CONTRACT SPECIALIST (Title 5)

Summary

IOWA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD - TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION Open to the public. Military membership is not required. Applicants who meet one of the DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) categories are eligible to apply with this preference. (See Required Documents section) LOCATION: USPFO, Johnston, IA

Duties

• As a CONTRACT SPECIALIST (Title 5), GS-1102-9/11/12, you will perform the following duties. Plans the overall approach to meet contracting program objectives for a variety of requirements with multiple complexities. Analyzes difficult/controversial contracting issues, determines, recommends and/or implements course of action which may depart from previous approaches for long-term contract performance or short-term contracts with extremely stringent time frames. Provides business advice and assistance to technical personnel involved in the development of the performance work statement/statement of work/statement of objectives or data requirements. Reviews a diverse variety of requisition packages for adequacy and compliance with administrative, regulatory, and procedural requirements and consistency with current market practices and conditions. Serves as a contracting authority and advisor to management, customers, and contractors in assignment area relative to the market, the industry, specifications, socioeconomic concerns, and similar matters. Performs acquisition planning, along with the program manager/customer, technical, legal, and finance personnel to develop market research, acquisition strategy, milestones, evaluation/source selection criteria, and/or incentive or award fee provisions, as applicable. Exercises experienced judgment, initiative, and resourcefulness to identify regulations and laws which do or do not apply to the particular procurement, to consider financial arrangements and incentives, and to develop justifications for adopting a contractual posture. Prepares required documents to support solicitation issuance and reviews and advises less experienced specialists in the preparation of documents. Determines appropriate method of procurement, contract type, and financing arrangements to fit special circumstances. Reviews and evaluates requisitions for which previous experience and historical data are not usually directly available or applicable such as complex services, architect and engineering services or environmental related construction. Reviews procurement requests to determine whether, based on market analysis, the requirement can be performed by and should be set aside for small businesses; actively solicits Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Women-Owned Small Business, HUB Zone Small Business, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business participation. (30%) Oversees the procurement of a wide variety of services, supplies, construction and architect and engineering. Researches, interprets, analyzes, and applies all regulations, business and industry practices, market trends, Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Comptroller General decisions, public law, case law, and precedents. Devises special terms, provisions, clauses, and conditions applicable to the solicitation and contract as required. (30%) Executes post-award contract performance management actions on assigned contracts. Appoints Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs) within delegated authority and manages the COR program as required. Evaluates contractor performance for compliance with terms and conditions of contracts and ensures timely submission of contract deliverables and performance metrics. Makes field site visits, if necessary, detecting and correcting labor standards violations, taking appropriate action to expedite delivery or performance when required by mission changes, monitoring the contractor's use of government-furnished property inventories, and issuing change orders as necessary. Obtains additional funds or de-obligates funds as necessary. Analyzes a variety of unusual conditions, questions, or issues including complex contract administration problems, e.g., disputes, labor violations, and claims, and identifies alternative courses of action which may depart from previous approaches. Determines the reasonableness of claims. Researches and recommends appropriate action for resolution of difficult problems or claims through interpretation of contract requirements. (20%) Serves as business advisor to a wide range of customers. Represents the interest of the organization in a professional manner in meetings and various contacts outside the agency on a variety of issues that often are not well defined. Provides business advice, guidance, training, and assistance to team members, technical or program personnel, functional commanders, and/or contractors on contractual language, legal responsibilities, acquisition and business-related issues. Assists in providing interpretation/clarification to contractors and customers on contractual language, contractual and federal/state/local regulatory requirements, and business opportunities. Prepares correspondence, reports, memoranda or other documents and briefings (scheduled or ad hoc) that support contractual actions or recommendations. Performs other duties as assigned. T0047000

Qualifications

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Applicants who do not fully address the minimum/specialized experience needed for the position in their resume will not be referred for consideration. Your resume must contain your own words. Resumes that are verbatim, from this announcement, any PD's, or any other applicants will not be considered. MINIMUM EXPERIENCE: Must have experience in positions supporting competencies in business, finance, risk management, project management, or supply chain management. Experience must include competencies such as skill in collecting and analyzing data and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively and other professional competencies in procurement administration or purchase card management. Minimum education requirement: A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:GS 11029/11/12 - Applicant must have the following experience: GS-09: Must have one year of experience in contracting at the GS-07 grade level that provided exposure to the full scope of contracting and acquisition and a working knowledge in one or more of the following areas: (1) A knowledge of contracting authority and responsibility, (2) Contract principles and knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, (3) Contractor responsibility standards, (4) Regulatory compliance, (5) Knowledge of Federal supply schedule contracting, and (6) Knowledge of acquisition definitions and applicability. In addition to participating in education and training courses, individuals are expected to develop their required competencies through relevant on-the-job experience, which may include rotational assignments. GS-11: Must have one year of contracting experience at the GS-09 level performing work in the following areas as applicable to the position being filled: (1) Pre-award of contracts related to development of a solicitation. Acquisition planning, requesting offers, and developing offers by evaluation of solicitation and finalizing offers, (2) Award of contracts that includes forming a contract, and (3) Post-Award actions to administer the contract. Competencies at the practitioner category emphasize functional specialization in contracting. Specialized experience may have been gained while providing business advice to customers and performing all pre-award/post-award functions, using a wide range of contracting methods and types to procure complex and/or diversified commodities, services and/or construction. Individuals at this category are expected to have and apply journeyman level acquisition-related skills. GS-12: Must have one year of contracting experience at the GS-11 level. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: (1) Performing acquisition planning including market research and knowledge of a wide variety of contracting methods that satisfy mission needs and meet customer requirements, (2) Advising Contracting Officer Representatives and advising customers on procurement preparation and development of contractually acceptable specifications, work statements, and quality assurance criteria, (3) Reviewing procurement requests to assure clarity, adequacy, and completeness, and (4) Reviewing contract terms and technical specifications to identify any special requirements.

Education

Minimum education requirement: A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. You must provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. To receive credit for education, you must provide documentation of proof that you meet the education requirements for this position.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13043345 A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your 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/.