Contract Administration Manager I

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS•Austin, TX

10d•Remote

About The Position

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is currently seeking a Contract Administration Manager I for a position within the DFPS’ ITS Business Office. The Contract Administration Manager I reports to the DFPS ITS Director of ITS Acquisitions and Contract Administration. This position performs advanced (senior-level) contract administration work that includes the development of Requests for Offers (RFO’s), Requests for Proposals (RFP’s), Invitation for Bids (IFB’s) Formal and Informal, delegated Open Market solicitations, Requests for Information (RFI’s), Requests for Qualifications (RFQ’s), Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) Statements of Work (SOW), DIR Deliverables-Based IT Services (DBITS) SOW’s, DIR IT Staff Augmentation Contracts (ITSAC) with the execution and administration of long-term contracts that are large in scope and high degree of complexity. Requirements shall include a broad knowledge of Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) and DIR statutory requirements and technology solutions available to state agencies, including DIR Cooperative Contracts, Communication Technology Services and Shared Technology Services. The Contract Administration Manager I shall be required to develop, negotiate, evaluate, execute, and monitor contracts, which involves providing technical support for a wide range of information technology contracts. Contract Administration Manager I responsibilities shall include contract planning, contract development, implementing process improvement initiatives, providing consultative services and technical assistance related to contract policy and procedure development. Responsibilities include communicating with internal and external customers, providing leadership, oversight, and instruction to DFPS staff and team members to ensure compliance with DFPS policies, as well as state and federal statutory requirements. The Contract Administration Manager I facilitates communications and collaboration between contract stakeholders and serves as the point of contact for contractual accountability activities between DFPS and contractors. The Contract Administration Manager I provides support, guidance, and assistance to DFPS staff and team members on drafting and administering contracts and provides technical assistance in the development of contracts or amendments based on provider resources, services required, information supplied by bidders, and related procurement specifications. The Contract Administration Manager I shall serve as the lead in contract development activities through execution, initiation of amendments, monitoring of contractor performance and expenditures, and contract closeouts.

Requirements

Knowledge of state procurement, contract law, Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) Procurement and Contract Management Guide, CPA’s Statewide Procurement Division (SPD) and DIR IT procurement/contracting processes, statutory requirements and state of Texas reporting requirements related to governmental procurement and contracting.
Skills and experience in contract development; ability to develop and edit contract SOW requirements, detailed specifications and negotiate contracts.
Experience in evaluating contracts and making recommendation for contract award.
Expert knowledge of DIR technology solutions and contracts, CPA SPD contracts, and open market solicitations processes and procedures.
Strong knowledge of procurement and contracting methods and procedures with emphases on IT contracts.
Knowledge of business administration and accounting principles and practices, and state of Texas requirements and procedures for contract management.
Experience in interpreting contract language, Texas Government Codes, Texas Administrative Code, state, and federal rules and regulations.
Expert knowledge of state and federal laws and regulations governing state purchasing.
Strong attention to detail relating to contract document development, vendor responses, and ensuring compliance with state procurement laws.
Expert knowledge of purchasing and procurement methods and procedures including in-depth experience and knowledge of information technology procurements.
Expert knowledge of state of Texas procurement principles and practices assigned commodities and products on the open market, and supply sources.
Expert skill in the use of computer and applicable software necessary to perform work assignments e.g., word processing, spreadsheets (Microsoft Office preferred).
Expert skill in problem solving, including asking appropriate questions and identifying resources to obtain necessary information.
Demonstrated ability to logically assemble and evaluate information.
Demonstrated ability to maintain a system of required record keeping.
Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing.
Demonstrated ability to schedule, prioritize, monitor, and complete multiple assignments timely.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team.
Demonstrated ability to act in a sound, logical, proactive, and appropriate manner based on well thought out analysis of situations or problems.
Demonstrated ability to assign and/or oversee the work of others.
Must be detail oriented.
Must be able to work in a fast-paced work environment with competing priorities.
Must provide customer service excellence.
Ability to establish and maintain an effective and cordial working relationships at all organizational levels, including agency management, direct supervisors, co-workers, and program areas.
Must possess certification as a Certified Texas Contract Manager (CTCM).
Certification as a Certified Texas Contract Developer (CTCD) must be obtained within six months of hire if not currently certified.
A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in purchasing and/or contract administration, including specification development and contract management.
A minimum of three (3) years of experience in purchasing from the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) Information Technology (IT) Contracts for commodities and/or services.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is preferred with a major in business, public administration, finance, or a related field.
Experience may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.
State of Texas agency experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Works in conjunction with the Health and Human Services Commission’s (HHSC) Procurement and Contracting Services (PCS) division to develop information technology (IT) solicitations, Purchase Orders, contracts, and amendments by conducting needs assessments; identifying procurement method, and conducting market studies; developing Statements of Work (SOW) and requirements for goods and services; to include evaluating information supplied by vendors, and negotiating contract terms for contract award.
Works with internal DFPS customers and IT staff to provide guidance for the completion of business case and use case documentation for clear and concise inclusion in Statements of Work (SOW’s) and Request for Offer (RFO) related documents.
Serves as a liaison between DFPS agency leadership, division leadership, contractors, stakeholders, HHSC PCS, and customers.
Develops, executes, and manages complex IT contracts, while providing a broad range of services across multiple organizational departments, including the development of strategies and goals for administration of IT contracts.
Coordinates the investigation and resolution of discrepancies, complaints, and/or disputes by negotiating settlement agreements or by canceling or terminating contracts as needed or upon request.
Provides input on contract budgets and budget allocations for proposed contract agreements, collaborates and assist IT Contracts team with contract development, execution, and contract management.
Develops SOW’s and/or requirements for IT solicitations and/or reviews SOW’s and specifications that have been prepared for Request for Offers (RFO), Request for Proposals (RFP), Invitation for Bids (IFB), Request for Officers (RFO), Request for Information (RFI), Request for Qualifications (RFQ), and DIR Pricing Requests (PR).
Reviews and conducts need assessments to ensure requirements for the purchase of IT goods and services are complete and justified.
Reviews purchase requests for completeness and compliance prior to processing purchase requisitions.
Accurately enters requisitions in Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System (CAPPS) Financials, tracks through the issuance of Purchase Orders (PO) and maintains contract files to comply with state statutes and to enable deliverables acceptance and invoice approvals.
Uses automated databases to plan, track and complete required contract activities and ensures complete and thorough records are uploaded to the contract management database.
Processes requisitions, contracts and documentation in an automated environment and reviews requisitions for completeness and develops SOW’s in compliance with applicable requirements and/or rules; research vendors for products and services; prepares, reviews, and facilitates procurement and contract processes.
Develops bid evaluation instruments; modifies IT solicitations, contract boilerplate, and other IT contract-related documents.
Reviews contract documents for compliance with state statutes and rules, including End User License Agreements (EULA), Interagency Contract Agreements (IAC), Service Agreements, Subscription Agreements, and IT Lease Agreements.
Oversees coordination and facilitation of procurement-related meetings such as kick-off and pre-proposal meetings, post-award conferences, vendor demos and presentations, team briefings, and evaluation scorings.
Negotiates final contract terms with the recommended vendor prior to award.
With the ITS Director of IT Acquisitions and Contract Administration and other ITS Business Office employees, develops contract administration policies and procedures.
Negotiates contract terms and contract renewals and amendments, processes Risk Assessments and creates Specialized Monitoring Plans and track and validate contract deliverables while monitoring and enforcing contract terms.
Maintains a contract cost workbook with all deliverables, costs, invoices, payments, Liquidated Damages, and Retainage amounts for all assigned contract, meeting threshold.
Monitors contract performance by examining deliverables for compliance with contract specifications, examining invoices and fiscal data for compliance with terms of contract and contract administration policies, documents and recommends Cure letters, Corrective Action Plans, or cancellation of contracts when deviations occur.
With ITS management, develop change requests, task orders, and action memos as required.
Evaluate and review expenditure data and makes projects to ensure appropriate use of funds.
Complete the risk assessment process for contract monitoring and planning.
Provide system generated and/or manually generated ad hoc reports to ITS management to support ongoing contract management decisions.
Resolves audit exceptions by defining causes of errors and recommending appropriate remedial actions.
Maintains contract files by ensuring all contract documentation is up to date and uploaded to DFPS and HHSC Procurement and Contracting Systems.
Prepares all required contract administration forms for delivery to the appropriate entity.
Performs contract close-outs “as required” for all assigned contracts per DFPS Contract Oversight and Support (COS) policy & procedures.
Completes all state required vendor performance tracking for each assigned contract, while maintaining detailed knowledge of each assigned contract.
Monitors legal and regulatory requirements pertaining to contracting.
Review Contract and Procurement related to Fiscal Notes, Bill Analysis and serve as a Legislative Liaison for IT Contracts.
Identifies training needs, determines how training should be provided and conducted, and develops training curriculum as assigned.
Provides training/guidance regarding IT procurement and contract administration policies and procedures to internal DFPS employees.
May plan, assign, or supervise the work of others.
Maintains state CTCM/CTCD certifications.
Adheres to all Texas Department of Family and Protective Services HR policies and performs all related work as assigned.

Benefits

100% paid health insurance for you, and 50% paid for eligible family members—saving you hundreds every month in out-of-pocket medical costs
Retirement plans with lifetime monthly payments after five years of state service, plus options to save even more with 401(k) and 457 plans
Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave so you can recharge and take care of life outside work (that’s time off you’re actually paid for)
Optional dental, vision, and life insurance—at rates much lower than most private plans
Flexible spending accounts for added tax savings on health and dependent care
Employee discounts on things like gym memberships, electronics, and entertainment

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