Contracting Officer

Full Job Description

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a non-partisan legislative branch agency that advises the U.S.

Congress on Medicaid and CHIP policy issues, is seeking a Contracting Officer.

The Contracting Officer (CO) reports to the Director of Finance and is responsible for MACPAC's overall contracting and procurement operations.

The position requires excellent documentation, organizational and presentation skills, and requires a strong background in federal appropriations, procurement, and contracting compliance.

Like all MACPAC employees, the CO is expected to: demonstrate and model commitment to team and personal success work collaboratively with others inside and outside of the organization; adapt behavior in response to feedback and experience; hold self-accountable for meeting expectations in a timely, professional manner; and foster a positive and engaging agency culture.

Knowledge and Skills: In order to perform the major duties above, the CO must have: sound understanding of contracting and procurement best practices and policy in a federal or other government environment; knowledge of appropriations and acquisition laws and regulations; experience drafting, publishing, and reviewing responses to public procurement solicitations; expert proofreading skills and attention to detail in written products; expert documentation, organizational, and execution skills; ability to clearly and concisely present complicated procurement concepts to end users with differing skill levels; and ability to multitask.

Experience and Education: The educational and experience requirements for the CO position include: a Bachelor's degree; Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C) preferred; and at least five years' experience in government acquisition and procurement, federal experience preferred.

Major Duties:

The CO monitors, manages, and executes procurement actions in cooperation and collaboration with program teams and agency leadership.

The CO is responsible for the entire procurement life cycle for acquisition at the agency, including procurement solicitations, documentation, facilitating contract awards, monitoring invoicing and deliverables, and completing contract renewals and/or close-out.

The CO oversees and manages MACPAC's procurement policies, information management, and procurement training for contracting officer's representatives (CORs) and all staff.

The CO will coordinate and implement agency-wide contracting and procurement strategy functions, to include managing solicitations, internal requests for acquisitions (new or renewals), executing contracts and modifications, managing agency contract administration, and overseeing contract close-out activities.

These duties include but may not be limited to: collaborating with leadership and program officials on contract planning, including generating complete procurement solicitations; identifying appropriate procurement vehicles and actions aligned with agency strategy; and providing long-range and short-term procurement planning.

managing program requests for acquisitions for both research and operations procurements, including facilitating review by Finance officials for availability of funding; ensuring acquisition requests align with MACPAC's statutory authority, budget authority, and appropriations laws; preparing price and cost analyses for designated actions; negotiating or facilitating negotiation of contracts for the agency's programs; and tracking and reporting on routine annual acquisitions for purposes of program and financial planning.

performing contract administration functions required by agency policy and any applicable procurement regulations; including but not limited to: drafting and executing contracts, contractual modifications, and justifications for other than full and open competition, when appropriate; managing the agency's use of the System for Award Management (SAM) or other procurement-related platforms as needed; in collaboration with CORs and Finance team staff, implement effective and sufficient oversight of contract performance necessary to ensure delivery of the supplies or services required by contracts, including monitoring invoice and deliverable submissions; communicating with vendors during the RFP process; conducting routine contract renewal or close-out activities as required, including but not limited to: drafting and executing modifications to exercise option periods; in collaboration with CORs, ensuring prompt submission of renewal or option period purchase requests; completing close-out documentation for research or other contracts when they conclude; and administering and maintaining contracting records and files ensuring strict compliance with agency policies and applicable contracting regulations.

developing and implementing COR and other training for MACPAC staff; developing and maintaining agency policies and procedures related to procurement and acquisition; providing advice and counsel concerning procurement to agency leadership and staff; in consultation with the Director of Finance, advising staff and leadership on and managing MACPAC contract expenditures; and Under the supervision of the Director of Finance, performs other duties as assigned.