SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- Program Analyst
- Notice Date
- 2/16/2006
- 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
- MOAA-GRO-EGAS-06-681
- Response Due
- 3/17/2006
- Point of Contact
- Bettie Bowles, Contracting Officer, Phone 233-21-228440, ext. 412, Fax 233-21-231937,
- E-Mail Address
-
bbowles@usaid.gov
- Description
- 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-à-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 may not be 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 EGASProposals@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, or email. 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: Bettie Bowles U.S. Agency for International Development M/OAA/GRO, Room 7.09-075, RRB 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20523-7100 Telephone: 202-712-5545 Fax: 202-216-3396 E-mail: bbowles@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. Submission of proposals by email vice hardcopy subject to the following understanding: • The USAID email gateway accepts messages whose total size with attachments is less than 15 Mb; • An email proposal must be submitted to EGASProposals@usaid.gov, the subject line of the email must contain the solicitation number M/OAA/GRO/EGAS-06-681 • Applications created from programs of Microsoft Office Suite or finalized in Adobe Acrobat are acceptable for submission. For proposals submitted by email, you are encouraged to request a return receipt. 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-06-681 ISSUANCE DATE: February 16, 2006 CLOSING DATE/TIME: March 17, 2006, 15:00 Local time, Washington, D.C. POSITION TITLE: Program Analyst MARKET VALUE: $91,407 - $118,828 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two Years with three, one-year options PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Washington, D.C. SECURITY ACCESS: Secret AREA OF CONSIDERATION: U.S. Citizens Only I. Introduction The Program Office (PO) of the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia (E&E) directs the strategic planning, analysis, budget planning, program performance and evaluation processes for the 24 active country programs in the E&E region. E&E/PO also has responsibility for ensuring that the E&E Bureau addresses key Administration and Congressional priorities and responds to USAID policy and program issues. The Program office is composed of two divisions: (a) Strategic Planning and Analysis (SPA), and (b) Project Development and Budget Planning. In FY 2005, E&E/PO supported management of $395 million in Assistance for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States (AEEB) and $565 million in Freedom Support Act (FSA) funds for the former Soviet Union. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, the Europe and Eurasia region became a new frontier for the United States Government. The Congress responded by authoring the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 and the Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets (FREEDOM) Support Act (FSA) of 1992. From the inception of these acts, USAID has been the main federal agency managing programs to promote democracy and human rights, to introduce and institutionalize a market economy, and to alleviate the social and humanitarian problems in the former communist states of Europe and Eurasia. USAID’s underlying objectives in Europe and Eurasia have been and continue to be freedom, peace, prosperity, and regional stability. USAID, through its Bureau for Europe and Eurasia (E&E), provides oversight of a comprehensive program of assistance to the states of the former Soviet Union and in Central and Eastern Europe. The purpose of the assistance program is to promote the successful transition from communist rule to the establishment of market-oriented democracies with responsible social safety nets. The position is to be encumbered in the Strategic Planning and Analysis (SPA) division of the E&E Program office. The SPA Division is responsible for: 1) leading the development of the E&E Bureau’s strategic framework, sector plans and analytical agenda; 2) collaboration with the Department of State's Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (EUR/ACE) in overseeing Inter-Agency Country Assistance Reviews (ICAR), pre-strategy consultations, Mission Strategy Statement submissions and close out plan reviews, 3) preparation of written and oral Congressional testimony, and other Bureau-wide reporting, and 4) E&E Bureau representation in agency-wide initiatives on such matters as fragile states, counter-terrorism, military affairs, conflict mitigation management, donor coordination and the Millennium Challenge Account. The SPA division also, as required, provides direct assistance to E&E missions through temporary duty (TDY) travel to the field. The incumbent will require skills in analysis and monitoring of economic, social, and political conditions existing in the E&E region. These skills are particularly important in organizing agency-wide reviews of Bureau and Mission policies and strategies for assistance, for designing programs that will advance that strategy, for learning from experience in program implementation, and for informing the graduation process. Such analysis and monitoring will enhance the capacity of the Program Office to shape and articulate the Bureau’s collective vision, influence its participation in agency wide initiatives, and expand support for field operations. II. Duties and Responsibilities The incumbent will provide a multi-disciplinary approach to monitoring and interpreting socio-political conditions in the region and assessing issues for program analysis and approval processes, preparation of Bureau-wide reporting, and E&E Bureau representation in agency-wide initiatives. The incumbent will analyze and evaluate strategic aspects of country programs managed by field missions in the E&E region, and will direct the review and approval process on behalf of USAID/Washington for country-level assistance strategies. The incumbent will coordinate his/her work with: each of the E&E Bureau technical offices, agency “pillar bureaus”, and the Department of State's Office of the Coordinator responsible for oversight of USAID’s assistance activities in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia; with the country affairs or “Desk” offices which track development programs in the target countries; and with the USAID missions serving those countries. The incumbent will be expected to prepare a range of analyses, decision memoranda, and reporting to the E&E Bureau front office and to organizations with oversight responsibility for US foreign assistance, including the Congress, OMB, and the Department of State. III. Statement of Work Under the supervision of the SPA Division Chief and with guidance from the Director of E&E’s Program Office, the incumbent will: Strategies and Reviews: • In consultation with E&E technical offices, USAID pillar bureaus, and the State Department Coordinator for FSA and SEED, lead the strategy consultative processes for assigned Mission pre-strategy and strategy reviews, budget reviews, phase-out reviews, close-out plans, and other E&E Bureau-chaired reviews as necessary. Review proposed assistance strategies and recommend approval or changes by taking into account the economic state of the country, political and social conditions, development plans, ands programs and priorities of other donors. The incumbent also considers U.S. foreign policy objectives, legislative requirements, and USAID strategy. • For pre-strategy consultations, this will require soliciting issues from a wide range of stakeholders; determining which issues are most critical for shaping the overall assistance strategic direction; and facilitating a compromise on points of disagreement between the field and Washington offices both during the consultations and in the course of preparing the parameters cable that provides guidance to the mission for development of their strategy statement. • For approval of Mission strategy statements, the incumbent will similarly seek comments from the wide range of stakeholders; determine which comments require revisions to the strategy and suggest means of modifying the strategy statement to reconcile differences in perspective. In determining how to reconcile difference in perspective, the incumbent will consider empirical data and qualitative assessments on country performance, consultation with other USAID and Department of State offices, and reference to applicable USAID regulations governing the review and approval of mission strategy statements. • Manage a process for finalizing approval of assigned “sector strategies” that will include one or more of the following: health, democracy, social transition, market transition, and infrastructure and energy. Similar to the process for managing approval of mission strategies, this will require soliciting issues, facilitating resolution of disagreements, and documenting decisions made to assist “technical offices” within the E&E Bureau finalize “sector strategies” intended to help guide Mission programming. • He or she will also represent the E&E Bureau at the Inter-Agency Country Assistance Reviews (ICAR) chaired by the Department of State and conducted in the field. Each of these tasks entails wide latitude of independent judgment in determining appropriate guidance to resolve differences in perspective between the field and the AID/W or State Department office sponsoring an issue for consideration. Bureau Analytical Agenda: • The E&E Bureau Analytical Agenda encompasses both empirical and qualitative research relevant to program decision-making. The incumbent will identify possible topics for the agenda. As needed, develop scopes of work for empirical analyses or sector assessments. Oversee the implementation of specific studies and disseminate findings in a manner relevant to the E&E bureau and field missions. Country-Specific Tasks: • The incumbent will be assigned one or more countries to backstop. This will entail gaining a detailed understanding of country performance, program accomplishments and challenges, and strategic direction and budget decision-making. This expertise will strengthen E&E Bureau strategic planning, oversight capacity, deepen support for field missions, and facilitate the compilation of lessons learned for wider application. • Develop and/or review country-specific information related to various bureau and Agency documents (e.g. Budget Justification Documents to Congress, FSA or SEED reports, Bureau Program Budget Submission, etc.). • Monitor, identify, and report on country and regional performance trends. Other: • Develop and maintain relationships with various stakeholders in USAID and other Federal agencies. Actively participate in policy formulation discussions and conduct liaison activities and briefings on E&E strategy and programs. • Support E&E understanding of, participation in and strategic response to agency-wide cross-cutting initiatives, such as the emerging discipline of security and development and the increased role of development assistance in counter-terrorism and military affairs. • Undertake special assignments or respond to intermittent work requirements identified by the Director of E&E’s Program Office, his/her designee, or other Bureau Senior Management. • Develop a variety of documents ranging from the Bureau Budget Justification Document, the Bureau Program Budget Submission, Congressional testimony, speeches for the AA/E&E and DAAs/E&E, etc. • Gather data from E&E technical offices and Missions for E&E’s submission to USAID’s Performance and Accountability Report (PAR), OMB’s Performance and Accountability Rating Tool (PART), and other USAID performance reports. IV. Decision Making The incumbent will be a Senior Program Advisor that is considered an expert that has been consulted by other experts and who can perform under general administrative discretion with wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment, work of outstanding difficulty and responsibility; and has formal decision making authority in broad area of democratic governance and conflict related strategic programming choices. V. Level of Complexity Tracking country specific and regional trends and integrating that information into strategic directions for the E&E Bureau entails a highly complex assignment. The incumbent will collect information from a variety of sources, interpret it and represent the Bureau in high level meetings in order to convey the basis of Bureau strategy to those inside and outside of the Bureau. Developments in the E&E region in the fields of democracy and conflict mitigation are extremely dynamic and require excellent understanding of different methodological approaches as well as fine judgment and analysis as to their levels of importance in regard to USAID programs and the interests of the US Government as a whole. VI. Knowledge Level Required The position demands mastery of democracy and conflict related programming but assignments are complicated by interconnected issues, multi-disciplinary approaches, conflicts among possible technical solutions, etc. It is desirable that the incumbent possess the following: • Comprehensive knowledge of USAID’s country program strategy and planning systems, as well as a thorough working knowledge of the Agency’s project design and implementation systems. • Thorough working knowledge of U.S. foreign aid legislation and trends and Executive Branch policies and directions. • Broad knowledge of relevant economic and social issues of the transition countries • Solid knowledge of USAID management systems and administrative procedures. • Ability to apply experimental theories and new developments to problems not susceptible to accepted methods VII. Supervisory Controls The incumbent will take direction from and report to the Chief of the Strategic Planning and Analysis Division as well as the Director of E&E’s Program Office. The incumbent’s supervisors provide general direction and broad guidance pertaining to the analytical agenda of the E&E Bureau. The supervisor informally follows work progress and reviews it for fulfillment of Bureau priorities, objectives and overall goals, as well as for consistency and conformance to Agency policy. The incumbent independently plans, designs and carries out projects, studies and programs. There is no higher level official technically responsible for conducting these types of analyses or for providing related technical program guidance to the missions. VIII. Guidelines Broad guidelines include the Freedom Support and SEED Acts; Foreign Assistance Act as amended; appropriation acts; report parameters as set by the State Department Coordinators Office (in particular, the country phase-out guidelines); and USAID directives and policies. In addition, various Agency strategies that will help guide analysis include the Fragile States Strategy, the Anticorruption Strategy, the White Paper, and the E&E Anticorruption Framework TAPEE. However, the incumbent will be required to use judgment and ingenuity to interpret the intent of the guidelines and to develop professional and expert analyses and strategic inputs. IX. Complexity of Work Environment Work is performed in a typical office setting. The incumbent will be required occasionally to undertake short to medium duration international travel to locations within the E&E Bureau geographical area that may entail some physical hardships. Because of the need for quick response and creativity in complex situations, the incumbent is expected to operate with autonomy, responsibility and authority. The sensitive nature of the work demands that the incumbent be an individual with good skills of social interaction and a skilled interpreter of politically charged situations. Since work may require continued changes in program direction, implementation and coordination, the individual will be someone who is highly flexible and willing to work under conditions of ongoing change. X. Scope and Effect of Work Assignments reflect wide program area; projects range from regional to national, impacting areas that an individual with high level managerial and operational skills can handle, and the incumbent must be available to be sent out quickly to perform specific advisory functions in the field. The incumbent will be involved in critical program activity for measuring and assessing the impact of USAID activities throughout the E&E region. Information and analysis is also used for developing briefing materials for senior Bureau officials, assisting with responses to congressional inquiries, and providing information outside the Bureau. Bureau analysis and input are critical to Congress and the Coordinator Offices in State Department who oversee development activities in the geographical region. The incumbent is recognized as an expert on the region to other similar experts and his/her work affects the work of other experts. Providing effective program/project strategies for the range of countries in the E&E region establishes the basis for self-sustaining activities in the recipient region, thereby positively affecting the living conditions and well-being of a substantial number of people. XI. Level and Purpose of Contacts Given the central and coordinating role of the Program Office in the development of strategies in the region, the incumbent will be expected to collaborate with a wide range of senior management officials, within USAID (within E&E as well as other Bureaus, pillar and geographic bureaus; in Washington and in the field) and within the USG community more broadly (in the State Department primarily) and among other donors and organizations. These contacts and collaboration are needed to ensure coordination and synergies among USAID programs in the region and with other key players in the foreign aid community. The overall purpose of contact is to influence, motivate, control or direct people or groups to reach a consensus on the resolution of issues at high levels, both inside and outside the Agency; employ appropriate approaches for negotiating with and persuading others regarding difficult and strategic DG program decisions; determine the appropriateness and effectiveness of USAID assistance in the Missions; develop complimentarity among donors in assistance efforts; provide guidance on program design and implementation and provide briefings on the status of programs. XIII. Supervision/Oversight of Others The incumbent will not have supervisory responsibilities. XIV. Minimum Qualification Requirements Education • A master’s degree in the fields of international development, social sciences or equivalent. Relevant Work Experience • A minimum of six (6) years of professional experience and project management in international development • Experience working on problems of democratic and market transitions in the Europe/Eurasia region XV. Selective Evaluation Factors • 30 points -- Experience working and communicating with US foreign policy agencies, American embassies, or related NGOs, overseas to achieve critical, high profile objectives • 30 points -- Experience designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating foreign assistance programs • 20 points -- Experience operating independently in complex political situations in pre/post-conflict countries or countries undergoing political transitions • 20 points – Excellent writing and interpersonal communication experience and skills, demonstrating an ability to foster E&E Bureau relationships with key partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries both within and without the USG, and in multi-disciplinary teams from all walks of life and varying geographic and political environments NOTE: THIS NOTICE MAY HAVE POSTED ON FEDBIZOPPS ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (16-FEB-2006). IT ACTUALLY APPEARED OR REAPPEARED ON THE FEDBIZOPPS SYSTEM ON 29-JAN-2007, BUT REAPPEARED IN THE FTP FEED FOR THIS POSTING DATE. PLEASE CONTACT fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
- Web Link
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Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.fbo.gov/spg/AID/OP/WashingtonDC/MOAA-GRO-EGAS-06-681/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Agency for International Development Bureau for Europe and Eurasia EE/EG, RRB 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC
- Zip Code: 20523
- Country: US
- Zip Code: 20523
- Record
- SN01221653-F 20070131/070129222525 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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