Acquisition & Utilization Specialist

Serves as the Medical Center liaison and advisor on contract related services focusing on critical clinical and healthcare services, product acquisition and support services required by project managers, program managers, upper management, and stakeholders on all aspects of procurement for a wide variety of items to include specialized services. Renders expert contract pre-award and post award expertise to all Administrative and Clinical Service lines.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/28/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS 09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 07. For a GS 11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 09.The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS 09 Minimum qualification

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to establishes, expedites, and reviews consolidation of, all procurement packages, including unique, emergent, and complex requirements, to meet timely and technical needs of assigned acquisitions, develops sole source justifications in relation to cost, limited availability or unusual nature, when the health care resource need is either unique in the medical community, or is subject to maximum utilization only through health care resources contracting, develops sole source justifications in relation to cost, limited availability or unusual nature, when the health care resource need is either unique in the medical community, or is subject to maximum utilization through health care resources contracting, and identifies other alternative sources that exist within the local, regional or national geographical areas, develops and implements processes and procedures as changes are made, works collaboratively with clinical chiefs, healthcare professionals at affiliates or within the community to discuss clinical needs to develop health resources, and direct sharing agreements with other organizational components.
• OR
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
• OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond above information..(TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

GS 11 Minimum qualification

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to develops procedures, policies, and supporting artifacts, establishes guidelines are unclear or conflicting, develops local policies, procedures, SOPs, and associated training materials, develops and conducts presentations/recommendations to senior leadership as well as other internal and external stakeholders, develops and analyzes local and regional reports. Makes presentations/ recommendations to senior management officials regarding the contracting support of the facility. Prepares reports or briefs, contract data for meetings, inspections, audits and in-progress reviews, monitors quality assurance surveillance plans to ensure that contracted services meet the expectations and needs of the facility.
• OR
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
• OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond above information..(TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Communication
• Contracting/Procurement
• Control of Funds
• Negotiation
• Reasoning
• Technical Competence

• 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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary in nature. Requires occasional travel to conduct inspections of contract facilities or motor vehicles providing contracts for healthcare resources to ensure joint commission and safety requirements are met.

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/.

Responsibilities:

Duties to include but not limited to the following:

• Serves as the medical center liaison and advisor on contract related services focusing on critical clinical and healthcare services, product acquisition and support services required by project managers, program managers, upper management and stakeholders on all aspects of procurement for a wide variety of items to include specialized services.
• Develops procedures, policies, and supporting artifacts to ensure procurement activities are consistent with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), VA Acquisitions Regulations (VAAR) and other federal procurement laws and regulations.
• Develops and implements processes and procedures as changes are made to the VHA Procurement Manual.
• Uses discretion in determining the intent of policy, interpreting the policy and engaging in professional discourse to resolve varying differences in interpretation and execution.
• Provides expertise as the contract analyst responsible for furnishing advice, reviews and services concerning a wide variety of service procurements requiring in-depth analysis and resolution.
• Develops performance work statements and objectives, cost benefit analysis, gap analysis, sole source justifications, past performance, quality assurance surveillance plans (QASP), market research, independent government estimates, evaluation criteria, options, funding, delivery schedules, lead times and reporting requirements.
• Reviews procurement documents for accuracy, adequacy and completeness, and assists service line managers as needed to ensure the final documents are acceptable.
• Develops sole source justifications in relation to cost, limited availability or unusual nature based on health care resource needs.
• Reviews contracts, work directives, and other ordering instruments to extract schedules of deliverable items and services, and maintains records of performance and delivery against those schedules.
• Assists in the development of procurement documents to ensure conformity to requirements including sole source justifications, government estimates, evaluation criteria, options, funding, delivery schedules, and lead times.
• Establishes and maintains controls to ensure that contracts are executed in accordance with terms.
• Recommends contract termination and need to exercise option years of the contract based on contract performance monitors, funds availability, and the need for continuation of services being rendered.
• Oversees and ensures compliance with the terms of contracts to determine modifications.
• Monitors contract expenditures requiring funds control (e.g. monitoring labor hour contracts to ensure funding levels are not exceeded). Reports on deviations from contract terms and manages a record system that includes contractor information and key contractual due dates to ensure the contractual actions are completed timely.
• Ensures that all contracted services provided by licensed independent practitioners and professionals are operating within the scope of their privileges, training, or credentials.
• Coordinates with leadership, clinical service customers, Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs), logistics staff, and other stakeholders to develop and execute acquisition strategies.
• Advises professional and technical personnel on the conditions of the contract, payments, changes, and other administrative issues which affect the financial position of the government and contractors.
• Analyzes and develops procedures to resolve gaps specificity or conflicts in guidelines consistent with supply program objectives and recommends/implements changes to current processes and procedures to improve the effectiveness of supply distribution.
• Provides training to the facility CORs on procurement policies and new processes and procedures related to procurement with the Federal government.
• Provides advice regarding procurement regulations for negotiations and resolves problems.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm.
Telework: This position is not authorized for telework.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Acquisition & Utilization Specialist/PD99810S and PD99492S

Salary : $68,419