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CONTRACT SPECIALIST

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Baltimore, Maryland
Closing date
Nov 15, 2019
Duties

Summary

About the Position: This position is a Contract Specialist in the Contracting Division. Works under the close supervision of the Branch Chief. Performs pre-award and/or post-award contracting activities. Assures compliance with the terms of the contracts and negotiates with contractors to resolve procurement concerns.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

  • At the full potential grade level, GS-12, you will be responsible for pre-award and post-award functions, including price/cost analysis.
  • Utilizes innovation for strategic decision-making in the acquisition process.
  • Provide guidance to Stakeholders on Procurement procedures, strategies, regulations, and terms.
  • Responsible for procurement from receipt of scope of work or authorization to closeout
  • Negotiate all types of contracts including multi-year contracts, cost reimbursement, and those with sophisticated arrangements such as cost-plus-incentive-fee and variations


Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel up to 15% for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
12

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
  • This position requires business travel away from the work site approximately 15% of the time.
  • This position requires a valid, State-issued motor vehicles driver's license.
  • This position requires the submission of an Online Confidential Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE 450, (5CFR Part 2634, Subpart I), Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Disclosure Report, upon entering the position and annually.
  • Defense Acquisition Workforce Act (DAWIA) requires the incumbent to obtain an Level II Certification in the acquisition career field of Contracting within 24 months of the initial start date.


Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

  • Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
  • Current Permanent Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
  • Reinstatement
  • Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998
  • Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA)


Basic Requirement for Contracting Specialist - GS-1102-09/11/12: Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution and 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. (The 24 semester hour requirement can be obtained within the bachelor's degree OR in addition to the degree.) (You must supply a copy of your transcripts.)
OR
Exemption: You are exempt from the education requirements above if (A) you are a current DoD employee, in any occupational series, who has served on or before September 30, 2000, as follows: (1) Served as a GS/equivalent-1102 position or contracting officer position with authority to award or administer contracts above the SAT in any Federal agency, OR (2) Served as a military member in a comparable military occupational specialty; OR (B) you are a current member of the armed forces who occupied a position within an occupational specialty similar to the GS-1102 series on or before September 30, 2000.

(NOTE: The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) does not grant Academic degrees; therefore courses completed at the DAU are not creditable towards meeting the 24 semester hour requirement, in the fields identified above, unless the coursework has been evaluated by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and appears on a college or university transcript.)

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the EXPERIENCE and/or EDUCATION qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience Required for the GS-09 Grade Level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal Service which includes: 1.) Assist with preparing solicitation; 2.) Assist in awarding contracts and/or subcontracts; 3.) Basic knowledge of contracting types; and 4.) Research contracting regulations.
Specialized Experience Required for the GS-11 Grade Level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal Service which includes: : 1.) Assist with various types of contracts; 2.) Prepare written requests for procurement proposals; and 3.) Prepare contract invitations for bids.
Specialized Experience Required for the GS-12 Grade Level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal Service which includes: 1.) Procure a wide variety of products and services; 2.) Prepare contract awards and contract modifications; 3.)Perform price/cost analysis, and 4.) Monitor contractor's performance.

Education
For this job, you must meet the education as defined:

Education at the GS-9 grade level: Two full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR LL.B. OR J.D in the fields described above.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18.)Add the two percentages.

GS-11 grade level: Three full academic years of progressively higher level graduate or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in the fields described above.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

GS-12 grade level: In addition to the basic education requirement listed above, you must qualify for this grade on specialized experience alone--- there is no substitution of education for experience.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document .

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:
  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Cost Benefit Analysis
  • Oral Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Written Communication


Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-07).
Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-09).
Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-11).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Additional information

  • Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
  • Direct deposit of pay is required.
  • This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • This is a Career Program (CP) 14 - Contracting position
  • Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website .
  • If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
  • NOTE: Certifications issued by Federal (non-DoD) organizations such as the Federal Acquisition Certifications (FAC) and certifications issued by the Department of Homeland Security are not accepted within DoD although the component parts may be transferable and applied to a DoD certification. Please see the following page for more information: http://icatalog.dau.mil/appg.aspx .


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, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Merit Checklist and Proof of Eligibility .

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:
  • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
  • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
  • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application will be marked as incomplete and you will not receive consideration for this position.
  • For additional information see: What to include in your resume .

2. Other supporting documents:
  • Cover Letter, optional
  • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
  • Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the Who May Apply section above to receive further consideration.
  • Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old).
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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