SOLICITATION NUMBER: M/OAA/DCHA/OTI-08-077 ISSUANCE DATE: October 29, 2007 CLOSING DATE: November 14, 2007, 5:00 p.m. EST SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor for an Administrative Operations Assistant in Washington, DC. Ladies/Gentlemen: The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications (Optional Form 612 only) from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services as an Administrative Operations Assistant under a personal services contract, as described in the attached solicitation. Submittals shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Applicants interested in applying for this position MUST submit the following materials: * Complete and hand-signed federal form OF-612. * Supplemental document specifically addressing the five (5) Evaluation Factors shown in the solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned applications shall not be considered. These signed forms must be mailed, delivered, faxed, or emailed (email applications must be signed) to: GlobalCorps 1201 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20004 E-Mail Address: [email protected] Facsimile: (202) 403-3911 or (202) 403-3941 Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their applications. Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to: Jaimee Braun or Mike Jones Telephone Number: (202) 661-9377 or (202) 661-9366 E-Mail Address: [email protected] Website: www.globalcorps.com Facsimile: (202) 403-3911 or (202) 403-3941 Sincerely, Michael Clark Contracting Officer Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor (PSC) Administrative Operations Assistant 1. SOLICITATION NO.: M/OAA/DCHA/OTI-08-077 2. ISSUANCE DATE: October 29, 2007 3. CLOSING DATE/TIME FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: November 14, 2007, 5:00 pm EST 4. POSITION TITLE: Administrative Operations Assistant 5. MARKET VALUE: GS-7/9 ($37,640 - $59,852 per annum). The actual salary of the successful candidate will be negotiated within the daily pay range depending on qualifications, salary and work history, experience and educational background. Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated. Candidates who live outside the Washington, D.C. area will be considered for employment but no relocation expenses will be reimbursed. This position, for a Personal Services Contractor Administrative Operations Assistant, has been designated as a "ladder" position. The entry level for this position has been established at either the GS-7 level (Salary range: $37,640 - $48,933 per year) or the GS-9 level (Salary range: $46,041 - $59,052 per year). The PSC will work pursuant to the statement of work set forth in the contract for the established entry level position for a minimum period of 12 months. After 12 months of performance, the PSC may be considered for promotion to the GS-9 level subject to completion of the annual performance evaluation by the CTO/supervisor. To be eligible for promotion to this level, the PSC must receive at least a "Excellent" performance rating in the annual performance evaluation. The CTO/supervisor must provide a copy of the annual performance evaluation to the Contracting Officer, which will be included in the official award file. Upon receipt of the annual performance evaluation and other required documentation, the Contracting Officer will award a modification to formalize the change in position/statement of work and salary increase, as well as provide incremental funding (if necessary) for the continuation of performance at the higher grade level. 6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year, renewable up to 5 years. OTI reserves the right to offer a contract for a period of fewer than five years, where deemed appropriate. There will be an initial probationary period of three months. 7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Washington, DC with possible travel (travel is minimal, once or less per year) as stated in the position description. 8. STATEMENT OF WORK POSITION DESCRIPTION BACKGROUND The Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) was created in 1994 as a distinct operating unit within USAID to help local partners advance peace and democracy in priority conflict-prone countries. Seizing critical windows of opportunity, OTI works on the ground to provide fast, flexible, short-term assistance targeted at key transition needs. Countries experiencing a significant political transition in the midst of a disaster or emerging from civil conflict have unique needs that cannot be fully addressed by traditional disaster relief. Timely and effective assistance to promote and consolidate peaceful, democratic advances can make the difference between a successful or a failed transition. OTI assists in securing peace by aiding indigenous, mostly non-governmental, civil society and media organizations. OTI uses such mechanisms as support for re-integration of ex-combatants into civilian society; development of initiatives to promote national reconciliation; identification of quick-impact community self-help projects to meet urgent economic needs; and aid to independent media outlets and community-based organizations to help promote informed debate and broaden public participation. To respond quickly and effectively and meet its program objectives and mandate OTI retains a group of high level professionals and experts under personal services contracts (PSCs). These knowledgeable and skilled professionals make up the vast majority of the OTI work force and are at its forefront implementing and achieving the organization's programmatic goals and objectives. DCHA/OTI's Operations and Management Division in Washington provides OTI with an advanced level of operational and management support to help ensure ongoing and improved flexible, rapid response in political transition programming overseas. The Operations and Management Division is responsible for instituting and maintaining office-wide systems and processes, office practices and procedures, and the creation of an enhanced response capability through teamwork, responsiveness, fiscal responsibility, quality control, and customer service. The Division supports a majority program-funded workforce in the areas of administrative support, financial management of OTI program funds, human resource assistance for program-funded personnel, information and technology operations and programmatic support for Washington and the field, and procurement tracking of OTI program-funded activities. DCHA/OTI is an exciting, fast-paced, operational office in USAID. Program and Operations staff work as a team to ensure country programs are started, managed, and closed efficiently and effectively. For more information about OTI and its country programs please see: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/transition_initiatives/ INTRODUCTION The incumbent serves as an Administrative Operations Assistant reporting to the Operations and Management Team Leader or his/her designee, in the Office of Transition Initiatives (DCHA/OTI). Within DCHA/OTI, s/he has responsibility for daily administrative operations in support of OTI program-funded staff in Washington and the field. Approximately 95% of the workload will be in support of program-funded staff and activities in OTI/Washington and the field, and approximately 5% of the workload will also be in support of Direct Hire staff in Washington and the field. Key functions of the Administrative Operations Assistant are to provide correspondence control and information management support for OTI, as well as provide scheduling support for OTI's 20+ intermittent (known as the "bullpen"). Additionally, the Administrative Operations Assistant will provide backup support to other OTI functions such as travel and transportation, human resources, and financial management as required. The Administrative Operations Assistant will also provide program assistant support for OTI program-funded staff when required. For DCHA/OTI to implement its rapid response strategy, it is essential that OTI PSC staff are deployed expeditiously and programs started quickly, often with little or no lead time. This is a key position in a busy office which responds rapidly to crisis situations. It is essential that DCHA/OTI personnel receive prompt administrative operations support. To achieve this, OTI requires an Administrative Operations Assistant who has the capacity to work well within a team environment and anticipate the needs of a complex organizational unit. The selected individual must have strong communication and coordination skills. The incumbent must have a strong sense of responsibility and a high customer service standard. S/He will maintain lists and follow-up on all actions, be highly organized, pay close attention to detail, have excellent proofreading skills with a mastery of English grammar, and be able to handle multi-tasking well. The incumbent must be an individual with sound judgment and excellent interpersonal skills. The Administrative Operations Assistant will face situations that require an ability to manage a variety of complex portfolio(s) under extremely short deadlines. OBJECTIVE The objective of this solicitation is to provide administrative operations support functions for OTI/Washington. 9. CORE FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES GS-7 Duties and Responsibilities: The incumbent of this position is responsible for a variety of administrative operations to assist in the flow of programmatic processes. The incumbent: * Acts as OTI's Correspondence Control Point of Contact: - keeps up to date on all new Agency and Bureau correspondence guidelines and ensures OTI staff are aware of them; - when required, ensures the expedient delivery of correspondence through the Agency; logging in all incoming correspondence; - reviews and clears correspondence for accuracy and completeness, - makes formatting and other spelling and grammatical changes as necessary, or returns correspondence to the originator for substantive changes, - when required, forwards the correspondence to the next appropriate person, and follows up with the correspondence until the intended recipient receives it and/or approves it; - ensures that the final version is delivered to the originating office in a timely manner; and, - coordinates closely and collegially with other Correspondence Control Persons in and outside of the Bureau. * Serves as the office point of contact for scheduling of intermittent employees ("bullpenners"), to include coordinating approval of assistance requests from OTI teams, ensuring that schedules are reflected in the office scheduler, following up on requests to ensure that all approvals have been obtained and all relevant offices notified of the planned travel, assuring that support requirements have been met (TAs issued, country clearances obtained, space and equipment needs met, etc.); * Takes staff meeting notes and distributes them to appropriate staff for editing, and distributes to attendees in a timely manner; * Provides day-to-day administrative support to DCHA/OTI staff; * Provides information management support for the office as required, including oversight of cable traffic (inter-agency communication notices), ensuring proper posting of common documents (e.g. forms, manuals, procedures) to a common electronic file and website; * Backstops OTI's Travel Specialist for processing travel authorizations, travel amendments and travel vouchers as required; assists Personal Service Contractors with passports and visas, and other travel assistance support as required; * Backstops OTI's Personnel Specialist and Human Resource Specialist in the provision of personnel management and training services in support of program-funded personnel in Washington and the field; * Provides backup support, as required, in such other administrative tasks as supply management, records management, and finance; * Provides program assistant support for OTI program-funded staff when required; and * Performs other administrative duties as assigned by the Chief of the Operations and Management Division, including providing direct administrative support to the OTI Senior Leadership Team as required copying major documents and assembling briefing books for staff, and traveling to the field (typically once every two years or less) to provide administrative assistance on-site. GS-9 Duties and Responsibilities: At the GS-9 level, the incumbent will: Perform all of the above duties, with minimal supervision to include: * As delegated, taking the initiative in providing assistance and service without prior approval of the supervisor; and * Demonstrating sound judgment in performing these duties. SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP: The Administrative Operations Assistant will take direction from and will report to the Chief, Operations and Management Division or his/her designee. SUPERVISORY CONTROLS: The Supervisor will set overall objectives. The employee and the supervisor together will develop deadlines, projects, and work to be accomplished. The incumbent is expected to take initiative, act independently, and manage his/her tasks with minimal supervision. 10. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The work is generally sedentary and does not pose undue physical demands. During deployment on Assessment teams, Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) (very rare for this position, but if required), and during site visits (very rare for this position, but if required), 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). 11. WORK ENVIRONMENT Work is primarily performed in an office setting. During deployment on Assessments, Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) (very rare in this position, but 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. 12. START DATE: Immediately, once necessary clearances are obtained. 13. POINT OF CONTACT: See Cover Letter. EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION (GS-7) (Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.) Bachelor's degree OR Associates Degree with 2 additional years of work experience above years listed below OR High School Diploma with 4 additional years of work experience above the years listed below; AND * At least 2 years previous work experience in areas related to the range of duties described above, with demonstrated increased responsibility; * Demonstrated experience proofreading or managing and/or facilitating the flow of correspondence at all levels, with a mastery of English grammar; * Demonstrated knowledge of administrative concepts and practices and ability to apply and adapt that knowledge to a specific office setting; * Demonstrated organizational skills showing attention to detail; and * Demonstrated experience using Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, Access and other database software applications. EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION (GS-9) (Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.) Bachelor's degree OR Associates Degree with 3 additional years of work experience above years listed below OR High School Diploma with 5 additional years of work experience above the years listed below; AND * At least 3 years previous work experience in areas related to the range of duties described above, with demonstrated increased responsibility; * Demonstrated experience proofreading and drafting or managing and/or facilitating the flow of correspondence at all levels, with a mastery of English grammar; * Demonstrated knowledge of administrative concepts and practices and ability to apply and adapt that knowledge to a specific office setting; * Demonstrated organizational skills showing attention to detail; and * Demonstrated experience using Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, Access and other database software applications. SELECTION FACTORS (GS-7 and GS-9) (Determines basic eligibility for the position. Applicants who do not meet all of the selection factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.) * Applicant is a U.S. Citizen; * Complete and hand-signed federal form OF-612 submitted; * Supplemental document specifically addressing the Evaluation Factors submitted; * Ability to obtain a SECRET level security clearance; * Satisfactory verification of academic credentials. EVALUATION FACTORS (GS-7 and GS-9) (Used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified applicants in comparison to other applicants. The factors are listed in priority order from highest to least.) Factor #1 Demonstrated customer service ethic in more than one office/job, and skill in establishing and maintaining effective relationships with a variety of groups and individuals; Factor #2 Excellent writing, speaking and organizational skills; Factor #3 Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure, while still paying attention to detail, often with extremely short deadlines; Factor #4 Demonstrated ability/willingness to take on new tasks, often last minute, with minimal instruction - researching solutions independently if necessary to complete tasks on time; and Factor #5 Active U.S. Government security clearance. BASIS OF RATING: Applicants who meet the Education/Experience Requirements and Selection Factors will be further evaluated based on scoring of the Evaluation Factor responses. Those applicants determined to be competitively ranked may also be evaluated on interview performance and satisfactory professional reference checks. Applicants are required to address each of the Evaluation Factors on a separate sheet describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant 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 and/or Evaluation Factors may result in your not receiving credit for all of your pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards. The Applicant Rating System is as Follows: Evaluation Factors have been assigned the following points: Factor #1 - 20 Factor #2 - 20 Factor #3 - 20 Factor #4 - 15 Factor #5 - 5 Total Possible - 80 Points Interview Performance - 20 points Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks - Pass/Fail (no points assigned) Total Possible Points: 100 APPLYING: Applications must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in the cover letter. Qualified individuals are required to submit: 1. A complete U.S. Government Optional Form 612 with hand-written signature (downloadable forms are available on the USAID website, http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/forms or internet http://fillform.gsa.gov or at Federal offices) or www.globalcorps.com. 2. A supplemental document specifically addressing each of the five (5) Evaluation Factors shown in the solicitation. To ensure consideration of applications for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your application, and as the subject line in any cover letter. DOCUMENT SUBMITTALS Via mail: GlobalCorps, 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20004 Via facsimile: (202) 403-3911 or (202) 403-3941 Via email: [email protected] The most qualified candidates may be interviewed and required to provide a writing sample. OTI will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. Professional references and academic credentials will be evaluated for applicants being considered for selection. NOTE: If a temporary or full secret security clearance is not obtained within four months, the offer may be rescinded. 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 application. NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBERS All individuals contracted as US PSCs are required to have a DUNS Number. USAID will provide a generic DUNS Number and PSCs are not required to register with CCR. For general information about DUNS Numbers, please refer to FAR Clause 52.204-6, Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number (10/2003) http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/current/html/52_200_206.html#wp1137568 LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSCs Forms outlined below can found at: http://www.usaid.gov/forms/ or at http://www.forms.gov/bgfPortal/citizen.portal 1. Optional Form 612. 2. Medical History and Examination Form (DS-1843). ** 3. Questionnaire for Sensitive Positions (for National Security) (SF-86), or ** 4. Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF-85). ** 5. Finger Print Card (FD-258). ** 6. Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9 Form). ** ** Forms 2 through 6 shall be completed ONLY upon the advice of the Contracting Officer that an applicant is the successful candidate for the job. CONTRACT INFORMATION BULLETINS (CIBs) and ACQUISITION & ASSISTANCE POLICY DIRECTIVES (AAPDs) PERTAINING TO PSCs CIBs and AAPDs contain changes to USAID policy and General Provisions in USAID regulations and contracts. Please refer to http://www.usaid.gov/business/business_opportunities/cib/subject.html#psc to determine which CIBs and AAPDs apply to this contract. AAPD 06-10 - PSC MEDICAL PAYMENT RESPONSIBILITY AAPD No. 06-10 is hereby incorporated as Attachment 1 to the solicitation. AAPD-06-12 - HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE-12 (HSPD-12) IMPLEMENTATION AAPD-06-12 is hereby incorporated as Attachment 2 to the solicitation. As directed in AAPD-06-12,the required reference to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.204-9, is also shown in Attachment 2.

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