Contract Specialist (Contracting Officer)

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Duties

Designated as a Contracting Officer for the Bureau with specific responsibility for soliciting, awarding, and administering highly technical, complex, multi—year types of contracts.

Responsible for complex contractual work involving the negotiations, administration, and termination of contracts.

Serves as advisor and approving official to program staff to facilitate an Advanced Procurement plan, maintaining current acquisition plan, appropriate milestone charts and related schedules, ensuring adequate resources are available and services are obtained to best meet the need of the Government.

Analyzes settlement proposals, audit reports, technical evaluations and subcontractor claims when applicable.

Investigates problems, disputes and/or labor violations, determines alternative courses of action, prepares impact statements and recommends a pre-negotiation settlement position to higher authority and/or where warranted, terminating contracts assigned for default and/or convenience.

Salary

• $102,415 - $158,322/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is Required.
• See Special Conditions of Employment Section.

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:

• 1. Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
• 2. Be rated well-qualified for the position, scoring at least half of the total possible points for the vacancy KSAs or competencies; and
• 3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility:
• A copy of the agency notice (i.e., separation notice or agency RIF letter),
• Most recent performance appraisal, and
• Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.
• See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information.

NOTE: Applicants claiming CTAP or ICTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established ranking criteria.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:
GS-12:  A. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field

NOTE: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree is defined as possession of a bachelor’s degree conferred or approved by an accredited U.S. college or university based on a 4 year course of study. Simply being enrolled and working toward a degree does not meet the qualification standard.

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.

NOTE: When academic credit is expressed in contract months, units, or other items that differ from conventional semester or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the appropriate institution in order to equate them to the semester or quarter hours specified in the standard.

Exceptions: GS-12: Employees currently occupying a GS-1102 position at grades 5 through 12 since January 1, 2000, is considered to have met the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at the GS-12 level. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position.

GS-13:  A. Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 (the Bureau of Prisons has defined mandatory training to be FAC-C Level II or a BOP Level III warrant) or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years’ 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 GS-12 level of the position, and must have provided the qualifications to perform successfully the work of the position.

NOTE: ALL applicants MUST submit a legible Copy of their FAC-C Level II or a BOP Level III warrant. The FAC-C Level II or BOP Level III warrant MUST be electronically uploaded and attached at the time you apply.
NOTE: Applicants are responsible for submitting appropriate documentation when requesting certification for GS-1102 positions at grades GS-13 and above, e.g. college transcripts, course syllabus, etc.

AND

B. 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester or 36 quarter hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

Acceptability of Higher Education: Education such as foreign education, home study and correspondence courses, academic credit for work experience, military education, continuing education units, life experience, etc., is acceptable to the extent that it is determined to be equivalent to conventional higher education programs of U.S. institutions. Such education must be accepted for college-level credit by an accredited U.S. college or university.

NOTE: Applicants that meet the basic education requirements for Grades 5 through 12 only and are applying for a position with promotion potential to the GS-13 can be non-competitively promoted to the GS- 13 level once ALL basic requirements for the GS-13 have been met.

Exceptions: GS-13: Employees currently occupying a GS-1102 position at certain grade (i.e., GS-13 or higher) since January 1, 2000 is considered to have met the basic requirements for other GS 1102 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.

Waiver: GS-13: When filling a specific vacant position, the Senior Procurement Executive of the selecting agency (agency is defined as Department of Justice), 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.

NOTE: The Agency has made a determination that a waiver may be granted for education only as described in Paragraph B of GS-13 Basic Requirements.

Bureau of Prisons employees currently occupying a Contract Specialist position on an approved waiver submit a copy of the waiver prior to the closing date of this announcement. Contract Specialists who do not possess a four year degree and the required 24 semester hours, may apply and be considered for a waiver of the educational requirements. The waiver is discretionary tool available to the Procurement Executive as such does not constitute automatic approval.

NOTE: Current federal employees not employed by the Bureau of Prisons and former Bureau of Prisons’ Employees MUST submit documentation (i.e., SF-50(s) covering the period from January 1, 2000) for verification of the above referenced exception criteria to receive consideration. Failure to provide these documents will result in non-consideration for this vacancy.

AND

In addition to the basic requirements, you must have one of the following:

Education:  There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this grade level.

OR

Experience:  In addition to the basic requirements, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to perform successfully the duties of the position and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled. 

Some examples of this qualifying experience: 

GS-12:

• Experience preparing initial agency position on protests from unsuccessful offers and renders or recommends a decision.
• Experience in formally advertised procurement, ensure bid schedules are properly structured, prepare the solicitation, determine sources to be solicited, etc.
• Experience negotiating settlements for changes and approves contract payments.
• Experience assisting in the administration of contracts, including performance of termination actions.

GS-13:

• Experience soliciting, awarding, and administering highly technical, complex, multi-year types of contracts.
• Experience conducting pre-proposal or pre-bid conferences with prospective contractors to arrive at a clear understanding of solicitation requirements pertaining to specifications, terms, conditions, provisions and clauses of the solicitation.
• Experience functioning as the resident technical expert for contracting issues when developing and coordinating pre-negotiation strategy with technical specialists and representative from the respective program area.

AND

Quality Ranking Factor: 

• Bureau of Prisons Warrant is preferred.

Applicants must clearly address these factors in their resume and provide a copy of certification at the time they apply.

NOTE: The above quality ranking factor is preferred. Therefore, applicants who possess the quality ranking factor can be ranked above those who do not, but no candidates can be rated ineligible solely for failure to possess a quality ranking factor.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as the number of hours worked per week) spent in activities.
Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.

Education See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable. ONLY if education is a requirement/substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here. Foreign Education: For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and/or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty. Other Information The representative rate for this position is $133,964 per annum ($64.19 per hour). Special Conditions of Employment Section: The incumbent is subject to geographic relocation to meet the needs of the agency. Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a urinalysis, physical, and background investigation. All applicants are subject to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit checks. The addresses listed on the USAJOBS account/resume must be the primary residence at the time of application. You may be required to provide proof of residence. Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate. Although competitive and non-competitive applications are being accepted, the selecting official may elect to have only one group reviewed. NOTE: Telework as per agency policy Current Federal Law Enforcement Employees: A prerequisite of the secondary law enforcement position is the completion of the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II". If you have not completed the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II", you are ineligible for secondary law enforcement position(s) and coverage but may still be considered for a non-law enforcement position. If you are not a current Bureau of Prisons employee, you must submit training records demonstrating you have completed the mandatory courses in "Introduction to Correctional Techniques Phase I and Phase II" to your hiring Human Resource office prior to appointment. Individuals selected who are under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and who have not had three years "primary" law enforcement retirement coverage, will not be covered by law enforcement retirement while in this position. To regain coverage, individuals must return to a position with "primary" coverage. Required Documents

Failure to provide legible required documents and/or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration.  If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc.  Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts.

•  Veterans' Preference Documentation:
• Failure to submit all required documents at the time of application will result in the loss of claimed preference eligibility.
• DD-214: Veterans MUST provide a DD-214 demonstrating that they have been discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions (i.e., the individual must have received either an honorable or general discharge).
• SF-15: If you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit:
• A completed Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" AND all required documentation identified on the SF-15. 
• NOTE: A Department of Veterans Affairs letter must contain the Veteran’s Name and Combined Service-Connected Evaluation. For a copy of the most current SF-15, Click Here.
• If you are on active duty and expect to be discharged or released from active duty service within 120 days, you may submit a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty from the appropriate Branch Personnel Office containing the following information: (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; (2) and the character of service (must be an honorable or general discharge); and (3) any qualifying service/campaign/expeditionary medals.
• Resume (limited to 2 pages) must include your name, contact information, and relevant experience (cover letter optional). Experience that would not normally be part of the Federal employee’s position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence of qualifying experience (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, Human Resource Manager, SF-52, MOU, etc.). If providing a memorandum, it must follow the format below AND clearly cite the duties performed.
• To receive credit for experience, your resume and/or any satisfactory evidence must include:
• Start date and end date in month/year format (MM/YYYY) AND
• Number of hours worked per week.
• College transcript: includes the School Name, Student Name, Degree, and Date Awarded (if applicable).
• NOTE:  If you are selected, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.
• SF-50: Current or former Federal employees NOT employed by the Bureau of Prisons MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment, tenure group, and salary. If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. If you are applying for a higher grade, and your experience was gained at a Federal agency other than the Bureau of Prisons, you MUST provide the SF-50 Form which verifies the length of time you have been in your highest grade and supports your claim for time in grade.
• Proof of ICTAP/CTAP eligibility, Click Here, if applicable.

For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - What should I include in my resume?

We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.

How to Apply

You must apply through the online application system at www.USAJOBS.gov. Follow the prompts to register, answer a few questions and submit all required documents.

Limit your resume to 2 pages. If the only resume(s) received is/are longer than two pages, your application is ineligible for further consideration. Submission of a resume alone is not a complete application. This position may require the completion of additional forms and/or supplemental materials as described under the Required Documents section. Please carefully review the complete job announcement and the "How to Apply" instructions. Failure to provide the required information and/or materials will result in your application not being considered for employment.

We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. USAJOBS Help Center - How to add a resume to your profile

Required supporting documentation must be electronically uploaded or transferred from USAJOBS (uploaded).

All required supporting documentation MUST be received by the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. You MUST include the vacancy announcement number on your supporting documentation.

Supporting documentation for announcements with an application limitation MUST be uploaded the same day you apply, as these positions may close earlier than stated in the announcement.

Paper applications: If applying online is impossible, please contact the Consolidated Staffing Unit at the telephone number listed below, prior to the closing date of the announcement for the alternate application procedure.

If applicable see Notice for Preference Eligible Veterans Applicants. 

Contact for Assistance in Applying On-Line:
DOJ, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Consolidated Staffing Unit
346 Marine Forces Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75051
E-Mail: BOP-HRM-HRSC-ConsolidatedStaffingUnit-S@bop.gov
Phone: 972-352-4200

How do I Apply for this Position if I am a Military Spouse applying under the Special Hiring Authority?

Military Spouses who meet the requirement of Executive Order 13832 MUST include the vacancy announcement number on all supporting documentation, as well as the appointing authority used. For more information Click Here.

To be considered for this Special Hiring Authority, applicants must submit package to BOP-HRM-HRSC-ConsolidatedStaffingUnit-S@bop.gov.

• Submit resume must contain all information listed in the Qualifications Section (i.e. transcripts, certification, registration, and/or license, if applicable).
• It is recommended you limit your resume to 2-pages in preparation for future announcement requirements.
• A copy of their spouse’s Department of Defense (DD) Form 214 and/or orders verifying the military member’s current active-duty status.
• Documentation confirming marriage to the service member.
• If applicable, a copy of documentation from either the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense indicating the service member possesses a disability rating of 100 percent due to a service-connected disability.

Your completed application packet must be submitted to the Consolidated Staffing Unit by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), on the closing date of the vacancy announcement.  You must include the last four digits of your social security number and the vacancy announcement number on your application packet.  DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION ON-LINE.