Following are the PSP Task Order Procedures

The task order CTO, in conjunction with his or her CO, and with the assistance of technical staff in BGH if desired, prepares a statement of work, establishes tangible results and benchmarks, evaluation criteria, and an independent government estimate (budget). The CTO requests his or her CO to negotiate a Task Order under PSP through a MAARD or NMS request. If requested, BGH/PRH will assist with the development of any statement of work. 

The CTO needs to assure that the Contractors understand the appropriate level of effort that is required by the particular statement of work. To achieve this, the CTO may (a) request the Contractor to submit a proposed staffing matrix based upon the Task Order statement of work, or (b) provide the Contractor with a notional staffing matrix.

The Task Order request (MAARD or NMS Request) is cleared and funded by the requesting USAID unit (Bureau or Mission) and submitted to the Contracting Officer for processing.

Unless an exception applies, the Contracting Officer issues a Task Proposal Request (TPR) to all contacts at all Contractors under PSP via E-mail, fax and or regular mail, with an E-mail copy to the Technical Advisors. For complex Task Orders, the CTO should extend the response period. Remember that Contractors are not required to respond to a TPR.

PSP has been designed to be a quick response technical assistance mechanism, but missions should allow contractors adequate time for the preparation of responses to task proposal requests. At a minimum, contractors will be given five working days to prepare and submit technical proposals, however, for more complex or multi-year scopes of work at least three to six weeks should be allowed. Technical Officers should consult with their Contracting Officers for advice on the period of time that is reasonable. Missions should be aware that they may receive an unsatisfactory response to requests for proposals if they do not allow sufficient time. If time is a constraint, Technical Officers may consider sending to all PSP contractors advance notice or a near final draft of a pending task proposal request. However, you must have the permission of the responsible Contracting Officer to send such advance notice, and you must send it to all PSP contractors. Technical Officers should never discuss with any PSP Contractor a pending competition or award until after an award is made. Upon receipt of technical proposals, the CTO convenes a selection committee to determine the Contractor best suited to provide the requested services. The Selection Committee may hold discussions with the Contractors regarding the proposed LOE and their technical proposals. If necessary, the Contractor may be required to confirm understandings reached in the discussions. The committee makes its recommendation for award to the CO through a Selection Memorandum.

The CTO will then prepare the Task Order documentation, including fund reservation, statement of work, independent cost estimate and selection memorandum. Fund reservation will be based upon the CTO's independent government estimate. Authorized Geographical Code will be 000 (unless a waiver is approved by the requesting unit, or all funding is provided by a source which authorizes another geographical code, for example, under a SOAG.)

The Contracting Officer will conduct negotiations with the Contractor, normally with the participation of the CTO. Note that unlike some other IQCs, labor costs under PSP for U.S. Personnel will be negotiated between the Contractor and the CO. The negotiated rates for individual U.S. expatriates shall be based on various factors, including the labor category, market value of the position, and the individual's salary and/or consultant rate history, but can not exceed salaries at the ES-6 level without a waiver.

After all negotiations are concluded, the CO will finalize the Task Order, prepare the negotiation memorandum, obtain the CTO's clearance, and complete the processing of the Task Order. Mission COs can request Task Order numbers from Sarah Laws, OP/CIMS in Washington and are asked to copy the message to Judy Britt OP/SPU. Copies of the Task Order will be distributed by the CO, including a copy to the PSP Contract CTO. The CO should then inform firms whose proposals were not selected of the award.

The Task Order will be administered by the CTO, CO and FM of the USAID issuing unit. Copies of modifications and significant correspondence should be forwarded to the Contract Technical Advisors, who are available to assist in any way possible.

The CTO and Contracting Officer will complete a Contractor Performance Evaluation Report (PER) annually and at the completion of each Task Order, using AID Form 1420-66 (Available as a Word macro from http://inside.usaid.gov/forms/ (USAID Intranet Access Only). Contractors shall have 30 days to comment on or rebut the assessment, or may simply concur. Copies of the completed PERs will be forwarded to the Contract CO for distribution.

NMS states that Contracting Officers shall generally complete Task Order negotiations and award within 64 calendar days of receipt of an acceptable statement of work (including tangible results and benchmarks), budget estimate and selection criteria. However, by working closely with COs, PSP task orders should be completed in less time.