USPSC Support Relief Group Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA21R00061

ISSUANCE DATE: July 13, 2021
CLOSING DATE AND TIME: August 12, 2022, 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) Office of Field and Response Operations (FARO), is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal service as a Support Relief Group (SRG) Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor under a United States Personal Services Contract (USPSC), as described in the solicitation.

Submittals must be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Offerors interested in applying for this position MUST submit the following materials:

1. Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your offer, your resume must include:

(a) Paid and non-paid experience, job title, location(s), dates held (month/year), and hours worked per week for each position. Dates (month/year) and locations for all field experience must also be detailed. Any experience that does not include dates (month/year), locations, and hours per week will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
(b) Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.
(c) Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments. Failure to identify an academic discipline will result in disqualification.
(d) U.S. Citizenship
(e) Optional: How did you hear about this opportunity? (beta.SAM.gov, BHA Jobs, Career Fair, etc.).

Your resume must contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. This information must be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide information sufficient to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration.

1. USPSC Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted. AID 309-2 is available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms.

NOTE REGARDING DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBERS AND THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

All USPSCs with a place of performance in the United States are required to have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database prior to receiving an award. You will be disqualified if you either fail to comply with this requirement or if your name appears on the excluded parties list. The selectee will be provided with guidance regarding this registration.

NOTE: As of March 28, 2018, all new SAM.gov entity registrations will now require a signed notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity administrator for the entity associated with the DUNS number. Additional information on the format of the notarized letter and where to submit can be found via the below Federal Service Desk link:

https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=d2e67885db0d5f00b3257d321f96194b&sysparm_search=kb0013183

Offerors can expect to receive a confirmation email when offer materials have been received. Offerors should retain for their records copies of all enclosures which accompany their offers. Your complete resume must be emailed to:

FARO Recruitment Team
E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Website: www.BHAjobs.net

Any questions on this solicitation may be directed to the FARO Recruitment Team via the information provided above.

Sincerely,

Sonja Stroud-Gooden
Contracting Officer

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The SRG Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor’s responsibilities will include the following:

At the GS-13 Equivalent Level:

● Provide technical advice and assistance for the analysis and forecasts of hydrometeorological hazard potential and risks to populations to support BHA teams before, during and after disasters.
● Work with the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor to provide technical advice on disaster response and risk reduction strategies and implementation plans for hydrometeorological hazards such as floods, droughts, tsunamis, windstorms, climate variability, dam breaks, and other climate, weather and hydrology-related hazards, globally.
● Work with the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Advisor to coordinate the review of proposals, concept papers and other documents submitted by various partners, including Non-government organizations (NGOs), universities, Public International Organizations (PIOs), and other organizations to ensure that proposed activities to ensure technical merits do not create additional risk and in line with technical practices and policies of BHA and USG.
● Work with the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor to design and carry out programs, projects, studies or other related work and apply new developments in the hydrometeorology sector to BHA programming, as appropriate.
● Provide technical advice, assessment, evaluation, and guidance in implementation of BHA projects in the hydrometeorology sector.
● Work with the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor to collaborate with USAID Bureaus and Missions, other U.S. Federal Agencies, International Organizations, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, National Disaster Management Agencies, Universities and Research Institutes, NGOs, PVOs and the private sector on hydrometeorological activities.
● Work with the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor to write handbooks, guidelines, funding documents, position papers, and promotional materials.
● Work with the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor to prepare briefing materials, background documents, talking points and other relevant documents for BHA and USAID.

At the GS-14 Equivalent Level:

● Independently provide technical advice and assistance for the analysis and forecasts of hydrometeorological hazard potential and risks to populations to support BHA teams before, during and after disasters.
● Provide expert technical advice on disaster response and risk reduction strategies for natural and human-caused disasters world-wide such as floods, droughts, tsunamis, windstorms, climate, dam breaks, and other climate, weather and water-induced hazards.
● Provide review of proposals, concept papers and other documents submitted by various partners, including NGOs, UN agencies, and other organizations to ensure that proposed activities do not create additional risk and are in line with best practices, policies of BHA and USG.
● Provide expert technical advice, assessment, evaluation and guidance to BHA projects and partners and may be responsible for leading teams or guiding and coordinating the work of other technical staff in the hydrometeorology sector.
● Collaborate with BHA Regional teams, USAID Bureaus and missions, other U.S. Federal Agencies, International Organizations and UN Agencies such as the World Meteorological Organization, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, National Disaster Management Agencies, Universities and Research Institutes, NGOs, Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) and the private sector for hydrometeorological activities.
● Represent BHA within hydrometeorological-focused coordination fora external to the USG as assigned by BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor.
● In collaboration with the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor, write handbooks, guidelines, funding documents, position papers, and promotional materials on behalf of BHA.
● Assist the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor in developing strategies and implementation plans for hydrometeorology and water resources sectors to lessen impacts of hydrometeorological disasters/emergencies. As appropriate, applies new developments in the hydrometeorology sector to BHA programming.
● In collaboration with the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor, works to prepare briefing materials, background documents, talking points and other relevant documents for BHA and USAID as needed for various purposes such as Congressional testimony speeches and press releases.
● The SRG USPSC independently plans, designs and carries out programs, projects, studies or other work.

All GS Equivalent Levels:

● Serve as the BHA after-hours duty officer on a rotational basis for approximately one week every six months.
● As needed, serve on temporary detail within the office to meet operational needs during staff shortages. Duties performed while on detail will be aligned with the Team’s existing duties and responsibilities and will be directly related to the scope of work provided.
● As needed, serve on Washington-based Response Management Teams (RMTs), which provide services and support to Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs) deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will vary
● As needed, serve on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an extended period of time.
● Become certified and serve as an Agreement Officer’s Representative/Contracting Officer’s Representative (AOR/COR), as assigned. The AOR/COR provides financial and programmatic oversight of all aspects of managing the agreement or contract; this includes but is not limited to reviewing invoices, requests for approvals, program/project deliverables (i.e. work plans, annual reports, month status reports), travel requests, key personnel requests, and financial/budget reports. They are responsible for drafting and submitting the annual contractor performance evaluation in Contract/Assistance Performance Assessment Review System. They prepare and review contract/assistance modifications documentation and assist the Contracting/Agreement Officer to ensure performance is compliant with the terms and conditions of the contract/agreement, the FAR, and USAID policy. AOR/CORs are responsible for all related requirements in the COR designation letter and the AOR designation letter.

SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:

The USPSC will take direction from and report to the FARO/R2D Division Director or his/her designee. When activated, the USPSC will be a part of TPQ’s Division’s Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction (NHDRR) Team, receiving day to day guidance and onsite management from the Senior Hydrometeorological Hazard Advisor and the NHDRR Team Lead.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
At the GS-13 Equivalent Level:
Supervisor sets overall objectives and resources available. The USPSC coordinates with the supervisor to develop deadlines, projects, and work to be done. The SRG USPSC is responsible for planning and carrying out assignments. The SRG USPSC is responsible for planning approaches or methodology to be used in carrying out assignments.

At the GS-14 Equivalent Level:
Supervisor provides administrative directions in terms of broadly defined missions or functions. Under guidance of the BHA Senior Hydrometeorological Advisor, the USPSC independently plans, designs and carries out programs, projects, studies or other work. Results are considered authoritative and are normally accepted without significant change.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
(Determines basic eligibility for the position. Offerors who do not meet all of the education and experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.)

For the GS-13 Equivalent Level:

Bachelor’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including meteorology hydrology, hydrometeorology, civil engineering or related field, plus 7 years of progressively responsible experience working in hydrometeorological early warning environments as it relates to disaster response and risk reduction, three (3) years of field experience (domestic or overseas) in operational meteorology or hydrology. International experience in hydrometeorology is highly desirable.

OR

Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, meteorology, hydrology, hydrometeorology, civil engineering or related field, plus 5 years of progressively responsible experience working in hydrometeorological early warning environments as it relates to disaster response and risk reduction, three (3) years of field experience (domestic or overseas) in operational meteorology or hydrology. International experience in hydrometeorology is highly desirable.
For the GS-14 Equivalent Level:

Bachelor’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including, meteorology, hydrology, hydrometeorology, civil engineering or related field, plus 9 years of progressively responsible experience working in hydrometeorological early warning environments as it relates to disaster response and risk reduction, three (3) years of field experience (domestic or overseas) in operational meteorology or hydrology. International experience in hydrometeorology is highly desirable.

OR

Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field meteorology, hydrology, hydrometeorology, civil engineering or related field, plus 7 years of progressively responsible experience working in hydrometeorological early warning environments as it relates to disaster response and risk reduction, three (3) years of field experience (domestic or overseas) in operational meteorology or hydrology. International experience in hydrometeorology is highly desirable.

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 cover page for resume requirements. Experience that cannot be quantified will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements.
● USPSC Offeror form AID 309-2. Offerors are required to complete sections A through I. This form must be physically signed. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.
● Ability 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.

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 and academic credentials will be evaluated 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 future phase of the selection process.