USPSC Regional Director At US Agency for International Development

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA21R00069 **

ISSUANCE DATE: August 3, 2021

CLOSING DATE AND TIME: April 13, 2022, 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 Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean (ALAC), is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal service as a Regional Director (RD) 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:

1. 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. Failure to identify an academic discipline will result in disqualification.

(d) U.S. Citizenship

(e) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (beta.SAM.gov, BHA 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.

2. 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:

https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=d2e67885db0d5f00b3257d321f96194b&

sysparm_search=kb0013183

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 must be emailed to:

ALAC Recruitment Team

E-Mail Address: BHA.ALACRecruitment@usaid.gov

Website: www.BHAjobs.net

Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to the ALAC Recruitment Team via the information provided above.

Sincerely,

Sonja Stroud Gooden

Contracting Officer

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 720BHA21R00069

2. ISSUANCE DATE: August 3, 2021

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: This solicitation is open and continuous until April 13, 2022. The following are the closing dates for each review period:

August 31, 2021, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time

December 22, 2021, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time

April 13, 2022, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time

Offerors not selected during a previous review period must reapply in order to be considered for positions available in subsequent review periods. A review period may be cancelled at HBMO’s discretion.

4. POINT OF CONTACT: ALAC Recruitment Team, BHA.ALACRecruitment@usaid.gov

5. POSITION TITLE: Regional Director

6. MARKET VALUE: $110,460 – $143,598 equivalent to GS-15 (not eligible for locality pay)

Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Bangkok, Thailand

There may be an initial training program in Washington, D.C. for three months, which will include formal classroom training and on-the-job training; and may include security training. After completion of Washington training, the Regional Director will be assigned to the place of performance.

9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: U.S. Citizens

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level clearance as provided by USAID.

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

POSITION DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) is responsible for facilitating and coordinating U.S. Government (USG) humanitarian assistance overseas in response to all types of international disasters, including slow-onset disasters such as droughts or famine, natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods, or man-made disasters such as conflict or war. BHA is responsible for planning, coordinating, developing, achieving, monitoring, and evaluating international humanitarian assistance falling into two conceptual areas:

● Humanitarian Response activities comprise needs-based humanitarian assistance provided to save lives, alleviate suffering, and protect human dignity during and in the aftermath of emergencies. Humanitarian assistance is grounded in humanitarian principles and is directed toward the most vulnerable populations.

● Early Recovery, Risk Reduction, and Resilience (ER4) activities will set the initial foundations for longer-term recovery as appropriate and will work in close conjunction with humanitarian assistance. Early recovery is an approach that supports communities impacted by crises to protect and restore basic systems and service delivery. Early recovery builds on humanitarian response efforts and establishes the initial foundations of long-term recovery. Early recovery activities are implemented for a specified, appropriate timeframe that assists populations recovering from an identifiable shock. Risk reduction is the prevention of new and reduction of existing disaster risk and management of residual risk, which contributes to strengthening resilience and to the achievement of sustainable development. Resilience is the ability of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth.

BHA has seven offices, as follows:

The Bureau’s three geographic offices are: (1) Office of Africa; (2) Office of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean; and (3) the Office of the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Each geographic office designs, provides, and assesses humanitarian assistance for their respective regions, including assistance related to responding to, recovering from, and reducing the risk of man-made and natural disasters, while linking with other USAID investments that build resilience.

The Office of Global Policy, Partnerships, Programs, and Communications (G3PC) shapes and influences USAID’s role within the international humanitarian system; leads engagement on a range of policy, programmatic, and operational issues; and positions the Agency to influence collective response to emergency needs across the globe.

The Office of Technical and Program Quality (TPQ) leads the Bureau’s efforts to provide high-quality programmatic and technical leadership, oversight, and guidance. In addition, TPQ leads the Bureau’s external engagement with academia and coordinates research to advance the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of humanitarian and multi-year programming.

The Office of Humanitarian Business and Management Operations (HBMO) is responsible for maintaining 24/7 operability by providing leadership, planning, quality assurance, technical expertise, and process management. HBMO ensures effective stewardship of the Bureau’s support services, including workforce planning, staffing, financial management, internal controls, facilities operations and infrastructure.

The Office of Field and Response Operations (FARO) leads and manages operational assistance and the purchase and delivery of goods and services in response to declared foreign disasters and international humanitarian needs in key functional areas, including supply-chain management, procurement, logistics, oversight, and operational coordination with the U.S. military.

INTRODUCTION

The Office of Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean (ALAC) designs, provides, and assesses humanitarian assistance, including assistance related to responding to, recovering from, and reducing the risk of human-made and natural disasters, while linking with other USAID investments that build resilience. To achieve these objectives, humanitarian experts based overseas coordinate with local authorities and USAID Missions, while humanitarian experts based in Washington coordinate with USAID Regional and Pillar Bureaus.

The Office of ALAC consists of (3) three geographic divisions: Latin America and the Caribbean, East Asia and the Pacific, and South and Central Asia. These divisions are responsible for the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance through grants and cooperative agreements to non-governmental organizations (NGOs); international organizations including United Nations (UN) agencies; and to other partners to ensure the implementation and delivery of this assistance. These divisions also oversee BHA’s nonresponse efforts in disaster risk reduction, resilience, and early recovery.

BHA regional offices are headed by the Regional Directors (RDs) who lead disaster response, preparedness, and disaster risk reduction activities. They are principally responsible for managing the regional offices, monitoring all grants on humanitarian assistance program implementation, overseeing sub-regional offices, as applicable, supervising the office staff, and developing, in consultation with their respective Office Director, Deputy Director, and the Division Chief in Washington, the annual and multi-year strategies for their respective regions. In coordination with BHA/Washington and USAID Missions where they exist, RD’s manage disaster response activities, and identify and formulate disaster preparedness, mitigation, and training programs for their respective regions.

OBJECTIVE

The ALAC Office requires the services of a RD for the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Team at its regional office in Bangkok, Thailand, to ensure that BHA’s mandate is met and to enhance its capability to manage complex portfolios, effectively respond to international crises and disasters, and manage a preparedness and disaster risk reduction portfolio across the region.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The RD will be responsible for a complex portfolio—requiring oversight of multiple, concurrent humanitarian crises throughout the disaster cycle. The RD will manage a team of field-based staff responsible for the monitoring and assessment of humanitarian needs in the region of responsibility and developing, implementing, and monitoring humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction efforts. The RD will serve as the lead humanitarian advisor in the field and ensure BHA field-base perspectives are incorporated into BHA’s internal and external policy efforts and office-wide initiatives. Up to 75% travel throughout the assigned region and to headquarters will be expected.

The RD’s responsibilities will include the following:

Contextual Specialty

● Serve as an authoritative expert on humanitarian issues, priorities, lessons learned, and opportunities in the region of responsibility.

● Use extensive experience and knowledge base to guide BHA’s Regional Humanitarian Advisors in analyzing and determining the scale and scope of a wide-range of challenges when complete information is not available and provide support to continued efforts to establish creative solutions.

● Provide expert guidance on political, humanitarian, organizational, structural and stakeholder interests specific to the region of responsibility.

● Prepare or supervise the preparation of regular strategic and analytical reports on current or anticipated emergencies, as well as comprehensive preparedness documentation on assigned countries.

Portfolio Management

● Lead/conduct/oversee initial assessments to identify humanitarian needs and/or disaster risk reduction opportunities in current disaster sites or locations with high vulnerability.

● Ensure ongoing humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction activities are monitored to validate that objectives are met and beneficiaries are served.

● Lead the development of country-, issue-, or disaster- specific strategies across the region of responsibility, as well as timely revision of these strategies as contextual realities shift.

● Make authoritative recommendations on difficult resource and programmatic trade-offs within the region and provide expert advice to inform global prioritization.

● Ensure interventions within the region of responsibility align with appropriate strategies.

● Serve a primary role in the management of the approved annual budget for the region to include timely identification of the need for additional resources or the availability of surplus.

Representation

● Serve as the BHA’s lead representative and the primary point of contact on humanitarian issues in the area of responsibility.

● Serve as an expert advisor on humanitarian and disaster risk reduction issues to senior USG personnel in the region, including Ambassadors, Mission Directors, and other heads of agencies.

● Develop and maintain relationships with representatives of host governments, emergency/humanitarian donor governments government donors (Department for International Development (DFID), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), etc.), international emergency and humanitarian organizations (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Organization for Migration, etc.), emergency/humanitarian divisions of NGOs, U.S. embassies and USAID missions to ensure efficient and coordinated humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction activities.

● Represent USAID in joint efforts to design, develop, and implement humanitarian strategies and interventions with local governments, donor, partner, and UN organizations, as appropriate.

● Advise regional officials, including host country authorities and other USAID officials on disaster response, mitigation, and risk reduction efforts, including the review of sector disaster response, and disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction plans.

● Work with local and regional institutions and private/public sector organizations to incorporate disaster risk reduction into appropriate programs.

Leadership

● Manage and prioritize daily activities of BHA’s regional office and all related sub-regional and program offices.

● Supervise emergency/humanitarian staff within the region to include provision of technical guidance and oversight, administrative approvals, and staff development and evaluation.

● Provide current and future strategic direction to the regional office to include programmatic, liaison, and representational prioritization, and human and financial resource requirements.

● Participate in a leadership role in office-wide policy initiatives to ensure field perspectives are well-represented.

● Serve as an early adopter of change through constructive engagement in policy, process, and management issues during development and implementation.

General Duties

● Ensure timely reporting of BHA’s activities in the region through written cables, analyses, strategies, and other requests for written information and/or oral briefings.

● Sign-up for and serve in a leadership role as needed, on Washington-based Response Management Teams (RMTs), which provides services and support to Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will be varied.

● As needed, serve in a leadership role on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an extended period of time.

● As appropriate, for cross-training purposes to enhance operational awareness, may serve on temporary details within the Bureau.

● Become certified and serve as an Agreement Officer’s Representative/Contracting Officer’s Representative (AOR/COR), as assigned. The AOR/COR provides financial and programmatic oversight of all aspects of managing the agreement or contract; this includes but is not limited to reviewing invoices, requests for approvals, program/project deliverables (i.e. work plans, annual reports, month status reports), travel requests, key personnel requests, and financial/budget reports. They are responsible for drafting and submitting the annual contractor performance evaluation in Contract/Assistance Performance Assessment Review System. They prepare and review contract/assistance modifications documentation and assist the Contracting/Agreement Officer to ensure performance is compliant with the terms and conditions of the contract/agreement, the FAR, and USAID policy. AOR/CORs are responsible for all related requirements in the COR designation letter and the AOR designation letter.

SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:

The USPSC will take direction from and will report to the ALAC Office Director or his/her designee.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:

Supervisor provides administrative directions in terms of broadly defined missions or functions. The USPSC independently plans, designs and carries out programs, projects, studies or other work. Results are considered authoritative and are normally accepted without significant change.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work is generally sedentary and does not pose undue physical demands. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, there may be some additional physical exertion including long periods of standing, walking over rough terrain, or carrying of moderately heavy items (less than 50 pounds).

13. WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is primarily performed in an office setting. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, the work may additionally involve special safety and/or security precautions, wearing of protective equipment, and exposure to severe weather conditions.

14. START DATE: Immediately, once necessary clearances are obtained.

II. 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 in any field and eleven (11) years of progressively responsible experience working in emergency relief and international humanitarian assistance, and/or disaster response. Five (5) years of this experience must be overseas field experience including on-the-ground field experience in needs assessment, analysis, emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation.

Master’s degree in any field and nine (9) years of progressively responsible experience working in emergency relief and international humanitarian assistance, and/or disaster response. Five (5) years of this experience must be overseas field experience including on-the-ground field experience in needs assessment, analysis, emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation.

III. 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 and maintain a Department of State medical clearance throughout the contract. **

● 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 rating factors are as follows:

Professional Experience (10 points)

● Direct donor-based experience with US Government international humanitarian agencies such as USAID or Department of State or other international disaster response donor organizations.

● Demonstrated experience managing humanitarian interventions in an international disaster context across the entire disaster management cycle to include emergency response, early recovery, disaster risk reduction, and resilience.

● Specific experience managing humanitarian interventions including needs assessment, strategy development, budget management, resource prioritization, program development, and program management.

Management/Supervisory Experience (10 points)

● Demonstrated experience providing expert guidance on political, organizational, structural and stakeholder interests for humanitarian assistance.

● Demonstrated experience managing a staff of varied nationalities and cultural backgrounds working on a complex international humanitarian crisis.

● Demonstrated experience managing a diverse team of program, technical, and administrative staff, and mediating with senior humanitarian professionals working in international humanitarian crises.

● Demonstrated experience administering the performance review cycle for employees, reviewing statements of work, setting annual performance goals, conducting annual performance reviews, documenting disciplinary reviews, and drafting personnel award documents.

Skills and Abilities (10 points)

● Demonstrated skills providing expert guidance on humanitarian and disaster risk reduction issues to senior diplomats to include Ambassadors, Mission Directors, and other heads of agencies.

● Demonstrated interpersonal and representational skills in order to work effectively with senior-level host government officials 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 experience representing a large donor organization in joint efforts to design, develop, and implement humanitarian strategies and interventions with local governments, donors, partners, and UN organizations.

● Demonstrated skill in compiling timely written reports and/or oral briefings of humanitarian assistance activities at a regional level providing analyses, strategies, and policy recommendations.

Interview Performance (50 points)

Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks (20 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. BHA 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. BHA reserves the right to select additional offerors if vacancies become available during future phase of the selection process.

IV. 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:

1. Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your offer, your resume must include:

(b) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.

(d) U.S. Citizenship

(e) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (beta.SAM.gov, BHA Jobs, Career Fair, etc.).

2. 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: BHA.ALACRecruitment@usaid.gov