CONTRACT SPECIALIST

Duties
Help

• Serves as a Senior Contract Specialist to accomplish all aspects of pre-award and post-award functions.
• Arrange for and conduct extensive negotiating sessions before and/or after contract award between contractor and the contracting officer's team.
• Conduct negotiation sessions before/after contract award between contractor and contracting officer's team to analyze prices, cost, labor, material requirements, production capability, facility availability, and performance history of contractor.
• Arrange for and conducts pre-negotiation meetings with technical specialist to firm up requirement, develop cost negotiation objectives, and related data for use in negotiations.
• Perform price/cost analysis for assigned procurement actions within established monetary guidelines.
• Review contractor's requests for price adjustments, claims, and appeals, analyzes basis of such request, reason and justification, nature of problems.

Requirements
Help
Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• One year trial/probationary period may be required.
• This is an Army Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Workforce position. Selectees must meet position requirements for Professional certification in the Acquisition Career Field Contracting within 36 months of entrance on duty.
• Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
• This position requires submission of the Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, upon entering the position and annually thereafter.
• Business travel required up to 5% of the time.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

• Current Department of Army Civilian Employees
• Current Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Employee (non-Army)
• Domestic Defense Industrial Base/Major Range and Test Facilities Base Civilian Personnel Workforce
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
• Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
• Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
• Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Interchange Agreement Eligible
• People with Disabilities, Schedule A
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference Eligible
• Reinstatement
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document .

Basic Requirement for Contract Specialist:

Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees.

Exemption: You are exempt from the education requirements above if (A) you are a current civilian employee in DoD who occupied GS-1102 positions or contracting positions with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in an Executive Department on or before September 30, 2000; OR (B) you are a current military member who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent)-1102 on or before September 30, 2000.

Experience required: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience at the next lower grade NH-02 equivalency which includes:1) Performing Pre-Award and Post-Award functions to include any of the following preparing Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote. 2) Identifying appropriate contract type for the product or service being procured. AND 3) Preparing required contract documentation to include any of the following Determination and Findings (D&F), Statements of Work (SOW)/Statement of Objectives (SOO), or Justifications and Approvals (J&As) for limited competition/sole source procurements.

This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service NH-02.

Applicants must meet basic eligibility requirements such as minimum qualifications, and other regulatory requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ .

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• This position requires a 1 year probationary period during which the agency evaluates your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In making this determination, the agency may consider your performance and conduct; agency needs and interests; whether your continued employment supports organizational or Government goals; and whether it promotes the efficiency of the Federal service. Continued employment requires written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• This position requires you to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is a(n) 14- Contracting Career Field position.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
• Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) will not be authorized.
• Defense National Relocation Program will not be authorized
• Advanced Leave Accrual may be authorized.
• The Technology Applications Contracting Office offers multiple Alternative Work Schedules.
• Recruitment / Relocation Incentives may be authorized.
• Retention Incentive is not authorized

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests : If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information