MODIFICATION
R -- Citizen Security Senior Advisor - Democracy and Governance Office at USAID/Guatemala
- Notice Date
- 7/26/2012
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 812990
— All Other Personal Services
- Contracting Office
- Agency for International Development, Overseas Missions, Guatemala USAID-Guatemala City, Amer Emb/Guatemala, Unit #3323, APO, 34024
- ZIP Code
- 34024
- Solicitation Number
- SOL-520-12-000015
- Archive Date
- 8/31/2012
- Point of Contact
- Sofia de Hernandez, Phone: 502-24224103
- E-Mail Address
-
shernandez@usaid.gov
(shernandez@usaid.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Modification: Notice type should read "Combined Synopsis/Solicitation". ISSUANCE DATE: July 26, 2012 CLOSING DATE: August 16, 2012 SUBJECT: SOLICITATION NO. SOL-520-12-000015 FOR U.S PERSONAL SERVICES CONTRACTOR (USPSC) CITIZEN SECURITY SENIOR ADVISOR Ladies/Gentlemen: The United States Government, represented by the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified individuals interested in providing the USPSC services as described in the solicitation below. Electronic applications shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions below. Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to Sofia de Hernandez at e-mail shernandez@usaid.gov or telephone (502) 2422-4103. Sincerely, Sheila A. Samuels Executive Officer USAID/Guatemala Solicitation for US Personal Service Contractor (USPSC) Citizen Security Senior Advisor 1. SOLICITATION NO.: SOL-520-12-000015 2. ISSUANCE DATE: July 26, 2012 3. CLOSING DATE: August 16, 2012 4. POSITION TITLE: Citizen Security Senior Advisor NSDD-38 approval 5. MARKET VALUE: $71,674 - $93,175 6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year 7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Guatemala city, Guatemala 8. MEDICAL CLEARANCE: The selected applicant shall be required to obtain a medical certification as a pre-condition for employment. 9. SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT: The selected applicant shall be required to obtain a minimum of an employment authorization from the USAID Office of Security in Washington, DC as a pre-condition for employment. 10. Introduction The Democracy and Governance Office plans and manages USAID/Guatemala democratic development and governance projects designed to achieve the objectives presented in the Guatemala Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) (FY2012-16) to address the Intermediate Results linked to the Greater Security and Justice for Citizens Development Objective: (IR1) Improved effectiveness and efficiency of security and justice sector institutions and (IR2) Reduced levels of violence in targeted communities at risk. The Democracy and Governance (DG) team monitors program activities vis-a-vis performance indicators, program work plans and monitoring and evaluation plans. It ensures close coordination on all policy related issues on democratic development and governance in Guatemala with relevant members of the Country Team. Sixteen years have passed since Guatemala's civil war ended with the signing of the Peace Accords, but rule of law (ROL) and security continue to be significant issues in Guatemala, with an impact on democracy, development and the economy. Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America, but has a GDP per capita roughly one-half of the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. Violent criminal activity continues to be a problem, with Guatemala possessing one of the highest violent crime rates in Latin America and one of the lowest rates of investigation and prosecution. Guatemala is a major transit country for cocaine and heroin, with its proximity to Mexico making the country a staging area for drug transport, and increasing the exposure for money laundering and corruption. With Mexico's struggle between the government and drug traffickers, criminal activity has been pushed down into Guatemala, especially in the Petén region. The local justice and security officials are often inexperienced, underpaid, and/or ill-equipped, and therefore struggle to respond to this ROL threat. Rule of law is lacking as the judicial system is still weak, overworked, and inefficient, despite significant reforms and progress. In 1994 Guatemala became one of the first countries in Latin America to reform its criminal procedure code. The reform intended to introduce oral arguments and adversarial proceedings into a civil law system and set strict time limits on proceedings. The reforms took over a decade to be implemented and many of the intended initiatives have only just occurred during the last few years. Guatemala has experienced improvements in terms of homicide investigations and case processing, but the weak and politicized justice system still undermines the government's ability to ensure ROL. Many key reforms have not met their full potential and still face significant challenges. The judiciary still struggles with corruption and significant capacity issues. Despite years of human rights abuses, the Guatemalan army is now considered one of the country's most respected institutions, while the police are considered among its most corrupt and incompetent. The police have even been expelled from several rural villages due to their poor performance and the army is now involved in counter-narcotics and other law enforcement operations. Security Sector Reform is hampered by lack of funds. In addition, there are many who prefer to employ private security forces to protect their families and businesses as opposed to paying greater taxes to support a reformed public police force. International donors have provided significant financial and technical support for many years to judicial and security sector reform. The security sector is inadequately staffed, trained and funded. There must be an improvement in this area in order to significantly address the problems of crime and security in Guatemala. 11. Duties and Responsibilities of the Position (% of time) The Senior Advisor will be responsible for providing technical advice and leadership on citizen security issues and will be responsible for all aspects of strategic direction and project implementation for the new Security and Justice Sector Reform Project (SJSRP). The incumbent will also be responsible for formulating strategies and approaches for new program areas in response to Guatemala's Country Development Cooperation Strategy. S/he will provide expert technical and policy advice and analysis as requested by the Office Director or his/her designee, the Front Office, the Embassy, USAID/Washington, etc. 1. Contracting Officer's Representative for SJSRP: (estimated 75% of portfolio) The Senior Advisor will be the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for the new SJSRP that has an annual value of approximately $25 million over 5 years. The purpose of the SJSRP, the next phase of ROL programming in Guatemala, is to advance U.S. Government and Government of Guatemala's priorities related to the implementation of the 2009 Framework Law of the National Security System, the National Agreement for the Advancement of Security and Justice, the five-year strategic plans of select civilian justice and security institutions, and the implementation and enforcement of security and justice legislation. Underfunded security forces, and the failure to fully implement institutional reforms included in Guatemala's 1996 Peace Accords, have left police, prisons, and judicial systems weak and susceptible to corruption. The purpose of the SJSRP is to provide technical assistance and support for: 1) The implementation of security and justice reform; 2) The implementation and enforcement of key legislation; and 3) The promotion of civic responsibility. COR responsibilities include: (1) monitoring the progress of contractors/grantees (that will have up to 20 employees each) in achieving the objectives of the Scope of Work/Program Description, verifying that activities being funded by USAID conform to the terms and conditions of the award; (2) recommending in writing to the Contracting Officer (CO) any changes required in the Scope of Work/Program description and/or technical provisions of the award with justification for the proposed actions; (3) provide approvals as specified in the contract; (4) closely track the contractor monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan and reports, the Quarterly reports that track the annual work plans to ensure that the Program is on target with meeting results, and maintain all relevant information resources (i.e. copies of these reports, other program databases, etc.) in DO 1 electronic files and directories; advise Office Director a/o Deputy Office Director of any problems; and (5) administer financial management responsibilities by: (a) monitoring the financial status of the award to ensure that the level of funding is the minimum necessary to ensure the contractor/grantee ability to perform; (b) estimate accruals on a quarterly basis and assure that contractor is meeting expenditure projections; (c) initiate requests to the CO to de-obligate funds, if deemed necessary, especially prior to close out; and (d) administratively approve or disapprove all vouchers submitted by the contractor. It is anticipated that the Citizen Security Advisor will work under strenuous conditions with heavy workloads, changing work patterns to accommodate high level meetings at different times, a strong focus on client service in order to respond to the dynamic political environment of our key government counterparts and job stress related to difficult and sensitive issues that DO 1 deals with on a daily basis including crime, corruption, exhumations, political threats, etc. 2. Project Conceptualization and Design: (estimated 15% of portfolio) The DGO's portfolio has high visibility and is a priority for the United States Government (USG). The DGO will be implementing its new strategy as articulated in the CDCS and will need to program a potential increase in funding. The Senior Advisor will contribute his/her expertise to strategy development and activity design for citizen security projects. 3. Technical Expertise, Leadership and Representation: (estimated 10% of portfolio) The Senior Advisor will be responsible for providing technical advice and leadership on a range of citizen security programs in the areas of ROL, criminal justice reform, security sector reform, crime and violence prevention, community policing, and human rights. The Senior Advisor will provide technical leadership services to the DGO, USAID leadership and the Country Team. S/he will serve as a Principal Advisor to the USDH DGO Director a/o his/her designee for the DG portfolio and as a principal USAID/Guatemala liaison with key actors in citizen security, including high level Government of Guatemala (GOG) officials, civil society leaders, other donors, U.S. Government officials and other Mission DG professionals. The incumbent will participate in U.S. Mission-wide working groups in relevant areas and keep Mission team members informed on sector issues in order to ensure complementarity of purpose, avoid duplication of efforts and maximize resources. The Senior Advisor will represent USAID/Guatemala and the DGO, as required. The Senior Advisor will prepare sector and policy analysis, studies, reports, speeches, and briefing papers. S/he will analyze citizen security context and situations, and use data collected, to assist the DGO Office Director and team members to make adjustments to program plans and strategies, as necessary. The incumbent will serve as a key point of contact for USAID/W, Front Office and Embassy requests for information, briefing papers, etc., as requested by the DGO Office Director a/o his/her designee. 12. Required Skills and Qualifications: a. Professional Experience: (30 points) The candidate must possess at least 10 years of professional experience practicing in ROL and human rights, or other related fields. Experience can derive from work with U.S. Government entities, international organizations, USG implementing partners, and/or NGOs working in related fields. Experience with a development organization is preferred, but relevant experience in similar organizations will be considered. Candidates must be able to clearly demonstrate their prior experience in project design, management and monitoring in the areas of security, ROL and human rights. Experience managing ROL or security sector reform programs in Latin America and/or the Caribbean is desirable. b. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: (20 points) The candidate should have knowledge of the Latin America and Caribbean region - in particular its legal and political systems. Special consideration will be given to applicants with knowledge of and experience with the transition from an inquisitorial to an adversarial legal system. Candidates should have theoretical and practical knowledge of best practices, strategy development, and monitoring and program evaluation. S/he should also possess excellent analytical, writing and editing skills. Contracts and grants management experience is strongly preferred, as are candidates familiar with program development, implementation, and monitoring. Knowledge of USG policies and procedures for technical program monitoring and management is helpful. c. Communication and Language Skills: (20 points) Superior written and oral communication skills are essential. The ability to meet tight deadlines with concise documents and verbal interpretation is required. The Senior Advisor must be fluent in English and have proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly, and concisely, both orally and in writing. The Senior Advisory must have demonstrated ability to produce professional-quality analytical reports. S/he must be able to make oral presentations logically and persuasively. The candidate must also be fluent in Spanish (3/3) and have the ability to communicate at a professional level in Spanish. d. Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills: (15 points) The Senior Advisor must have the ability to interface with staff at every level in USAID, as well as with other USG, GOG, donor, and non-governmental organizations. Excellent communications and interpersonal skills are critical to this position. The ability to work both independently and in a team environment to achieve consensus on policy, program and administrative matters is a must, as is a proven record of effective, team-based working relationships with a wide range of individuals and organizations. The candidate must demonstrate cross cultural sensitivity, tact and poise. e. Education: (15 points) Completion of a post-graduate degree is mandatory in the field of political science, government, international affairs, law, international development, or a related field. 13. Selection Criteria 30 points Professional Experience 20 points Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 20 points Communication and Language Skills 15 points Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills 15 points Education 14. Position Elements (a) Supervision: The candidate will report to the Democracy & Governance Office Director a/o his/her designee. (b) Authority to Make Commitments: The candidate will have no independent authority to commit U.S. Government (USG) funds on behalf of the U.S. Government. (c) Nature, Level and Purpose of Contacts: To effectively function in this position, the candidate will be required to establish excellent working relationships with key actors in citizen security, including high level Government of Guatemala (GOG) officials, civil society leaders, other donors, U.S. Government officials and other Mission DG professionals. (d) Exercise of Judgment: While the Citizen Security Senior Advisor must clear recommendations through the Office Director when dealing with politically sensitive issues, s/he is permitted to and should be able to make sound, independent judgments with little supervision. The incumbent will exercise those responsibilities delegated to him/her by the Regional Contracting Officer in the COR designation letter. Once given the general framework within which to work, s/he should be able to perform duties with minimal supervision. 15. Available Guidelines: The incumbent is required to understand Mission and Agency specific policies and procedures which govern project activity management and reporting. 16. Other Requirements: In addition, the incumbent must also be: Willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested. 17. Physical Demands and Logistical Arrangements: The work is generally carried out within an office environment and does not pose undue physical demands. The position provides for USG provision of office space, telephone, fax, and email for official purposes. 18. Work Environment and Travel: Work is primarily performed in an office setting within USG offices in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Off-site services may be authorized on a very limited and case-by-case basis. 19. Benefits and Allowances: As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, an individual meeting the requirements of an offshore hire USPSC is normally authorized the following benefits. 1. Benefits: (i) Employee's FICA Contribution (ii) Health & Life Insurance: Health Insurance Annual Premium (not to exceed $20,339 for contractor with family; and $7,266 for contractor only. The Contractor shall be provided a maximum contribution of up to 72% against the actual costs of the Contractor's annual health insurance costs, provided that such costs may not exceed the maximum U.S. Government contribution as announced periodically by USAID's Office of Acquisition and Assistance. The Contractor shall be provided a contribution of up to 50% against the actual costs of annual life insurance not to exceed $500.00 per year. (iii) Medical Evacuation (Medevac) Insurance: 100% Medical Evacuation Insurance annual premium for contractor with family will be reimbursed to the contractor, if not covered by Health Insurance. (iv) Pay Comparability Adjustment--Annual across the board salary increase for US Government employees and US Personal Services Contractors. Currently this Pay Comparability Adjustment is frozen until further notice. (v) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation (vi) Vacation & Sick Leave 2. Allowances* (If Applicable): As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, an offshore USPSC is normally authorized the following allowances: (1) Post Differential (Section 500) (2) Living Quarters Allowance (Section 130) (3) Temporary Lodging Allowance (Section 120) (4) Post Allowance (COLA) (Section 220) (5) Supplemental Post Allowance (Section 230) (6) Payments During Evacuation (Section 600) (7) Education Allowance (Section 270) (8) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260) (9) Educational Travel (Section 280) * Dept. of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) (Government Civilians Foreign Areas). 3. Other Benefits: Additional benefits are available for individuals hired from outside Guatemala in accordance with the AIDAR, Federal Travel Regulations and Standardized Regulations, e.g., international airfare from place of residence, R&R, international shipment of personal effects, unaccompanied baggage allowance, POV Shipment, Repatriation Travel, furnished housing and educational allowances for dependent children. Federal Taxes: USPSCs are not exempted from payment of Federal Income taxes under the foreign earned income exclusion. A. Instructions to Applicants: LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PERSONAL SERVICES CONTRACTORS: For initial consideration: 1. Application Form OF-612 at http://inside.usaid.gov/forms/of612.pdf Upon advice by the Contracting Officer, the finalist candidate will complete and submit the following forms: 2. Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet (AID 1420-17) 3. Medical Clearance Form (DS 6561) 4. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National Security) (SF-86) 5. Finger Print Card (FD-258). **(Available from the law enforcement offices, American Embassy or in USAID/Washington). ACQUISITION AND ASSISTANCE POLICY DIRECTIVES (AAPDs) PERTAINING TO PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACT (PSC): AAPDs contain information or changes pertaining to USAID policy, regulation and procedures concerning acquisition and assistance. A number of AAPDs pertaining to Personal Service Contracts. Please refer to the USAID website http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/psc_solicit/ to locate relevant AAPDs. Additionally, AIDAR Appendix D applies to PSCs and can be found at: http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/aidar.pdf 20. APPLICATION PROCESS: Application stating your interest along with updated OF-612 (Application for Federal Employment), a current resume, and a cover letter. Please send your application package to this e-mail account: Guatemalavacancies@usaid.gov. The candidate must sign the completed OF-612, the resume, and the cover letter, and scan and send them to the above-mentioned e-mail account. Incomplete, unsigned applications and late submissions will not be considered. 21. Point of Contact: EXO and/or Administrative Specialist - Sofia de Hernandez, USAID/Guatemala. Allowances and benefits may vary depending if it is an off-shore hire or local hire.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/AID/OM/GUA/SOL-520-12-000015/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Km. 6.5 Final Bvld. Los Proceres, Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala, Guatemala
- Record
- SN02817041-W 20120728/120727000744-79100642c7d6fa802165d34d56dd1697 (fbodaily.com)
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