Clarification from the agency

ALL U.S. CITIZENS. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

The major duties of the position are:

• Serves as a warranted Contracting Officer with unlimited contracting authority to manage a contracting portfolio from cradle-to-grave worth a minimum of $10 million to over $3 billion, with authority to solicit contractual proposals, negotiate, award, execute, administer, and terminate contracts, and exercise oversight in order to preclude instances of fraud, waste, and abuse and take appropriate action if identified.
• Plans, develops and establishes contractual strategy for assigned contract(s). Exercises leadership in developing a pre-negotiation or post award change negotiation position, determining the type of contracts and negotiation authority to be used, and preparing justifications.
• Responsible for executing pre- and post-award acquisition management functions using a variety of acquisition vehicles such as firm fixed-price, cost type contracts, time and materials, hybrid contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements. Serves as the focal point for formal source selection procedures. Responsible for making source selection decisions and briefing senior officials.
• Provides expert technical guidance/mentorship to staff at all levels of the Agency in all areas of contracting/procurement.
• Represents the Agency at both public and private sector activities and functions that impact contracting.
• Provides training/briefings to Agency staff on their administrative responsibilities in the procurement/contract process.
• Develops acquisition plans, objectives, notifications, correspondence and strategies with regard to competition, market research, price range, contractual vehicle, pricing arrangement, subcontracting plans, and similar considerations. Maintains acquisition plans, milestone charts, related schedules and other applicable pre-award documentation.
• Plans, develops, and coordinates the acquisition process. Provides guidance to Agency staff involved in the development of Statements of Work (SOW), Performance Work Statements (PWS), Statements of Objectives (SOO) and/or other documentary requirements and formulates the contracting approach that will best satisfy the requirement and ensure a legally sufficient contract.
• Prepares detailed pre-negotiation and price negotiation memorandums, outlining in writing the details of negotiations with contractors in competitive and noncompetitive negotiations.
• As appropriate, prepares and issues terminations, either for the convenience of the Government or for default and negotiates associated settlements related thereto.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

U.S. Citizenship is required.

All qualification requirements must be met by 09/12/2023. Your application package will not be considered if it is missing any of the required documents listed under the "Required Documents" tab. Failure to submit required documentation will impact your eligibility for this position. If you have any concerns or questions regarding required documents, please contact FRTIB Operations (contact information is noted below in this announcement) prior to the closing date of this announcement.

Probationary Period. One-year probationary period may be required.

Selective Service. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.

The incumbent will be required to submit a confidential financial disclosure statement.

Background Suitability Investigation. Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation and the granting of a federal suitability or security clearance. If selected, you may be offered tentative employment until the background investigation has been fully adjudicated.

If selected for this position, verification of current Contracting certification will be required prior to appointment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position applicants must meet the Basic Requirements, the mandatory training requirement, and the Specialized Experience as described below.

Individual Occupational Requirements:

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above

A. 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 of 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
B. 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.

Or
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. 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.

D. Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

Mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level:
FAC-C or Department of Defense certification in Contracting at any level, or Certified Federal Contract Manager from the National Contract Management Association. More information about FAC-C certification can be found here.

Specialized Experience:
In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement and the mandatory training, applicants must also have at least one year of full-time specialized work experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the next lower level (equivalent to the GS-14) in the federal government. Specialized experience is defined as: serving as a senior level contracting officer applying and overseeing a full range of Federal procurement and contracting laws, regulations, policies, procedures methods and contract types applicable to pre-award and post-award contract actions; overseeing a variety of complex contracting and procurement activities including contract formulation, negotiation, administration, and termination; and providing technical advice and guidance in the area of contracting/procurement to staff and leadership.

*Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations. 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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

To preview the occupational questionnaire, click on the following link https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12105333.

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of the resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Contracting/Procurement: Knowledge of various types of contracts, techniques and requirements (for example, Federal Acquisition Regulations) for contracting and/or procurement, and contract negotiation and administration.

Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). The ICTAP provides eligible displaced federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility, you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and you are found Well Qualified for this vacancy. Well Qualified means you must meet all the minimum qualification standards listed above and be assessed and assigned the rating of at least Well Qualified to receive special selection priority. Well Qualified is further defined as possessing the Basic Qualifications and meeting the specialized experience noted above.

You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition website.

When a sufficient pool of candidates has been determined only members of that group will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.