Contract Specialist

US Department of Veterans Affairs Headquarters; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs Headquarters seeks a Contract Specialist to procure supplies and services under FAR/VAAR and agency policy. This Warranted Contracting Officer position requires successful qualification for a warrant and signatory authority for contract awards.

Applicants must demonstrate one year of specialized contracting experience and meet the basic and specialized requirements; detailed work history including hours per week and dates must be provided to verify

Responsibilities

• Perform technical contract reviews.
• Interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, and instructions.
• Identifies trends from reviews performed and prepares reports.
• Coordinates responses to external and internal audits, surveys and reviews.
• Develops action plans and/or recommendation to meet performance monitors/measures.

Job description

The purpose of this position is to serve as a Contract Specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with responsibility for performing professional work involving the procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and agency policy. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/01/2027.

Certification Requirements:

This is a Warranted Contracting Officer position. Incumbent shall meet all requirements and apply for a Warrant within 120-days of assignment. Incumbent shall successfully obtain subject Warrant within 60-days of submitting their application. Warrant application dollar value should be at the maximum, beneficial amount. Branch Chief has discretion in determining subject application dollar value. Incumbent will execute their own contract awards and provide signatory authority for staff lacking requisite Warrant authority

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Individual Occupational Requirements for Contracting Series, 1102 Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above

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 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.

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.

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.

Specialized Experience:

• Perform technical contract reviews.
• Interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, and instructions.
• Identifies trends from reviews performed and prepares reports.
• Coordinates responses to external and internal audits, surveys and reviews.
• Develops action plans and/or recommendation to meet performance monitors/measures.

Evidence of this specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of like duties performed in positions held on your resume. You will also need to provide work experience information such as hours per week, full-time/part-time status, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have one (1) full year of specialized experience at the required grade level.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)

• Expert mastery of federal and VA acquisition regulations, contract law, and full contract-administration procedures, including change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and closeouts.
• Advanced proficiency in cost/price analysis and negotiation techniques, including evaluating contractor proposals, conducting negotiations, and determining fair and reasonable pricing across multiple contract types.
• Comprehensive knowledge of diverse contracting methods and markets, including simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding, cost reimbursement, commercial items, socio-economic set-aside categories, and A/E and construction contracting processes.
• Strong contract administration and communication abilities, ensuring contractor compliance, resolving noncompliance issues, accurately using eCMS for solicitation through closeout, and effectively communicating with internal and external stakeholders.

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area:

The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from the Office of Procurement locations listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from these offices.