Contracts Specialist

The Contracts Specialist maintains the contract administration system to ensure its third-party contractors comply with the terms, conditions, and specifications of their contracts or purchase orders and applicable Federal, State and local requirements new or unusual situations arise, and are fully aware of the operating procedures and policies of the work unit.    Responsible for ensuring the organization follows FTA Circular 42201F – Third Party Contracting Regulations.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
1.    Audits subrecipients of grants for compliance with federal, state and BJCTA regulations and policies.
2.    Writes and manages all vendor contracts and enter into the contract management system.
3.    Prepares and administers engineering, construction and equipment-procurement contracts, services, lease and maintenance agreements, work directives, and task orders; advertises invitation to bid and requests for proposals, coordinates the award and execution of contracts/agreements, non-competitive procurements and emergency contracts/-procurements, plans and coordinates procurement activities within the scope of contracting responsibilities; prepares and edits work products for completeness and accuracy.
4.    Manages and enters all subrecipient contract information into contract management system.
5.    Assists in the development of grant, procurement, and compliance documents to ensure compliance with federal, state and BJCTA regulations and policies.
6.    Prepares a wide-range of financial statements, legal documents and reports.
7.    Interprets policies and procedures as established by the Board of Directors and the CEO relevant to contracts.
8.    Compiles data based upon research techniques and on statistical compilations involving an understanding of agency policies and procedures.
9.    Attends internal meetings, as required, and keeps management aware of anything that may need attention.
10.    Attends meetings with the CEO or designee.
11.    Works with the Compliance and Procurement leadership to ensure that Conflict of Interest Statements for Board of Directors and Authority employees are signed annually.  This will include notification of specific deadlines and requirements for filing these documents.
12.    Composes reports and correspondence.
13.    Conducts special assignments as needed to ensure the projects are completed timely.
14.    Ensures that the Executive, Grants and Procurement office maintain strict standards of confidentiality.
15.    Confers with management staff on contract issues as needed.
Attends and participates in management, project review and related committees or meetings; prepares materials and participates in presentations.
16.     Responds to requests for information on contracts from consultants, contractors, vendors, external customers, other departments and the general public.
17.      Prepares, compiles and distributes a variety of reports including contract status, weekly summaries and related documents; generates and updates electronic contract database on all work performed.
18.    Monitor financial status and advise the Director if contract performance jeopardized.
19.    Issues tasks under a task order contract.
20.    Assists with contract close-out.
21.    Prepares and maintains logs, records and files on all contracts and projects; edits and reviews the conformance of work prepared by staff.
22.    Advises other Authority departments’ staff on procurement methods, procedures, and rationale; recommends contract solutions.
23.    Assists in the development of standards for procurement or contract administration activities; maintains and monitors compliance with established standards.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Supervision: None.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or related area.

Experience: Three years of experience in contract compliance.  Experience in public transportation, government agency or related field is strongly preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
1.    Excellent organizational, grammatical, and written/verbal communication skills.
2.    Knowledge of principles and practices of public and business administration
3.    Knowledge of rules, regulations and guidelines pertaining to contract compliance
4.    Knowledge of construction markets and trade availability
5.    Ability to maintain records and write reports.
6.    Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with contractors, public officials, consultants, attorneys and others involved in MBE programs
7.    Ability to interpret and apply established rules, regulations, policies and procedures
8.    Ability to use modern office methods, techniques and equipment
9.    Skill in using a computer, including, contract tracking software