USPSC – OTI Country Representative/Senior Country Representative - Sudan (GS-14/15)

SOLICITATION NUMBER:          72C0T122R00044

SYNOPSIS ISSUANCE DATE:      July 11, 2022

SUBJECT: Synopsis/Pre-Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (USPSC)

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government (USG), represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is planning to seek offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as a Country Representative/Senior Country Representative under a personal services contract, as described in the forthcoming solicitation.

Submittals must be in accordance with the forthcoming information at the place and time specified. 

For further information, please see the forthcoming solicitation, or contact the OTI Recruitment Team. 

OTI Recruitment Team

E-Mail Address: OTIjobs@usaid.gov

Website: www.OTIjobs.net

Sincerely,

Jaclyn Humphrey 

Supervisory Contracting Officer

500 D St. SW  

Washington, D.C.  20547

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. ACTION CODE: P (pre-solicitation)

2. SOLICITATION NO.: 72C0T122R00044

3. SYNOPSIS ISSUANCE DATE:July 11, 2022

4. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: August 2022, 1:00 pm Eastern Time

5. POINT OF CONTACT: OTI Recruitment Team, e-mail at OTIjobs@usaid.gov.

6. POSITION TITLE:  Country Representative/Senior Country Representative - Sudan

7. MARKET VALUE: This position has been designated as a “tandem” position that, depending on the qualifications of the offeror, can be filled at either the GS-14 equivalent level, non-locality pay ($95,973 -  $124,764 per annum) or GS-15 ($112,890 - 146,757 per annum) equivalent level. Final compensation will be negotiated within the GS-14 or GS-15 levels based upon the selectee’s history, qualifications, previous relevant experience and work history, and educational background as reported on AID-309-2. For selectees whose salary has been established on a Federal pay scale (i.e. General Schedule) or its equivalent, the base salary (not including locality pay) of their grade/step will be the basis of the salary negotiation. Salaries over and above the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.

The title of the position at the GS-14 level will be “Country Representative – Sudan.” The title of the position at the GS-15 level will be “Senior Country Representative – Sudan.”

Note: Offerors who submit an offer for the GS-15 grade level, but do not meet the minimum qualifications as outlined in this solicitation and as reviewed by the Technical Evaluation Committee, will not be considered for the GS-14 position if they have not submitted a separate offer for each. Similarly, offerors who apply for the GS-14 position even though they might meet the minimum qualifications for the GS-15 position will not be considered for the higher graded positions if they have not submitted a separate offer for each. Offerors who are unsure of which grade level they meet the minimum qualifications for should submit separate offers for the GS-14 and GS-15 positions.

8. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One (1) year, with four (4) one-year option periods

9. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Sudan

10. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: United States Citizens

11. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret

POSITION DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) is seeking highly motivated, highly qualified individuals who want the opportunity to help support rapid international transition programs for priority conflict-prone countries. Created in 1994 as a distinct operating unit within USAID, OTI helps local partners advance peace and democracy in politically-transitioning countries. In support of U.S. foreign policy, OTI seizes emerging windows of opportunity in the political landscape to promote stability, peace, and democracy by catalyzing local initiatives through adaptive and agile programming.

Countries experiencing a significant political transition in the midst of a disaster or emerging from civil conflict have unique needs that cannot be fully addressed by traditional disaster relief.  Timely and effective assistance to promote and consolidate peaceful, democratic advances can make the difference between a successful or a failed transition.  OTI assists in securing peace by aiding indigenous, mostly non-governmental, civil society and media organizations.  OTI uses such mechanisms as support for re-integration of ex-combatants into civilian society; development of initiatives to promote national reconciliation; identification of quick-impact community self-help projects to meet urgent economic needs; and aid to independent media outlets and community-based organizations to help promote informed debate and broaden public participation.

To respond quickly and effectively and meet its program objectives and mandate OTI retains a group of high level professionals and experts under U.S. Personal Services Contracts (USPSCs). These knowledgeable and skilled professionals make up the vast majority of the OTI work force and are at its forefront implementing and achieving the office’s programmatic goals and objectives. There are several benefits that USPSCs may participate in, such as partial reimbursement for health and life insurance costs, as well as full coverage of workers’ compensation, among other benefits. For more complete information on USPSC benefits, please see Section VI of the solicitation.

INTRODUCTION

The Country Representative/Senior Country Representative is a member of the Bureau of Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS) Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) Southern and Eastern Regional Team, reports to the OTI Regional Team Lead or their designee, and is based in Khartoum, Sudan.  The incumbent may be required to travel regionally as necessary.  The Country Representative/Senior Country Representative principal responsibility will be development, oversight and management of CPS/OTI's Sudan country program.  The incumbent will be called upon to represent OTI’s mission and programs to senior-level government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors and local government officials.  

The OTI Sudan program supports the larger objectives of the U.S. Government to support a more stable, unified, and democratic Sudan. In close coordination with State Department representatives and other USG actors, OTI’s rapid and targeted program addresses emerging issues and empowers local partners such as local and national government offices, non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, and media outlets to leverage timely and locally driven activities that increase credibility and confidence in national and local governance.

BASIS OF RATING: Offerors who clearly meet the Education/Experience Requirements and Selection Factors set forth in the coming solicitation will be further evaluated based on scoring of the Evaluation Factor responses. Offerors who meet these minimum qualifications will be reviewed against set Evaluation Factors, describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to each factor. Failure to specifically address the Selection and/or Evaluation Factors may result in your not receiving credit for all of your pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards. 

The most qualified offerors may be interviewed, required to provide a writing sample, and demonstrate an ability to operate commonly used office applications. OTI will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. In addition, offers (written materials and interviews) will be evaluated based on content as well as on the offerors writing, presentation, and communication skills. In the event that an offeror has fully demonstrated their qualifications and there are no other competitive offerors, OTI reserves the right to forgo the interview process. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for offerors being considered for selection. Offerors must submit at least three (3) professional references, one (1) of which must be a current or former supervisor. OTI reserves the right to contact previous employers to verify employment history.  If the offeror had a previous position with USAID, the TEC and/or CO are encouraged to obtain reference checks from the previous supervisor(s) or CO(s). See ADS 309.3.1.11.a.4

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.