Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

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The Contract Specialist serves within the Office of Facilities, Acquisition, Contracting Policy Service with unlimited signatory authority. Contracting activities cover all stages of the acquisition circle, which involves construction, architect-engineer services of many types, construction management environmental studies, utility connections, and other services that may be included in contracting officer warrants. Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Leading planning, redesign, design, pre-bid, preconstruction, phasing and other conferences an meetings with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) officials, facility, staff, private architectural and engineering firms and construction firms.
• Providing consulting and advisory services to other VA facilities and staff officials on contracting issues and on possible projects.
• Reviewing reports, papers, and design and construction documents from CFMs professional staff and contractors to ensure technical accuracy and compliance with standard operating procedures.
• Monitoring administrative contract support activities and assuring adequate support is provided for acquisition contract requirements and activities.
• Directing and overseeing all contract changes and those activities involved in the resolution of contract changes.
• Proposing recommendations for revisions to procedures for the guidance and control of VA-wide projects.
• Conducting in-depth research on current economic trends and related alternatives for renovation and modernization of existing structures.
• Keeping abreast of proposed legislative changes regarding issues dealing with federal contracting regulations, and real property acquisition use and disposal.
• Conferring with management officials and subject matter experts with internal and external stakeholders about numerous and varies matters concerning the planning, funding, and design and construction of VA facilities.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Contract Specialist/PD13300A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/16/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Contracting Series, 1102, Individual Occupational Requirements:

1. 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

2. 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.
3. 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.

AND

GS-13 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Specialized experience is defined as:

• Serving as a senior-level expert, for complex, high-value, or urgent requirements.
• Overseeing preparation of procurement instruments; negotiates the terms and conditions of a contract.
• Reviewing work completed by contractors to ensure it meets contractual standards.
• Analyzing price or cost data to recommend specific contracting actions.
• Participating (formally or informally) in an acquisition team and/or integrated program/project team.

GS-14 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Specialized experience is defined as:

• Serving as a senior-level expert, for complex, high-value, or urgent requirements.
• Overseeing preparation of procurement instruments.
• Negotiating the terms and conditions of a contract.
• Reviewing work completed by contractors to ensure it meets contractual standards.
• Analyzing price or cost data to recommend specific contracting actions.
• Participating (formally or informally) in an acquisition team and/or integrated program/project team.
• Providing strategic, tailored advice to project managers, and resolving complex disputes.

Evidence of this specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of like duties performed in positions held on your resume. You will also need to provide work experience information such as hours per week, full-time/part-time status, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have one (1) full year of specialized experience at the required grade level.

Certification Requirements:
The incumbent must have a current Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting, Professional (FAC-C Professional or Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAIWA] as applicable [NOTE: Applicants must keep up with their required Continuous Learning Points (CLPs), to maintain certification].

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Demonstrate knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), and other Federal acquisition regulations, such as VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR), VA Acquisition Manual (VAAM), etc.
• Knowledge of acquisition principles, policies and processes pertaining to a major construction and/or Architect-Engineer acquisition program, a major supply chain, logistics or health care organization.
• Experience with a variety of contract types and purchasing types. Has experience mentoring and training contract officers and reviewing other contracting officers' work.
• Demonstrates ability to identify issues, recommend improvements, implements and deliver high-quality customer service.
• Experience in dealing with/resolving complex issues requiring courtesy and effective communication skills (both oral and written) as a participant/leader (formally or informally) in an acquisition team and/or integrated program/project team

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

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

USA Hire Assessments include 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.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. 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.

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; religions; 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.