Contract Specialist

Summary

As a Contract Specialist, you will serve as the principle contract specialist performing all contracting functions including pre-award, post-award, solicitation, negotiations, administration, contract management and close-out. This position is located within the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). OCFO is responsible for the agency's compliance with federal financial management requirements and oversees the agency's procurement function and travel program.

This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• Federal employees - Competitive service
  
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.
• Individuals with disabilities
• Land & base management
  
  Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.
• Military spouses
• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
• Veterans

Duties

Serves as the Agency's principal contract specialist with a delegated signatory authority to award contracts. Specific duties include:

• Developing procurement plans by reviewing prior history, market conditions, and specifications of technical data packages. Conducting pre-proposal conference with program office personnel involved in the request and award of the contract. Analyzing requirements and recommends necessary revisions to requesting activities to clarify requirements.
• Advising offices on acquisition strategies and assists with or oversees the development of statements of work. Fielding questions from various firms concerning contract solicitations and prepare responses.
• Performing analysis of proposal received, ensuring compliance with specifications on advertised procurements. Preparing appropriate documentation to exercise option years and contract modifications. Assisting in the resolution and documentation of performance issues and problems.
• Developing and revising procurement policies and procedures.
• Developing and presenting procurement training to Agency staff.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• One year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• Submission of a financial disclosure report may be required.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required

Qualifications

To qualify for this position applicants must meet the basic requirement, the mandatory training requirement, and the Specialized Experience as described below.

Basic Requirements

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 of 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. 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

C. 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.

D. 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.

IN ADDITION

• FAC-C Level III or equivalent

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

You may qualify at the VH-39 (GS-13) band level if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the VH-38 (GS-12) band level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position defined as (1) planning, negotiating, leading, and administering complex procurement of goods, systems or services, using a wide variety of cost and fixed-price contracts, multi-year contracts and extensive use of subcontractors; (2) developing contractual pricing arrangements and incentives; (3) auditing or reviewing major acquisitions, and then presenting findings, and (4) recommending corrective actions and policy or procedure improvements.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; religious; 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.

You must meet all qualification requirements and submit all required supporting documentation by the closing date of this announcement. If you are found to be among the most highly qualified candidates you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview.

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Current and former Federal employees (including VEOA eligibles) must have served one-year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade in the Federal service to meet time-in-grade restrictions per 5 CFR 300, Subpart F, by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

If this position has a positive education requirement as part of the Basic Qualification Requirements, you MUST submit copies of your transcript(s) that include: your name, the name of the educational institution, course titles, number of semester/quarter hours, cumulative GPA, grade(s) earned and degree(s) awarded. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. Educational institutions must be accredited by one of the accrediting agencies or associations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

Pass/Fail Courses: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

Graduate Education: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

• Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
• All FCA employees are subject to the conflict of interest laws and Standards of Ethical Conduct imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report.
• FCA's supplemental ethics regulations restrict certain FCA employees concerning their direct or indirect interests in, or connections with, Farm Credit System institutions. These rules also require all employees to obtain approval for outside employment or business activities. Please contact the HR Division for additional information on these rules.
• FCA uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.
• This announcement may be used to fill similar vacancies.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: 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: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019, with some exceptions, prohibits the Farm Credit Administration from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, visit our website at (Careers at FCA | Farm Credit Administration) for information on filing a complaint.

• Benefits
  
  Review our benefits

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps including submitting an application and completing the application questionnaire. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are minimally qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Contracting/Procurement
• Oral Communication
• Technical Competence
• Writing

This position requires an online assessment; the online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. The assessment 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.

All qualified Non Competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp

Time-In-Grade Requirements: Current and former Federal employees (including VEOA eligibles) must have served one-year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade in the Federal service to meet time-in-grade restrictions per 5 CFR 300, Subpart F, by the closing date of the announcement.

• Benefits
  
  Review our benefits
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  
  • Resume. Highlighting relevant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this position. Your resume must include the following information (1) paid and non-paid work experience including your position title, start and end dates (month/year) of employment, average number of hours worked per week and salary (separated by position series and grade for each federal position, if applicable ; (2) indication of the knowledge, skills and education you have that are pertinent to this position; (3) specific duties you have performed as a regular part of your job with indications of the level of responsibility and complexity of work; (4) Names and contact information for your current and/or previous supervisor(s).
  • SF-50. Your most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action (if applying as a current or former Federal Employee) showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. A cash award SF-50 should not be provided. An SF-50 is required for all employees with the exception of current Farm Credit Administration (FCA) employees.
  • Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education. All applicants must submit a copy of their college/university unofficial transcript(s) for positions with a positive education requirement. See the Education section of the announcement for details on education requirements for this position. If you are selected, you must provide official transcripts to verify your education prior to your entry on duty.
  • CTAP/ICTAP Documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal).
  • Worker's Compensation Separation. Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
  • Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456. Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
  • Schedule A, Persons with Disabilities Appointment Eligible. Schedule A letter from a physician, local, state or federal rehabilitation office citing your eligibility under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u).
  • Certain Family Members Eligible under E.O. 12721. Your most recent non-award SF-50 and performance appraisal.
  • Certain Military Spouses Eligible under E.O. 13473. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, that lists you as authorized to accompany the Military member to the new duty permanent station; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
  • Interchange Agreement with Other Merit Systems Eligible. Documentation eligibility as listed in each individual interchange agreement.
  • FAC-C Level III or equivalent
  
  
  Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
  
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  
  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
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  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.
• How to Apply
  
  To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) 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 and all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.
  
  If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package by fax. Contact Angela Brown between 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, at least two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement at BrownAn@fca.gov or 703-883-4143. The alternate application package must be received in the Human Resources Division no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. NOTE: Paper applications and documents sent via mail will NOT BE ACCEPTED.
  
  If you need technical assistance with your online application, you can contact the USAJOBS customer support desk Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST. You can find answers to many of your questions on the USAJOBS Help Center.
  
  Agency contact information
  
  FCA HR Division
  
  Phone
  
  703-883-4135
  
  Email
  
  Employment_Opportunities@fca.gov
  
  Address
  
  Office of Agency Services, Human Resources Division
  
  1501 Farm Credit Drive
  
  McLean, VA 22102
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job, and will be used to identify the best qualified applicants to be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. Your ratings in this Assessment Questionnaire are subject to evaluation and verification based on the documents and references you submit. Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your ratings. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period.
  
  Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application. You can check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and selecting "Application Status." We recommend that you also opt to receive USAJOBS status update emails.
  
  Once referred, you may be asked to complete a structured interview, written demonstration, and/or fit interview as part of the multiple hurdle assessment process. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period.
  
  Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

• Resume. Highlighting relevant work experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to this position. Your resume must include the following information (1) paid and non-paid work experience including your position title, start and end dates (month/year) of employment, average number of hours worked per week and salary (separated by position series and grade for each federal position, if applicable ; (2) indication of the knowledge, skills and education you have that are pertinent to this position; (3) specific duties you have performed as a regular part of your job with indications of the level of responsibility and complexity of work; (4) Names and contact information for your current and/or previous supervisor(s).
• SF-50. Your most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action (if applying as a current or former Federal Employee) showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. A cash award SF-50 should not be provided. An SF-50 is required for all employees with the exception of current Farm Credit Administration (FCA) employees.
• Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education. All applicants must submit a copy of their college/university unofficial transcript(s) for positions with a positive education requirement. See the Education section of the announcement for details on education requirements for this position. If you are selected, you must provide official transcripts to verify your education prior to your entry on duty.
• CTAP/ICTAP Documentation, if applicable (e.g. Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal).
• Worker's Compensation Separation. Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
• Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456. Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
• Schedule A, Persons with Disabilities Appointment Eligible. Schedule A letter from a physician, local, state or federal rehabilitation office citing your eligibility under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u).
• Certain Family Members Eligible under E.O. 12721. Your most recent non-award SF-50 and performance appraisal.
• Certain Military Spouses Eligible under E.O. 13473. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, that lists you as authorized to accompany the Military member to the new duty permanent station; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
• Interchange Agreement with Other Merit Systems Eligible. Documentation eligibility as listed in each individual interchange agreement.
• FAC-C Level III or equivalent

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.


If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) 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 and all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.

If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package by fax. Contact Angela Brown between 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, at least two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement at BrownAn@fca.gov or 703-883-4143. The alternate application package must be received in the Human Resources Division no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. NOTE: Paper applications and documents sent via mail will NOT BE ACCEPTED.

If you need technical assistance with your online application, you can contact the USAJOBS customer support desk Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST. You can find answers to many of your questions on the USAJOBS Help Center.

Agency contact information

FCA HR Division

Phone

703-883-4135

Email

Employment_Opportunities@fca.gov

Address

Office of Agency Services, Human Resources Division

1501 Farm Credit Drive

McLean, VA 22102

US

Next steps

The questionnaire will assess your qualifications for the job, and will be used to identify the best qualified applicants to be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. Your ratings in this Assessment Questionnaire are subject to evaluation and verification based on the documents and references you submit. Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your ratings. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period.

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated. You will receive another notification about the status of your application. You can check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and selecting "Application Status." We recommend that you also opt to receive USAJOBS status update emails.

Once referred, you may be asked to complete a structured interview, written demonstration, and/or fit interview as part of the multiple hurdle assessment process. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency during the probationary period.

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request