Contract Specialist Job in Worldwide - 98151835 - ZAQPUJ6.XITS.

Vacancy Announcement	ZAQPUJ6.XITS.
Agency	Veterans Health Administration
Salary	$59,681 to $92,992
Series & Grade	GS-1102-11/12
Opening to Closing Dates	2011-03-29 to 2011-07-29
Status	Public
Apply for Job	Application Link

Job Title:
Contract Specialist

Department:
Department Of Veterans Affairs

Agency:
Veterans Health Administration

Job Announcement Number:
PCAC-RQD-11-V0456427

SALARY RANGE:
$59,681.00 - $92,992.00 /year

OPEN PERIOD:
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 to Friday, July 29, 2011
SERIES & GRADE:GS-1102-11/12

POSITION INFORMATION:
Full Time Career/Career Conditional

PROMOTION POTENTIAL:
12

DUTY LOCATIONS:
1 vacancy - Seven Hills, OH

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED:
VA & ALL STATUS (current/former employees, eligible veterans, special hiring authorities)

JOB SUMMARY:

The Department of Veterans Affairs is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. America's veterans need you!

MERIT PROMOTION ANNOUNCEMENT

Tour of Duty: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Compressed/Flexible Schedules: Available

Flexiplace: Not Available

Occasional Travel: 1 - 5 nights per month

Relocation Expenses: Authorized

Relocation Bonus: Authorized

This recruitment is for one position with the Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC) located in Seven Hills, OH.

*THIS IS AN OPEN CONTIUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT AND WILL HAVE A CUT-OFF ONCE A MONTH.

Promotion potential to the next grade level is not automatic. Advancement is dependent on the need and resources of the organization, assignment of progressively more difficult duties and responsibilities, demonstrating satisfactory ability to perform at each successively higher grade level, meeting time-in-grade, and other legal requirements.

VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/.

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

You must be a US citizen to apply for this job

Additional Duty Location Info:
1 vacancy - Seven Hills, OH

The incumbent assists the requiring activities by serving as a member of acquisition planning teams. In this role the incumbent aids requiring activities in performing market research, reviewing specifications and statements of work, and approving acquisition milestone plans. Advises technical personnel as to inadequate, ambiguous or vague specifications to avoid liability. Performs a complete review of recommended sole-source requirements and conducts necessary market analyses to test the noncompetitive assumptions of requisitions. Prepares required findings and sufficiently documents determinations in this regard. Responsible for selecting the appropriate method of procurement i.e. simplified acquisition procedures, sealed-bidding, negotiations. Incumbent is responsible for advertising all applicable requirements and preparing the solicitation document using agency contract writing systems for issuance, insuring regulatory and legal sufficiency, and promoting maximum competition. Conducts public bid openings, reviews bids and determines responsiveness and responsibility of low bidder in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements when using sealed bidding. Determines the selected bidder(s) represents the best value (price and other factors considered) and meets regulatory requirements to be considered a responsible contractor. Eliminates unacceptable proposals and notifies bidders concerning further negotiation or elimination from the competitive range. Prepares detailed price negotiation memoranda, outlining in writing the details of negotiations with contractors in competitive and noncompetitive negotiations. Conducts debriefings with non-successful bidders as requested. Serves as contract administrator on awarded contracts. Negotiates required changes to contract conditions to protect the agency. Performs cost/price analysis on change order proposals and analysis of delivery requirements. Closes out contract upon completion of the contract, resolution of all conflicts, and final disposition of payment and obtains adequate release of Claims documents to protect the agency. Archive contract records in accordance with agency procedures. Prepares other documentation for award including Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) reports, solicitation and award synopses, documents, and administrative correspondence.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Basic Requirement for GS-5 through GS-12

You must meet the basic requirement for the GS-1102 contracting series at the link provided and the minimum qualifications.

http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/IORs/gs1100/1102.htm

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

GS-12: I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience is experience that demonstrate knowledge of regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts. Demonstrate knowledge of cost/price analysis techniques used in evaluation of contractor proposals, change order proposals and to conduct negotiations. Possess knowledge of various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and cost reimbursement; and contract methods. Possess knowledge of contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract. Knowledge of negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and settlements.

GS-11: I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience is experience that demonstrate knowledge of regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts. Knowledge of cost/price analysis techniques used in evaluation of contractor proposals, change order proposals and to conduct negotiations. Possess knowledge of various types of contracts, including firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and cost reimbursement; and contract methods. Possess knowledge of contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract. Demonstrate knowledge of negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications and settlements.

-OR-

Three full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Time-in-grade restrictions: In addition to meeting qualification requirements, applicants must meet time-in-grade restrictions.

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: 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 (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report attendance and/or degrees from only these schools. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on their application or résumé. Applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. Veterans who are still in the service may be granted 5 points tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD-214 or other proof prior to appointment to document entitlement to preference. To receive consideration as a veteran you must provide legible copies of your DD-214, member 4 copy or another copy that shows all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.)Note: More than one DD-214 may be needed to show all dates of service. Copies of your DD-214 may be requested by calling 1-800-827-1000 or TDD#800-829-4833 or online at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetsinfo.asp

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Your résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

BENEFITS:

Working for the Department of Veterans Affairs offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. In addition to traditional "dollars and cents" benefits, we offer a range of benefits to help balance work and life. For more information please visit us at http://www.va.gov/jobs/job_benefits/benefits.asp.

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The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 90 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp .

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 employees 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.

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Your Résumé or OF-612
A complete Occupational Questionnaire
Additional Required Documents (See Required Documents section below)

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Friday, July 29, 2011.

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process. Applicants are urged to apply online; this process is easier, faster, and provides more information as applications are processed.

Note: To return to a previously Saved or Incomplete application you may use the following links: https://applicationmanager.gov/ . After applying, return to Application Manager or My USAJOBS (https://my.usajobs.gov/Login.aspx) to see the status of your application, including any messages that may have been sent to you.

If you cannot apply online:

Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire View Occupational Questionnaire View Occupational Questionnaire.
Print this 1203FX form to provide your response to the occupational questionnaire http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/OPM1203fx.pdf. ( In Section 25 of the Occupational Questionnaire, you may notice that the numbering restarts with number one. When entering your responses on the 1203-FX form, please continue to enter your responses on the next available number within this section.)
Fax the completed 1203FX form along with any supporting documents to (478)757-3144. Your 1203FX will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission.

To fax supporting documents you are unable to upload:

Complete this cover page http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usascover.pdfusing the following Vacancy ID 456427.
Fax your documents to (478)757-3144.

APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED VIA MAIL. ANY APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED VIA MAIL WILL BE DESTROYED AND NOT RETURNED.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

The following documents are required:

Your Résumé or OF-612 - (include series, grade, step, starting and ending dates of employment, month and year, and hours worked per week, and salary information)
Responses to all of the questions in the Occupational Questionnaire are mandatory or you will be deemed ineligible.
If you are a current Federal employee, you must submit a copy of your current or prior year signed Notification of Personnel Action (SF50) showing your position, title, series, grade and eligibility. Applicants who fail to submit this form will be rated INELIGIBLE (SF-50 must be in PDF format, text format will not be accepted).
If you are a former Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility, you must submit a copy of your last signed Notification of Personnel Action (SF50) as a Federal employee showing your position, title, series, grade and eligibility. Applicants who fail to submit this form will be rated INELIGIBLE (SF-50 must be in PDF format, text format will not be accepted).
To receive consideration as a Veteran you must provide legible copies of your DD-214, member 4 copy or another copy that shows all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.) or a statement of service signed by the commander or you will be deemed INELIGIBLE.Note: More than one DD-214 may be needed to show all dates of service.
Performance Appraisal - This document is optional for all applicants.
Copy of official transcripts (required to verify basic requirement).
Military Spouses must submit: Copy of the sponsor's permanent change of station orders showing you as an authorized dependent. Marriage Certificate. Statement that spouse preference is requested for this vacancy and has not previously been used to obtain a position in the commuting area.

Note: Your SF-50 should reflect the grade and step information equivalent to or greater than the grade lower than the position you are applying to. This may not always be your most recent SF-50. You may need to submit more than one SF-50.

Use this checklist to make sure you've submitted everything!

AGENCY CONTACT INFO:

Rebecca A. Hochstetler
Phone: (866)941-6416
Email: REBECCA.HOCHSTETLER@VA.GOV Agency Information:
VHA Service Center
6100 Oak Tree Blvd
Suite 500
Independence, OH 44131
USA

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your résumé and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills and abilities required of this position. Qualified candidates will be assigned a score between 70 and 100. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your description of experience and/or education or that your application is incomplete, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or result in your name being removed from further consideration.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS will receive a rating of IFM (ineligible due to missing forms). Request for reconsideration of ratings will not be considered for applicants who fail to submit a complete application package. We cannot be responsible for incompatible software, fax transmissions, delays in mail service, etc.