SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- PSC - NAS Policy Advisor, Mexico City, Mexico
- Notice Date
- 6/25/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, INL RM MS, 2430 E Street, N.W., South Building, SA-4 Navy Hill, Washington, District of Columbia, 20520
- ZIP Code
- 20520
- Solicitation Number
- PSC-08-049
- Archive Date
- 8/11/2008
- Point of Contact
- Larry S. Parr, Phone: 202-776-8761, Mary Pat Hayes-Crow, Phone: 2027768373
- E-Mail Address
-
ParrLS@state.gov, hayes-crowmp2@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 the cover letter of this solicitation. The number of pages contained in this electronic copy may not exactly correspond to the hard paper copy, although generally all the information is contained herein. The Department is not responsible for any data/text that may not be received when retrieving this document electronically. If the recipient does not notify the contact person that they have obtained this document then any amendments to the document may not be available to the recipients. Amendments to solicitation documents generally contain information critical to the submission of an application. PSC - NAS Policy Advisor, Mexico City, Mexico SOLICITATION NUMBER: PSC-08-049 (INL) Gentlemen/Ladies: SUBJECT: Solicitation for Personal Services Contractor (PSC), Department of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The United States Government, represented by the Department of State, is seeking applications (Standard Form 171's or OF 612’s) from U.S. citizens interested in providing the PSC services described in the attached. Along with the SF-171 or OF-612, applicants shall provide a resume and three written reference letters including contact information. Applicants are also requested to provide their full mailing address (fax, telephone and/or e-mail where applicable). Submissions shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Please reference the number of this solicitation when sending your application. Any questions may be directed to Larry S. Parr, Senior Advisor, INL/RM/MS, DOS, who may be reached at FAX No. (202) 776-8686 or E-Mail parrls@state.gov. All applications shall be submitted by e-mail or facsimile and, if necessary, originals may be sent via mail to Larry Parr. They must arrive on time. If sent via courier to: Larry S. Parr, INL/RM/MS, Navy Hill, SA-4 South Department of State 2430 E. Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20520 Late applications shall not be accepted, unless there was a mishandling once received in DOS. Applicants should retain for their records copies of all enclosures that accompany their proposals. Sincerely, Mary Pat Hayes-Crow, Contracting Officer PSC - NAS Policy Advisor, Mexico City, Mexico 1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: PSC-08-049 (INL) 2. ISSUANCE DATE: 06/25/08 3. CLOSING DATE/TIME SPECIFIED: 07/27/08 FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: 24:00 PM ET 4. POSITION TITLE: NAS Policy Advisor 5. MARKET VALUE: FS 02 ($77,294 - $113,509) 6. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: August 2008 – August 2009 7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Mexico City, Mexico 8. JOB DESCRIPTION: See below GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONTRACTOR A. BACKGROUND: The Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) is the office within the U.S. Embassy to Mexico that manages assistance activities funded through the State Department's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). In the Mexican context, NAS manages a bilateral assistance program that helps design, build and otherwise nurture the capabilities of Mexico's law enforcement agencies (LEAs), by investing in the professionalization of their personnel, the creation of their infrastructure and the provision of other needed goods and services. Future programming may support Mexican LEAs across a greatly expanded range of initiatives, in the context of the multi-year Merida Initiative (MI). NAS also works through the Embassy's Law Enforcement Committee to coordinate policies across the many U.S. law enforcement agencies represented at post. NAS complements the efforts of these USG LEAs by financing the travel, training and equipping of their Mexican counterparts. Finally, NAS finances the activities of Mexican governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations that support programs that address prevention/rehabilitation and the culture of lawfulness. B. PURPOSE: The Policy Advisor will provide continuity to the NAS Management with respect to the process that resulted in the Merida Initiative: from the bilateral agreements reached during the original validation meetings, to the MI package’s submission to Congress, through the planning for the NAS’s administrative “right-sizing,” into the development and delivery of projects implementing the Merida Initiative and the development of support projects using regular NAS budget that provide the training and other aspects of the “tail” not otherwise provided for in the MI package as approved by Congress. This responsibility requires direct involvement (often with secretaries and sub-secretaries of Mexican Government (GOM) secretariats or their equivalents) in the design of the set of projects that constitute the Merida Initiative, the conceptual oversight to maximize the interoperability of the implemented activities across Mexican LEAs (as well as across USG LEAs) and the planning required for continuity into the future. A key part of the responsibility involves the identification of potential projects that support USG and GOM policy objectives and the championing of these projects to NAS Management. Another responsibility involves the development of means to track the status of ongoing projects and the implementation of the Initiative as a whole for NAS Management. The incumbent also proposes short-/medium-/long-range plans for the NAS, for the use of the Director, Deputy Director and Program Coordinators/Advisors. I. STATEMENT OF WORK A.ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Policy Advisor directly supports the Director and Deputy Director in ensuring the coherency of the implementation of the Merida Initiative, proposing top NAS Management the strategic direction to be implemented through projects (in conjunction with the GOM) and working to establish complementary goals across the GOM’s LEAs. The incumbent must be both visionary and pragmatic, to address the needs of the key constituents. The Policy Advisor will propose the means to integrate the projects that NAS undertakes to ensure consistency across GOM organizational lines and internationally, including with USG LEAs, as appropriate. Specific duties and responsibilities will include: 1.Identify, develop and implement projects consistent with concepts negotiated under Merida Initiative and as amended by US Congress. Ensure that these projects advance USG interests and build upon investments the NAS has already made. 2.Establish a plan for implementing the “tail” of projects that have been initiated with MI funding into out-years, to ensure that the best value is gained from the investments made. 3.Establish appropriate advisory and governance mechanisms to ensure productive interaction between implementers (including USG agency personnel, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and contractors) and customers (usually GOM personnel, but also including personnel from Mexican state governments and NGOs). 4.Build the broadest possible alliances across all interested parties (USG and GOM, state governments and civil society) to ensure USG resources are managed effectively, ensuring a competitive and efficient cost structure. 5.Oversee the development of staff and ensure that the NAS has a quality workforce with the technical skills and competencies needed to accomplish its greatly expanded mission. II. QUALIFICATIONS A. SPECIFIC CORE COMPETENCIES: 1.Building and Leveraging Relationships: Readily connects with others and proactively solicits their views before proposing key decisions. Naturally builds effective support to move the agenda forward. Rapidly gains the respect and trust of team members and colleagues. Can adapt strategies to get things done within a given situation. 2.Interpersonal Acumen: Displays cultural astuteness in understanding both the implicit and explicit decision-making processes of an organization. Is savvy and pragmatic relative to effecting change in a new organizational culture. Has significant patience and political savvy but can derive real results in a timely fashion. 3.Leadership Presence: Personally visible to the organization; communicates key messages and listens well. Highly articulate and makes points in a compelling manner. Conveys genuine belief in the organization’s ability to succeed despite the toughest obstacles. 4.Driving Results: Demonstrates the ability to translate the mix of a broad bilateral strategy, specific negotiated text and final law language into concrete activities that effectively advance USG interests. Combines tenacity with a sense of urgency to drive issues to closure. 5.Building and Motivating Teams: Capable in assessing and leveraging the strengths, weaknesses and working styles of team members. Forges strong & diverse teams to implement activities by drawing upon subject matter experts from relevant USG law enforcement agencies. Delegates significant responsibilities to team members and provides appropriate level of direction and support. 6.Managing Performance: Able to achieve results through others, to motivate team effort and cooperation. Translates goals into specific objectives for each member of the team and holds individuals personally accountable for results. Keeps organization focused on achieving key metrics. B.MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 1.Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen able to obtain a Department of State Secret security clearance. 2.Education: Must have a Bachelors degree from an accredited institution. 3.Foreign Language: Must have a tested Spanish language proficiency of at least FSI 3/3 level. 4.Computer Skills: Must have a good working knowledge of MS Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. 5.Work Experience: Must have previous experience in managing significant INL resources in the field, as well as direct and recent experience in the negotiations and other interactions that have occurred with USG and Mexican law enforcement agencies in context of Merida Initiative. 6.Specialized Experience: Must have previous work experience in a U.S. Embassy or in a comparable overseas, multicultural environment. 7.Management Experience: Must have successful supervisory and leadership experience, preferably in a multicultural environment, as well as a demonstrated ability to make sound decisions in a timely manner. 8.Leadership Experience: Must have a proven ability to interact effectively with a wide range of U.S. and foreign national personnel at all levels of any organization, as well as proven ability to formulate and articulate both the immediate goals and the long-term vision of a NAS or similar organization. Must be able to represent the NAS persuasively in personal contacts with the GOM, as well as with counterparts within the USG. 9.Knowledge: Must have familiarity with Department of State acquisition, contracting, management regulations, as well as with logistics and financial management policies and procedures. 10.Communications: Must possess excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as developed problem-solving skills, initiative and the ability to be sensitive, flexible and creative when problems arise. III. PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENTS Office environment: normal routine will involve deskwork and working at a computer terminal, with travel in Mexico and United States. The Policy Advisor will be based in the NAS offices in Mexico City. IV. POSITION ELEMENTS 1.Supervision Received: The Policy Advisor reports to the Director and will receive general guidance from that individual on administrative, management and program policy direction that connote overall program priorities and objectives, after which s/he independently negotiates the scope and objectives of each tasking with little subsequent input or review by her/his supervisor. 2.Supervision Exercised: The Policy Advisor will indirectly supervise the activities of the Program Advisors and Coordinators. 3.Guidelines: The INL Financial Management Handbook, INL Program and Policy Guide and INL Procurement Policies and Procedures handbook provide supplementary guidance to the Foreign Affairs Manuals for Personnel Management (3 FAM), Financial Management (4 FAM), General Services (6 FAM) and Logistics Management (14 FAM) and associated Foreign Affairs Handbooks, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Department of State Acquisitions Regulations (DOSAR). 4.Complexity: The work involves varying mixes of planning, negotiating, organizing, drafting and completing projects, including their day-to-day management. It also involves the identification of project parameters with GOM & USG LEA counterparts and the subsequent negotiation of mutually-agreed-to goals (including metrics). The incumbent may encounter difficulty in identifying the exact nature of the relevant issues or problems and in planning, organizing and determining the scope and depth of tasks, studies and/or audits to be undertaken. 5.Scope and Effectiveness: The Policy Advisor performs a broad range of tasks related to a complex foreign assistance program. S/he must be sensitive to the NAS command structure, keeping its leadership fully apprised of developments that may require their intervention or decisions. The work may require the incumbent to establish new conceptual approaches to overcome unforeseen impediments to project implementation. 6.Personal Contacts: The incumbent works closely with personnel of NAS, INL, the Embassy’s Management Section, other USG LEA agencies in the Mission, contractors implementing NAS projects and GOM counterparts. V. EVALUATION CRITERIA Factor 1 (Work Experience): Demonstrated work experience in project initiation and management with success within the Department of State overseas handling INL-funded projects. (15 points x _________ = ________) Factor 2 (Specialized Experience): Demonstrated work experience in a U.S. Embassy (with the Department of State or other USG agency) or in comparable overseas, multicultural environment. (15 points x _________ = _________) Factor 3 (Management Experience): Demonstrated successful supervisory and leadership experience, preferably in a multicultural environment. Demonstrated ability to make sound decisions in a timely manner. (15 points x ________ = _________) Factor 4 (Leadership Experience): Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with a wide range of U.S. and foreign national personnel at all levels of an organization. (15 points x ________ = _________) Factor 5. Familiarity with Department of State management regulations (FAM, FAH, SR) and Department of State logistics and/or financial management policies and procedures. (10 points x ________ = _________) Factor 6. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. (10 points x ________ = _________) Factor 7. An evaluation of applicant’s ability to perform under the contract based on past performance. 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. (20 points x ________ = __________) VI. AS A MATTER OF POLICY, A PSC IS NORMALLY AUTHORIZED THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS 1. BENEFITS Employee's FICA Contribution Contribution toward Health & Life Insurance Pay Comparability Adjustment Annual Increase Eligibility for Worker's Compensation Annual & Sick Leave
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- Place of Performance
- Address: AmerEmbassy Mexico City, Mexico
- Record
- SN01601226-W 20080627/080625221038-cbcd0e32791a29b6ab627134589c0ce1 (fbodaily.com)
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