

The enhancement of the U.S. State Dept.'s presence in Libya took another step toward reality yesterday with the planned deployment of private contractors to support “the nascent political transition” in that nation, U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor has discovered.

A recruitment campaign led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) initially seeks to deploy a Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative to Libya, where the vendors will work with the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) within the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA), according to personal contracting service (PSC) notices dated Aug. 15:

The OTI program in Libya will support the larger objectives of the U.S. Government and as appropriate any future State Department and USAID presence in Libya… In close coordination with State Department representatives and other [U.S. Government, or USG] actors and with consideration of USG priorities, OTI's rapid and targeted programs will address emerging issues and empower local partners potentially to include non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, media outlets, and local and national government offices to reduce or mitigate conflict, increase transparency and accountability, and foster positive political change.

The contractors will at first establish a presence in the city of Benghazi, the notices said, without indicating other potential locations.

The principal responsibility of the Country Representative position (Solicitation #SOL-OTI-11-000042), which pays in the $84,697 to $110,104 range, will be the:

development, oversight and management of DCHA/OTI's Libya country program. The incumbent will be called upon to represent OTI's mission and programs to senior-level government officials, in-country visitors, senior officials from other international organizations, bilateral donors and local government officials.

The Deputy Country Representative (Solicitation #SOL-OTI-11-000043), which pays in the $71,674-$93,175 range, will support and report to the Country Representative.

Both assignments entail one-year contracts with four potential one-year options. The closing date for applications is Aug. 29.

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FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE AND STATE DEPT. PAGE.

FOR ADDITIONAL REGIONAL COVERAGE, SEE THE MONITOR'S AFRICA PAGE AND MIDDLE EAST PAGE.