Contract Specialist (Supervisory Contract Specialist)

Bureau of Prisons / Federal Prison System; Beaumont (TX); On-site; USD 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The Bureau of Prisons / Federal Prison System is seeking a contract specialist at GS-11/12 to manage procurement actions, from planning to award and administration. The role emphasizes strict adherence to regulations and effective negotiation with vendors.

Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree or 24 semester hours in related fields, plus demonstrated experience in contracting, solicitation preparation, bid analysis, and contract administration.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree or 24 semester hours in fields like accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, or management.
• Graduate education or equivalent doctoral degree may qualify for GS-11/12 level.
• Experience requirements discuss specialized experience and grades across GS-11/12.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and issue solicitations with clear specifications.
• Evaluate bids and proposals for responsiveness and price reasonableness.
• Administer contracts including performance actions and settlements.
• Assist in formal advertising and negotiated acquisitions.

Skills

Contracting knowledge

Bid analysis

Procurement planning

Solicitation docs

Contract administration

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate education

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.

Note: 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.

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.

NOTE: Current federal employees not employed by the Bureau of Prisons and former Bureau of Prisons' 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.

AND

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

Education:

GS-11: Three (3) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

Graduate Education: To qualify for this position 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.

GS-12: There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this grade level.

OR

Experience:

GS-11 and GS-12: 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 this qualifying experience are:

GS-11:

• Experience as a contract specialist responsible for all aspects of the contracting transactions from initiation to recommendation of award for an agency, a department, or departments, procuring a variety of supplies, services and/or construction in support of an installation or activity.
• Experience performing detailed analysis of bids or proposals received.
• Experience developing procurement plans by reviewing previous history, market conditions, and specifications or technical data packages.
• Experience preparing and issuing solicitation documents, selecting appropriate clauses, ensuring clear and complete specifications.
• Experience in detailed analysis of bids or proposals received, ensuring strict compliance with specifications on advertised procurement.
• Experience in both formal advertised and negotiated acquisitions, performing detailed analyses to determine bid responsiveness and responsibility of offer or, reviewing past bids and awards, request of pre-award survey, and establishment of price reasonableness by either price or limited cost analyses.
• Experience drafting final contract including specifications, packing and shipping requirements, inspection instructions, and all other special and standard clauses, preparing recommendations for award, and documenting reasons for decisions.

GS-12:

• Experience preparing initial agency position on protests from unsuccessful bidders and renders or recommends a decision.
• Experience in formally advertised procurement, ensure bid schedules are properly structured, prepare the solicitation, determine sources to be solicited, etc.
• Experience negotiating settlements for changes and approves contract payments.
• Experience assisting in the administration of contracts, including performance of termination actions.

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.