Clarification from the agency

This position is a Title 5 Excepted position open to the public. Military membership is not required, and Veteran's Preference applies.

As a CONTRACT SPECIALIST (Title 5), GS-1102-9/11/12, you will perform the following duties.

1. Plans the overall approach to meet contracting program objectives for procuring a wide variety of requirements. Performs market research/analysis to determine availability of the requirement; analyzes market trends, commercial practices, conditions and technological advances. Determines appropriate method of procurement using a wide range of contracting methods and contract types. Selects appropriate contracting approaches, techniques, and procedures to solve a variety of acquisition problems. Analyzes contracting issues and recommends best course of action. Performs acquisition planning along with the program manager/customer, technical, legal, and finance personnel to develop market research, acquisition strategy, milestones, evaluation/source selection criteria, and/or incentive or award fee provisions, as applicable. Exercises latitude in dealing with problems arising during the pre-award phase of the procurement action. Plans and carries out the work, selecting the approaches and techniques to be used, and determines actions to be taken on assigned contracts. Uses judgment in interpreting guidelines, in adapting procurement procedures to specific situations and in recommending solutions to problems encountered. Provides business advice and assistance to technical personnel involved in the development of the performance work statement/statement of work/statement of objectives or data requirements. Reviews requisition packages for adequacy and compliance with administrative, regulatory, and procedural requirements and consistency with current market practices and conditions.
2. Assists in procuring a wide variety of services, supplies, and/or construction. Applies all statutory requirements including regulations, policies, procedures, business and industry practices, market trends, Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Comptroller General Decisions, public law, case law, and precedents to all acquisitions. Contracts assigned may contain a variety of unique attributes such as special handling provisions or other specialized terms and conditions, unfavorable market conditions, and limited competition requirements. Ensures the price schedule is properly structured, prepares the solicitation, recommends most appropriate solicitation method, drafts solicitations and amendments, and determines the acceptability of offers based on an analysis of contractor past performance, responsibility and various technical factors.
3. Executes post-award contract performance management actions on assigned contracts. Trains and monitors appointed Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) as required. Monitors and evaluates contractor performance for compliance with terms and conditions of contracts and ensures timely submission of contract deliverables and performance metrics. Makes field site visits to detect and/or correct labor standards violations, takes appropriate action to expedite delivery or performance when required by mission changes, monitors the contractors' use of government-furnished property inventories, and prepares change orders as necessary. Evaluates and requests additional funds or de-obligates funds, as required. Analyzes a wide variety of contract administration problems. Negotiates and prepares contract modifications caused by changes in technical requirements, in quantities, ordering unpriced options. Reviews contractor invoices/payment applications for completeness, allowability, allocability, use of proper approved rates and conformance with contract terms and conditions and approves/disapproves payment.
4. Provides business advice and guidance to technical personnel and others on contracting work and prepares correspondence. Represents the interest of the organization in a professional manner in meetings and various contacts outside the agency on a variety of issues that often are not well-defined. Provides advice, guidance, training and assistance to technical or program personnel, functional commanders and/or contractors on contractual language, legal responsibilities, and acquisition and business-related issues. Prepares letters, memoranda, documents, or reports that support contractual actions or recommendations. Researches and recommends appropriate action or interpretation of issues. May serve as the primary or alternate Government Purchase Card (GPC) Agency/Organization Program Coordinator for the local Contracting Office. Functions as the principal liaison between program participants and the banking institution. Interacts with higher headquarters to ensure program compliance. Analyzes program regulatory requirements and develops internal procedural guidance. Provides training for billing/approving officials and cardholders participating in the program.
5. Performs other duties as assigned. T0048000

Conditions of employment

• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
• Perform irregular/overtime hours in support of operational requirements and contingencies
• Failure to complete prescribed courses may be cause for reassignment or termination of FTS.
• May be required to travel by military or commercial aircraft in the performance of TDY assignments.
• The incumbent must meet the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) requirements applicable to the duties of the position
• The incumbent must meet the continuing acquisition education, training and experience requirements IAW DoDI 5000.66
• In accordance with the Ethics in Government Act, 1978, incumbent is required to file an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, upon appointment and will be required to file annually
• The incumbent must obtain and maintain secret security clearance
• This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration.
• All personnel selected must meet certification requirements, DAWIA Level I – Professional certification, within 36 months of placement in the 1102 series.

Qualifications

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Applicants who do not fully address the minimum/specialized experience needed for the position in their resume will not be referred for consideration. Your resume must contain your own words. Resumes that are verbatim, from this announcement, any PD's, or any other applicants will not be considered.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE: Must have experience in positions supporting competencies in business, finance, risk management, project management, or supply chain management. Experience must include competencies such as skill in collecting and analyzing data and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively and other professional competencies in procurement administration or purchase card management.

Minimum education requirement: A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:GS11029/11/12- Applicant must have the following experience:

GS-09:

• Must have one year of experience in contracting at the GS-07 grade level that provided exposure to the full scope of contracting and acquisition and a working knowledge in one or more of the following areas: (1) A knowledge of contracting authority and responsibility, (2) Contract principles and knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, (3) Contractor responsibility standards, (4) Regulatory compliance, (5) Knowledge of Federal supply schedule contracting, and (6) Knowledge of acquisition definitions and applicability. In addition to participating in education and training courses, individuals are expected to develop their required competencies through relevant on-the-job experience, which may include rotational assignments.

• Must have one year of contracting experience at the GS-09 level performing work in the following areas as applicable to the position being filled: (1) Pre-award of contracts related to development of a solicitation. Acquisition planning, requesting offers, and developing offers by evaluation of solicitation and finalizing offers, (2) Award of contracts that includes forming a contract, and (3) Post-Award actions to administer the contract. Competencies at the practitioner category emphasize functional specialization in contracting. Specialized experience may have been gained while providing business advice to customers and performing all pre-award/post-award functions, using a wide range of contracting methods and types to procure complex and/or diversified commodities, services and/or construction. Individuals at this category are expected to have and apply journeyman level acquisition-related skills.

• Must have one year of contracting experience at the GS-11 level. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: (1) Performing acquisition planning including market research and knowledge of a wide variety of contracting methods that satisfy mission needs and meet customer requirements, (2) Advising Contracting Officer Representatives and advising customers on procurement preparation and development of contractually acceptable specifications, work statements, and quality assurance criteria, (3) Reviewing procurement requests to assure clarity, adequacy, and completeness, and (4) Reviewing contract terms and technical specifications to identify any special requirements.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are found to be among the qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to position descriptions, i.e. the general and specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received in verbatim will not be considered. In your resume you will need to address the general and specialized experience listed above. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the minimum/specialized experience provided in the announcement and the KSA's (knowledge, skills, and abilities) listed below:

• Knowledge of contracting principles, laws, statutes, Executive Orders, regulations, and procedures applicable to pre-award and post-award duties sufficient to plan and carry out procurement actions and administer contracts for a variety of specialized services, commodities and/or construction using a wide range of contracting methods and contract types.
• In-depth knowledge of commercial business practices and market conditions to evaluate offer acceptability, contractor responsibility, and/or contractor performance, and to determine acquisition strategy and sources.
• Knowledge of up-to-date market research procedures.
• Knowledge of a wide range of contracting methods and contract types sufficient to perform pre-award, post-award, and price/cost analysis functions.
• Knowledge of negotiation techniques and technical requirements sufficient to procure complex and/or diversified services, commodities, and/or construction.
• Knowledge of contract administration sufficient to monitor a group of diverse contracts, understanding quality assurance, inspection, acceptance, and corrective action terms and conditions.
• Knowledge of contract termination procedures sufficient to recommend or determine allowable costs, profit to be allowed, disposal of government property, and similar issues and to negotiate settlements with contractors.
• Knowledge of contract cost analysis techniques sufficient to gather and evaluate price and/or cost data for a variety of pre-award and/or post-award procurement actions.
• Knowledge of the GPC program to analyze issues and identify alternative courses of action, modify standard procedures and terms to satisfy requirements, and solve a variety of common problems.
• Knowledge of public speaking and publicity techniques sufficient to plan or conduct training sessions designed to enhance/facilitate the GPC.
• Knowledge of Contract Regulations to verify contractual documents for compliance and accuracy of terminology.
• Ability to interpret and clarify regulatory contractual material.
• Knowledge of standard automated systems, non-standard systems, and Web postings that affect the organization's mission execution to review and evaluate of automated systems to determine their overall effectiveness and recommend changes to improve system performance.