Contract Specialist

To qualify for this position applicants must meet the Basic Experience, the mandatory training requirement, and the Specialized Experience as described below.

Basic Experience:
Basic Requirements for GS-5 through GS-12
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.

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.

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.

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above
A. Completion of 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 of experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.
And
B. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, 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.

Or
C. Exceptions: 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 a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D.

D. Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above 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 granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.

Mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level:
FAC-C or Department of Defense certification in Contracting at any level, or Certified Federal Contract Manager from the National Contract Management Association. More information about FAC-C certification can be found here.

Specialized Experience: GS:12: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement and the mandatory training, applicants must also have at least one year of full-time specialized work experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the next lower level (equivalent to the GS-11) in the federal government.

Specialized experience is defined as: (1) procuring supplies and services; (2) advising personnel on the development of statements of work; (3) formulating contracting approach; (4) securing supplies and services through use of both formally advertised and negotiated procurements; (5) administering contracts; (6) planning and conducting detailed contract price/cost analyses; and (7) reviewing procurement actions to determine cost effectiveness and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

GS-13: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement and the mandatory training, applicants must also have at least one year of full-time specialized work experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the next lower level (equivalent to the GS-12) in the federal government. Specialized experience is defined as: (1) planning, negotiating, leading, and administering complex procurements of goods, systems or services, using a wide variety of cost and fixed-price contracts, multi-year contracts and extensive use of subcontractors; (2) developing contractual pricing arrangements and incentives; (3) auditing or reviewing major acquisitions, and then presenting findings, and (4) recommending corrective actions and policy or procedure improvements.*Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations. 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.

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.