Contract Specialist - Direct Hire

Summary Contract Specialist for the United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC), overseeing Acquisitions and Contracting for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) at the San Diego Field Office; performs the full range of pre-award and post-award functions for a variety of services, supplies, A/E, and construction contracts. Learn more about this agency Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen or Naturalized U.S. Citizen. You must obtain and maintain a favorable background investigation. You may be required to serve a one year probationary period. You must possess a current Federal Acquisition Certificate in contracting (FAC-C) Professional Certificate and Construction Contracting Credential (or a Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) equivalent. You must apply for up to a Level III Contracting Officer Warrant, accept the Contracting Officer Warrant, and provide the signatory authority for contracts within their warrant authority. You must complete and submit the required confidential financial disclosure report upon entrance on duty and annually thereafter. You must be able to lift and carry items weighing up to 15 pounds unassisted such as office items and supplies; and sustain period of bending, stooping, and reaching. You must complete and successfully pass the DHS required E-Verify employment verification check. You must maintain direct deposit of your Federal pay. You may be required to work overtime. Qualifications Qualifications must be met by 11:59 PM, ET, on December 16, 2024, to receive first consideration. Minimum Qualification Requirement: In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. Basic Requirements for GS/GG-05 through GS/GG-12: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; OR 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. Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above: 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 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. Exception: 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. Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade or pay band in the Federal service GG/GS-11 (for the GG-12 grade level) and one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GG/GS-12 (for the GG-13 grade level) or equivalent experience in the private or public sector, which provide you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. Grade Differential: Both grade levels perform a wide range of tasks similar in nature to those described in the examples of specialized experience. Examples of Specialized Experience include: evaluating proposals, bids, and quotes; negotiating and executing simplified acquisitions and complex and technical services, supplies, construction, and A/E; performing all pre-award contracting functions requiring the use of fixed-price, cost-reimbursement to procure simplified acquisitions; determining method of procurement, milestones, acquisition plan and type of contract; developing procurement packages by obtaining and/or developing Determination of Findings, memorandums and justifications; developing source files of responsible contractors by analyzing technical and financial ability to satisfy requirements; performing detailed analysis of bids, proposals, quotes received, and recommending award; evaluating contractor's fiscal soundness, production capacity, quality control, and present commitments; coordinating actions with customers, legal counsel, technical, and financial specialists; requesting or performing price/cost analysis; analyzing and evaluating audit findings and supporting recommendations of each cost element; conducting extensive negotiations during all phases of the procurement process; providing agency acquisition regulatory interpretation and direction; overseeing all contracting, simplified acquisitions, and government purchase cards; performing acquisition program management and administrative duties; managing the use of memorandums of understanding/agreement (MOUs/MOAs) for work to be performed with other governmental entities; making final decisions on contracting matters, including the most appropriate procurement method an contractual arrangement; and making decisions on protests, disputes, appeals, bid openings, negotiations, procurement integrity monitoring and claims review, Your resume must have complete information: Please ensure your resume accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities under each position you have held with each employer. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. It is your responsibility to make sure your resume states complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/YYYY; and total hours worked per week). If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position. Part-Time or Unpaid Experience: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid work on the same basis as for paid experience. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. To receive credit for such experience you must indicate clearly the nature of the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the number of hours per week spent in such employment. Education This position has a positive education requirement described below: Basic Requirements for GS/GG-05 through GS/GG-12: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; or 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. Basic requirement for GS/GG-13 and above: 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. Exception: 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. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html . Additional information If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (member-4 copy preferred) or other proof of eligibility that shows the dates you were on active duty and your character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are claiming Disabled Veterans' preference you must also submit documentation of disability (i.e. VA Disability Verification Letter) and the SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference." For more information on veterans' preference see http://www.fedshirevets.gov/ Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see www.sss.gov ). 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 (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be rated in well-qualified by scoring 85 or higher on the assessment for this vacancy. Additional information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ Read more Benefits 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. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits 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.