Contract Specialist

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Basic Qualifications: Must meet one of the items listed below:

1. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; -OR-
2. 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.

Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position.

-AND-
Minimum Qualifications:
For GS-9: In addition to the basic qualification requirement above, you must have one-year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service performing at least two (2) of the following:

1. Reviewing requisitions for supplies or services to determine that proper specifications or purchase descriptions are included in solicitation documents.
2. Evaluating bids or proposals for supplies or services to ensure compliance with specifications or purchase descriptions.
3. Evaluating the prior contract performance of potential suppliers to determine their financial responsibility.

-OR-
Education: Successful completion of at least two (2) full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D. in an accredited U.S. education program. (Note: To qualify for GS-1102 positions on the basis of graduate education, graduate education in one or a combination of the following fields is required: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.) In order to qualify for this position based on education, you must submit transcripts. Please see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement for more information.

-OR-
Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the specialized experience requirement as described above. (Only graduate education in excess of 1 year, 18 semester hours, can be used towards crediting a combination of education and experience). In order to qualify for this position based on a combination, you must submit transcripts. Please see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement for more information.

For GS-11: In addition to the basic qualification requirement above, you must have one-year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service performing ALL of the following:

1. Preparing acquisition documents and/or reports (examples: solicitations/contracts, market research, justifications & determinations, audit reports, negotiation objectives, or award documents).
2. Reviewing acquisition documents to ensure adherence to terms and conditions or regulations.

-OR-
Education: Successful completion of at least three (3) full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M. in an accredited U.S. education program. (Note: To qualify for GS-1102 positions on the basis of graduate education, graduate education in one or a combination of the following fields is required: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.) In order to qualify for this position based on education, you must submit transcripts. Please see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement for more information.

-OR-
Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the specialized experience requirement as described above. (Only graduate education in excess of 2 years, 36 semester hours, can be used towards crediting a combination of education and experience). In order to qualify for this position based on a combination, you must submit transcripts. Please see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement for more information.

For GS-12: In addition to the basic qualification requirement above, you must have one-year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service performing ALL of the following:

1. Gathering and/or analyzing information to draw conclusions about price/cost information.
2. Providing business-related advice, guidance or direction through communication.
3. Conducting negotiations on pricing, performance, compliance, or technical terms.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-12 grade level of this announcement.

Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

OPM Qualification General Policies Website