Working at NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our eight employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and see how NREL is focused on saving the planet.

Note: Research suggests that potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply. We seek dedicated people who believe they have the skills and ambition to succeed at NREL to apply for this role.

Job Description

The Facilities and Site Services (FSS) Team is a unique group tasked with providing procurement services (cradle to grave contracting) for NREL’s construction/maintenance projects in conjunction with DOE. This includes large and small construction, maintenance, and campus upgrade efforts. This is a creative team working on a wide range of acquisition types and subcontract vehicles.  Many high-profile projects are on the horizon, as part of our 10 year and beyond campus expansion strategy.

https://www.nrel.gov/about/vision.html

What to expect (daily tasks include):

• Perform complete pre-award, award and post award acquisition functions for various agreement types (eg. Task Ordering Agreements, Work Ordering Agreements, Stand Alone Contracts, competitive and non-competitive procurements, etc.) in accordance with applicable procedures and guidelines, including Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Department of Energy Acquisition Regulations (DEAR), NREL prime contract flow downs, General Services Administration (GSA) and construction industry best business practices.
• Review construction, A/E, maintenance statements of work for completeness and compliance purposes.
• Perform market research to find viable contractors to perform the work.
• Develop and acquisition strategy and project milestones.
• Develop and draft a sole source or competitive solicitation package (including establishing best value or LPTA criteria).
• Present complete RFP or award packages to the leadership team/ DOE for final review and approval when required.
• Prepare postings for solicitations for SAM.gov.
• Lead pre-bid and pre-construction job walks for potential offers and awardees.
• Respond to technical questions from potential offerors.
• Receive, track and review incoming proposals from offerors.
• Develop a comprehensive negotiation strategy, perform discussions, clarifications and debriefs
• Negotiate pricing, negotiate terms, recommend award, and prepare the necessary documentation in support of purchasing decisions (award package).
• Perform cost or price analyses; making competitive range determinations; coordinating with technical experts and evaluation teams.
• Perform post award duties and subcontract administration, including leading pre-construction meetings, issuing Notices to Proceed to the awardee, drafting change orders, drafting field change orders, drafting and issuing modifications and drafting closeout documentation.
• Daily use of with Oracle EBS and Procurement Cloud, Google, Microsoft Suite, and Adobe Suite applications.
• Daily use of organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Daily use of Service Contract Act and/or Davis Act requirements.
• Consult Legal Counsel as needed.

Basic Qualifications

For a Level III:
Relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 3 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant PhD or or equivalent relevant education/experience in supply chain, management, business, contracts administration or similar field. Or, relevant JD or equivalent relevant education/experience in supply chain, management, business, contracts administration or similar field. Ability to use various computer software programs.

For a level II:
Relevant Bachelor's Degree and 2 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience in supply chain, management, business, contracts administration or similar field. Or, relevant Master's Degree in supply chain, management, business, contracts administration or similar field. Ability to use various computer software programs.

This position also requires the following basic qualifications:

• MUST have working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), other laws, regulations, principles, procedures and practices related to government contracting (similar to GS 1102 positions).
• MUST have some direct federal contracting experience (overseeing and managing federal contracts).
• MUST have foundational digital skills, including expert knowledge of navigating a PC user interface, the Microsoft Office Suite (including but not limited to Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, OneNote, Powerpoint), Adobe Suite (PDF files), internet browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Edge) and ability to quickly learn (within 6 weeks) other applications like Oracle EBS, Oracle Procurement Cloud, and Smartsheets.
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiating, oral and written communication skills.

The successful candidate must have/demonstrate the following skills:

• Work autonomously
• Take initiative on stretch projects
• Proficient at multitasking
• Proficient at problem solving
• Proficient at building and maintaining successful relationships with customers and suppliers
• Have a customer service focus
• Ability to work under pressure and successfully meet deadlines.
• Ability to professionally interact with all level of personnel, both internal and external to the Laboratory.
• Work in a team environment.

The successful candidate for a Level III must have/demonstrate the following skills:

• MUST have considerable/working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), other laws, regulations, principles, procedures and practices related to government contracting (similar to GS 1102 positions).
• MUST have direct federal contracting experience of 3+ years and some exposure/awareness of FAR Part 36, Davis Bacon Act and Service Contract Act.
• MUST have foundational digital skills, including expert knowledge of navigating a PC user interface, the Microsoft Office Suite (including but not limited to Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, OneNote, Powerpoint), Adobe Suite (PDF files), internet browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Edge) and ability to quickly learn (within 6 weeks) other applications like Oracle EBS, Oracle Procurement Cloud, and Smartsheets.
• MUST have excellent interpersonal, negotiating, oral and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Procurement Certifications from NCMA (CPCM, CCCM, CFCM, etc.) or FAC-C or other industry recognized organizations.
• Familiarity with applicable NREL Procurement Standard Practices and DOE Acquisition Regulations (DEAR).
• Direct experience with Service Contract Act and/or Davis Act requirements or equivalent state and/or local labor requirements.
• Strong working knowledge of the administration of a wide variety of contract types.