Contract Administrator III

State of Colorado; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Division of Youth Services (DYS) seeks a permanent, full-time Contract Monitoring Lead and Purchasing Administrator. This role drafts, amends, and renews contracts, reviews SOWs, and ensures compliance with state rules, funding terms, and confidentiality.

It coordinates with program staff, finance, and procurement to support timely processing of contracts and purchases. Responsibilities include monitoring budgets, guiding program staff on contracting solutions, and maintaining contract

Qualifications

• Six (6) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned.
• Education and experience equal to six (6) years.
• Experience drafting, creating, or developing contracts, agreements, and/or purchase orders.
• Experience identifying inaccuracies, ambiguities, or inconsistencies in contracts, agreements, Scope of Work, or other similar written documentation.
• Experience prioritizing and managing a large portfolio of work tasks with differing deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a communication plan with current contact information for the monitoring team.
• Monitor contract according to financial and program risk ratings; ensure documentation for risk ratings.
• Coordinate and conduct post-award meetings with each contractor and vendor; communicate expectations; establish lines of contact; explain monitoring methods.
• Follow documentation and tracking procedures for logging communications and deliverables.
• Address contractor performance issues; develop improvement plans or initiate contract cancellation when warranted.
• Organize, schedule and document contractor performance evaluations; ensure contract file is complete before final payment.

Job description

Department Information

This position is open only to Colorado state residents.

Most State of Colorado employees are eligible for a great benefit package! Please see the Supplemental Information section below for details!

About the Division of Youth Services: The Division of Youth Services (DYS) provides a continuum of residential and non-residential services that encompass juvenile detention, commitment, and parole. DYS is the agency statutorily mandated to provide for the care and supervision of youth committed by the District Court to the custody of the Colorado Department of Human Services. The Division operates twelve secure facilities that serve youth between the ages of 10 and 21 who are pre-adjudicated, sentenced, or committed. The Division also contracts with numerous private residential and non-residential service providers throughout the State. For pre-adjudicated youth, the Division is also responsible for the management and oversight of Senate Bill 91-94; a State-funded, locally administered program that provides services to youth at risk of further progressing into the juvenile justice system. In addition to residential programming, the Division administers juvenile parole services throughout the State.

The Division of Youth Services (DYS) Director's office exists to provide comprehensive administration of the operations of all State operated institutions, privately contracted residential and non-residential programs, Regional Offices and centrally managed programming. The Director's office consists of the Division's Central Administration, Medical and Psychological services, Education services, Assessment, Training and Staff Development, Food Services, Research and Evaluation, Quality Control, Financial Services/Contract Management, and Senate Bill 94 Alternatives to Detention

Description of Job

Weekly Hybrid Working Arrangements

Minimum 2 days In Office and Maximum 3 days Remote Work

Summary Of Position

This position is a permanent, full-time position that serves as a Division Contracts and Purchasing Administrator and Contract Monitoring Lead. This position performs a full range of financial, contractual, budgetary, and analysis services to the Division, which includes writing and revising scopes of work (SOW) that accurately reflect program workplans, compiling and routing full contract package, providing consultation and guidance to program staff to ensure understanding and adherence to federal and state requirements, assisting with the development of standards, guidance and tools to support SOW creation, coordinating with finance team members, program staff and departmental contracts and purchasing staff to efficiently and effectively process contracts and purchase orders in a timely manner. Position makes recommendations to the DYS Finance Director, Budget Analysts, and Program Managers to support complete and appropriate utilization of funds in contracts. This position creates and maintains assigned tracking spreadsheets, send executed contracts and purchases orders to vendors, create and perform entry into assigned databases, draft correspondence, maintain electronic files, and serve as a Contract and Purchasing division specialist.

Contracts And Purchasing

Independently draft contracts, amendments, and renewals in accordance with the department’s Procurement and Contracts Section contracts and procurement standards, including the use of standard contract templates. Ensure complete and appropriate contract packages that adhere to Fiscal rules, Procurement rules, State Statutes, department policies and guidance and division reporting and confidentiality requirements. Identify and resolve contractual and/or budgetary discrepancies. Analyze, evaluate and recommend solutions and/or reallocation of funds as appropriate.

Independently work with and support Division program staff by providing consultation and guidance on when personal services purchase agreements are needed and type of agreement to be initiated: purchase order, contract, contract amendment, or contract renewal letter/option letter. Collaborate with budget analysts to provide all programs with technical guidance in purchasing, contract drafting, and contract management.

Receive and review purchasing and contracting documents from program staff to ensure the documents adhere to the State fiscal/procurement rules, CDHS policies and the funder’s or legislative intent. Maintain current knowledge and proficiency in all applicable state, federal, and department rules, regulations, policies and procedures and act as a resource and guide to Division staff. Guide program staff on all contracting solutions that meet the program’s needs and conform to all applicable requirements. Review applicable documents and actions to ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations.

Maintain, enter, and record entries into the following State systems to ensure compliance: eClearance, Contract Management System (CMS), and the department’s electronic signature system for contracts.

Independently evaluate documents submitted by program staff for completeness and accuracy to process requests in an efficient and effective manner. Obtain program approval for final document and route through Department systems and approval process for execution. Prepare and assemble internal and external routing forms, Personal Service Certification forms and justifications as appropriate, monitor contract status throughout approval process. Carry out procedures for notification to division vendors and programs of fully executed contracts and purchase orders.

Participation in department work groups on procurement/contracting and attendance of all department‑offered contracting and procurement training.

Scope Of Work Development

Serve as a Scope of Work (SOW) specialist and work plan liaison to division program staff by providing technical assistance, consultation and guidance from conception to execution of personal services purchase agreements. Perform relevant quality assurance reviews, such as analysis of the sequence and schedule of proposed deliverables, program objectives and available data to verify the actual SOW/work plan is adequately described; evaluation of the stated performance controls to ensure there is a reliable basis for verifying service deliverables; assure the financial documentation required is adequate to ensure costs are adequately reflected. Advise, educate and support program staff to ensure understanding and compliance with proper procedure and timeframes needed to successfully develop a strong and legally binding SOW/work plan.

Formulates, recommends, develops, and reviews scopes of work and works with program staff to ensure SOW language is within fiscal guidelines, state and Department rules and confidentiality requirements. Ensures adequate description of deliverables and timelines are included in the SOW. Perform negotiations with program and/or contractors, as necessary and when required, to establish the SOW and the budget for funded projects. Obtain program approval for final document and route for processing.

Contract Monitoring Lead

Position establish and document DYS contract monitoring guidance.

Position works with program staff with oversight of contracts to ensure that DYS contract monitoring practices are completed on every contract which include: assessing compliance with DYS and CDHS contract monitoring standards, programmatic provisions, and addressing contractor performance issues.

This position ensures that DYS contracts are appropriately monitored to the deliverables, timelines, quality, budget, and business relations detailed in the agreement and that contract monitoring activities in DYS adhere to DYS and department standards, and other applicable laws and regulations for all contracts by conducting training, providing technical assistance, and maintaining appropriate contract monitoring documentation for all DYS contracts.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain communication plan with current contact information for the monitoring team
• Monitor contract according to financial and program risk ratings. Ensure file has documentation for risk ratings assigned to contractors
• Coordinate and conduct post award meetings with each contractor and/or vendor to communicate agreement expectations; department point of contacts; methods of monitoring and evaluation; etc.
• Follow documentation and tracking procedures for logging communications and deliverables.
• Duties for assessing contractor compliance with DYS and CDHS standards and other contractual provisions include:
  • Requesting and receiving ongoing performance data from contractors;
  • Analyzing data and reports to detect potential areas of noncompliance;
  • Coordinating with program staff to ensure logging and documenting all performance‑related communication to contractors and their responses; and,
  • Making overall assessment of contractor programmatic performance, consistent with the Contract Monitoring Program guidelines.
• Monitor contract budget through invoice reviews and regular reconciliations between program staff, fiscal staff and contractor.
• Plan, schedule, and conduct site visits, utilizing program/division/department standardized approaches including examine records, interviews of key contractor staff, and direct observation of performance. Document and save site visit notifications, agenda, report and/or notes.
• Ongoing analysis of process and outcome data submitted to observe contractor performance. Duties for addressing contractor performance issues include:
  • Highlighting any fiscal and/or program areas that are assessed as below standard as a result of site visits or other monitoring activities;
  • Conveying these areas to contractors in a timely manner, and documenting all requests and outcomes;
  • For areas that continue to show evidence of noncompliance after having been discussed with contractors, develop a written Performance Improvement Plan consistent with department and program guidelines;
  • When warranted, follow contract cancellation or nonrenewal provisions in contracts to prevent misuse of funds or harm to clients.
• Organize, schedule, conduct and document contractor performance evaluations in compliance with DYS and CDHS contract monitoring standards
• Contract close‑out responsibilities include receiving all deliverables and final invoice, completing final performance evaluation, and ensuring contract file is complete before final payment.

If contract compliance issues are identified, the position confers with the program staff and supervisor to identify appropriate follow up actions, which may include a performance improvement plan or initiation of contract cancellation. The position remains current on contractor compliance, and communicates the need for escalated action when deemed necessary.

The position is required to stay up to date on CDHS contract monitoring standards through ongoing participation in training and education opportunities.

Division Procurement functions: Solicitation design, evaluation, monitoring

Designs, solicits, evaluates, negotiates, and awards to vendors specific orders for goods or services. Assure appropriate procurement rules have been followed by leading program personnel in development of RFPs, Doc Quotes, IFB’s and purchase orders. Support program staff in other procurement methods such as doc quotes or IFBS. Evaluate appropriate procurement method by doing financial forecast of total expense including life of the project. Review solicitation statement pricing methods including any application of overhead, profit, and/or indirect costs

Other Duties As Assigned

Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions Of Employment & Appeal Rights

You are required to work at your assigned work location during your scheduled work times.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications listed below to continue in the selection process for this position. Work experience must be specifically documented on your application. Do not use "see resume" or "see attached" statements on your application.

For additional recruiting questions, please contact [e-mail]

Minimum Qualifications

Experience Only:

Six (6) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position

OR

Education And Experience

A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to six (6) years.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience drafting, creating, or developing contracts, agreements, and/or purchase orders
• Experience identifying inaccuracies, ambiguities, or inconsistencies in contracts, agreements, Scope of Work, or other similar written documentation
• Experience prioritizing and managing a large portfolio of work tasks with differing deadlines

Conditions Of Employment

• Standard Background ALL CDHS employees (non-direct contact): CBI name check, ICON Colorado court database, Medicare fraud database, Reference checks, Professional License verification (licensure requirements), and drug screen (commercial Driver’s license)
• Travel – Travel to meetings, site visits trainings, and other DYS locations may be required
• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must disclose the information on the application and provide an explanation why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify the applicant from the current position. Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.

Appeal Rights

If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director. An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel Board by email ([e-mail]), postmarked in US Mail or hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action. For more information about the appeals process, the official