U.S. Agency for International Development 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20523 www.usaid.gov
SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA22R00042 ISSUANCE DATE: September 13, 2022
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: October 14, 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 Technical and Program Quality (TPQ) is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as Shelter and Settlements (S&S) Advisor under a United States Personal Services Contract (USPSC), as described in this solicitation.

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.

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? (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. Certified electronic signatures may be accepted. AID 309-2 is
available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms.

NOTE REGARDING ENSURING 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 performing overseas must follow the Mission
policies and/or directives from the U.S. Department of State regarding COVID-19 requirements.

NOTE REGARDING UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER (UEI) NUMBER AND THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

All USPSCs with a place of performance in the United States are required to have a Unique Entity
Identifier (UEI) 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.

All new SAM.gov entity registrations require a signed notarized letter identifying the authorized
Entity administrator for the entity associated with the UEI 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/gsafsd_sp

Instructions to obtain a UEI can be found via the SAM.gov 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 must be emailed to:

TPQ Recruitment Team
E-Mail Address: BHA.TPQRecruitment@usaid.gov Website: www.BHAjobs.net

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

Sincerely,

Digitally signed by SONJA PATRICE
STROUD (affiliate) Date: 2022.08.31
20:01:00 -04'00'
Sonja Stroud-Gooden Contracting Officer

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 720BHA22R00042

2. ISSUANCE DATE: September 13, 2022

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: October 14, 2022, 12:00 P.M.
Eastern Time

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

5. POSITION TITLE: Shelter and Settlements (S&S) Advisor

6. MARKET VALUE: $68,299 - $88,792 equivalent to GS-12 (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 when remote work is authorized. 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.

If the position is for a Washington based PSC, offerors who live outside the Washington, D.C. area
will be considered for employment, but no relocation expenses will be reimbursed.

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Remote
This position has been designated as suitable for remote work. The contractor will be authorized to
perform the services under this contract from an alternative worksite. For PSCs authorized to
remote work, the alternative worksite determines the locality pay for compensation purposes.

9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: U.S. Citizens

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 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 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 Shelter and Settlements Advisor is an integral member of the Risk Analysis Division of the
Office of Technical and Program Quality (TPQ). 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 Risk Analysis Division (RAD) leads BHA technical efforts to provide early warning, effective
mitigation, and appropriate response to natural disasters and complex emergencies. RAD supports
decision-making through the provision of evidence of human vulnerabilities to crises and technical
support to humanitarian actors. RAD capacity building, institutional strengthening, outreach, and
advocacy efforts promote the uptake of best practices in risk assessment and early warning to
prevent, mitigate, and recover from humanitarian crises around the world.

BHA supports humanitarian Shelter and Settlements assistance to provide safer, habitable, covered
living spaces and settlements where affected households can resume critical social and livelihoods
activities. This assistance focuses not only on reducing the immediate and short-term economic,
social, and physical vulnerability of disaster-affected households and their communities, but -
importantly - also lays the foundation for longer term recovery.

OBJECTIVE

BHA requires the services of a Shelter and Settlements Advisor in order to meet its objectives of
programming, monitoring, and evaluating BHA Shelter and Settlements programs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

● Provide technical assistance in assessment, design, planning, implementation, operations,
oversight, monitoring, and evaluation regarding BHA’s Shelter and Settlements activities and
interventions.
● Assist in the strategic planning and development of BHA’s and agency-wide Shelter and
Settlements activities.
● Provide technical expertise to ensure that BHA Shelter and Settlements activities are sound,
sustainable, and appropriate within the BHA mandate.
● Provide systematic analysis of available Shelter and Settlements tools and programmatic guidance.
● Assist regional teams and technical leads in assessing gaps and needs.
● Review and analysis of Shelter and Settlements efforts of other organizations.
● Assess priority countries for Shelter and Settlements interventions.
● Develop strategic, integrated, and comprehensive approaches to Shelter and Settlements.
● Review and comment on project proposals and regional strategies related to Shelter and
Settlements activities.
● Coordinate with the BHA Training Unit to incorporate Shelter and Settlements activities into
various BHA training modules, as appropriate, in order to build capacity within BHA and among
partner relief agencies.
● Identify potentially relevant and applicable concepts, theories, and practices and
operationalize them to a given situation context.
● Identify potentially relevant and applicable urban planning concepts, theories, and practices
and adapt them to sector activities to fashion comprehensive, coherent, rational, and implementable response programs to fulfill mission objectives.
● Identify potentially relevant and applicable engineering, building, and construction principles,
practices, and methods (e.g., critical path methods, computerized drafting tools), and adapt them
to the situation context of any given humanitarian shelter and settlements intervention.
● Support the development of technical papers, guidelines, and informational publications to help
lead and inform the sector and the population at large of shelter and settlement programs,
strategies, and directions.
● Work with other USAID’s bureaus/offices, development community actors, and humanitarian
community actors, to advocate and provide insight for the integration of Shelter and Settlements
activities into development activities, and identify ways to incorporate Shelter and Settlements
Sector activities into early recovery and transition activities.
● 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.
● 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.
● As needed, serve on non-emergency response temporary duty assignments (TDY’s) to assist in
program/technical quality.
● As needed, may serve on temporary detail 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/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 (CPARS/APARS). 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 Shelter and Settlements Team Lead or
his/her designee.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
Supervisor sets overall objectives and resources available; the USPSC consults with the supervisor
to develop deadlines, projects, and work to be done. The USPSC is responsible for planning and
carrying out assignments. The USPSC is responsible for planning approaches or methodology to be
used in carrying out assignments.

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 with significant study in one of the below:

● construction in the built environment
● architecture for the built environment
● engineering for the built environment
● urban planning or regional planning
● economics in developing economies
● humanitarian systems for disasters
● disaster risk reduction in post disaster environments

Plus, a minimum of five (5) years of experience working in humanitarian relief and response, of
which at least one (1) year was obtained in the international humanitarian shelter and settlements
sector.
OR
Master’s degree with significant study in one of the below:

● construction in the built environment
● architecture for the built environment
● engineering for the built environment
● urban planning or regional planning
● economics in developing economies
● humanitarian systems for disasters
● disaster risk reduction in post disaster environments

Plus, four (4) years of experience working in humanitarian relief and response, of which at least
six (6) months was obtained in the international humanitarian shelter and settlements sector.

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 may be accepted.
● Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret level 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 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
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)

Experience (30 points)

Donor or Non-Profit Experience (10 points)
● Experience working in a humanitarian organization and supporting shelter and settlement in an
emergency response.

Teamwork (10 points)
● Experience working within diverse teams.

Field Experience (10 points)
● International work experience in one of the following areas: construction, urban planning,
architecture, or engineering.

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. BHA will
not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. Professional references and academic
credentials will be evaluated for offerors being considered for the selection package.

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.

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:
(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? (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.

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.