MODIFICATION
R -- Foreign Service Assignments Officer
- Notice Date
- 2/27/2013
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Grants, Acquisitions, Procurement and Policy Division (INL/RM/GAPP), SA-4 Navy Hill, South Building, 2430 E Street, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia, 20037, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20037
- Solicitation Number
- PSC-13-024-INL
- Archive Date
- 3/23/2013
- Point of Contact
- Amy M. Kara,
- E-Mail Address
-
karaam2@state.gov
(karaam2@state.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- You have received this "Personal Services Contractor" (PSC) solicitation through the Department of State (DOS) Internet site. If you have any questions regarding this PSC, you may contact the DOS Official named in this solicitation. The Department is not responsible for any data and/or text not received when retrieving this document electronically. Amendments to solicitation documents generally contain information critical to the submission of an application. Foreign Service Assignments Officer Washington, DC (INL/RM) Issuance Date: 02/26/2013 Closing Date: 03/08/2013 SOLICITATION NUMBER: PSC-13-024-INL SUBJECT A solicitation for a Personal Services Contractor (PSC), Department of State (DOS), Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) The United States Government (USG), represented by the DOS, seeks applications from US citizens interested in providing PSC services as described in this solicitation. HOW TO APPLY Offeror's proposals shall be in accordance with the requirements stated in this solicitation at the place and time specified. A proposal will be determined non-responsive and ineligible for consideration unless all required documents and information are included in the submission. Offerors shall ensure their resume demonstrates their possession of the minimum qualifications outlined in this Solicitation, as well as their ability to fulfill all required duties. Proposals must include the following: 1) Form OF-612 (Completed and signed) 2) Resume 3) Three letters of reference or three references, including contact information Submit all proposals via e-mail or facsimile to the attention of: INL/Amy Kara E-mail: KaraAM2@state.gov Direct questions regarding this solicitation to: INL/Amy Kara Email: KaraAM2@state.gov INL will not accept late proposals unless it can be determined DOS mishandled the proposal. 1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: PSC-13-024-INL 2. ISSUANCE DATE: 02/26/2013 3. CLOSING DATE: 03/08/2013 4. TIME SPECIFIED FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: 5:00 PM, EST 5. POSITION TITLE: Foreign Service Assignments Officer 6. MARKET VALUE: $89,033 - $136,771 (GS 13/14) 7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year from date of award and four option years 7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Washington, DC (INL/RM) 8. JOB DESCRIPTION: See below GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONTRACTOR: This position is located in the Office of Resource Management, Bureau of International Narcotics, and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL/RM). The Bureau has overall responsibility for the development, supervision, and implementation of international narcotics control assistance activities and on international criminal justice issues for the Department of State. The Foreign Service Assignments Officer will perform duties in both domestic and foreign assignments, as needed, to supplement existing staff during times of heavy workload, when staff shortages occur, or when expertise is required for specific projects. Relationship: The Officer receives administrative direction from the Administrative Officer, but acts with a high degree of independence in planning, scheduling, and completing work, within the framework of delegated authority. Many assignments are self-initiated based on the Officer's assessment of post requirements and the means to meet them. As the primary liaison with post personnel and host nation officials, the Officer has broad latitude in coordinating work efforts and plays a key role in ensuring that posts operate effectively and in compliance with relevant regulations. The Officer uses a high degree of expertise and independent judgment in developing, consulting, coordinating, and executing programs to achieve compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and organizational goals and objectives, and resolves all but the most complex and sensitive issues. Recommendations and decisions are assumed technically accurate, and work is reviewed in terms of the overall effectiveness of the efforts by management within the Division as well as post officials and staff who rely on the Officer's advice and support. Duties and Responsibilities: • Manages the Foreign Service Assignments process, providing expert advice and guidance to senior Bureau managers on all aspects of Foreign Service position management, recruitment, assignment, and evaluation. • Counsels Foreign Service staff on all assignment related questions and provides support and guidance to those individuals who have been offered positions within the Bureau. Coordinates all FS issues with the appropriate offices within the Bureau of Human Resources, e.g., HR/CDA and HR/PE, resolving issues pertaining to FS assignments and performance, and recommends ways to improve or streamline the process. • Oversees suggestion and award, quality, and or productivity programs related to these activities. Analyzes and evaluates, on a quantitative or qualitative basis, the effectiveness of programs or operations in meeting established goals and objectives. • Liaises with colleagues and professional contacts in other bureaus whose work and role are relevant to supporting INL Offices, including but not limited to Diplomatic Security, the Office of Medical Services, HR Career Development, and Assignments, the Family Liaison Office, the Office of Foreign Missions, Overseas Schools, Allowances and more. • Ensures advance planning and coordination of Bureau-funded annual conferences or workshops; manages the development of agendas and speakers; and, as lead officer for the Bureaus' management officer workshop, directs support staff as needed in all phases of preparation, logistics, and security and representation requirements. • Analyzes administrative processes and/or agency programs for the Executive Director, with particular emphasis on management and implementation of an effective program in meeting Foreign Service human resources goals and objectives for the Bureau and its worldwide NAS operations. • Identifies problem areas and opportunities for improvement and provides fully staffed recommendations to management, including the Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretaries. This encompasses issues such as streamlining processes, assessing the feasibility of automated systems to meeting the Bureau's HR responsibilities, standardizing operations, or collaborating with other organizations on mutual responsibilities, improved management practices or the impact of new or proposed legislation or regulations on HR programs. • Communicates with colleagues, agency management, and other contacts outside the agency to gather and analyze information about these agency processes and programs. Personal Contacts: • Contacts include subject matter experts throughout the Department, as well as officials from traditional foreign affairs and other USG agencies, e.g. USAID and the Departments of Defense and Justice. Other contacts are with contracting firms, host nation officials, and the public. Contacts occur in a variety of structured and unstructured settings, and require highly developed communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution and leadership skills to attain desired results. Purpose of Contacts • Contacts are to influence, motivate, or persuade people or groups to accept opinions or to take actions related to the goals and objective of INL programs; and/or involve the commitment or distribution of major resources. The Officer often encounters opposition or resistance due to significant organizational conflicts, competing objectives, major resource limitations, or reductions. The Officer often serves as the INL representative in these settings, and must use a great deal of tact and professionalism in persuading stakeholders of the merits of his/her positions; achieving consensus; and/or winning buy-in with INL objectives. Physical Demands • The work generally does not impose unusual physical demands on the Officer. • Periodic travel of varying duration may be required. Work Environment • The majority of the work is performed in a standard office setting. Guidelines • Guidelines consist of basic departmental and EUR-IO policies and regulations covering various administrative and management functions and programs, as well as country and local laws. These guidelines provide the basic information but often lack specificity and definitive answers or solutions and thus are insufficient in dealing with unique or unusual situations. Further, due to changing political climates and regional responsibilities, the Officer must re-evaluate their applicability in light of changing situations and determine when to deviate from standard approaches in developing appropriate strategies and processes to meet post requirements. Given their lack of specificity, the Officer uses a high degree of judgment, discretion, and ingenuity in interpreting and applying the intent of these guides, and in revising current policy and regulatory guidance for use by others engaged in overseas post management and operations within and outside of the Department, e.g. other USG agencies with employees at assigned posts. Complexity • The work involves providing expert analytical and advisory support for the planning, development and execution of INL policies and programs domestically, supporting INL missions at posts, and involves resolving a broad range of administrative and management issues using different and unrelated approaches and techniques in an environment of time-sensitive pressures and deadlines. • The Officer develops detailed plans, goals, and objectives for the long-range implementation of INL assignments at posts, as well as delivery of critical administrative services and guidance. The work necessitates handling multiple actions, problems, and relationships concurrently. Decisions on how to proceed are often complicated by conflicting goals and objectives of post management, host nation laws and requirements, and world events. Decisions and actions must also take into account the precedents that are being set, or at least the perception that precedents are being set, and the long-term implications of short-term solutions. • The Officer must deliver service and resolve problems in this environment, and ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied with the results of his/her decisions and recommendations. Scope and Effect • The purposes of the work are to collaborate with management in the Department in providing prompt and effective administrative support of the assignment FS personnel domestically and at INL positions at posts; support INL missions at posts in engaging their administrative and personnel resources as effectively as possible; liaise with relevant Bureaus and USG agencies to ensure that the each post's best interests are protected; and ensure that administrative and substantive policies are mutually compatible. • The Officer's efforts play a critical role in ensuring that posts' administrative, operational, and managerial requirements are met to ensure their effective operations and ability to carry out their public diplomacy missions. Minimum Qualifications: 1. U.S. citizen, and able to obtain/maintain a Department of State Secret security clearance. 2. Education: It is desirable that applicants possess a Bachelor's degree in related field. 3. Specialized Experience: One year of experience which demonstrates the following: • Program and organizational analysis principles, methods, practices and techniques; analytical methods; and interpersonal relations practices and the skill to apply this mastery in developing new methods and approaches in planning, integrating, and evaluating programs for the agency. • Knowledge and skill to advise other specialists in and outside the agency, as well as top managers and decision-makers, on issues of developing, communicating, or enhancing program matters involving interaction with all of the agency's publics, both nationally and internationally. • Skills to plan, organize, and direct team study work and/or to negotiate effectively with management to accept and implement recommendations where the proposals involve substantial agency resources (financial and/or human resources), require extensive changes in established procedures, or may be in conflict with the desires of the activity studied. • Ability to communicate, both in writing and orally, in performing program specialist work, drafting reports, memoranda, and letters, and interacting with others, at the senior staff level, both formally and informally, as required. Evaluation Criteria: Factor 1 Concepts and Practice (20 points) Offeror demonstrates knowledge of the concepts, principles, practices, laws, and regulations associated with the broad areas of organization and management principals, practices and techniques and interpersonal relations practices in order to manage and evaluate programs for the Bureau. Experience would display applicant's knowledge of the full range of administrative and management policies and procedures applicable to these functions and an understanding of how they apply to specific cases. Knowledge of and skill to advise other specialists, top managers and decision-makers, on issues of developing, communicating, or enhancing program matters involving interaction with partners and clients to define and manage projects from inception to completion. Experience would display applicant's knowledge of specific programs for which responsible, and ability to convey such information to others. Factor 2 Plan and Organization (20 points) Offeror demonstrates skills to plan, organize, and direct team study work and/or to negotiate effectively with management to accept and implement recommendations where the proposals involve agency resources (financial and/or human resources), require extensive changes in established procedures, or may result in conflicting views. Experience would display applicant's ability to manage/evaluate the full-range of program resources and issues where the projects were sufficiently complex to require extensive coordination and management such as requiring interaction with task force groups to accomplish goals. Ability to write and speak effectively in order to effectively and skillfully negotiate with senior officials, and be adept in presenting positions in written form. Written experience would display applicant's ability in writing papers and reports that present clear and concise explanations or analyses of the administrative program area, which are not standardized, and which represent information the applicant was required to research and analyze. Oral experience would display applicant's ability in expressing his/her thoughts or opinions in a logical sequence such as working with others as a member of a work team, briefing groups on agency policy in administrative/management fields, or conveying information about a project to colleagues within the agency. Factor 3 Department of State (20 points) Offeror demonstrates expert knowledge of Department of State and INL policy goals and objectives in order to provide expert advice on FS assignment issues with particular focus on the issues impacting the nation in which the post is located; coordinate the work of other professionals in a variety of disciplines to accomplish goals; resolve complex problems; and ensure program offices comply with relevant departmental priorities and policy goals vis-a-vis the INL mission domestically and at post. Expert knowledge of departmental policies and business processes, covering a broad range of administrative functions, e.g. general services, financial management, facilities maintenance management, human resources, medical and health services, and/or information management, in order to provide expert support and guidance in these areas; resolve complex and interconnected issues; ensure program offices and posts receive proper support in these areas; and recommend policies in these areas. Factor 4 Communication (20 points) Offeror demonstrates expert oral and written communication skills in order to articulate and defend decisions; communicate with and advise officials; participate in and conduct briefings/negotiations; present facts, assessments and recommendations on complex issues; and produce coherent reports, policy recommendations, memoranda, and written proposals which identify and recommend solutions to problems. Strong interpersonal skills in order to interact with high-ranking officials; negotiate and recommend a variety of administrative policies and procedures related to overseas mission and program goals; and represent post interests and requirements with senior level management. Factor 5 Past Performances (20 points) Past performance evaluation of applicant's ability to perform under the contract. In conducting the evaluation, the Government reserves the right to utilize all evaluation information available at the time of evaluation, whether provided by the applicant or obtained from other sources. Pre-Award Ethical Responsibilities of PSC (JUN 2011) This solicitation may result in the award of one or more personal services contracts as defined in FAR 2.101. Prior to contract award, all offerors or quotes must advise the cognizant Contracting Officer if they have a personal conflict of interest, such as a financial conflict, that would prevent them from either meeting the requirements of the clause entitled, "Post-Award Ethical Responsibilities of Personal Services Contractors," or otherwise objectively performing their contractual duties upon contract award. COMPENSATION For award, INL will negotiate for this contract based on the following: • Entry-level salary is at Step 1 of the grade range assigned to solicitation • Consideration given for experience relevant specifically to the solicitation requirements • Level and extent of experience dictates the salary level within the grade range BENEFITS & ALLOWANCES AS A MATTER OF POLICY, INL NORMALLY AUTHORIZES THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES BENEFITS - IF APPLICABLE • Employee's FICA Contribution • Contribution toward Health and Life Insurance • Pay Comparability Adjustment • Annual Increase • Eligibility for Worker's Compensation • Annual & Sick Leave • 401K Plan ALLOWANCES - IF APPLICABLE • Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance • Living Quarters Allowance • Post Allowance • Supplemental Post Allowance • Separate Maintenance Allowance • Education Allowance • Education Travel • Post Differential • Payments during Evacuation/Authorized Departure • Danger Pay
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/State/INL/INL-RM-MS/PSC-13-024-INL/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Washington, DC, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Record
- SN02997708-W 20130301/130227234932-19bb834c7813467b1b03593d9f795323 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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