Acquisition Utilization Specialist

Full Job Description

As the Acquisition Utilization Specialist, you will serve 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.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/24/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience assisting, making recommendations, advising, and serving as the liaison with a VA Healthcare System and their supported catchment area.

Experience assisting in performing contract liaison work as a technical authority on contracting services for the facility, CBOCs, memorandum of understanding (MOU) affiliates and stake holders' business processes.

Experience helping to develop, negotiate, and manage contract services.

Experience communicating with a wide variety of customers in formal, written, verbal and presentation-based methods and materials.

Experience assisting in the performance of cost-benefit analysis, conducting gap analyses, and understanding the cost elements which go into the production, management or delivery of a healthcare resource service or product.

Experience monitoring contract performance over the life of contracts, and solving a broad range of problems related to proposals for change, claims, payments, and similar problems.

Experience negotiating strategies to deal with contractors in resolving problems and issues.

Experience reviewing and making recommendations for contract settlement proposals, audit reports, technical evaluations, and subcontractor claims.

Experience administering and monitoring contractor compliance. 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.

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 beyond the graduate level.

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/.

Major Duties:

Render expert contract pre-award and post award expertise to all administrative and clinical services within the medical center and supported catchment area.

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: 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.

Conducts analyses and recommends courses of actions to ensure that vision clinical and administrative service requirements have addressed considerations such as construction, budgeting, supporting manpower and other factors.

Provides training to the facility Contracting Officer Representatives on procurement policies and new processes and procedures related to procurement.

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 and conducts presentations/recommendations to leadership and other stakeholders to explain regulations and procedures.

Negotiates performance requirements among multiple sites and service lines in order to obtain agreement, standardize enterprise equipment, supply and/or service requirements in support of strategic acquisition plans.

Establishes and maintains controls to ensure that contracts are executed in accordance with terms.

Advises on all phases of negotiation with the contract specialist/contracting officer for contract modifications, change orders, supplemental agreements and delivery order processes including requirements, definition, justification and approval for service contract extension, method of contracting, evaluation of proposals and all phases of contract administration.

Monitors quality assurance surveillance plans to ensure that contracted services meet the expectations and needs of the facility. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm.

(Subject to change based on agency need.) Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Acquisition Utilization Specialist/PD50587A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized