SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA22R00055
ISSUANCE DATE: January 31, 2023
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: March 17, 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

U.S. Agency for International Development
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20523
www.usaid.gov

I. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. SOLICITATION NO.: 720BHA22R00055
2. ISSUANCE DATE: January 31, 2023
3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: March 17, 2023, 12:00 P.M.
Eastern Time
4. POINT OF CONTACT: G3PC Recruitment Team, BHA.G3PCRecruitment@usaid.gov
5. POSITION TITLE: U.S. Mission to United Nations in New York (USUN) Humanitarian
Advisor
6. MARKET VALUE: $136,035.00 - $176,842.00 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.
Offerors who live outside the NYC Metropolitan area will be considered for employment, but
no relocation expenses will be reimbursed.
7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: USAID/New York
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
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
The Office of Global Policy, Partnerships, Programs, and Communication (G3PC) directs the
Bureau’s leadership in global humanitarian policy, showcases BHA’s life-saving work through
strategic communication and information, and manages collaboration with external stakeholders,
including public and private partners, international and multilateral organizations,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions, and the U.S. Interagency. The
office is organized into seven divisions, namely, Humanitarian Policy and International Systems;
Humanitarian Multilateral; Humanitarian Organizations and Partnerships; Private Sector
Engagement, Diaspora, and Innovation; Global Capacity and Leadership Development; U.S.
Engagement, Strategy, and Programs; and Strategic Communications and Humanitarian
Information.
Created in 1947 by the United Nations Participation Act, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations
(USUN) in New York assists the President and the Department of State (DOS) in conducting
U.S. policy at the UN. An important function of the U.S. United Nation (USUN) is to keep the
DOS informed of events at the UN. The USUN officers report on meetings and make
recommendations to DOS as to what course of action the U.S. should pursue. This information is
also relayed to American Embassies overseas which have an interest in particular items under
United Nation (UN) consideration. The USUN is also a link between the USG and the UN
Secretariat. BHA maintains a humanitarian team at USUN to help provide humanitarian
operational experience at the USUN, troubleshoot humanitarian issues with UN agencies in New
York, help negotiate UN General Assembly (UNGA) and United Nations Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) humanitarian resolutions, represent USAID and the USG interagency views
and interests on humanitarian assistance issues and to report to the USG on the proceedings of
UN activities.
The Humanitarian Advisor (HA) will be a part of the team of BHA Humanitarian Advisors based
at the USUN offices in New York City. The HA serves as an authoritative source of information
on humanitarian issues and humanitarian policy for the USUN Ambassadors and staff. They will
help plan USUN strategies and responses to humanitarian crises, actively lobby members of UN
delegations on U.S. positions on humanitarian issues, provide effective liaison with the UN
Secretariat and the representational offices in New York of UN specialized agencies; negotiate
resolutions in the UNGA and the ECOSOC, and anticipate and prepare documents, briefing
memos and statements for the USUN Ambassadors for important meetings and events. The HA
is expected to represent at senior levels within the UN and USG and will help further USG
policy priorities in close coordination with USAID, the DOS and the USUN. The HA is
expected to raise critical issues with the UN on behalf of USAID and other USG agencies.
BHA requires the services of a USUN HA to meet its objectives of humanitarian diplomacy,
strategic planning, negotiating, and managing institutional relationships with actors at the USUN
in New York.

STATEMENT OF DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED
The HA will provide expert analytical and advisory support for the planning, development, and
execution of U.S. foreign policy within a broad and complex geographic or functional specialty
area. The work requires applying a rigorous analytical approach to data that is often vague,
unsubstantiated or contradicts existing knowledge. The HA will receive general guidance but
will be expected to execute independent judgment and analysis.

The work is complicated by the need to provide expert advice and guidance that influences the
decisions and actions of senior policy officials and the need to quickly, accurately, and decisively
determine the relevance and significance of information to the policy interests of the USG. It is
further complicated by the need to produce widely disseminated analytical products that
represent official assessments of complex issues and keep the policy-making and foreign affairs
communities continuously informed of new issues and developments.

Contacts will be with the DOS and USAID employees at all levels, both in New York and
Washington, as well as personnel at U.S. posts worldwide, senior analysts and officials in UN
and other agencies, congressional staff, experts, and representatives of NGOs. The role requires
significant interaction with foreign delegates, demanding strong diplomatic and communication
skills to accurately represent U.S. positions in a complex multilateral setting. Contacts occur in a
wide variety of planned and unplanned, formal and informal settings, including open meetings,
conferences, and negotiating sessions, where the HA may be called upon to explain and defend
U.S. positions. Although guidance on the U.S. position on specific issues will be provided, the
HA may be called upon to handle unexpected inquiries. The HA post is organizationally located
within G3PC, and with the USUN ECOSOC Section, while physically located at the USUN offices in New York City.

The HA’s duties and responsibilities will include the following:
● Serve as the authoritative USUN New York source of all humanitarian policy information
for the U.S. Permanent Representative, other USUN Ambassadors and USUN staff.
● Serve as an active member of the USUN team and advise the U.S. Permanent
Representative and the Representative and Deputy Representative to the ECOSOC on the
initiation, formulation, and impact of policy positions and developments.
● Coordinate with the DOS and USAID to obtain detailed guidance on USG positions
pertaining to UN resolutions.
● Work in coordination with the Team Lead (TL) to anticipate the needs of the
Ambassadors regarding developments in the areas of humanitarian affairs and prepare
analyses, briefings, documents, and meetings.
● Work in coordination with the TL to prepare Ambassadors to speak on critical subjects
before the Security Council, UNGA, ECOSOC, and in other UN bodies.
● Assist the TL in analyzing and critiquing UN proposals for the Ambassador and DOS
and, as necessary, draft, or negotiate alternative proposals.
● Identify, research, analyze, and develop recommendations on all issues and matters
relating to humanitarian affairs and anticipate the need for such policy analysis.
● Develop recommendations for U.S. action and positions, including specific proposals to
the U.S. Representative and other USG representatives for appropriate U.S. positions in
the UN.
● Assist USUN and DOS Officers in the development of appropriate guidance and voting
instructions and prepare policy speeches, briefing/background papers, and
statements/talking points.
● Represent the U.S. in meetings of the UNGA, ECOSOC, and other UN bodies as
directed; actively lobby members of other UN delegations and closely liaise with the UN
Secretariat to develop consensus for U.S. positions; and negotiate resolutions, statements
and agreements on relevant issues and matters under the guidance of the DOS’ Bureau
for International Organizations.
● Negotiate humanitarian resolutions with other member states in the UN, on behalf of the
USG.
● Attend various UN, USUN, UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance
Donor Support Group (ODSG), Humanitarian Liaison Working Group (HLWG) and
other meetings and provide authoritative information and views to formulate policies and
coordinate strategies on policy issues.
● Enunciate USUN views and report on decisions taken.
● Initiate and maintain strong working relationships with staff at other diplomatic missions
in order to promote consensus for voting, report on positions of other delegations,
negotiate positions, and coordinate activities.
● Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with other USUN components
and relevant USG offices.
● Prepare the TL to answer relevant congressional and public inquiries and speak to various
visiting groups through the USUN’s public affairs program and in consultation with
USAID.
● Support and provide back-up representation for development and post-conflict issues,
including transition from relief to development, during the absence of other USUN
officers.
● Represent BHA on specific humanitarian issues of concern with UN agencies in New
York and convey demarche messages as needed.
● On behalf of BHA, attend key donor forums in New York, including but not limited to,
the ODSG, HLWG, and country-specific working groups.
● Assist other USG agencies on areas of concern.
● Sign up for and serve as needed 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.
● 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 detail within the office 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.
● The USUN Humanitarian Advisor 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.
● Create, contribute to, and maintain a collaborative and effective team environment while
setting the tone and example for open communication and regular coordination; a work
environment conducive to mutual respect; clear expectations for performance; and clear
delegations of roles, responsibilities, and authority.
● Mentor team members to build technical and other professional skills which meet the
professional goals of staff and the needs of BHA.
● Create a culture of civility and respect whereby both managers and employees are
expected to behave professionally and cultivate a harassment free work environment at
all times.
● Work with division and G3PC leadership to identify and address structural barriers to
diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in and across teams and divisions in the
G3PC Office. Practice equitable supervision, task/project assignment, and leadership
growth potential to all staff.
● Consistently model behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to fostering a non-hostile
work.
● As needed, may serve on temporary detail within the office 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.
● 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 USUN NY Team Lead/Senior
Humanitarian Advisor, with guidance from the G3PC Office Director in USAID/BHA. The
Humanitarian Advisor at USUN New York will receive general policy guidance from the U.S.
Permanent Representative to the UN, the U.S. Representative to ECOSOC, the State
Department, and USAID.

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 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.)

High School diploma with a minimum of nine (9) years of relevant experience implementing
programmatic responses in humanitarian emergency relief, humanitarian assistance, or
immediate post-conflict environments. Experience coordinating with a USG agency or Public
International Organization (PIO) and familiarity working on humanitarian policy issues is
required.

OR

Bachelor’s degree in any discipline with a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience
implementing programmatic responses in humanitarian emergency relief, humanitarian
assistance, or immediate post-conflict environments. Experience coordinating with a USG
agency or PIO and familiarity working on humanitarian policy issues is required.

OR

Master’s degree in any discipline with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience
implementing programmatic responses in humanitarian emergency relief, humanitarian
assistance, or immediate post-conflict environments. Experience coordinating with a USG
agency or PIO and familiarity with working on humanitarian policy issues is required.

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 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:

Professional Experience (30 points):
Direct donor-based experience with:
● USG international humanitarian agencies such as USAID or DOS (3 points)
● Other international disaster response organizations (3 points)

Experience supporting humanitarian interventions in an international disaster context across the
entire disaster management cycle to include:
● Emergency response (2 points)
● Early recovery (2 points)
● Disaster risk reduction (2 points)

Specific experience supporting humanitarian policy interventions including:
● Coordination efforts (1 point)
● Strategy development (1 point)
● Analysis of humanitarian policy response efforts (1 point)
● Resource prioritization (1 point)
● Program development (1 point)
● Program management (1 point)
● Specific experience supporting the negotiation of humanitarian resolutions (4 points)

Experience:
● Representing a country or organization internally or externally (2 points)
● Briefing senior officials or government officials (2 points)
● Making decisions or recommendations on policy or programming issues (2 points)
● Coordinating with counterparts at other international organizations. (2 points)
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 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.

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) 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.
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.

8. 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.