Syria Transition Assistance Response Team (START) Professional Support

Title: Syria Transition Assistance Response Team (START) Professional Support Solicitation Number: 19AQMM-19-R-0108 Agency: U.S. Department of State Office: Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Location: Germany and Turkey Notice Type: Sources Sought NAICS Code: 541618 - Other Management Consulting Services BACKGROUND The mission of the U.S. Department of State (DoS) is to shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world, and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere. The Required Bureau seeks to create vibrant partnerships between the United States and the citizens of the Near East to empower them to build more pluralistic, participatory, and prosperous societies throughout the regions. U.S. bilateral and multilateral assistance aims to preserve the strategic, political, and economic importance of the U.S. partnerships in the changing region. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this requirement are to provide the Bureau with program planning and support, grant and cooperative agreement management and oversight, implementer outreach, facilitation and execution of programmatic planning and facilitation of personnel and meetings in support of Syria-related programming and initiatives managed by the Office within the Bureau. Also, other administrative support may be required such as document production, travel support, coordination and other programmatic support in order to meet the needs of the U.S. Government (USG) Department of State's Bureau personnel. The contractor SHALL be an American organization. The contractor SHALL have a business license in Turkey and Germany and also be registered to perform professional services in these countries. The contractor SHALL submit a capability brochure and provide their Small Business socio-economic status. Company Profile, to include: General Business Information, completing the following table: Company Name: Company Point-of-Contact Email: Phone: DUNS Number: Facility Clearance Level and CAGE Code: Socioeconomic Status under NAICS Code 561210, Facilities Support Services: Example: HUBZone; Veteran Owned; Woman-Owned; 8(a); Service Disabled Veteran Owned Registered in the System for Award Management Yes/No On the Excluded Party List Yes/No Active Business License in both Germany and Turkey? Yes/No REQUIREMENTS AND TASKS/RESPONSIBILITIES Independently, and not as an agent of the government, furnish all necessary labor, materials, and expertise to provide complete support for the objectives listed below. The Contractor shall supply all personnel and services to support the efforts that will be provided in the Statement of Work. The Contractor, with input and guidance from the Department of State, shall support the Office's program, projects, grants, cooperative agreements, and policy coordination efforts and assist in the implementation of strategic input, planning, execution and bilateral coordination related to the NEA programmatic efforts. The contractor shall assist NEA Grants Officer Representatives (GORs), Grant Officers (GOs), Bureau Program Officers, Foreign Service Officers and other agency Program Officers (POs) in the full spectrum of current and future programs, and ongoing and future awards. The contractor will provide expert support to ensure projects and programs meet their objectives on time and within budget. The contractor must demonstrate past performance and successful project/program support, grant oversight and support for USG and implementer personnel, award logistics planning, facilitation and implementation. Experience with government projects, grants, and, particularly foreign assistance programming, in the U.S. and abroad is crucial. Experience with translation and travel facilitation is also important. Additionally, proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to support the goals of the Office. Experience, roles and responsibilities of primary staff should be provided. At a minimum, key personnel should include one Program Manager. The Program Manager will have principal responsibility for overall project management and technical operations to ensure the objectives of the contract are successfully met. All contractor employees should have knowledge and experience in the areas of political, economic and social reform assistance. They should also demonstrate strong skills in communication, team leadership and management, building collaborative working relationships with counterparts, and analytical writing. No replacement of Key Personnel shall be made without written consent of the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). It is anticipated the support teams may perform periodic travel throughout the Middle East, North Africa or other related regions, as authorized by the Contracting Officer (CO) and COR in direct support of the foreign assistance programming in the executed place of performance. The COR assigned to the Task Order will review and approve the resumes of the individuals who the contractor proposes. Position Description for Syria Program Design Specialist V This position is for a Program Design Specialist V to support Syria-related programming and initiatives managed by the Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC) in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), Department of State. The incumbent will report directly to the NEA/AC START Representative in Turkey. The incumbent will also support the NEA/AC Syria Division Chief, NEA/AC Director, and the NEA Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) who oversee activities in Washington, D.C. The incumbent officially serves as a member of the Policy and Programming Division. NEA/AC's mission is to help the people of the Middle East and North Africa build pluralistic, participatory, and prosperous societies. Requirements and Responsibilities: (a.) Assists NEA/AC's START representatives and relevant staff in the field and in Washington on the conceptualization, design, development, implementation, and monitoring of specific NEA/AC projects related to Syria, ensuring that such projects reflect local developments, new and emerging opportunities for U.S. assistance, proven programming methodologies, and other factors to enhance the quality and impact of NEA/AC activities in advancing USG policy goals. (b.) Serves as contact and liaison with NEA/AC grant recipients and beneficiaries in country, in coordination with or at the request of NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey, to ensure proper implementation, adequate monitoring, and sufficient coordination occurs. (c.) Performs site visits and monitors grantees' progress against established benchmarks, recommending adjustments to NEA/AC's lead representative and relevant staff in Washington, as necessary. (d.) Identifies opportunities for continued NEA/AC outreach to Syrian activists and recommends possible meetings to NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey. (e.) Collaborates with NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey to provide information and analysis that informs and supports NEA/AC strategic planning and program orientation related to Syria. (f.) Coordinates and collaborates with other U.S. Government and international donors providing funding for Syria-related efforts. (g.) Performs knowledge management functions including mapping, cataloguing, and updating information. (h.) Collects and organizes data relevant to NEA/AC programming in Syria. (i.) Maintains communication with relevant Department or U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) offices, in coordination with or at the request of NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey, to ensure that policy decisions are accurately reflected in NEA/AC programming and to maximize mutual reinforcement between diplomacy and programming. (j.) Drafts and edits team field reports. (k.) Performs team administrative functions; scheduling travel, maintaining NEA/AC's in-country schedule, and supporting visits of NEA/AC and other USG representatives as necessary. (l.) Travels, as necessary, throughout the region, including to Syria, and to Washington D.C. to represent NEA/AC equities or track and monitor programming implementation progress. (m.) Serves as a back-up to NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey and performs the duties of that position in his/her absence. Qualifications: (a.) Master's Degree or Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of 5 years work experience in democracy and governance issues in the MENA region specifically experience with civil society organizations, local governance entities, and education platforms. (b.) Demonstrated work experience in Syria or on Syria-related issues. (c.) Demonstrated experience in designing, managing, implementing, monitoring, assessing and evaluating grant projects in the MENA region, particularly those affecting Syria. (d.) Demonstrated skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders of different backgrounds, including civil society from the MENA region. (e.) Demonstrated ability to effectively present in meetings with representatives of other governments, multilateral organizations, civil society organizations, implementing partners, and international organizations. (f.) Demonstrated knowledge of, and ability to effectively communicate, key principles, concepts, research, and policy. (g.) Demonstrated educational experience of at least a Bachelor's Degree, preferably in Middle East studies, political science, or other relevant field of study. (h.) Demonstrated excellence in oral and written communications. (Writing samples may be requested.) (i.) Demonstrated interpersonal skills and cultural awareness and sensitivity required to interact with a broad range of stakeholders. (j.) Demonstrated ability to work both independently and with a small team. (k.) Must hold and be able to maintain a Secret security clearance. (l.) Willingness to relocate. (m.) Arabic language ability required. Position Description for Program Design Specialist IV Background: This position is for a Program Design Specialist IV to support Syria-related programming and initiatives managed by the Assistance Coordination (AC) Office in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), Department of State. The incumbent report directly to the (NEA/AC) Country Representative in Turkey. The incumbent will also support the NEA/AC office in Washington, D.C. and the Syria Transition Assistance Response Team (START). The Near Eastern Affairs Assistance Coordination Office, (NEA/AC) established in June 2014, coordinates United States government foreign assistance in the Middle East and North Africa region for the Department of State, and manages the implementation of all the assistance functions within the Department of State's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Requirements and Responsibilities: (a.) Tracks and reports to NEA/AC and START local developments in Syria that may impact NEA/AC or USG programming. (b.) Assists NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey on the conceptualization, design, development, implementation, and monitoring of specific NEA/AC projects related to Syria, ensuring that such projects reflect local developments, respond to new and emerging opportunities for U.S. assistance, and have a positive impact in target communities. (c.) Liaises with NEA/AC grant recipients in country, in coordination with or at the request of NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey, to ensure proper implementation, adequate monitoring, and sufficient coordination occurs. (d.) Performs site visits and monitors grantees' progress against established benchmarks, recommending adjustments to NEA/AC's lead representative and relevant staff in Washington, as necessary. (e.) Identifies opportunities for continued NEA/AC outreach to Syrian activists and recommends possible meetings to NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey. (f.) Collaborates with NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey to provide information and analysis that informs and supports NEA/AC strategic planning and program orientation related to Syria. (g.) Assists the START team with administrative functions including supporting staff travel during organized meetings with local groups and visits of NEA/AC and other USG representatives as necessary. (h.) Travels, as necessary, to track and monitor programming implementation progress during regular meetings with implementing partners and reports back with collected and organized data relevant to NEA/AC programming in Syria. Qualifications: (a.) Bachelor's Degree or High School Diploma with 8-10 years of work experience in education, social sciences, international relations, political science, development, or related fields. (b.) Self-starter, with willingness and ability to work independently with a wide range of audiences. (c.) Liaises with NEA/AC grant recipients in country, in coordination alongside or at the request of NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey, to plan and coordinate activities among grantees and other related groups and organizations. (d.) Sensitivity to differing viewpoints. (e.) Strong writing skills in English (f.) Native fluency in Arabic both written and verbal. (g.) Strong knowledge of American and Syrian societies, politics, and institutions involved in foreign policy formulation. Interest and understanding of current affairs. (h.) Familiarity with local Syrian politics and populations, inside Syria and resident in Turkey. (i.) Thorough knowledge of START's objectives and their intersection with local developments. (j.) Continuously works to identifies opportunities for continued NEA/AC and START outreach to Syrian activist populations and recommends possible meetings to NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey. (k.) Must be able to work under pressure, juggling a variety of urgent tasks, while still being customer-service oriented. Must be flexible and be able to deal tactfully with a variety of people and their demands, including short-notice and frequent travel requests. Position Description for Program Design Specialist III Background: This position is for a Program Design Specialist III to support Syria-related programming and initiatives managed by the Assistance Coordination Office in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA/AC), Department of State. The incumbent will report directly to the NEA/AC Country Representative in Turkey. The incumbent will also support the NEA/AC office in Washington, D.C. and the Syria Transition Assistance Response Team (START). The Near Eastern Affairs Assistance Coordination Office, (NEA/AC) established in June 2014, coordinates United States government foreign assistance in the Middle East and North Africa region for the Department of State, and manages the implementation of all the assistance functions within the Department of State's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Requirements and Responsibilities: (a.) Tracks and reports to NEA/AC and START local developments in Syria that may impact NEA/AC or USG programming. (b.) Assists NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey on the conceptualization, design, development, implementation, and monitoring of specific NEA/AC projects related to Syria, ensuring that such projects reflect local developments, respond to new and emerging opportunities for U.S. assistance, and have a positive impact in target communities. (c.) Liaises with NEA/AC grant recipients in country, in coordination with or at the request of NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey, to ensure proper implementation, adequate monitoring, and sufficient coordination occurs. (d.) Performs site visits and monitors grantees' progress against established benchmarks, recommending adjustments to NEA/AC's lead representative and relevant PP staff in Washington, as necessary. (e.) Identifies opportunities for continued NEA/AC outreach to Syrian activists and recommends possible meetings to NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey. (f.) Collaborates with NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey to provide information and analysis that informs and supports NEA/AC strategic planning and program orientation related to Syria. (g.) Collects and organizes data relevant to NEA/AC programming in Syria. Qualifications: (a.) Bachelor's Degree or High School Diploma with 5-7 years of work experience in education, social sciences, international relations, political science, development, or related fields. (b.) Self-starter, with willingness and ability to work independently with a wide range of audiences. (c.) Ability to plan and coordinate activities among divergent institutions and individuals, groups and organizations. (d.) Sensitivity to differing viewpoints. (e.) Strong writing skills in English. (f.) Fluent in oral and written Arabic communication skills. (g.) Excellent computer skills. (h.) Strong knowledge of American and Syrian societies, politics, and institutions involved in foreign policy formulation. Interest and understanding of current affairs. (i.) Familiarity with local Syrian politics and populations, inside Syria and resident in Turkey. (j.) Thorough knowledge of START's objectives and their intersection with local developments. (k.) Continuously works to identifies opportunities for continued NEA/AC and START outreach to Syrian activist populations and recommends possible meetings to NEA/AC's lead representative in Turkey. (l.) Must be able to work under pressure, juggling a variety of urgent tasks, while still being customer-service oriented. Must be flexible and be able to deal tactfully with a variety of people and their demands, including short-notice and frequent travel requests. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT Robust program management is critical for the ability of the contractor to meet its objectives. The Contractor shall be able to effectively coordinate operations in the place of performance as well as other critical operating locations for NEA/AC Syria Programming. The Contractor shall provide comprehensive program management including quality control, oversight, and communications. The Contractor shall: a) Furnish all program and project management, administrative support, purchasing, transportation, supplies, and qualified staff required for satisfactory performance of work, as specified in each task order. b) Maintain all necessary country licenses, visas and permits to operate within the place of performance. The Contractor shall comply with all applicable current and future federal, state, local, and host country laws, rules, and regulations. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUPPORT The Contractor is expected to maintain a customer-focused approach to the work, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction while operating within the terms and conditions of the contract. The Contractor will also need to work with a wide variety of customers to successfully perform this work. The Contractor shall: a) Meet the customers' requirements for timeliness, quality, and cost efficiency. This will include the design and development of a quality assurance plan with viable metrics for performance. b) Establish and implement quality control procedures by proactively identifying risks, issues, and problems, and then recommending plans for mitigation, whether under Contractor or DOS control. c) Work with customers to resolve issues or problems dealing with any products or services provided under this contract. The Contractor shall resolve problems to the satisfaction of the customers and with minimal impact on the mission. d) Refer issues and problems immediately to the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and the appropriate Government Technical Monitor (GTM). e) The Contractor will be responsible for seeking innovative solutions to perform the program planning, execution, and oversight mission. f) The Contractor shall compile a log and the results of work completed into a monthly report that will allow for data tracking and analyses of the Contractor's performance. The report shall be documented in a uniform format utilizing consistent nomenclature in a format approved by the COR. SCOPE OF WORK NEA has an enduring need for project monitoring, evaluation, and assessment assistance and facilitation support for their programs in various locations. The contract will be used to support the Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) Assistance Coordination (AC) Syria Program. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA The Contractor shall work under the technical direction of NEA through the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). In addition, the Contractor will have scheduled meetings with appropriate NEA staff and Embassy/Chief of Mission (COM) personnel. The Contractor will submit monthly activity and financial reports to NEA describing the work performed and associated costs. Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports, and other deliverables will be performed by the COR. General quality measures, as set forth below, will be applied to each work product received from the Contractor under this statement of work. - Accuracy: Work Products shall be accurate in presentation, technical content, and adherence to accepted elements of style. Documents should be 99% free of grammar and spelling errors. - Clarity: Work Products shall be clear and concise. All diagrams and graphics shall be easy to understand and be relevant to the supporting narrative. - Consistency to Requirements: All work products must satisfy the requirements of this statement of work. - File Editing: All text and diagrammatic files shall be editable by the US Government. - Format: Work Products shall be submitted in hard copy (where applicable) and in media mutually agreed upon prior to submission. Hard copy formats shall follow any specified Directives or Manuals. - Timeliness: Work Products shall be submitted on or before the due date specified in this statement of work or submitted in accordance with a later scheduled date determined by NEA. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS Regular travel shall be required under this task order. Long-distance travel shall be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR). The Contractor must obtain approval from the COR prior to incurring any travel cost and submit a trip report, in a COR-approved format, within five business days of travel completion. Local travel costs (within 50 mile radius of Contractor's primary work site) will be reimbursed, so long as such travel does not include regular commuting costs to and from a regular worksite or a first and last site visit of each day. Contractor personnel shall travel during regular work hours whenever possible. Only official travel will be reimbursable under the contract. Any travel done on personal time will not be billable in part or full under this contract. The positions under this contract are not eligible for reimbursable Rest and Recuperation (R&R) travel. The COR should be notified of the intent to take time off for personal travel or other reasons to ensure the program team is able to provide coverage for all duties assigned during any absences. SECURITY Facility and Security Clearance The Company must have a Top Secret facility clearance. All American Citizens that works under this requirement must have a Secret Clearance, unless Top Secret is specifically requested, which is Program dependent. Applicants will note that they are responsible for their own personal security when traveling into, within, and out of the identified areas in the NEA regions. Proposals should detail security costs to the maximum extent possible. All Contractors traveling to Syria are required to be entered into the Synchronized Pre-deployment Operations Tracker (SPOT) system in advance of travel. A Security Plan is required for specific countries under the CECAS authorities. In the event that Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) documents are carried outside of Department of State facilities or such SBU information is processed, cited, or stored on personal or Contractor-owned laptops, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smart phones (such as Blackberrys), cell phones, digital cameras or any other electronic processing media, it shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to adhere to the following guidelines: Computer Equipment at Domestic Contractor Facilities and the Contractor's Primary Work Site: The Contractor's individual office computer hard drives (including laptops) and server hard drives must be encrypted using any product on the IT Change Control Board (CCB) list, or any NIST approved product (found at http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/validation.html). The Contractor's office copiers, scanners and all other electronic media shall be password protected to prevent unauthorized use, access and downloading of SBU and project sensitive information by unauthorized users. Offices containing computers, scanners, printers, hardcopy and electronic storage media shall be locked against unauthorized access when not in use. Subcontractor's office computers, copiers, scanners and all other electronic media NOT owned and retained by the Contractor, shall be sanitized of all project information upon completion of project, and/or prior to sale, re-use, or disposal, unless specific approval for retention is obtained from the Project Director (PD), through the Contractor. Local and Third Country National (TCN) subcontractors are not authorized to retain electronic project documentation after completion of the project without specific approval from the Contracting Officer's Representative. Information stored in computer drives can be sanitized in the following manner: BCWipe is a freeware utility program that can be searched for on the internet. Execute the BCWipe program against all files in storage. Once that is complete, BCWipe will lead you to overwrite the all remaining free space on the drive and then defrag the files on the drive. Contractor's office computers, copiers, scanners and all other electronic media destined for sale or disposal shall be sanitized of all project information prior to sale or disposal. Contractor's equipment destined for re-use on other projects, or returned to Contractor's domestic facility does not have to be sanitized, but must be handled and shipped as SBU material. CDs and other storage media which cannot be sanitized must be returned to the contractor's facility for appropriate storage or destruction. All equipment including technical equipment such as computers, phones, purchased for employee used under the contract becomes the property of the Department of State. All equipment purchased as such under the contract must be returned to the COR either at the termination/completion of the task order and/or contract. Overseas (temporary offices, local subcontractor offices, etc.): During non-duty hours, SBU information and removable electronic media in contractor facilities must be secured within a locked office or suite, or secured in a locked container. Contractors while in travel status or on temporary duty (TDY) assignment should ensure that SBU is adequately safeguarded from unauthorized access in light of the threat conditions and nature of the SBU. Contractors in possession of SBU outside U.S. Government facilities must take adequate precautions that afford positive accountability of the information and to protect SBU information from unauthorized access. Laptops containing SBU information should not be left, in unoccupied hotel rooms, e.g. locked in room safe or unattended in other public spaces. ORIENTATION BRIEFING Within fifteen (15) calendar days of award, the Contractor must conduct an orientation briefing (introductory meeting) with the appropriate offices. NEA does not want an elaborate orientation briefing nor does it expect the Contractor to expend significant resources in preparation for this briefing. The intent of the briefing is to initiate the communication process between NEA and the Contractor by introducing key task participants and explaining their roles, reviewing communication ground rules, and assuring a common understanding of subtask requirements and objectives. The Orientation Briefing will be held at NEA's office at the Department of State or another location specified by NEA, and the date and time will be mutually agreed upon by both parties. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance for this contract will be for a base period of 12 months from the date of award with four (4) 12-month option periods. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Services may be provided off-site, on-site, or a combination of, depending on program requirements. The anticipated places of performance shall be at sites identified by the COR, during performance of this effort, in addition to the regular place of performance of Turkey and Germany. The contractor must currently hold the necessary business registrations to operate in Turkey and Germany and to legally hire both American Citizens, Local Nationals, and Third Country Nationals, namely Syrian Nationals. There will be no Government support in the way of office space, equipment, housing, meals, and security for the contractor's staff. Contractor personnel stationed in the United States shall perform the stated services for no more than eight hours per day, Mondays through Friday, with the exception of U.S. Federal holidays. This will be considered a regular work day. Throughout the year, such contractor personnel, however, may be required to work overtime including working on Saturdays and Sundays. A regular work day in most NEA countries is up to ten (10) hours a day, usually Sunday through Thursday. Contractor personnel shall have flexible schedules and report actual hours worked up to the total amount of hours allotted to each position per period of performance. All hours over 40 to be worked must be requested and approved by the COR in advance of the hours being worked and billed. All living and housing costs at the regular place of performance that are not a part of official travel or TDY costs will be the responsibility of the contractor and will not be billable to NEA/AC. Questions for Industry, to include: In order to foster the maximum amount of competition, the Government would like to solicit industry feedback on how to better develop its requirement. To do so, the Government welcomes responses to the following questions: - What additional information would your company find most helpful in order to develop and submit a technical and price proposal for this requirement for a best value award? Companies are welcome to provide any brief concluding remarks and comments, as deemed appropriate. At this time, the Government will not entertain telephone calls or questions for this RFI. The Government may choose to reach out directly to vendors after reviewing and evaluating the submissions. How to Respond Please submit your response no later than Feb 8, 2019 at 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time, with electronic files sent to the following point of contact: - Richard Crum, Contracting Officer - crumrb@state.gov - Sheila Rivera, Contract Specialist - riverasr@state.gov