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The incumbent of this position serves as the Contract Specialist. The incumbent has responsibility for negotiating and executing contracting documents for design and construction services for major capital assets throughout the VA. Projects involve medical buildings and regional offices and entail complex renovation, new construction, and modernization projects to existing facilities for use by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Assignments include negotiated design and construction services, best value contracts, fees for consultant services, testing labs, design build projects, and claims.
Projects routinely attract public and congressional attention and require constant adjustments due to unforeseen site conditions impacting on the design as well as other factors such as inflation, available supplies and resources, and Federal budget pressures and technological advances during several years of design and construction activity. The Contracting Officer advises all levels of management on the progress, development and coordination of projects needed to accomplish the overall mission of the Department. Leads planning, predesign, design, pre-proposal, preconstruction, phasing and other conferences and meetings with other VA officials, facility staff, private architectural and engineering firms, and construction firms. Defines program and functional requirements; advises on design criteria and specifications. Resolves technical conflicts and errors discovered during schematics review, design development review and the review of construction documents for VA facilities.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Position Description Title/PD#: Contract Specialist / PD13300A
Remote: This is a Remote position
Compressed or Flexible Work Schedule: May be authorized
Financial Disclosure Reporting: Required
Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although there are regular and recurring construction inspections requiring a considerable amount of walking, stooping, bending, and climbing.
Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.
- You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
- Subject to a background/suitability investigation
- May serve a probationary period
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- FAC-C Professional Certification or DAWIA equivalent required or applicant must be willing to obtain certification within 36 months of appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Financial Disclosure Required
You may qualify based on your experience, as described below: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
Specialized Experience GS-13: Do you possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level (GS-12) that equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of this position at the GS-13 grade level? Specialized experience is experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Contract Specialist position and is typically in or related to the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include: managing contracting/procurement construction related acquisition activities; Conduct research analysis on negotiation techniques in the development of pre-contract and post-construction related service agreements/settlements; managing construction and A-E design related contract administration activities; Communicate in a clear concise and logical manner; Construction management environmental studies; Lead and oversee planning, predesign, design, pre-bid, pre-construction, phasing, and other conferences and meeting with Veterans Affairs (VA) Officials; Lead inspections and continually interface with the facility; Provide advisory services to other VA facilities and staff officials on contracting issues. (Evidence of this specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of like duties performed in positions held on your resume. You will also need to provide work experience information such as hours per week, salary, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have one (1) full year of specialized experience at the required grade level).
Specialized Experience GS-14: Do you possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level (GS-13) that equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of this position at the GS-14 grade level? Specialized experience is experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Contract Specialist position and is typically in or related to the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include: Manage contracting/procurement construction related acquisition activities; Conduct research analysis on negotiation techniques in the development of pre-contract and post-construction related service agreements/settlements; Manage construction and A-E design related contract administration activities; Communicate in a clear concise and logical manner; Construction management environmental studies; Lead and oversee planning, predesign, design, pre-bid, pre-construction, phasing, and other conferences and meeting with Veterans Affairs (VA) Officials; Lead inspections and continually interface with the facility; Provide advisory services to other VA facilities and staff officials on contracting issues. (Evidence of this specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of like duties performed in positions held on your resume. You will also need to provide work experience information such as hours per week, salary, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have one (1) full year of specialized experience at the required grade level).
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.
There is no educational substitution at this grade level. However, you must meet the Basic Occupational Requirement for one of the following Series:
1102- Contract Specialist:
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. 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 organizational and management. (Transcript required)
This position has the following Certification:
- FAC-C Professional Certification or DAWIA equivalent (provide documentation for maximum consideration).
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.
VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
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 .
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.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an .
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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. .
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.
Documents Accepted:
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- Other (1)
- Performance Appraisal
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
Documents Required:
- Professional Certification
- Resume
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.
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 .
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.
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 05/13/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click .
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, , 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.
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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.
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