The purpose of this position is to serve in a developmental capacity to the full performance level of GS-1102-09 as a Contract Specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with responsibility for performing professional work involving the procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and agency policy.

Duties

This is a developmental position leading to a GS-9, performing assignments intended to broaden skills and provide practical experience leading to progressively more complex assignments performed under progressively less supervision. You will ultimately acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-9. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. Major Duties and Responsibilities: Assists the requiring activities by serving as a member of acquisition planning teams. In this role the incumbent aids requiring activities in performing market research, reviewing specifications and statements of work, and approving acquisition milestone plans. Ensures that specifications and statements of work are prepared in a manner which adequately describes the Government's requirements without restricting competition. Performs a complete review of recommended sole-source requirements and conducts necessary market analyses to test the noncompetitive assumptions of requisitions. Prepares required findings and sufficiently documents determinations in this regard. Responsible for recommending the appropriate method of procurement i.e. simplified acquisition procedures, sealed-bidding, negotiations. Conducts public bid openings, reviews bids and determines responsiveness and responsibility of low bidder in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements when using sealed bidding. Eliminates unacceptable proposals and notifies offerors concerning further negotiation or elimination from the competitive range. Conducts negotiations for competitive and noncompetitive procurements. Serves as contract administrator on awarded contracts. Conducts post-award conferences with Contractor and Government personnel to provide information and to clarify standard and special contractual provisions of the contract. Negotiates required changes to contract conditions to protect the agency. Resolves problems of delivery, production, quality, differing site conditions, inspection, and other pertinent matters. Performs cost/price analysis on change order proposals and analysis of delivery requirements. Negotiates prices and/or additional time required for performance and consideration on behalf of the Government. Performs all duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-Time Employment M-F (8am - 4:30pm) Compressed/Flexible Schedules: May be available Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. VA 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. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Remote: This may be a remote position. (Remote refers to work performed on full-time basis anywhere other than a VA facility or using VA-leased space.) **For this position, telework (up to 80% per pay period) or remote work (100% off site) may be authorized upon supervisor approval if within the local commuting distance of the advertised duty station. Candidates must live within the NCO-16 footprint, including the Florida panhandle. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. (Virtual refers to work performed on full-time basis using VA-leased space or at a VA facility other than the facility that hired the employee.) Position Description Title/PD#: Contract Specialist/PD11002-A Contracting Incentive: After 90 days the employee may receive a 10% incentive at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance. Physical Requirements: The subject position is primarily of an administrative nature in an office setting, however where travel to work sites is required there may be light physical work required, such as walking over uneven surfaces or assisting technical personnel in taking measurements or elevations. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Transcripts must be submitted before the closing date

Qualifications

To qualify for this GS-7 grade level: Applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this job announcement. Individual Occupational Requirements: (Basic Qualification Requirements) Possess a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field. (Transcripts Required) OR Possess 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. (Transcripts Required) OR Possess an occupied GS-1102 Contract Specialist position in the Federal Government on January 1, 2000, in one of the following grade levels GS-5, GS-7, GS-9, GS-11, or GS-12. (SF-50 Required) Exceptions: 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. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, you must also meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements stated below. Minimum Qualification Requirements for GS-7: Superior Academic Achievement at the GS-7 level:(SAA) at the baccalaureate level in the coursework detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. For more information regarding SAA please visit http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e5.asp#e4f. OR Substitution of Graduate Education for Specialized Experience: Possess at least one full academic year of graduate education or law school. To qualify for GS-1102 positions on the basis of graduate education, graduate education 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. (Transcripts Required) OR Specialized Experience for GS-7: Possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience is developing, preparing, and presenting terms and conditions in bids or proposals related to the award of contracts; or negotiating and awarding contracts, contract modifications, and subcontracts; or in legal practice involving the analysis of procurement policies and procedures; or administering the terms and conditions of contracts, including such aspects as preparing contract modifications, evaluation of performance under the contract, and contract termination; or analyzing proposed prices or costs, including such aspects as evaluating technical and audit reports, forecasting price trends, evaluating economic factors, estimating production efficiencies, and evaluating methods of allocating costs through various types of overhead and general administrative expense. OR Combination of Graduate Education and Specialized Experience as stated above: To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-7 grade level. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. (Transcripts Required) Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Please note: If selected for this position, you must meet all eligibility requirements to receive and maintain a Level I FAC-C certification within 12 months upon appointment into the position. When requested by the supervisor, you must apply for up to a Level 1 Contracting Officer Warrant, accept contracting officer warrant, and provide the signatory authority for contracts within their warrant authority. Warrants will be granted based on workload, needs of the agency, and upon recommendation of the supervisor. 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; religions; 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.

Education

Note: Transcripts MUST be submitted before the closing date including conferred or awarded and dated.
Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.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.

Contacts

• Address VHA Service Center - 2 6100 Oak Tree Blvd Independence, OH 44131 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]