State of Maryland

An Acquisition Specialist is the full performance level of work performing special real estate transaction projects assigned by the Director, Office of Real Estate or other designated official in the Department of General Services.  Employees in this classification are responsible for preparing lease project Requests for Proposals, developing selection processes and cost/benefit analyses, conducting contract/lease negotiations, and handling the most complex real estate transactions, such as leasebacks, leaseholds or lease purchases.  Employees in this classification do not supervise Acquisition Agents but provide guidance and direction to these employees on specific assignments.  

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from the Director, Office of Real Estate, or other designated official.  The work requires travel to property locations and land record offices throughout the State to perform research and inspection of properties.  

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of a class specification.  

The Acquisition Specialist is differentiated from the Acquisition Agent Supervisor in that the Acquisition Specialist performs special complex leasing projects under general supervision while the Acquisition Agent Supervisor has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Acquisition Agents. The Acquisition Specialist is differentiated from the Acquisition Specialist Senior Lead in that the Acquisition Specialist Senior Lead assigns, reviews and approves the work of and trains Acquisition Specialists.   The Acquisition Specialist differs from the Acquisition Specialist Senior Advanced in that the Acquisition Specialist Senior Advanced functions as technical subject matter specialists in commercial real estate land acquisition and disposal or lease management and procurement.

Conducts difficult property acquisition cases involving complex legal and financial requirements and transactions;

Procures real estate involving complex transactions;

Interprets provisions of lease agreements in the event of disputes;

Negotiates leaseholds with potential leasers in accordance with State procurement regulations and departmental policy;

Conducts negotiations with property owners, attorneys or other owner representatives in order to obtain property at the best price;

Prepares option contracts, Requests for Proposals, and lease agreements;

Prepares items for Board of Public Works agenda, setting forth evaluations and recommendations;

Establishes standards for custodial services, housekeeping and records storage in leased facilities;

Interprets survey plats, land records, acquisition maps, zoning maps and deed records to determine ownership of property and other factors relating to property acquisition;

Confers with agency heads or staff concerning the needs, priorities and recommendations in order to determine appropriate type of property to be acquired;

Participates in public or closed meetings and conferences at the request of elected or appointed officials of State and local governments or civic groups;

Performs cost effective analysis to determine most efficient means of acquiring property;

Identifies funding sources in acquisitions or leases to establish when Relocation Entitlements apply that Federal requirements must be met;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of property appraisal techniques and practices;

Knowledge of State procurement regulations;

Knowledge of the methods and techniques of contract negotiation for the acquisition of real property and leaseholds;

Knowledge of preparation and analysis of contract specifications describing facilities space and real property;

Knowledge of real property and lease laws;

Knowledge of creative financing methods;

Knowledge of building design, construction procedures and methods;

Knowledge of relocation assistance to persons or businesses displaced as a result of land acquisition;

Knowledge of the methods required to search land records for title, descriptions and ownership;

Ability to negotiate with owners, lawyers, real estate dealers, building managers, and mortgage companies;

Ability to interpret real estate maps and plats and architectural and engineering designs and layouts;

Ability to make field inspections of property and structures; Ability to communicate effectively with others;

Ability to compile market data as it pertains to real estate sales and leasing costs.

Education:   Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Five years of experience negotiating the acquisition, disposal, development, management or leasing of real property.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.  

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit B, Administrative, Technical and Clerical classes.  As provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.