SOLICITATION NUMBER: 7200AA24R00060
ISSUANCE DATE: May 13, 2024
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: August 28, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor
(USPSC) - Vetting Official - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)
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,
Hannah Weatherford
Contracting Officer
Office of Acquisition & Assistance
(M/OAA/BHA-CPS/PSC)

I. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. SOLICITATION NO.: 7200AA24R00060
2. ISSUANCE DATE: May 13th, 2024
3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: August 28, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
This solicitation is open and continuous until August 28, 2024. The following are the closing dates for
each review period:
Round 1: June 28, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Final Round: August 28, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Offerors not selected during a previous review period must reapply in order to be considered for
positions available in subsequent review periods. A review period may be canceled at the Contracting
Officer’s discretion.
4. POINT OF CONTACT: HBMO Recruitment Team, BHA.HBMORecruitment@usaid.gov
5. POSITION TITLE: Vetting Official (VO)
6. MARKET VALUE: $117,962 - $153,354 equivalent to GS-13 (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
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 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance
(BHA) works to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the impact of disasters by helping
people in need become more self-reliant. BHA is responsible for planning, coordinating, developing,
achieving, monitoring, and evaluating international humanitarian assistance falling into two conceptual
areas: 1) Humanitarian Response during emergencies and 2) Early Recovery, Risk Reduction, and
Resilience activities to address longer-term recovery after emergencies. You can learn more about BHA
on our website.
The Office of Humanitarian Business and Management Operations (HBMO) develops, maintains, and
coordinates the Bureau’s critical business functions and processes in areas of acquisition and assistance,
administrative management services, talent management, internal training, programmatic risk
management, and audit management. The office is organized into five divisions, namely, ARPM; Human
Resources and Administrative Management Services; Budget and Finance; and Information Technology
Management.
BHA’s DIVERSITY PHILOSOPHY
Your Uniqueness is Welcome Here!
It takes talented people with unique experiences to provide the best humanitarian aid possible. We are
committed to having a workforce that reflects the global communities we serve. We strive to create an
inclusive workplace, where everyone brings their authentic selves to work. We invite you to join us in
providing humanitarian assistance to save lives and alleviate the suffering around the world.
STATEMENT OF DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED
The Vetting Official (VO) will manage the humanitarian vetting process for BHA. The VO coordinates the
sharing of vital information with multiple vetting stakeholders, including: Vetting Analysts stationed in
the Terrorist Screening Center located in Virginia, and BHA program and policy teams and leadership. The
VO will closely collaborate with applicant and recipient organizations and will be directly responsible for
ensuring the completeness and accuracy of data collected in USAID’s Partner Vetting System (PVS) and
for sharing information about vetting procedures. The VO will be responsible for ensuring that
Contracting/Agreement Officers (COs/AOs), Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Representatives
(CORs/AORs) and recipients are notified upon receipt of vetting results. The VO is expected to manage
the vetting process from receipt of the vetting request, through final vetting determinations.
Management and Verification of Vetting Information:
● Manage the process from receipt of the vetting request from recipient organizations through
final vetting results received from USAID’s Office of Security (SEC), and final determination made
by BHA leadership.
● Collect vetting data from applicants and review forms for completeness and accuracy of
information submitted by applicants or recipients.
● Conduct quality control and provide oversight of all vetting information.
● Perform regular checks in the PVS database to verify if a record currently exists for the
prospective recipient.
● Guide applicants or recipients on the type of documents required for vetting and make
necessary adjustments in PVS.
● Communicate directly with applicants and recipients regarding eligibility determinations.
● Serve as the BHA liaison and coordinate with SEC on vetting results and data verification.
● Manage a system that tracks BHA’s vetting priorities.
● Notify COs/AOs, CORs/AORs, and recipients of vetting results.
Vetting Policy, Procedures and Oversight:
● Serve as a subject matter expert on vetting policies and procedures, and provide policy guidance
to program staff, including AORs and CORs, on the vetting process.
● Engage with BHA staff, the U.S. Government (USG) interagency, and the public on matters
pertaining to humanitarian partner vetting, including policy and processes.
● Initiate and maintain strong positive working relationships with other USAID Bureaus, USAID
Missions, or USAID staff engaged in vetting to provide technical direction on vetting of
humanitarian programs.
● Working with the Office of the General Counsel, assist USAID’s Office of Acquisition and
Assistance in the development of vetting award language and partner communications, as
needed.
● Oversee and/or directly facilitate training to USAID staff, applicants, and recipients on the vetting
process and required documentation.
● Develop a strong understanding of USAID’s vetting policies, authorities, and approaches,
including internal communication and outreach documents such as standard operating
procedures and guidance documents.
● Communicate and coordinate with other USAID Vetting Officials.
● Mentor and cross-train junior staff on effective communications with applicants and recipients,
as well as with other USAID staff on vetting issues.
● Support management of the day-to-day assignments and workload for Vetting Assistants
assigned to the portfolio, and review their work products for quality and accuracy, as requested.
Representation:
● Represent BHA in official external meetings with humanitarian stakeholders and relay USG
policies and regulations, as requested.
● Lead and support decision-making related to USAID partner vetting policies and best practices
● Prepare background documents, informational memos, and talking points, and brief BHA and
USAID leadership on the vetting recommendations and results in order to make a final vetting
determination.
● Facilitate, coordinate, and lead vetting presentations to internal and external audiences.
● Represent BHA and regularly participate in USAID’s Vetting Policy Working Group and other
internal or interagency fora, as requested.
PVS Database Management:
● Test, identify, and report on the system’s functionality and capabilities. Report accuracy of data
in the system and recommend any corrective actions and improvements.
● Generate reports for BHA leadership in order to analyze vetting results and monitor any
outstanding or delayed vetting queries.
● Develop an internal vetting filing system and supervise its maintenance in accordance with
Agency policies on sensitive and classified information. Attend all required PVS training; provide
training and support to Vetting Assistants on use of the system as needed.
General Duties:
● This position may be expected to be able to qualify, train for and routinely serve on
disaster/humanitarian responses in Washington DC or in the disaster area for 4 to 6 weeks (or
more) intervals. These can either be Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) and/or
Response Management Teams (RMTs). DARTs are deployed to the field in response to disasters
and operate in the field, providing staff an opportunity to deploy overseas for an extended
period of time (e.g., 6-8 weeks). RMTs are based in Washington, DC and provide services to
support DARTs, such as coordination and external engagement, communications, planning,
logistics, travel coordination, or other similar duties (depending on the RMT role).
● As needed, may serve on temporary short-term assignments (“detail”) on other teams within the
office or bureau to meet operational needs during staff shortages. Duties performed while on
detail will be aligned with existing duties and responsibilities and will be directly related to the
position’s scope of work.
● As needed, staff is expected to support BHA’s hiring efforts and serve on PSC hiring committees.
Training will be provided.
● The PSC may be expected to obtain an AOR or COR certification. The AOR/COR oversees
agreements and/or contracts. This includes but is not limited to reviewing invoices, approvals,
program/project deliverables (i.e. work plans, annual reports, month status reports), travel
requests, key personnel requests, financial/budget reports, contractor performance evaluations,
and compliance. More information about the AOR/COR responsibilities and related
requirements can be found in the COR designation letter and the AOR designation letter. In the
event that this role requires an AOR/COR certification, mandatory training will be provided.
● The Vetting Official 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.
SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP
The USPSC will take direction from and will report to the Internal Control and Risk Management Team
Lead with guidance from the ARPM Division Chief or their designee.
SUPERVISORY CONTROLS
The supervisor sets overall objectives. USPSC and supervisor together develop deadlines, projects and
work to be done. The USPSC independently plans, designs, and carries out projects, studies, and
programs. Completed work is reviewed only from an overall standpoint in terms of feasibility,
compatibility with other work, or effectiveness in meeting requirements, or expected results. Technical
problems are generally resolved without reference to supervisors.
12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The work requested is primarily sedentary and does not involve undue physical demands. Work is
primarily performed in an office setting.
During deployment on Disaster Assistance Response Teams (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). 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.
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.)
At the GS-13 Equivalent Level
● A High School Diploma or its equivalent with at least nine (9) years of experience in any
combination of general experience providing program management, legal analysis, international
policy research, international relations, international development, or administrative
management.
OR
● A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline with at least five (5) years of experience in any combination
of general experience providing program management, legal analysis, international policy
research, international relations, international development, or administrative management.
OR
● A Master's in any discipline with at least three (3) years of experience in any combination of
general experience providing program management, legal analysis, international policy research,
international relations, international development, or administrative management.
AND
Specialized experience:
● Counterterrorism, Security, or Investigations; and,
● Compliance or Risk Management
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. Failure to do so may result in the withdrawal of an offer or
removal.
● Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance and maintain it throughout the life of
the contract. More information on medical clearance classifications can be found in 16 FAM
211.2 Clearance Classifications or the Department of State webpage on medical clearances
(https://www.state.gov/popular-topics-medical-clearances/#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:
Education and General Experience
Required years of general experience and education
Pass or Fail
Specialized Experience Experience in required
specialized skills, industry knowledge to complete the duties/tasks
40 points
Offeror Interview Validation of required skills and
knowledge for suitability for the position.
50 points
Professional Reference Checks Written confirmation of current
or previous professional colleagues or supervisor.
10 points
Specialized Experience (40 points)
Interview Performance (50 points)
Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks (10 points)
Offerors must provide their references to BHA upon request no later than seven (7) days from the initial
request. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the offeror being removed from consideration for
this solicitation. In addition, the Agency has the right to seek any additional feedback on the offeror as
needed.
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. Dates (month/year) and locations for all field experience must also be
detailed. 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.).
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. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.