Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of Acquisition and Grants Management (OAGM), Information Technology Contracts Group (ITCG), Division of Data Center Contracts (DDCC).

As a Contract Specialist, GS-1102-14, you will be responsible for the procurement activities such as the development of solicitation, negotiation, award, administration, close-out and termination of contracts that support programs.
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Responsibilities

• Provides guidance and monitoring on all acquisitions assigned to the team for technical quality and achievement of key milestones throughout the entire acquisition process.
• Provides guidance in the development of complex procurement requirements, and translates these needs into comprehensive solicitation packages.
• Serves as Senior contract specialist and technical leader providing guidance and monitoring on all acquisitions assigned to the team for technical quality and achievement of key milestones throughout the entire acquisition process.
• Provides CMS-wide coordination, assistance and guidance in the development of complex procurement requirements, and translates these needs into comprehensive solicitation packages.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel up to 5% for this position

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National to apply for this position.
• You will be subject to a background and suitability investigation.
• Time-in-Grade restrictions apply.
• Federal Acquisition Certificate (FAC-C) Level III and Contracting Officer Warrant (CO) required. (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

Qualifications

ALL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

Your resume must include detailed information as it relates to the responsibilities and specialized experience for this position. Evidence of copying and pasting directly from the vacancy announcement without clearly documenting supplemental information to describe your experience will result in an ineligible rating. This will prevent you from receiving further consideration.

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
A. 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 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

B. 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.

OR

C. 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, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D.

OR

D. 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 D, 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 order to qualify for the GS-14, you must meet the following: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: 1) Reviewing incoming requests for Information Technology contracts to determine the proper method of acquisition based on the appropriate regulations and policies; AND 2) Providing guidance in the development of procurement requirements to prepare a solicitation package; AND 3) Reviewing Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports and/or audit reports on procurement deficiencies to make recommendations for corrective actions.

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.

Time-in-Grade: To be eligible, current or former Federal employees and current or former Federal employees applying under the VEOA eligibility who hold or have held a permanent General Schedule position in the previous year must have served at least 52 weeks (one year) at the next lower grade level from the position/grade level(s) to which they are applying.

Federal Acquisition Certificate (FAC-C) Level III and Contracting Officer Warrant (CO) required. (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

Education

Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the qualification requirements, all candidates must have the following educational requirements: 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION).

TRANSCRIPTS are required to verify satisfactory completion of the educational requirement listed above. Please see "Required Documents" section below for what documentation is required at the time of application.

Click the following link to view the occupational questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11093816

Additional information

Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
Tour of Duty: Flexible
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure: Required

Full-Time Telework Program for CMS Employees: CMS employees currently participating in 100% Full-Time Telework Program may be eligible to remain in the program. If an employee in this program is selected, the pay will be set in accordance with the locality pay for the applicable duty station. The listed salary range reflects the locality pay assigned to the duty location(s) listed in the vacancy announcement. For more information about pay based on locality, please visit the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Salaries & Wages Page .

Additional Forms REQUIRED Prior to Appointment:

• Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment and the Background/Suitability Investigation - A background and suitability investigation will be required for all selectees. Appointment will be subject to the successful completion of the investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements may be grounds for appropriate personnel action. In addition, if hired, a reinvestigation or supplemental investigation may be required at a later time. If selected, the Optional Form 306 will be required prior to final job offer. Click here to obtain a copy of the Optional Form 306.
• Form I-9, Employment Verification and the Electronic Eligibility Verification Program - CMS participates in the 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. If selected, the Form I-9 will be required at the time of in-processing. Click here for more information about E-Verify and to obtain a copy of the Form I-9 .
• Standard Form 61, Appointment Affidavits - If selected, the Standard Form 61 will be required at the time of in-processing. Click here to obtain a copy of the Standard Form 61 .

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced federal employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit the required documentation and be rated well-qualified for this vacancy. Click here for a detailed description of the required supporting documents . A well-qualified applicant is one whose knowledge, skills and abilities clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements of the position. Additional information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp .

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 .

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

Once the announcement has closed, your online application, resume, transcripts and CMS required documents will be used to determine if you meet eligibility and qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Contracting/Procurement
• Oral Communication
• Problem Solving
• Writing

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

The following documents are REQUIRED:

1. Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional. Your resume must indicate your citizenship and if you are registered for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/59. Your resume must also list your work experience and education (if applicable) including the start and end dates (mm/yyyy) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week. For work in the Federal service, you must include the series and grade level for the position(s). Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). For resume and application tips visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/

2. CMS Required Documents (e.g., SF-50, DD-214, SF-15, etc.). Required documents may be necessary to be considered for this vacancy announcement. Click here for a detailed description of the required documents . Failure to provide the required documentation WILL result in an ineligible rating OR non-consideration.

3. College Transcripts. Since this position requires specific education, you must submit a transcript attesting to your possession of the required education. You may submit an unofficial transcript or a list of college courses completed indicating course titles, credit hours, and grades received. An official transcript is required if you are selected for the position. If selected, you must provide an original document before the final job offer may be extended. If you do not submit a transcript indicating your possession of the required education, you will not be considered for this position.

College Transcripts and Foreign Education: Applicants who have completed part or all of their education outside of the U.S. must have their foreign education evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that the foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the U.S. For a listing of services that can perform this evaluation, visit the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services website. This list, which may not be all inclusive, is for informational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement of any specific agency.

If you are applying for a position for which a state license is issued (e.g., physician, engineer, attorney) possession of a valid and current U.S. professional license by a graduate of a foreign professional school or program is sufficient proof that the foreign education has been determined to be equivalent to the requisite U.S. professional education in that occupational field.

4. Federal Acquisition Certificate (FAC-C) Level III Certificate and Contracting Officer Warrant (CO).

PLEASE NOTE: A complete application package includes the online application, resume, transcripts, CMS required documents, FAC-C Level III Certificate and CO Warrant. Please carefully review the full job announcement to include the "Required Documents" and "How to Apply" sections. Failure to submit the online application, resume, transcripts and CMS required documents, FAC-C Level III Certificate and CO Warrant, will result in you not being considered for employment.

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.