INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION (IAF) PROFESSIONAL PART-TIME LOCAL LIAISON ADVISORY SERVICE (LLAS) CONTRACTOR FOR DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

SUBJECT: INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION (IAF) PROFESSIONAL PART-TIME LOCAL LIAISON ADVISORY SERVICE (LLAS) CONTRACTOR FOR DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Dear potential applicants.

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service, on behalf of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), is seeking applications from qualified citizens living in Dominican Republic to provide Part-Time services as a LLAS Contractor in Dominican Republic under a Personal Services Contract (PSC), as described in the following solicitation: 20343120Q00001. This document describes the job of the LLAS Contractor. Please read it carefully.

This contract will be awarded for a twelve-month Base Period and four (4), twelve-month Option Periods in accordance with the following Statement of Work (SOW) and Contract Terms and Conditions. Option periods are not guaranteed and will be exercised at the discretion of IAF based, in part, on the Contractor's performance. The number of hours needed for this position is estimated at part-time in the Base and Option Periods. The estimated base period salary with benefits for this LLAS Contractor position is estimated at $28,912.00; but may be negotiated based upon capabilities to perform, qualifications, educational background, experience, previous salary and work history. The LLAS Contractor position may have optional sub-contracting possibilities available for Technical Consultants.

The applicant assumes full responsibility for ensuring that their responses are received at the place as delineated herein and by the date and time identified below. The Respondent assumes full responsibility for ensuring
electronic submissions are formatted in accordance with Security Requirements. The following file extensions are unacceptable: BAT; CMD; EXE; PIF; RAR; SCR; VBS; HTA; AND CPL FILES. Microsoft Office compatible documents and Adobe PDF are acceptable. Submitted materials with unacceptable or unreadable formats may be found non-responsive.

Applications shall be e-mailed to purchasing@fiscal.treasury.gov, with the subject line "Applications for 20343120Q00001 Part-Time LLAS CONTRACTOR, Attn: RGoff/AForeman and received on or before 2:00 pm EST, September 12, 2019. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Only complete applications submitted to the e-mail address above will be considered.

A complete application shall include the following six (6) items:

1. Provide a Cover Letter in Spanish that demonstrates the applicant's capability to perform each of the required work responsibilities identified in the SOW.
2. Provide a resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) that demonstrates the applicant has the required qualifications identified the statement of work. Furthermore,
a. The resume or CV must be written in Spanish or English.
b. Write "20343120Q00001 Part-Time LLAS CONTRACTOR" on the front page of the resume or CV.
c. Applicant should hand sign the last page of the resume or CV.
3. A list of three (3) references with contact information (telephone number and if available, email).
4. A copy of applicant's educational diploma.
5. A copy of applicant's identification card with photograph (driver's license, national identification card, or passport acceptable).
6. Provide applicant's salary history for last three jobs.

Thank you for your interest in IAF. We look forward to reviewing your application.

 Anna Foreman
Contracting Officer

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS

The Government will evaulate applications in the following phases:

1.0 EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS: QUALIFICATIONS
Evaluation Criteria 1: Technical Capability
Applicants shall provide a Cover Letter that clearly and sufficiently addresses in written form their capabilities to perform each of the work responsibilities identified in the Statement of Work (3 pages herein).

GO / NO-GO Factors: Late or incomplete applications will not be evaluated and will be considered non-responsive. A complete application shall contain the following items or documentation of these factors:

____ 1. A CV/resume, written in Spanish or English demonstrating the ability to perform the required services as described in the SOW with the applicant's signature on the last page of the CV or resume.
_____2. The candidate currently resides in Dominican Republic,
_____3. The candidate possesses a B.A. or better, in an appropriate field (as explained in the SOW),
_____4. Has at least 10 years of professional experience working in grassroots development, business development, economic development, banking, monitoring and evaluation, and/or management of international development programs. At least half of this experience must be in-country (Dominican Republic),
_____5. Is fluent in Spanish speaking and writing.

2.0 Application Evaluation Process
Applicants qualified for this position shall demonstrate, in the documents/information submitted and through the Application Evaluation Process described in Section 1.0, the ability to provide the services as described in the attached Scope of Work (SOW) as they apply to the following evaluation criteria:

Phase I - Initial Review

(A) EVALUATION CRITERIA 1 - REQUIRED TECHNICAL CAPABILITY

• A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited university in business administration, management, public administration, finance, community development, economics, sociology, humanities or a related field.
• High level of motivation, personal commitment, and ethical standards.
• Fluent in spoken and written Spanish
• Willingness to travel extensively throughout Dominican Republic
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently in high visibility, high-pressure environments and operate in complex office environment, emergency and/or political crisis situations with minimal supervision.
• Knowledge of grant management.

(B) EVALUATION CRITERIA 2 - REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience working with marginalized groups and/or community-based enterprises in Dominican Republic.
• Experience managing client relationships, especially in a grants management, banking, business development, or international development context.
• Experience with financial management/accounting and preparation of programmatic and financial reports.
• Experience monitoring or evaluating international development programs and/or monitoring development projects within Dominican Republic.
• Experience in business development, finance, banking, auditing, monitoring and evaluation, and/or management of international development programs in Dominican Republic.
• Experience working with international donors.
• Experience with grant management.
• Experience with participatory development methods.

Applicants are not guaranteed an interview. The Technical Evaluation Team will determine a range of the highest rated applicants in Phase I to move to Phase II - Interview. If, in Phase II, applicants fail to get an acceptable rating the government reserves the right to interview the next highest rated applicants from Phase I.

PHASE II - Interview
All interviews will be completed with the same interviewer(s). If more than one individual conducts each interview, each interviewer will complete an individual interview evaluation score sheet and a consensus interview score will be agreed upon by all interviewers.

Questions asked during the interview will be consistent among applicants and relevant to the requirements as described in the solicitation. An individual record of questions asked and responses received from the applicant will be included with this worksheet as documentation supporting the chosen rating.

Phase III - Reference Check
The Evaluation Panel will select applicant(s) from Phase II for the reference check. The reference questions will be consistent for all past performance references and will be relevant to similar work performed in comparison to this requirement. A record of references contacted, questions asked, and responses received will be included with this worksheet as documentation supporting the chosen rating.

IAF will practice diligence to contact all references provided for applicants being considered for Award. However, time will dictate the number of contacts made. If at all possible, at least 1 direct reference contact should be made for all applicants considered for award.

If an applicant has received negative reference responses, fair opporuntiy to address such will be given, in compliance with FAR 15.305(a)(2)(ii).

3.0 AWARD
An offer for award will be made to the applicant receiving the highest score in Phase II, considering references and availability. If the offer is not accepted, the Government reserves the right to make an offer to the next preferred applicant without further discussion.

The Contractor shall obtain a satisfactory security certification through the United States Embassy within ninety (90) days of the effective date of the contract. This certification will be initiated and costs assumed by IAF.