Solicitation Number: D11PS40353 Title: IN-COUNTRY COORDINATOR IN THE COUNTRY OF GEORGIA FOR THE US DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR'S INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. Agency Contact Information: Acquisition Services Directorate, National Business Center, Department of the Interior, 381 Elden Street, Suite 4000Herndon, VA 20170 The NAICS code is 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services with a size standard of $7.0 Million. Place of Performance: Based in Tbilisi, Georgia, but short term work outside Tbilisi will be required on an infrequent basis. No relocation or housing costs will be reimbursed The Government intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, a firm-fixed-price (FFP) acquisition with Paata Shanshiashvili. This non-competitive action is being issued by the Acquisition Services Directorate (AQD) on behalf of the Department of the Interior's (DOI) International Technical Assistance Program (ITAP). Description of Requirement: The U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) International Technical Assistance Program (ITAP), with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), requires an in-country coordinator to build on its successes in the Republic of Georgia to work with the Government of Georgia (GOG), the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (MEPNR), Florida International University (FIU), and a host of local governmental and nongovernmental entities, to introduce innovative, landscape-level approaches to the sustainable management of watersheds in a practical and scalable fashion. Specifically, the project will focus on protected areas as the anchors for watershed management. DOI-ITAP has a continuing need for an in-country coordinator to assist in facilitating their program in the country of Georgia. The in-country coordinator will be required to: o Act as liaison between the Department of the Interior (DOI) International Technical Assistance Program (ITAP), US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Georgia (GOG) and other project partners, and keep all three entities fully appraised of the status of Project activities.o Assist in the implementation of all Project activities (e.g. MEPNR training programs, protected areas management planning, etc.)o Assist with short- and long-term Project planning.o Provide on-site coaching in effective management.o Assist with preparation and publication of effective management best practices reference manuals.o Assist Agency of Protected Areas with protected areas management policy statements.o Provide ongoing, high-level technical advice to GOG and other in-country partners.o Provide weekly and quarterly written reports of Project activities.o Review Project activities and provide advice on solving problems that arise during implementation.o Provide logistical support for visiting DOI technical assistance teams. This requirement has a high degree of institutional and technical knowledge and understanding of the program initiatives and ongoing efforts both from the Georgian government's conservation system and DOI's international program management protocols. The contractor will need to have and maintain existing relationships between various partner organizations, US Government Agencies, and partners in the Government of Georgia. The Contractor must demonstrate the following qualifications: - Be bilingual (English and Georgian). - Have demonstrated writing skills in English. - Have good interpersonal skills needed to effectively facilitate coordination between DOI, USAID, GOG, and other stakeholders related to the focus areas of the Project. - Have knowledge of Georgia's natural resources and a familiarity with the key organizations involved in Georgian conservation, from both the government and non-government sectors. - Have experience in project planning and management. - Have experience in budget management. - Have competence in a broad array of natural resource management issues, including watershed, wildlife and landscape management, and outreach/environmental education. - Have a background in leading initiatives similar in topic and scope to those identified as being central to the Project in 2011, as in the statement of work. - Experience in planning and managing U.S. government international natural resource technical assistance projects. This action is being processed in accordance with FAR 13.501(a) "Sole source (including brand name) acquisitions" under the authority of the test program for commercial items (section 4202 of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996). No other individual is known to provide these services provided above with the required experience needed for successful completion of this acquisition. The period of performance for this effort will be one base year, with four optional periods of one year duration each. The Government will consider all capabilities statements received by 4pm EST, Tuesday, June 21, 2011. Please be advised that it is the offeror's responsibility to assure the Government receives your submission on or before the specified due date. Submissions shall be sent electronically to the contract specialist Joshua Watkins at
[email protected]. This is NOT a request for competitive proposals. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed action based upon responses to this announcement is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received is solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive acquisition. The Government reserves the right to issue a Request for Quote (RFQ) as a result of this announcement. Please be advised that this announcement may constitute the only notice that will be posted for this acquisition, based on the review of any responses to this notice.