Contract Specialist - Federal Acquisition Service

About the role

Serves as a subject matter expert and agency authority on acquisition methodology including requirements definition, solicitation, evaluation, award, and delivery of, commercial and/or non-commercial acquisitions, domestic common goods and/or state of the art systems, or equipment and services. Awards and administers various contract types (Firm-Fixed Price, Labor Hour, Time and Materials, etc.). Supports business operations by crafting and overseeing contractual activities in accordance with business processes.

Responsibilities

• Prepares acquisition documentation, including market analyses, acquisition plans, and Determination & Findings.
• Determines the acquisition strategy that best aligns with customer requirements.
• Develops acquisition objectives in terms of competition and price range and constructs contractual vehicles, including use of pricing arrangements, subcontracting policy, set-aside policies and similar considerations.
• Plans comprehensive negotiation strategies, coordinates strategies with other technical experts involved, leads negotiations with contractors to develop contract prices and terms, and awards contracts.
• Reviews, validates, and provides guidance on price analysis, market research, the Independent Government Cost Estimates (IGCE), and other pre award documentation.
• Performs detailed analyses of all elements of cost and price in contractor proposals and makes competitive range determinations. Prepares determinations, findings, and solicitation documents. Develops and recommends acquisition decisions which follow all applicable laws, Comptroller General's decisions, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and GSA Regulations (GSAR) and other governing regulations as it pertains to assigned acquisitions.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with Government agency clients and stakeholders for whom conducting the procurement and with both management and technical personnel of private industry. Coordinates program customer communications including conducting regular advisory group and organizational meetings as assigned. Acts as an official spokesperson for the Government. Provides technical direction and guidance to management, customers, and contractors in assignment area relative to the market, the industry, specifications, socio-economic concerns, and similar matters or unusual problems.
• Ensures performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting, ensuring compliance with the terms of the contract, and safeguarding the interests of the United States in its contractual relationships. Performs contract administration, including incremental funding, preparation of rate and cost adjustments, redirection of effort, coordination of time extensions, incorporation of change orders, issuance of stop work orders, issuance of cure notices or show cause letters, monitoring of government property reporting, approval of progress payments, settlement of disputes and claims, and final payment and contract close out. Closes out contracts; issues termination notices; reviews settlement proposals; and develops the government positions with respect to contractor claims.

Requirements

US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)

Meet all eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date.

Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959

If selected for Office of Assisted Acquisition Service, extensive travel will be required at certain times. These trips can range from one to four days and will likely occur multiple times per month. Overtime may be required as workload demands.

Qualifications

• 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.
• The GS-13 salary range starts at $106,437 per year.
• 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.
• 1102 Qualifications GS-13 & above: You must meet the requirements in 1, 2, or 3 below: (b) At least 4 years of experience in contracting or related positions including 1 year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the level described below; and (c) Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree that included or was supplemented by 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: If you were in a GS-1102 position on January 1, 2000, you will be exempt from meeting the educational requirements for the grade level of that position. However, to be promoted you will have to meet Option 1 or 3.
• Waiver: GSA's senior procurement executive has the discretion to waive any or all of the requirements in 1 above. Note: Candidates that are missing either the 24 hours of business credit and/or the mandatory training certification, but are determined to be otherwise eligible, can be placed on a waiver certification by the HR staffing specialist.
• Transcript Requirement: To receive consideration for this position, applicants must submit transcripts documenting completion of the required bachelor's degree and at least 24 semester hours in the qualifying fields listed above. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment.
• To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level or higher in the Federal service.
• Specialized experience is defined as experience performing pre-award and post-award contracting functions for complex acquisitions. This experience must include:
• Developing and applying acquisition strategies;
• Providing acquisition guidance and recommendations to customers and stakeholders;
• Applying acquisition methodologies across various contract types; and
• Assisting in acquisition planning, drafting solicitations, and awarding, administering, modifying, or closing out contracts.

Education

Note: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-qualifications/

Additional information

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Applicants are encouraged to make their resume searchable in their USAJOBS.gov profile. This will allow Federal hiring specialists and hiring managers across agencies to find their resume as part of agency recruitment campaigns or staffing searches.

If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit GSA's webpage.

Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.

On a case-by-case basis, the following incentives may be approved:

• Recruitment incentive if you are new to the federal government
• Relocation incentive if you are a current federal employee
• Credit toward vacation leave if you are new to the federal government

Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.