Solicitation No.: 72064924R00002
Issuance Date: April 17, 2024
Closing Date/Time: May 7, 2024 04:30 p.m. (Nairobi Time)
SUBJECT: Solicitation for Offshore Hire U.S. Personal Services Contractor (U.S.PSC) Senior Stabilization Advisor – Somalia, GS-15
Dear Prospective Offerors:
The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified U.S. Citizens to provide personal services under contract as described in this solicitation.
Offers must be in accordance with Attachment 1, Sections I through V of this solicitation. Incomplete or unsigned offers will not be considered. Offerors should retain copies of all Offer materials for their records. Offers must be submitted electronically via email to nairobipscjobs@usaid.gov by the closing date and time indicated above. Applicants must prominently reference the solicitation number in the application submission.
USAID/Somalia will hold an hour-long open house session on Monday, April 29, 2024 from 03:00 PM (East Africa Time) to answer questions that prospective applicants may have about the position or USAID/Somalia on this link:
Open house for U.S. Personal Services Contractor (U.S.PSC) Senior Stabilization Advisor – Somalia
Monday, April 29 · 3:00 – 4:00pm
Time zone: Africa/Nairobi
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/hge-cgzd-gia
Or dial: (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 305 900 427 6483#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/hge-cgzd-gia?pin=3059004276483
USAID will evaluate all offerors based on the stated evaluation criteria. USAID encourages all individuals, including those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups, to respond to the solicitation.
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 offer. Any questions must be directed in writing to the Point of Contact specified in the attached information.
Sincerely,
-s-
Kion Turner
Executive Officer
The USAID/Somalia seeks to contract for a U.S. Personal Services Contractor (PSC) to lead USAID/Somalia’s Stabilization team and advance USAID/Somalia’s goal of preventing and countering violent extremism. The Senior Stabilization Advisor will: (1) provide expert management and technical leadership of USAID stabilization efforts, including the $61.5 million Transition Initiative for Stabilization Saddex (TIS3) program and associated stabilization and conflict mitigation programs (currently valued at a total of $68.5 million); (2) represent USAID at the highest levels in the interagency and with host government partners on issues surrounding stabilization and broader efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism; (3) ensure USAID/Somalia stabilization, conflict mitigation, and related programs achieve measurable impact in reducing the influence of Al-Shabaab in USAID’s focal zone; and (4) supervise a team that currently includes a GS-13/14 Stabilization Advisor based in Mogadishu and a Program Management Specialist focused on Stabilization based in Nairobi.
USAID/Somalia’s approach to stabilization recognizes that stabilization programs must be a bridge to and catalyst for longer term development processes, be grounded in efforts to advance political inclusion, and connect with efforts to resolve grievances and conflict that can drive instability. To be successful, USAID’s programs must both look ahead to identify new stabilization opportunities created by clearing operations while simultaneously looking back to ensure that al-Shabaab’s influence is sufficiently eroded so that longer term development processes can take root. This approach requires USAID to engage with communities recently recovered from al-Shabaab and in communities that may have been recovered for several years but remain vulnerable to al-Shabaab and where opportunities exist to consolidate and expand stabilization gains. USAID must also consider how to address citizen grievances in these same communities as an absence of justice is often cited as one of the root causes of instability in Somalia and a key driver of violent extremism.
The Senior Stabilization Advisor reports to the Democracy, Stabilization, and Governance (DSG) Office Director. Somalia is one of the most complex political and security environments in the world, and approximately half of USAID/Somalia’s nearly $60 million annual Development Assistance budget supports the Agency’s largest and most comprehensive Democracy, Rights, and Governance (DRG) portfolio in all of Africa. This portfolio includes programs that support elections, public sector capacity building, legislative development, human rights, local governance, access to justice, and stabilization and reconciliation. The DSG Office is a team of nine, composed of two USDHs, three USPSCs, and four FSNs.
The Senior Stabilization Advisor serves as a core team member overseeing the Mission’s strategic vision and implementation of its Development Objective #1: “Targeted local institutions govern in a more legitimate manner, diminishing influence of violent extremist organizations.” This includes coordinating the stabilization activities within the broader DSG portfolio and with the Economic Growth and Social Services teams. S/he crafts the vision for stabilization in the coming years, ensuring the new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) guides stabilization and political inclusion efforts. S/he represents USAID to the highest levels within the inter-agency community and senior government and donor officials on issues related to stabilization. S/he also provides USAID/Somalia with strategic and technical leadership on a full range of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) programming, and is responsible for managing and mentoring staff in all aspects of the Office's portfolio, including but not limited to planning, design, budgeting, procurement, program management, and M&E. Strong management and interpersonal skills, strong stabilization experience, and political astuteness are essential to the incumbent’s success in the position.