Contract Specialist

Full Job Description

Are you a graduating student or a recent grad? Join our Pathways Recent Graduate Program! This two-year program offers professional and technical training, mentoring and developmental opportunities.

Location of position: Positions may be filled at any of the listed duty locations. We are currently filling 54 vacancies, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.

For each job on your resume, provide: the exact dates you held each job (from month/year to month/year) number of hours per week you worked (if part time).

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcements to verify qualifications.

If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.

BASIC REQUIREMENT for Contract Specialist positions: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; OR At least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

EXCEPTION: On January 1, 2000, you held a position in the federal service in the GS-1102 series and your position was at grades 5 through 12.

You have continually held this occupational series since January 1, 2000. The GS-07 salary range starts at $51,210 per year. Locality pay will be determined upon selection.

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

To qualify at the GS-07 level: In addition to the Basic Requirements above, all candidates must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience is experience performing routine or developmental contracting assignments such as monitoring contractor performance for compliance with contract requirements, planning or carrying-out pre-award and/or post-award procurement actions, and resolving common procurement-related issues or problems.

OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the baccalaureate level is fully qualifying at the GS-7 level.

To claim SAA, submit documentation of one of the following: Class standing -- You must be in the upper third of your graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.

Grade-point average (rounded to one decimal point) of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during your final 2 years of the curriculum.

Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

OR EDUCATION: 1 year of full-time graduate level education in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

OR COMBINATION: Combination of experience and graduate level education as described above that, when combined, fulfills the requirements. The GS-09 salary range starts at $62,640 per year.

Locality pay will be determined upon selection. If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

To qualify at the GS-09 level: In addition to the Basic Requirements above, all candidates must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 in the Federal Service.

Specialized experience is defined as experience performing the full range of well defined and well precedented routine and developmental contracting assignments.

Procurement at this level include: Determine appropriate contract vehicles (i.e.

purchase orders, blanket purchase agreements, etc...) to plan and carry out acquisition actions; Evaluating vendor offers for responsiveness; Identifying excessive or underestimated prices and negotiates prices; Responding to and resolving common acquisition issues/questions.

OR EDUCATION:Master's (or equivalent graduate degree) or have completed 2 years of progressively higher graduate education leading to a Master's or equivalent degree.

To be creditable, graduate education must be in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

OR COMBINATION: Combination of graduate education and specialized experience that when combined fulfills the requirements. Major Duties:

This position is in the Acquisition Talent Development Program (ATD), an entry-level professional career development opportunity for those interested in becoming government contracting professionals.

As a Contract Specialist, you will: Consult with and support internal and external customers, as well as companies that have submitted offers and those currently under contract providing technical advice on contracting matters with guidance from higher graded specialists.

Assist with the reviews and analyzing requests for procurements, revising/assisting with the scope of work, drawings or specifications as necessary with assistance from higher graded specialists.

Performs cost and/or price proposal analyses for firm fixed price and similar contracts; reviews cost breakdowns, direct and indirect costs; identifies costs which are allowable and allocable to determine reasonableness.

Assist with negotiating conventional modifications, determining contract cost changes, price adjustments, progress, partial, and final payments.

Assist with preparing required documentation to explain rationale and methods used in arriving at the final/negotiated price.

Assist with responses to inquiries, including formal protest, congressional inquiries, and Freedom of Information Act requests.