Contract Specialist

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Contract Specialist and provides specialized expertise in developing and executing acquisition plans for a wide variety of products and services, taking a lead role in negotiating and administering assigned contracts and has major responsibility for termination of assigned contracts

Duties

As a Contract Specialist, you will: Determine the contractual policy and procedural approach, including type of contract, fee application, required contractor qualifications and experience, solicitation, available funding, and approval and final authorization. Analyze requirements for contractor selection and negotiation processes, and prepares actions for establishment of Source Evaluation Teams, Negotiation Teams or Boards. Prepare Request for Proposals and other required solicitation documents. Develop special terms and conditions for solicitation documents and contracts and provides guidance to NNSA staff in their use. Receive contractor proposals and, in conjunction with the Source Evaluation Team/Board, evaluates contractor proposals on the basis of experience, capabilities, efficiency of operations, etc. Prepare Team/Board selection findings for submission to the selecting official. Conduct negotiations on complex, large-scale, long-term multi-million- dollar contracts. Developing contracts, modifications, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), Interagency Agreements (IAs), or other types of contractual arrangements. Conduct negotiations on complex, large-scale, long-term multi-million-dollar contracts. Develop contracts, modifications, MOUs, IAs or other types of contractual arrangements. Prepare, as required, the termination of contracts for the convenience of the government or default by the contractor. Perform contract administration of one or more multi-million-dollar complex contracts. The contracts administered may include complex short or long-term cost, incentive, re- determinable, flexibly priced, or firm fixed-price type contracts as defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 16 - Types of Contracts. Manage the contractor performance evaluation (fee determination) process for the assigned, other than Management &Operating (M&O) contract, and the award fee determination process for other incentive contracts, if applicable (e.g., CPAF and CPIF).

Requirements

Subject to Random Drug Testing Must pass a pre-employment drug test. Favorable suitability determination required. Financial Disclosure is required. Must be able to obtain/maintain a Q-level Security Clearance. You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements. Compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12) governing personal identity which will require that you provide two forms of identification. FAC-C (Professional) certification is required. A valid Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification is equivalent to a FAC-C at the same certification level, provided the FAC-C education and continuous learning requirements have been met. Certification requirements may be viewed at https://fai.gov/certification/fac-c More than one position may be filled from this vacancy announcement. If you are a current federal employee, appointed under the direct-hire authority, you will be given a new appointment. May be required to successfully complete a one (1) year probationary period. Employees serving on a probationary period may be terminated at any time during the probationary period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service. Please limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, you will be disqualified. Probationary periods are required for new employees appointed to competitive service positions for the first time or reinstated employees who return to Federal service after a break in service of 30-days or more and who have not completed a probationary period will need to complete the requirement.

Qualifications

All applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (basic requirements) AND Specialized experience outlined below. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) 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, with at least 1 year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the NQ-02 or GS-12 level. and B. 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.) 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. Specialized Experience A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower NNSA pay band level or GS grade level in the Federal Service, i.e., NQ-02 or GS-12. Specialized experience for this position is defined as developing and executing acquisitions for a wide variety of products and services. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Evaluations

This position is announced under a government wide Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) for Contract Specialist positions in the1102 series. Under the DHA, Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Applicants who score successfully on the assessment will be forwarded to the Human Resources Office who will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications. Additional documentation (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) may not be considered. Note regarding USA Hire Assessment: This is a pay-banded position that is equivalent to the GS-13/14 level. The Assessment administered will be GS-13 equivalent, therefore, test results that remain on record in the USA Staffing system will reflect the GS-13 level only. Federal employees eligible for career transition assistance plans such as CTAP, or ICTAP, requesting selection priority, must meet the Qualifications requirements listed in this announcement and be found "well qualified" for the position. Well-qualified is defined as: experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, including any selective factors, demonstrated by proficiency in most of the requirements of the job, requiring only limited training or orientation to perform effectively. If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM CTAP//ICTAP website for more information. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'. To preview the application questionnaire, click the link below. https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13055623

How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation. You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/ Employees or applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) for assistance, when applying or competing for a job or performing a job due to their medical condition or to exercise their religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement. If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.

Other information Veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the links at the bottom of this page or visit the FedsHireVets Click HERE for more information. If you believe that you are eligible for the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), please visit the OPM ICTAP/CTAP website Click HERE for more information. In order to be considered under the ICTAP program, your application must score within the pre-established "well qualified" category as stated in the Qualifications section. More than one selection will be made from this vacancy announcement. All positions require successful completion of a background investigation. All males born after December 31st 1959 must abide by laws regarding Selective Service registration. To learn more about this law, visit the Selective Service web page, Who Must Register. If you are not registered and don't have an approved exemption, you will not be eligible for employment with the Federal government. A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified applicant in accordance with the Agency policy and applicable regulations. In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. EEO Policy: Click HERE. Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Click HERE. Veterans Information: Click HERE. Telework: Click HERE. Selective Service Registration: Click HERE Information about the NNSA Demonstration project can be found by clicking HERE.