Job summary

About the Position: These positions are located within the US Army Corps of Engineers, Contracting Division where you will execute contracting actions including contract preparation, negotiation, and administration. This is an Open Continuous Job Announcement with a closing date of December 31, 2024. Applicants must reapply every 90 days to remain eligible for consideration. Resumes may be pulled two weeks after the Job Announcement opening date and as vacancies occur within each district.

Major duties

Develop procurement plans by reviewing previous history, market conditions, and specifications/technical data packages. Analyze and evaluate findings contained in audit reports and supports recommendations with detailed analysis of each cost element. Identify areas subject to negotiation (e.g., price, quantity discounts, packaging, payment discounts, transportation, and delivery, etc.). Perform cost analysis to assist with determining acceptability of technical proposals prior to conducting reward surveys for determining responsibility of prospective contractor. Ensure post-award actions taken are following all applicable laws, regulations and procedures, and Executive Orders.

Qualification

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Contract Specialist: A Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. OR Exemption: You are exempt from the education requirements above if (A) you are a current civilian employee in DoD who occupied GS-1102 positions or contracting positions with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in an Executive Department on or before September 30, 2000; OR (B) you are a current military member who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent)-1102 on or before September 30, 2000. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: For GS-05: A Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. OR Exemption: You are exempt from the education requirements above if (A) you are a current civilian employee in DoD who occupied GS-1102 positions or contracting positions with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in an Executive Department on or before September 30, 2000; OR (B) you are a current military member who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent)-1102 on or before September 30, 2000. For GS-07: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing contracting and procurement work such as assisting in applying contracting methods to perform pre-award, post-award, and/or price analysis functions; assisting with researching market conditions to evaluate bid responsiveness, contractor responsibility, and/or contractor performance. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). For GS-09: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing contracting and procurement work such as applying contracting methods to perform pre-award, post-award, and/or price analysis functions; researching market conditions to evaluate bid responsiveness, contractor responsibility, and/or contractor performance; utilizing statutes and regulations to perform procurement functions. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). OR A Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. For GS-11: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing contracting and procurement work such as procuring a wide variety of products and services; administering terms and conditions of contracts; following-up with vendors on delivery, invoicing, and payment; performing price/cost analysis to determine price reasonableness; or similar contracting work. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR A Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

Education

ADMINISTRATIVE CAREERS WITH AMERICA (ACWA) ASSESSMENT: The series on this job announcement are covered under the Administrative Careers With America (ACWA) examining program. The ACWA Program for entry-level hiring is at the GS-05 or GS-07 grade levels. These are developmental positions with non-competitive promotion potential to the GS-11. You will serve in an entry level, developmental capacity to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities with non-competitive promotion potential to the GS-11 when all work can be performed at that level and all other requirements are met. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.