Summary
This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration, in an organization that reports to the Contracts and Strategic Sourcing (NSS) organization, Supply Chain Services (NS), Chief Administrative Office (N).
A successful candidate in the Contract Specialist position will be responsible for the full range of contract administration for preaward and postaward functions, including price/cost analysis, negotiation, and administration for services, materials, equipment and/or construction.
Duties
This position is approved to work remotely full time, but the employee will be expected to reside within 125 miles from the DOE worksite located in one of the following locations:
Vancouver, WA
Seattle, WA
Pasco, WA
Spokane, WA
Portland, OR
Redmond, OR
Eugene, OR
Boise, ID
Kalispell, MT
This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT with an initial cut off date of December 19, 2024 or 200 applicants, whichever comes first. May be extended or updated as needed. Initial pull of applicants for potential referral will occur on December 03, 2024 or if the applicant limit is reached prior to that date. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis, if applicant limit has not been reached.
As a Contract Specialist, you will:
- Be responsible for the full range of contract administration for pre-award and post-award functions, including price/cost analysis, negotiation, and administration for services, materials, equipment and/or construction within a major spend category, organizational component, or in a geographical area associated with operating and maintaining a high-voltage electric utility industry.
- Review requests for the procurement of complex equipment, services, and/or construction.
- Prepare solicitation documents incorporating provisions, such as cost price analysis standards, requirements for technical proposals with appropriate weighing factors, testing procedures, cost escalation factors, cost data requirements, and socioeconomic programs.
- Negotiate with potential contractors. Award contracts within delegated contracting officer authority, or recommend award to higher level contracting officer on contracts outside delegated authority.
- Assist contract administration offices in the administration of contracts, including performance of termination actions, until final delivery and payments are completed and the contract is closed and retired.
- Prepare initial agency position on protests from unsuccessful bidders and renders or recommends a decision on claims arising under the contract.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
- This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
- Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
- This position is approved to work remotely full time, but the employee will be expected to reside within 125 miles from a DOE worksite located in one of the locations listed in announcement text.
- Selectee will be required to complete the Office of Government Ethics Standard of Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OFGE450e) within 30 days of employment and annually.
- All newly employed BPA AWF members in the GS-1102 career series will be enrolled in the FAC-C certification program through FAITAS.
- This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT with an initial cut off date of December 19, 2024 or 200 applicants, whichever comes first. May be extended or updated as needed.
- Initial pull of applicants for potential referral will occur on December 03, 2024 or if the applicant limit is reached prior to that date.
- Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis, if applicant limit has not been reached.
Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENT:
A. 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;
-OR-
B. 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.
Exception: Employees in the 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 though 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified as GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through graded 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must meet the specialized experience as identified below.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-11, in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) administering complex contracts requiring special handling provisions or specialized terms and conditions that may include technical equipment; 2) analyzing work requirements in order to make revisions to statements of work for contracts; and 3) negotiating with potential contractors or customers to award contracts in the most cost effective manner.
"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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
This vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.
Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the
Department of Education website.DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.
Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible".
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
This position is announced under a government-wide Direct-Hire Authority (DHA) for Contract Specialist positions in the 1102 series. Under the DHA, all applicants who meet the Education and Qualification requirements listed in this announcement, at the grade level they are applying, will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. Veteran's Preference, category rating, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply under the DHA process.
If you are eligible for career transition assistance plans such as ICTAP or CTAP, you must meet the Education and Qualification requirements listed in this announcement to be referred for consideration.
If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible' or 'not qualified'.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
- Contracting/Procurement
- Customer Service
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Oral Communication
- Reasoning
- Stakeholder Management
- Writing
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (12/19/2024) of this announcement.
To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12611105
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.
The application process is as follows:
- You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/.
- To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button.
- Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation.
- You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.
You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application:
https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit:
https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center:
https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/
If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. The status of your application will be updated in USAJOBS as it is evaluated.
You can check the status by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application changes by logging into your USAJobs Account and editing the Notification Settings.
You will be contacted directly if an interview is required.
Please check that your USAJOBS profile contact information is current and correct each time you apply to a job--this will ensure we are able to contact you as quickly as possible.
In addition to changing your status online, we will send you e-mail notifications at each major step in the process, to include: application received, eligible or not eligible, referred or not referred, selected or not selected.