Solicitation_Senior Global Health Security Technical Advisor_GS-14.pdf

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72012123R00007

ISSUANCE DATE: July 26, 2023 CLOSING DATE/TIME: August 25, 2023 (11:59 p.m. EST)

SUBJECT: Solicitation No.: 72012123R00007 for U.S. Personal Services Contractor (USPSC), Senior Global Health Security (GHS) Technical Advisor, GS-14

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, Sections I through VIII of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their records.

USAID will evaluate all offerors based on the stated evaluation criteria. USAID encourages all individuals, including those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups, to respond to the solicitation.

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 offers.

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

Sincerely, Annmarie McGillicuddy Executive Officer

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72012123R00007

2. ISSUANCE DATE: July 26, 2023

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: August 25, 2023 (11:59 p.m.

EST)

4. POSITION TITLE: Senior Global Health Security (GHS) Technical Advisor

5. MARKET VALUE: $99,908-129,878 per annum, equivalent to GS-

14. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: one (1) year, with four (4) option years. Options may be exercised based upon satisfactory contractor performance, mutual agreement between the Contractor and USG, continued Mission requirements and the continued availability of funds.

7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Kyiv, Ukraine

8. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret

9. STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

BASIC FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION:

Under the supervision of the Deputy Office Director of USAID/Ukraine’s Office of Health or designee, the Senior GHS Technical Advisor will provide staff management of one Foreign Service National position in the Office of Health and senior technical expertise across the USAID/Ukraine Mission and with USG partners to ensure the well‐coordinated and effective implementation of the USG GHS portfolio in Ukraine. The Senior GHS Technical Advisor will manage a complex multi‐sectoral portfolio, providing administrative, technical, and representational leadership within the USG inter-agency space. The Senior GHS Technical Advisor will work closely with senior-level experts within USAID/Washington to oversee USAID GHS investments in Ukraine, and with Government of Ukraine (GOU) counterparts, international organizations, donors and relevant Ukrainian non-governmental organizations working on GHS issues.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Technical Expertise (35%)

a. Provide technical leadership to introduce, design and lead implementation of all GHS interventions based on USAID guidelines and best practices to detect, mitigate, control, and prevent infectious diseases to include zoonotic diseases, within the context of the One Health approach.

b. Provide technical support/guidance to the GOU in establishing and improving an effective roadmap to achieving GHS targets. Ensure the GHS program is aligned with the GOU’s priorities and GHS requirements.

c. Guide USAID inputs into interagency planning, execution and implementation of the

GHS portfolio and investments.

d. Analyze reports, performance statistics and other available data and make strategic recommendations to the Office of Health leadership, the USG interagency and to USAID/Washington on GHS trends and programming in Ukraine.

e. Keep abreast of new developments and emerging issues that affect USAID‘s priorities and share relevant information and recommendations with USAID, the USG, the GOU and other technical counterparts. This includes current information on outbreaks globally and in the region.

f. Lead USAID/Ukraine communication on GHS matters including responding to taskers and inquiries from Washington, contributing to congressional briefers and cables.

g. Work with the USAID Director of Communications to communicate GHS news and success stories internally, interagency and to broader audiences as appropriate.

h. Document and track GHS lessons learned in Ukraine to help guide implementation of the GHS program.

i. Represent USAID/Ukraine GHS programs to VIP visitors to Ukraine in coordination with USAID/Ukraine.

Coordination Leadership (35%)

a. Serve as the main Point of Contact (POC) and source of information for USAID GHS activities in Ukraine.

b. Ensure coordination across all assets and activities of the USAID/Ukraine GHS program.

Establish and maintain coordination networks among USAID implementing partners whose activities are related to GHS.

c. Ensure integration of GHS activities with the broader USAID portfolio, identifying areas of convergence, similar streams of work and opportunities for linkages.

d. Facilitate the coordination of USAID- and USG‐funded activities in Ukraine with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, the Department of State and other USG agencies to ensure the most cost‐effective, synergistic, and diplomatic approach to supporting the GOU and USG goals under the GHS program.

e. Represent USAID GHS activities in Ukraine to the US Embassy in Ukraine and other

USG Departments or Agencies in‐country and serve as the USAID Senior GHS representative on the Interagency GHS Team for the Embassy.

f. Develop and maintain relationships with counterparts in relevant GOU ministries to ensure that resources and technical advice are coordinated and provided.

g. Work closely with the USAID/Ukraine country team to engage in high-level advocacy with various relevant ministries in the GOU to ensure effective USAID support to the implementation of the GHS Agenda in Ukraine.

h. Support the role of the GOU to establish and maintain a coordination network among partners in countries whose activities are related to GHS.

i. Represent USAID/Ukraine in donor coordination and involvement with other development stakeholders related to GHS.

j. Establish relationships with key non-governmental GHS stakeholders in Ukraine to include the private sector, universities, professional groups, and other civil society organizations.

k. During disease outbreak situations, ensure that GHS assets and technical support are tightly coordinated with interagency leadership in supporting the national government.

Program Management (30%)

a. Perform all duties of an Activity Manager for GHS and report back to the Agreement Officer Representative (AOR)/Contract Officer Representative (COR) in USAID/Washington.

b. For bilaterally funded activities, perform the duties of AOR/COR as delegated.

c. Work closely with USAID/Washington AORs/CORs to review and provide technical input into activity work plans, budgets, implementation activities, progress reports, administrative approval of vouchers.

d. Review GHS activity performance and financial reports, work plans, and other contract and agreement deliverables to ensure that activities are in compliance with bilateral government agreements and with the performance expectations outlined in their work plans and in their contracts/agreements with USAID.

e. Ensure that the GHS program is carried out in accordance with USAID directives and in collaboration with other Global Health Security programs in Ukraine.

f. Monitor GHS implementing partner performance. As Activity Manager, report performance issues to AID/W AORs/CORs and collectively determine approaches to improve performance. As AOR/COR, work with bilateral activities to identify and implement corrective actions.

g. Lead the development of USAID/Ukraine GHS indicators for bilateral activities.

h. Lead development of USAID contributions to the Ukraine interagency team for submission of the bi-annual GHS Progress Report to Congress and the National Security Council via the U.S. Embassy/Ukraine.

i. Represent the activities as appropriate to USAID/Ukraine Mission and within the USG.

SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:

The Senior GHS Technical Advisor will be supervised by the Deputy Director of the Office of Health USAID/Ukraine. The Senior GHS Technical Advisor must function with substantial independence, with minimal supervision and mentoring. The Senior GHS Technical Advisor will work collaboratively with the GHS staff in country and in headquarters (most closely with the USAID and CDC GHS Technical Advisors and GHS program specialists and be the direct link between USAID/Ukraine and the GHS Agency representative) and all Office of

Health staff as well as other Mission Staff including the Program Office, the Acquisitions and Assistance Office, the Executive Office, and Office of Financial Management.

The Senior GHS Technical Advisor’s performance will be evaluated for the effectiveness with which the primary duties in this statement of work are carried out; and the extent and quality of completion of annual work objectives established with the supervisor.

10. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. Citizens only

11. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

12. POINT OF CONTACT: All questions and offers must be submitted by email to Kyivvacancies@usaid.gov

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

Education: Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including but not limited to medicine, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, public health, social science or infectious disease

Prior Work Experience: Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience working in One Health, animal health, public health or epidemiology is required. Prior experience working with a bilateral or multilateral donor in development programming is required. Two years of developing country work experience is required.

Only offerors clearly meeting the above minimum qualifications will be considered for further evaluation.

Security and Medical clearances: The ability to obtain the required security and medical clearances in a reasonable timeframe is considered a minimum qualification. See Section V.

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

Selection Process and Basis of Evaluation: Offerors who clearly meet the aforementioned minimum education and work experience qualification requirements may be further evaluated through review of the offeror’s submitted required documents (see section IV below) and ranked based on the below evaluation and selection factors. A competitive range may be established of the highest-ranked offerors, who may be further evaluated through technical tests, interviews, and reference checks to determine the most qualified/highest-ranked offerors. Reference checks may be conducted with the highest-ranked offerors. Reference checks may be conducted with individuals not provided by the offeror. Any offeror not receiving satisfactory reference checks will no longer be considered for the position. Negotiations may be conducted with the most qualified/ highest-ranked offerors at the conclusion of evaluations.

Education (10 Points):

Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including but not limited to medicine, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, public health, social science or infectious disease.

Prior Work Experience (40 Points):

The candidate is required to have five (5) years of progressively responsible experience working in One Health, animal health, public health or epidemiology. Prior experience working with a bilateral or multilateral donor in development programming is required. Two

(2) years of developing country work experience is required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (50 Points):

Specialized knowledge and demonstrated expertise in infectious diseases, surveillance and response, policy implementation, zoonotic diseases. Significant knowledge of program management strategies and monitoring and evaluation methods.

Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment; demonstrated ability to produce professional quality analytical pieces and make oral presentations. Ability to communicate highly technical information related to animal health, human health, and environmental issues to a variety of technical and non-technical audiences orally and in writing. Ability to communicate effectively with Mission employees; local government officials at the Senior Minister level; representatives from international and local organizations, donors, and other embassies; and various colleagues from Washington-based U.S. Government agencies. Excellent organizational skills in order to multitask and stay organized in a complex, frequently changing environment; and ability to operate independently with limited direct supervision of day-to-day activities.

Total Points: 100 pts

IV. APPLYING

1. Eligible Offerors are required to complete and submit all the following documents and information in English in order to be considered for the position. Submit your complete application package to kyivvacancies@usaid.gov:

a. Completed and signed form Form AID 309-2,“Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts,” available also at Forms | U.S. Agency for International Development. Only include base salary information in box 4 of sections B and C. Do not include bonuses, differentials, cost of living allowances, or other types of compensation. During negotiations, salary history may be verified through pay slips, earnings and leave statements, or other appropriate documentation.

b. A cover letter of no more than 2 pages that demonstrates how the Offeror’s qualifications meet the evaluation and selection factors in section III of this solicitation;

mailto:kyivvacancies@usaid.gov https://www.usaid.gov/forms/aid-309-2 https://www.usaid.gov/forms

c. A resume or curriculum vitae (CV) of not more than 3 pages which, at a minimum, describes education, experience and career achievements relevant to the evaluation and selection factors in section III of this solicitation;

d. Names of three professional references, including at least one current/former supervisor, that have knowledge of the offeror’s ability to perform the duties set forth in the solicitation. This information may be included in the cover letter or resume/CV.

Late, incomplete, and/or un-signed offers will not be considered

2. Offers containing all required documents must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted electronically to the email Point of Contact in Section I, item 12.

3. To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Offerors should prominently reference the Solicitation number in the offer submission.

V. PRE-AWARD DOCUMENTATION / LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSC HIRES

Once the Contracting Officer (CO) informs the successful Offeror about being selected for a contract award, the CO will provide the successful Offeror instructions about how to complete and submit the following forms, needed to obtain medical and security clearances.

1. Medical History and Examination Form/ Medical Clearance Update (DS-1843; DS-

1622 /DS-3057)

2. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions for National Security (SF-86), or

3. Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85)

4. Finger Print Card (SF-87)

Timely completion and submission of the required documents are needed to obtain the necessary Security and Medical Clearances. Failure of the selected offeror to accurately complete and submit required documents in a timely manner may be grounds for the CO to rescind any conditional pre- contract offer letter and begin negotiations with the next most qualified/highest ranked offeror. Selected offerors who are unable to obtain required Security and Medical Clearances in a reasonable timeframe are considered un-qualified for this position.

Within 2 weeks after written notice from the CO that all required clearances have been received, or unless another date is specified by the CO in writing, the selected offeror shall proceed to Kiev, Ukraine to perform the services specified in section I, item 9.

VI. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, an Off-Shore hire USPSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances:

1. BENEFITS:

● Employer's FICA Contribution

● Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance

● Pay Comparability Adjustment

● Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation)

● Eligibility for Worker's Compensation

● Annual and Sick Leave

2. ALLOWANCES (If Applicable)*:

● Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance (Section 120)

● Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130)

● Cost of Living Allowance (Chapter 210) (d)

● Post Allowance (Section 220)

● Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260)

● Education Allowance (Section 270)

● Educational Travel (Section 280)

● Post Differential (Section 500)

● Payments During Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600)

● Danger Pay Allowance (Section 650)

● Special COLA

● Hardship Differential (Section 500)

*Dept. of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) (Government Civilians Foreign Areas

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a Resident Hire USPSC is normally authorized the following benefits:

BENEFITS:

● Employer's FICA Contribution

● Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance

● Pay Comparability Adjustment

● Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation)

● Eligibility for Worker's Compensation

● Annual and Sick Leave

In accordance with AIDAR, Appendix D, 1 (Class Deviation M/OAA-DEV-AIDAR-21-02c):

(b) Definitions:

(5) Resident Hire U.S. Personal Services Contractor (PSC) means a U.S.

citizen or resident alien who, at the time of contract award.

(i) resides in the cooperating country for reasons other than the U.S. government or non- U.S. government employment, under any contract or employment arrangement that provides repatriation to the U.S.; or

(ii) is a spouse or dependent of a U.S. citizen or resident alien with U.S. government or non-U.S. government employment, under any contract or employment arrangement that provides repatriation to the U.S, VII. TAXES

USPSCs are required to pay Federal income taxes, FICA, Medicare and applicable State Income taxes.

VIII. USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES

PERTAINING TO PSCs

USAID regulations and policies governing USPSC 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,” available at AIDAR, Appendix D

2. Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 AID 309-1 available at Forms | U.S. Agency for International Development

Line Item Table

ITEM

NO

(A)

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(DESCRIPTION) (B)

QUAN

TITY

(C)

UNI

T

(D)

UNIT

PRICE

(E)

AMO

UNT

(F)

0001 Compensation and Fringe Benefits/Other Direct Costs (ODCs)

Award Type: Cost Product Service Code: R497 Accounting Info:

1 year LOT

1001 Option Period (OP) 1 – Compensation and ODCs Award Type: Cost Product Service Code: R497 Accounting Info:

1 year LOT

2001 OP 2 – Compensation and ODCs Award Type: Cost Product Service Code: R497 Accounting Info:

1 year LOT

3001 OP 3 – Compensation and ODCs Award Type: Cost Product Service Code: R497 Accounting Info:

1 year LOT

4001 OP 4 – Compensation and ODCs Award Type: Cost Product Service Code: R497 Accounting Info:

1 year LOT https://www.acquisition.gov/aidar/appendix-d-chapter-7-direct-usaid-contracts-u.s.-citizen-or-u.s.-resident-alien-personal-services-abroad https://www.usaid.gov/forms/aid-309-1

3. Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available are at Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives/Contracts Information Bulletins

4. Ethical Conduct. By the acceptance of a USAID personal services contract as an individual, the contractor will be acknowledging receipt of the “Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch,” available from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, in accordance with General Provision 2 and 5 CFR 2635.

See Standards Of Ethical Conduct Standards of Ethical Conduct

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:

Ombusdsman The PSC Ombudsman may be contacted via:

pscombudsman@usaid.gov.

END OF SOLICITATION

https://www.usaid.gov/partner-with-us/aapds-cibs https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/Legal%20Research%20Search%20Collection?OpenForm https://www.usaid.gov/partner-with-us/acquisition-assistance-ombudsman/psc-ombudsman mailto:pscombudsman@usaid.gov