Contract Specialist

US Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System; Loretto (PA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

US Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System is seeking a procurement professional to oversee the acquisition of supplies and services for agency operations. The role involves evaluating bids, coordinating contracts, and ensuring compliance with federal procurement rules.

The position requires either a 4-year degree or graduate education with related experience. Candidates must meet specific GL-07/GL-09 criteria and documentation may be requested for verification.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in any field or 24 semester hours in business/related fields.
• Graduate education: 1 year (GL-07) or 2 years (GL-09) of graduate study or law degree.
• Graduate Education fields include accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, etc.
• Education must be transferable/accepted by a U.S. college or university for credit.

Responsibilities

• Procure supplies or services through formal advertising or limited negotiations.
• Review requisitions to determine proper specifications or purchase descriptions.
• Evaluate bids or proposals for compliance with specifications and clauses.
• Coordinate contracting activities and obtain wage information or clearances.
• Draft final contracts including specifications, packing/shipping, and standard clauses.

Skills

Procurement experience

Bid evaluation

Contract coordination

Negotiation skills

Requisition review

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate education or law school

Education and experience mix

Job description

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Basic Requirements:

A. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is defined as possession of a bachelor's degree conferred or approved by an accredited U.S. college or university based on a 4-year course of study. Simply being enrolled and working toward a degree does not meet the qualification standard.

OR

B. 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.

AND

In addition to the basic requirements, you must have one of the following:

Education:

GL-07: One (1) full academic year of graduate education or law school or superior academic achievement.

GL-09 Two (2) full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D.

Graduate Education: 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.

Acceptability of Higher Education: Education such as foreign education, home study and correspondence courses, academic credit for work experience, military education, continuing education units, life experience, etc, is acceptable to the extent that it is determined to be equivalent to conventional higher education program of U.S. institutions. Such education must be accepted for college level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university.

Exception to Mandatory Education Requirement: 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 have met the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at the 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.

NOTE: Current federal employees not employed by the Bureau of Prison and former Bureau of Prison Employees MUST submit documentation (i.e., SF-50(s) covering the period from January 1, 2000) for verification of the above referenced exception criteria to receive consideration. Failure to provide these documents will result in non-consideration for this vacancy.

OR

Experience:

GL-07 and GL-09: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of qualifying experience are:

GL-07:

• Experience procuring supplies or services primarily through formal advertising, or through limited use of negotiation techniques.


• Experience reviewing requisitions to determine proper specifications or purchase descriptions are included in solicitation documents.


• Experience evaluating bids or proposals for compliance with specifications or purchase descriptions and applicable clauses.


• Experience meeting with commercial representatives to discuss procurement needs, quality of items or services, current market prices, or delivery schedules.


• Experience in coordinating contracting activities, obtaining wage information, requesting audit reports or pre-award surveys, and obtaining clearances.

GL-09:

• Experience reviewing requisitions and determining appropriate method of procurement, i.e. formal advertising or negotiation. This includes citing the authority in determinations and findings reports.


• Experience developing procurement plans by reviewing previous history, market conditions, and specifications or technical data packages.


• Experience in preparing and issuing solicitation documents, selecting appropriate clauses to complete specifications.


• Experience performing detailed analysis of bids or proposals received including insuring strict compliance with specifications on advertised procurement and recommending award to lowest bidder providing such compliance.


• Experience drafting final contract including specifications, packing and shipping requirements, inspection instruction, and all other special and standard clauses.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience:

GL-07 and GL-09: Have a combination of education and experience. This experience must have equipped you with the qualifications to perform the major duties of this position as described above.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.

** Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application. **