Senior Police Advisor (SPA)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS (INL) 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. Position Title: Senior Police Advisor (SPA) Location: Quito, Ecuador Salary Level: FS-02 - $95,225 - $139,841 (Equivalent GS-14) Period of performance: The period of performance for this contract is twelve (12) months from the date of award with four (4) optional one-year extensions. Issuance Date: Wednesday, November 29, 2023 Closing date: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 Closing Time: 3:00 PM ET Solicitation Number: PSC-24-017-INL Job description: See below Dear Prospective Offerors: The Department of State is seeking offers from qualified U.S. citizens to provide personal services for the subject position under a personal services contract, as described in this solicitation. Submittals must be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified. Applicants interested in applying for this position MUST submit the following materials: 1. Form SF 171 (Completed and signed) 2. Complete resume. In order to fully evaluate your offer your resume must include: a. Paid a 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 any overseas 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. Names and contact information (phone and email) of your current and/or previous supervisor(s). d. Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards or accomplishments. e. U.S. Citizenship Note: Resume must contain explicit information to make a valid determination that the candidate meets the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation. This information needs to be clearly identified in the resume. Failure to provide explicit information to determine qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration. 3. Evaluation Factor document specifically addressing: Each of the Evaluation Factors shown in the solicitation below. Responses must be limited to 500 words per Evaluation Factor. Any additional words above the limit will neither be read nor scored. Note: The Evaluation Factors are worth 70 out of 100 points. Offerors are required to address each of the Evaluation Factors in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have receive that are relevant to each Factor. 4. Professional References: Three (3) names and contact information (phone and email) of current and/or previous supervisors to serve as professional references. Additional documents submitted will not be accepted. Incomplete or late offers will not be considered. Complete applications must be emailed to: Janette R. Dull U.S. Department of State INL/EX/GAPP DullJR@state.gov Sincerely, Katelynn Barham Contracting Officer U.S. Department of State 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. 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. HOW TO APPLY Offerors proposal 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. The Government is not responsible for any costs incurred by the offeror during the solicitation process. NOTE REGARDING GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS FOR THIS SOLICITATION This solicitation in no way obligates the Department of State to award a PSC contract, nor does it commit the Department of State to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of the application. Proposals must include the following and not exceed twenty (20) pages (additional pages will not be accepted or reviewed): 1. Form SF 171 (Completed and signed) 2. Resume 3. Evaluation Factor Responses 4. Three (3) names and contact information (phone and email) of current and/or previous supervisors to serve as professional references. Note: Your resume should contain explicit information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the experience requirements as stated in this solicitation. This information should be clearly identified in your resume. Failure to provide explicit information to determine your qualifications for the position will result in loss of full consideration. Additional documents submitted beyond the requirements will not be accepted or reviewed. *** ONE PDF ATTACHMENT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED VETERAN'S PREFERENCE Veteran's preference is not applicable to this position therefore do not submit DD-214. ALL QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WILL BE CONSIDERED REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, COLOR, SEX, CREED, NATIONAL ORIGIN, LAWFUL POLITICAL AFFILIATION, NONDISQUALIFYING DISABILITY, MARITAL STATUS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AFFILIATION WITH AN EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION, OR OTHER NON-MERIT FACTOR. Equal employment opportunity policy - The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. Submit proposal via e-mail to the attention of: INL/Janette Dull E-mail: DullJR@state.gov Direct questions regarding this solicitation to: INL/Janette Dull E-mail: DullJR@state.gov INL will not accept proposals beyond the closing time/date; unless it can be determined DOS mishandled the proposal. GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT Mission of the U.S. Department of State: The U.S. Department of State is the lead institution for the conduct of American diplomacy and the Secretary of state is the President's principal foreign policy advisor. The Department of State's mission is to advance U.S. national security interests, fight terrorism, protect U.S. interests abroad, and implement foreign policy initiatives that build a freer, prosperous, and secure world. Mission of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL): The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) keeps Americans safe at home by countering international crime, illegal drugs, and instability abroad. INL helps countries deliver justice and fairness by strengthening their police, courts, and corrections systems. These efforts reduce the amount of crime and illegal drugs reaching U.S. shores. The INL Section at U.S. Embassy Quito is charged with developing strategies and programs to achieve international narcotics control, law enforcement, and justice foreign policy objectives. INL Ecuador and the Ecuador Ministry of Interior (MOI) requires the services of a Senior Police Advisor (SPA) to assist in building Ecuador's capacity to minimize the impact of international crime on the United States and its citizens by providing effective foreign assistance and fostering global cooperation. The program is a collaborative effort between the United States and Ecuador designed to assist Ecuador in improving operational capacity to prevent, mitigate, interdict, investigate, prosecute, and punish high-impact crimes that considerably contribute to transnational criminal organization viability, or extreme violence in Ecuador, or threats to the citizens and interests of both countries. The Senior Police Advisor will serve as a subject matter expert on law enforcement and senior management of police organizations for INL Ecuador. The Senior Police Advisor will provide INL Ecuador with law enforcement senior leadership and management expertise to support programs and activities that improve the ENP's ability to offer nationwide, comprehensive, and professional police services to all citizens. The advisor will work with ENP to carry out institutional police reforms focused on human rights, accountability, transparency, and community relations. S/he will also work to incorporate best police education practices into ENP curricula, sustainably grow the national police force, enhance national police deployment models, and improve national citizen security initiatives, with a focus on rural areas. As the Law Enforcement Program Manager, s/he will develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate programs, and supervise advisors. Finally, the Senior Police Advisor will assist with outreach and partnership opportunities with U.S. law enforcement agencies and individuals on behalf of INL Ecuador and their programs. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Under the direct supervision of the INL Ecuador Deputy Director, or his/her designee, the Senior Police Advisor will perform the following duties: 1. Assesses police directorates and other relevant law enforcement institutions on best policing practices, with a particular focus on police education, training programs, citizen security policies, and institutional reform. 2. Develops projects and monitoring and evaluation plans to build the ENP's institutional capacity to deliver counternarcotics, rural security, quality investigations, and other U.S.-government priorities for law enforcement. Projects may focus on recruitment and retention policies, career development, strategic leadership, planning, training, resource management, deployment strategies, or data analysis to achieve policing objectives. 3. Provides analysis and program guidance on ENP recruitment, training, and personnel allocation as they relate to U.S. government interests. Areas of focus may include budget and organizational changes, improving internal police coordination and with the Ecuadorian interagency, career progression, and training plans. 4. Oversees INL Ecuador funding and required financial and programmatic reporting of other agencies involved in projects using INL Ecuador funding, recommending supportive courses of action, when necessary, to the INL Ecuador Director. 5. Participates in senior-level meetings, seminars, and exercises with Ecuador police, Ecuador Ministry of Defense, and Ecuadorian and U.S. interagency representatives to provide expert senior-level law-enforcement input to help INL maintain and develop continuously the ability to respond to emerging issues appropriately. 6. Drafts memos and reports to provide expert analysis regarding police programs and assessments for INL Ecuador. Contribute to State Department cables and official reporting. 7. Prepares briefing material for U.S. Embassy officials (e.g., Ambassador, INL Ecuador Director), as well as visiting officials from the United States (e.g., State Department officials, Congressional delegations, Congressional staff, other high-level visitors) to articulate INL Ecuador programming within the scope of the incumbent's expertise. 8. Maintains knowledge of contemporary, professional police operational and management principles, techniques, and issues, which are appropriate for international application. 9. Develops and maintain personal contacts with INL Ecuador Program Managers, host-country senior officials, Washington-based INL law enforcement experts and advisors, and U.S. state/local law enforcement partners to strengthen INL Ecuador program implementation. 10. Develops a working knowledge of the organizational structure and functions of the U.S. Embassy Quito, the INL Bureau and its component offices, as well as the organizational structure of the U.S. Department of State. 11. Serves as an agreement officer's representative (AOR), contracting officer's representative (COR), and/or grants officer's representative (GOR). 12. When required, performs the role of Duty Officer. 13. Performs other duties as requested and assigned that are directly related to this Statement of Work. TRAININGS & DISTANCE LEARNING COURSES 1. Completes the mandatory Foreign Affairs Counter-Threat (FACT) Course (CT650) prior to deployment to Post. 2. Before or within 120 days of arriving at Post, completes the Contracting Officer's Representative courses (PA186-PA188) and the Grant Officer Representative courses or their distance learning equivalents. 3. Within first six months of arriving at Post completes PT176 - Equal Employment Opportunity and Harassment Overview distance-learning (DL) course through the Foreign Service Institute (FSI). 4. Within the first six (6) months of arriving at post completes the Introduction to Working in an Embassy (PN113) distance-learning (DL) course through the Foreign Service Institute (FSI). 5. Completes INL-relevant courses within the first six (6) months of arriving at Post: - PP420 INL Program and Project Management I - PP421 INL Financial Management - PP422 INL Contract Administration, Procurement Policies and Procedures - PP223 Managing Foreign Assistance Awards Overseas - PA222 Monitoring Grants and Cooperative Agreements - PP425 Foreign Assistance Performance Monitoring and Evaluation - PA392 ILMS Overseas Ariba Procurement 6. If applicable - Consultations with the INL Western Hemisphere Program Office may be required. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE & TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS The place of performance for this position is US Embassy Quito, Ecuador. Regular travel to rural areas, small towns, and occasionally to large cities throughout Ecuador is a requirement of this position. Many of these areas in Ecuador are areas in which criminal organizations operate and crime is generally high. In addition, many of these areas in Ecuador are tropical, with high temperatures, high humidity, tropical insects and diseases, and minimal infrastructure. RELATIONSHIPS The Senior Police Advisor will report to the INL Deputy Director. The SPA will participate in weekly staff meetings. The SPA will coordinate with INL/WHP staff in Washington, DC and liaise with other agencies/governments active in the fields of policing, law enforcement, security assistance and cooperation; and with host government contacts. The incumbent will manage the Law Enforcement Program. The incumbent will supervise locally employed staff and provide oversight for contract performance to third-party contractor (TPC) staff. The Contract Administrator shall be the INL Contracting Officer in Washington. In no instance shall the INL Deputy Director or any other individual be authorized to alter or modify the terms and conditions of the contract or waive the Government's requirements, price, delivery, or other terms and conditions. The Contracting Officer must authorize such changes in writing. The INL Deputy Director will provide yearly performance reviews to the INL/EX/GAPP Contracting Officer in Washington, D.C. to contribute to the incumbent's official yearly review. COMPLEXITY This position involves planning, organizing, and completing financial and organizational analysis of high complexity. Due to the high visibility and political sensitivity of the issues in which INL is involved, there is difficulty in identifying the nature of the issues and planning, organizing, and determining the scope and depth of studies/audits to be undertaken. The SPA is expected to address difficult scenarios by separating the substantive nature of the programs or issues into their components and determining the nature and magnitude of programs or issues. SCOPE & EFFECTIVENESS The PSC performs a broad range of tasks related to a providing police expertise for INL Ecuador. INL Ecuador programs have a significant impact on U.S. embassy and Ecuador National Police operations. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance for this contract is twelve (12) months from the date of award with four (4) optional one-year extensions. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 1. U.S. citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain Department of State Secret level security clearance, medical clearance, and ethics clearance (if applicable). (Security clearance upgrade to Top Secret level may be required.) 2. A Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. 3. A minimum of fifteen (15) years of experience as a sworn civilian law enforcement officer in a law enforcement organization of at least 500 personnel and having attained the rank of Captain or GS-14, equivalent, or higher. 4. Demonstrated experience assisting with or managing the development of a police organizational structure, including issues related to staffing, operations, training, chain of command, and human resources. 5. Demonstrated working knowledge of oral and written Spanish (3/3). 6. Demonstrated ability to establish and manage sensitive relationships with high-level officials of foreign governments or U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement strategic partners. EVALUATION FACTORS (Used to determine the competitive ranking of qualified offerors in comparison to other offerors.) Offerors should cite specific, illustrative examples for each factor. Responses must be limited to 500 words per factor. Any additional words above the limit will neither be read nor scored. Factor 1 Work Experience (30 points) Demonstrated experience providing effective senior leadership to a large law enforcement organization, including managing multiple units over a large geographic area, operating in complex political environments, and addressing crisis situations. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Demonstrated significant experience as a sworn civilian law enforcement officer in a state-, city-, or local-level law enforcement organization. Demonstrated experience working with INL or other relevant U.S. government agency with foreign assistance funding (e.g., Department of Justice, Department of Defense, USAID). Demonstrated knowledge of Department of State and INL core competencies as well as those of principal law enforcement agencies at the state, county, and municipal levels. Factor 2 Organizational Reform and Development Experience (30 points) Demonstrated experience assessing law enforcement capabilities of large police organizations and developing strategic plans based on the assessment results. Knowledge of international police practices and programs that foster police reform and capacity building. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Demonstrated experience designing and/or implementing a police development program (U.S. or international). Demonstrated experience with community-police programs, gender and policing, internal affairs, and law enforcement training. Demonstrated experience assessing the organizational structure of a police agency, including making recommendations for improving how the organization functions. Demonstrated experience managing or overseeing U.S. funded grants, contracts, and letters of agreement. Demonstrated experience managing implementing partners and third-party contractors. Factor 3 Management and Communication Experience (10 points) Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in both English and Spanish, in a timely and concise manner; interact effectively with others at all levels to prepare, analyze, explain, and defend determinations and requirements with respect to conformance to applicable laws, policies and other regulatory guidelines; and advise program officials. Demonstrated ability to interact and maintain relationships with senior-level law enforcement officials. PREFERRED QUALIFICATION: A Master's Degree or higher from an accredited institution in a criminal justice, program management, international relations, or related field. BASIS OF RATING: Offerors who clearly meet the Education/Experience Requirements will be further evaluated based on scoring of the Evaluation Factor responses. Offerors are required to address each of the Evaluation Factors in a separate document describing specifically and accurately what experience, training, education and/or awards they have received that are relevant to each factor. Failure to specifically address the Evaluation Factors may result in you not receiving credit for all of your pertinent experience, education, training and/or awards. The Offeror Rating System is as Follows: Evaluation Factors have been assigned the following points: Factor #1 - 30 Factor #2 - 30 Factor #3 - 10 Total Possible - 70 Points Interview Performance - 30 points Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks - Pass/Fail (no points assigned) Past performance evaluation of applicant's ability to perform under the contract. In conducting the evaluation, the U.S. 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. Total Possible Points: 100 Interview Performance - 30 points Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks - Pass/Fail (no points assigned) Past performance evaluation of applicant's ability to perform under the contract. In conducting the evaluation, the U.S. 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. Total Possible Points: 100 The most qualified candidates may be interviewed, required to provide a writing sample, and demonstrate an ability to operate commonly used office applications. INL will not pay for any expenses associated with the interviews. In addition, applications (written materials and interviews) will be evaluated based on content as well as on the applicant's writing, presentation, and communication skills. In the event that an applicant has fully demonstrated his/her qualifications and there are no other competitive applicants, INL reserves the right to forego the interview process. Professional references will be evaluated for applicants being considered for selection. COMPENSATION (BASE PAY) This position has been designated at the FS-02 equivalent level ($95,225 - $139,841 per annum). Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value based upon qualifications, previous relevant experience and work history, salary and educational background. Salaries, including any recruitment supplemental pay that exceeds the listed pay range, will not be entertained or negotiated. For award, INL will negotiate for this contract based on the market value as outlined above and overall experience relevant to the solicitation requirements. BENEFITS & ALLOWANCES AS A MATTER OF POLICY, INL NORMALLY AUTHORIZES THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES BENEFITS - IF APPLICABLE - Employee's FICA/Medicare Contribution - Contribution toward Health and Life Insurance - Pay Comparability Adjustment - Annual Increase - Eligibility for Worker's Compensation - Annual, Sick and Home Leave - 401K Plan - MEDVAC (provided by DOS Med) ALLOWANCES IN ACCORDANCE WITH DEPARTMENT OF STATE STANDARDIZED REGULATIONS (DSSR) - IF APPLICABLE - Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance (TQSA) or Per Diem upon arrival at Post - Housing Allowance - Post Allowance - Supplemental Post Allowance - Maintenance Allowance (SMA) - Education Allowance - Educational Travel (full-time United States based secondary) - Post Hardship Differential - Danger Pay - Shipment of HHE, UAB, POV and Consumables