Contract Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/12/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks as a GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Basic Requirements: Applicants must meet the basic requirement for this position. To meet the basic requirement for Contract Specialist GS-05 through GS-12 positions, applicants must have: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree with a major in any field. OR, 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: The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) does not grant Academic degrees; therefore courses completed at the DAU are not creditable towards meeting the 24 semester hour requirement, in the fields identified above, unless the coursework has been evaluated by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and appears on a college or university transcript. Education/Experience GS-07: Applicants must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirement for the GS-07 grade. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below for the GS-07 Contract Specialist position: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience includes experience with: Acquisition regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration; Various types of contracts and contract methods; Negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms, and conditions of contracts; Business practices to identify sources, analyze cost and price data; Monitoring contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full academic year of graduate education or law school, or a 4-year degree with superior academic achievement (SAA). To qualify on the basis of graduate education, graduate education must be in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. OR, Combination: Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education described above to meet the qualification requirements for this position. Specialized Experience GS-09: Applicants must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirement for the GS-09 grade. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education described below for the GS-09 Contract Specialist position: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience includes experience with: Acquisition regulations, contract law, and procedures applicable to acquisition and contract administration; Various types of contracts and contract methods; Negotiation techniques sufficient to negotiate prices, terms and conditions, contract modifications, and settlements; Commercial and industrial business practices to identify sources, analyze cost and pricing data; Contract administration principles and practices sufficient to monitor contractor performance and compliance with all terms and conditions of the contract. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B or JD. in one or a combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. OR, Combination: Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education that equates to 100% of the requirements for the GS-9 (only graduate education in excess of 1 year, 18 semester hours, can be used towards crediting a combination of education and experience). Preferred requirements are available on the following FAC link: Contracting (FAC-C) | FAI.GOV 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards, visit the United States Office of Personnel Management’s website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
The purpose of this position is to serve as a Contract Specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs with the responsibility for performing professional work involving procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and agency policy. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: Contracting Specialist – Total Rewards