Contract Specialist

The selectee of this position serves as a Contract Specialist. You will be responsible for developing and evaluating contracts associated with the procurement of goods and services to support USMS District and Headquarter offices.

Duties

As a Contract Specialist at the GS-1102-12/13 level, some of your typical work assignments may include:

• Planning, developing and establishing the best contractual strategy for an acquisition, soliciting responses from contractors, performing detailed analysis, negotiating, and awarding different types of contracts.
• Interpreting acquisition regulations and policies within the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Justice Acquisition Regulation (JAR).
• Advising management and/or Contracting Officers on matters pertaining to procurement actions.
  through formal correspondence or day-to-day contact.
• Planning and conducting detailed price analyses and conducting market research.

https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/dl?inline

Salary

• $88,621 - $137,000/year

Conditions of Employment

Must pass a pre-employment security investigation and drug screening.

May be required to successfully complete a trial/probationary period.

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

Must be able to obtain and maintain appropriate Federal Acquisition Certificate in Contracting (FAC-C) certification at the highest level, up to an unlimited warrant in support of the organization.

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust background investigation eligibility determination.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS-1102-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualifications:

Basic Requirement: All applicants must meet one of the following basic requirements for the Contracting Series, 1102. To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess one of the following Basic Requirements:

A. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field (You must submit a copy of your transcripts).

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 (You must submit a copy of your transcripts).

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. (You must submit a copy of your SF-50).

AND

In addition to the Basic Requirements for the GS-12 listed above, applicants must also possess the following Specialized Experience to be considered minimally qualified:

At least one year (12-months) of full-time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your ability to:1) Reviewing procurement request packages for consistency, compliance with applicable various rules, regulations, and policies; 2) Planning, developing, and establishing best contractual strategies for acquisitions; 3) Conducting associated price analysis and market research activities to develop the most effective contract approach; and 4) Coordinating approval processes for the preparation of solicitation and award packages.
(NOTE: Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience).

You may qualify at the GS-1102-13 level, if you fulfill the following qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you meet the Basic Requirement, and possess the Specialized Experience for the respective grade level(s) to which you are applying.

Basic Requirements: 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' 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 knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.

AND

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. (MUST SUBMIT YOUR TRANSCRIPTS).

OR

B. On January 1, 2000, held a position in the Federal Service in the GS-1102 Contract Specialist series and position was held at the grade 13 or higher. Applicants must have continually held this occupational series since January 1, 2000 NOTE: In order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade you will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements for this position. (MUST SUBMIT YOUR SF-50)

In addition to the Basic Requirements listed above, applicants must also possess the following Specialized Experience to be considered minimally qualified:GS-13 Specialized Experience: Applicant's must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service performing the following: 1) Analyzing the elements of cost in contractor proposals to make competitive range determinations; 2) Ensuring performance meets requirements and determine appropriate corrective actions for deficiencies; 3) Serving as the main point of contact with contractors to interpret contractual obligations and resolve problems; 4) Preparing pre-solicitation documents to establish a clear understanding of what is required under a proposed contract; and 5) Negotiating contract modifications for work within the scope of the contract. (Must be reflected in resume.)

Applicants may not qualify for this position based on education in lieu of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
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). 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

Education ARE YOU USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? Education must be from an accredited school or institution. Please refer to the following website to locate your school and/ or institution https://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirements for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html Other Information The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified (score of at least 85) for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. For more information about ICTAP eligibility click here. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified (score of at least 85) for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. For more information about CTAP eligibility click here. Note: Multiple selections may be made from this announcement. Salaries listed above are an approximation and are subject to duty station locality adjustment. Recruitment incentive may be authorized. Relocation incentive may be authorized. Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. Resume must not exceed two pages.; Cover Letter optional.
2. A complete online Assessment Questionnaire.
3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable:

• College transcript(s), if qualifying based on education.
• Any other supporting documentation required for verification as described in the announcement. (e.g. certifications, licenses.)

Failure to submit a resume and/or supporting documentation may result in elimination for further consideration.

How to Apply

You must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/28/2025.
* To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire, which can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12830920

* Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
* It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
* To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
* To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.