USPSC Senior Humanitarian Advisor (Multiple Positions) 457 views5 applications

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA21R00002
ISSUANCE DATE: January 6, 2021
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: February 3, 2021, 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 Africa (OA), is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to
provide personal service as a Senior Humanitarian Advisor (SHA) under a United States
Personal Services Contract (USPSC), as described in 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. 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.
(d) U.S. Citizenship
(e) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (beta. 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.
**

1. **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.

NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBERS
AND THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

All USPSCs with a place of performance in the United States are required to have a Data
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 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.

NOTE: As of March 28, 2018, all new SAM.gov entity registrations will now require a signed
notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity administrator for the entity associated with the
DUNS 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/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=d2e67885db0d5f00b3257d321f96194b&
sysparm_search=kb0013183

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:

Africa Recruitment Team
E-Mail Address: BHA. [email protected]
Website: www.BHAjobs.net

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

Sincerely,

Sonja Stroud-Gooden
Contracting Officer

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This position requires an individual to manage and represent the humanitarian portfolio for
Niger, Chad, or Cameroon. The SHA will serve as the primary contact and liaison for BHA’s
ongoing humanitarian assistance activities in Niger, Chad, or Cameroon, as well as for DRR
programs. The SHA will be responsible for program analysis and strategy development and work
closely with the USAID/Niger/Chad/Cameroon mission staff, the U.S. Embassy, other donors,
Government of Niger/Chad/Cameroon officials, U.S. military representatives, USG interagency
partners, IOs, NGOs, and the UN, in responding to humanitarian needs and sudden onset
disasters. The SHA will also report to the BHA Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal, and to the
BHA Office of Africa in Washington.

Because of the substantial coordination requirements of this position, an individual with a highly
collaborative work style is preferred. The SHA must be prepared to function effectively in a
challenging and restrictive work environment and be willing to strictly adhere to U.S. Embassy
security guidelines.

Contextual Specialty
● Develop and maintain knowledge of the key humanitarian and DRR issues in
Niger/Chad/Cameroon.
● Maintain an in-depth understanding of political, humanitarian, organizational, and
stakeholder interests specific to Niger/Chad/Cameroon
● 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/or
relevant to Niger/Chad/Cameroon and apply those to program strategy development and
implementation.
● Prepare and/or provide substantive assistance in the preparation of, regular strategic and
analytical reports on current or anticipated emergencies, as well as comprehensive
preparedness documentation on Niger/Chad/Cameroon.

Portfolio Management
● Lead efforts to identify and assess on-going and emerging humanitarian assistance
requirements, target beneficiary groups, and locations, oversee the general direction of
existing relief and transition-oriented programs, and broadly recommend the types of
interventions and budget levels required in Niger/Chad/Cameroon.
● Closely collaborate with USAID Mission colleagues on program coordination to share
information, avoid overlap, and explore opportunities for synergies and transition efforts.
● Maintain regular communication and close coordination with BHA’s West Africa
Regional Office and BHA/Washington on these efforts.
● Monitor ongoing humanitarian assistance efforts in Niger/Chad/Cameroon. Liaise with
partners and other donors, coordinate with the West Africa Regional Office on issues of
mutual interest, and provide coordinated field feedback to the partners.
● 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 UN, International Organizations (IOs), NGOs, and local
institutions to carry out programs;
o Capacity of the logistics infrastructure to support programs;
o Security situation of beneficiaries, personnel, convoys, and relief operations in
general;
o Role of in-country UN leadership and the UN Mission in Niger/Chad/Cameroon
in facilitating humanitarian assistance;
o Contributions by other donors, problems arising from implementation of relief
and reintegration programs, and any other issues that require the attention of
BHA; and
o Humanitarian coordination issues and any recommendations for change.
● Provide guidance to organizations that are developing proposals for BHA, based on
BHA’s Guidelines for Unsolicited Proposals and Reporting.
● Review concept papers and proposals and provide timely recommendations/comments to
BHA/Washington and BHA/West Africa Regional Office.
● Ensure reporting on a timely basis to BHA/Washington and West Africa Regional Office
on the quality of grantees’ work, noting deficiencies, attributes, and evolving operational
conditions.

Representation
● Represent BHA in-country at senior level meetings within the USG and humanitarian
stakeholders and convey humanitarian concerns and priorities from the BHA perspective
through oral and written briefings.
● Coordinate policy development meetings such as:
o Meetings with individual and groups of implementing partners discussing
programmatic priorities, objectives, progress, results, and challenges;
o Discussions, meetings, and papers informing USG foreign policy in areas with
humanitarian concerns or impacts;
o Donor and implementing partner coordination forums.
● Serve as the principal point of contact in-country for BHA/Niger/Chad/Cameroon for
humanitarian issues, and serve as a liaison on program issues among USAID mission
staff, the U.S. Embassy and other USG agencies, military representatives,
BHA/Washington and the overall humanitarian community.
● Present BHA perspectives to NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies relating to humanitarian
assistance strategies and priorities, including BHA’s approach to sustainable, resilienceoriented
humanitarian programs. Work closely with the Regional Advisor and BHA’s
technical advisors to discuss and understand sectoral priorities.
● Represent USG humanitarian interests at national and international meetings and
conferences, and facilitate, as requested, travel and briefings for official USG visitors
interested in humanitarian issues.
● Engage as the humanitarian specialist in U.S. Embassy policy conversations, remaining
available to provide timely reporting and clearances in response to high-level USG
queries originating from the region or from Washington, DC.
● 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 set forth in the COR designation letter and the AOR designation
letter.

Leadership
● Provide recommendations on current and future directions of BHA’s
Niger/Chad/Cameroon portfolios to include programmatic, budgetary, and human
resource requirements.
● Serve in a leadership role within the BHA Office in USAID/Niger/Chad/Cameroon, in
coordination with USAID Mission senior leadership, to incorporate humanitarian
concerns into Mission activities and identify opportunities to leverage USAID
interventions.

General Duties
● Serve in leadership, planning, or program positions on response teams, and assessment
teams within and outside the region.
● May serve on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment
overseas for an extended period of time.
● May serve as needed, on Response Management Teams (RMT), which provides services
and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs vary.
● As needed, may serve on temporary detail within the office, not to exceed six months.
Duties performed while on detail will be aligned with the Team’s existing duties and
responsibilities as well as directly related to the scope of work provided.

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 study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field of, but not limited to,
international relations, economics, food policy, West African studies, or a related field or
country; plus nine (9) years of progressively demonstrated experience in emergency relief, DRR
and/or disaster preparedness programming and management, including four (4) years of overseas
humanitarian field experience. Proficiency in verbal and written English and French.

OR

Master’s degree with study in, or pertinent to, the specialized field of, but not limited to,
international relations, economics, food policy, West African studies, or a related field or
country; plus seven (7) years of progressively demonstrated experience in emergency relief,
DRR and/or disaster preparedness programming and management, including four (4) years of
overseas humanitarian field experience. Proficiency in verbal and written English and French.

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 will not be accepted.
● Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented
Information level clearance as provided by USAID.
● Ability to obtain a Department of State medical clearance.
● Must not appear as an excluded party in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).
● Satisfactory verification of academic credentials.

OFFEROR RATING SYSTEM
The offeror rating system factors are used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified
offerors in comparison to other offerors. Offerors must demonstrate the rating factors outlined
below within their resume, as they are evaluated strictly by the information provided. The
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 (10 points):
● Experience managing humanitarian interventions in an international disaster context
across the entire disaster management cycle to include emergency response, early
recovery and transition, disaster risk reduction, and resilience.
● Specific experience managing humanitarian interventions including needs assessment,
strategy development, budget management, resource prioritization, program
development, and program management.
Skill and Abilities (10 points):
● Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work
effectively with host governments at senior levels in the midst of humanitarian crisis
situations.
● Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work
effectively with other donors and diplomatic missions at senior levels in the midst of
international humanitarian crisis situations.
● Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to work
effectively with international and national non-governmental humanitarian partners at
senior levels in the midst of humanitarian crisis situations.
● Demonstrated diplomatic, interpersonal, and representational skills in order to effectively
achieve humanitarian objectives within the USG at senior levels, including with DOD,
Embassies, Members of Congress, and senior executive branch staff the midst of
international humanitarian crisis situations.

Leading Teams Experience (10 points):
● Demonstrated experience leading teams of varied nationalities and cultural backgrounds
working in a constant state of complex, international humanitarian crisis.
● Experience leading a diverse team of program, technical, and administrative staff,
including senior U.S. professionals, working in a constant state of in complex,
international humanitarian crisis.

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 future phase of the selection process.