Contract Specialist

The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo.  This position is in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). The Office of the Chief Information Officer provides overall planning, management and execution of the Smithsonian Institution’s contracting, simplified purchasing, personal property and policy programs.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Qualifications:

Basic Requirement:

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.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

GS-11 Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position Specialized experience is defined as serving as an advisor to project officials and assists in the preparation of statement of work (SOW), evaluation criteria and technical agreements; and contracting activities such as conducting acquisition planning, preparation of price/cost analyses for designated actions, negotiation of various types of contracts and execution, and administration of contracting activities for a Federal program.

OR

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or, three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree.

Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position.

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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Responsibilities:

The Contract Specialist is responsible for the overall planning, management and execution of the Smithsonian Institution’s contracting, simplified purchasing, personal property and policy programs. The incumbent is responsible for all elements of assigned complex procurement projects.

In this position, you will:

• Prepares all necessary contract documents, assuring the inclusion of provisions required by law, regulation and policy, and writes original special clauses such as proposed evaluation criteria, testing requirements and special vested rights to protect the Smithsonian Institution’s interests and to accommodate subsequent developments and modifications.
• Develops procurement objectives for the program in terms of competition and price range and constructs the contractual vehicle including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set aside policies and similar considerations.
• Projects are assigned in one or more of the following areas: (1) Goods and services, (2) Exhibition design and fabrication, (3) Minor construction, (4) Architect/engineering services for studies, site analysis, design, engineering, and  other related services for non-major construction, restoration and renovation, (5) Information technology including systems and services for retail operations, security systems, financial management systems, payroll and personnel systems, interactive video systems, database systems and mailing lists, (6) Non-major restoration and renovation, (7) Technical services for Smithsonian programs including management analysis auditing, publishing agreements (including research, documentation, layout, graphics and distribution), food service agreements and filmmaking.
• Developing policy compliance criteria to determine whether procurement procedures, charge card use and related supporting documentation are in accordance with policy.
• Provides contracting advice and guidance during contract administration concerning contract change orders, resolving contract claims and disputes, terminations for default and convenience and other contracting issues which may arise.  
• Drafts, solicits, negotiates award contracts for unique services, often with innovative financial arrangements.

Salary : $78,592 - $102,166