Summary
This position is located in the Agency for Healthcare, Research and Quality, Office of Management Services. The duty location for this position is in Rockville, MD.
For more information about AHRQ, click the “Learn more about the Agency” Box.
**Applicants please note: Additional selections may be made across the Department of Health and Human Services through this vacancy announcement.**
Learn more about this agency
Responsibilities
***As of 7/6/2021, the closing date of this announcement is extended to 7/12/2021.***
Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the open and closing date of this announcement.
As a Contract Specialist, you will serve as a senior Contract Specialist with responsibility for pre-award and post-award functions involving highly specialized procurements of significant importance to the Agency.
Your major duties and responsibilities include:
- Working with the program to establish acquisition plans which include the identification of applicable clearances and the establishment of milestones for each acquisition.
- Preparing solicitation documents which incorporate required Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and HHS policies and provisions; requirements for technical proposals; cost data requirements; and all other required data.
- Performing cost/price analysis, including review of cost breakdowns to determine reasonableness and conformance to applicable regulations, directives and policies.
- Establishing negotiation strategies and leads negotiations to obtain the most favorable terms and conditions for the government.
- Performing all contract administration functions ensuring contractor compliance with contract provisions; negotiates and prepares all contract modifications; and prepares all documents relative to the close-out of contracts.
NOTE: Do not cut and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.
Travel Required
Not required
Supervisory status
No
Promotion Potential
None
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U. S. Citizenship is required.
- Males ages 18 through 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
- Employment is subject to the successful completion of the pre-appointment process (i.e., background investigation, verification of qualifications and job requirements, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, etc.)
- PHS Commissioned Corps applicants must submit current personnel orders.
- This position has an education requirement – transcripts are required.
- A one year probationary period may be required.
- Position is not in the Bargaining Unit.
- Drug Screening is not required.
- Recruitment incentives are not authorized.
- Student loan repayment incentive is not authorized.
Qualifications
THESE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET BY THE CLOSING DATE: 07/12/2021
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
To qualify for this position at the GS-1102-13 grade level, you must meet all of the following requirements and provide all required supporting documentation by the closing date of the announcement.
1. Education: You must have completed 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. You must provide unofficial transcripts as verification that you meet this education requirement by the closing date of this announcement.
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.
2. Training: Completed 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 comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service as, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.
In addition the requirements above requirements, In order to qualify for this GS-13 position, your resume must clearly demonstrate that you have one full year of specialized experience comparable in difficulty and responsibility to at least the GS-12 level in federal service.
Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, an applicant’s one full year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful job performance.
Examples of qualifying specialized experience equal to the GS-12 level include performing the following types of tasks on a regular and recurring basis:
Performing pre-award and post-award contract administration; performing cost and price analyses; and preparing all documents necessary for contract awards and contract file documentation.
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; community; student; social). If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.
TO PREVIEW THE OCCUPATIONAL ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE, please click on the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11140850
Education
This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts (or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed and grades) to document that you have met the education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to your starting work.
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 .
Additional information
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .
HHS
is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.
Click here for information on ” Federal hiring for individuals with disabilities “.
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/ Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): Click here for information on how to apply as an CTAP/ICTAP eligible. To exercise selection priority for this vacancy the displaced Federal employee must be found well-qualified.
AHRQ supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy. Veterans’ Preference does not apply to direct hire recruitment procedures.
Your application will be reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred for consideration in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Authority .
Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.
To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings by the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as having knowledge of your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin prior to receiving an offer.
Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
Background checks and security clearance
Security clearance
Other
Drug test required
No
Required Documents
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact either HRSA’s Office of Human Resources at (301) 443-3780 or by email: [email protected] or HRSA’s Reasonable Accommodation programs at (301) 443-2538 or by email: [email protected] . You must contact the Reasonable Accommodations Program prior to the closing date of this announcement to receive assistance. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Hours of operation: Monday through Friday 7:30AM to 4:00PM EST (except Federal holidays).
Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete online Application Package which includes:
1. A current Resume – For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center or view their video tutorial. Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the “Qualifications” section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We cannot assume you have performed the necessary experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builde r.
If you choose to use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose, then you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:
You must also ensure that the duties performed are clearly matched to each period of employment.
Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.
2. A complete Assessment Questionnaire
3. Other supporting documents to be submitted with application:
- Personnel Orders: PHS Commissioned Corps Officers must submit a copy of latest personnel orders in lieu of SF-50.
- College Transcripts or other official documentation from the qualifying educational institution showing that you meet the eligibility requirements for this program, as described in the “Qualifications and Evaluations” sections of this announcement. (if the position has a positive education requireme
nt, or you are qualifying on the basis of education).
For Résumé and Application Tips visit the USAJOBS Resource Center .
The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/12/2021.
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.