SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA23R00010

ISSUANCE DATE: January 24, 2023

CLOSING DATE AND TIME: March 10, 2023 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,

Joy Burriss -  Contracting Officer

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 720BHA23R00010

2. ISSUANCE DATE: January 24, 2023

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: March 10, 2023 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time

4. POINT OF CONTACT: TPQ Recruitment Team, BHA.TPQRecruitment@usaid.gov

5. POSITION TITLE: Deputy Team Lead

6. MARKET VALUE: $132,368 - $172,075 equivalent to GS-14 (includes 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: USAID/Washington Relocation expenses will not be reimbursed for U.S.-based positions.

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 clearance level. 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 Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level clearance as provided by USAID.

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

GENERAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE OF THE CONTRACT: The Office of Technical and Program Quality (TPQ) leads the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance's (BHA) efforts to ensure high quality programmatic and technical leadership, oversight, and guidance. TPQ captures, applies, and strengthens capacity in technical best practices and contextually appropriate programmatic approaches focused on all dimensions of BHA programming from humanitarian response and transition into longer-term resilience programming, as well as risk analysis and early warning. TPQ is responsible for providing policy, normative guidance, tools, facilitation, and capacity building to assist the Bureau in achieving optimal humanitarian outcomes through strategic design, consistent and effective performance monitoring, comprehensive and appropriate evaluation, and purposeful learning across the full spectrum of BHA responses and programming. The Office promotes USAID’s humanitarian voice through active participation and technical leadership in interagency and global fora, including leading the Bureau’s technical engagement with academia and thought leaders. TPQ designs, supports, and coordinates research to advance the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of BHA programming. TPQ leads BHA in meeting the increasing demand for technical support and guidance in all facets of the Bureau’s work as the geographic and topical areas of coverage expand, and as the Bureau seeks increased technical and programmatic standardization, integration, and oversight to meet Agency, Congressional, and other demands.

The Public Health and Nutrition (PHN) Division leads BHA efforts to protect the public health of supported populations and encompasses expertise in the following technical areas: health, pharmaceuticals and medical commodities, nutrition, food technology, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). PHN invests in a wide range of applied research and learning initiatives to build the evidence base for programmatic decision making in these technical areas, promote coordination, and build humanitarian capacity, contributing to USAID’s objective of fostering conceptual and operational linkages between humanitarian and resilience programming. With USAID as the lead Agency in USG humanitarian responses, PHN is also uniquely positioned to harmonize USAID and interagency public health and nutrition efforts to ensure consistent technical approaches and objectives, and collaboration with various external international stakeholders (donors, public international organizations, Clusters, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia).

The Deputy Team Lead (DTL) plays a central role in the U.S. Government’s (USG) disaster response, humanitarian assistance, disaster risk reduction, resilience, and early recovery programs. The DTL’s core function is to support the Health Team Lead to lead, manage, and support the Health Team and the Health Team’s portfolios that require USG technical leadership in the humanitarian community and program management. The DTL will report to the Health Team Lead who works closely with the PHN Division Chief.

The DTL is a Washington, DC based position. The incumbent will manage staff in the Humanitarian Health sub-team, coordinate and collaborate with other stakeholders inside and outside of BHA, and provide technical leadership in humanitarian health. The DTL will serve as a secondary contact and liaison for the Health Team’s ongoing humanitarian assistance activities as well as for early recovery, risk reduction, and resilience activities, as appropriate. The DTL will be responsible for humanitarian health program analysis and technical portfolio development and work closely within BHA, with staff in other USAID/Washington Bureaus (e.g. Bureau for Global Health), and with the international donors, United Nation (UN) organizations, International Organizations (IOs), and international/local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in disaster mitigation, and responding to humanitarian needs and sudden onset disasters. The DTL will also oversee and guide staff on budget and program management. The DTL may be called upon to serve on a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) overseas or at DC-based Response Management Team (RMT).

STATEMENT OF DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED

Management

● Develop and maintain knowledge of the key humanitarian programs within the Health Team portfolio.

● Represent USG humanitarian interests at national and international meetings and conferences, and facilitate travel and briefings for official USG visitors interested in humanitarian issues.

● Work closely with the Health Team to discuss and understand sectoral priorities.

● Represent the Health Team, through oral and written briefings, within the USG and with humanitarian stakeholders to convey humanitarian concerns and priorities from the Health Team’s perspective.

● Provide recommendations on current and future directions of the Health Team’s portfolios to include programmatic, budgetary, and human resource requirements.

● Participate, as assigned, in a wide range of office-wide policy, process, and strategic initiatives and working groups to ensure TPQ’s, PHN Division’s, and the Health Team’s priorities and operating realities are reflected in outcomes.

● Solicit and consolidate feedback from the Health Team and work with the Office Directors, Division Chiefs, Team Leaders, and other Deputy Team Leads to identify the division’s strategic interests and find creative solutions beneficial to the division as well as the office.

● Support the professional development of team members through mentorship.

● Maintain an in-depth understanding of political, humanitarian, organizational, and stakeholder interests specific to the Health Team portfolio.

● Consistently model behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment free of discrimination, bias, unfairness, exclusion, offensive behaviors, and harassment of any kind.

● Contribute to a collaborative, respectful, and professional work environment by demonstrating partnership and teamwork to accomplish team, division, office, and Bureau objectives.

● Participate in workplace efforts to advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), including those related to Bureau and TPQ programs, partners, staffing, professional development, and other key areas.

● Attend and actively participate in personal-development activities, such as anti-harassment and diversity training opportunities, brown bag sessions, working groups, and/or focus group discussions.

● As directed by the Team Lead, manage individual activities/projects.

● The DTL 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.

Technical Leadership

● In consultation with the Health Team Lead and Health Team staff, manage existing relief and transition-oriented programs; and broadly recommend the types of interventions and budget levels required in the Health Team portfolio.

● Provide health related technical guidance to BHA’s geographic offices based on international best practice, Agency policies, and USG regulations.

● Review partner concept papers and applications and provide timely feedback/comments.

● Collaborate with BHA Geographic Offices, USAID Regional and Pillar bureau colleagues to share information and ensure coordination in ongoing Health Team-supported programs, and explore opportunities for synergies.

● Liaise with humanitarian partners and other donors to share information about the Health Team’s priorities and ongoing programs to ensure coordination.

● 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 United Nation (UN), International Organizations, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and local institutions to carry out health programs; o Contributions to humanitarian health programming by other donors o Problems arising from implementation of humanitarian health emergency response and early recovery programs; and o Humanitarian health coordination issues and any recommendations for change.

● Ensure reporting on a timely basis to the Health Team Lead, PHN Division Chief, and other stakeholders on the quality of grantees’ work, noting deficiencies, attributes, and evolving operational conditions.

● 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 the Health Team portfolio.

● Support the preparation of regular strategic and analytical reports on current or anticipated emergencies, as well as comprehensive preparedness documentation on the Health Team portfolio.

● May be requested to be on-call/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 vary.

● As needed, serve on 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.

● As needed, may serve on temporary details within the Bureau 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 and project deliverables (such as work plans, annual reports, month status reports), travel requests, key personnel requests, and financial and budget reports. They are responsible for drafting and submitting the annual contractor performance evaluation in Contract/Assistance Performance Assessment Review System (CPARS/APARS). They prepare and review contract and assistance modification documentation and assist the Contracting/Agreement Officer to ensure performance is compliant with the terms and conditions of the contract/agreement, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), and USAID policy. AOR/CORs are responsible for all related requirements in the COR designation letter and the AOR designation letter.

Qualifications

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 Public Health or related degree such as nursing or epidemiology, plus nine (9) years of experience working in emergency relief and humanitarian health assistance, three (3) years of which were obtained overseas and one (1) year of which included supervision or management of staff.

OR

Master’s degree in Public Health or related degree including international or public health or epidemiology, plus seven (7) years of experience working in emergency relief and humanitarian health assistance, three (3) years of which were obtained overseas and one (1) year of which included supervision or management of staff.

OR

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Health or related degree including international or public health or epidemiology, plus five (5) years of experience working in emergency relief and humanitarian health assistance, three (3) years of which were obtained overseas and one (1) year of which included supervision or management of staff.

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 a 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.

Application instructions

IV. SUBMITTING AN OFFER

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.

3. Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.

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

(a) Offerors must notate on their resume what GS level equivalent is being applied for. Applicants may list more than one GS level on their resume. (b) 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. (c) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work. d) 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. (e) U.S. Citizenship (f) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (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 for each grade level for which you are applying. 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.

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.

5. Ensure Adequate COVID-19 Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors - Please be advised that upon award, the contractor will be required to show proof that the contractor is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on or before the first date of onboarding, or submit an approved reasonable accommodation to the CO. If the contractor does not meet this requirement the contract may be terminated.* USPSCs/TCNPSCs performing overseas must follow the Mission policies and/or directives from the U.S. Department of State regarding COVID-19 requirements. *See Notice Regarding Any Court Order Affecting the Implementation of E.O. 14042 in Section VIII below.

6. NOTE: If the full security application package is not submitted within 30 days after the Office of Security determines eligibility, the offer may be rescinded. If a Secret security clearance is not obtained within nine months after offer acceptance, the offer may be rescinded. If Top Secret is required, and clearance is not obtained within nine months after award, USAID may terminate the contract at the convenience of the government. If Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access is not obtained within nine months after Top Secret clearance is granted, USAID may terminate the contract at the convenience of the government.

7. NOTE: If the full medical clearance package is not submitted within two months after offer acceptance, the offer may be rescinded. If a Department of State medical clearance is not obtained; the offer may be rescinded.

NOTE REGARDING GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS FOR THIS 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.