Contract Specialist (Direct Hire) Open Continuous 12Months

Internal Revenue Service | Johnstown, PA

Posted Date 12/14/2023
Description Positions under this announcement are being filled using a Direct Hire Authority (DHA).

Click on "Learn more about this agency" button below to view Eligibilities being considered and other IMPORTANT information.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OTHER IRS CAREERS? Visit us on the web at www.jobs.irs.govWHAT IS THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER DIVISION?

A description of the business units can be found at: https://www.jobs.irs.gov/about/who/business-divisions

The following are the duties of this position at the full working level. If this vacancy includes more than one grade and you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and receive training to help you grow in this position.

As a Contract Specialist, you will:
  • Prepares drafts of protest and termination case documents for review and approval by senior specialist.
  • Assists senior specialists with the procurement of supplies, services and equipment. This includes developing work plans, analyzing procurement requests, coordinating with other areas those aspects of procurements that affects them, compiling the bid lists, preparing and issuing solicitations and making final award.
  • Performs a variety of contract administration functions such as researching and resolving delivery and acceptance disputes, processing claims against he Government and assisting in the preparation of protest actions.
  • Prepares non-technical correspondence to transmit information.
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.
BASIC REQUIREMENT: To qualify for this position, you must meet the qualification requirements outlined below:
Basic Requirements Grades 5 through 12: You must have a 4-year course of study leading to a Bachelor's in any field of study from an accredited college or university.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS (GRADE 13 & ABOVE): To be eligible for this position at this grade level, you must have completed all Mandatory Training requirements as described in Department of Treasury, Acquisition Career Management Program Handbook AND have 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions and 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower level as defined below. 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. OR
Exception: Employees occupying a GS-1102 position will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on or after January 1, 2000. However, basic requirements and specialized experience requirements must be met in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade.Federal experience is not required. The experience may have been gained in the public sector, private sector or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-timework is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement OR time of referral:
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: for GS-07: In addition to meeting the basic requirement (positive education/experience) outlined above, you must have 1 year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes: Award and administration of contracts using Government acquisition principles, contract laws (e.g., Federal Acquisition Regulations-FAR) while using various types of contracts and applying negotiation and vendor award techniques to acquire products and services that meet agency requirements. Performing contract management and/or contract property administration, executing contract modifications, and/or performing procurement planning with small and socio-economic business considerations while interacting with the program office to develop the procurement approach. Communicating both verbally and in writing to generate various documents for various audiences (e.g., explaining to contractors, stakeholders and customers regarding procurement matters, discussing program needs, solicitation documents, file documentation). Using basic mathematical computations to perform price analysis (e.g., comparing, reviewing, analyzing and evaluating price or cost information in contractors' proposals).
OR
You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Superior Academic Achievement may be met by having a Bachelor's degree, with one of the following: A GPA of 2.95 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses or those completed in the last 2 years of study, or a GPA of 3.45 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all courses in the major field of study or those courses in the major completed in the last 2 years of study, or rank in the upper one third of the class in the college, university, or major subdivision, or membership in a national honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.
OR
At least one (1) full academic year of graduate education or law school. Graduate education must have been in one or a combination of the following fields of study: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-09: In addition to meeting the basic requirement (positive education/experience) outlined above, you must meet one of the specific grade requirements below for GS-9. A master's or equivalent graduate degree in one of the following fields of study: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a graduate degree in one or a combination of the following fields of study: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. One year of graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.
OR
At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 level that demonstrated knowledge of contracting and procurement functions in carrying out project assignments consisting of several related tasks, such as procuring a range of equipment, supplies, and services. The assignments must have shown completion of the following, or the equivalent: Participating in the processing and negotiating on a variety of procurements including open market purchases, vendor purchases and delivery orders against agency contracts to provide customers with general to complex requirements for supplies, services, and equipment. Assisting customers in developing requirements for specific procurements; Reviewing Statements of Work to ensure that all technical areas have been addressed and assisting in identifying appropriate contract types. Conducting price reasonableness determination. Preparing and issuing solicitation documents. Performing analysis of proposals or quotes received. Drafting final contract file documentation. Experience inputting information into an automated procurement system to produce awards and contract documents. Participating in negotiations with potential contractors. OR At least 1 year of combined graduate education and experience as defined in the above.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-11: In addition to meeting the basic requirement outlined above, you must meet one of the specific grade requirements below for GS-11. A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in one of the following fields of study: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a graduate degree in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. One year of graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. OR At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the GS-9 level that demonstrated accomplishment of contracting and procurement function assignments that required a range of knowledge of the various types of contacts and methods of contracting. Accomplishments normally involve the following, or the equivalent: Processing and negotiating a variety of procurements including open market purchases, vendor purchases and delivery orders against agency contracts to provide customers with complex supplies, services, and equipment; Participating in negotiations with potential contractors; and Preparing award vehicle and file documentation. OR at least one year of combined graduate education and experience as defined in paragraphs above.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-12: In addition to the basic requirement, to qualify for this position you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 which is the next lower grade level of the normal line of progression of this position in the Federal government. Specialized experience is experience that is related to the work of this position and has provided you with the competencies required for successful job performance. Qualifying experience is experience that demonstrated accomplishment of pre-award and post-award procurement actions that required a range of knowledge of multiple aspects of the procurement process. This knowledge is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant actively participated in multiple levels (i.e., sole source, 8a, limited competition, full and open competition), multiple forms (i.e., simplified acquisitions, GSA Schedule competitions, negotiated and/or sealed bids), multiple needs (i.e., services, supplies, equipment), and multiple portions of the process (i.e., pre-award, post- award, policy, price analysis).





For more information on qualifications please refer to OPM's Qualifications Standards.

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