Description
The U.S. Department of State has an upcoming requirement for World Wide Security Vetting and other support services in predominantly High Threat Areas of the world as the need arises. Currently Baghdad, Iraq is the initial place of performance anticipated. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541930, Translation and Interpretation Services. We anticipate the solicitation to be available on or around 1 February 2013. This solicitation is planned to be a Full and Open competition to be conducted in accordance with FAR part 15 (Contracting by Negotiation). It is anticipated that this acquisition will result in a single award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity type of contract for a base and four (4) option years. Currently this requirement is being performed by a DoD contract, L3 is the incumbent. This is a brand new requirement for the U.S. Department of State. Below are the possible positions that may be required dependent on the country requirements. Each country and their requirements will be on separate task orders. 1) Counterintelligence (CI) Support Specialist Major Duties and Responsibilities Under the direction of a DS Special Agent and/or the Polygraph Examiner, the CI support specialist provides vetting-related services. Major duties and responsibilities include: • Conducts vetting procedures on host country nationals or on U.S. Legal Permanent Residents who seek employment on Chief of Mission facilities or who are hired into a position that allows them knowledge of Chief of Mission operations. • Interviews local national or U.S. Legal Permanent Residents applicants for suitability and eligibility for security certifications and produces timely written reports and assessments. • Conducts electronic record checks in support of vetting investigations on classified and unclassified databases including those involving U.S. Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs). • In addition to routine caseload, conducts supplemental interviews as requested by a DS agent or vetting specialist to resolve CI/CT-related issues and information arising in the vetting process. • Provides direct support to the Regional Security Office (RSO) as appropriate, and for other CI-related investigations. • Personnel will be equipped to travel to and may operate from multiple fixed sites within an assigned area of operations in accordance with RSO procedures, but will not conduct interviews outside of secure areas. • Provide administrative support related to specific areas of assignment. Qualifications The Contractor shall provide personnel who have the necessary experience, education, training and skills to perform the work and manage the requirements included in the contract. Requirements include: • Four years experience as trained counterintelligence agent. Such experienced may be gained through former service in the following Department of Defense Military Occupational Specialties or their civilian equivalents: 35L (Counterintelligence Agent), 35M (Human Intelligence Collector), 351L (Counterintelligence Technician), 351M (Human Intelligence Collection Technician). • Must be knowledgeable of Department of Defense counterintelligence procedures, data processing systems such as CHIMs, and SIPRNET search engines and database retrieval tools such as QueryTree and M3. Knowledge of State Department vetting procedures is preferred. • Knowledge of the Arabic language and culture is strongly desired. • United States citizen eligible for appropriate security clearance. • Knowledge of host country culture, traditions, and customs is highly desirable. • Experience working in a high-threat environment and experience with U.S. Department of State security operations are strongly preferred. • Demonstrated ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups from various levels and backgrounds. • Must be in good physical condition with no health deficiencies, either temporary or long-lasting, that would impair performance of duties. 2) Vetting Specialist / Area Expert Major Duties and Responsibilities Under the direction of a DS Special Agent and/or a Polygraph Examiner, the vetting specialist provides vetting-related services. Major duties and responsibilities include: • Conducts vetting procedures on host country nationals or U.S. Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) seeking employment on Chief of Mission facilities or who are hired into a position that allows them knowledge of Chief of Mission operations. • Interviews local national applicants or U.S. Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) for suitability and eligibility for security certifications and produces timely written reports and assessments. • Conduct electronic record checks in support of vetting investigations on classified and unclassified databases, including those involving U.S. Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) • Personnel will be equipped to travel to and may operate from multiple fixed sites within an assigned area of operations in accordance with RSO procedures, but will not conduct interviews outside of secure areas. • Provide administrative support related to specific areas of assignment. Provide country specific information to the polygraph examiner and linguist. Provide background on items discussed by the vetted applicant. Point out possible irregularities between applicants documented information and information provided orally. Qualifications The Contractor shall provide personnel who have the necessary experience, education, training and skills to perform the work and manage the requirements included in the contract. Requirements include: • Minimum of two years experience in one of the following Department of Defense Military Occupational Specialties or their civilian equivalents: 35L (Counterintelligence Agent), 35M (Human Intelligence Collector), 351L (Counterintelligence Technician), 351M (Human Intelligence Collection Technician), 180A (Special Forces Warrant Officer), 18F (Special Forces Assistant Operations and Intelligence Sergeant), or a Strategic Debriefer. • Must have experience with vetting, vetting tasks, and/or investigative questioning techniques and knowledgeable of SIPRNET search engines and database retrieval tools such as QueryTree and M3. • United States citizen eligible for appropriate security clearance. • Knowledge of host country culture, traditions, and customs is highly desirable. • Experience working in a high-threat environment and experience with U.S. Department of State security operations are strongly preferred. • Demonstrated ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups from various levels and backgrounds. • Must be in good physical condition with no health deficiencies, either temporary or long-lasting, that would impair performance of duties. The Government is anticipating about 10 CI Support Specialists, 35 Vetting Specialists approximately (45) positions to be filled between the two categories for planning purposes currently in Baghdad, Iraq, this is subject to change, when and if the solicitation is finalized more definitive information will be provided in the uploaded document. There are current incumbents under this effort, current incumbent contractor is L-3. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will only be available on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) web site at http://www//fbo.gov. It is anticipated that the RFP will be made available for downloading on approximately fifteen (15) days after publication of this announcement. Interested offerors are encouraged to sign up through FBO.gov for further announcements regarding this solicitation so your firm is notified when the solicitation and amendments are made available. It is anticipated that proposals will be due thirty (30) days following the date of issuance of the RFP.