Acquisition Utilization Specialist

This Acquisition Utilization Specialist position is with Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) in Phoenix, AZ. Serves as the VHA Member Services liaison and advisor on contract related services focusing on critical services, product acquisition and other facility support services required by project managers, program managers, upper management and stakeholders on all aspects of procurement for a wide variety of items and functions. Renders expert contract pre-award and post-award expertise to all VHA Member Services stakeholders. Key duties: • Serves as the liaison and advisor on contract-related services, focusing on critical services, product acquisition, and facility support for VHA Member Services stakeholders. Develops procedures, policies, and supporting artifacts to ensure procurement activities comply with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR), and other federal procurement laws. Coordinates with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Network Contracting Activity, leadership, CORs, logistics) to develop and execute acquisition strategies. Provides training to facility Contracting Officer's Representatives (CORs) on procurement policies and new processes/procedures related to federal procurement. Independently develops and reviews procurement documentation such as performance work statements, cost benefit analysis, gap analysis, sole source justifications, quality assurance surveillance plans (QASP), market research, and independent government estimates. Manages division-wide procurements, negotiates performance requirements, and standardizes equipment, supply, and service requirements in support of facility strategic acquisition plans. Establishes and maintains controls to ensure contracts are executed according to terms, monitors procurement processes, and resolves problems in contract administration. Advises on contract negotiations, modifications, change orders, supplemental agreements, and participates in negotiation as required. Coordinates and reviews vendor evaluations, monitors contract expenditures, and reports on deviations from contract terms to ensure compliance and timely completion of contractual actions. Produces required documents for internal and external audits, collaborates with executive leadership and stakeholders to correct deficiencies, and may serve as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or Alternate COR. 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 thru Friday - Tour of duty based on business needs. Remote: This position is not authorized for Remote work. Telework: This position may be authorized for Telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current position. Definition of Virtual work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at VA-owned or leased space. Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in affect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption already in place. Position Description/PD#: Acquisition Utilization Specialist/PD555240 and PD842430 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/19/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirements: 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-09. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11.The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. A 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 as described below: GS-11 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: 1) Analyzing and recommending actions to ensure clinical and administrative service requirements not limited to construction, budgeting and manpower have been considered. 2) Overseeing procurement packages with varying levels of complexity. 3) Enforcing contract compliance and monitoring procurement processes at all phases of negotiation with contract specialist or contracting officer. 4) Coordinating with stakeholders to develop and execute acquisition strategies. 5) Developing and conducting presentations and recommendations to senior leadership as well as other internal and external stakeholders. OR, GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 1) Analyzing and recommending actions to ensure clinical and administrative service requirements not limited to construction, budgeting and manpower have been considered. 2) Overseeing procurement packages with varying levels of complexity. 3) Enforcing contract compliance and monitoring procurement processes at all phases of negotiation with contract specialist or contracting officer. 4) Coordinating with stakeholders to develop and execute acquisition strategies. 5) Developing and conducting presentations and recommendations to senior leadership as well as other internal and external stakeholders. 6) Developing procedures and policies to ensure procurement activities are consistent with federal procurement laws and regulations. 7) Provides training to facility contracting officer's representatives on procurement policies and new processes/procedures related to federal procurement. 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/. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.