E-MAIL: jktrecruitmentpsc@usaid.gov (Subject: U.S. / TCN PSC Offshore Hire Senior Acquisition &Assistance Specialist, GS-15)

U.S. MAIL

Ms. Susan L. Cheung Supervisory EXO American Embassy Annex Unit 8200 USAID FPO AP 96520-8135 (allow 2 to 3 weeks for delivery)

INTERNATIONAL MAIL

Ms. Susan L. Cheung Supervisory EXO USAID/Indonesia American Embassy Annex Gedung Sarana Jaya, 8th floor Jalan Budi Kemuliaan I/1 Jakarta Pusat 10110, Indonesia (allow 2 to 3 weeks for delivery)

Electronic submissions will be accepted for this procurement. Please be advised that the US Government shall not be responsible for incomplete/corrupted or missing information in electronic submissions, and these applications may not be accepted. USAID will only confirm receipt and print out the electronic submission, USAID will not ensure quality or completeness of electronic files attached to e-mails. The applicant assumes all risk related to an electronic submission. Applications must be received no later than the due date and time of this solicitation. Late applications or delayed electronic submissions will not be accepted.

mailto:jktrecruitmentpsc@usaid.gov

V. MARKING INSTRUCTIONS

Clearly mark envelopes (on top left side) containing applications as follows:

Solicitation Number SOL-497-15-000027 U.S. / TCN PSC Offshore Hire Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist, GS-15

VI. CLOSING DATE

Applications must be in the EXO Office, USAID/Indonesia, no later than September 3, 2015 at 4:00 P.M. Jakarta Time.

ATTACHMENT 2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Contract Information Bulletins (CIBs) or Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives (AAPDs) Pertaining to PSCs

AAPDs and CIBS contain changes to USAID Policy and General Provisions in USAID regulation and contract. Please refer to USAID website to locate relevant AAPDs and CIBs.

Various Contract Information Bulletins (CIBs) and Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives (AAPDs) pertain to Personal Services Contracts can be found at:

http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs

Additionally, AIDAR Appendix D or J also applies to PSCs can be found at:

http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/aidar.pdf

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, an off-shore U.S. / TCN PSC may be authorized the following benefits.

1. ALLOWANCES (as found in the Standardized Regulations (Government Civilian Foreign Areas) Sections cited below]. If applicable *

1) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120).

2) Living quarters allowance (Section 130).

3) Post Allowance (Section 220).

4) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230).

5) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260).

6) Education allowance (Section 270).

7) Educational Travel (Section 280).

8) Post differential (Chapter 500).

9) Payments during Evacuation/authorized Departure (Section 600), and

10) Danger Pay (Section 650).

2. BENEFITS:

1) Employer's FICA and Medicare Contribution*

2) Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance

3) Pay Comparability Adjustment

4) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation

5) Annual & Sick Leave

*The USPSC’s salary will be subject to employee’s FICA and Medicare contribution.

FEDERAL TAXES: U.S. PSCs are not exempt from payment of Federal Income Taxes.

3. LIST OF REQUIRED FORM FOR PSCs

1. Optional For 612 ** 2. Contractor Physical Examination (AID Form 1420-62).

http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/aidar.pdf

** 3. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National Security) (SF-86), or ** 4. Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85).

** 5. Two sets of Finger Print Card (FD-258).

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

(END OF SOLICITATION)