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Contract Specialist

Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Office of Administrative and Financial Management works in partnership with the REE agencies, their customers and partners, and the public by meeting their administrative and financial management needs and interests through delivery of responsive and effective business services.

Albany,CA-  $61,084 - $96,080 

Stoneville, MS - $ 50,598 - $ 79,586 

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
12/06/2018 to 12/19/2018
Salary
$50,598 to - $96,080 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09 - 11
Locations
Albany, CA
2 vacancies
Stoneville, MS
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
13
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Drug test
No
Announcement number
ARS-M18Y-0490
Control number
518757800

Duties

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Major Duties may include, but are not limited to:

  • Participating in the acquisition process which involves either a sealed bid or negotiation method.
  • For the negotiation methods, developing and actualizing pre-negotiation and negotiation strategies.
  • Evaluating cost and pricing data and other business and technical submission from offerors and develops required documentation for award recommendations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US Citizen or National.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • Satisfactory background investigation and/or fingerprint check
  • Financial disclosure is required.

Successful completion of a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including the following specialized experience and/or education, as identified below.

Time in grade:Applicants must meet one year at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade.

Basic Education Requirement:

A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree

OR

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. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position.

AND

In addition to the basic requirement above, all applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:

Specialized Experience:  Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled.  Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised.  The specialized experience requirements for this position are:

At the GS-09:
Qualifying experience for GS- 09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is performing contracting transactions utilizing basic price or cost analysis; researching and analyzing contract rules, policy, and guidelines; handling pre-award contracting assignments in accordance with contracting and procurement regulations; and reviewing and preparing documentation to support contractual requirements.

OR

Education: Two full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D in one or a combination of the following fields is required: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

OR

 A combinations of education and experience as described above.

At the GS-11:

Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is performing contracting transactions utilizing basic price or cost analysis; researching and analyzing contract rules, policy, and guidelines; handling pre-award contracting assignments in accordance with contracting and procurement regulations; reviewing and preparing documentation to support contractual requirements; and preparing solicitation packages for a contract.

 
 OR

 
Education: Three full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in one or a combination of the following fields is required: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

OR

A combinations of education and experience as described above.

Education

If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit http://www.naces.org/members.htm. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. 

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan(CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide proof of eligibility to include your most recent performance appraisal, SF-50, and proof of eligibility such as a RIF separation notice or letter from OPM/your agency. CTAP/ICTAP eligibles will be considered well-qualified if achieving a rating of 85 or above. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on OPMs Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp

This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.

E-Verify: Federal law requires agencies to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. If you are selected as a newly hired employee, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS E-VERIFY system. Under the system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.

This position is eligible for telework and other flexible work arrangements.

Relocation expenses are not authorized.

If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK:  Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career- conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better.
See https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ47/PLAW-114publ47.pdf.

More information on applying under special hiring authorities such as the Veteran’s Recruitment Act (VRA), 30 percent disabled veterans, and Schedule A Disabled may be found on the USAJOBS website.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

    • Acquisition Strategy
    • Contracting/Procurement
    • Cost Accounting
    • Written Communication
  • Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need to meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply Online" button to the right.


To view the application form, visit: https://ars.usda.ntis.gov/cp/?event=jobs.previewApplication&jobid=ACF9A82A-BFFD-4E9A-93D9-A9AC00971EA3

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