Clarification from the agency

This position is being filled through Direct Hire Authority. Traditional rating and ranking of applications does NOT apply. Veteran's preference does not apply.

As a Contract Specialist, you will:

• Serves as an expert contract specialist responsible for performing a full range of acquisitions procedures in accordance with FAR and DOLAR to procure supplies, services, and/or equipment for the OIG.

• Based on technical specifications received, develops a solicitation document. Determines number of vendors to be solicited. Issues, documents, and coordinates responses received for the purpose of evaluating offers. Determines specific contract language and clauses by editing Statements of Work. Selects the appropriate type of contract, and coordinates with socioeconomic specialists relative to special programs if applicable. Determines method of award.

• Performs price/cost analysis to determine price/cost fair and reasonable. Analyzes commercial pricing practices applicable to assigned commodities and economic developments relative to increased material, labor, or transportation costs as reflected in price indices. Evaluates cost/price data submitted by offertory to support direct and indirect costs, and profit.

• Provides research and analytical support in researching procurement issues. Uses the FAR, Appropriation Law, Comptroller General Decisions and other sources to resolve issues and recommend policies and procedures.

• Responsible for the administration of all contracts awarded. This includes negotiating and preparing modifications, accurately and timely, reviewing and approving invoices, confirming receipt of items purchased, and closing out contract(s) timely.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C), or equivalent Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification such as DAWIA Professional) is required upon selection, and must be maintained.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure (OGE-450) requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521).
• This position requires the employee to obtain and maintain the appropriate background investigation and/or security clearance.

Qualifications

Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. 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.

To qualify on Experience for the GS-13, you must have one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, which includes:
Examples of specialized experience may include performing such duties as:

• Performing independent contracting assignments in the solicitation, negotiation, award, and administration of a variety of complex contracts for goods or services. Demonstrated accomplishment of pre-award and post-award procurement actions that require extensive knowledge of Federal government and Departmental contracting methods and procedures.

• Knowledge of Government contract administration concepts, principles, and practices to monitor contractor performance over the life of a contract, and to solve a broad range of contract administration problems relating to specification interpretation, delinquent/unsatisfactory performance, constructive changes, change proposals, claims, contractor business systems, progress and other payments, subcontractor consent, pre-award functions, unilateral determinations, and other issues.

• Ability to advise clients on the development of statements of work and technical requirements; and have actively participated in multiple levels (i.e. sole source, 8a, limited competition, full and open competition), multiple forms (i.e. simplified acquisitions, GSA Schedule competitions, negotiated and/or sealed bids), multiple needs (i.e. services, supplies, equipment), and multiple portions of the procurement process (i.e. pre-award, post- award, policy, price analysis).

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above
1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

• No Relocation Incentives will be offered.
• No Permanent Change of Station Incentives will be offered.
• This position is outside the Bargaining Unit.
• This position will not be filled until the Department's Placement Assistance Programs have been fully utilized.

How you will be evaluated

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

Under the authority of direct hire recruitment, evaluation factors are a tool to gauge one's proficiency in relevant competencies but will not be used to determine who will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. All candidates who have provided a complete application and meet the minimum qualification requirements will be referred for consideration. Please review evaluations details here.

Click here for Evaluation details.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, and volunteer, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.

You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you.

• Resumes: Required and each applicant must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
• Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point (TP) preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Your DD 214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point (CP/CPS, XP) preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214 and the proof of entitlement of this preference, which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. In addition, a Standard Form (SF-15) should be included, but is not required. (For active-duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference.
• Displaced Employee Placement Documents: Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
• Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English): If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.

Do not upload password-protected documents.

Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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