Clarification from the agency

Current Smithsonian Institution Internal Employees/Agency Employees Only may apply including current Smithsonian Institution employees with Federal career/career-conditional status or eligibility. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

The Contract Specialist is responsible for implementing – and providing technical guidance to others regarding – small purchase policies, procedures and activities. 

In this position, you will:

• Plan, direct, and perform analysis using the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), contracting laws, Inspector General or Comptroller decisions, and similar guidelines.
• Review and approve procurement strategies and contract provisions for team members, including competition requirements, evaluation criteria, terms and conditions, intellectual property rights, liability insurance, delivery schedules, discount structures, and licensing agreements.
• Lead the team in pre-award and post-award procurement activities, managing acquisitions for facility maintenance and repair services, consulting services, general goods and services, scientific research equipment and instruments, public performances, etc.

Conditions of employment

• Requires career/career-conditional status or eligibility.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met within 30 days of the job announcement closing date. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

Qualifications

Basic Qualification Requirements:

1. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;

or

2. 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.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the specialized experience requirements listed below:

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as providing guidance to management on contracting for services, supplies, minor construction, and the restoration and renovation of historic buildings. Experience includes the oversight of technical business operations and the application of procurement policies and regulations to support programmatic goals.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

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.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

In an effort to streamline our hiring process, SI employees whose current position of record is in the same job series (1102) and who are in a Federal competitive appointment as this advertised position, are not required to submit a transcript with your application package. However, if selected, you will be required to provide a copy of your transcript before your start date in the position.

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying).

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

• Knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), contracting laws, regulations, GAO principles and practices - both federal and commercial - necessary to provide accurate advice and guidance on contracting matters.
• Knowledge of contract administration procedures including change orders, contract terminations and contractor claims or disputes, and execution of settlement agreements. 
• Skill in drafting, soliciting, negotiating and awarding federal and commercial contracts in areas such as general goods and services; new construction; restoration and renovation of historic buildings; architecture/engineering, etc.

Important Note:

Your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the occupational questionnaire or other assessment tool for consistency. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed.