Job Description
The OTI Contract Specilaist is a full-time Personal Services Contract (PSC) position at the GS-11/12 equivalent level and located in Washington D.C. Offers for this position are due no later than February 19, 2020 at 1:00pm Eastern Time (Deadline Extended). For full information about this position, as well as instructions on how to apply, please read the entire solicitation at www.OTIjobs.net.
INTRODUCTION:
The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent Federal agency which manages the U.S. Government’s foreign assistance program, providing assistance for developing countries around the world in the areas of economic growth and trade, agriculture and the environment, education and training, democracy and governance, reconstruction and stabilization, global health, global partnerships and humanitarian assistance.
Within USAID, the Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) oversees the solicitation, selection, award and administration of contracts, grants and cooperative agreements in support of the agency’s development assistance objectives. Procurement actions may involve the private or the public sectors, international organizations, non-government and private voluntary organizations, educational institutions, and host country organizations (both private and public sector). Because of the unique aspect of implementing procurement actions in an overseas context, USAID has implemented a supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), the AID Acquisition Regulations (AIDAR). In the course of a year, total procurement actions (both acquisition and assistance) may exceed $11 billion.
The OAA Washington, DC headquarters deals with both domestic and non-domestic (foreign and international) procurement actions, requiring the ability to recognize and understand a broad spectrum of very different cultures, and to accommodate contractual requirements to very different implementing environments, reconciling Federal procurement policies and procedures with host country policies and procedures, usually in highly visible and complex countries, and often involving coordination among numerous donor countries and organizations.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the direct supervision of the Washington-based Management Bureau Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA), the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA), OTI Contracting Officer or his/her designee, the Contract Specialist will:
At the GS-11 level:
- Advise the program office on the acquisition and assistance instruments available for use in the implementation of development assistance activities. Assist in the identification of the most appropriate procurement instrument for the specific program objective being addressed;
- Assist technical offices in generating the requisition package to ensure compliance with agency acquisition and assistance policies, regulations and procedures, assist in reviewing acquisition and assistance documents including but not limited to scopes of work, instructions to offers, program statements, and individual acquisition plans, to ensure that performance requirements are clearly stated and contractible;
- Assist OAA staff with the preparation and publication of solicitation documents, ensuring that federal requirements for competition have been adequately addressed; schedule publication/dissemination of solicitation announcements; monitor receipt of offers submitted in response to solicitations; assist in the preparation of documents associated with the technical evaluation of proposals received;
- Upon selection of the successful offeror, assist OAA staff with conducting the research and analysis needed to initiate negotiations, including but not limited to detailed analysis of cost proposals, evaluation of proposed key personnel, and assessment of the viability of proposed schedules and milestones;
- Assist OAA staff in the preparation of the total procurement package, ensuring that all relevant documentation is properly completed, accurate, and timely;
- Following award of the procurement, develop schedules for oversight and administration of the award; identify reporting requirements and monitor compliance with reporting requirements; advise OAA staff on issues stemming from noncompliance with contract terms and/or deadlines;
- Establish close coordination with the Contracting Officer’s Representative/Agreement Officer’s Representative (COR/AOR) on assigned actions; respond to questions from these officials, conferring with the Contracting Officer/Agreement Officer (CO/AO);
- Draft procurement documents, including but not limited to contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements in addition to amendments or terminations;
- Support negotiations of the OAA principle officer in resolving issues independently to the maximum extent possible;
- Perform services under this scope of work at physical locations other than Washington, D.C. M/OAA headquarters, including within USAID offices, bureaus or other United States government (USG) agencies for a period not to exceed six months.
At the GS-12 level:
- Advise the program office on the acquisition and assistance instruments available for use in the implementation of development assistance activities. Assist in the identification of the most appropriate procurement instrument for specific program objective being addressed;
- Collaborate with technical offices in generating the requisition package to ensure compliance with agency acquisition and assistance policies, regulations and procedures;
- Assist in reviewing procurement documents including but not limited to scopes or work, instructions to offers, program statement, and individual acquisition plan, to ensure that performance requirements are clearly stated and contractible;
- Assist OAA staff with the preparation and publication of solicitation documents, ensuring that federal requirements for competition have been adequately addressed; schedule publication/dissemination of solicitation announcements; monitor receipt of offers submitted in response to solicitations; assist in the preparation of documents associated with the technical evaluation of proposals received;
- Upon selection of the successful offeror, assist OAA staff with conducting the research and analysis required to initiate negotiations, including but not limited to detailed analysis of cost proposals, evaluation of proposed key personnel, and assessment of the viability of proposed schedules and milestones;
- Collaborate with OAA staff in the preparation of the total procurement package, ensuring that all relevant documentation is properly completed, accurate, and timely;
- Following award of the procurement, develop schedules for oversight and administration of the award; identify reporting requirements and monitors compliance with reporting requirements; advise OAA staff on issues stemming from noncompliance with contract terms and/or deadlines;
- Establish close coordination with the COR/AOR on assigned actions; respond to questions from these officials conferring with the CO/AO;
- Draft procurement documents, including but not limited to contracts, grants and cooperative agreements, in addition to amendments or terminations;
- Support negotiations on behalf of the OAA principle officer, resolving issues independently to the maximum extent possible;
- Perform services under this scope of work at physical locations other than Washington, D.C. M/OAA headquarters, including within USAID offices, bureaus or other USG agencies for a period not to exceed six months.
SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIP:
The Contract Specialist will be supervised by the Supervisory Contracting Officer (M/OAA/DCHA/OTI) or his/her designee.
SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
The Supervisor will establish both general and specific work objectives. The incumbent and the supervisor together will develop deadlines, projects, and work to be accomplished. The incumbent is expected to take initiative, act independently, and manage his/her tasks with levels and extent of supervision required decreasing over time.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
At a minimum, the offeror must have:
At the GS-11 level:
- A Master’s Degree with three (3) yearsof work experience;
OR
A Bachelor’s Degree with four (4) years of work experience
AND
- At leasttwo (2) years of work experience directly related to contracting work, such as issuing or responding to solicitations for cost reimbursement or time and materials contracts, negotiating cost/price, terms or other elements of such contracts to detail;
At the GS-12 level:
- A Master’s Degree with four (4) yearsof work experience;
OR
A Bachelor’s Degree with five (5) years of work experience
AND
- At leastthree (3) years of work experience directly related to contracting work, such as issuing or responding to solicitations for cost reimbursement or time and materials contracts, negotiating cost/price, terms or other elements of such contracts to detail;
Please direct questions about this position or the offer process to the OTI Recruitment Team at otijobs@usaid.gov.
