The Contract Administration Unit (CAU) reports to the department's Chief Financial Officer. Our office's chief responsibility is to ensure that the Education Department complies with law, regulation, and best practices in our procurement and grant-making activities. We work with program offices throughout the Education Department to identify contractors that will provide services to the Education Department or provide services to local schools, organizations, or individuals on behalf of the Education Department. We also facilitate grants that help fund organizations and programs through the state. In a typical year, we oversee approximately 100 different competitive bids, non-competitive procurements, and grants. We then generate and obtain approval for around 1,000 resulting contracts. As examples, we process contracts related to statewide school exams, afterschool programs, college opportunity programs, adult education, services for individuals with disabilities, funding for public libraries and museums, and IT services needed for our internal staff. Our unit also oversees compliance with the state's Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise program.
The intern will be exposed to, and participate in, a variety of procurement and grant related tasks. For example, the intern may be asked to review and provide feedback on draft requests for proposals, requests for exemption from competitive bidding, and contractor Minority and Women-Owned Business compliance reports. The intern will provide written comments to documents reviewed, as well as meet with unit staff to discuss questions or ideas. To the extent possible, the intern will be included in meetings with program staff related to the procurement or grant projects they are looking at. The intern may be asked to review budgets, awardee lists, and reporting information to ensure accuracy and compliance with guidelines, as well as assist with compiling data for reporting purposes. The intern may also be asked to help conduct vendor reviews for possible legal, financial, or integrity concerns. The unit expects to be transitioning to a new content and workflow management system during the internship period, and the intern may be asked to assist with testing the system and making suggestions for improvement. The specific focus of the intern's tasks can be tailored based on the intern's background and interests.
The intern will be provided with guidance and written materials to become familiar with relevant aspects of State Finance Law and Executive Law, as well as policy documents such as the NYS Procurement Guidelines and the Guide to Financial Operations. The intern will also experience how these principles are applied in the real world through the tasks they are performing. In addition to formal meetings to orient the intern to the unit and discuss tasks and assignments, our unit staff will always be available to answer questions and provide guidance. The intern will also be invited to participate in any formal trainings that might occur during the internship period.
This position will be of particular interest to undergraduate or graduate/professional students in areas such as public administration, business, policy, or law. The ideal candidate would possess strong written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, interest in state law and administrative operations, and basic familiarity with Microsoft Office. Interest in a career with Civil Service is a plus.
Maximum 29 hours per week, Monday through Friday; schedule is flexible between the hours of 8am and 4pm.
To apply for this position, please send your resume, cover letter, transcript (unofficial is acceptable), and signed application to Internships@nysed.gov with the code OMS-SU24-2U in your subject line. Failure to send complete applications or follow the instructions will result in your removal from consideration for this position.
Brian Hackett