Corrections Advisor
You have received this "Personal Services Contractor" (PSC) solicitation through the Department of State (DOS) Internet site. If you have any questions regarding this PSC, you may contact the DOS Official named in this solicitation. The Department is not responsible for any data and/or text not received when retrieving this document electronically. Amendments to solicitation documents generally contain information critical to the submission of an application.
Corrections Advisor
Islamabad, Pakistan
Issuance Date: 11/20/2015
Closing Date: 12/18/2015
SOLICITATION NUMBER: PSC-16-004-INL
SUBJECT
A solicitation for a Personal Services Contractor (PSC), Department of State (DOS), Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
The United States Government (USG), represented by the DOS, seeks applications from US citizens interested in providing PSC services as described in this solicitation.
PRE-AWARD ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF PSC (JUN 2011)
This solicitation may result in the award of one or more personal services contracts as defined in FAR 2.101. Prior to contract award, all offerors or quotes must advise the cognizant Contracting Officer if they have a personal conflict of interest, such as a financial conflict, that would prevent them from either meeting the requirements of the clause entitled, "Post-Award Ethical Responsibilities of Personal Services Contractors," or otherwise objectively performing their contractual duties upon contract award.
HOW TO APPLY
Offerors proposal shall be in accordance with the requirements stated in this solicitation at the place and time specified. A proposal will be determined non-responsive and ineligible for consideration unless all required documents and information are included in the submission. Offerors shall ensure their resume demonstrates their possession of the minimum qualifications outlined in this Solicitation, as well as their ability to fulfill all required duties. The Government is not responsible for any costs incurred by the offeror during the solicitation process.
Proposals must include the following and not exceed twenty (20) pages:
1) Form OF-612 (Completed and signed)
2) Resume
3) Three letters of recommendation OR three references to include contact information
*** ONE PDF ATTACHMENT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
VETERAN'S PREFERANCE
Veteran's preference is not applicable to this position therefore do not submit DD-214.
Submit proposal via e-mail to the attention of:
INL/Deborah Strom
E-mail: StromDG@state.gov
Direct questions regarding this solicitation to:
INL/Deborah Strom
E-mail: StromDG@state.gov
INL will not accept proposals beyond the closing time/date; unless it can be determined DOS mishandled the proposal.
1. SOLICITATION NUMBER: PSC-16-004-INL
2. ISSUANCE DATE: 11/20/2015
3. CLOSING DATE: 12/18/2015
4. TIME SPECIFIED FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: 3:00 PM, EST
5. POSITION TITLE: INL Corrections Advisor
6. MARKET VALUE: $82,350 - $120,934 (FS-02 Equivalent)
7. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One year from date of award, with four optional years
8. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Islamabad, Pakistan
9. JOB DESCRIPTION: See below
GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONTRACTOR:
The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is responsible for the development, supervision, coordination, and implementation of international narcotics control and law enforcement assistance activities and international criminal justice issues, including corrections, for the Department of State (DOS). INL's corrections programs are overseen by the Bureau's Corrections Team Lead based in Washington, DC, Office of Civilian Justice Assistance and Partnership (INL/CAP) and the Bureau's Office of Afghanistan/Pakistan Programs (INL/AP); and managed by the INL office in Islamabad, Pakistan (INL-Pakistan).
In October 2009, INL's Corrections Team Lead conducted an assessment of the corrections system in Pakistan and produced a written assessment with recommendations. The assessment concluded that Pakistan's overcrowded and crumbling prison system faces many challenges, but is not in a state of imminent collapse. The system is administered by the provinces with little federal support or guidance and is at more than double its capacity. This is because the system is filled with pre-trial detainees awaiting their court date in the country's clogged court system. Pre-trial detainees can wait for years to go to court, even for minor crimes. The prison staff is poorly trained, underpaid, and lack full control of facilities and prisoners. The current anti-militant campaign has implications for the system, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, and Sindh provinces. A growing influx of dangerous and hard to manage detainees, coupled with two successful outside attacks on prisons in KP that liberated more than 400 prisoners, including approximately 35 militant leaders, in 2012 and 2013, threatens to push the system closer to a crisis point. This challenging situation has received high level attention and has prompted the U.S. Government (USG) to work to assist the Government of Pakistan with meaningful corrections reforms and improvements.
PURPOSE
The Corrections Advisor will serve as an in-country advisor responsible for implementing INL-Pakistan's corrections assistance efforts. S/he will oversee the development and expansion of INL's Pakistan Corrections Program in coordination with other USG, international and Pakistan law enforcement and criminal justice programs. This includes, but is not limited to, coordination with Pakistani authorities, management of corrections training, logistical and security planning, vendor/contractor coordination, and commodity provision to host nation correctional sector entities. The Corrections Advisor will work within Embassy Islamabad under the direct supervision of the INL-Pakistan Director or his/her designee. The Corrections Advisor will serve as INL's corrections subject matter expert in Pakistan, and provide expertise on all aspects of corrections matters in Pakistan, including, but not limited to: corrections personnel training and curriculum, prisoner classification; prison administrative procedures and information systems; prisoner reintegration, rehabilitation and disengagement programs including vocational and educational opportunities; appropriate management of vulnerable groups, including women, juveniles, and the mentally and physically ill; prison census and files, human rights issues related to prisoner incarceration; strategic planning and budgeting; and refurbishment and/or construction of correctional facilities.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
In close coordination with INL-Pakistan staff and INL/CAP, the Corrections Advisor will be expected to perform the following duties:
Program Planning and Management
• Manage corrections projects under the guidance and direction of the INL-Pakistan Director and Deputy Director (or designee) and INL/CAP and keep them informed of the details of such implementation, including progress, challenges, and recommended solutions. Perform monitoring and evaluation of assistance projects.
• Work with the INL-Pakistan Director or designee to oversee budgets for training, equipment, and other assistance.
• Provide program guidance and frequent status updates on the implementation and development of the INL Corrections Program to the INL-Pakistan Director and Deputy Director (or designee) as well as the INL-Pakistan and INL/AP Corrections Program Officers, including progress, challenges, and recommended solutions.
• Ensure programming complies with USG requirements and legal restrictions, including Leahy vetting, and is coordinated with related USG police, criminal justice, and rule of law assistance and programs.
• Ensure that programming meets both U.S. and Government of Pakistan policy objectives and priorities, maintaining an open dialogue with Government of Pakistan corrections officials and exploring opportunities to partner with new corrections entities as directed by INL leadership.
• As directed by the INL-Pakistan Director or designee, contribute to the production of a written weekly report on status of the INL Pakistan corrections efforts including - but not limited to - activities, progress, challenges, and recommended solutions.
• Provide direction and supervision to the locally hired corrections assistants. Collect information for trend analysis of program efficacies.
• Coordinate USG corrections assistance efforts with the international donor community, including, but not limited to the International Committee for the Red Cross and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Policy Analysis
• Develop a detailed strategy and implementation plan and timeline for the Pakistan Corrections Program. These efforts include project execution from study period and program design, through acquisition and implementation, including planning, scheduling, budgeting, monitoring, and coordination among vendors, contractors and Government of Pakistan officials.
• Serve as a corrections subject matter expert within INL-Pakistan and Embassy Islamabad.
• Provide policy analysis and program guidance/reporting to INL staff, INL/AP, and the INL Front Office upon request on corrections aspects of current program efforts as well as those in planning or evaluation stages. Such guidance may include, but is not limited to, mission objectives; the size and structure of the international corrections training presence; coordination with the INL-Pakistan Senior Police Advisor, the DOJ, and other relevant agencies; budgeting; development of Pakistani corrections capacities and institutions; practical measures to improve U.S. and international capacities to provide corrections assistance; and training plans.
• Carry out assessments of current Government of Pakistan corrections systems and US Government program efforts and impact, and, on the basis of those assessments, propose future activities and/or remedial actions. Brief these assessments to senior INL and other Department and interagency officials
• Assist the various provincial governments in establishing baselines for measuring key performance indicators to track trends and conduct trend analysis to that programmatic and management decisions can be made using concrete, not conjectural, information.
Coordination
• Work closely with the INL-Pakistan team, INL/AP, and INL/CAP.
• At the direction of the INL-Pakistan Director or designee, work to coordinate corrections efforts with the INL Rule of Law and Police program staff, as well as international donors.
• Participate in senior-level meetings, briefings, seminars, and exercises with US Government, Host Nation, and international representatives to develop plans/programs for implementation of corrections assistance and improve INL capacities to respond quickly and effectively when new mission initiatives emerge.
• Work closely with and develop effective relationships with Government of Pakistan counterparts at corrections agencies at both federal and provincial levels.
• Visit prisons, detention centers and training facilities throughout Pakistan, and possibly in other countries to complete assessments according to the standard assessment framework developed by INL/CAP.
• Participate in INL-Pakistan office meetings.
RELATIONSHIP
The Corrections Advisor reports to and receives broad policy guidance and general direction from the INL-Pakistan Director, Deputy Director, INL/CAP and the INL/AP Pakistan Team. The Advisor is responsible for planning and implementing many aspects of organizational and project and logistical operations. The Corrections Advisor coordinates and communicates with INL-Pakistan and the INL/AP Pakistan Team. The Corrections Advisor's actions, decisions, and recommendations are reviewed on the basis of results achieved and conformance with appropriate laws and regulations. The Corrections Advisor must depend in part on his/her own professional judgment to further the mission of INL.
The Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) is delegated the authority to act for the Contracting Officer in matters concerning technical clarification, inspection and, after concurrence by the Contracting Officer, acceptance of Contractor performance under the contract, including preparation of receiving reports, and the authorization of progress payments when appropriate. The COR will coordinate all work with the Contractor and review Contractor's performance at significant stages of its development.
In no instance, however, shall the COR be authorized to alter or modify the specifications or the contract terms and the conditions or waive the government's requirement, price, delivery, or other terms and conditions. Such changes must be authorized, in writing, to the Contracting Officer.
DELIVERABLES/REPORTS
Deliverables are required under this PSC and shall include; monthly status reports, monthly evaluation of contractor performance, special reports when required and "Completion of assignment report," which shall be a compressive review of the projects in which the contractor was involved.
Each report shall include a critique of and recommendations for the various projects. The completions of assignment reports are due no later than fifteen (15) days prior to the expiration of this contract. The Personal Service Contractor shall submit a of each report as required to the following:
1. INL/P Director, or designate
Per FAR Part 4, the above referenced documents shall be incorporated and copies stored in the PSC's hard file under Section V.; Tab E - Receiving Reports.
The Contractor shall prepare and submit two copies of each technical report required by the schedule of this contract (e.g., progress reports, final reports, etc.), to the Embassy INL Section and to the Program Officer, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Department of State Washington, DC. The title page of all reports forwarded pursuant to this paragraph shall include a descriptive title, the author's name(s), contract number, project number, and title, contractor's name, name of the State Department project office, and the publication or issuance date of the report.
When preparing reports, the Contractor shall refrain from using elaborate artwork, multicolor printing, and expensive paper/binding, unless it is specifically authorized in the Contract Schedule. Wherever possible, pages should be printed on both sides using single spaced type.
COMPLEXITY
Develops detailed plans, goals, and objectives for the long-range implementation and administration of the program, and/or develops criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Coordinating plans with various other groups including international donors, the U.S. Embassy, and the Government of Pakistan can be complicated.
Projects require dynamic leadership, expertise and complex innovation, strict adherence to high level policy without lower level interpretive assistance, and the ability to single-handedly or in concert with a variety of other stakeholders resolve critical problems and achieve difficult goals that may impact other programs. They are broad in scope and complicated by many complex features, technical, administrative, or political in nature.
SCOPE AND EFFECTIVENESS
Guidelines consist of USG and Department of State Acquisition Regulations, and accepted legal principles and theories. In addition, Advisor must be able to determine application of basic administrative policy statements concerning the issue or problem being studied. The Advisor must also consider and adhere to various other existing federal regulations, and the interaction between DOS policies, legislation, the Foreign Assistance Act, and other authorization and appropriations in the INL account, applicable National Security and Presidential Decision Directives, OMB Circulars, and Department of State financial operating procedures and policies. The Corrections Advisor is recognized as a substantive authority on overall management and/or interpretation of guidance on program and project planning and evaluation in a specialized area.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
1. U.S. citizen able to obtain and maintain Department of State Secret security and medical clearances.
2. Fifteen (15) years' experience in U.S. corrections security operations, management, organizational development, planning and/or training, two years of which must have been at the rank of assistant warden (or equivalent) or higher.
3. Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts Degree from an accredited institution, or ten years of related experience in the fields of international development, law enforcement, international relations, and/or public administration. The education may be substituted on a year-for-year basis for each year of experience at the warden/superintendent level in U.S. corrections.
4. Graduation from a certified state or federal corrections or probation officer training academy.
5. Working knowledge of and experience with prison security threat groups.
6. Ability to obtain a Pakistan visa.
7. Superior oral and written communication skills.
8. Superior negotiation, interpersonal, and managerial skills.
9. Experience in planning, strategizing, implementing, and reporting on projects.
10. Proven ability to work well with others.
11. Three years supervisory experience.
12. Proficiency in Microsoft Office software suite.
13. Must complete the FSI Distance Learning Introduction to Working in an Embassy (PN113) within 120 days of assignment
14. Proven ability to complete the Foreign Service Institute's Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) course within the first 60 days of assignment successfully.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
1. One or more of the following work experiences:
a. Experience working at a U.S. Embassy
b. Experience working on foreign assistance or related programs in active-insurgency/conflict/post-conflict environments
c. Experience working in Pakistan or Central/South Asia
d. Experience working or coordinating with other relevant U.S. government agencies (e.g., Departments of Justice and Defense, USAID), domestically or abroad
e. Experience working within the U.S. interagency context, domestically or abroad
f. Experience/expertise developing corrections reform programs, especially in an international environment
g. Experience working with international non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
2. Demonstrated capacity to seek out and establish relationships with stakeholders within the U.S. Government, foreign governments, and/or NGO community and effectively coordinate with government and non-government actors to achieve concrete results, particularly in challenging environments
3. Ability to adapt to changing circumstances and to brief senior level policymakers
4. Military or other relevant experience (e.g., State Department, Peace Corps, UN, NGO, USAID) in active-insurgency/conflict/post-conflict operations
5. Urdu and/or Pashto language experience
EVALUATION FACTORS
Factor 1 Professional Working Relationships 25 points
Demonstrated experience developing close, forward-leaning working relationships with host-government interlocutors and working with them in a constructive and respectful manner. Demonstrated ability to liaise with members of relevant US Government agencies (including but not limited to members of an Embassy Country Team), Host National representatives, and the international community in developing and coordinating corrections programs, as well as to represent INL in these forums.
Factor 2 Program Management 25 points
Demonstrated experience in developing, implementing, and overseeing U.S. corrections assistance programs abroad, including training, equipment, and other support.
Factor 3 Professional Expertise 20 points
Demonstrated ability to provide expert corrections subject matter and policy guidance to senior level policy makers within the Embassy and INL.
Factor 4 Communications 20 points
Demonstrated ability to communicate complex issues in a timely and concise manner, both orally and in written form.
Factor 5 Past Performance 10 points
Evaluation of applicant's ability to perform under the contract. In conducting the evaluation, the Government reserves the right to utilize all evaluation information available at the time of evaluation, whether provided by the applicant or obtained from other sources.
COMPENSATION (BASE PAY)
For award, INL will negotiate for this contract based on the market value as outlined above and overall experience relevant to the solicitation requirements.
BENEFITS & ALLOWANCES
AS A MATTER OF POLICY, INL NORMALLY AUTHORIZES THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES
BENEFITS - IF APPLICABLE
• Employee's FICA/Medicare Contribution
• Contribution toward Health and Life Insurance
• Pay Comparability Adjustment
• Annual Increase
• Eligibility for Worker's Compensation
• Annual, Sick and Home Leave
• 401K Plan
• MEDVAC Reimbursement
ALLOWANCES IN ACCORDANCE WITH DEPARTMENT OF STATE STANDARDIZED REGULATIONS (DSSR) - IF APPLICABLE
• Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance (TQSA) or Per Diem upon arrival at Post
• Housing Allowance
• Post Allowance
• Supplemental Post Allowance
• Maintenance Allowance (SMA)
• Education Allowance
• Educational Travel (full-time United States based secondary)
• Post Hardship Differential
• Danger Pay
• Shipment of HHE, UAB, POV and Consumables
Deborah Strom, Email StromDG@state.gov
