(USPSC) Monitoring and Evaluation(M&E) Advisor (Multiple Positions)

Position description

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 720BHA24R00005  

ISSUANCE DATE: December 29, 2023  

CLOSING DATE AND TIME: October 15, 2024 – 12:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time  

SUBJECT: Solicitation for U.S. Personal Service Contractor  (USPSC) – Monitoring and Evaluation(M&E) Advisor (Multiple  

Positions) 

Dear Prospective Offerors: 

The United States Government (USG), represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development  (USAID) is seeking offers from qualified persons to provide personal services under contract as described  in this solicitation.  

Offers must be in accordance with Attachment 1 of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will  not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all offer materials for their records. 

USAID will evaluate all offerors based on stated evaluation criteria. USAID encourages all individuals,  including those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups, to respond to the solicitation.  

This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any  cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the offer.  

Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in Attachment 1. 

Sincerely, 

Juan E. Proaño 

Senior Contracting Officer 

Office of Acquisition & Assistance 

(M/OAA/BHA-CPS/PSC)

U.S. Agency for International Development 

SOL 720BHA24R00005 M&E Advisor – BHA 

ATTACHMENT 1 

I. GENERAL INFORMATION  

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 720BHA24R00005 

2. ISSUANCE DATE: December 29, 2023 

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: October 15, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Standard  Time 

This solicitation is open and continuous until October 15, 2024. The following are the closing dates  for each review period: 

First Round: February 13, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time 

Second Round: June 14, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time 

Third Round: October 15, 2024, 12:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time 

Offerors not selected during a previous review period must reapply in order to be considered for  positions available in subsequent review periods. A review period may be canceled at the Contracting  Officer’s discretion. 

4. POINT OF CONTACT: TPQ Recruitment Team, [email protected]. 

5. POSITION TITLE: Monitoring and Evaluation(M&E) Advisor (Multiple Positions)

6. MARKET VALUE: $71,099 – $92,429 equivalent to a GS-12 or $84,546 – $109,908 equivalent to a GS-13.  

Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value and will include Locality Pay for  domestic USPSCs based on the location of the Official USAID Worksite, or the approved alternative  worksite if approved for remote work. USPSCs performing overseas are not entitled to Locality Pay. 

This position can be filled at either the GS-12 ($71,099 – $92,429) or GS-13 ($84,546 – $109,908)  equivalent level. 

Offerors who meet the minimum qualifications for a GS-12 will be considered for the GS-12 level  positions. Offerors who meet the minimum qualifications for a GS-13 will be considered for the GS-13  level only. 

Offerors selected at the GS-12 may have an opportunity for advancement to the GS-13 equivalent after  at least two years at the GS-12 level if the individual receives a recommendation from the supervisor  for advancement along with an Exceeds Fully Successful performance evaluation. Advancement to the  GS-13 level is not guaranteed. Offerors selected at the GS-13 may have an opportunity for  advancement to the GS-14 equivalent after at least two years at the GS-13 level if the individual  receives a recommendation from the supervisor for advancement along with an Exceeds Fully  Successful performance evaluation. Advancement to the GS-14 level is not guaranteed.

Salaries over and above the top of the pay range will not be entertained or negotiated.

7. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Remote 

This position has been designated as suitable for remote work. The contractor will be authorized to  perform the services under this contract from an alternative worksite. For PSCs authorized to remote  work, the alternative worksite determines the locality pay for compensation purposes.   

8. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Five (5) years, tentatively 145 day estimated start date from closing  9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: U.S. Citizens Only 

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Secret 

If there is a change in circumstances requiring access to National Security information classified at the  Top-Secret level, the offeror may be asked to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented  Information level clearance as provided by USAID. 

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES  

GENERAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE OF THE CONTRACT 

The Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)’s Office of Technical and Program Quality (TPQ) leads  BHA’s efforts to ensure high-quality programmatic and technical leadership, oversight, and guidance. TPQ  captures, applies, and strengthens capacity in technical best practices, and contextually appropriate  programmatic approaches focused on all dimensions of BHA programming from humanitarian response  and transition into longer-term resilience programming, as well as risk analysis and early warning. TPQ is  responsible for providing policy, normative guidance, tools, facilitation, and capacity building to assist the  Bureau in achieving optimal humanitarian outcomes through strategic planning, activity design, consistent  and effective performance monitoring, comprehensive and appropriate evaluation, and learning across  the full spectrum of BHA responses and programming. TPQ promotes USAID’s humanitarian voice through  active participation and technical leadership in interagency and global fora, including leading the Bureau’s  technical engagement with academia and thought leaders. TPQ designs, supports, and coordinates  research to advance the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of BHA programming. TPQ leads BHA in  meeting the increasing demand for technical support and guidance in all facets of the Bureau’s work as  the geographic and topical areas of coverage expands, and as the Bureau seeks increased technical and  programmatic standardization, integration, and oversight to meet Agency, Congressional, and other  demands. 

The Design, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Applied Learning Division (DMEAL) leads BHA’s efforts to ensure  high-quality programming, rigor, and innovation through strategic planning and activity design,  consistent and effective performance monitoring, comprehensive and appropriate evaluation, and  learning across the full spectrum of BHA responses and programming. DMEAL is responsible for  providing policy, normative guidance, tools, facilitation, and capacity building around core program cycle  processes to assist the Bureau in achieving optimal humanitarian and resilience outcomes. DMEAL  focuses on strengthening the capacity of BHA and partner staff and the generation, capture, sharing,  and application of evidence and learning for adaptive management. DMEAL also plays a technical leadership role across BHA, the partner community, and USAID around key strategic approaches such as  resilience, strategic integration, sustainability, and co-creation.  

TPQ seeks Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Advisors to lead BHA’s efforts to monitor activity (project)  performance systematically and effectively, and ensure BHA’s strategies and programs are effective,  efficient, relevant, accountable, and impactful. 

STATEMENT OF DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED 

The M&E Advisor will perform the following duties and responsibilities: 

At the GS-12 Equivalent Level:  

Technical Assistance 

● Review monitoring approaches, indicators, and evaluation methods in applications for  humanitarian response, and Early Recovery, Risk Reduction, and Resilience (ER4) programs. 

● Provide technical assistance to BHA, Missions, and partners’ staff to design and implement  monitoring systems for humanitarian response, and ER4 programs. 

● Review semi-annual and annual results reports submitted by implementing partners; identify  challenges and lessons learned, synthesize and aggregate data, and prepare summary reports. 

● Provide technical assistance to Third Party Monitoring contracts for the design and  implementation of monitoring systems.  

Capacity Building  

● Provide feedback to implementing partner M&E staff in order to strengthen the quality of their  M&E practices and reporting. 

● Participate in designing and delivery of training on M&E requirements to BHA and implementing  partner staff. 

Data Analysis 

● Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to assess program performance; discern lessons learned  and make recommendations for improved outcomes.  

Data Management and Reporting 

● Review and edit performance data and reporting materials submitted by BHA awardees; provide  feedback to awardees or contractors as appropriate. 

● Review performance data submitted by partners, analyze them, and share them with relevant  teams to support decisions.  

Evaluation 

● Review evaluation scopes of work submitted by BHA awardees, research partners, and  contractors; review proposed evaluators; design and participate in evaluations. 

● Manage and track evaluations in USAID systems.

Coordination and Collaboration 

● Contribute to BHA internal and external documents, such as planning documents, BHA technical  guidance, and internal guidance for humanitarian assistance officers.  

● Coordinate with the other members of the M&E Team, the DMEAL Division, the geographic  offices, and the other relevant offices such as the Office of Global Policy, Partnerships, Programs,  and Communications (G3PC), and TPQ, and BHA’s partners for technical support, training, data  utilization, and knowledge capture and sharing. 

Response and Management 

● May be requested to be on-call/sign up for and 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. 

● May serve on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an  extended period of time. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, there  may be some additional physical exertion including long periods of standing, walking over rough  terrain, or carrying of moderately heavy items (less than 50 pounds). Work is primarily performed  in an office setting. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, the work may  additionally involve special safety and/or security precautions, wearing of protective equipment,  and exposure to severe weather conditions. 

● May serve on temporary details within the Bureau 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 statement of duties provided. 

● 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, monthly status reports), travel requests, key personnel requests, and financial/budget  reports. They are responsible for drafting and submitting the annual contractor performance  evaluation in the Contract Performance Assessment Review System (CPARS). 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. 

At the GS-13 Equivalent Level: 

Technical Assistance  

● Provide technical assistance to Third Party Monitoring contracts during the procurement process  for the design (pre-solicitation) and during the implementation (post-award) of monitoring  systems.  

● Review monitoring approaches, indicators, and evaluation methods proposed in applications for  humanitarian response, and ER4 programs. 

● Review semi-annual and annual results reports submitted by implementing partners; identify  challenges and lessons learned, synthesize and aggregate data, and prepare summary reports. 

● Assess needs for remote monitoring when necessary; advise appropriate remote monitoring  approaches and tools; review third-party statements of work; provide technical support to third party monitoring contracts; review appropriate and relevant reports.  

● Independently lead, advise on and contribute to the development and implementation of  evaluations, indicators, surveys, measurement approaches, and learning practices, including  assisting with evaluation and selection of prospective M&E awards.  

● Provide technical assistance to BHA, Missions, and partners’ staff to design and implement  monitoring systems for humanitarian response, and ER4 programs. 

Capacity Building 

● Develop checklists and other tools for BHA and Third Party Monitoring contractor staff to improve  capacity and objectivity in field visits. 

● Develop the capacity of BHA and partner staff to implement BHA M&E requirements, and monitor  BHA programs.  

Data Analysis 

● Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to assess program performance; discern lessons learned  and make recommendations for improved outcomes.  

● Synthesize evidence and best practices into written and oral learning products, including training  materials, to build capabilities of Agency staff and partners.  

● Answer key questions in analytic and learning agendas through designing, managing, and  disseminating findings from analyses, research, and evaluations. 

● Using various data mining tools, explore plausible relationships among different variables based  on the theory of change of ER4 programming.  

● Provide technical assistance to BHA contractors and partners on data analysis and presentations.

● Lead primary quantitative or qualitative analyses in support of other teams at BHA. Develop  findings or recommendations. 

Data Management  

● Review and edit performance data and reporting materials, submitted by BHA awardees; provide  feedback to awardees or contractors as appropriate, and upload data to USAID Development  Information Solutions known as DIS and other databases as requested by the M&E Team Lead. 

● Review performance data submitted by partners, analyze them and share them with relevant  teams to support decisions.  

● Update the M&E database regularly; ensure that BHA contractors and awardees comply with  USAID and BHA data privacy and security policy.  

Evaluation 

● Review evaluation scopes of work submitted by BHA awardees, research partners, and  contractors; review competencies of the proposed evaluators; design and participate in  evaluations. 

● Design evaluation scopes of work and provide project management and technical advising to  externally contracted evaluations. 

Coordination and Collaboration 

● Contribute to BHA internal and external documents, such as planning documents, BHA technical  guidance, and internal guidance for humanitarian assistance officers.  

● Coordinate with the other members of the M&E Team, the DMEAL Division, the geographic  offices, and the other relevant offices such as G3PC and TPQ, and BHA’s partners for technical  support, training, data utilization, and knowledge capture and sharing. 

● Coordinate with the M&E teams in other bureaus, such as the Bureau for Policy, Planning, and  Learning; Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, Bureau for Conflict and Violence Prevention,  Bureau for Global Health, Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation Bureau of  Population, Refugees, and Migration and with other key USAID partners on evaluations, best  practices, and harmonization of indicators. 

● Represent USAID or BHA at external events.  

Response and Management 

● The M&E Advisor does not have supervisory responsibilities; however, the PSC may serve in an  acting leadership role within the bureau in order to meet short-term staffing needs, not to exceed  120 days in a 12-month contract year. 

● May be requested to be on-call/sign up for and serve on Washington-based RMTs, which provide  services and support to DARTs deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will vary.

● May serve on DARTs which may require immediate (within 24 hours) deployment overseas for an  extended period of time. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, there  may be some additional physical exertion including long periods of standing, walking over rough  terrain, or carrying of moderately heavy items (less than 50 pounds). Work is primarily performed  in an office setting. During deployment on DARTs (if required), and during site visits, the work may  additionally involve special safety and/or security precautions, wearing of protective equipment,  and exposure to severe weather conditions. 

● May serve on temporary details within the Bureau 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 statement of duties provided. 

● Become certified and serve as an AOR/COR, as assigned. The AOR/COR provides financial and  programmatic oversight of all aspects of managing an 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 annual contractor  performance evaluation reports such as CPARS. 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 Federal  Acquisition Regulation, and other relevant USAID policy. AOR/CORs are responsible for all related  requirements in the COR designation letter and the AOR designation letter. 

At the GS-14 Equivalent Level: 

The M&E Advisor will perform the following in addition to the duties and responsibilities outlined above  at the GS-13 level (If the PSC is promoted during contract performance):  

Leadership 

● Provide high-level technical and strategic leadership on a wide range of technical areas in M&E as  practiced in the humanitarian context, ER4 programs; identify emerging M&E approaches,  methods, and tools including geospatial, and other remote data collection tools to expand data  collection in non-permissive and/or pandemic environments. 

● Provide expert technical leadership to the BHA M&E Team to identify emerging M&E methods  and tools including earth observation data, machine learning tools, and other remote data  collection and methods. 

Capacity Building 

● Develop new or update existing M&E guidance for humanitarian response, and ER4 programs for  internal and external communications. Periodically review, update, and/or create new  performance indicators in coordination and collaboration with other technical teams within the  Office or within the Agency, when relevant and appropriate. 

● Develop new or update existing training, workshops, and other capacity building initiatives,  materials, and resources for BHA/Washington staff, BHA Mission staff, and implementing  partners; deliver training, workshops, brown bags, and other engagements to build capacity of  BHA and Agency staff and implementing partners. 

Coordination and Collaboration 

● Coordinate strategic engagement with the regional Missions and regional humanitarian advisors  to understand M&E needs for the region, periodically meet with them to receive feedback and  tailor M&E support based on the needs.  

Evaluation 

● Lead, advise on, conduct, and review complex analyses and evaluations in support of  humanitarian response, and ER4 programs, and processes, including areas where definitions,  methods, and/or data are incomplete, controversial, or uncertain. 

● Integrate results of various evaluations and analyses into comprehensive technical briefings,  reports, and technical papers.  

● Lead the design, procurement, management, and dissemination of external performance or  impact evaluations and other analyses to answer key questions relevant to the programs overseen  by BHA. 

● Develop or update M&E guidance for humanitarian response, and ER4 programs for internal and  external communications. Periodically review and update indicators. 

SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP: 

The USPSC will take direction from and will report to the M&E Team Lead in BHA/TPQ/DMEAL or their  designee.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS: 

At the GS-12 level: 

The supervisor sets overall objectives and resources available and works with the USPSC to develop  deadlines, work to be done; the USPSC is responsible for planning and carrying out assignments,  coordinating with others and interpreting policy in terms of established objectives. May also determine  the approach to be taken and the methodology to be used, keeping supervisor informed of progress. 

At the GS-13 Level: 

The supervisor sets overall objectives. USPSC and supervisor together develop deadlines, projects and  work to be done. The USPSC independently plans, designs, and carries out projects, studies, and  programs. Completed work is reviewed only from an overall standpoint in terms of feasibility,  compatibility with other work, or effectiveness in meeting requirements, or expected results. Technical  problems are generally resolved without reference to supervisors.  

At the GS-14 Level: 

The supervisor provides administrative direction in terms of broadly defined missions or functions. USPSC  independently plans, designs and carries out projects, studies, and programs. Results of the work are  considered technically authoritative. There is no higher-level official technically responsible for  administering the program/project. 

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS  

The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.  

Qualifications

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.) 

At the GS-12 Level:  

Bachelor’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including but not limited  to economics, agricultural economics, biostatistics, statistics, nutrition with a focus on econometrics or  statistics, or other related fields with course work and experience in quantitative techniques or analysis  plus a minimum of five (5) year of professional experience working in M&E as it is practiced in the field of  humanitarian assistance, early recovery, risk reduction, or resilience programs.  

OR 

Master’s Degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including but not limited to  economics, agricultural economics, biostatistics, statistics, nutrition with a focus on econometrics or  statistics, or other related fields with course work and experience in quantitative techniques or analysis  plus three (3) years of professional experience working in M&E as it is practiced in the field of  humanitarian assistance, early recovery, risk reduction, or resilience programs. 

At the GS-13 Level:

Bachelor’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including but not limited  to economics, agricultural economics, biostatistics, statistics, nutrition with a focus on econometrics or  statistics, or other related fields with course work and experience in quantitative techniques or analysis  plus a minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience working in M&E as it is  practiced in the field of humanitarian assistance, early recovery, risk reduction, or resilience programs. 

OR 

Master’s degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including but not limited to  economics, agricultural economics, biostatistics, statistics, nutrition with a focus on econometrics or  statistics, or other related fields with course work and experience in quantitative techniques or analysis  plus five (5) years of progressively responsible experience working in M&E as it is practiced in the field of  humanitarian assistance, early recovery, risk reduction or resilience programs. 

OR 

Doctoral level degree from an accredited U.S. or internationally recognized institution with experience in  data analysis, or in a field with a focus on econometrics or statistics, or other related fields with  quantitative coursework, plus a minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in humanitarian  assistance, early recovery, risk reduction or resilience programs.

Application instructions

SUBMITTING AN OFFER

 Eligible Offerors are required to complete and submit the offer form AID 309-2, “Offeror Information for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals,” available at http://www.usaid.gov/forms.

1. Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section I.
2. Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.
3. 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? (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 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.

Additional documents submitted will not be accepted.

By submitting your offer materials, you certify that all of the information on and attached to the offer is true, correct, complete, and made in good faith. You agree to allow all information on and attached to the offer to be investigated. False or fraudulent information on or attached to your offer may result in you being eliminated from consideration for this position, or being terminated after award, and may be punishable by fine or imprisonment.

To ensure consideration of offers for the intended position, please reference the solicitation number on your offer, and as the subject line in any email.

NOTE:  If the full security application package is not submitted within 30 days after the Office of Security determines eligibility, the offer may be rescinded. If a Secret security clearance is not obtained within nine months after offer acceptance, the offer may be rescinded. If Top Secret is required, and clearance is not obtained within nine months after award, USAID may terminate the contract at the convenience of the government. If Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access is not obtained within nine months after Top Secret clearance is granted, USAID may terminate the contract at the convenience of the government.

NOTE: If the full medical clearance package is not submitted within two months after offer acceptance, the offer may be rescinded. If a Department of State medical clearance is not obtained; the offer may be rescinded.

NOTE REGARDING GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS FOR THIS SOLICITATION:  This solicitation in no way obligates USAID to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the offer.