**AMENDMENT 1**

Solicitation is extended until 08/21/2020 at 10am Eastern Standard Time (EST).

**END OF AMENDMENT 1**

Dear Potential Applicant,

 The Bureau of the Fiscal Service, on behalf of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), is seeking applications from qualified citizens living in Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Belize to provide services as a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Specialist (MELS) contractor under a Labor Hour Contract, as described in the following solicitation: “20343120Q00012 MELS Support Services in Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Belize.”

This contract will be awarded for a twelve-month Base Period and up to two (2), twelve-month Option Periods, which will be exercised at the discretion of the IAF. The Performance Work Statement (PWS) describes the job of the MELS Contractor. This document describes how to apply for the position and explains the selection process.

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS

A complete application shall include the following five (5) items:

1. A Cover Letter that demonstrates the applicant’s qualifications to perform each of the required work responsibilities identified in the PWS tasks.
2.  A Curriculum Vitae (CV) that demonstrates the applicant has the required qualifications identified in the PWS.
3. A list of three (3) references, including their title, affiliation, and contact information (telephone number, and if available, email).
4. A copy of the applicant's educational diploma(s) for academic degree(s) mentioned in the CV.
5. A writing sample consisting of a response to the following prompt:

IAF grantees are resourceful and creative in their projects to expand economic opportunities and improve governance and peacefulness in their communities. The IAF is committed to helping grantees learn from their experiences so that grantees have greater confidence that their projects deliver their intended results.

 Please describe one possible approach that the IAF could use in helping grantees learn from their projects that draws from your experience. Be as specific as possible in your answer, describing the kind of grassroots organization you worked with, the approach you used, and the benefits of this approach for the organization. Limit your answer to one page, single-spaced, using 12 Times New Roman font and one-inch margins.

Applications are due by August 7, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). They may be submitted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French and must follow these instructions:

• Write “20343120Q00012 MELS Support Services in Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Belize” on the cover letter, CV, and list of references.
• Use Microsoft Office compatible files or Adobe PDF. Other file extensions will not be accepted.
• Email your complete application to [email protected], with the subject line “Application for 20343120Q00012 MELS Support Services in Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Belize, Attn: Melissa Caplinger / David Holbert”

Only complete applications, submitted to the e-mail address above, by the established due date, will be considered.

You are strongly encouraged to request a secure email to reply to if any of your documents contain PII and cannot be removed effectively.  

Please send an email to [email protected]  referencing “20343120Q00012 MELS Support Services in Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Belize” – Encryption Request Attn: Melissa Caplinger / David Holbert -  on or before 24 hours before the request closes to request that an encrypted email message be sent to you from our agency. If you submit a request after that time, there is no guarantee that we will respond or that you will be able to go through the process to submit your response on time for the Government to consider. Once you receive the encrypted email, then you will need to open it by creating an account. Once you create an account, then you can respond to our agency’s encrypted email, which will then automatically encrypt your email response and any attachments to it for only the Government to view.

 If you have any questions, please contact [email protected], with the subject line “Question for 20343120Q00012 MELS Support Services in Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica and Belize, Attn: Melissa Caplinger / David Holbert”

FOREIGN PII SPECIAL NOTICE

 Please be aware that if you email documents containing personally identifiable information (PII), the information may not be secure, and your email may be intercepted or otherwise viewed against your wishes.

Examples of PII are, but not limited to, education attainment documents that contain the individual’s name and home address, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and information; which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, national ID number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric records, photograph, physical home and/or email address, phone number, driver’s license, etc., including any other personal information which is linked or linkable to an individual.

Please:

1. DO NOT send by email a copy of an identification card with a photograph such as a driver’s license, national identification card, or passport, etc. with your response.
    
2. DO NOT include your physical and mailing address, etc. in your Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae (CV), Resume, body of the email, and supporting Education Diploma or Training Certificates in your response. 
    

Please mark out with permanent black marker your physical or mailing address only in your Education Diploma or Training Certificates. 

 Your name still needs to be on all of the above documents.

 The Government may request a hard copy of one (1) or more of the aforementioned items as proof in a later phase of the Evaluation Process and as part of the security background check after award.

Thank you for your interest in IAF. We look forward to reviewing your application.

David Holbert, Contracting Officer