MANDI BALLARD
Columbia,Maryland
Summary
Dynamic and motivated professional that demonstrates exceptional communication skills. Adaptable and transformational leader with an ability to work independently, manage projects from concept to completion with the ability to make critical decisions.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Contract Specialist
National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine
07.2023 - 07.2025
- Develops and prepares contract solicitations, modifications, and other contracting documents, incorporating appropriate language, specifications and clauses based on various factors market conditions, customer requirements, quantities required.
- Performs acquisition planning tasks, including reviewing and analyzing procurement requests, researching market conditions, determining method of procurement and contract type.
- Developing acquisition plans, preparing source selection plans or technical evaluation criteria and plans, and preparing necessary justifications and documentation.
- Awards and administers a variety of contracts, including those awarded under Section 8(a) and other programs including sole source procurements.
- Develops negotiation plans and objectives; assists with conferences; and conducts discussions and negotiations with contractors.
- Performs post-award duties including monitoring contractor's performance, ensuring contract compliance, ensuring payments are processed, negotiating modifications, and dealing with protests and/or terminations as needed.
- Evaluates technical submissions, bids or offers for responsiveness to the solicitation and responsibility. Coordinates the establishment of a technical evaluation committee or source selection evaluation board to determine acceptability of technical proposals;
- Evaluates contractor proposals against selection criteria; and may serve as the Source Selection Authority chair and as such make cost technical trade-offs.
- Performs cost and or price analysis and makes final determination on awards within delegated contracting officer authority.
- Conducts or facilitates various contracting meetings such as pre-proposal and post award meetings. Responds to inquiries from customers and vendors concerning contract issues and concerns; keeps customers contractors apprised of procurement status; coordinates with other offices or stakeholders to resolve procurement-related problems.
- Ensured timely fulfillment of contractual requirements by closely monitoring progress and addressing potential issues proactively.
Procurement Analyst/Contracts Specialists II (SSA)
Social Security Administration Headquarters
10.2019 - 07.2023
- Processing Micro Purchase card holder applications and Micro Purchase card terminations in the Purchase Card Application Portal system (PCAP).
- Distributes notifications of completed request to assigned coordinators and filed documentation on the SharePoint database.
- Processes official hierarchy name changes in Office of Acquisition and Grants (OAG) Purchase Card Application Portal system (PCAP) system.
- Analyzing Micro Purchase Card program spending patterns to determine unauthorized commitments of Split Purchases.
- Conducting all Acquisition Management Review (AMR) for all on-going Key-Word spending of purchase card activity to ensure purchases are made in accordance with acquisition policies and procedures.
- Reporting all findings back to upper management to determine further actions for ratifications for Split Purchases and Key-Word Acquisition Management Review (AMR).
- Review's and verifies all entries for accuracy in the CitiBank Transaction Management (CTMS) system. Establishing new hierarchy in the Purchase Card Application Portal (PCAP) system for all new Social Security Administration locations. Processed Micro Purchase cardholder and Approving Official office address updates as requested.
- Processed Micro Purchase cardholder move request to new Approving Official hierarchies in the CitiBank Transaction Management (CTMS) system. Enters accounting General Ledger codes and ACS templates for cardholder applications.
- Notifying Coordinators of Micro Purchase cardholder move request to new Approving Official hierarchies in Citi-Manager.
- Processing terminations of Micro Purchase card accounts and Approving Official accounts based on the Office of Acquisition and Grants (OAG)Separation report.
- Attending all team meetings to discuss current task, issues, and future projects.
Grant Financial Specialist
Department Of Interior National Park Service
11.2018 - 10.2019
- Assisting with the monitoring of recipients of Federal funds for compliance with Government's National Historic Preservation Act, Historic Preservation Fund, National Environmental Policy Act, and other requirements.
- Assists with the development and administration of DOI-NPS grants.
- Brings any issues that may have an impact on grant policy to the attention of the Agreements Officer (AO) and Program Manager.
- Supports the development and delivery of training, technical assistance, oversight, expertise, and consultation to program officials, awardees, review panels, applicants, recipients, and sub-recipients as needed.
- Supports the review and evaluation of adequacy of grants/assistance policies and procedures.
- Assists with information sharing and coordination between NPS and awardee organizations.
- Participates in determinations of awardee eligibility using formulas and methodology and established eligibility criteria, such as competitive rating factors.
- Develops program announcements and application solicitations or proposals for funding under assistance awards.
- Assists in oversight, review, analysis, and evaluation of grants/assistance applications, plans, and estimates.
- Assists in the preparation, processing, issuing, and tracking of grants/assistance awards and compliance with reporting requirements.
- Assists with program evaluation, including monitoring and assessing awardee performance, and establishing performance measures.
- Participates in monitoring, assessing, and ensuring awardee compliance with all terms and conditions of award.
- Supports the initiation and/or recommendation of audits to be performed. Assists with the resolution of audit findings or monitoring audit resolution in partnership with resolution officials.
- Supports post-award reviews and analyses to identify management, financial, and administrative issues, including risk assessments and business reviews.
- Supporting the initiation, planning, and conduct of surveys and studies to recommend changes to policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Communicates with external customers, recipients, and awardee community to clarify, interpret, and resolve issues.
- Assists with the final review of completed awards, recommending the initiation of appropriate adjustments or disallowances, and supporting the processing of close-outs.
- Assists with file management to include required documentation – both digital and paper.
- Documents compliance with all regulatory and legal requirements.
Contract Specialist, Project Manager-Contractor
National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine
11.2017 - 11.2018
- Manages, performs, and develops policies and procedures involving the procurement of supplies, services, construction, research and development.
- Use clear and professional communication and provide a high quality of customer service when drafting documents and interacting with Government personnel and the public.
- Evaluation of contract price proposals and the administration or termination and close out of contracts.
- Integrate procurement management processes including; procurement planning, solicitation planning, development and releases, source selections contract administration and contract closeout.
- Procurement planning, development of requests for proposals, broad agency announcements solicitations, contract negotiations, awards, administration, terminations and close outs, and perform acquisition planning, preparation of price cost analyses for designated actions, formulation of negotiation strategies, development of negotiation objectives.
- Negotiation of contracts for the procurement of equipment, supplies, services, construction, Information Technology (IT) equipment, systems, and services to support (NIH) National Institutes of Health research initiatives.
- Support post-award reviews and analyses to identify management, financial, and administrative issue.
- Knowledge of contracting principles, laws, statutes, Executive Orders, regulations, procedures, procurement regulations and contract principles to prepare and negotiate contracts.
- Reduced risk exposure through diligent monitoring and enforcement of contractual obligations.
- Managed files both digitally and in paper.
- Request audits to be performed.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Management
University of Phoenix
Columbia, MD06-2010
Skills
- Quality assurance
- Research and analysis
- Contract performance management
- Contract administration
- Project management
- Proposal evaluation
- Document control
- Strong vendor relations
- Interpersonal and written communication
- Project Support
- Workflow management
Timeline
Contract Specialist
National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine
07.2023 - 07.2025
Procurement Analyst/Contracts Specialists II (SSA)
Social Security Administration Headquarters
10.2019 - 07.2023
Grant Financial Specialist
Department Of Interior National Park Service
11.2018 - 10.2019
Contract Specialist, Project Manager-Contractor
National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine
11.2017 - 11.2018
Bachelor of Science - Business Management
University of Phoenix
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