Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Procurement and Operational Support for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS or Service). The duty location for this position is Washington, D.C.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Contract Specialist at FMCS your primary purpose will be to provide planning, development, implementation and operations in the areas of contracting and purchasing of goods and services. You will also be responsible for solicitations, negotiations, administration, and termination of contracts within FMCS Headquarters and all FMCS's districts.

Additional responsibilities include:

Performing pre-award and post award functions on agency acquisitions involving diverse supplies and services.

Responsibilities include functions such as incremental funding, option exercises, coordination of time extension, incorporation of change orders, approval of progress payments, and final payment to the contactor. Requirements typically involve products and services, including state-of-the-art information technology products, equipment and/or services.

Utilizing the automated procurement system to input Purchase Requests and creates contract related documents such as Purchase Orders, modifications, task orders, etc.

Responsible for having and maintaining a Warrant Level for FMCS procurement activities involving diverse supplies and services.

Procuring supplies, services, equipment requirements utilizing acquisition procedures from open market, Federal supply, and agency contracts in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and agency specific acquisition regulations.

Assisting program officials on procurement planning, procurement objectives, and the preparation of Statements of Work (SOW).

Preparing Determinations and Findings (D&F) and solicitation/award documents.

Performing procurement planning and contract administration for all procurements assigned.

Negotiating contracts regarding modifications, terms and costs, extensions, price adjustments, and labor hours.

Reviewing official contract files to ensure no pending administrative action and obtains approval of all closeout documentation.

Determining the responsiveness of bids and determining the responsibility of the apparent low bidder based on an analysis of financial and technical information gained during the pre-award survey, and awards or recommends award of the contract. Executing all normal acquisitions.

Participating in agency meetings and presentations at Government and non-Government conferences, seminars, and meetings.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Background investigation is required.
• Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Selectee may be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Selectee must have FAC-C at Level I at the time of appointment.
• All qualifications and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Federal applicants must submit an SF-50 to show status and time-in-grade.
• Recruitment incentives are not authorized.
• Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.

Qualifications

In order to be found qualified for this position you must meet the Basic Education Requirement and Specialized Experience:

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS for GS-11 and GS-12:

A. Have successfully completed a full 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.

AND

B. Completion of mandatory training for progression to a higher level contract position such as Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting issued by the Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) or equivalent no lower than Level I.

EXCEPTION: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position. (To be eligible you must submit your SF50 that shows you occupied the GS-1102 position on January 1, 2000).

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE for the GS-11 includes but is not limited to the following:

One full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at or equivalent to the Federal GS-09 grade or pay band effectively demonstrating the competencies required to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience is defined:

• Maintaining a Warrant Level of at least $250,000
• Analyzing and performing procurement and contracting actions involving pre-award, post award, negotiation, administration, termination and close out of functions for diverse supplies, services, and equipment ;
• Applying contracting principles, policies, regulations and procedures in administering a group of contracts;
• Utilizing technical knowledge of contracting methods in developing plans and strategies for solicitating and comparing proposals;
• Establishing rates during the negotiation process;
• Identifying factors affecting contractor's costs;
• Conducting onsite surveys in accessing the contractor's ability to perform.

GRADUATE EDUCATION can be substituted for specialized experience to qualify as the GS-11:

If you have 3 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Graduate education must be 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.

IN ADDITION to the qualifications listed above, to quality for GS-11 you are required to demonstrate that you meet FMCS' Conditions of Employment which are as follows:

• Certification at FAC-C Level I at the time of appointment.
  • FAC-C Level II certification requirements must be obtained within 18 to 24 months of initial appointment or conversion.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE for the GS-12 includes but is not limited to the following:

One full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at or equivalent to the Federal GS-11 grade or pay band effectively demonstrating the competencies required to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience is defined:

• Maintaining a Warrant Level of at least $500,000
• Analyzing and performing procurement and contracting actions involving pre-award, post award, negotiation, administration, termination and close out of functions for diverse supplies, services, and equipment;
• Applying contracting principles, policies, regulations and procedures in administering a group of contracts;
• Creating comprehensive reports and conducting research for FOIA requests or Congressional Inquiries;
• Providing acquisition advise and guidance and recommending solutions;
• Monitoring status of contract performance and interpreting contract provisions;
• Utilizing technical knowledge of contracting methods in developing plans and strategies for solicitating and comparing proposals;
• Establishing rates during the negotiation process;
• Identifying factors affecting contractor's costs;
• Conducting onsite surveys in accessing the contractor's ability to perform.

IN ADDITION to the qualifications listed above, to quality for GS-12 you are required to demonstrate that you meet FMCS' Conditions of Employment which are as follows:

• Certification at FAC-C Level I at the time of appointment.
  • FAC-C Level II certification requirements must be obtained within 18 to 24 months of initial appointment or conversion.

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT- Manages post-award contract activities through contract close-out.
ACQUISITION PLANNING - Develops and guides customers/partners through a comprehensive plan for fulfilling acquisition needs in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Departmental and agency regulations, policies and procedures.
CONTRACT NEGOTIATING AND SOURCE SELECTION - Facilitates discussions between customers/partners and potential vendors to agree on contract terms and evaluates bids or proposals to make contract award decisions.
CONTRACTING/FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT - Understands and applies financial management concepts and practices related to contracting.
SOLICITATION - Understands and employs methods for obtaining submission of offers or quotations to the Government from industry/vendors.

Current status candidates must meet Time-in-Grade (TIG) by the closing date of this announcement. To allow us to verify that you meet Time-in-Grade requirements, provide any of the following SF-50s:

• Competitive or career-ladder promotion to your highest grade (this does not include 120-day temporary promotions)
• With-In-Grade (WGI) increase at your highest grade (this does not include quality step increases (QSIs)
• Competitive career/career-conditional appointment to your highest grade.
• SF-50 at your highest grade held, that is at least one year older than the announcement closing date of 02/02/2021.

Qualifications must be met by the Closing Date: You must meet all qualification and time-in-grade eligibility requirements by 11:59pm EST on the closing date of this announcement.

Education

When you are using education to qualify as a substitution for experience, transcripts (unofficial) are required at the time of application to verify that you meet the educational substitution.

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 .

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

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.

Additional information

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document please contact the FMCS Office of Human Resources for additional assistance at (202) 606-5460.

Click here for information on " Federal hiring for individuals with disabilities ".

Security and Background Requirements: If not previously completed, a background security investigation will be required for all appointees . Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. A false representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection and/or appropriate disciplinary action.

E-Verify: FMCS participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their social security numbers.

Direct Deposit: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): Click here

FMCS supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process.

If needed, this announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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 for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the application process is complete, a review of resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume 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. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact the FMCS Office of Human Resources at (202) 606-5460. You must contact the Reasonable Accommodations Program prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance.

Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete online Application Package that includes:

A current Resume - For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center or view their video tutorial . If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose then you must describe your job-related qualifications that include beginning and ending dates (month/year) for paid and non-paid work experience, including the average number of hours worked per week for each job title listed. You must also ensure that the duties performed are clearly matched to each period of employment. If we cannot determine that you have performed qualifying duties for at least one year, then you may be rated ineligible.

A complete Assessment Questionnaire

Other supporting documents to be submitted with application:

A) SF-50: Federal applicants must submit an SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) that shows status and time-in-grade, and its full performance level. If you have separated from Federal Government employment, you may obtain a copy of your SF-50 via: National Personnel Records Center, Annex, 1411 Boulder Boulevard, Valmeyer, IL, 62295; FAX (618) 935-3014; Email CPR ; or visit the National Archives Website .(REQUIRED)

B) Most recent performance appraisal (REQUIRED)

C) College or University Transcript: showing total applicable courses, credits and degree(s) earned. Unofficial copies may be provided but applicants must be prepared to provide official transcripts, upon request (REQUIRED);

D) FAC-C Level I Contracting Certification (REQUIRED);

E) Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable, a DD-214 Member 4 copy, which shows type of discharge. If still active, provide an official Statement of Service. Any other documentation such as VA letter documenting disability, SF-15, and any other required supporting documentation based your veterans' preference claim.

For Résumé and Application Tips visit the USAJOBS Resource Center .

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/02/2021.