SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Small business Sources Sought for: Institutional Support Services for AFR/SD
- Notice Date
- 11/10/2014
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Agency for International Development, Washington D.C., USAID/Washington, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 7.10-006, Washington, District of Columbia, 20523, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20523
- Solicitation Number
- SOL-OAA-15-00012
- Archive Date
- 12/5/2014
- Point of Contact
- Jimmie Curtis, Phone: 2025675019, Ashlee Tuck, Phone: 2025674757
- E-Mail Address
-
jcurtis@usaid.gov, atuck@usaid.gov
(jcurtis@usaid.gov, atuck@usaid.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. a. Background. The Africa Bureau (AFR) works in partnership with African leaders and decision-makers to help design and implement development projects that are appropriate for local conditions and address local challenges in order to eliminate extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The Africa Bureau supports three distinct types of activities. First, AFR provides policy-relevant ideas and information, and helps African countries and partners use this information to improve their policies, programs, and strategies for development. Second, it influences African countries and institutions to build more effective regional channels for economic and technical cooperation, and third, it builds the capacity of Africa’s institutions to manage African development. In working to support the core mandate and activities of AFR with respect to development programs, and in light of an increasing number of USG priorities in SSA, the Contractor will provide short and long-term technical assistance for assessments, analysis, strategy development, program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, communications, knowledge management, conferences and seminars, and other requirements. This solicitation focuses on the provision of technical and support services to AFR. b. Purpose and Objectives. This contract is designated as a dual purpose contract in accordance with ADS Chapter 567 “Classified Contract Security and Contractor Personnel Security Program” and FAR Subpart 4.4 “Safeguarding Classified Information within Industry.” As such, it is subject to the requirements of these regulations and the security classifications specifications contained in the DD Form 254. The purpose of the contract is to establish an award that can continue the provision of technical support services to the USAID Africa Bureau (AFR) and its offices in Washington and overseas to advance AFR’s core mandate to contribute to ending extreme poverty in Africa and furthering USAID’s development and policy objectives within SSA. AFR achieves this goal through a wide range of activities that support several key development objectives: · Providing policy-relevant information and help African countries and partners use this information to improve their policies, programs, and strategies for development; · Building Africa’s capacity to manage its own development by strengthening African institutions; and, · Helping African countries and institutions build more effective regional channels for economic and technical cooperation. The Contractor will recruit, hire and maintain a contracted technical, professional, operational, and administrative support staff that supply services to AFR to support USAID/W and USAID Missions overseas to accomplish Bureau priorities as expressed in the Regional Cooperation Development Strategy (RCDS). c. Project Requirements. The Contractor will provide AFR/SD with short- and long-term technical assistance and support services in Washington, DC and in SSA. Task 1: Recruit, hire and maintain, as requested, up to 20 Contractor staff that will be placed in specific non-direct-hire USAID positions. These positions are categorized as technical, professional, operational, and administrative support in nature; Task 2: Under this Classified Contract, possess and maintain a facility clearance from the Defense Security Service (DSS) that will allow the Contractor to request the processing and issuance of Secret and Top Secret clearances for Contractor employees. The facility clearance must be active at the time of proposal submission and maintained for the life of the contract with the Contractor providing a security officer for all security questions and matters. The facilities clearance is necessary because the Contractor will need to supply institutional contract staff with security clearances whose responsibilities will require them to sit in USAID office space on a daily basis. This applies to both Washington and field mission placements. For such staffing requirements, the Contractor shall arrange for the necessary security clearances and building access approvals through the USAID COR to ensure coordination with USAID’s Office of Security in Washington or appropriate Regional/Mission Security Office for field mission placements; Task 3: Posses the ability to clear and to request clearance for employee’s and consultants at the secret and top secret levels. Also, have the ability to officially send Visit Requests (VALs) or Permanent Certifications (PermCerts) to USAID. AFR is a secure bureau and all staff must have a secret or higher level clearance; Task 4: Provide services to USAID offices on an as-needed basis, both long- and short-term. The locations include AFR and its offices in Washington; regional missions and country missions overseas. The Contractor must be willing to work in Critical Priority Countries, as needed; Task 5: Guarantee up to 15 off-site workstations, office space, and dedicated conference room facilities and a secure network for consultants (to include other contracted consultants not hired under this SOW) within a one quarter mile radius of the Ronald Reagan Building on 14th St NW and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC to house the management team and all technical and support staff that do not work on-site in the RRB; USAID may also request that workspace be provided on a temporary basis to other USAID direct and non-direct hire employees who do not have assigned USAID office space or who may be waiting for security clearances; Task 6: Based on the need for frequent contacts between the Contractor and its Washington employees, USAID COTR, the Africa Bureau, other USAID Washington clients, and per requirements of Homeland Security Policy Directives, it is necessary that the Contractor establish an office located within a reasonable commuting distance of USAID in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The office must be easily accessible and within a one quarter mile radius of the Ronald Reagan Building; Task 7: Maintain a pool of no fewer than 50 pre-vetted technical advisors and administrative support staff that can be notified and deployed on short notice. These personnel must already possess the appropriate security clearance and minimum qualifications as outlined in section C5.3. of the final Statement of Work (when completed). Further, they must be prepared for travel within one month of notice (i.e. vaccinated, passport obtained and valid for at least one year, passport photos on hand for visas). Contractor must also be able to manage travel logistics and visa requirements (airline reservations, hotels, etc.) and all details pertaining to a consultant’s overseas deployment (details in C.5.7); Task 8: When required and as allowed by Missions, ensure Contractor employees are able to be co-located within USAID offices in Washington and overseas, including securing and maintaining required security clearances for individual Contractor employees; Task 9: Allow for subcontracting by the Contractor when there is a particular need for technical expertise that the Contractor does not have; Task 10: Develop a database for deliverable documents, reports, assessments and any other technical documentation storage and management that result from consultants contracted under this mechanism. d. Anticipated period of performance The estimated period of performance of this contract is five total years: Date of award through three years after date of award and two one year option periods. e. Other important considerations None f. Capability statement/information sought Respondents must provide a capability statement, addressing their ability to meet the needs of the Office of Sustainable Development per the details outlined below: 1) Under this Classified Contract, the Contractor must possess and maintain a facility clearance from the Defense Security Service (DSS) that will allow the Contractor to request the processing and issuance of Secret and Top Secret clearances for Contractor employees. The facility clearance must be active at the time of proposal submission and maintained for the life of the contract with the Contractor providing a security officer for all security questions and matters. The facilities clearance is necessary because the Contractor will need to supply institutional contract staff with security clearances whose responsibilities will require them to sit in USAID office space on a daily basis. This applies to both Washington and field mission placements. For such staffing requirements, the Contractor shall arrange for the necessary security clearances and building access approvals through the USAID COR to ensure coordination with USAID’s Office of Security in Washington or appropriate Regional/Mission Security Office for field mission placements; For such staffing requirements, the Contractor shall arrange for the necessary security clearances and building access approvals through the USAID COTR to ensure coordination with USAID’s Office of Security in Washington or appropriate Regional/Mission Security Office for field mission placements; In addition to maintaining the ability to clear and to request clearance for employee’s and consultants at the secret and top secret levels, they need to have the ability to officially send Visit Requests (VALs) or Permanent Certifications (PermCerts) to USAID. AFR is a secure bureau and all staff must have a secret or higher level clearance. 2) Guarantee up to 15 off-site workstations, dedicated conference room facilities and a secure network for consultants (to include other contracted consultants not hired under this SOW) within a one quarter mile radius of the Ronald Reagan Building on 14th St NW and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC to house the management team and all technical and support staff that do not work on-site in the RRB; USAID may also request that workspace be provided to other USAID direct and non-direct hire employees who do not have assigned USAID office space or who may be waiting for security clearances; Based on the need for frequent contacts between the Contractor and its Washington employees, USAID COTR, the Africa Bureau, other USAID Washington clients, and per requirements of Homeland Security Policy Directives, it is necessary that the Contractor establish an office located within a reasonable commuting distance of USAID in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The office must be easily accessible and within a one quarter mile radius of the Ronald Reagan Building; 3) For personnel, the statement must contain information regarding respondents’: (a) staff expertise, including their experience, and formal and other training; as well as availability (b) current in-house capability and capacity to perform the work; (c) prior completed projects of similar nature; (d) corporate experience and management capability; and (e) examples of prior and similar completed Government contracts, references, and other related information; Examples of staff expertise requested above: Chief of Party (COP) The Chief of Party, will be the lead technical person, provides overall guidance and management of the project; is the point of contact and interaction with USAID for the overall project; and is responsible for the quality of the products and overall performance. As the lead technical person, she/he will oversee: the analytical efforts; trend analyses; research relationships and research grants and sub-contracting as to selection of awardees, directions, and the quality and timeliness of the products; the populating of the data banks or websites as to what to include and quality and timeliness of the data and information; performance scorecards; the methodology and soundness of assessing studies; and the application of cost benefit, general equilibrium analyses, and cost-effectiveness to the assessing of initiatives, projects, and techniques. The COP should have a balanced skill-set including the ability to provide leadership to a team of interdisciplinary experts and to design development strategies which integrate cross-cutting elements. The COP must have both administrative and technical qualifications and experience including: · At least five (5) years of experience managing and coordinating development programs, preferably in or about Africa; · Previous experience serving in an advisory capacity to high-level government officials on trade, economic policy, technology, or competitiveness strongly preferred; · Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional, government, and private sector partners and stakeholders. · Minimum academic credential of an advanced technical degree in economics, international trade, public policy, economic development, or related area (MBA/MPA with advanced training in the specified areas would be considered) required. A PhD in one of the fields described above or a relevant technical area strongly preferred; · At least fifteen years (ten years with PhD) of relevant experience, five of which should be in or on developing countries, preferably in Africa; · At least five years of experience in analyzing, tracking, and working to improve trade policy and global competitiveness in developing countries, strongly preferred, and preferably in Africa; · At least three years of experience in managing and coordinating research activities, strongly preferred; · Demonstrated ability and experience with cost benefit, general equilibrium, and cost effectiveness analyses; · Demonstrated ability to lead and assist an interdisciplinary team with diverse and specialized skills. · Demonstrated ability to integrate cross-cutting methods to achieve developmental objectives; · Demonstrated ability and/or commitment to gender equality and inclusive development; and · Excellent writing and communication skills. · Professional experience as a Chief of Party for a USAID program of at least comparable size and scope is strongly preferred; Administrative Manager The Administrative Manager, under the guidance of the COP, is responsible for the administration of the project, including accounting and financial system and reports, personnel recruitment and management, tracking of tasks and requests, and management of office space and equipment. The Administrative Manager must have: · Master’s degree or equivalent in business/public administration, management, finance, or related area; · At least five years of experience in managing and coordinating development programs, preferably in or on Africa with strong preference for experience with USAID accounting and management processes; · Experience as administrator for a USAID program of at least comparable size and scope, strongly preferred; · Ability to coordinate travel and logistics; · Excellent writing and communications skills; · Demonstrated ability to manage complex, time sensitive, high quality activities; · Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional, government, and private sector partners and stakeholders. · Previous overseas experience, strongly preferred; Knowledge Management/Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist The Knowledge Management Specialist, under the guidance of the PATA Deputy Director, is responsible for planning and leading organizational learning opportunities. In close collaboration with the Program Officer and AFR’s Sr. Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, the incumbent will assist with the implementation of USAID’s Evaluation Policy within AFR/PATA, and be responsible for the development and maintenance of AFR/PATA’s knowledge portal. The Knowledge Management Specialist must have: · Master’s Degree in organizational learning or development assistance such as public, business or development administration, knowledge management, political science, economics, development studies or closely related, inter-disciplinary fields; · A minimum of five years of progressively responsible, professional experience in organizational or action learning, development, consulting and/or knowledge management is expected; · A background in monitoring and evaluation of development programs, application of statistical methods, impact evaluations and field research experience is preferred; · Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with institutional, government, and private sector partners and stakeholders; · Demonstrated ability in data analysis, project design, monitoring, and evaluation of development activities; · Experience developing results frameworks, logical frameworks, or similar tools for project design are required; · Experience developing and/or using performance management plans or similar tools are required; · Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in monitoring and evaluating programs—including indicator development, setting targets, study design, and data analysis—in multiple sectors; · Experience managing power sector projects is highly desired; · Experience using knowledge management software and development and use of databases is highly desired; · Experience managing grants or contracts is also highly desired; · Excellent analytical skills and the ability to summarize disparate information in a clear and concise manner; · Ability to work independently to efficiently meet deadlines; · Oral and written communication skills to deal effectively with mid and high level partner contacts, the host government, and the local communities; and, · Excellent computer skills, including word processing, spreadsheet programs and data base development and management. Other Personnel/Consultants Beyond the mid-career and senior-level technical professionals used to supplement USAID’s cadre of technical professionals, Contractor support service staff will be composed of administrative assistants and entry to mid-level program staff as called for in the scopes of works provided by the requesting AFR office or division. Contractor staff will possess requisite education, relevant work experience, professionalism, and management services necessary to flawlessly execute USAID requirements. Individual scopes of work for placements will outline levels of education and experience needed. Contractor staff may be appointed for up to a five year period, not to extend past the contract end date. The Contractor should compile a roster and CVs for possible consultants by area. An illustrative list of the expertise areas or specialties required for short-term or part-time assignments are: · African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), · Economics, · Poverty analysis, · Political economy, · Growth diagnostics, · International trade (trade theory as well as trade policy), · Trade financing, · Health system strengthening, · Health finance, · Education, · Governance, · Knowledge management, · Communications, · Outreach, · Writing, · Editing, · Information systems, · Website managing, · Event and task managing, · Conference / workshop organizing, · Performance monitoring, · Assessments, · Gender Equality and Female Empowerment (across sectors, especially in agriculture, trade, energy, and value chains) · Youth, · People with disabilities rights and nondiscriminatory access, · Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights and nondiscriminatory access, · Value chain development, · Private sector engagement, · Agricultural trade, · Technology adaptations, · Energy generation, distribution and transmission · Utility management · Program management, monitoring and performance; · Policy development · Enterprise development, and trade investment/promotion g. Statement must contain respondents’ DUNS number, organization name, address, point of contact, and size and type of business (e.g., 8(a), HUBZone, etc) pursuant to the applicable NAICS code; respondents’ technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses h. The statement must be provided electronically to Contracting Officer Jimmie Curtis at jcurtis@usaid.gov with a copy to Contract Specialist Ashlee Tuck at atuck@usaid.gov Telephone and facsimile responses will not be accepted; i. Statement must not exceed five pages and must be provided in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Specifications for five pages are as follows: including 11 point Times New Roman on 8.5” x 11” paper size with standard margins and single spacing, etc.; j. The total page limit of all and/or any resumes or CVs in response to point (f)(3) above provided must not exceed 10 pages. Please note that this 10 page limit for resume/CV submission is separate from the five page limit for the capability statement. As such, a respondent may submit an up to five page capability statement in addition to an up to 10 page CV/resume submission. k. Respondents will determine how the requested information in sections f(1) and (2) and the resumes/CVs requested in section (f)(3) above will be organized and presented in the submission. l. Statement is due Thursday November 20, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. ET. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/AID/OP/WashingtonDC/SOL-OAA-15-00012/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20523, United States
- Zip Code: 20523
- Zip Code: 20523
- Record
- SN03570099-W 20141112/141110234011-2b1f04667c198501ca081493c464fea6 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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