Job summary

About the Position: Cost Engineer in the Engineering and Construction Division, Cost Engineering and Specifications Section. You will be a member of multidisciplinary teams to provide cost engineering and specification for a variety of Civil Works Projects ranging from $250k to programs over a $1B. Projects include facilities O&M, hydraulic steel structure fabrication, flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, rehabilitation of navigation structures and new navigations structures.

Major duties

Full performance grade (GS-12) should be able to do the following. Developmental grades (GS07-GS11) will gain on the job experience and training to perform the following. Applies professional knowledge of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering in relation to design and construction features to prepare cost engineering products for a wide variety of projects. Prepare cost products that are well organized, technically and economically sound, accurate, meet regulations and project requirements. Prepare and manage cost products including price quotes; quantity take-offs; construction estimates, schedules, and work plans; parametric estimates; technical analysis of contractor proposals and assist with contract negotiations. Prepare engineering cost estimates for planning, design, and execution of construction by contract projects. Prepare construction cost estimates and review construction estimates prepared by in-house personnel and contracted architects/engineers. Review contract documents (i.e., drawings and specifications) for completeness, provide comments and recommendations on how to improve the documents. Advise and interpret regulations, directives, and policies to management on specifications and cost estimates. Provide engineering advice, guidance, and recommendations to professional, technical, and administrative personnel. Coordinates specification and cost estimate work with others.

Qualification

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education & 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 Requirements for Architect, 0808 Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in architecture or in a related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems. OR Combination of Education and Experience: College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least one of the following: (1) Related Curriculum - Degree in architectural engineering provided the completed course work in architectural engineering provided knowledge, skills, and abilities substantially equivalent to those provided in the courses specified in statement A above, or (2) Experience: 1 year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of any college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that you have acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture. Basic Requirement for Civil Engineer, 0810; Environmental Engineer, 0819; Mechanical Engineer, 0830; Electrical Engineer, 0850: Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); OR (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. OR Combination of Education and Experience: College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:1. Professional registration or licensure - Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2. Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination, or any other written test required for professional registration, by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. 3. Specified academic courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program. 4. Related curriculum - Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience for GS-07: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as accomplishing developmental assignments utilizing basic engineering techniques, procedures, and methods; and completing limited engineering projects. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR Education for GS-07: 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. Superior Academic Achievement for GS-07: 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/). OR *QUALIFICATIONS CONTINUED UNDER EDUCATION...

Education

Combination of Education and Experience for GS-07: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience for GS-09: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as assisting senior engineers in the preparation of plans and specifications, development of basic construction or project schedules, performing quantity take-offs for civil works or military projects and basic cost development. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07) OR Education for GS-09: master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 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 perform the work of the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience for GS-09: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position if the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience for GS-11: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as experience preparing plans and specifications, cost estimates, and project schedules (such as municipal projects, flood navigation, environmental, recreation, military projects and/or various types of buildings, supplies, and service contract work). Experience with quantity take off and cost estimating software, experience managing design or construction projects planning, developing, and/or reviewing cost estimates for projects in the phase; assisting with resolving most conflicts independently when producing technical specifications and/or cost estimates; and reviewing contract documents (i.e., drawings and specifications as a whole) for completeness and compatibility as well as for conformance to established standards. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09) OR Education for GS-11: 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 perform the work of the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience for GS-11: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position if the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience for GS-12: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as overseeing the work of junior engineers or architect, participating in multidisciplinary design projects, independently planning, reviewing, and/or preparing technical specifications for contracts (such as municipal projects, flood navigation, environmental, recreation, military projects and/or various types of buildings, supplies, and service contract work); planning, reviewing, and/or developing cost estimates for projects in all phases of construction or operations and maintenance; implementing knowledge of contractor means and methods; performing and validating quantity take offs, coordinating and performing project schedules for civil or military construction projects, applied experience with cost estimating software and providing technical guidance on the review of engineering documents to ensure conformance to established standards. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11)

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 you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. 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. Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position. Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position. Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position. You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference. DoD Priority Placement Program (PPP) Applicants will receive preference consideration at the full-performance grade level only. Only MSP/PPP applicants currently occupying a formal training program position are entitled to exercise their priority status.