Summary
This position is a contract specialist in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics (OPAL), EPO/AS3 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the largest health care organization of its kind in the world. OPAL negotiates, awards, and administers multi-year, multi-billion-dollar contracts for supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and Agency policy.
Duties
Duties include but are not limited to: Assist the Acquisition Service Director and Division Chiefs in coordinating contracting activities, perform contract reviews and provide guidance related to complex contracts administered by other Contract Specialists, identify routine and special training needs, and conduct mentoring. Fully utilize electronic systems for contract writing (i.e. Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS)). Contract management, contract reporting (i.e. Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS)), VA mandated financial management system in accordance with Agency policies. Assists requiring activities in performing market research, reviewing specifications and statements of work, and approving acquisition milestone plans. Ensure that specifications and statements of work are prepared in a manner which adequately describes the Government's requirements without restricting competition. Prepares required findings and sufficiently documents determinations in this regard. Coordinates with the appropriate Offices or Small Business Administration (SBA) Small Business liaison on matters relevant to all aspects of socio-economic goal requirements. Conducts negotiations for competitive and noncompetitive procurements. Serves as contract administrator on awarded contracts. Conducts post-award conferences with Contractor and Government personnel to provide information and to clarify standard and special contractual provisions of the contract. Negotiates prices and/or additional time required for performance and consideration on behalf of the Government Maintains accurate, current contract administration records in required VA systems (i.e., eCMS, SharePoint, MS Teams) and proactively communicates with customers and stakeholders throughout the acquisition and post-award lifecycle, escalating issues to leadership in a timely manner. Develops and delivers briefings on assigned portfolio, contract status, and program initiatives to leadership, peers, and stakeholders as requested or required. Performs the duties listed above independently. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to the in-person work mandate in their current position. Location is negotiable among VA-approved staff offices, subject to space availability and management approval. Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA-owned or leased space Position Description/PD#: Contract Specialist/PD20710A and PD20712A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Education
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
How you will be evaluated
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Acquisition Strategy Acquisition Strategy Attention to Detail Contract Administration Contract Formation Contracting/Procurement Contracting/Procurement Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork USA Hire Assessments include 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. Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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.