Solicitation - Senior Technical Advisor (Supervisory Democracy Officer).pdf

PDF 226 KB Posted Jul 8, 2020

Attached to: Senior Technical Advisor (Supervisory Democracy Officer), GS-14, 72030620R00011
Solicitation number: 20R00011
Issued by: US Agency for International Development Afghanistan

View the file

Other files

File	Type	Posted
Application Form.doc	DOC document	Jul 8, 2020

On GovTribe

Work with this file

Download the original file
Contacts named in this file
Similar government files
Ask GovTribe AI about this file

Try for free Login

Text version

The file's text, extracted by GovTribe without its formatting.

ATTACHMENT 1 [72030620R00011]

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72030620R00011

2. ISSUANCE DATE: July 08, 2020

3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR

RECEIPT OF OFFERS:

July 22, 2020 no later than 16:30 Kabul time

4. POINT OF CONTACT:

EXO, kblaidhr@usaid.gov

5. POSITION TITLE: Senior Technical Advisor (Supervisory

Democracy Officer)

6. MARKET VALUE:

$92,977 - $120,868 equivalent to GS-14

Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

Initial 1 year, estimated to start on o/a November

1, 2020.

The base period will be 1 year, estimated to start on November 1, 2020. Based on Agency need, the

Contracting Officer may exercise additional 1-year option period(s) for 2 years.

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/Afghanistan

9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: United States Citizens

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret Clearance

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

1) General Statement of Purpose of Contract:

USAID/Afghanistan is the largest Mission in the world and manages one of the most complex development programs in one of the most demanding environments. The program, with a multi-billion dollar portfolio, includes a broad range of activities including democracy, governance, agriculture, economic growth, education, government-capacity building, health, infrastructure, and women’s empowerment.

Since 2002, USAID has supported participatory, democratic processes that empower Afghan citizens, promote accountability and transparent governance, encourage national unity, and serve the needs of the Afghan people. Promoting gender equality and women’s civic and political leadership is a priority for USAID. By developing the capacity of key electoral, representative, judicial, and executive branch institutions, USAID supports Afghan-led development and the capacity of institutions to advocate for and implement society-led reforms. A critical effort in securing support for a democratic Afghanistan and the

Afghanistan Government is the successful implementation of a portfolio of inclusive and transparent programs in elections, sub-national governance, civil society, rule of law, anti-corruption and peacebuilding. This position is pivotal to USG support and donor coordination to assist in that effort.

mailto:kblaidhr@usaid.gov

The Senior Technical Advisor for the Office of Democracy and Governance (ODG), which has a $500 million multi-year portfolio that includes activities focused on local governance, civil society and media, rule of law, anti-corruption, elections, and peacebuilding. The incumbent oversees the technical implementation of the portfolio in close coordination with the ODG Deputy Director. The incumbent reports directly to the Office Director.

The Afghanistan ODG portfolio is dynamic, relevant, and cross-cutting. The incoming ODG team will manage the portfolio through or toward a transition to post-conflict implementation, depending on developments with peace talks. This will require an intense focus on keeping the portfolio adaptable and relevant. The right candidate will bring creativity and enthusiasm to building and maintaining strong relationships with interagency, civil society, and Afghan government stakeholders. Proactive participation with leadership of multi-sector teams will be essential.

The incumbent is expected to lead the ODG technical team consisting of approximately 12-

15 FSN Agreement/Contracting Officer Representatives (A/CORs) and a variable level of

United States Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) and Eligible Family Member (EFM) incumbents as they build their skills in adaptive management and cross-sectoral integration.

ODG also has a Program Support Team led by the Deputy Director. Prior experience integrating democracy and governance programming within other sectors such as economic growth, health, and education would be advantageous.

2) Statement of Duties to be Performed:

• Leads the Governance, Elections, and Justice and Accountability teams comprising

12-15 US, international, and Afghan staff in the design and management of elections, sub-national governance, civil society, rule of law, anti-corruption, and peacebuilding assistance programming for Afghanistan.

• Provides technical and advisory support to the USAID Front Office, Office of

Democracy and Governance leadership, and interagency colleagues on democracy and governance policies, priorities and engagement strategies.

• Provides mentoring and coaching to all technical staff on design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, procurement, reporting and communications, as well as representing USAID to external stakeholders.

• Assists in the overall strategic planning for the Office of Democracy and Governance.

• In coordination with the Program Support Team and relevant Mission offices, leads and oversees the project design and procurement process.

• Leads or participates in various interagency, USAID and donor working groups including elections, anti-corruption, and rule of law.

• Coordinates via phone, email, letters, meetings, conferences, and other fora with

Afghan government officials, USAID senior management, USAID technical staff, USAID implementing partners, international donors, senior U.S. Embassy officials, senior officials of other embassies and the general public (both American and

Afghan).

• Represents USAID in meetings with the Afghan government, donor agencies, international organizations and other stakeholders and prepares detailed reports for

ODG management, USAID leadership, the interagency, and external actors.

• Coordinates and shares information with implementing partners across all technical sectors.

• Provides detailed technical assistance and advice on ODG’s support to the Afghan

Reconstruction Trust Fund programming for sub-national governance.

During the period of this contract, the incumbent must provide at least 15% of his/her time to training of a Cooperating Country National (CCN) employee designated by USAID. The PSC

Supervisor will establish a training plan with benchmarks to measure the contractor's progress toward achieving this training deliverable.

3) USAID Consultation or Orientation:

The selected applicant shall proceed to Washington, D.C. for at least two (2) weeks of mandatory training to complete the Foreign Affairs Counter Threat CT-650 (FACT) and the

Afghanistan Familiarization RS-415 (FAM) courses (if FAM was not completed within the past five (5) years and if FACT training did not include the ESCAPE Module) prior to proceeding to USAID/Afghanistan to commence duties as outlined in the statement of work.

FACT and FAM are mandatory courses for service in Afghanistan.

4) Supervisory Relationship:

The ODG leadership will provide consultation and guidance in order for the incumbent to make sound recommendations. The incumbent enjoys considerable independence. The incumbent’s work will be evaluated on the overall accuracy, feasibility and compatibility to the Agency’s programs and available regulations.

5) Supervisory Controls:

The incumbent will be relied upon as the subject matter expert and direct supervisor for the

Governance, Elections, and Justice and Accountability teams which include a mix of 14 U.S., international, and Afghan staff.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

In order to be considered for the position, a candidate must meet the minimum qualifications.

Offers will be pre-screened and only those that meet the minimum qualifications will be considered. The minimum qualifications necessary to be considered for the position are as follows:

a) Education: A Bachelor’s degree (with at least of ten (10) years of proven democracy and governance experience,) or a Master's degree (with at least seven (7) years of proven democracy and governance experience) in International/Development Affairs, Public Administration, Public Policy, Democracy and Governance, Political Sciences and/or Law. (Education requirement must be met at the time of application for the subject position).

b) Work Experience: A minimum of ten (10) years’ experience for Bachelor’s Degree holders and seven (7) years’ experience for Master’s Degree holders, in elections, sub-national governance, civil society, rule of law, anti-corruption, and/or peacebuilding within donor organizations and/or host government. Experience should include/involve project management, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, and/or procurement. (Work experience requirement must be met at the time of application for the subject position).

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with

FAR 52.215-1. The Contracting Officer (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.

The Evaluation Factors listed will be the basis for evaluating and ranking applicants for the position. Applicants will be scored based on the documentation submitted within the application. Applicants must submit a supplemental document outlining their responses to the evaluation factors in order to be considered. Only the highest-ranked applicants will be interviewed.

1. SELECTION PROCESS

After the closing date for receipt of applications, a committee will convene to review applications that meet the minimum requirements and evaluate them in accordance with the evaluation criteria. Applications from candidates who do not meet the minimum requirements will not be scored. As part of the selection process, finalist candidates will be interviewed.

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.

2. EVALUATION FACTORS

Those applicants who meet the minimum education and experience qualifications will be evaluated based on the content of their application as well as on the applicant’s writing, presentation, and communication skills. On a supplement document included with the application package, applicants should cite specific, illustrative examples to address each factor. Responses are limited to 1,000 words (approx. 1 typewritten page) per factor.

Applicants should describe specifically and accurately experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to the factor. Applicants should include their name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to specifically address the Evaluation Factors may result in the applicant not receiving full credit for pertinent experience.

https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far

FACTOR #1: Report Writing (15 Points)

Demonstrated ability to produce high quality written reports and analysis for the different audiences.

FACTOR #2: Communication (10 Points)

Demonstrated ability and skills to interpret project development related policies and procedures, technical aspects of the project and communicate with the stakeholders.

FACTOR #3: Analyzing (15 Points)

Demonstrated ability and skills to understand and analyze a democracy and governance project in a complex and insecure environment, develop mitigation and contingency plans for the project and advise stakeholders.

3. BASIS OF RATING

Applicants who clearly meet the Education/Experience requirements and basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on scoring of their Evaluation Factor responses.

Those applicants determined to be competitively ranked will also be evaluated on their interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks. The Applicant Rating

System is as follows:

Evaluation Factors:

Factor #1 15 points

Factor #2 10 points

Factor #3 15 points

Interview Performance: 60 points

Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks – Pass/Fail (no points assigned). Negative professional recommendations might lead to disqualification for consideration.

Total Possible Points: 100

IV. SUBMITTING AN OFFER

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 http://www.usaid.gov/forms

2. Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted by email to Afgpscjobs@usaid.gov

3. Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents and in the subject line of the application email.

Eligible offerors are required to submit the following documents to be considered for this position:

1. Form AID 309-2, “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contract with Individuals,” available at: https://www.usaid.gov/forms/aid-309-2 http://www.usaid.gov/forms http://www.usaid.gov/forms mailto:Afgpscjobs@usaid.gov https://www.usaid.gov/forms/aid-309-2

2. A current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.

3. A supplemental document with written responses to the Evaluation Factors.

Documents must be compatible with Microsoft Word or PDF and not compressed (.rar/.zip etc).

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

V. 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:

1. Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet (AID 1420-17);

2. Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306);

3. Medical History and Examination Form (DS-6561);

4. Pre-Deployment Physical Exam Acknowledgement Form (DS-6570);

5. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions for National Security (SF-86), or Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85);

6. Finger Print Card (SF-87);

7. Statement of Prior Service (SF-144A).

VI. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances:

1. BENEFITS:

1) Employer’s Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) Contribution

2) Contribution towards Health & life insurance

3) Pay Comparability Adjustment

4) Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation)

5) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation

6) Annual & Sick Leave

7) Access to Embassy medical facilities, commissary and pouch mail service as per post policy

2. ALLOWANCES (If Applicable) *:

1) Post Differential (Chapter 500)

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

3) Danger Pay (Section 650)

4) Education Allowance (Section 270)

5) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260)

6) Education Travel (Section 280)

* Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians Foreign Areas).

*Eligibilities for allowances are in accordance with Standardized Regulations (Government

Civilians Foreign Areas) based on the type of appointment and Mission Policy.

VII. TAXES

USPSC’s 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,” 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

ITEM NO

(A)

SUPPLIES/SERVICES (DESCRIPTION)

(B)

QUANTITY

(C)

UNIT

(D)

UNIT

PRICE

(E)

AMOUNT

(F)

0001 Base Period - Compensation, Fringe Benefits and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) - Award

Type: Cost - Product Service Code: [e.g.

R497] - Accounting Info:

Appropriation: 7217/181037

Fund Code: es-oco/2017/2018