Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. Direct-Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veteran's preference and rate and ranking of applicants do not apply to this vacancy. This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Direct Hire Authority for Shortage Category/Critical need positions to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

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As the Contract Specialist, GS-1102-13, you will perform the following major duties:

Advising technical personnel on acquisition strategy and market research; performing procurement planning; developing procurement objectives; preparing acquisition plans; providing technical personnel support with the development of Statements of Work (SOW), Justifications of Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOCs), and Proposal Evaluation Plans.

Development of Requests for Quotes (RFQ) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for supplies and services; development and coordination of pre-award documentation and activities as required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Performing cost/price analysis of a variety of pre-award and post-award procurement actions.

Negotiator to include planning and coordinating strategy with team members; contract administration, contract closeout; and other acquisition related tasks and activities.

Conducts review of procurement actions to determine cost effectiveness and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship
• If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be regi or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
• Resume and supporting documents (see "How to Apply" section.)
• Suitability for Federal employment
• Financial Interest in transportation enterprises will be evaluated on a case by case basis
• Bargaining Unit Position: YES (Bargaining unit represented by NTSB-AFGE Local 2211)
• Direct Deposit is required.
• This position is subject to a one-year probationary period unless the appointee has previously met the requirements as described in 5 CFR Part 315.
• You may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, upon entering the position and annually.
• THIS POSITION IS NOT ELIGIBILE FOR REMOTE TELEWORK.
• Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• This position is eligible for ad-hoc/situational telework as determined by the agency policy.
• A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Two-Page Resume Limit: Resumes must not be more than two standard single-sided pages (or one page if submitting a front and back, hard-copy).
• You must submit a copy of the Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Professional or equivalent with application.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

You must meet the basic requirement(s) for this position. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Individual Occupational Requirements (IORs) for the Contracting, 1102 series are as follows:

(A) You must complete 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.

(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 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 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 level within that agency without additional waiver action.

-AND-

Certification requirement: This position requires Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) Professional or equivalent.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE ABOVE BASIC EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, APPLICANTS MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE GS-13 LEVEL: You must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 level) that may have been obtained in the private, or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors. Specialized experience is defined as: Applying contracting principles, laws, regulations, and procedures sufficient to plan, develop, implement, and maintain all aspects of one or more major systems contracts; applying knowledge of a procurement functional area sufficient to provide expert technical leadership, staff coordination, and consultation; formulating guidelines, implementing new developments, and providing policy interpretation; performing in-depth evaluations of the financial and technical capabilities or the performance of the contractor; and anticipating problems and providing advice to project personnel on effective implementation and time frames required.

For more information see link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1100/contracting-series-1102/

NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience and competencies related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the education, specialized experience and/or competencies will result in an "Ineligible" rating.

How you will be evaluated

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

This position will be filled through the Direct Hire Authority. Under this authority, competitive rating, ranking, and veterans' preference procedures do not apply. Your application will be considered based on education, training, and quality of your experience. For more information on Direct-Hire Authority visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/

Your application must include your resume and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Referral: Applicants who meet the qualification requirements may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. Candidates may be required to participate in a selection interview (telephonic and/or in person) at the discretion of the Selecting Official in accordance with hiring practices.