Contract Specialist

Summary

This vacancy is for a Contract Specialist in the Office of the Secretary within the Department of Commerce.

Duties

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As a Contract Specialist, you will:

• Perform life-cycle acquisition services for a diverse customer base. Develop, coordinate, and implement initiatives that advance the agency mission related to acquisition services. Hold unlimited Contracting Officer warrant authority and serve as Contracting Officer, negotiating terms and conditions to achieve best value on highly complex multimillion-dollar contracts.
• Direct the full range of purchasing and contract administration activities, including but not limited to the preparation of market research reports, acquisition plans, solicitations, contract awards, modifications, and contract administration through contract closeout, assuring compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations, statutes, and policies and Departmental and local office supplements.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define business requirements. Create a collaborative environment with technical, legal, fiscal, and acquisition representatives to achieve mission success.
• Monitor office-wide performance activity, resolving problems necessary to meet acquisition Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Advises executives (i.e., Director for Acquisitions) and other senior leadership on the entire range of acquisition matters and builds consensus among stakeholders regarding strategies that contribute to more efficient allocation of resources.

This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Contract Specialist ZA-1102-5, FPL 5 positions within the Department of Commerce in the same geographical location or local commuting area with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
• A probationary period may be required.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/).
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Bargaining Unit Position: No
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE form 450): Yes
• Permanent Change of Duty Station (PCS) Expense: Will not be paid
• License required: No
• Drug Test Required: No

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=Occupational-Series

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

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.

This position is being filled under the Department of Commerce (DOC) Alternative Personnel System (CAPS). Under CAPS, positions are classified by career path and pay band.

The ZA-5 is equivalent to the GS-15 grade level. To qualify at the ZA-5 level, you must meet the Basic Requirements and the Specialized Experience outlined below.

Basic Requirements:

A. *Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13/ZA-04 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 perform the work of the position successfully.

AND

B. 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. (You must submit a copy of your certificates. Also, you must submit a copy of your transcripts, official or unofficial, to document your education.)

OR

C. 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 based on a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

*To meet the agency's mandatory requirements, applicants must either have obtained their FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification.

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 (or equivalent pay band) level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience:

• Serving as an advisor/authority on acquisition operations and policies (such as evaluating contract price proposals, terminating contracts, closing contracts, analyzing cost and price, and processing complex modifications);
• Researching, analyzing, and interpreting the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and acquisition-related statutes and policies, including the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul;
• Providing acquisition guidance, advice, and counsel to senior executives and other senior-level officials;
• Performing acquisition planning, pre-award, award, and post-award work for supplies and services, including negotiating and awarding complex and high-visibility contracts and modifications; and
• Evaluating cost/price proposals utilizing cost/price analysis techniques.

Education

This position requires a positive education requirement; please refer to the Qualification section above.

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.

NOTE: Failure to provide transcripts and certifications will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.

NOTE: Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of coursework and degree. You MUST provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course-by-course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

Additional information

The following links provide information on various hiring authorities that do not fall under competitive examining procedures; however, they may enable you to apply through merit assignment procedures, or be eligible for a non-competitive appointment.

1. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
2. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)

ICTAP and CTAP Eligibles: CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: Employee Guide to Career Transition

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Reasonable Accommodations (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.