SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA24R00008
ISSUANCE DATE: January 23, 2024
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: March 11, 2024, 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) 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 of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will
not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their records.

USAID will evaluate all offerors based on stated evaluation criteria. USAID encourages all individuals,
including those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups, to respond to the solicitation.

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 Attachment 1.

Sincerely,
Ousay Wahaj
Supervisory Contracting Officer

I. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. SOLICITATION NO.: 720BHA24R00008
2. ISSUANCE DATE: January 23, 2024
3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: March 11, 202412:00 P.M. Eastern Time
4. POINT OF CONTACT: ALAC Recruitment Team, BHA.ALACRecruitment@usaid.gov
5. POSITION TITLE: Regional Humanitarian Advisor (Three (3) Positions)
6. MARKET VALUE: $104,604 - $135,987 equivalent to GS-14 (not eligible for Locality Pay)

Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value and will include Locality Pay for
domestic USPSCs based on the location of the Official USAID Worksite, or the approved alternative
worksite if approved for remote work. USPSCs performing overseas are not entitled to Locality Pay.
Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.
7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: San Jose, Costa Rica
Relocation expenses will not be reimbursed for U.S.-based positions.

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 initial training, the Regional Humanitarian Advisor will be assigned to the place of performance.
Overseas USPSCs may be authorized to telework or remote work only from a location within the
country of performance, in accordance with Mission policy. Telework or remote work from outside
the country of performance may only be authorized in certain situations in accordance with the terms
and conditions of the contract.
8. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years, tentatively 145 day estimated start date from closing
9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: U.S. Citizens Only
10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret
If there is a change in circumstances requiring access to National Security information classified at the
Top-Secret level, the offeror may be asked to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret/Sensitive
Compartmented Information level clearance as provided by USAID.
11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

GENERAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE OF THE CONTRACT

Regional Humanitarian Advisors (RHAs) play a central role in leading and managing the U.S.
Government’s (USGs) humanitarian assistance efforts, including disaster response and early recovery,
risk reduction, and resilience activities, in their region. Their core function is to support Bureau for
Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) portfolios that require significant USG policy engagement and
humanitarian program management. The RHAs report to the Regional Director who works closely with
Division Chiefs in Washington, D.C. BHA/ALAC’s Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Regional Office
requires services of RHAs in order to meet its objective of disaster assistance, risk reduction, and
resilience programming as well as strategic reporting and analysis.

STATEMENT OF DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED

Working directly under the guidance and supervision of the Regional Director or their designee, the RHA
will work in close collaboration with a team that may include other RHAs, Humanitarian Program
Officers, Technical Specialists, Regional Team Leaders, Humanitarian Assistance Officers, Program
Assistants, Foreign Service Nationals, and others, depending on the work assigned.

Specifically, the RHA will be responsible for the following:

Contextual Specialty:
● Serve as an expert on humanitarian and resilience issues, priorities, lessons learned, and
opportunities in the region of responsibility related to disaster risk reduction, innovation, private
sector engagement, and other cross-cutting humanitarian issues.
● Provide expert guidance on political, humanitarian, organizational, structural, and stakeholder
interests specific to the region of responsibility.
● Identify opportunities to expand support across the region to cross cutting issues that bring
together humanitarian, resilience, and recovery programming, while working closely with
humanitarian structures to support opportunities for cooperation between humanitarian and
development portfolios.
● Prepare and/or provide substantive guidance in the preparation of regular strategic and
analytical reports on current or anticipated emergencies, as well as comprehensive
preparedness documentation on assigned countries.

Portfolio Management:
● Develop and maintain a detailed understanding of BHA’s program strategy and the
implementation of the resulting grants and contracts in geographic or thematic areas of
responsibility.
● Guide regional team efforts to develop appropriate programmatic strategies for disaster
responses and risk reduction efforts in the area of responsibility.
● Support growth opportunities across the geographic areas of responsibility in areas such as
innovation and private sector engagement, and regularly identify linkages within United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) Missions for this work.
● Review grant applications for conceptual soundness, technical feasibility, and alignment with
budget constraints for disaster assistance/emergency activities, resilience programming, and
recovery.
● Identify opportunities for multi-year programs to respond to Agency priorities across the
humanitarian to development spectrum, including supporting the design and review of
applications for this kind of programming.
● Lead/conduct initial assessments to identify humanitarian needs and/or risk reduction and
resilience opportunities in current disaster contexts or locations with high vulnerability.
● Monitor ongoing humanitarian response, early recovery, risk reduction, and resilience activities
to validate that program objectives are met and beneficiaries are served.
● Lead the development of country, or issue-specific strategies across the region of responsibility,
as well as timely revision of these strategies as contextual realities shift.
● Support knowledge sharing and the maximization of technical expertise across the region.
● Re-assess implementation approaches and strategies on an ongoing basis and make
recommendations for appropriate shifts in approach or resource allocation.
● Participate in the development of field-based recommendations on difficult resource and
programmatic trade-offs within the region.

Representation:
● Develop and maintain relationships with representatives of host governments, donor
governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, U.S. Embassies, and
USAID missions to ensure efficient and coordinated humanitarian response and Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) activities.
● Represent USAID in joint efforts to design, develop, and implement humanitarian strategies and
interventions with local governments, other donors, implementing partners, and other
stakeholders, as appropriate.
● Advise regional officials, including host country authorities and other USAID officials, on disaster
response, early recovery, risk reduction, and resilience efforts.
● Work with local and regional institutions and private/public sector organizations to incorporate
risk reduction into appropriate programs.

Leadership:
● Support regional team efforts to develop current and future strategic direction for 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 a peer-mentor for program staff working to increase exposure and experience in
field-based humanitarian operations.
● Lead an ethnically and culturally diverse team of program, technical and/or administrative staff.
General Duties:
● Become certified across Position Task Books, including completing all required and
recommended training, to ensure readiness to serve on responses across the geographic offices
in BHA.
● May serve on Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) which may require immediate (within
24 hours) deployment overseas for an extended period of time. 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). 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.
● May be requested to be on-call/sign up for and serve on Washington-based Response
Management Teams (RMTs), which provide services and support to DARTs deployed in response
to disasters. The duties on RMTs will vary.
● May serve on temporary detail within the region to meet operational needs during staff
shortages. Duties performed while on detail will be aligned with the Team’s existing duties and
responsibilities and will be directly related to the scope of work provided.
● 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 the Contract 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.
● Consistently model behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to fostering a non-hostile work
environment free of discrimination, bias, unfairness, exclusion, offensive behaviors, and
harassment of any kind.
● Lead/foster a collaborative, respectful, and professional work environment by demonstrating
partnership and teamwork to accomplish team, office, and bureau objectives.
● The SRA does not have supervisory responsibilities; however, the PSC may serve in an acting
leadership role within the bureau in order to meet short-term staffing needs, not to exceed 120
days in a 12-month contract year.
● In times of emergency humanitarian assistance, the PSC will serve on temporary details within
the bureau. Duties performed while on detail will correspond to the level and market value for
the position and the work specified to be performed in the Statement of Duties.

SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:
The USPSC will take direction from and will report to the BHA/ALAC LAC Regional Director or their
designee.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
The supervisor provides administrative direction in terms of broadly defined missions or functions.
USPSC independently plans, designs and carries out projects, studies, and programs. Results of the work
are considered technically authoritative. There is no higher level official technically responsible for
administering the program/project.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

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 and at least nine (9) years of experience working with a humanitarian or development
focus and responsibility determining budget levels, selecting programs for funding, or managing and
evaluating funded programs. Experience must include three (3) years of cumulative experience in
humanitarian assistance, emergency management/relief, DRR, post-emergency rehabilitation or
recovery, or resilience.

OR

Master’s degree and at least seven (7) years of relevant experience working with a humanitarian or
development focus and responsibility in determining budget levels, selecting programs for funding, or
managing and evaluating funded programs. Experience must include three (3) years of cumulative
experience in humanitarian assistance, emergency management/relief, DRR, post-emergency
rehabilitation or recovery, or resilience.

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.

The technical evaluation committee may conduct reference checks, including references from individuals
who have not been specifically identified by the offeror, and may do so before or after a candidate is
interviewed.

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 section IV 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 may be accepted.
● Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance. (If there is a change in circumstances
requiring access to National Security information classified at the Top Secret level, the offeror may be asked to obtain and maintain Secret up to a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level clearance after award).
● Ability to obtain and maintain 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 rating factors are as follows:

SCORING MATRIX (30 points)

Professional Experience (10 points)
● Experience designing needs assessments in a humanitarian or emergency context. (1 point)
● Experience implementing needs assessments in a humanitarian or emergency context. (1 point)
● Experience developing strategies in a humanitarian or emergency context. (1 point)
● Experience managing program budgets in a humanitarian or emergency context. (1 point)
● Demonstrated experience managing programs that focus on emergency response. (2 points)
● Demonstrated experience managing programs that focus on early recovery, risk reduction, or
resilience programming. (1 point)
● Demonstrated experience leveraging the private sector in humanitarian or development
programming. (3 points)
Skills and Abilities (10 points)
● Demonstrated experience working with host or local governments on the planning of
humanitarian or development interventions. (2 points)
● Demonstrated experience working with host government on the implementation of
humanitarian or development interventions. (2 points)
● Demonstrated experience working with donor organizations or diplomatic missions. (2 points)
● Demonstrated experience working with non-governmental partners. (2 points)
● Demonstrated experience delivering verbal and oral presentations. (2 points)

Leading Teams Experience (10 points)
● Experience mentoring, training, and integrating junior and new teammates. (4 points)
● Experience with team performance management. (2 points)
● Experience providing formal or informal feedback. (2 points)
● Experience managing teams that include program, technical, or administrative staff. (2 points)

Interview Performance (50 points)

Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks (20 points)
Offerors must provide their references to BHA upon request no later than seven (7) days from initial
request. Failure to meet this requirement will lead to a score of zero (0) in this portion of the Offeror
Rating System.

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 the future phase of the selection process.