Contract Specialist

Duties
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This position is being filled under the memorandum from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) "Expansion of Direct Hire Authority for Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense," dated October 15, 2021.

As a Contract Specialist at the NH-1102-3 some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Performs preaward functions for procurements and assistance awards involving complex requirements of highly specialized, extensive, new or innovative research, related materials and services of significant importance to the agency.
• Ensures appropriate funding and required waivers, certifications, approvals and compliances have been obtained for purchase requests. Coordinates with responsible officials to obtain funding, waivers, certifications and approvals that are lacking.
• Selects appropriate award mechanisms, contract types, methods of solicitation and options. Determines, options, milestones, and sources to be solicited. Develops and issues solicitations with appropriate provisions and well-defined statements of work, broad agency announcements, research announcements and structures appropriate award factors.
• Evaluates responses to solicitations, including price reasonableness, adequacy of competition, compliance with solicitations, and probability of meeting requirements. Negotiates prices, terms, and conditions.
• Performs cost and price analyses and prepares price negotiation memoranda. Makes awards consistent with established award factors. Prepares award documentation, including delineation of responsibilities of Government officials (CORs, ACO, etc).
• Provides guidance and assistance to peers and lower level employees. Serves as point of contact for assigned procurements. Serves as Contracting Officer when applicable. Promotes teamwork and total quality customer services on a continuing basis.
• Develops alternatives to produce best value supplies and services, as well as manage all aspects of the life cycle of a contract or other vehicle (e.g. orders, basic ordering agreements etc.). Administers long-term, complex contracts and assistance awards for procurements of extensive, highly specialized new or innovative research, and related materials and services affecting major agency programs and having significant impact on recipients' operations and on local geographic areas.
• Develops systems for evaluating and monitoring performance of contractors. Develops plans with milestones for administration of each assigned contract. Monitors contractors' performance for compliance with terms and conditions of contracts. Issues delivery orders as provided in contracts. Determines extent to which subcontracting plans comply with regulatory guidelines.
• Monitors subcontracting for compliance with plans. Issues consents to subcontract. Requests and evaluates proposals. Performs cost and price analyses. Assures compliance with cost accounting standards. Identifies potential funding and production problems and initiates remedial or corrective actions. Resolves and dispositions contract audit recommendations in a timely manner, while fully protecting the Government's interest. Negotiate settlements of disputes. Negotiates proposals and executes modifications.
• Analyzes and evaluates cost and pricing data to determine price reasonableness when relevant historical data and pricing precedents are generally not available or require extensive adaptation. Develops cost/pricing data, proposals and counter-proposals for use in negotiations. Analyzes contractor proposals to determine reasonableness, allowability, and allocability of costs. Determines appropriateness and reasonableness of proposed labor and overhead rates and labor escalation factors based on audit reports or other available sources. Documents results of cost and price analyses and market surveys.
• Resolves and dispositions contract audit recommendations in a timely manner, while fully protecting the Government's interest. Negotiates cost, price, and related factors. Presents price information and proposals at negotiation sessions. Develops data for use in pricing trends analyses. Promotes teamwork and total quality customer services on a continuing basis.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Selective Service requirements apply. Please visit http://www.sss.gov for more information
• Suitable for Federal employment determined by required background investigation
• Must obtain/maintain Secret security clearance
• Drug Testing Designated position: Yes
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Financial Disclosure: Required
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt

Qualifications

You may qualify at the NH-03 if you fulfill the following qualifications:

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the NH-02 or GS-11 grade level in the Federal service as listed below:

Interpret and utilize Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), or applicable acquisition regulations supplement and local policies in the administration, selection, and negotiating strategy of a contract or procurement;

Compile and evaluate service, requirements, and/or cost data for a variety of preaward and postaward procurement activities to negotiate procurements of a new or innovative research, related materials, equipment and/or service;

Evaluate bid responsiveness, contractor responsibility, and contractor performance;

Performing the full range of pre and post award contractual actions required in the procurement of services and supplies utilizing negotiated and/or simplified acquisition.

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.

In addition to meeting qualifications, your application package must reflect the applicable experience to meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 1102, series as listed below:

Basic Contracting Requirement: A.) Bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. OR B.) Current civilian employee in DoD, who occupied a GS-1102 position or contracting position with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in an Executive Department on or before September 30, 2000. SF-50s must be provided to show applicant is a current 1102 and has been in this series since October 1, 2000 if using this exception. OR C.) Current civilian employee in DoD, who served as a military member in a similar occupational specialty to the GS-1102 on or before September 30, 2000.

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

Education

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

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

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

Additional information

Other Notes:

• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• The overall salary range listed above is provided for informational purposes as it represents the full range that is applicable to current employees in this occupation/grade; however, a selectee's initial pay is always set below the maximum rate of the range.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Agency's interest.
• Relocation and/or Recruitment incentive may be authorized if determined by the Hiring Manager to be in the best interest of the Agency.
• Remote work is not authorized.

ACQUISITION POSITION: This position requires a Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Foundational level. Certification prior to hiring is not essential but must be accomplished within 36 months after entry into this position. For information regarding the DAWIA Back to Basics please visit: Back to Basics - Helpful Resources (dau.edu)

• DAWIA (Back to Basics) Certification: NON-CAP: Position requires DoD Acquisition Contracting, Foundational certification within required timeframes. Selectee must also achieve 80 hours of Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) every 2-years. Click here for more details and Resources .

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Programs: This program applies to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position; Well qualified is defined as possessing the type and quality of experience that exceeds the positions minimum qualifications. and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. For more information:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see Who Needs to Register | Selective Service System : Selective Service System (sss.gov) )

All applicants must meet qualifications and eligibility criteria by the closing date of the announcement.