USPSC Senior Humanitarian Advisor

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 7200AA24R00021

ISSUANCE DATE: March 4, 2024

CLOSING DATE AND TIME: April 18, 2024, 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
Office of Acquisition & Assistance
(M/OAA/BHA-CPS/PSC)

ATTACHMENT 1

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 7200AA24R00021

2. ISSUANCE DATE: March 4, 2024

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: April 18, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Time

4. POINT OF CONTACT: Africa Recruitment Team, BHA.AfricaRecruitment@usaid.gov

5. POSITION TITLE: Senior Humanitarian Advisor

6. MARKET VALUE: $88,520 - $115,079 equivalent to GS-13 OR $104,604- $135,987 equivalent to GS-14. The GS equivalent Market Value for this position is not eligible for 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.

This position can be filled at either the GS-13 ($88,520 - $115,079) or GS-14 ($104,604- $135,987)
equivalent level, without locality.

Offerors who meet the minimum qualifications for a GS-13 will be considered for the GS-13 level
positions. Offerors who meet the minimum qualifications for a GS-14 will be considered for the GS-14
level only unless designated otherwise per the guidance in IV. SUBMITTING AN OFFER of this
solicitation.

Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.

7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Mogadishu, Somalia

There may be an initial training program in Washington, D.C. for three months, which will include
formal classroom training and on-the-job training; and may include security training. After completion
of initial training, the Senior Humanitarian Advisor will be assigned to the place of performance.

Overseas USPSCs may be authorized to telework or remote work only from a location within the
country of performance, in accordance with Mission policy. Telework or remote work from outside
the country of performance may only be authorized in certain situations in accordance with the terms
and conditions of the contract.

8. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years, tentatively 145 days 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.

STATEMENT OF DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED

This position requires an individual to support the management and representation of the humanitarian
portfolio for Somalia. Reporting to the Office of Humanitarian Assistance (OHA) Director in Somalia, the
Senior Humanitarian Advisor (SHA) will be responsible for program analysis and strategy development
and work closely with the USAID/Somalia staff, the U.S. Embassy, U.S. military representatives, and other
United States Government (USG) interagency partners, other donors, Government of Somalia officials,
IOs, NGOs, and the UN, in responding to humanitarian needs and sudden-onset disasters. Because of the
substantial coordination requirements of this position, an individual with a highly collaborative work style is necessary. 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.

Specifically, the SHA will be responsible for the following:

At the GS-13 Equivalent:

Contextual Specialty:
● Develop and maintain knowledge of the key humanitarian, resilience, and Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) issues within Somalia.
● Maintain an in-depth understanding of political, humanitarian, organizational, and stakeholder
interests specific to Somalia.
● 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 relevant to
Somalia and apply those to program strategy development and implementation.
● Provide substantive assistance in the preparation of regular strategic and analytical reports on
current or anticipated emergencies, as well as comprehensive preparedness documentation on
Somalia, under the direction of the BHA Somalia Team Lead in Nairobi.

Portfolio Management:
● Primary focus is to provide full time in-country coordination and management of USAID
humanitarian emergency and resilience programming. This will be achieved through regular
coordination and consultation with several BHA Somalia teams in Nairobi and the Sudans, East
and Central Africa Regional Office (SECARO).
● Serve as the primary point of contact for BHA programming in Somalia.
● With strong coordination and collaboration with the Somalia humanitarian team based in
Nairobi, the incumbent will support efforts to identify and assess new humanitarian assistance
requirements, target beneficiary groups and locations, oversee the general direction of existing
relief and transition and resilience oriented programs, and broadly recommend the types of
interventions and budget levels required in Somalia.
● Closely collaborate with Mission colleagues on program coordination to share information, avoid
overlap, and explore opportunities for synergies and resilience efforts, ensuring the BHA Somalia
Team in Kenya is consulted throughout. Maintain ongoing dialogue with BHA SECARO and
Washington Team Leads for Somalia on these efforts.
● Monitor ongoing humanitarian assistance efforts in Somalia.
● Liaise with partners and other donors, coordinate closely with SECARO, and provide coordinated
field feedback to the partners.
● In consultation and collaboration with the BHA Somalia Team in Kenya, coordinate collection of
information and provide updates and recommendations through written reports on issues
related to the humanitarian situation, including the following:
○ Capacity and ability of UN, IOs, NGOs, and local institutions to carry out programs;
○ Capacity of the logistics infrastructure to support programs;
○ Security situation of beneficiaries, personnel, convoys, and relief operations in general;
○ Role of in-country UN leadership and the UN Mission in Somalia in facilitating
humanitarian assistance;

○ Contributions by other donors, problems arising from the implementation of relief and
reintegration programs, and any other issues that require the attention of BHA; and
○ Humanitarian coordination issues and any recommendations for change.
● In consultation and collaboration with the Nairobi-based humanitarian team, provide guidance
to organizations that are developing proposals for BHA, based on “BHA’s Emergency Application
Guidelines”, as appropriate.
● In collaboration with the Nairobi-based humanitarian team, review concept papers and
proposals and provide timely recommendations/comments to BHA/Washington and the
SECARO.
● In collaboration with the Nairobi-based humanitarian team, ensure reporting on a timely basis to
BHA Washington and SECARO on the quality of grantees’ work, noting deficiencies, attributes,
and evolving operational conditions.
● Along with the Nairobi-based humanitarian team, maintain regular, close coordination and
communication with the SECARO and BHA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
● Participate in discussions on the current and future directions of BHA’s Somalia portfolio to
include programmatic, budgetary, and human resource requirements.

Representation:
● Work closely with the SECARO on developing BHA Somalia’s policy and program positions,
seeking BHA Somalia Team Lead guidance, input, and clearance wherever possible.
● Provide regular situation updates to the USAID Mission Front Office, and ensure the Front Office
remains abreast of any major changes, shocks, or challenges with the humanitarian
programming in Somalia.
● Consult with the SECARO prior to senior level meetings with USG and other humanitarian
stakeholders. Based on these consultations, represent USAID’s humanitarian portfolio in-country
at senior level meetings within the USG and with humanitarian stakeholders, and convey
humanitarian concerns and priorities from the BHA perspective through oral and written
briefings.
● Participate in policy development meetings such as:
○ Meetings with individuals and groups of implementing partners discussing programmatic
priorities, objectives, progress, results, and challenges;
○ Discussions, meetings, and papers informing USG foreign policy in areas with
humanitarian concerns or impacts; and implementing partner coordination forums.
● Serve as a point of contact in-country for BHA 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 USAID’s humanitarian perspectives to NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies relating to
humanitarian assistance strategies and priorities, including USAID’s approach to sustainable,
resilience-oriented humanitarian programs. Work closely with the Somalia Team Lead and BHA’s
technical advisors to consult on and understand sectoral priorities.
● Coordinate the representation of USG humanitarian interests at national and international
meetings and conferences with the SECARO.
● Facilitate travel and briefings for official USG visitors to Somalia interested in humanitarian
issues.

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 6 to 12 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., 6-12 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).
● 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.
● 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 Agreement Officer's Representative (AOR) or Contracting
Officer's Representative (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, monthly 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 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.

At the GS-14 Equivalent:

Contextual Specialty:
● Develop and maintain knowledge of the key humanitarian, early recovery, risk reduction, and
resilience issues in Somalia.
● Maintain an in-depth understanding of political, humanitarian, organizational, and stakeholder
interests specific to Somalia.
● 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 relevant to
Somalia and apply those to program strategy development and implementation.
● Prepare regular strategic and analytical reports on current or anticipated emergencies, as well as
on comprehensive preparedness documentation on Somalia.

Portfolio Management:
● Lead efforts to identify and assess ongoing 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 Somalia.
● Closely collaborate with USAID Mission colleagues on program coordination to share
information, avoid duplication, and explore opportunities for synergies and transition efforts.
● Maintain regular communication and close coordination with BHA/Sudans, East, Central Africa
Regional Office (SECARO), and BHA/Washington on these efforts.

● Monitor ongoing humanitarian assistance efforts in Somalia. Liaise with partners and other
donors, coordinate with the SECARO 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:
○ Capacity and ability of UN, IOs, NGOs, and local institutions to carry out programs;
○ Capacity of the logistics infrastructure to support programs;
○ Security situation of beneficiaries, personnel, convoys, and relief operations in general;
○ Role of in-country UN leadership and the UN Mission in Somalia in facilitating
humanitarian assistance;
○ Contributions by other donors, problems arising from the implementation of relief and
reintegration programs, and any other issues that require the attention of BHA; and
○ Humanitarian coordination issues and any recommendations for change.
● Provide guidance to organizations that are developing applications for BHA, based on BHA’s
Guidelines for Unsolicited Applications.
● Review concept papers and applications and provide timely recommendations/comments to
BHA/Washington and BHA/SECARO.
● Ensure reporting on a timely basis to BHA/Washington and SECARO on the quality of grantees’
work, noting deficiencies, attributes, and evolving operational conditions.

Representation:
● Represent BHA at senior level meetings within the USG and with humanitarian stakeholders and
convey humanitarian concerns and priorities from the BHA perspective through oral and written
briefings.
● Coordinate policy development meetings such as:
○ Meetings with individual and groups of implementing partners discussing programmatic
priorities, objectives, progress, results, and challenges;
○ Discussions, meetings, and papers informing USG foreign policy in areas with
humanitarian concerns or impacts;
○ Donor and implementing partner coordination forums.
● At the direction of the OHA Director, serve as the principal point of contact in-country for
BHA/Somalia 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, resilience-oriented
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.

Leadership:
● Provide recommendations on current and future directions of BHA’s Somalia portfolio to include
programmatic, budgetary, and human resource requirements.

● Serve in a leadership role within the BHA Office in USAID/Somalia, in coordination with USAID
Mission senior leadership, to incorporate humanitarian concerns into Mission activities and
identify opportunities to leverage USAID interventions.
● Serve as the Acting Deputy Office Director or Acting Office Director as needed, excluding
supervising direct hire employees of USAID or USG.
● Serve as direct supervisor to non-direct hire employees of USAID or USG team members on
grants management and portfolio management, including BHA’s business process,
portfolio-specific budget and workload management, and post-award monitoring and
management as needed.
● Manages an ethnically and culturally diverse team of program, technical and/or administrative
staff, as needed.
● Consistently model behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to fostering a non-hostile,
inclusive work environment that values diversity, equity and is free of discrimination, bias,
unfairness, bullying, offensive behaviors, and harassment of any kind.

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 6 to 12 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., 6-12 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).
● 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.
● 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 Agreement Officer's Representative (AOR) or Contracting
Officer's Representative (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, monthly 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 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.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

At the GS-13 equivalent:

● High School Diploma or its equivalent with at least nine (9) years of general experience with
program or activity management, international policy research or analysis, humanitarian or
development assistance, or portfolio management (including proposal development, grant, or
award administration, determining budget levels, budget oversight, or monitoring and evaluating
programs).

OR

● A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline with at least five (5) years of general experience with
program or activity management, international policy research or analysis, humanitarian or
development assistance, or portfolio management (including proposal development, grant, or
award administration, determining budget levels, budget oversight, or monitoring and evaluating
programs).

OR

● A Master’s degree in any discipline with at least three (3) years of general experience with
program or activity management, international policy research or analysis, humanitarian or
development assistance, or portfolio management (including proposal development, grant, or
award administration, determining budget levels, budget oversight, or monitoring and evaluating
programs).

AND

Specialized Experience:
● International experience managing, supporting, or directly implementing humanitarian
assistance, emergency management, relief, DRR, post emergency rehabilitation, recovery, or
resilience.
● Experience with program management and design.
● Experience participating or representing at official functions.

At the GS-14 equivalent:

● High School Diploma or its equivalent with at least ten (10) years of general experience with
program or activity management, international policy research or analysis, humanitarian or
development assistance, or portfolio management (including proposal development, grant, or
award administration, determining budget levels, budget oversight, or monitoring and evaluating
programs).

OR

● A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline with at least six (6) years of general experience with
program or activity management, international policy research or analysis, humanitarian or
development assistance, or portfolio management (including proposal development, grant, or
award administration, determining budget levels, budget oversight, or monitoring and evaluating
programs).

OR

● A Master’s degree in any discipline with at least four (4) years of general experience with
program or activity management, international policy research or analysis, humanitarian or
development assistance, or portfolio management (including proposal development, grant, or
award administration, determining budget levels, budget oversight, or monitoring and evaluating
programs).

AND

Specialized Experience:
● International experience managing, supporting, or directly implementing humanitarian
assistance, emergency management, relief, DRR, post-emergency rehabilitation, recovery, or
resilience.
● Experience with program management and design.
● Experience leading, facilitating meetings, or representing teams at official functions.

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.
● Complete Specialized Experience Requirement Verification Form submitted. See section IV for
specialized experience details.
● 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 rating factors are as follows:

BASIS OF RATING (HOW YOU WILL BE SCORED)

SCORING OF OFFERORS

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.

Specialized Experience: 30 points
Interview: 60 points
References: 10 points

TOTAL: 100 points

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 will be evaluated and academic credentials will be verified 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.