This position is in the Department of Labor's (DOL), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM), the Office of the Senior Procurement Executive (OSPE). OSPE is responsible for the management/direction of DOL's acquisition system; providing effective, ethical, and prudent business advice; and robust acquisition policies and services. OSPE promotes effective business practices that ensure the timely delivery of best value products and services to DOL.

Duties

The following are the duties of a Contract Specialist at the GS-13. The duties at the lower levels are similar, however the duties are more limited and the breadth of the responsibility is narrower. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position. Serves as a contract specialist and is responsible for the procurement of a wide range of goods and services, including IT hardware and services, construction, A&E, various other services, as well as support products and services for the operations of the Department of Labor. Develops required documentation, specifications and financial data for use in negotiation and execution of contractual instruments for goods and services required by agencies of the Department of Labor. Negotiates multiple contract types, many of which are complex in nature and for which there is little meaningful experience or precedent data available, and employs framework within which subsequent development and modifications. Identify problems and bring to the attention of the supervisor and provides feedback on special and on-going projects and assignments, as necessary. Develop and implement a plan for long term projects involving successive program stages. Develops strategies and carries out protracted and sensitive negotiations connected with procurement of major DOL Automatic Data Processing/IT Systems, construction, A&E, project management support services, and various other services and products in support of DOL operations. Prepares contract award documents, which are frequently $150,000 (or more) in award value. These documents include formal contracts, BPAs, Task Orders, Delivery Orders, and Purchase Orders. Prepare Negotiations Memorandums; Award Decision Memorandums; Price Fair and Reasonableness Determination; Preliminary Notice to Exercise a Contract. Develops procurement plans by reviewing previous history, market conditions and specifications, or technical data packages. Determines adequacy and completeness of description, which involves research of various manuals and catalogs, or discussions with the manufacturer's representatives or requisitioning sources to identify and initiate any corrective actions required. If selected at the GS-11 or GS-12: This position has a full performance level of GS-13. Promotion to the GS-13 is not automatic nor guaranteed and requires additional qualifications. Applicants must meet additional educational and training requirements to be eligible for promotion to the GS-13 grade level. Below are the additional requirements for the GS-13 grade level. 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 successfully perform 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.

Requirements

• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Must be a US citizen.
• At the GS-13: Applicants MUST hold a FAC-C (Professional) or DAWAI certification. At the GS-12/11, if not already held, certification must be obtained. Failure to obtain and/or maintain this certification may be grounds for dismissal.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Subject to financial disclosure requirements.

Qualifications

You must meet the Basic Education Requirements listed in the education portion of this announcement AND the Specialized Experience to qualify for the Contract Specialist position, as described below. Please read these requirements carefully. Specialized Experience: Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicant must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower graded level in the Federal Services. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE -GS-13: In addition to the basic requirement, to qualify for this position you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 which is the next lower grade level of the normal line of progression of this position in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience that is related to the work of this position and has provided you with the competencies required for successful job performance. Examples of qualifying experience are: -Experience analyzing pre-award and post-award functions involving highly specialized acquisitions; -Experience evaluating responses to solicitations for price reasonableness, compliance with terms and conditions, and adequacy of competition; -Experience conducting acquisition planning and contract pre-award functions to include: determining method of procurement and contract type, documenting the acquisition strategy, and obtaining appropriate approvals; -Experience administering contracts to include contract scope determinations, contract modifications, supplemental agreements, justifications, approval reviews/fair opportunity evaluations and claims disputes, and contract terminations; -Experience developing analytical tools applicable to several complex contract types and to determine the effect on long term price as a result of special terms and conditions unique to the project and the industry; -Experience employing innovative procurement approaches to develop source selection plans negotiation strategies, and contract management procedures to facilitate major acquisitions; - Experience interpreting and applying Federal Acquisition Regulations, relevant laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures to specific contracting issues. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE - GS-12: In addition to the basic requirement, to qualify for this position you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 which is the next lower grade level of the normal line of progression of this position in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience that is related to the work of this position and has provided you with the competencies required for successful job performance. Examples of qualifying experience are: -Experience analyzing pre-award and post-award functions involving highly specialized acquisitions; -Experience evaluating responses to solicitations for price reasonableness, compliance with terms and conditions, and adequacy of competition; - Experience conducting acquisition planning and contract pre-award functions to include: determining method of procurement and contract type, documenting the acquisition strategy, and obtaining appropriate approvals; -Experience administering contracts to include contract scope determinations, contract modifications, supplemental agreements, justifications, approval reviews/fair opportunity evaluations and claims disputes, and contract terminations; -Experience interpreting and applying Federal Acquisition Regulations, relevant laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures to specific contracting issues. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE - GS-11: In addition to the basic requirement, to qualify for this position you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 which is the next lower grade level of the normal line of progression of this position in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience that is related to the work of this position and has provided you with the competencies required for successful job performance. Examples of qualifying experience are: -Experience working with acquisition regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts. -Experience working with various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and cost reimbursement; and contract methods to include simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items and special provisions. -Experience with contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract. -Experience with negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and settlements. -Proficiency using an electronic Contract Writing and Management System and ability to fully solicit, award, and administer contracts. OR 3 full academic years of progressively higher graduate education OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree 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. OR You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. You may qualify by a combination of experience and education. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the specialized experience requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the education requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 36 semester hours (54 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education. Graduate education must be in the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

Education

Basic Education requirement for the GS-13:
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
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.

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.

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.

Basic Education requirement for the GS-12 and GS-11:
A 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.

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position.

Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Contacts

• Address Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20210 US
• Name: Jodine Uppole
• Phone: 312-353-8809
• Email: [email protected]