SOLICITATION NUMBER: [21/2020]

ISSUANCE DATE: 12/13/2020

CLOSING DATE/TIME: 01/03/2021

SUBJECT: Solicitation for a Cooperating Country National or Third Country National Personal Service Contractor (CCN/TCN PSC - Local Compensation Plan)

Dear Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government, 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.

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 offers.

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

Sincerely, Kevin T. Sarsok

Contracting Officer

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. SOLICITATION NO.: 21/2020

2. ISSUANCE DATE: 12/13/2020

3. CLOSING DATE AND TIME FOR RECEIPT OF OFFERS: 01/03/2021 at 4:30 pm Cairo time.

4. POINT OF CONTACT: USAID Human Resources Office, e-mail at usaidhr@usaid.gov

5. POSITION TITLE: Telephone Operator, Executive Office (EXO)

6. MARKET VALUE: 94,777– 151,681 LE equivalent to FSN-04 In accordance with AIDAR Appendix J and the Local Compensation Plan of USAID/Egypt. Final compensation will be negotiated within the listed market value.

7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year with option to renew estimated to start on June 2021. “The base period will be for one year, estimated to start on June 2021. Based on Agency need, the Contracting Officer may exercise (an) additional option period(s) for 4 additional years for the date(s) estimated as follows:”

Base Period: June 2021 – December 31, 2021

Option Period 1: January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022

Option Period 2: January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023

Option Period 3: January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024

Option Period 4: January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025

8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Cairo, Egypt with possible travel as stated in the Statement of Duties.

9. ELIGIBLE OFFERORS: Egyptian Citizens or non-Egyptians lawfully admitted for permanent residence in Egypt.

10. SECURITY LEVEL REQUIRED: Employment Authorization

11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION

The incumbent operates one of three positions at an electronic console type telephone switchboard to place and receive a full range of calls. Employee should be able to work independently, answering phones, directing calls to the responsible office/employee, calling international lines and VOIP, opening mail, scanning and directing to the responsible office/employee. S/he uses personal computer equipment and word processing software for office documentation. Sells stamps to APO customers, summarizes monthly received newspapers, logs and files all the above.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND % OF TIME

Handles Phones: 75%

1. The incumbent places and receives local and long distance calls over government, government leased and commercial lines. The long distance calls are frequently of a nature, which require complex routing. Assigns priorities, preempts circuits to ensure the call is put through promptly and traces individuals in response to high-level requests.

2. When ordered to do so, operator must be able to setup party line conversation within the mission, within the city or via long distance circuitry, and provide translation between Egyptian and English speaking individuals under emergency situations.

3. Provides first line of defense in screening all calls to the Mission Director, Deputy Mission Director, and other key personnel. Attempts to dissuade complaints or inquiries concerning the programs for USAID, if they can be possibly resolved or eliminated at the telephone operator level.

4. Efficiently handles complex calls and threatening calls, and acts as first line of assistance to emergency problems for Mission employees and if needed for all Americans within Egypt. Problems may include medical injuries, dwelling and vehicle emergencies, and the employee provides human assistance either directly or through the prompt location of responsible individuals.

5. Refers calls of an extremely complex nature to the supervisor only as a last resort.

6. Keeps records of long distance calls and prepares bills and charges. Inputs appropriate accounting codes to facilitate automatic billing of calls to the official or individual level. Checks functioning of circuits and reports cases of malfunctioning or non-operating equipment to the technical staff. Revises directories, records, and telephone service files. Provides on-the-job training to trainees and guidance to lower level operators.

Mail & Newspapers: 15%

1. The incumbent receives the incoming mail (Local mail, local courier services and International courier services), scans them, logs on paper and hands to mail room clerk for distribution

2. Receives incoming faxes and logs them on excel sheet

3. Receives cables and logs them to excel sheet and file them as appropriate

4. Receives Local and international newspapers daily logging them for accountability and preparing them for distribution through the mail room

Stamps 10%

1. Sells stamps to APO room customers and reorders new stamps when needed

2. Holds and does inventory of stamps ($5000)  

POSITION ELEMENTS

a. Supervision Received: Works under the direct supervision of the Correspondence and Records (C&R) Supervisor.

b. Supervision Exercised: None

c. Available Guidelines: In addition to the supervisor’s instructions, USAID Automated Directives System (ADS), Mission Orders and Notices, standard Mission procedures, etc.

d. Exercise of Judgment: Exercise judgment in prioritizing work and in organizing the workload.

e. Authority to Make Commitments: None

f. Nature, Level, and Purpose of Contacts: Contacts with USAID staff at all levels, with externals, contractors, GOE, etc. on daily basis. Job holder must possess’ customer service skills. S/he contacts different personnel on an irregular basis.

g. Time Expected to Reach Full Performance Level: 6 months

The contractor is eligible for temporary duty (TDY) travel to the U.S., or to other Missions abroad, to participate in the "Foreign Service National" Fellowship Program, in accordance with USAID policy.

12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.

II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION

All candidates must meet the Minimum Qualifications. Applications will be screened accordingly, and only those who meet the below, required criteria, will be moved forward in the recruitment process.

• Education: Completion of Secondary School is required      

• Prior Work Experience: Six month to one year Experience as a telephone operator and some exposure to the technical aspects of telephony to include trunking and key systems is required

III. EVALUATION AND SELECTION FACTORS

The Government may award a contract without discussions with offerors in accordance with FAR 52.215-1. The CO reserves the right at any point in the evaluation process to establish a competitive range of offerors with whom negotiations will be conducted pursuant to FAR 15.306(c). In accordance with FAR 52.215-1, if the CO determines that the number of offers that would otherwise be in the competitive range exceeds the number at which an efficient competition can be conducted, the CO may limit the number of offerors in the competitive range to the greatest number that will permit an efficient competition among the most highly rated offers. The FAR provisions referenced above are available at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far

a. Education [20%]: Completion of Secondary School is required.

b. Prior Work Experience [20%]: Six month to one year Experience as a telephone operator and some exposure to the technical aspects of telephony to include trunking and key systems is required.

c. Language Proficiency [25%] Level III (Good Working Knowledge) spoken and written in English is required and level IV (fluency) spoken and written in Arabic.

d. Job Knowledge [20%]: A Complete understanding of the equipment presently installed and used by the telephone unit. Enough technical expertise to be able to identify malfunctions and report them to the maintenance unit. Familiarity with the USAID organization and functions. Some knowledge of filing systems and procedures. Attention to details to ensure the accuracy of distributed documents/mail to the correct addressees. Well organized to prioritize the delivery of mail and documents. Attention to details to ensure the thoroughness and accuracy in placing various documents in the appropriate files and organizing them. Must develop thorough knowledge of mission organizational structure and sufficient knowledge of specific jobs and individuals to effectively route incoming calls to the proper office.      

e. Skills and Abilities [15%]: Fully understand and operate the Switchboard and some knowledge of equipment used for the limited maintenance of the switchboard. Incumbent should, at all times, have the ability to be fully responsive to the requirements of the Supervisor. Ability to use or learn various computer software applications for performing assigned duties. Good organizational skills, patience, and the ability to work under pressure and to deal with information in a professional manner. Skilled in using MS Word and Excel are required. Must have a pleasant personality and courteous manner in answering incoming phone calls.

CATEGORY SCORING AND PERCENTAGE

Education/academic requirement* 20%

Experience* 20%

Language Proficiency* 25%

Knowledge* 20%

Skills & Abilities* 15%

TOTAL 100%

* As per details reflected under Qualifications above.

f. Post Entry Training: On the job training.  

IV. SUBMITTING AN OFFER

Eligible Offerors are required to complete and submit a Resume that includes the month, year and company name of employment for all experience or the experience cannot be considered.

Offerors must provide in their CVs names of family members working in the Mission.

Qualified offerors who are interested in this vacancy should apply by submitting an up-to-date CV with a cover letter detailing how they are qualified for the position, quoting the vacancy number, to USAID Human Resources Office, by no later than COB of the vacancy deadline noted above. CVs can be submitted via e-mail to usaidhr@usaid.gov,inter-office mail, or by fax to 25160388 (submissions made in any other way will be disregarded). The CV and attachments must not in all cases exceed five pages. The USAID HR Office will disregard any submissions exceeding five pages and/or those received after the deadline.

Employees new to a position must serve in the new position for a minimum of 6 (six) months before they can be considered eligible for another position within the mission, this includes moves between agencies. The Mission mandatory retirement age is 60 years.

The evaluation and selection process usually takes two to three months after the deadline. Shortlisted applicants are invited for tests and/or interviews during this time frame. Due to the high volume of resumes, only candidates who are seriously being considered for a position are contacted for an interview. Please do not contact HR for a status report on your resume once you receive an automatic acknowledgement of receipt from the system. Interviewed candidates will normally be advised of the outcome of the selection process after a period of about four weeks.

In determining the appropriate salary, no salary adjustments will be made for fringe benefits such as uniforms, free airline tickets, free medicine or company products, life/medical/accident insurance policies, transportation, meal allowance, or other similar company benefits provided by former employers. Applicants with prior U.S. Government service may receive salary adjustments at the grade level of the position, to match highest previous USG salary levels in a relevant field. The USAID Human Resources and Contracting Officers determine the appropriate salary rate.

SOFT COPIES OF THIS SOLICITATION ARE AVAILABLE ON THE USAID MISSION INTRANET, UNDER JOB OPPORTUNITIES. HARD COPIES CAN ALSO BE OBTAINED FROM THE USAID HR OFFICE OR THE US EMBASSY HR OFFICE.

It is the U.S. Government policy to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, handicap or gender.

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.

V. LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS PRIOR TO AWARD

The Contracting Officer (CO) or his designee will provide instructions about how to complete the hiring process after an offeror is selected for the contract award.

VI. BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES

As a matter of policy, and as appropriate, a PSC is normally authorized the following benefits and allowances:

1. BENEFITS:

The Mission currently provides:

1) Health Insurance Services.

2) Life/accident/disability insurance.

3) Semi-annual bonus.

2. ALLOWANCES: N/A

VII. TAXES

LES employees of the mission became liable for payment of income taxes on their salaries with the implementation of the new tax law effective July 1st, 2005. Payment of taxes is on biweekly basis.

VIII. USAID REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND CONTRACT CLAUSES PERTAINING TO PSCs

USAID regulations and policies governing CCN and TCN PSC awards are available at these sources:

1. USAID Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), Appendix J, “Direct USAID Contracts With a Cooperating Country National and with a Third Country National for Personal Services Abroad,” including contract clause “General Provisions,” available at https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/aidar_0.pdf

2. Contract Cover Page form AID 309-1 available at https://www.usaid.gov/forms. Pricing by line item is to be determined upon contract award as described below: OPs below are only illustrative

LINE ITEMS

ITEM NO (A)	SUPPLIES/SERVICES (DESCRIPTION) (B)	QUANITITY (C)	UNIT (D)	UNIT PRICE (E)	AMOUNT (F)
0001	Base Period - Compensation, Fringe Benefits and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) - Award Type: Cost - Product Service Code: [e.g. R497] - Accounting Info: [insert one or more citation(s) from Phoenix/GLAAS]	1	LOT	$_TBD_	$_TBD at Award after negotiations with Contractor_
1001	Option Period 1 – Compensation, Fringe Benefits and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) - Award Type: Cost - Product Service Code: [e.g. R497] - Accounting Info: [insert from Phoenix/GLAAS]	1	LOT	$_TBD_	$_TBD at Award after negotiations with Contractor_
2001	Option Period 2 – Compensation, Fringe Benefits and Other Direct Costs (ODCs) - Award Type: Cost - Product Service Code: [e.g. R497] - Accounting Info: [insert from Phoenix/GLAAS]	1	LOT	$_TBD_	$_TBD at Award after negotiations with Contractor_

3. Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives/Contract Information Bulletins (AAPDs/CIBs) for Personal Services Contracts with Individuals available at http://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/aapds-cibs

4. Ethical Conduct. By the acceptance of a USAID personal services contract as an individual, the contractor will be acknowledging receipt of the “Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch,” available from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, in accordance with General Provision 2 and 5 CFR 2635. See https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/OGE%20Regulations