Contract Specialist, Contract Negotiator, Contract Administrator, or Procurement Analyst, GS-1102
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-05:
Applicants must meet the Basic Education Requirement or the "Exception" thereto as stated above to qualify for the GS-5 grade level.
For GS-07:
In addition to the basic education requirement or the "Exception" thereto stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level:
One full academic year of graduate education or law school (18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) 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 Superior Academic Achievement (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT).
**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-05 level of difficulty and responsibility in the Federal service. Examples of such experience may include drawing conclusions and making recommendations by analyzing facts and conditions and making comparison of prices, discounts, delivery dates or handling charges; computing discounts and warranties to compare prices on recurring types of procurements; applying guideline materials by reading and interpreting procurement regulations and technical material, and translating the guidance into specific actions such as assisting in the preparation of solicitation documents; drafting simple contract provisions and supporting documentation. This level of experience would have involved following established methods and procedures, or detailed instructions; using some judgment in applying basic principles and procedures and may have been gained in any one or a combination of pre-award, post- award, and/or contract price/cost analysis functions.
**OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and specialized experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE)
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. **OR a 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)
For GS-12:
In addition to the basic education requirement or "Exception" thereto stated above, applicants must have 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-11 level of difficulty and responsibility in the Federal service. Examples of such experience include responsibility for pre-award and/or post-award functions for a variety of specialized equipment, services, and/or construction contracts, (includes negotiating sole source contracts and modifications; using special provisions and incentives and unique regulatory requirements pertinent to diverse procurements; identifying potential contractors and evaluating bids or proposals for responsiveness using knowledge of market conditions and available sources as well as competition, historical costs, reports, cost breakdowns, or other evaluation criteria and selection procedures); performing price analysis of commercial pricing practices and economic developments relative to increased material, labor, or transportation costs; evaluating cost and price data submitted by offerors to support direct and indirect costs and fee or profit; determining reasonableness of prices offered; planning and conducting negotiations on price, technical requirements, terms, and conditions of the contract. This level of experience would reflect independence in planning and carrying out the assignment, selecting the approach or methodology to be used, resolving most of the conflicts that arise, and coordinating the work with others as necessary.
Basic Requirements for GS-13:
A. Completion of all mandatory training (see list below) 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 next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.
Mandatory Training Requirements:
- CON 100 - Shaping Smart Business Arrangements or FCN 101 - Contracting Basics
- CON 121 - Contract Planning
- CON 124 - Contract Execution
- CON 127 - Contract Management
- FAC 023 - Basic Contracting for GSA Schedules
- FAC 031 - Small Business Programs
- CLC 057 - Performance Based Payment and Planning for Cash Flow
- CLC 058 - Introduction to Contract Pricing
- CON 170 - Fundamentals of Cost and Price Analysis
- CON 090 or FCN 190 - FAR Fundamentals
- CON 200 - Business Decisions for Contracting
- CON 216 - Legal Considerations in Contracting
- CLC 056 - Analyzing Contract Costs
- CON 270 - Intermediate Cost and Price Analysis
- CLC 051 - Industrial Property in Possession of Contractors
- HBS 428 - Negotiating
- CON 280 - Source Selection and Administration of Service Contracts
- CON 290 - Contract Administration and Negotiation Techniques in a Supply Environment
In order to substantiate completion of the mandatory training courses, course certificates documenting completion must be submitted with your application package.
Examples of Specialized Experience: Planning, preparing, negotiating, executing and administering complex contracts; responsible for the solicitation, analysis, evaluation, and negotiation of contractor's proposals for specialized research and development activities; and reviewing a variety of contracts and contracting actions and providing technical advice to management and contracting officers.
*AND*
B. 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.
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, unless granted a waiver.
D. Candidates who do not meet the educational and/or training requirements for this position may be considered for a waiver.
If you have not completed any education or training, you may be required to provide a written document that states that. For training through the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), a copy of your Acquisition Career Record Brief (ACRB) showing course completion is an acceptable substitute. Contracting Certificates issued by other Government agencies cannot be accepted as a substitute for training certificates or transcripts.