Contract Specialist

Summary

If you have experience in contracting, negotiating, and providing policy guidance and technical assistance to the acquisitions community AND you want to play a significant role in a dynamic organization, then consider joining the Office of Acquisition and Logistics Management (OALM), Office of the Director (OD). For more information, please visit

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Duties

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• Perform specialized and complex contract award and contract administration work.
• Serve as a senior Contract Specialist and lead negotiator.
• Research, interpret, and apply the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures governing NIH acquisitions.
• Evaluate bid responsiveness, contractor responsibility and performance.
• Apply mastery knowledge of contract principles, laws, statutes, Executive Orders, regulations and procedures applicable to pre-award and/or post-award actions sufficient to procure and/or administer complex contracts for a variety of specialized equipment or services.
• Provide technical leadership, staff coordination and consultation during a contractual phase.
• Apply knowledge of contract administration and termination techniques sufficient to administer and closeout contracts.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• This position is covered under the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Act. As an HHS Acquisition Workforce position, selectee(s) must obtain a FAC-C (Professional) Certification within 36 months of entrance on duty. Applicants who possess a current FAC-C (Professional) Certification (or equivalent) must provide a copy of the certification with their application.
• U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
• Applicants must meet all qualifications requirements within thirty (30) calendar days of the closing date of this announcement, including time in grade.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Position requires Education, please submit transcripts.
• If selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE Form 450 to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest and your prospective position with the agency. This information is required annually. For information, visit the NIH Ethics website:
• The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
• The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
• Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Based on your appointment, a one or two-year trial/probationary period may be required. A decision regarding your continued employment with NIH will be made as you near the end of this period.

Qualifications

NIH may use this announcement to consider current Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) employees with an approved waiver of education requirements. If you are a current DHHS employee with an approved waiver, please submit a copy of your waiver with your application.

Basic Requirements for the GS-11/12:

In order to meet the basic requirements for the Contract Specialist, GS-1102-11/12 position, you must meet one of the following:

A. completed 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;

OR

C. occupied a GS-1102 position on January 1, 2000. NOTE: Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12.

Additional Qualifications for the GS-11:

In addition to the basic requirements above, you must demonstrate in your resume:

A. one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: performing recurring assignments in support of a local installation or in a centralized procurement activity; procuring supplies or services primarily through formal advertising, or through limited use of negotiation techniques; and/or evaluating bids or proposals for compliance with specifications or purchase descriptions and applicable clauses;

OR

B. completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree;

OR

C. 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management;

OR

D. a combination of post baccalaureate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Additional Qualifications at the GS-12:

In addition to the basic requirements above, you must demonstrate in your resume:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector. Specialized experience includes: serving as Contract Specialist responsible for all aspects of the contracting transactions from initiation to recommendation of award for the: (1) central procurement of commodities or services for several activities in a geographic area, or for an agency or a department; or (2) performing acquisition planning, preparation of price/cost analyses for designated actions, formulation of negotiation strategies, development of negotiation objectives, and negotiation of various types of contracts.

Basic Requirements for the GS-13:

In order to meet the basic requirements for the Contract Specialist, GS-1102-13 position, you must meet one of the following

:A. completed 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;

OR

B. occupied a GS-1102-13 position on or before January 1, 2000;

OR ,

C. a current Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employee with an approved waiver of educational requirements. To receive consideration, you must submit your waiver with your application.

Additional Qualifications at the GS-13:

In addition to the basic requirements for the GS-13 above, you must also meet ALL the following requirements:

A. completed all mandatory training and certification requirements prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to the GS-13 or higher-level contracting positions. Completion of this training for non-NIH employees is not required upon application to meet qualifications. If selected, you must complete all required training and satisfy all certification requirements within the specified time-frames determined by your supervisor.

AND

B. have at least 4-years of experience in contracting or related positions.

AND

C. have at least 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: serving in a position responsible for pre-award and post-award functions, including price/cost analysis, negotiation, and administration for services, materials, and equipment associated with research, development, test, evaluation, and production activities of one or more organizations, professional or technical services, reviewing and analyzing requests for the procurement of complex equipment, services, sole source and other required clearances, and preparing documentation.

Visit our web page Guidance on Business Related Coursework for the GS-1102 Contracting Series for information on what coursework is qualifying along with other helpful information.

You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay.

Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer.

Preview application questionnaire before you apply:

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades). Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.

If you qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, you are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application packages. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Click here for information on Foreign Education.

Additional information

• PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps should apply online to this announcement to receive consideration.
• This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.
• Visit Help Applying for helpful information on the application process.
• Military Spouses selected from this announcement will remain in their current duty location (i.e., the official duty station of the military service member.
• If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: Reasonable Accommodation Information.
• Veterans' Preference only applies to Schedule A (disability appointment), HHS Reemployment Priority List (RPL) Eligibles, HHS Priority Reemployment List (PRL) Eligibles, and Veterans Recruitment Appointments (if applicable).
• NIH may repay certain outstanding Federally insured student loans to facilitate the recruitment and retention of highly qualified people. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for prior work experience or active-duty uniformed service that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining his or her annual leave accrual rate. All creditable service must be directly related to the duties of the position being filled and decisions to allow for such credit must be finalized prior to the selectee's entrance on duty. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• A newly appointed or reappointed individual may receive a recruitment incentive. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• A current federal government employee may receive a relocation incentive if moving from a different geographic location. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• At the supervisor's discretion, this position may offer work schedule flexibilities: telework compressed schedules, flexible schedules.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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