SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist - 1
- Notice Date
- 8/7/2018
- Notice Type
- Combined Synopsis/Solicitation
- NAICS
- 561110
— Office Administrative Services
- Contracting Office
- Agency for International Development, Overseas Missions, Ethiopia USAID-Addis Ababa, Dept. of State, Washington, District of Columbia, 20521-2030
- ZIP Code
- 20521-2030
- Solicitation Number
- 72066018R00008
- Archive Date
- 9/21/2018
- Point of Contact
- Priscilla Sampil, , Tamirate Fekadu, Phone: 251111306002
- E-Mail Address
-
psampil@usaid.gov, ftamirate@usaid.gov
(psampil@usaid.gov, ftamirate@usaid.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Solicitation for Senior Acquisition and Assistant position. SOLICITATION NUMBER: 72066018R00008 ISSUANCE DATE: August 7, 2018 CLOSING DATE: September 6, 2018 CLOSING TIME: 5:00 pm Kinshasa, DRC Time SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S./Third Country National Personal Service Contractor (US/TCNPSC) - Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist, USAID/DRC 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. 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 offer. Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in the attached information. Sincerely, Priscilla Sampil Supervisory Executive Officer USAID/DRC   ATTACHMENT 1 72066018R00008 I. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. SOLICITATION NO.: 72066018R00008 2. ISSUANCE DATE: August 7, 2018 3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: September 6, 2018 before and/or on 5:00 PM (DROC, Kinshasa local time) 4. POSITION TITLE: Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist 5. MARKET VALUE: $89,370 - $116,181 equivalent to GS-14. The final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value based on the successful candidate's salary history, work experience and educational background. Salaries over and above the top of the GS 14 pay range will not be entertained or negotiated. 6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: A base of two (2) years with an option of three-one year extension up to a maximum of 5 years. Exercise of option will depend on continuing need of services, availability of funds and satisfactory or better performance. 7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa. 8. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: The final selected candidates must obtain both the appropriate security and medical clearances within a reasonable period of time. If such clearances are not obtained within a reasonable time or negative suitability issues are involved, any offer made may be rescinded. Facility Access (USPSC); and Background Check (TCNPSC). 9. STATEMENT OF DUTIES a. General Statement of Purpose of the Contract: This position is located in the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) at USAID/Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The position's primary purpose is to execute acquisition and assistance actions in support of critical USAID programs in DRC. The responsibilities of the incumbent include providing support on all aspects of contract management relating to and affecting USAID assistance programs in DRC. This includes providing policy guidance, project planning, project design, and implementation and the evaluation of on-going programs. S/he is responsible for planning, developing, carrying out, managing, and advising on all aspects of procurement and contract management relating to and affecting USAID/DRC assistance programs, policy and project planning, design, implementation, and evaluation. He/she will participate in projects, mission policy formulation, and project design. He/she will develop and execute plans for the procurement of and provide contract management support to achieve program objectives. This includes training and mentoring of local A&A specialists, AORs/CORS, first tour/entry-level Foreign Service Officers, other staff within USAID/DRC/OAA and the larger mission. The incumbent will demonstrate expertise on training/mentoring the full-range of acquisition and assistance functions. In addition to training staff, the incumbent will also play a lead role in conducting new recipient training, especially in adherence to USAID audit requirements. The incumbent will also be expected to participate as an OAA expert on financial review teams and conduct on-site training and oversight through field visits to recipient locations throughout DRC. Given the sensitivity, scope, and purpose of the role and position of the Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist and the critical nature and complexity of the Mission programs that are being implemented in a very fluid political environment, it is essential that the incumbent be able to function as an expert in all technical areas of the assignment, and fulfill the position responsibilities with the supervisor's complete confidence in their understanding of the assignment and ability to integrate issues, conflicts, continually changing working requirements, creative problem solving, and the introduction of new theories and methods to resolve unique problems. b. Statement of Duties to be Performed The Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist will provide a full-range of acquisition and assistance support, including but not limited to: i. The negotiation, award, and administration of both Assistance- and Acquisition-type instruments to accomplish both emergency-response and traditional development programs. S/he prepares pre-award documents, conducts negotiations, and finalizes award documents and award file documentation for a Contracting/Agreement Officer's review and signature. S/he must be available for consultation on contracting issues with Mission technical staff, other in-country U.S. Government officials and representatives, Government of DRC officials, Implementing Partners, and others, as required. This effort requires extensive knowledge of Federal and USAID regulations, and the associated governing guidance (e.g., the FAR and USAID Supplement [AIDAR], CFR, OMB Circulars, FAM, and FTR) for all types of procurements. ii. In addition to the execution of contracts and modifications as identified above, the Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist researches and resolves issues, and draft responses in official correspondence as assigned. Examples include, but are not limited to: subcontract consent requests, salary approvals, equipment approvals, etc., on a wide variety of contract and assistance awards. iii. Providing expert-level technical assistance to USAID/DRC in the execution of program/project-funded contracts, cooperative agreements, grants, and US Government Agreements, such as PASAs. This entails providing staff support on all aspects of acquisition and assistance activity including: project planning, design, implementation and evaluation; mission policy development and formulation; project resource assessments, sector analyses, and other studies. He/she serves as a primary contractual advisor to major development program initiatives and activities in the Mission. He/she prepares and negotiates modifications of basic contractual text, terms and conditions, specifications, scopes of work, program descriptions, and costs in the full range of award instruments. He/she plans for and provides procurement and contract management support to accomplish program objectives, and proper and timely administration of all assigned Acquisition and Assistance awards. This includes clarifications and interpretations of directive correspondence, and miscellaneous administrative modifications to procurement instruments. He/she seeks resolution and settlement of contract disputes, termination and settlement of procurement instruments, close outs, and reporting of contractor performance. The Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist composes and prepares all contractual correspondence, signing within their own delegated authority or for a Contracting Officer's signature. iv. Serving as the office's lead in training and mentoring on USAID acquisition and assistance procedures. This includes training less-experienced local OAA staff, USAID technical and other mission staff, and local implementing partners. The incumbent manages the office's routine training responsibilities and mentors local staff to be able to deliver the trainings. v. Serving as a lead role in preparing mission responses to Regional Inspector General (RIG) audit reports. The incumbent will be expected to transfer audit response skills to local staff. vi. Serving as a senior and trusted policy and technical advisor to the Supervisory Contracting Officer, and the U.S. Mission to DRC on all manner of Acquisition and Assistance issues. He/she will speak for the Supervisory Contracting Officer on technical Acquisition and Assistance matters, as directed by the Supervisory Contracting Officer or as required. c. Supervisory relationship: The Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist will receive supervision, policy direction, and guidance from the Supervisory Contracting Officer (Director, Office of Acquisition and Assistance) or his/her designee, located in USAID/DRC. The Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist is expected to function at an expert level with minimal supervision. d. Supervisory Controls: The Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist is expected to exercise considerable independent judgment and initiative. Such initiative is critical to the success of the assignment; however, the actions and decisions of the Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist will be discussed with the Office Director, and all acquisition instruments will be signed by the supervisor who is the Mission Contracting/Agreement Officer. Overall management of the Office is in a collaborative team environment, with the Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist participating fully in the process. Specific work plans and anticipated results are developed in consultation with the OAA Team. The Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist performs most assignments independently, but will work hand in hand in reviewing CCN A&A Specialists work product. S/he will provide leadership and training to others involved in the management of the OAA portfolio, and in the development, design, and drafting of the acquisition instruments. The work is reviewed in terms of achievement of established milestones, and the appropriateness of program/project activity focus. The Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist will meet regularly with the Office Director or his/her designee to update him or her on the progress of agreed upon milestones for projects. e. Other important information: If a third country national (TCN) PSC is selected for award, during the period of this contract, the TCN contractor must provide at least one hour per day of training to a cooperating country national (CCN) designated by USAID. The TCNPSC's Supervisor will establish a training plan with benchmarks to measure the contractor's progress toward achieving this training deliverable. 10. AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. Citizens, Resident Aliens, and Third Country Nationals. Per ADS 309.3.1.11(c), if the CO issued a combined solicitation that was open to multiple eligible sources (i.e. U.S. Nationals (USNs) and TCNs), the TEC must not evaluate USN and TCN offers together. In order to comply with the order of preference in section 309.3.1.4, the CO must provide the TEC only those offers received from the preferred type order that is U.S. National first, then TCN. After the evaluation of USN offers, if the CO, as the Source Selection Authority, determines that there are no qualified USNs for the position, the CO may then provide the TCN offers to the TEC for evaluation. For USPSC: - Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident ("green card holder"); - U.S. resident alien means a non-U.S. citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; - Submit a complete application as outlined in the solicitation section titled APPLYING; - Be able to obtain facility access authorization; - Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance; - Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested; - Employment is subject to funds availability and all the required approvals obtained. For TCNPSC: - Be a Third Country National. Third Country National means an individual: (1) Who is neither a citizen nor a permanent legal resident of the United States nor of the country to which assigned for duty (DRC), and (2) Who is eligible for return to his/her home country or country of recruitment at U.S. Government expenses; - Submit a complete application as outlined in the section titled APPLYING; - Be able to obtain facility access authorization; - Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance; - Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested; - Employment is subject to funds availability and all the required approvals obtained. 11. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The primary location of work will be the U.S. Agency for International Development office in Kinshasa, DRC. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist may occasionally face challenging living and working conditions while in travel status. The Senior Acquisition & Assistance Specialist will also face heavy workload and occasional in-country travel may be expected in the position. 12. POINT OF CONTACT: usaidhrkinshasa@usaid.gov. Note: No in-person appointments or telephone calls will be entertained, unless you are required to have more information about this solicitation. II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION Applications will be initially screened by the Human Resources Office to determine whether applicants have met the advertised minimum qualifications. A list of qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring office for further consideration and screening. EDUCATION: Minimum of a Bachelor degree in Business Administration, and Purchasing, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Industrial Management, or other related fields is required. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have a minimum of eight years hands-on continuous, progressive experience in execution of U.S. Government Acquisition and Assistance policies and procedures. III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS EDUCATION: (20 points): Minimum of a Bachelor degree in Business Administration, Purchasing, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Industrial Management, or other related fields is required. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: (30 points): Applicants must have a minimum of eight years hands-on continuous, progressive experience in execution of U.S. Government Acquisition and Assistance policies and procedures. Language (20 points): The candidate must be fluent in English and have proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly, and concisely, both orally and in writing. Written English capability to prepare correspondence and contractual documentation in a professional and competent manner requiring little or no editorial changes. Knowledge Skills and Abilities (30 points): • Demonstrated strong knowledge of USG policies and procedures pertaining to Acquisition and Assistance. • Mastery of procurement regulations and contracting principles including the latest acquisition procedures and techniques is required. An in-depth understanding of U.S. Government procurement rules and regulations is imperative. • A thorough and complete knowledge and understanding of how to execute and administer a complex acquisition and assistance portfolio in accordance with USG regulations. • Knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and the ability to work with the regulatory context of the FAR is essential. In addition, knowledge of the following is required: • USAID Acquisition Regulations (AIDAR) • U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) • Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars • USAID Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives (AAPDs/CIBs) • USAID Automated Directive Systems (ADS) • USAID Procurement Executive Bulletins (PEBs) Demonstrated Skills and Abilities: • Exceptional leadership, communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability and willingness to function collaboratively and productively as a member of a multi-disciplinary and multi-functional team. • Proven ability to work well in complex institutional settings and to develop networks of relationships that facilitate collaboration among colleagues and a genuine interest in assisting USAID staff with expedient program implementation. • Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with a broad range of internal and external partners and USAID Implementing Partners, international organizations, and host country government officials. • Attention to detail, good analytical skills, and excellent organizational skills to perform the pre- and post-award functions. • Discretion, tact and the ability to work under accelerated schedules and deadlines and to effectively complete required actions. • Must be able to maintain and adhere to high standards of professional conduct. • Must be able to function as a leader during contract negotiations, and personally negotiate the majority of assigned contracts. • Must demonstrate ability to mentor, train, and assist staff in the award and administration of contracts and agreements. • Excellent interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills and the ability to work independently. • Good coordination, teamwork and organizational skills to manage multi-cultural work setting are required. • Computer skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, GLAAS, ASIST, etc., so as to independently prepare correspondence and documentation are also required IV. APPLYING 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 to the Point of Contact in Section I, item 12; 3. Letter of Application and current resume; 4. To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, Offerors must prominently reference the Solicitation number in the offer submission; 5. Please submit the application only once; and 6. Late and incomplete applications will not be considered; the application must be submitted before or on the closing date at local DRC time 5 p.m. (Local DRC, Kinshasa Time). V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSC HIRES Once the 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. Medical History and Examination Form (Department of State Forms) 2. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions for National Security (SF-86), or 3. Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85) 4. Finger Print Card (FD-258) VI. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances: BENEFITS: (a) Employer's FICA Contribution (b) Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance (c) Pay Comparability Adjustment (d) Annual Increase (pending a satisfactory performance evaluation) (e) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation (f) Annual and Sick Leave ALLOWANCES (as applicable): Section numbers refer to rules from the Department of State Standardized Regulations (a) Temporary Quarter Subsistence Allowance (Section 120) (b) Living Quarter Allowance (Section 130) (c) Cost-of-Living Allowance (Chapter 210) (d) Post Allowance (Section 220) (e) Separate Maintenance Allowance (Section 260) (f) Education Allowance (Section 270) (g) Education Travel (Section 280) (h) Post Differential (Chapter 500) (i) Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure (Section 600), and (j) Danger Pay Allowance (Section 650) VII. TAXES USPSCs are required to pay federal income taxes, FICA, Medicare and applicable state income taxes. USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING TO PSCs USAID regulations and policies governing USPSC awards are available at these sources: 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: https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms Acquisition and Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at: http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs. 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: https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations. END OF SOLICITATION EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: The U.S. Mission in DRC provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation. USAID/DRC also strives to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations. The EEO complaint procedure is available to individuals who believe they have been denied equal opportunity based upon marital status or political affiliation. Individuals with such complaints should avail themselves of the appropriate grievance procedures, remedies for prohibited personnel practices, and/or courts for relief.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/AID/OM/ETH/72066018R00008/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa, Congo (Kinshasa)
- Record
- SN05024745-W 20180809/180807231515-1f8ec56a493c0a3edb6719c693efc546 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |