This position is in the Government Accountability Office, Financial Management and Business Operations, Acquisition Management, Procurement Operations Branch. The GAO is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As a Contract Specialist, you will be responsible for planning the overall approach to meet contracting program objectives. The GAO is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.
Summary
This position is in the Government Accountability Office, Financial Management and Business Operations, Acquisition Management, Procurement Operations Branch. The GAO is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As a Contract Specialist, you will be responsible for planning the overall approach to meet contracting program objectives. The GAO is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.
As a Contract Specialist, PT-1102-3 your typical work assignments may include the following:
Serves as a Contract Specialist for planning the overall approach to meet contracting program objectives for procuring a variety of complex highly specialized requirements.
Serves as the department focal point for a full range of pre-award and post-award contracting activities associated with the acquisition of goods and services, such as acquisition planning, contract negotiation and preparation, administration, and termination, in support of GAO's mission. GAO's goods and services range from relatively simple, low dollar requirements to highly complex, high dollar, multi-year transactions that involve fixed- fee, cost-plus fixed-fee, time and material, labor hour, and indefinite delivery types of contracts which incorporate a mixture of these features acquisitions to support the acquisition requirement.
Performs pre-award and post-award contract functions including negotiation, cost/price analysis, and administration of contracts for supplies and services. Manages the most complex requirements that require extensive negotiations involving cost or pricing data and special or unusual contract terms needed to support the program.
Negotiates, or serves as lead negotiator of a negotiation team for assigned contracts. Participates in special procurement evaluations, studies, and analyses. Participates in pre- solicitation and pre-award conferences to discuss contractual provisions (i.e., technical requirements, financial management, capacity of the contractor to perform, etc).
Negotiates prices, terms and conditions. Performs cost or price analysis, including review of cost breakdowns to determine reasonableness, and negotiates with potential contractors.
Provides business solutions to program offices regarding all aspects of acquisition management for the procurement of supplies and services based on expert knowledge of Federal contracting theories, statues, principles, practices, and procedures.
Evaluates response to solicitations, including price reasonableness, adequacy of competitions, compliance with solicitations, and probability of meeting requirements.
Analyzes each element of cost using appropriate techniques (e.g., comparison, historical data, quantitative analysis) to determine the necessity and reasonableness of proposed contract costs.
Encourages the use of performance based and other innovative contracting procedures utilizing e-procurement and GSA strategies.
Provides details in specialty areas, including engineering, finance, pricing, law, overhead, etc., and require that the incumbent have the requisite knowledge in those areas.
Provides advice on programs to office staff with regard to the acquisition plan strategies pertaining to the degree of competition, the contractual methods to be utilized to meet program objectives and policy/regulatory requirements, and similar considerations; effectively and efficiently provide contract management support.
Assists all contract specialists in support of achieving acquisition management goals and objectives; and assists with automated procurement systems administration support.
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation
Completion of a probationary period is required.
This is a bargaining unit position.
You must meet the education and specialized experience by the closing date of this announcement to be considered.
Qualifications
To be qualified for the Contract Specialist, PT-1102-3, you must meet the Basic Requirement, Selective Placement Factor and Minimum Qualification Requirements.
Basic Requirement:
For progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, experience must include 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
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.
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.
Selective Placement Factor:
Possess an ACTIVE FAC-C Professional or DAWIA certification.
Minimum Qualification Requirement:
Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower level/band, equivalent to the PT-II, PE-IIA, PA-II, or GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is described as 1) performing pre-award and post award contracting activities to include negotiation, cost/price analysis and administration of contracts; 2) preparing solicitation and synopsis documents for procurement activities; and 3) providing qualitative and quantitative analysis to support sound business decisions.
Desired Experience:
Current or previously held authority on acquisitions is desired. If you have this experience, please attach a copy of your contracting officer warrant certification to your application package.
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; 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.
Education
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.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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 the US Department of Education.
Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
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.
A review of your résumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be further evaluated based on your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying. Your responses must provide sufficient information to determine possession of experience and must be evidenced in your resume. Incomplete responses (e.g. see resume, or like), errors or omissions will affect your eligibility.
There is a severe shortage of candidates for this position. To expedite the hiring process, we have eliminated competitive rating and ranking, veterans' preference, and "rule of three" or category rating procedures.
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.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
Your résumé showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
Other supporting documents:
Cover Letter, optional
Copy of College Transcript(s), if the position has an education requirement. (REQUIRED if using education to meet IOR)
Veterans' documentation (for informational purposes only), if applicable (e.g., DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)
COPY of Active FAC-C Professional or DAWIA Certification uploaded (REQUIRED)
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Joycelyn Williams at williamsjr1@gao.gov to obtain an alternative application.
Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US
Next steps
After the closing date of this announcement, GAO's Human Capital Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications by reviewing your assessment questionnaire and resume to complete an analysis. Please be as complete and thorough as possible. If your application is rated as meeting the minimum requirements your name will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. At this point you may be contacted for an interview.
If you do not meet the key requirements, and/or basic qualifications or you fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
Your résumé showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
Other supporting documents:
Cover Letter, optional
Copy of College Transcript(s), if the position has an education requirement. (REQUIRED if using education to meet IOR)
Veterans' documentation (for informational purposes only), if applicable (e.g., DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)
COPY of Active FAC-C Professional or DAWIA Certification uploaded (REQUIRED)
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.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Joycelyn Williams at williamsjr1@gao.gov to obtain an alternative application.
Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US
Next steps
After the closing date of this announcement, GAO's Human Capital Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications by reviewing your assessment questionnaire and resume to complete an analysis. Please be as complete and thorough as possible. If your application is rated as meeting the minimum requirements your name will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. At this point you may be contacted for an interview.
If you do not meet the key requirements, and/or basic qualifications or you fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
