Contract Specialist

Summary

Serve as a Contract Specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with responsibility for performing professional work involving the procurement of supplies and services using procedures outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, and agency policy.

Duties

THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION OR REMOTE POSITION. YOU MUST BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RETURN TO OFFICE POLICY AND BE ABLE TO WORK ON SITE AT VA OWN/LEASED SPACE This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 8th, 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates every 2 weeks after that. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Assists the Acquisition Team Supervisors in coordinating contracting activities, performs contract reviews and provides guidance regarding complex contracts administered by other contract specialists, identifies special training needs, and conducts mentoring and contract training. Duties include but are not limited to: Aids requiring activities in performing market research, reviewing specifications and statements of work, and approving acquisition milestone plans. Performs a complete review of recommended sole-source requirements and conducts necessary market analyses to test the noncompetitive assumptions of requisitions. Incumbent is responsible for advertising all applicable requirements and preparing the solicitation document using agency contract writing systems for issuance, insuring regulatory and legal sufficiency, and promoting maximum competition. Conducts negotiations for competitive and noncompetitive procurements; conducts cost and/or price analysis of offerors' proposals; and prepares detailed price negotiation memoranda outlining in writing the details of negotiations with contractors. Serves as contract administrator on awarded contracts, conducts post-award conferences, negotiates required changes, resolves delivery and performance issues, and prepares documentation for legal proceedings as necessary. Incumbent shall fully utilize contract writing system (i.e., Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS)), contract reporting system (i.e., Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS)), financial management system (i.e., IFCAP), and application suite (GUI when applicable), in accordance with agency policies. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Contract Specialist/PD11009A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure: Required Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/01/2027. The Basic Individual Occupational Requirement required for the 1102 Contracting Series at the GS-12 grade level is as follows: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field; OR 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. Specialized Experience for the GS-12 level of this position: Applicants must have one year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Recommend the appropriate contract type or contract method for the product or service being procured. Interpret and apply laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures to address acquisition issues. Review vendor submissions to determine acceptability and compliance with solicitation requirements. Determine vendor responsibility and suitability for award (e.g., review contractor financial resources, business acumen, past performance, and business ethics). For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: . Applying Federal Acquisition Regulations, VA Acquisition Regulations, contract law, to process change orders, supplemental agreements, terminations, claims, and close out of contracts. Applying cost and price analysis techniques to evaluate contractor proposals, analyze change order submissions, and support negotiation strategies Applying knowledge of contract types-such as firm-fixed price, firm-fixed price with economic price adjustments, and cost-reimbursement-and acquisition methods including simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding, negotiations, cost sharing, multiple awards, commercial items, and special provisions Applying contract administration principles to monitor contractor performance, ensure compliance with contractual terms and conditions, and take corrective action when necessary. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from the Office of Procurement locations listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from these offices

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Contract Administration Contract Formation Customer Service Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Pre-Solicitation Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Writing USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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; religions; 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. This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 8th, 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates every 2 weeks after that. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Other Information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.