Duties

Summary

This position is located on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Production and Conservation Business Center (FBC), Acquisitions Division. This position serves as the Contract Specialist under the Operations Branch and is responsible for providing acquisitions service and support to FPAC agencies and others through proactive, collaborative, and hands-on acquisition planning, servicing and processing.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

• Receive and review and processes procurement requests and other contractual requirements involving both simplified and complex procurements for supplies and services to meet FPAC Mission Area needs on a nationwide basis.
• Develop and issue public notices in Federal Business Opportunities as required by federal regulations. Document and analyze comments received to determine whether changes are needed in solicitation documents prior to issuing final solicitation.
• Determine contractor responsibility and conducts past performance evaluations. Together with the Contract Officers Representative, conduct contractor surveys, as required.
• Administer contracts to ensure satisfactory progress and compliance with terms and conditions analyzing costs, approving or disapproving request for payment, approving or disapproving the letting of subcontracts.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/

Qualifications

Basic Requirement: Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher-level contracting positions, including at least 4-years of experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.

AND

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.(Failure to submit proof of education will result in an ineligible rating.)

Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade.

Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must meet the following Minimum Qualifications Requirement to be considered: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (e.g. one year at the GS-12 grade level for consideration for the GS-13 grade level.)

Specialized Experience for the GS-13 is defined as : One or more years of full-time specialized work experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through federal service that has equipped you with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience is defined as: as applying a wide range of procurement regulations, contracting laws and policies, including techniques of contracting operations and contracting requirements; responsible for pre-award and/or post-award functions and all aspects of the contracting transactions from initiation to recommendation of award, with knowledge of formal advertising and negotiated bid procedures to obtain supplies, equipment, services, or construction. Examples of this experience may include:

• Receive, review and process procurement and other contractual requirements, both simplified and complex procurements for supplies/services.
• Provide expert guidance and oversight throughout the pre-award process, determination of contract type and procurement methodology.
• Develop and issue public notices in Federal Business Opportunities as required by federal regulations.
• Negotiate with potential contractors to obtain best and final offers, develop final contract provisions/terms, and recommend award of contract.
• Prepare documentation, analyze settlement proposals, negotiate settlements and participate in resolution of protest and appeals.

Special Requirement: Must be able to obtain a Contracting Officers Warrant upon management's request and maintain the warrant.

There is no substitution of Education for Specialized Experience at the GS-13 grade level.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the 11/27/2020 of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined above.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

College Transcript: If you are qualifying based on education, submit a copy of your college transcript that lists college courses detailing each course by the number and department (i.e., bio 101, math 210, etc.), course title, number of credit hours and grade earned. You must submit with your application package evidence that any education completed in a foreign institution was appropriately accredited by an accredited body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. Education standards. You may submit an unofficial copy of the transcript at the initial phase of the application process; however, if selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Please refer to the "How to Apply" section for instructions on submitting the transcript.

Additional information

IMPORTANT NOTE ON REFERRAL FOR THIS POSITION: A Government-wide Direct-Hire Authority exists for Contracting postings in the 1102 series. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for the position will be referred to the selecting official and preference does not apply. There will be no rating system under which to award veteran's preference and additional hiring authorities are irrelevant due to the existence of the Direct-Hire Authority.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Visit the OPM website for information on how to apply as a CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT: If selected, you will be required to submit Form OGE-450 within 30 days of your initial appointment date, and annually thereafter. Selectee is subject to financial Disclosure Requirements in accordance with 5 CFR, Part 2635, Sub part E regarding business or personal transactions with applicants, borrowers, or business contacts who have or who are seeking business with this Agency. Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you will be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report.

This position is being concurrently announced under Merit Promotion Announcement Number FPCBC-21-10959385-MP-JRH. Current or former Federal employees or other eligible applicants may apply to both announcements to expand all possibilities of consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement. See the above announcement for more information.

Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining - Direct Hire Procedures and USDA policy. IMPORTANT NOTE ON REFERRAL FOR THIS POSITION: A Government-wide Direct-Hire Authority exists for Contracting postings in the 1102 series. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for the position will be referred to the selecting official and preference does not apply. There will be no rating system under which to award veteran's preference and additional hiring authorities are irrelevant due tot he existence of the Direct-Hire Authority. Applicants' resume's should show quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) or competencies:

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10959384

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

• Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
• If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
• Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.