Duties

Summary

As a Contract Specialist, you will plan and manage highly specialized procurements within the industries delegated to this portfolio, of significant importance to the Government, an Agency and/or the Nation.

This position is located in General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service, Office of Travel, Transportation and Logistics. 1800 F. Street NW Washington, DC.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

We are currently filling one vacancy, but additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement as needed for other GSA organizations.

The incumbent will serve as a senior Contract Specialist within the Acquisition Operations Division, and will perform the following duties:

• Consults with and supports internal and external customer, providing technical guidance and advice on contracting matters in a professional, courteous and timely manner.
• Performs pre and post award functions involving highly specialized procurements of significant importance to the agency
• Develops procurement objectives in terms of competition and price range and constructs the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set-aside policies and similar considerations
• Provides guidance in the preparation of Statement of Works (SOW) for solicitations and task orders as well as the review of statements of work prepared by team members and/or program offices for the acquisition of non-personal services and commodities and ensures that SOWs are unambiguous, state the Government's requirements and are not intentionally restrictive of competition
• Plans a comprehensive negotiation strategy, coordinates strategy with other technical experts involved and leads negotiations, which are conducted with contractors to develop the contract prices and terms, and awards the contract.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
• Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
• Meet time-in-grade within 30 days of the closing date, if applicable
• Register with Selective Service, if you are a male born after 12/31/1959
• Must participate in Direct Deposit of Pay

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

• Receive authorization from OPM on any job offer you receive, if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch.
• Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 3 investigation level).
• Complete a financial disclosure report to verify that no conflict, or an appearance of conflict, exists between your financial interest and this position

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).

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

The GS-13 salary range starts at $102,663 per year.

Basic Requirements for Contracting Series GS-13 and Above:

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

All of the following: (a) Completion of Training listed in Level I & II of FAC-C Course Requirements ; or FAC-C Level II or III, or a DAWIA level II or III certification. If your certification is over 2 years old, 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points are required to maintain certification. (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.

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.

Waiver: GSA's senior procurement executive has the discretion to waive any or all of the requirements in 1 above.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

In addition to the basic requirement above, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level or higher in the Federal service.

Specialized experience is progressively responsible 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.

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: NFFE

Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.

Additional vacancies may be filled from this announcement as needed; through other means; or not at all.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be evaluated on the questions you answer during the application process, which will measure your overall possession of the following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities. Your responses to these questions must be supported by your resume or your score may be lowered.

• Knowledge of Federal and Agency procurement objectives, policies, manuals and regulations, national and worldwide contract laws and procedures applicable to the acquisition and contract administration of a wide range of highly technical, complex equipment, systems and services.
• Knowledge of contract types, methods of contracting and techniques including cost and incentive contracting, award fee, cost sharing arrangements, processing of unsolicited proposals, multiple awards, special provisions relating to proprietary rights and rights in data.
• Knowledge of cost and price evaluation techniques to conduct detailed financial assessments of technical data involving state of the art information technology, defense or security systems and extremely high dollar value procurements.
• Ability to interpret laws, regulations, principles and policies to generate new procurement concepts and to recommend to top management approval of procurements for the largest, newest and/or critical state of the art systems, equipment and services.
• Skill in negotiating techniques to conduct contract negotiations and to meet and deal with high-level business, industry, scientific and/or Government officials.

Additional assessments may be used, and, if so, you will be provided with further instructions.

If you are eligible under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan or GSA's Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP/CTAP) , you must receive a score of 85 or higher to receive priority.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

ALL required documents must be submitted before the closing date. Review the following list to determine what you need to submit. Note: If required to submit an SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action), an equivalent agency Notice of Personnel Action form is acceptable. Such document(s) must show all of the following: effective date, position, title, series, grade, and rate of basic pay, tenure group 1 (career) or 2 (career-conditional), position occupied group, and name of agency. If you are a GSA employee (except in the OIG), you are not required to submit an SF-50.

• If you are a 30% or more disabled veteran, VEOA or VRA applicant or qualified spouse, widow/widower, or parent:
• Copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 that shows the dates of your active duty service. If selected, a DD-214 showing your type of discharge (member 4 copy) will be required prior to appointment.
• If you are a disabled veteran, or are applying under VRA or VEOA as a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran, submit both of the following in addition to the DD-214: (1)completed SF-15 form; and (2) proof of your entitlement (refer to SF-15 for complete list).
• If you are active duty military- Certification on a letterhead from your military branch that includes your rank, character of service (must be under honorable conditions) & military service dates including discharge/release date (must be no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted).
• If you are a current Federal employee or Reinstatement Eligible: Submit your latest SF-50.
• If you are eligible under an Interchange Agreement: Submit your latest SF-50.
• If you are a former Peace Corp or VISTA volunteer: Submit your Description of Service.
• If you are a current or former Land Management Agency Employee - Submit a and b:
• one or more SF-50s, including your most recent one that shows you were on a competitive time-limited appointment(s) with a Land Management Agency and served on the appointment for a period(s) totaling more than 24 months without a break of 2 or more years.
• Copy of your agency's annual performance appraisal(s) or written reference(s) from a supervisor at the agency verifying satisfactory performance during your appointment(s).
• If you have a disability: Submit proof of eligibility. For information on eligibility and required documentation, refer to USAJOBS's People With Disabilities page.
• If you are applying under another special appointment authority: Submit proof of your eligibility under the appropriate appointment authority. See USAJOBS's Resource Center for more information.
• If you are ICTAP / CTAP eligible - submit a, b, and c: (a) proof of eligibility including agency notice; (b) SF-50, and (c) most recent performance appraisal.
• Current or Former Political Appointees: Submit SF-50.
• College transcripts: If you are using some or all of your college education to meet qualification requirements for this position, you must submit a photocopy of your college transcript(s). If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. For education completed outside the United States, also submit a valid foreign credential evaluation that substantiates possession of the required education.

Contracting Documentation: Submit A or B:

(A) Mandatory contracting training - submit a or b below:

GSA's Mandatory Training Requirements which can be met by one of the following: Completion of Training listed in Level I & II of FAC-C Course Requirements (use the link to view specific courses); or if you have a FAC-C Level II or III, or a DAWIA level II or III certification, your training is fully qualifying for GSA's Mandatory Training requirement. If your certification is over 2 years old, 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points are required to maintain certification.

list of completed courses including: official course title, course number, training provider, training hours completed, and the date completed

(B) Proof of contracting certification - submit the following:

FAC-C or DAWIA Level II or higher certification (copy of certificate)
If certification is over 2 years old, also submit (b) or (c) below:

Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) history identifying the completion of 80 CLPs every two years. The 80 CLPs every two years must be from the issuance date of certification to current period.

If you are a FAITAS member, you may submit your Continuous Learning Achievement Certificate from FAITAS. On your "My Continuous Learning" page, click on the "approved" link under Achievement Status to print a copy of your most recent certificate.

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.