Contract Specialist

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

Salary is dependent upon the associated duty station which will be determined upon hire. You may look up salary listed on the OPM locality tables OPM Locality Pay Tables based on these Locality Pay Area Definitions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies in the advertised office or other U.S. Geological Survey offices in the local commuting area.

As a Contract Specialist within the Office of Acquistion and Grants, some of your specific duties will include:

• Compiles and distributes informational material to the Office of Acquisition and Grants as well as to customers to inform, clarify, update, and explain regulatory policies and policy changes.

• Manages various contract related online systems and programs to include assisting in ensuring timely completion of CPARS ratings and developing and maintaining databases, spreadsheets, and graphics in support of office activities and operations.

• Oversees administrative and office operation to include preparing travel orders; making travel and housing arrangements; preparing travel vouchers; ensuring correspondence, reports, travel orders, etc. are correctly and expeditiously processed; and initiating requisitions for supplies, materials, and maintenance/repairs.

• Performs situational analysis of exception reports and notifies cardholders if potential fraud/improper use is detected.

• Serves as Records Management Officer and coordinates replies to Congress, industry and private citizen inquiries.

Definitions:

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for GS-1102 positions for GS-5 through GS-12 OR meet the exception identified below.

A. Degree: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;

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.

EXCEPTION: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the education requirement for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000, and will be considered to meet the basic education requirement for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12.

This includes positions in other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, all employees must meet the specialized experience requirements when seeking another position.

For GS-09:

In addition to the basic education requirement or "Exception" thereto stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level:

Two years of progressively higher level graduate education (36 semester hours or 54 quarter hours or the equivalent) or a master's or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D. 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

One year of appropriate specialized experience that provided the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience must be equivalent to at least the GS-07 level of difficulty and responsibility in the Federal service.

Examples of such experience may include performing recurring or developmental assignments involving the use of formal advertising or basic negotiation procedures; analyzing contract provisions and recommending termination or modification of purchase orders and/or contracts; investigating complaints by reconstructing and reconciling incomplete information. This work experience would have involved following established methods and procedures, or detailed instructions; using some judgment in applying basic principles and procedures, and would have required a good general working knowledge of the principles and business practices of contracting, acquisition, and procurement.ORA combination of successfully completed progressive graduate level education, as described above, that is beyond the first year of graduate study and specialized experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)

For GS-11:

In addition to the basic education requirement or "Exception" thereto stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-11 level:

Three years of progressively higher level graduate education (54 semester hours or 81 quarter hours or the equivalent) or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree 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

One year of appropriate specialized experience that provided the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience must be equivalent to at least the GS-09 level of difficulty and responsibility in the Federal service.

Examples of such experience include serving as contract specialist responsible for all aspects of the contract from initiation to recommendation of award; administering a variety of fixed-price contracts of different types which contain terms and conditions such as progress payments, quantity options, Government-furnished property or similar provisions; administering specific phases of complex contracts such as cost contracts with incentives. This level of experience would reflect independence of action within established procedures, and would demonstrate initiative and judgment in coordinating and resolving routine issues that arise.

OR

A combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, that is beyond the second year of progressive graduate study and specialized experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.