USPSC Senior Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Advisor (Multiple Positions) At US Agency for International Development

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA21R00047

ISSUANCE DATE: August 10, 2021

CLOSING DATE AND TIME: July 26, 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 Humanitarian Business and Management Operations (HBMO), is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal service as a Senior Acquisition and Assistance (A&A) Advisor 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. 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&amp[;sysparm_search=kb0013183](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:

HBMO Recruitment Team

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

Website: www.BHAjobs.net

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

Sincerely,

Sonja Stroud-Gooden

Contracting Officer

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior A&A Advisor will demonstrate expert competence in the duties and responsibilities described below. S/he will perform these duties and responsibilities with little to no guidance and minimal supervisory direction from the A&A PGT or QA Team leader or his/her designee. Additionally, s/he will have a high level of responsibility for management and coordination in his/her area of responsibility. S/he will also have a high level of responsibility for contributing to policy decisions, and representing the office and bureau and its interests to other parties.

Acquisition & Assistance Policy and Guidance:

● Demonstrate an expert understanding of federal and USAID procurement and award making and management regulations and policies including but not limited to the Code of Federal Regulations, Agency for International Develop Acquisition Regulations, and USAID Automated Directive Series.

● Act as an expert and technical advisor on acquisition and assistance matters to support staff and office management.

● Exercise independent judgment and decision-making related to acquisition and assistance policies and guidelines.

● Independently research, review, analyze, and/or interpret current and new acquisition and assistance statutes, regulations, policies, or procedures to ensure consistent adherence to USG and USAID requirements and to strengthen internal office procurement and award making and management policies, procedures, and systems including capturing best practices and innovations.

● Advise staff in the drafting of effective statements of work, program descriptions, evaluation criteria, applications instructions, and other supporting documents for notices of funding opportunities and request for proposals.

● Draft for the Assistance Officer/ Contracting Officer suggested response to acquisition and assistance inquiries through research, analysis, and presentation of necessary documentation.

● Prepare and/or provide substantive assistance in the creation and execution of short- and/or long-term solutions to complying with and addressing acquisition and assistance requirements and challenges.

● Conduct assessments of BHA programs for consistent adherence to acquisition and assistance policies and guidance and recommend appropriate corrective or mitigation measures.

Portfolio Management:

● Draft, maintain, update, and revise written technical guidance based on new or changes to existing USG and Agency acquisition and assistance initiatives and policies.

● Independently respond to BHA staff and recipient inquiries on complex program topics, issues, and questions relating to acquisition and assistance policies and procedures.

● Train and mentor BHA and recipient staff in Washington and the field on complex acquisition and assistance topics including providing technical expertise in the development, updating, presentation, and evaluation of training materials related to procurement and award making and management.

● Analyze and provide guidance, input, and/or information products to A&A or BHA senior leadership on issues that require escalation for resolution. Assist in related discussions, meetings, and follow-up with pertinent stakeholders.

● In collaboration with other BHA teams, conduct independent analysis of and provide recommendations on office-level award management systems including but not limited to Abacus and Google Sites. Additionally, provide advice, guidance, and improvements and determine overall systems needs and priorities related to acquisition and assistance issues.

● As assigned by A&A PGT or QA Team Leader or his/her designee, review and approve procurement and award making and management business process system changes.

● Lead complex, highly specialized competitive acquisition and assistance solicitations throughout the entire procurement life cycle from pre-award to selection.

● Lead on resolving and responding to complex, highly-specialized program issues and questions relating to acquisition and assistance policies and procedures.

Agency and USG Liaison and Representation:

● Serve as a primary point of contact in the area of responsibility for the division and BHA Senior Management.

● Serve as acting A&A PGT or QA Deputy Team Lead or Team Leader when Deputy Team Lead or Team Leader is out of the office on leave, a detail assignment, or temporary duty.

● Act as a primary coordinator for complex queries and data calls related to acquisition and assistance policy and guidance from humanitarian community partners, OAA, GC, U.S. Congress, or senior USAID staff and ensure timely and appropriate response.

● Liaise with the OAA, GC, and other USAID stakeholders as necessary to understand policy and guidance application to humanitarian assistance and resilience programming and ensure current acquisition and assistance policies and procedures are being appropriately applied.

● Provide written and oral responses to requests for information on BHA’s activities in the area of responsibility, to include briefing papers, memorandum talking points, agency taskers, formal presentations, and informal briefings.

● Advocate for BHA’s interests and unique capabilities in USG and USAID acquisition and assistance policy discussions.

● Serve as point of contact or work closely with appropriate designee to engage with various intra- and inter-agency counterparts related to acquisition and assistance policies and procedures to promote effective and efficient mechanisms and applications suitable for emergency response and resilience programming.

● Develop and maintain relationships with partner organizations within and outside the USG to ensure essential coordination of acquisition and assistance policies and regulations and information exchanges.

Supervisory:

● With the Team Leader, identify ways to actively build and sustain an equitable and inclusive work environment where cultural diversity is celebrated and valued.

● Support the Team Leader in creating an environment oriented to trust, open communication, creative thinking, strong team cohesion and workplace collaboration, and promoting and cultivating high team morale.

● Advise, guide, and train all new team personnel on team processes, templates, and standard operating procedures.

● Conduct quality assurance on final work products. Ensure accurate and error free work products of the team. This includes information associated with data calls with short turnaround times and complex reports created and used to track the flow of work related to the team’s portfolio.

● Oversee the day-to-day work of their respective team by identifying priorities, assigning and balancing workloads, reviewing work products, addressing personnel issues, providing professional development opportunities, and any other management tasks as needed, as requested by the Team Lead or his/her designee.

General Duties:

● Work in rapidly changing, high-pressure situations that often exceed normal business hours.

● Attend regular A&A Division and team meetings and program team meetings.

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

● Serve as the BHA after-hours duty officer on a rotational basis, for approximately one week every six months.

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

● As needed, may serve on temporary details within the bureau 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.

SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:

The USPSC will take direction from and will report to the PGT or QA Team Lead 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.

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 significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field (including, but not limited to, international relations, business, project management, acquisition, assistance, and management) pluple Positions)s nine (9) years of progressively responsible experience in acquisition and assistance functions related to USG procurement planning and solicitation and acquisition or assistance award administration, which must include at least three (3) years managing several team members handling multiple, competing priorities in a high-pressure environment and three (3) years working in international development, domestic or international emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation or reconstruction aid.

OR

Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field (including, but not limited to, international relations, business, project management, acquisition, assistance, and management) plus seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in acquisition and assistance functions related to USG procurement planning and solicitation and acquisition or assistance award administration, which must include at least two (2) years managing several team members in a high-pressure environment and two (2) years working in international development, domestic and international emergency relief program operations, or post-emergency rehabilitation or reconstruction aid.

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:

Matrix (30 points)

Technical Experience (15 points)

● Demonstrated experience drafting acquisition and assistance policies, procedures, and resources related to the implementation of domestic/international emergency and/or international development programs.

● Demonstrated experience creating and identifying solutions to complex acquisition and assistance issues.

● Demonstrated experience procuring and managing large dollar value acquisition and assistance procurements.

Negotiation, Communication, and Interpersonal Skills (6 points)

● Demonstrated experience working with various audiences to negotiate and build consensus on acquisition and assistance issues.

● Demonstrated experience communicating policy-related information to non-specialist audiences at a variety of levels.

● Demonstrated experience providing oral presentations and written communications to senior leadership and various stakeholders.

Management Experience (9 points)

● Demonstrated experience managing and training a large team with various skill levels.

● Demonstrated experience leading a team in problem-solving and decision-making**.**

Interview Performance (50 points)

Timed Writing Test (10 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. 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.