This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/476218800. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
MERIT PROMOTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Tour of Duty: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Position Description Title/PD#: Contract Specialist / PD#4228-A
Compressed/Flexible Schedules: Available
Telework: ADHOC
Position requires filing a Financial Disclosure report: Yes
The Department of Veteran Affairs requires employees in this position to file a financial disclosure report.
This recruitment is for one position with the Service Area Office - Central (SAO-C), Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) office, located in Independence OH.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more.
For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.
Learn more about this agency08/11/2017 to 08/31/2017
$89,285 - $116,068 per year
GS 13
1 vacancy in the following location:
Occasional travel - 1-5 Days Per Month May Be Required
No
Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
No
PCAC-SJB-17-VO1996100-BU
476218800
PD#4228-A
The Contract Specialist shall fully utilize electronic systems for contract writing (i.e. eCMS), contract management, contract reporting (i.e. FPDS) and financial management (i.e. iFCAP). in accordance with Agency policies. Prepares other documentation for awards including Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) reports, solicitation and award synopses, eCMS documents and administrative correspondence. Assists the requiring activities by serving as a member of acquisition planning teams. Aids requiring activities in performing market research, reviewing specifications and statements of work and approving acquisition milestone plans. Ensures that specifications and statements of work are prepared in a manner which adequately describes the Government's requirements without restricting competition. Advises technical personnel as to inadequate, ambiguous or vague specifications to avoid Government liability. Conducts negotiations for competitive and noncompetitive procurements. Conducts cost and/or price analysis of offers' proposals, reviews auditors' reports for adequacy of analysis and conclusions, and considers all information in developing an overall pricing negotiation strategy. Prepares detailed price negotiation memoranda, outlining in writing the details of negotiations with contractors in competitive and noncompetitive negotiations. Provides signatory authority and executes contract awards within warrant authority as requested by supervisor. Conducts debriefings with non-successful offers or bidders as requested. Performs other duties as assigned.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The Contract Specialist position is primarily of an administrative nature in an office setting, however where travel to work sites is required there may be light physical work required, such as walking over uneven surfaces, or assisting technical personnel in taking measurements or elevations. Government travel for training, meetings, or customer interactions will be required in this position.
Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation.
Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veterans Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. For more information, please review the information for disabled Veterans in the applicationchecklistor visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
Time-in-grade: Applicants who are current Federal employees or who have held a GS grade anytime in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level.
Basic Requirement (GS-13): Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.
AND
A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D.
AND
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations, Department of Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration. Knowledge of cost/price analysis techniques used in evaluation of contractor proposals change order proposals and to conduct negotiations. Knowledge of various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and cost reimbursement. Knowledge of negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and settlements. Knowledge of the market and sources to include identification of offerors in specific socio-economic categories eligible for set-asides.
There is no educational substitution for the GS-13 level.
Additional information on the qualification requirements are outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.
You will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:
Competency 1 - PRE-SOLICITATION
Competency 2 - CONTRACT FORMATION
Competency 3 - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
Competency 4 - CUSTOMER SERVICE
Competency 5 - WRITTEN AND IN-PERSON COMMUNICATION
If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to: responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report attendance and/or degrees from only these schools. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following websites: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html and http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.
For GS-13 & Above: All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. You must possess a bachelor's which is conferred or approved by an accredited college or university based on a 4-year course of study. Simply being enrolled and working toward a degree does not meet the basic qualifications standards. NOTE: Transcripts should state degree conferred and have a date listed.
Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Your résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
The following documents are required:
Your Résumé (Must include series, grade, step, starting and ending dates of employment, month and year, and hours worked per week, and salary information).
To receive consideration as a Veteran you must provide legible copies of your DD-214, member 4 copy or another copy that shows all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.) or a statement of service signed by the commander or you will be deemed INELIGIBLE. Note: More than one DD-214 may be needed to show all dates of service.
Performance Appraisal - This document is optional for all applicants.
Copy of unofficial transcripts. Must show name of college to determine accreditation. If qualifying based on degree, or for positions requiring a degree, the transcript must show date the degree was conferred. If selected, you must provide official transcripts. NOTE: Transcripts should state degree conferred, and have a date.
Military Spouses must submit: Marriage Certificate. Copy of the sponsor's permanent change of station orders showing you as an authorized dependent or when the veteran is unemployed and is rated by appropriate military or Department of Veterans Affairs authorities to be 100 percent disabled and/or unemployable. Statement that spouse preference is requested for this vacancy and has not previously been used to obtain a position in the commuting area.
Please use this checklist to ensure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents:
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1996100.
NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) Thursday, August 31, 2017 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
Applicants are urged to apply online; this process is easier, faster, and provides more information as applications are processed.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
MAILED/EMAILED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. ANY APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED VIA MAIL/EMAIL WILL BE DESTROYED AND NOT RETURNED.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking on Application Status. For a more detailed update of your status, click on more information. Information regarding applicant notification points can be found in the USAJobs Resource Center.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS will receive a rating of ineligible due to missing forms. Request for reconsideration of ratings will not be considered for applicants who fail to submit a complete application package. We cannot be responsible for incompatible software, fax transmissions, delays in mail service, etc.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/476218800. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?