Contract Specialist

US-Dhs-Headquarter; Springfield (VA); On-site; USD 74,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Procurement Operations, seeks a contract specialist to support the acquisition of goods and services across DHS programs.

This non-BU position requires meeting specialized experience and an SPF certification, with emphasis on pre-award and post-award procurement activities. Candidates should demonstrate experience with contracting standards, price analysis, and compliance with federal procurement rules.

Qualifications

• Requires a 4-year degree or 24 semester hours in related fields.
• Specialized experience in contracting and procurement processes.
• SPF certification (FAC-C or DoD Contracting Professional Certification) required.

Responsibilities

• Administer contracts using formal advertising or negotiation procedures.
• Perform price/cost analysis for procurement actions.
• Evaluate proposals and assess soundness of vendor offers.
• Apply statutory and regulatory requirements in contracting decisions.

Skills

Contracting principles

Price/Cost analysis

Proposal evaluation

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree (any field)

24 semester hours in accounting/business/finance/law/contracts/purchasing/economics

Job description

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO).

The primary purpose of this position is to perform contract specialist work related to the acquisition of goods and services to support the programs and operations of the Department of Homeland Security and its subordinate organizational elements.

Non-BU: This is a non-bargaining unit position. APPLICANTS MUST DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY MEET THE INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE, AND SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR AS NOTED BELOW.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR GS-12

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met prior to meeting the specialized experience.

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

- 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.

Exception: 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. You must provide an appropriate SF-50 to verify your series and grade level if you are a federal employee and applying for this exception.

NOTE: To receive consideration for this position, you must submit a copy of your transcripts for review. Your supporting documents must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR GS-13

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met prior to meeting the specialized experience.

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

- AND B. Completed all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years experience in contracting or related positions with at least 1 year of that experience satisfying the specialized experience described further below in this qualifications section; AND applicants seeking to meet the training requirements for this GS-13/14 position in accordance with the OPM Contracting Series 1102, Hiring Qualifications, are required to meet the Selective Placement Factor requirement described below in this qualifications section.

Exception: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to higher grade, unless granted a waiver (waiver information provided below). NOTE: This exception only applies if you held a GS-1102 position prior to January 1, 2000. If you have not held a GS-1102 position prior to this date, this exception does not apply to you. This exception only allows you to apply for positions at the grade level you held as of January 1, 2000. In order to be promoted to a higher grade level, you must meet the Basic requirement above. You must provide an appropriate SF-50 to verify your series and grade level if you are a federal employee and applying for this exception.

When filling a GS-1102 vacant position for a GS-13 and above, the Senior Procurement Executive of DHS, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of paragraphs A and B of the OPM Contracting Series 1102, Hiring Qualifications if the Senior Procurement Executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver, the Senior Procurement Executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position at DHS based on a waiver, DHS may later reassign that individual to another

NOTE: To receive consideration for this position, you must submit a copy of your transcripts for review. Your supporting documents must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-12

You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent private/public sector experience.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

• Administering contracts using formal advertising or negotiation procedures;
• Conducting price/cost analysis techniques for procurement actions;
• Identifying, analyzing, and drawing logical conclusions regarding the soundness of proposals submitted by vendors; AND
• Applying knowledge of statutory and regulatory requirements when making procurement decisions.

NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found ineligible.

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-13

You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent private/public sector experience.

For this position, specialized experience is defined as:

• Serving as a primary point of contact and subject matter expert regarding pre-award and post-award procurement actions;
• Determining the need for special/unusual provisions, as well as terms and conditions that can be incorporated into contracts;
• Detecting irregularities in offers/proposals by applying knowledge of fraudulent procurement practices; AND
• Applying knowledge of statutory and regulatory requirements when making procurement decisions.

NOTE: Your resume must explicitly indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you will be found in eligible.

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SPF)

Applicants must possess and submit the following certification:

• FAC-C (Professional) or DoD Contracting Professional Certification

NOTE: If you do not submit one of the above certifications for the GS-12 position, you will be rated ineligible. If you do not submit one of the certifications or request a waiver for the GS-13 position, you will be rated ineligible.

All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Current or Former Political Appointees:

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.