SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Senior Rule of Law Advisor
- Notice Date
- 7/28/2005
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Agency for International Development, Washington D.C., USAID/Washington, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Room 7.10-006, Washington, DC, 20523
- ZIP Code
- 20523
- Solicitation Number
- M-OAA-GRO-EGAS-05-1818
- Response Due
- 8/27/2005
- Description
- TO: Prospective Offerors SUBJECT: Solicitation for Services of Senior Rule of Law Advisor, M/OAA/GRO/EGAS-05-1818 RE: ISSUANCE DATE: July 28, 2005; CLOSING DATE: August 27, 2005 The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications (Standard Form 171 or Optional Form 612) from qualified U.S. citizens interested in providing Personal Services Contract (PSC) services as described in the attached solicitation. Submittals shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. In order to be considered for the position a candidate must meet the Selective Factors (Minimum Qualifications) listed in the solicitation. Consideration and selection will be based on a panel evaluation of the applications vis-?-vis the Evaluative Factors (Ranking Qualifications). Applicants are encouraged to write a brief appendix to the SF-171 or OF-612 to demonstrate how prior experience and/or education and training address these factors. The U.S. mail system is not as reliable as other methods of submitting applications, such as courier, overnight mail services, hand delivery, fax (at the number below) or by e-mail to jgoodwin@usaid.gov (hard copies of certain documents may be requested). Applicants are responsible for submitting the SF-171 or OF-612, so as to reach the Government office designated in the solicitation by the closing date and time specified in the solicitation whether submitted by courier, overnight mail services, hand delivery, fax or e-mail. An application received after the closing date and time will not be considered eligible for evaluation or award, unless there is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received by the Government installation prior to the time and date specified in the solicitation. Any questions as well as submission of proposals in response to this solicitation must be directed to: James D. Goodwin U.S. Agency for International Development M/OAA/GRO, Room 7.09-112, RRB 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20523-7100 Telephone: 202-712-0429 Fax: 202-216-3396 E-mail: jgoodwin@usaid.gov Applications that are submitted by courier service or hand carried must be accepted at the 14th Street entrance of the Ronald Reagan Building. The courier must inform the guard there is a package for James Goodwin. The guard will contact that person and inform them that there is a package for pick-up at the 14th Street entrance. Packages cannot be dropped off at the desk. Someone must accept the application from the courier. Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their applications. This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the application. SOLICITATION NUMBER: M/OAA/GRO/EGAS-05-1818 ISSUANCE DATE: July 28, 2005 CLOSING DATE/TIME: August 27, 2005, 15:00 Local time, Washington, D.C. POSITION TITLE: Senior Rule of Law Advisor MARKET VALUE: $74,782 - $114,882 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two Years PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Washington, D.C. SECURITY ACCESS: Secret AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. Citizens Only I. Scope of Work Background Respect for the rule of law and a well-developed justice system are underpinnings of a democratic society and a modern economy. Effective rule of law resolves conflicts and fosters social interaction in accord with legal norms and widely accepted societal values. It also enhances predictability, equitable treatment, and a respect for basic human rights; provides services in accord with societal demand and expectations; and helps curb the arbitrary exercise and abuse of power by other branches of government, elites, and other privileged groups. In all these regards, justice sector institutions must perform their functions effectively. At the same time their operations must be transparent, accountable, and in compliance with the law. In many states with weak or incipient democratic traditions and underdeveloped economies, the processes and institutions which are necessary to uphold the rule of law are incompletely evolved and ineffective. Often, their legal framework does not correspond to social reality and contemporary needs. Customary and informal practice may cause further deviations, so that legally established rights are not recognized, inequitable treatment is the "rule," and actions and decisions respond to partisan, particularistic, or pecuniary interests. The lesser relevance of formal law and institutions is often accompanied by the limited availability of justice sector services so that large masses of the population must rely on unofficially recognized alternative mechanisms which often have their own non-democratic biases. When these conditions prevail, the rule of law, democratic reform, and sustainable economic development are all very difficult to advance. Just as there are many ways of defining rule of law sector elements and problems, there are also numerous ways of developing rule of law programs. USAID supports but is not limited to work in rule of law in three primary areas: Improving outdated or otherwise inadequate legal frameworks and codifying human rights. Strengthening justice-sector institutions and working toward independence of the judiciary. Increasing citizens' access to justice. Objective The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Europe and Eurasia (E&E), Office of Democracy, Governance and Social Transition, is seeking to hire under a Personal Services Contract (PSC) a qualified individual to fill the position of Senior Rule of Law Advisor. Under the direction of the Team Chief of the Democracy and Governance Team and/or her designee, the Advisor will provide substantive analytical and technical expertise in the area of rule of law. The work will support the Bureaus? objective of helping to establish full democracies rooted in the rule of law. Duties and Responsibilities The Advisor will serve in the Democracy Governance and Social Transition office as a member of the Democracy and Governance team. The advisor will be responsible for provision of technical advice on a region-wide (26 countries in the Europe and Eurasia region) assistance portfolio of legal reform activities, including activities designed to improve the independence of the judiciary, protect human, rights, reduce corruption, reform criminal justice systems, improve parliaments and support post-war reconstruction and peace accord implementation (e.g. Kosovo). This includes, but is not limited to, consultations on cooperative agreements with the American Bar Association, and grants or contracts with other organizations implementing USAID assistance. It also includes full-service support to USAID missions in the region, including performing sector assessments, evaluations, project designs, inter-agency fact-finding missions, and participating in international conferences. The incumbent will serve as an advisor to the E&E Bureau in developing and analyzing strategies to support rule of law reform, assessing progress and constraints to rule of law progress in the E&E region, and identifying and responding to new rule of law development challenges in the E&E region as they emerge. The incumbent also plays a critical role in defining and formulating the content of USAID?s assistance in E&E countries such that it complements programs implemented by other USG departments, including the Department of Justice and the Department of State/International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. S/He represents the E&E Bureau in discussions regarding USAID/E&E rule of law assistance programs with the Office of the Assistance Coordinator for Europe & Eurasia at the Department of State. S/He serves as an interlocutor among the E&E Bureau, the DCHA Bureau, State Department, and the Department of Justice regarding USAID?s assistance for two high USG priorities for the region: criminal justice and security sector reform, and combating corruption. The Senior Rule of Law Advisor is essential for the Agency to fully engage with other USG counterparts in these two topics. The Advisor will be based at USAID in Washington, DC and will: Assist USAID missions to formulate rule of law strategies for individual countries; reviewing strategies submitted as part of results frameworks; directing rule of law assessments; directing rule of law contract and/or grant evaluations; reviewing unsolicited proposals; responding to Congressional inquiries. Design new project components and activities to be implemented by the institutional contractors or to be bid for new contractors and/or grantees. This includes preparing scopes of work, requests for proposals/applications, Acquisition and Assistance requests, decision memos, Congressional Notifications, inter-agency agreement letters, etc. Perform directed travel within the E&E region to provide hands-on consultations, strategy formulation, assessments, and monitoring of on-going Rule of Law activities. Serve as a senior advisor to the Europe and Eurasia Bureau with regard to the status of all justice sector reform in the E&E region, including activities of other USG agencies, host governments, other donors and non-governmental organizations. With an in-depth knowledge of USAID's rule of law programs across the region, represent the Agency in inter-agency and international forums with regard to such issues as justice sector reconstruction, human rights, police and security sector reform, transitional justice, war crimes, anti-corruption and other topics as they relate to USAID's current or potential rule of law programming. Provide briefings to U.S. and foreign officials, Congress, and other donors on USAID programming in the region. Facilitate visits by foreign officials and delegations to USAID. Act as Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO) for assigned contracts and grants, including day-to-day responsibility for monitoring implementation of activities, tracking financial issues, processing obligation actions and other requests to OP under the contracts/grants, and responding to requests. Management will provide a CTO training opportunity. Terms of Performance The Senior Rule of Law Advisor shall perform the preceding services for two (2) years. This contract will be reviewed annually by E&E/DGST management with input from client missions and peers and may be renewed up to but no longer then three (3) years for a total of not more than five (5) under this Personal Services Contract at the discretion of USAID. The Advisor will report to the Chief of the Democracy and Governance Team, Democracy Governance and Social Transition Division. Minimum Qualifications Education: Graduate level education by a degree granting institution accredited by an accrediting agency approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education. A Juris Doctor degree will receive the highest consideration. This qualification will be evaluated from submitted application documentation and/or interview and may be confirmed through reference checks. Experience: This technical position requires at least 5 years experience working in rule of law or justice sector activities such as institutional reform, legal framework development, access to justice, justice reform advocacy, human rights, police reform, transitional justice, or war crimes. The preferred candidate will have acquired this experience from topical work in the E&E region. This qualification will be evaluated from work history on the submitted application documentation and/or interview and may be confirmed through reference checks. Language: No language requirement. Possession of language skills for a regional country will be given higher consideration (self-certification). Other: The candidate must possess excellent writing skills as demonstrated by his/her application packet and oral skills as demonstrated during an interview with the selection committee. He/she must be facile in use of business software, and business machines (self-certification). He/she must also possess strong interpersonal skills and be able to work with technical interdisciplinary teams working under tight deadlines. This qualification will be evaluated from submitted application documentation and/or interview. Candidates must be in excellent health and be available to travel to the E&E region on a frequent basis (possibly up to 50% of the time). Selection Criteria The Senior Rule of Law Advisor selection criterion will be scored as follows: 70 points: Rule of law or juris sector activities experience and education in E&E region, and E&E region language (speaking and reading) competency; 30 points: Interpersonal, negotiation, and organizational and managerial skills. Basis of Evaluation - Two tier process Tier One Academic qualifications: As indicated above, a graduate degree is required. Strong preference will be given to a Juris Doctor Degree or equivalent. Experience and skills: a) Experience working in rule of law or justice sector activities such as institutional reform, legal framework development, access to justice, justice reform advocacy, human rights, police reform, transitional justice, or war crimes. 35 points b) Experience working in development programs in assisted countries of the Europe and Eurasia region. 25 points c) Experience in conducting and drafting assessments, background analyses, and project/program designs in the democracy and governance sector. 15 points d) Experience working successfully with multi-disciplinary teams. 15 points e) Ability to speak at least one of the regional languages, preferably Russian or Serbo-Croatian, is desirable. 10 points Tier Two: Candidates will be scored and ranked in Tier One and finalists will be selected for interviews. The interviews will be conducted to expand the selection panel?s understanding of the finalists? qualifications and knowledge as outlined in Tier One above and to confirm the ranking of the finalists to arrive at a final selection from among the finalists. A writing sample will be requested from the finalists to be interviewed to evaluate communication skills that would support the evaluative factors rated in Tier One. References from present and/or former supervisors will be checked to confirm work history provided by finalists and help ascertain suitability for this position. II. BENEFITS/ALLOWANCES: As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances: A. Benefits: (1) Employee's FICA Contribution (2) Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance (3) Pay Comparability Adjustment (4) Eligibility for Worker's Compensation (5) Vacation & Sick Leave (only earned for actual work days) B. Allowances (If Applicable): (1) Post Differential (Chapter 500*) and (2) Danger Pay (Section 650*) * Dept. of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) (Government Civilians Foreign Areas). C. Federal Taxes: USPSCs are not exempt from payment of Federal Income taxes. III. APPLYING: A. Qualified Individuals should note that: 1. Applications must be received by the closing date and time at the address specified in the cover letter or they will not be considered eligible for evaluation or award, unless the Contracting Officer determines that the documents were mishandled by the receiving agency or there is acceptable evidence to establish that it was received by the Government installation prior to the time and date specified in the solicitation. The closing time for receipt of applications is 4:00 pm on the date specified in the cover letter. You are directed to Federal Acquisition Regulation, Part 15.208 ?Submission, modification, revision, and withdrawal of proposals? for further information. 2. 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, as well as using the address/delivery point specified in this solicitation. 3. The highest ranking applicants may be selected for an interview, but an interview is not always necessary. B. List of REQUIRED Forms for PSCs Forms outlined below can be found at: www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/psc_solicit/ 1. Standard Form 171 or Optional Form 612. (U.S. Government Standard Form 171 or Optional Form 612 are available at the USAID web site, http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/forms or internet http://fillform.gsa.gov or at Federal Offices). Applicants are required to sign the certification at the end of the SF-171 or OF-612. Applications that are received without a signature will not be considered for the position. Applicants are encouraged to write a brief appendix to the SF-171 or OF-612 to demonstrate how prior experience and/or education and training address both the Selective and Evaluative Factors listed in Section I above. Forms 2 through 5 shall be completed only upon the advice of the Contracting Officer that an applicant is the successful candidate for the job. A prerequisite for employment is a completed background investigation that reflects one?s qualification for a Secret security clearance. 2. Medical History and Examination (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). IV. ACQUISITION AND ASSISTANCE POLICY DIRECTIVES (AAPD) AND CONTRACT INFORMATION BULLETINS (CIBs) PERTAINING TO PSCs AAPDs and CIBs contain changes to USAID policy and General Provisions in USAID regulations and contracts. Please refer to the below web site to determine which AAPDs and CIBS apply to this contract. http://www.usaid.gov/business/business_opportunities/cib/subject.html#psc
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Agency for International Development, Bureau of Europe and Eurasia, EE/DGST, RRB, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington,
- Zip Code: 20523
- Country: US
- Zip Code: 20523
- Record
- SN00856409-W 20050730/050728211523 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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