USPSC Senior Humanitarian Advisor (SHA)
SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720FDA19B00124
ISSUANCE DATE: October 23, 2019
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: November 25, 2019, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
SUBJECT: 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) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as a Senior Humanitarian Advisor (SHA) under a United States Personal Services Contract (USPSC), as described in the solicitation.
Submittals must be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Offerors interested in applying for this position MUST submit the following materials:
- Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your offer, your resume must include:
(a) Paid and non-paid experience, job title, location(s), dates held (month/year), and hours worked per week for each position. Dates (month/year) and locations for all field experience must also be detailed. Any experience that does not include dates (month/year), locations, and hours per week will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
(b) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.
(c) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments.
(d) U.S. Citizenship
(e) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (FedBizOpps, OFDA Jobs, Career Fair, etc.).
Your resume must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation. This information must be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide information sufficient to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration.
- USPSC Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted. AID 309-2 is available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms.
NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBERS AND THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT
All USPSCs with a place of performance in the United States are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database prior to receiving an award. You will be disqualified if you either fail to comply with this requirement or if your name appears on the excluded parties list. The selectee will be provided with guidance regarding this registration.
NOTE: As of March 28, 2018, all new SAM.gov entity registrations will now require a signed notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity administrator for the entity associated with the DUNS number. Additional information on the format of the notarized letter and where to submit can be found via the below Federal Service Desk link:
Offerors can expect to receive a confirmation email when offer materials have been received. Offerors should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their offers. Your complete resume and the supplemental document addressing the QRFs must be emailed to:
OFDA Recruitment Team
E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Website: www.OFDAjobs.net
Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to OFDA Recruitment Team via the information provided above.
Sincerely,
Renee Newton
Contracting Officer
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This position requires an individual to manage and represent the humanitarian portfolio for Nigeria. The SHA will serve as the primary contact and liaison for OFDA’s ongoing humanitarian assistance activities in Nigeria, as well as for disaster risk reduction programs. The SHA will be responsible for program analysis and strategy development and work closely with the USAID/Nigeria mission staff, the US Embassy, other donors, Nigeria, U.S. military representatives, USG interagency partners, IOs, NGOs, and the UN, in responding to humanitarian needs and sudden onset disasters. The SHA will also be responsible for reporting to OFDA SWAN Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal, and to OFDA Washington.
Because of the substantial coordination requirements of this position, an individual with a highly collaborative work style is required. The SHA must be prepared to function effectively in a challenging and restrictive work environment and be willing to strictly adhere to U.S. Embassy security guidelines.
Working directly under the guidance and supervision of the OFDA SRA for SWAN, with regular interaction with the designated Regional Advisor (RA) covering Nigeria and in consultation with USAID/Nigeria, the individual will perform the following duties and responsibilities:
Contextual Specialty
• Develop and maintain knowledge of the key humanitarian and DRR issues within Nigeria.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of political, humanitarian, organizational, and stakeholder interests specific to Nigeria.
• Monitor incipient disasters, international disaster response plans and efforts, and major humanitarian issues and challenges in the area of responsibility through a wide range of USG and international sources.
• Identify humanitarian issues, priorities, lessons learned, and opportunities within and relevant to Nigeria and apply those to program strategy development and implementation.
• Prepare and/or provide substantive assistance in the preparation of, regular strategic and analytical reports on current or anticipated emergencies, as well as comprehensive preparedness documentation on Nigeria.
Portfolio Management
• Lead efforts to identify and assess humanitarian new assistance requirements, target beneficiary groups, and locations, oversee the general direction of existing relief and transition-oriented programs, and broadly recommend the types of interventions and budget levels required in Nigeria.
• Closely collaborate with Mission colleagues on program coordination to share information, avoid overlap, and explore opportunities for synergies and transition efforts. Maintain ongoing dialogue with the SWAN Regional Office and OFDA/Washington on these efforts.
• Monitor ongoing humanitarian assistance efforts in Nigeria. Liaise with partners and other donors, coordinate with SWAN Regional Office on issues of mutual interest, and provide coordinated field feedback to the partners.
• Coordinate collection of information and provide updates and recommendations through written reports on issues related to the humanitarian situation, including the following:
o Capacity and ability of UN, IOs, NGOs, and local institutions to carry out programs;
o Capacity of the logistics infrastructure to support programs;
o Security situation of beneficiaries, personnel, convoys, and relief operations in general;
o Role of in-country UN leadership and the UN Mission in Nigeria in facilitating humanitarian assistance;
o Contributions by other donors, problems arising from implementation of relief and reintegration programs, and any other issues that require the attention of OFDA; and
o Humanitarian coordination issues and any recommendations for change.
• Provide guidance to organizations that are developing proposals for OFDA, based on OFDA’s Guidelines for Unsolicited Proposals and Reporting.
• Review concept papers and proposals and provide timely recommendations/comments to OFDA/Washington and OFDA/SWAN Regional Office.
• Ensure reporting on a timely basis to OFDA/Washington and SWAN Regional Office on the quality of grantees’ work, noting deficiencies, attributes, and evolving operational conditions.
• Maintain regular, close coordination and communication with the SWAN Regional Office and OFDA/Washington.
Representation
• Represent OFDA in-country at senior level meetings within the USG and humanitarian stakeholders and convey humanitarian concerns and priorities from the OFDA perspective through oral and written briefings.
• Coordinate policy development meetings such as:
o Meetings with individual and groups of implementing partners discussing programmatic priorities, objectives, progress, results, and challenges;
o Discussions, meetings, and papers informing USG foreign policy in areas with humanitarian concerns or impacts;
o Donor and implementing partner coordination forums.
• Serve as the principal point of contact in-country for OFDA/Nigeria for humanitarian issues, and serve as a liaison on program issues among USAID mission staff, the U.S. Embassy and other USG agencies, military representatives, OFDA/Washington and the overall humanitarian community.
• Present OFDA perspectives to NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies relating to humanitarian assistance strategies and priorities, including OFDA’s approach to sustainable, resilience- oriented humanitarian programs. Work closely with the RA and OFDA’s technical advisors to discuss and understand sectoral priorities.
• Represent USG humanitarian interests at national and international meetings and conferences, and facilitate, as requested, travel and briefings for official USG visitors interested in humanitarian issues.
• Engage as the humanitarian specialist in U.S. Embassy policy conversations, remaining available to provide timely reporting and clearances in response to high-level USG queries originating from the region or from Washington, D.C.
Leadership
• Provide recommendations on current and future directions of OFDA’s Nigeria portfolio to include programmatic, budgetary, and human resource requirements.
• Serve in a leadership role within USAID/Nigeria, in coordination with Mission senior leadership, to incorporate humanitarian concerns into Mission activities and identify opportunities to leverage USAID interventions.
General Duties
• Serve in leadership, planning, or program positions on response teams, and assessment teams within and outside the region.
• May serve as needed, on RMTs, which provides services and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will be varied.
• May serve on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an extended period of time.
• As needed, may serve on temporary detail within the office, not to exceed six months. Duties performed while on detail will be aligned with the Team’s existing duties and responsibilities as well as directly related to the scope of work provided.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)
Bachelor’s degree with study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field of, but not limited to, international relations, economics, food policy, West African studies, or a related field or country; and nine (9) years of progressively demonstrated experience in emergency relief, DRR and/or disaster preparedness programming and management, including four (4) years of overseas humanitarian field experience.
OR
Master’s degree with study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field of, but not limited to, international relations, economics, food policy, West African studies, or a related field or country; and seven (7) years of progressively demonstrated experience in emergency relief, DRR and/or disaster preparedness programming and management, including four (4) years of overseas humanitarian field experience.
EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS
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.
SELECTION FACTORS
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)
• Offeror is a U.S. Citizen.
• Complete resume submitted. See cover page for resume requirements. Experience that cannot be quantified will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
• USPSC Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level clearance as provided by USAID.
• Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance.
• Must not appear as an excluded party in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).
• Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.
OFFEROR RATING SYSTEM
The offeror rating system factors are used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified offerors in comparison to other offerors. Offerors must demonstrate the rating factors outlined below within their resume, as they are evaluated strictly by the information provided. The evaluation of writing tests will also take into consideration the quality of written responses. Aspects of written responses including, but not limited to typos, grammatical errors, spelling errors, and incomplete sentences will be factored into the evaluation process. The rating factors are as follows:
Professional Experience (10 points):
• Experience managing humanitarian interventions in an international disaster context across the entire disaster management cycle to include emergency response, early recovery and transition, DRR, and resilience.
• Specific experience managing humanitarian interventions including needs assessment, strategy development, budget management, resource prioritization, program development, and program management.
Skills and Abilities (10 points)
• Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with host governments at senior levels in the midst of humanitarian crisis situations.
• Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with other donors and diplomatic missions at senior levels in the midst of international humanitarian crisis situations.
• Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work effectively with international and national non-governmental humanitarian partners at senior levels in the midst of humanitarian crisis situations.
• Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to effectively achieve humanitarian objectives within the USG at senior levels, including with Department of Defense, Embassies, Members of Congress, and senior executive branch staff the midst of international humanitarian crisis situations.
Leading Teams Experience (10 points)
• Demonstrated experience leading teams of varied nationalities and cultural backgrounds working in a constant state of complex, international humanitarian crisis.
• Experience leading a diverse team of program, technical, and administrative staff, including senior U.S. professionals, working in a constant state of in complex, international humanitarian crisis.
Interview Performance (40 points)
Timed Writing Test (20 points)
Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks (10 points)
Total Possible Points: 100
BASIS OF RATING: Offerors who meet the Education/Experience requirements and Selection Factors will be further evaluated in accordance with the Offeror Rating System. Those offerors determined to be competitively ranked may also be evaluated on interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks.
Offerors are required to address each factor of the Offeror Rating System in their resume, describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received as it pertains to each factor. Be sure to include your name and the announcement number at the top of each additional page. Failure to address the selection factors and/or Offeror Rating System factors may result in not receiving credit for all pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards.
The most qualified offerors may be interviewed and required to provide a writing sample. OFDA will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for offerors being considered for selection. Note: Please be advised that references may be obtained independently from other sources in addition to the ones provided by an offeror. OFDA reserves the right to select additional offerors if vacancies become available during future phase of the selection process.
How to Apply
SUBMITTING AN OFFER
Offers must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in the cover letter. Qualified individuals are required to submit:
- Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your offer, your resume must include:
(a) Paid and non-paid experience, job title, location(s), dates held (month/year), and hours worked per week for each position. Dates (month/year) and locations for all field experience must also be detailed. Any experience that does not include dates (month/year), locations, and hours per week will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
(b) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.
(c) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments.
(d) U.S. Citizenship
(e) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (FedBizOpps, OFDA Jobs, Career Fair, etc.). Your resume must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation. This information must be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide information sufficient to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration.
- USPSC Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted. AID 309-2 is available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms.
Additional documents submitted will not be accepted.
By submitting your offer materials, you certify that all of the information on and attached to the offer is true, correct, complete, and made in good faith. You agree to allow all information on and attached to the offer to be investigated.
False or fraudulent information on or attached to your offer may result in you being eliminated from consideration for this position, or being terminated after award, and may be punishable by fine or imprisonment.
To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your offer, and as the subject line in any email.
DOCUMENT SUBMITTALS
Via email: [email protected]
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