Duties

This Notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which there is a severe shortage of candidates. We have a severe shortage of qualified applicants for our Contract Specialist positions. To help us fill these jobs, we have been granted "Direct Hire Authority" or DHA. This means that when we have a vacant job, we can hire any qualified candidate, either from this notice or from any source. The benefit of applying to this notice is that your application may be shared with a hiring manager if they request resumes from this notice.

A few key facts about this DHA notice:

• Many vacancies may be filled at the GS-11 through GS-15 levels
• Jobs have varying opportunities for advancement (promotion potential)
• Supervisory and non-supervisory opportunities will vary
• Jobs may be located in any of the metropolitan areas listed.
• Availability of positions and grade levels vary by location.
• Current civil service employees will receive new appointments if selected under this Direct Hire Authority.

Each metropolitan area will independently review applications and decide who to interview. For questions about
the selection process, contact the following:

• Greater Southeast Region - AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN: 404-331-3186
• New England Region - CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT: HRBoston@gsa.gov
• Great Lakes Region - IL, IN, OH, MI, MN, WI: 312-353-5547
• Rocky Mountain Region - CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY: vacancy.inquiries@gsa.gov
• Greater Southwest Region - AR, LA, NM, OK, TX: vacancy.inquiries@gsa.gov
• Heartland Region -IA, KS, MO, NE: 816-926-8395
• Northeast & Caribbean Region - NJ, NY, VI, PR: 212-264-5557
• Mid-Atlantic Region - DE, MD, PA, VA, WV: 215-446-4973
• Pacific Rim Region - AZ, CA, NV, HI: vacancy.inquiries@gsa.gov
• Northwest Arctic Region - AK, ID, OR, WA: vacancy.inquiries@gsa.gov or 253-931-7742
• Washington, DC (Central Office/National Capital Region):
  -Public Buildings Service: Terri Rizzolo, 816-926-8395
  -Federal Acquisition Service: Sherin Golden, 817-978-3579
  -Staff offices: Susan Lewis, 202-316-9547
  -Office of Technology Transformation Service: Kaylynn Howard-Morrow, 563-381-7419

If you have general questions about this job posting, or are having difficulty applying, contact us at 816-823-2006, or nrc@gsa.gov.

For information on DHA, please visit https://www.opm.gov/directhire/index.asp.

Duties:
As a contracting professional, you will be responsible for the procurement of highly specialized equipment, components and systems for high-rise buildings and their operating systems, the construction of specialized equipment or special purpose buildings, information technology equipment and systems, professional or technical services, and/or a variety of supplies.

Your duties at the GS-11 and GS-12 may also include:

• Pre/post-award and termination activities, such as: analyzing requirements, recommending revisions to statements of work/specifications, determining the appropriate type of contract, establishing milestones, procurement planning, conducting post-award and contractual terminations, initiating briefings with contractors to ensure full understanding of terms, handling modifications, resolution of issues related to non-compliance, and the termination process.
• Developing, implementing and analyzing data requirements for planning and measurement systems
• Analyzing performance of procurement activities against various procurement indicators and goals
• Analyzing data to determine trends
• Assistance in tracking/monitoring contract actions to ensure compliance with GSA policy, administrative procedures, regulations, and statutes

Your duties at the GS-13, GS-14 and GS-15 may also include:

• Pre/Post Award contracting functions that help clients achieve results and meet their mission.
• Identifying procurement objectives and methodologies; developing statements of work; performing analyses of elements of cost; making competitive range determinations; conducting pre-proposal conferences; planning comprehensive negotiation strategy; coordinating with technical experts, leading negotiations and awarding contracts
• Developing, coordinating, and revising a wide variety of Government-wide procurement policies, reviewing proposed changes to existing regulations and determining whether they should be addressed
• Providing principal policy advice, analyzing comments and proposed legislative changes
• Developing and presenting presentations and defending complex and often controversial positions which are subject to considerable Congressional scrutiny and preparing expert response to Congressional correspondence
• Identifying and analyzing acquisition process problems, trends, and emerging needs. Formulating and justifying new statutory initiatives to address unique problems, to meet newly emerging acquisition needs, and to resolve critical procurement process problems

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• US Citizens and National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
• Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
• Register with Selective Service, if you are a male born after 12/31/1959

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

• Current or Former Political Appointees : The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non­Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
• Serve a one year probationary period, if required.
• Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee. We will use the Department of Homeland Security's e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment.
• Complete a financial disclosure report to verify that no conflict, or an appearance of conflict, exists between your financial interest and this position
• Serve a one year supervisory or managerial probationary period, if required
• You may be required to participate in the Region's Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), representing the Service and/or GSA as a whole. This may involve participating in COOP meetings and planning activities; performing mission-critical work at a designated location other than the traditional GSA office site (which may be outside of the commuting area); and ensuring that GSA's needs are still being met in the event of an emergency, disaster or otherwise unforeseen circumstance disrupting traditional office operations.

• EXPIRATION OF YOUR APPLICATION: Although this posting is active for one year, all applications will have a 120 day expiration. You must extend your application PRIOR to that date. To extend, please return to the Applicant Dashboard on your USAJOBS account, select the vacancy, and update your application.

Qualifications

For each job on your resume, provide:

• the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year)
• number of hours per week you worked (if part time).

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

For a brief video on creating a Federal resume, click here .

Starting Pay for all locations will be dependent upon the associated GS-Locality Pay Table for that area.

1102 Qualifications GS-12 & below:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: A 4-year course of study leading to 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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic requirement stated above, you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower grade level of the position to be filled.

GS-11: Specialized experience is experience that provided knowledge of formal advertising and negotiated procurement procedures sufficient to develop solicitations, evaluate offers, negotiate prices and terms and recommend award of contracts for a range of standard or specialized supplies or services; or knowledge of contracting principles and procedures sufficient to administer contracts for a range of standard or specialized supplies or services.

GS-12: Specialized experience is progressively responsible experience that provided knowledge of contracting procedures, methods, a variety of contract types and use of special provisions and incentives to plan and carry out pre-award and/or post-award contract assignments for the acquisition of products, professional or non-professional services, or construction; or experience which required a sufficient knowledge of contract regulations, policies, and procedures and an organization's technical and program requirements in order to participate in planning, improving, or carrying out the organization's procurement program.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: If you do not have the specialized experience described above, you may qualify if you have graduate education as noted below if it is in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

GS-11 level: a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR three full years of progressively higher level related graduate level education leading to such a degree; OR a LL.M.

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) and certificates to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.

1102 Qualifications GS-13 & above:

You must meet the requirements in 1, 2, or 3 below:

1. All of a, b, and c below:
(a) Completion of Training/Certification: FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional or FAC-C Level I or DAWIA (Contracting) Level I or higher certification. Note: After September 30, 2023, you will need to submit the FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional certifications or you will need to request a waiver.
(b) At least 4years of experience in contracting or related positions including 1 year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the level described below; and
(c) Completion of 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.

2. Exception: If you were in a GS-1102 position on January 1, 2000, you will be exempt from meeting the educational requirements for the grade level of that position. However, to be promoted you will have to meet Option 1 or 3.

3. Waiver: GSA's senior procurement executive has the discretion to waive any or all of the requirements in 1 above. Note: Candidates that are missing either the 24 hours of business credit and/or the mandatory training certification, but are determined to be otherwise eligible, can be placed on a waiver certification by the HR staffing specialist.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic requirement stated above, you must have one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower grade level of the position to be filled.

GS-13: Experience in performing the full range of pre-award and/or post-award activities utilizing various types of contracts such as fixed price, various cost types, requirements, performance based and multiple award schedules, and evidence of professional potential, business acumen, and drive for results, relationship building, and self motivation in order to procure a variety of complex or specialized products and/or services; OR experience requiring sufficient knowledge of contracting regulations, policies, and procedures and an organization's program and technical requirements in order to conduct reviews of contracts or contracting actions, recommend or plan improvements to an organization's procurement program.

GS-14: Experience in evaluating or implementing contracting programs; OR leading or supervising contracting professionals providing contracting services for the acquisition of a wide range of supplies, services (professional and non-professional), and/or construction; OR contracting experience that demonstrated the ability to perform the full range of highly complex pre-award and post-award activities utilizing a variety of types of contracts and evidence of professional potential, business acumen, drive for results, relationship building, and self-motivation in order to procure supplies, services, or construction associated with an organization.

GS-15: Experience that includes planning and evaluating programs and operations; overseeing the organization's technical and managerial activities relating to the contracting function; or ensuring that agency regulation and guidance implement statutory requirements and sound policies across the entire spectrum of procurement; overseeing the development, implementation, and communication of policies that directly affect the terms and conditions in contracts, and providing the competencies necessary to perform the full range of highly complex pre-award and post award activities utilizing a variety of types of contracts and evidence of professional potential, business acumen, drive for results, relationship building, and self-motivation in order to procure supplies, services, or construction associated with an organization.

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) and certificates to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.

Education

Note: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

• Bargaining Unit status: Varies based on job and location
• If you are selected for this position at a grade lower than the full performance level, you may be promoted up to that grade level without further competition in accordance with all applicable regulations. However, promotions are not guaranteed and are dependent on performance.
• Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses may be paid when authorized and approved by appropriate agency officials on a case by case basis.
• GSA may pay a recruitment incentive to a newly-appointed employee; a relocation incentive to a current employee; or offer annual leave service credit to an applicant with related non-federal or uniformed services work experience. Determinations to pay/allow incentives will be made on a case-by-case basis, subject to funding availability and documentation that the position is "hard-to-fill".
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior non-federal work experience or uniformed service experience.
• Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement as needed. This vacancy announcement does not preclude filling this position by other means. Management also has the right not to fill the position.

GSA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility that goes beyond our compliance with EEO regulations including:

• Valuing and embracing diversity, promoting equity, inclusion and accessibility, and expecting cultural competence; and
• Fostering a work environment where all employees, customers and stakeholders feel respected and valued.

Our commitment is:

• Reflected in our policies, procedures and work environment;
• Recognized by our employees, customers and stakeholders; and
• Drives our efforts to recruit, attract, retain and engage the diverse workforce needed to achieve our mission.

EXPIRATION OF YOUR APPLICATION: Please be advised that although this posting is active for one year, all applications will have a 120 day expiration. If you are still interested in being considered after your 120 days are up, you must extend your application PRIOR to that date. To extend, please return to the Applicant Dashboard on your USAJOBS account, select the vacancy, and update your application.