1. General Statement of Purpose of Contract
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the second largest African country by area (after Algeria) and the fourth most populated.
The DRC is a focus country for several US Government (USG) initiatives, including the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and TB Accelerator. USAID/DRC currently procures over $65M worth of health commodities per year, through a suite of supply chain awards. Over the next five to ten years, USAID is looking to transition direct procurement of commodities to the Government of DRC and shift efforts to technical assistance for sustainable and locally-owned supply chain systems.
The Senior Supply Chain Management Advisor (Senior Advisor) is part of the health systems strengthening team (HSS), will serve as a member of the Health Office within USAID/DRC and will be based in Kinshasa, DRC. The Health Office’s SCM responsibilities can be classified as internal and external. Internally, the Mission needs to manage the ordering, delivery, clearance and distribution processes, and rational use monitoring for the commodities that it procures directly. Externally, the Mission has to implement a robust and comprehensive approach to supporting the GDRC on SCM, coordinating closely with the GDRC system and with other donors. Critical to this work will be ensuring effective coordination of USAID-funded technical assistance activities, both central and mission-managed.
This position is a key part of USAID’s efforts to improve its internal approaches to managing commodities and its external support for the GDRC’s supply chain strategic plan. The Senior Advisor is expected to play a pivotal role in providing technical expertise to USAID and to the GDRC’s efforts to strengthen the supply chain. S/he will receive technical guidance from the Health Systems Strengthening Team Lead who will serve as his/her onsite manager. This position will require some travel (up to 20%) within and outside the country.
This position requires highly specialized skills, knowledge, and experience related to health commodities logistics, and supply chain systems, as well as interagency coordination, strategic planning, and health systems strengthening. The Senior Advisor is the key interlocutor for the U.S. Government on all matters related to procurement and supply chain management of health commodities. In general, s/he will be expected to work independently, including developing and implementing strategies to secure essential supplies for USAID’s priority health areas, including malaria, maternal and child health, family planning, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. Under PEPFAR and PMI, the incumbent will provide senior level technical expertise and leadership to the wider U.S. Government country team on planning, procurement, and monitoring of HIV/AIDS and malaria commodities. S/he will work with key stakeholders within the GDRC, including the Ministry of Public Health, donor partners – such as the World Bank, Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund), etc. – and other stakeholders to identify and apply innovative approaches and best practices to achieve supply chain and broader health systems goals. The Senior Advisor will supervise a CCN Supply Chain Specialist.The Senior Advisor is expected to mentor and support the CCN supply chain staff to assume greater leadership and management responsibilities.
The Senior Supply Chain Management Advisor will be responsible for:
1. Serving as primary point of contact for USAID’s working relationships with GDRC entities and other donors involved in supply chain and pharmaceutical management, leading the coordination of supply chain strengthening and participating in national discussions related to supply chain strengthening.
2. Serving as a technical advisor regarding USAID’s investments in strengthening the GDRC supply chain and commodities distribution system.
3. Providing technical advice in the following areas:
a. Reviewing current internal processes related to health commodity ordering and tracking and making recommendations for improvement.
b. Analyzing and monitoring program progress and informing the Mission health office or senior management of any recommendations that need to be discussed with implementing partners, other donors, or GDRC officials.
c. Developing and implementing the Mission’s road map to strengthen capacity in supply chain management and commodities distribution, in the context of the decentralization reform.
d. Working with GHSC, the National Essential Medicines Procurement Program (Programme National d’Approvisionnement en Médicaments Essentiels (PNAM)) and priority health programs (including malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, reproductive health) to quantify and order the commodities required for each province.
e. Working with the GHSC headquarters and in-country staff, mission staff, and implementing partners to coordinate, monitor and report on the quantification, order and delivery, loss or leakage, and over stock and expiry of health commodities for USAID-supported provinces and health zones.
f. Reviewing and recommending appropriate USAID internal controls for proper tracking of health commodities from arrival in-country to final destination.
g. Monitoring and tracking the process to obtain exoneration and customs clearance for incoming health commodity shipments.
h. As needed, preparing position papers for USAID senior management regarding policy dialogue with the DRC authorities and other stakeholders on supply chain strengthening efforts.
i. Providing monthly reports on progress achieved in Implementing USAID’s commodity procurement and distribution management activities.
j. Serving as an Activity Manager or AOR/COR, as needed, for Global Health Supply Chain activities.
k. Supervise, mentor and provide management oversight to the Cooperating Country National (CCN) Supply Chain Specialist. Approximately five percent of time will be spent training and supporting the professional development, including technical and leadership skills, of the CCN staff member to ensure s/he has the relevant skills to take over the responsibilities of the Senior Advisor position. Level of readiness of the CCN staff to perform the Senior Advisor responsibilities will be evaluated each year. Time required to reach an acceptable level of readiness will not exceed five years.
The US/TCNPSC works directly under the supervision of the Health Systems Strengthening Team Lead.
The US/TCNPSC will be a direct supervisor of at least one CCN Supply Chain Specialist.
“If a third country national (TCN) is selected for award, during the period of this contract, the TCN personal services contractor must provide at least 10 hours/week of training to a cooperating country national (CCN) designated by USAID. The PSC Supervisor will establish a training plan with benchmarks to measure the TCNPSC’s progress toward achieving this training deliverable”.
11. STATEMENT OF DUTIES: U.S. Citizens, Resident Aliens, and Third Country Nationals. Per ADS 309.3.1.11(c), if the CO issued a combined solicitation that was open to multiple eligible sources (i.e. USNs and TCNs or CCNs and TCNs), the TEC must not evaluate USN and TCN offers or CCN and TCN offers together. In order to comply with the order of preference in section 309.3.1.4, the CO must provide the TEC only those offers received from the preferred type first. After the evaluation of USN or CCN offers, if the CO, as the Source Selection Authority, determines that there are no qualified USNs or CCNs for the position, the CO may then provide the TCN offers to the TEC for evaluation.
For USPSC:
● Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident (“green card holder”);
● U.S. resident alien means a non-U.S. citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States;
● Submit a complete application as outlined in the solicitation section titled APPLYING;
● Be able to obtain facility access authorization;
● Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance;
● Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested;
● Employment is subject to funds availability and all the required approvals obtained.
For TCNPSC:
● Be a Third Country National. Third Country National means an individual: (1) Who is neither a citizen nor a permanent legal resident of the United States nor of the country to which assigned for duty (DRC), and (2) Who is eligible for return to his/her home country or country of recruitment at U.S. Government expenses;
● Submit a complete application as outlined in the section titled APPLYING;
● Be able to obtain facility access authorization;
● Be able to obtain a Department of State medical clearance;
● Be willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested;
● Employment is subject to funds availability and all the required approvals obtained.
12. PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The work requested does not involve undue physical demands.
II. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION
The education, experience and language factors below determine basic eligibility qualifications for the position. Applicants who do not meet all the education and work experience factors are considered NOT qualified for the position.
1. Education: Must possess an advanced degree (Masters or Ph.D.) or the equivalent in international public health, pharmaceutical sciences or health care development related field.
2. Prior Work Experience: Minimum fifteen (15) years experience in pharmaceutical supply chain and logistics management, with at least five (5) years experience in an international or resource challenged setting. The incumbent must have prior experience with major supply chain organizations and/or health system support donors.
3. Language Proficiency: Demonstrated ability to work in French and English 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.
The technical evaluation committee may conduct reference checks, including references from individuals who have not been specifically identified by the offeror, and may do so before or after a candidate is interviewed.
QUALITY RANKING FACTORS (QRFs)
Applicants who meet the Education, Work Experience and Language requirements will be further evaluated based on the three (3) Quality Ranking Factors listed below. The applicant will address each factor on a separate sheet describing specifically and accurately the experience, training, and/or education they have that is relevant to each factor. Please provide a word count after each response.
Work Experience (noted above)
30 points
Language and writing proficiency, ability to communicate clearly in both French and English
20 points
Subject matter knowledge of health commodities logistics, supply chain systems and health systems strengthening
25 points
Program and personnel management skills & abilities
25 points
TOTAL
100 points
Satisfactory Professional Reference Checks-Pass/Fail (no points assigned)
Total Possible Points: 100
USAID/DRC is one of the Agency’s largest Missions, both in terms of staffing and resources. While the majority of programming target bilateral programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Mission is also a regional platform, covering non-presence country operations for the Central African Republic (CAR), Republic of Congo (RoC) and Gabon. Important regional programs include the Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), the Agency’s largest biodiversity program, robust humanitarian activities and smaller, more targeted interventions addressing stabilization and reconciliation in this volatile region. With an FY21 program budget in excess of $850 million, the DRC and Central Africa are a strategic priority US Government engagement and a priority for foreign assistance.
USAID/DRC launched an ambitious new CDCS, underscoring the US-DRC Privileged Partnership for Peace and Prosperity and supporting DRC Presidential priorities for universal basic education and health care. Central to the new strategy is an integrated cluster approach around anchor institutions, such as mining towns and national parks, as a new initiative to increase resilience and sustainability while leveraging partnerships with the private sector, faith-based organizations and indigenous people’s groups. The Mission manages some of the Agency’s largest programs for basic education, democracy and governance, water and sanitation, malaria, maternal and child health, environmental protection and humanitarian assistance, while also being at the forefront of innovative approaches to conflict-free, responsible minerals trade and programming in the nexus between humanitarian and development assistance.
