The specialist serves as a Senior Contract Specialist/ Contracting Officer responsible for pre-award and post-award functions on significant and complex agency acquisitions involving diverse supplies and services. The work requires knowledge of the legislation, regulations, and methods used in contracting; knowledge of business and industry practices; sources of supply, cost factors, and requirements characteristics.
Summary
The specialist serves as a Senior Contract Specialist/ Contracting Officer responsible for pre-award and post-award functions on significant and complex agency acquisitions involving diverse supplies and services. The work requires knowledge of the legislation, regulations, and methods used in contracting; knowledge of business and industry practices; sources of supply, cost factors, and requirements characteristics.
Serves as lead negotiator for contract modifications for programs involving several interrelated contracts where changes to one contract affect other contracts.
Negotiates contract modifications and the terms and costs of contract changes. Negotiates such changes as extensions of delivery schedules, price adjustments, labor hours, standard modifications to the contract.
Negotiates modifications to contracts with nonstandard terms and conditions. Conducts research in preparation for responses to protests, FOIA requests, claims and appeals, etc.
Negotiates the termination settlement with the contractor including equitable adjustments, change proposals, costs, profit, and other related matters.
Analyzes the contract and related documentation and establishes the contract price of items terminated. Issues, monitors, or revokes delegations of authority to settle subcontractor's claims without Government approval.
Prepares determinations and findings of fact relative to negotiations and pricing actions. Coordinates contractor's requests for deviations with requesting activities, and makes recommendations.
Performs contract administration activities for significant and complex agency procurements. Reviews termination notices for extent of action (partial or complete), and for special conditions or instructions.
Responsibilities include: incremental funding, option exercises, redirection of effort, coordination of time extension, incorporation of change orders issuance of stop work orders, approval of progress payments, and final payment to the contractor.
Serves as a Senior Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer responsible for procurements that contain a number of different processes or elements resulting in extensive subcontracting.
Responsible for significant and complex agency acquisitions involving diverse supplies and services. Performs procurement planning.
Develops procurement objectives in terms of competition and price range, and constructs the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set-aside policies, and similar considerations.
Coordinates contractual actions involving multiple complex, multi-million dollar contracts with extended periods of performance.
Prepares current acquisition plans, appropriate milestone charts, and related schedules. Serves as adviser to program officials in procurement planning.
Advises program officials of the procurement objectives to be used, and assists in the preparation of statements of work (SOW).
Prepares Determinations and Findings (DandF) and solicitation/award documents. Ensures contract requirements adhere to government's best interests.
Determines the responsiveness of bids and determines the responsibility of the apparent low bidder based on an analysis of financial and technical information gained during the pre-award survey, and awards or recommends award of the contract.
Develops new-innovative acquisition plans, source selection plans, and contract terms, conditions, or financial arrangements that may serve as a model for future system acquisitions and/or the procurement of technical assistance and advisory services
Collects data on contractors past performance and documents contractors' performance on current contracts. Prepares solicitation instruments, and directs the efforts of technical, cost, and business management evaluation teams.
Serves as an advisor to program officials in procurement planning by participating in meetings, strategic planning, and providing technical training to lower-grade personnel.
Prepares a written request for proposal, publicizes , issues and analyzes offers received, prepares a negotiation position, evaluates technical and cost proposals, negotiates cost, fees or profit, and enters into a formal contract with the offeror.
Selectee must complete a financial disclosure statement.
A one-year probationary period may be required.
Position is subject to minimum background investigation.
Qualifications
Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, which has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of the position described above.
Qualification Requirements for the GS-11:
One year of specialized experience is defined as applying knowledge of contract methods to support planning, procuring, and negotiating supplies, equipment, services, and/or experience supporting the pre-award and post-award phases for construction contracts.
OR
Applicants may substitute the following education for the specialized experience requirements: A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a related field, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Applicants may qualify based on a combination of the experience and education requirements.
Qualification Requirements for the GS-12:
One year of specialized experience is defined as experience in applying contracting principles, laws, regulations, and procedures to procure and administer contracts for supplies, equipment, services, construction, and/or research and development.
Qualification Requirements for the GS-13:
One year of specialized experience is defined as experience in applying contracting principles, laws, regulations, and procedures to pre-award and post-award actions to procure and administer major contracts (supplies, services, construction, and/or research and development) involving large dollar budgets with extended periods of performance.
Education
Applicants must meet the basic education requirements for the GS-1102 series in addition to the one year of specialized experience or combination of education and experience described above under qualifications/education sections:
For GS-11 and GS-12 Positions:
a. 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field,
OR
b. 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.
Graduate Education. To qualify for GS-1102 positions on the basis of graduate education, graduate education 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.
Exception: Employees who occupied GS-1102 positions on January 1, 2000 at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including the GS-12 level.
Prefer FAC-C Level II or DAWIA Level II certification at GS 11 and 12.
For the GS-13 grade level, applicants must show:
a. Completion of all mandatory agency training prescribed for progression to the GS-13 (Level II Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) or Level II or Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification (DAWIA)) and at least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions
AND
b. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field, that includes or is 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.
c. 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.
d. Waiver for education or training requirements not allowed for this vacancy.
APPLICANTS MUST INDICATE CURRENT FAC-C/DAWIA CERTIFICATION LEVEL ON RESUME TO BE CONSIDERED IF IT'S REQUIRED FOR THAT GRADE LEVEL.
Applicants must complete the following fields in USAJOBS Resume Builder, Step 2. Education section in order for education qualifications to be considered for this position:
-School/ Program Name -Country -State/Territory/Province -City/Town -Degree/Level Attained -Completion date -Major -Minor -GPA
Additional information
If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:
Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The USAJOBS resume asks you to identify your ICTAP eligibility; the NASA Supplemental Information asks you to identify your CTAP eligibility.
Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. See 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for NASA's definition of well qualified.
Be prepared to submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP if you are selected for the position. This includes copies of your agency notice, most recent Performance Rating and most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting current position, grade level, and duty location
This position is announced under Direct Hire authority. Recruitment for this position will follow guidelines established by the Office of Personnel Management for use of Direct Hire authority.
As identical vacancies are identified, additional selections may be made.
You must meet qualifications requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
This position can be filled at the GS-11, GS-12 or GS-13 grade level; the FPL is at the GS-13 grade level. Selectee can be promoted without further competition.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
This position is announced under Direct Hire authority. A Human Resources Specialist will review your resume to determine if you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements as listed in 'Requirements'.
CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be assessed using NASA STARS, an automated system that matches the competencies extracted from your resume to the competencies identified by the selecting official for the position. Based on the competencies you match, you are placed in one of three categories identified as 90, 80, or 70 point quality categories, which are defined as:
90 pt. Category - Tentatively meets (until subsequent confirmation upon referral) the basic qualification requirements identified in the vacancy announcement and has experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in the primary requirements of the position.
80 pt. Category - Tentatively meets (until subsequent confirmation upon referral) the basic qualification requirements identified in the vacancy announcement and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the primary requirements of the position.
70 pt. Category - Fails to meet criteria described in the 80 pt. category.
For the purpose of the CTAP and ICTAP, candidates rated in the top quality (90 pt.) category are considered well-qualified.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer the screening questions and supplemental information. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. (For example you need not submit narrative 'KSA' statements; they are not required and will not be evaluated.) In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. For assistance in preparing your resume, consult the Applicant Guide. Nothing further is required until requested by the Human Resources Office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume. For example, we may ask you to provide academic transcripts or proof of Federal employment status. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
Before you begin the application process, please read the vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. Failure to submit a resume that contains all of the required information may result in loss of consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
You may begin the process of submitting your resume by clicking on the 'Apply Online' link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to approximately 32,000 characters including spaces.
NASA does not accept uploaded resumes created outside of the USAJOBS resume builder process. Additionally, NASA does not accept documents attached through the USAJOBS' document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume to NASA, you will be transferred to a NASA website and asked to complete a short series of NASA-specific questions. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you successfully apply, USAJOBS will show your application status as 'Received'. If your status is 'Unavailable', you have not successfully applied. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. Only an email from NASA confirms a successful application.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume and supplemental questions to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 4200 Rideout Road Resume Operations Center/Mailstop: HS50 Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 DO NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resumes requirements are provided at:Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
If you are a first time applicant, we recommend that you review NASA's Applicant Guide to ensure that you are providing a complete resume. Failure to submit the supplemental data and a resume that contains all of the required information may result in loss of consideration for positions. All applications must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
If you are found to meet the qualification and eligibility requirements, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. (In some cases, individuals with priority for special consideration must be considered and selected before other candidates.) Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. At NASA, we pride ourselves on efficient and timely recruitment actions, and you can normally expect to learn the outcome of the selection process in a fairly short period of time. In addition, to ensure that you can measure progress for yourself, NASA provides you with regularly updated information on the status of the vacancy announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
NASA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. In order to apply for this position, you only need to submit your resume and answer the screening questions and supplemental information. No additional documentation is accepted at the time of application. (For example you need not submit narrative 'KSA' statements; they are not required and will not be evaluated.) In this way we allow you to focus on preparing a resume that best describes your background and abilities. For assistance in preparing your resume, consult the Applicant Guide. Nothing further is required until requested by the Human Resources Office. At that point, we may ask you to submit documentation to support statements made in your resume. For example, we may ask you to provide academic transcripts or proof of Federal employment status. If you fail to provide the required documents within the stated time period, we may withdraw a job offer and/or remove you from further consideration.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
Before you begin the application process, please read the vacancy announcement carefully and have all required information available. Failure to submit a resume that contains all of the required information may result in loss of consideration. Your application must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
You may begin the process of submitting your resume by clicking on the 'Apply Online' link. In order to be considered, you must submit a resume completed on the USAJOBS site. When completing your USAJOBS resume, please remember that NASA limits resumes to approximately 32,000 characters including spaces.
NASA does not accept uploaded resumes created outside of the USAJOBS resume builder process. Additionally, NASA does not accept documents attached through the USAJOBS' document attachment feature.
Once you submit your resume to NASA, you will be transferred to a NASA website and asked to complete a short series of NASA-specific questions. Your answers will not be saved unless you finish the entire application. You may edit a previously-submitted application, if the announcement is still open.
If you successfully apply, USAJOBS will show your application status as 'Received'. If your status is 'Unavailable', you have not successfully applied. Do not rely on a USAJOBS email to confirm successful application. Only an email from NASA confirms a successful application.
If you are unable to apply electronically for this position, submit your resume and supplemental questions to: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 4200 Rideout Road Resume Operations Center/Mailstop: HS50 Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 DO NOT submit your resume directly to the Center advertising this vacancy. Mailed resumes must be received by the close of business on the closing date of the announcement. Hard copy resumes requirements are provided at:Hard Copy Resume Requirements.
If you are a first time applicant, we recommend that you review NASA's Applicant Guide to ensure that you are providing a complete resume. Failure to submit the supplemental data and a resume that contains all of the required information may result in loss of consideration for positions. All applications must be received no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
NASA's Resume Operations Center
4200 Rideout Road, Mailstop HS50
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
US
Next steps
If you are found to meet the qualification and eligibility requirements, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. (In some cases, individuals with priority for special consideration must be considered and selected before other candidates.) Whether or not you are contacted for an interview depends upon the location of the position and the judgment of the selecting official. At NASA, we pride ourselves on efficient and timely recruitment actions, and you can normally expect to learn the outcome of the selection process in a fairly short period of time. In addition, to ensure that you can measure progress for yourself, NASA provides you with regularly updated information on the status of the vacancy announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
