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Contract Specialist - PD 20EQD1 - Office of Management Services

Department of Health and Human Services
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Office of Management Services/ Division of Contracts Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the Agency for Healthcare, Research and Quality, Office of Management Services. The duty location for this position is in Rockville, MD.

For more information about AHRQ, click the "Learn more about the Agency" Box.

**Applicants please note: Additional selections may be made across the Department of Health and Human Services through this vacancy announcement.**

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/14/2022 to 04/14/2022
Salary
$106,823 to - $138,868 per year

Salary range listed includes locality pay.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
Rockville, MD
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
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
AHRQ-OMS-22-DH-11413924
Control number
641217300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. This position is also open to PHS Commissioned Corps Officers. PHS Commissioned Corps (CC) Officers will be referred as CC personnel and not as a candidate for conversion to a permanent federal appointment.

Duties

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***As of 3/28/2022, the closing date of this announcement is extended to 4/14/2022.***

Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during open and closing date of this announcement.

As a Contract Specialist, you will serve as a senior Contract Specialist with responsibility for pre-award and post-award functions involving highly specialized procurements of significant importance to the Agency.

Your major duties and responsibilities may include:

  • Working with the program to establish acquisition plans which include the identification of applicable clearances and the establishment of milestones for each acquisition.
  • Preparing solicitation documents which incorporate required Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and HHS policies and provisions; requirements for technical proposals; cost data requirements; and all other required data.
  • Performing cost/price analysis, including review of cost breakdowns to determine reasonableness and conformance to applicable regulations, directives and policies.
  • Establishing negotiation strategies and leads negotiations to obtain the most favorable terms and conditions for the government.
  • Performing all contract administration functions ensuring contractor compliance with contract provisions; negotiates and prepares all contract modifications; and prepares all documents relative to the close-out of contracts.
NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U. S. Citizenship is required.
  • Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)
  • PHS Commissioned Corps applicants must submit current personnel orders.
  • This position has an education requirement - transcripts are required.
  • A one year probationary period may be required.
  • Position is not in the Bargaining Unit.
  • Drug Screening is not required.
  • Recruitment incentives are not authorized.
  • Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.

Qualifications

THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 04/14/2022

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

To qualify for this position at the GS-1102-13 grade level, you must meet all of the following requirements and provide all required supporting documentation by the closing date of the announcement.

OPM INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTING SERIES, 1102:

1. Education: You must have completed 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. You must provide unofficial transcripts as verification that you meet this education requirement by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

2. Training: Completed 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 of experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service as, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.

In addition to the OPM Education requirements above, to qualify for this position at the GS-13 level, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of the minimum qualifying experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service.

MINIMUM QUALIFYING SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant's one full year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful job performance.

Examples of minimum qualifying specialized experience equal to the GS-12 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis:

  • Performing pre-award and post-award contract administration and cost and price analyses;
AND
  • Preparing all documents necessary for contract awards and contract file documentation.

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; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11413924

Education

This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades) to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to your starting work.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov.

Additional information

Vaccine Update:

  • Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
Expanded/Maximum telework Posture:
  • Due to COVID-19, the agency is currently in a maximum telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to telework upon your appointment. As employees are permitted to return to the office, you may be required to report to the duty station listed on this announcement, even if your home/temporary telework site is located outside the local commuting area. Your position may be eligible for workplace flexibilities which may include remote work or telework options, and/or flexible work scheduling. These flexibilities may be requested in accordance with the HHS Workplace Flexibilities policy.

HHS is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.
  1. Security and Background Requirements: If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection and/or appropriate disciplinary action.
  2. E-Verify: AHRQ participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their social security numbers.
  3. Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
  4. Creditable Service: A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for annual leave for prior work experience directly related to the duties of the position being filled. The use of this service credit is at the discretion of the selecting official and must be finalized prior to selectee's entrance on duty. For more information, please click here.
  5. Financial Disclosure: This position requires you to file a public or confidential financial disclosure report prior to receiving a final offer letter as well as within 30 days of your appointment. This will require you to report information such as recent sources of income, financial interests you hold, and outside activities you participate in, as well as similar information from a spouse or any dependent children. If you have questions, please contact AskHR@hrsa.gov.

How you will be evaluated

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

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. Veterans' Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures.

Your application will be reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Authority.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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