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Contract Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Regional Procurement Office (RPO) West, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 21
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: Yes
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Contract Specialist/PD11006A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 07/26/2021
Closed date: 12/31/2021
Location
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$53,433 - $84,732 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Promotion potential
11
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 1-5 nights per month for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Announcement number
CBZY-NCO21-11181692-21-DY
Control number
608749100

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Duties

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This recruitment is for one position with the VHA Regional Procurement Office West, Network Contracting Office (NCO) 21 located at one of the following locations:

  • Fresno, California
  • McClellan, California
  • Palo Alto, California
  • Pleasant Hill, California
  • San Francisco, California
  • Honolulu, Hawaii
  • North Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Reno, Nevada
Vacancies can be filled at any of the duty locations listed.

Contract Specialist/ PD# 11006-A

Contract Specialists assist the requiring activities by serving as a member of acquisition planning teams. In this role the specialist 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. Responsible for recommending the appropriate method of procurement i.e. simplified acquisition procedures, sealed-bidding, negotiations. Serves as contract administrator on awarded contracts. Conducts post-award conferences with Contractor and Government personnel to provide information and to clarify standard and special contractual provisions of the contract. Resolves problems of delivery, production, quality, inspection, and other pertinent matters. Performs cost/price analysis on change order proposals and analysis of delivery requirements. Negotiates prices and/or additional time required for performance and consideration on behalf of the Government. Administers payment provisions of the contract for partial payments, progress payments, and final payments using the Department of Veterans Affairs On-line Certification system. Represents the contracting office for discovery during the claim process and when necessary, provides testimony to the Board of Contract Appeals. Determines the Government's position and issues terminations, and negotiates any settlements related thereto. Closes out contract upon completion of the contract, resolution of all conflicts, and final disposition of payment and obtains adequate release of claims documents to protect the agency.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
You may be required to serve a probationary period
Subject to background/security investigation
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Physical Requirements: The Contract Specialist position is primarily of an administrative nature in an office setting

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until the service requests it be closed. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 15 business days after July 26, 2021. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, December 31, 2021.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

Basic Requirements for GS-5 through GS-12:
A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; 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.

NOTE: The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) does not grant Academic degrees; therefore courses completed at the DAU are not creditable towards meeting the 24 semester hour requirement, in the fields identified above, unless the coursework has been evaluated by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and appears on a college or university transcript.

Specialized Experience (GS-9):
Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include experience with: Federal acquisition regulations (or similar), VA acquisition regulations (or similar), contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts. Various types of contracts including firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and cost reimbursement; and contract methods to include simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items, and special provisions. Negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications, and settlements. Commercial and industrial business practices to identify sources, analyze cost and pricing data. Contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract.

OR 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D.

OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-09 level.

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Receiving Service Credit or 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.

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. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be rated on the following competencies based on your application for this position:

Competency 1 - Knowledge of contracting laws and policies, including, techniques of contracting operations, procedures of departments contracting requirements, and familiarity with the practices of business and industry sufficient to assist requiring activities in performing market research, reviewing specifications and statements of work, and approving acquisition milestone plans.

Competency 2 - Ability to interpret and apply Federal procurement regulations, policies, and procedures to complex and often obscure contracting situations.

Competency 3 - Ability to meet deadlines and deal with rapidly changing situations.

Competency 4 - Ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, to develop, solicit, award, and administer contracts, to present ideas, data, and recommendations effectively.

Competency 5 - Ability to lead discussions to reconcile differing objectives and viewpoints.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. 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. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

Veterans Health Administration

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?

Agency contact information

Danielle Miller
Phone
216-447-8010 X49875
Email
Danielle.Miller6@va.gov
Address
VHA Service Center - 2
6100 Oak Tree Blvd
Independence, OH 44131
US

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