Clarification from the agency

This position will be filled using a Direct Hire authority and is open to all U.S. Citizens

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Reviews requests for procurement of equipment, services, and/or construction that require the use of fixed-price, cost-reimbursement, or a combination of contract methods and types to procure where little or no contractual precedent exists.
• Conducting contractual termination responsibilities when identified circumstances necessitate a partial or complete termination of a contract for cause or convenience.
• Ensuring timely placement of task/delivery orders under various indefinite delivery contracts and evaluates full potential of contracts by promptly exercising options to satisfy agency requirements.
• Responding to inquiries including formal protests, Congressional inquiries, Freedom of lnformation Act requests and internal/external audits.
• Incorporating provisions, such as cost accounting standards, requirements for technical proposals with appropriate weighting factors, testing procedures, cost data requirements, and/or socioeconomic programs.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You must complete a background investigation, credit check, and drug test.
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
• Probationary period will apply.
• May be required to file a Financial Disclosure.
• Salary payments must be by direct deposit to a financial institution.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required

Qualifications

In order to qualify for the Contract Specialist position, you must meet the following Basic Requirement, and possess the minimum qualifications for the respective grade level(s) to which you are applying:

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS- 12 LEVEL:

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;

OR

Held a position in the GS-1102 series since 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.

AND

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE GS-12 LEVEL:
Specialized Experience: Applicant must have one or more years of specialized work experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service performing duties related to:

• Participating in contract negotiation conferences with industry corporate offices;
• Assisting with administering long-term contracts for procurement of highly specialized new or innovative services having significant impact on recipients' operations and on local geographic areas;
• Assisting with conducting contractual termination responsibilities when identified circumstances necessitate a partial or complete termination of a contract for cause or convenience;
• Conducting market research in support of program and acquisition objectives; and
• Performing cost or price analysis, including review of cost breakdowns to determine price reasonableness.

Education cannot substitute for experience for the GS-12 position. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL:

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 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. (MUST SUBMIT YOUR COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS)

OR

Held a position in the GS-1102 series since 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, you 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 the following provision. (MUST SUBMIT YOUR SF-50)
AND

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties:

• Developing acquisition objectives and milestones to obtain the contracted services within the required timeframe;
• Monitoring subcontracting for compliance with plans and issues consent to subcontract;
• Providing advice and guidance to program managers or designees on the contract's structure relating to specific incentive arrangements and Statement of Work requirements;
• Conducting discussions and negotiations with contractors; and
• Performing contract management functions in accordance with Federal Acquisition regulations and contractual agreements. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.

How you will be evaluated

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

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

Your application package will be evaluated under a Direct-Hire Authority (DHA). DHA enables an agency to hire, after public notice is given, any qualified applicant without regard to 5 U.S.C 3309-3318, 5 CFR part 211, or 5 CFR part 337, subpart A. A DHA expedites hiring by eliminating competitive rating and ranking, veterans' preference, and "rule of three" procedures. DHA must comply with public notice requirements under 5 U.S.C. 3327 and 3330, career transition requirements (CTAP/ICTAP) under 5 CFR part 330, and basic qualification requirements for the position under 5 CFR part 338. For more information about Direct-Hire Authority, please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/

You will be rated based on the following knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) or competencies:

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

NOTE: In order to be rated as meeting the minimum qualifications, we must be able to determine from your application package that you have the education and/or specialized experience that is required. Applicants who have qualifying experience performed on less than a full-time basis must specify the percentage and length of time spent in performance of such duties. Your resume MUST contain your full name, some form of contact information (phone number, email address and/or living address), and the following employment information:

• Employer name and location for each position held.
• From and to dates (MM/YY-MM/YY or from MM/YY to "present") for each position held. The month and year is required to fully credit your time.
• For part-time positions, please include number of hours worked per week, positions that do not include this information will be assumed as full-time (40 hours a week).
• Grade/levels held for each federal position. (Ex. GS-11; IR-06; FV-G…etc.)
• Detailed descriptions of experience under each position held. (Applicants must provide specific supporting examples to show that they meet the qualifications of the position shown in the announcement.)
• Any submitted documents not required or requested for this vacancy will not be considered (i.e. training certificates, case filings, letter of recommendations, etc.).

(ALL INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION PRIOR TO FINAL SELECTION.)