Contract Specialist Job in Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)

Vacancy No. CARX-25-12607302-SPe-DH Department Executive Director, Office of Acquisition and Logistics
Salary $88,520.00 to $115,079.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/13/2024 Close Date 11/19/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)


Summary

This position is a contract specialist in the Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics (OPAL). OPAL negotiates, awards, and administers multi-year, multi-billion-dollar contracts for supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and Agency policy. The acquisitions include complex contracts and programs that are critical to the execution of the VA mission and other Government agencies.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Duties

This is a bargaining unit position.

The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 150 applications. The first 150 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (150 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 150 in the order they applied.

Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed.


This position must meet eligibility requirements to receive and maintain a FAC-C Level Professional certification.

This position may require the incumbent to obtain a warrant, if deemed necessary by the supervisor based on workload and agency needs. If the supervisor determines a warrant is required, the incumbent must apply for up to Level III warrant authority, accept the warrant, and execute the warrant authority in support of the mission.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Total Rewards
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible Schedule: May be available with supervisor approval.
Telework: Not available
Duty Location Status: Will work remotely from home
Position Description Title/PD#: Contract Specialist/ PD20709A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required
Physical Demands: 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. Government travel for training, meetings, or customer interactions will be required in this position.

Major Duties:
  • Determine the offeror that represents the best value based on price and other factors.
  • Issue show cause letters and cure notices as a prelude to terminations.
  • Select the appropriate method of procurement such as simplified acquisition procedures, sealed-bidding, or negotiations.
  • Review specifications and statements of work to develop acquisition strategies.
  • Establish technical evaluation boards to determine acceptability and ranking of technical proposals.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
  • Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
  • Selectees may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • A complete application package, i.e., Resume, Transcripts, etc., as required by job announcement.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/19/2024.

AND

You may qualify based on your education and experience as described below.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Individual Occupational Requirements:

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above:
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. 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 -
B. 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.
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.
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.

- AND -

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as:
  • Experience with Federal 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 with cost/price analysis techniques used in evaluation of contractor proposals, change order proposals and/or to conduct negotiations.
  • Experience with various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and/or cost reimbursement.
  • Experience with contract methods to include simplified acquisitions, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items, special provisions, modifications, and/or settlements.
  • Experience negotiating prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and/or settlements.
  • Experience with commercial and/or industrial business practices.
  • Experience with contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance/compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract.
  • Experience utilizing an electronic contract writing and management system to solicit, award, and administer contracts.
This experience MUST be evident in your resume to receive consideration.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Acquisition Strategy
  • Contract Administration

Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties.

To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp.

Education

There is no educational substitution for the GS-13 level.

There is an educational requirement for the GS-13 level as stated in the Individual Occupational Requirement. A transcript MUST be uploaded with your application.

PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act (or the Act) prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from requesting applicant criminal history record information before extending a conditional or tentative offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S.C § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged non-compliance to VA at vacofairchanceact@va.gov. Applicant written complaints should include the following:

  • Administration name: Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
  • Office name, employee name and contact information or contractor who made contact (if known).
  • Date of contact.
  • Details regarding the job opportunity announcement applied to, and copies of any documents or other evidence related to the complaint.
  • Visit Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) for more information.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Required Documents

Documents Accepted:

  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • Performance Appraisal
  • Resume
  • Separation Notice (RIF)
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

Documents Required:
  • Resume
  • Transcript

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online.

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/19/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12607302.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

VHA National Recruitment Center
Address
Strategic Acquisition Center
10300 Spotsylvania Ave
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.