Contract Specialist

Summary

This position is within the Bonneville Power Administration, Chief Administrative Office, Supply Chain Services, Contracts and Strategic Sourcing. As a key acquisition expert, you will drive the projects that power the Pacific Northwest. You will lead the procurement process for a diverse portfolio, including major substation construction, advanced scientific services, and specialized equipment. This is your opportunity to manage critical, high-dollar contracts from planning to completion.

Duties

• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 21, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis. Build Tomorrow's Grid: Lead Complex Acquisitions at Bonneville Power Administration Join the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a leader in the nation's energy sector, and take a pivotal role in modernizing the region's power infrastructure. As a Contract Specialist, you will not just be managing paperwork; you will be the business expert at the center of complex, multi-million dollar projects that keep energy flowing to millions of Americans. This is a career opportunity for a skilled acquisition professional to tackle challenging, mission-critical work with tangible impact. As a Contract Specialist, you will: Lead Procurement Strategy: Serve as a business advisor, analyzing project requirements and developing innovative procurement plans for complex construction, cutting-edge technology, and specialized professional services. Conduct High-Stakes Negotiations: Act as the lead negotiator, securing favorable terms and ensuring best value for the government on multi-year, high-dollar contracts with industry partners. Perform In-Depth Cost and Price Analysis: Dive deep into contractor proposals, analyzing complex cost breakdowns and market data to determine fair and reasonable pricing for unique and specialized projects. Manage the Full Contract Lifecycle: Take ownership of contracts from cradle to grave, guiding them from initial planning and award through performance monitoring, modification, and successful closeout. Develop Creative Contracting Solutions: Move beyond the standard playbook by devising innovative contractual provisions and financial arrangements to meet the needs of unique procurements where no precedent exists. Resolve Complex Contractual Issues: Act as the primary point of contact for resolving disputes, interpreting contract provisions for technical experts, and preparing the agency's response to contractor claims and protests. Administer Major Infrastructure and Technology Projects: Directly manage the acquisition of critical assets, including high-voltage substation facilities, specialized scientific studies, and enterprise-level IT systems. Drive Contractor Performance: Proactively monitor contractor progress, resolve performance challenges, and work with technical representatives to ensure projects are completed on time, within budget, and to specification.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT: 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 the GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 though 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified as GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through graded 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must meet the specialized experience as identified below. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: GS-11: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) preparing pre-award documents, evaluating vendor bids or proposals, and analyzing prices for acquisitions; 2) monitoring contractor performance by tracking schedules, reviewing progress, and addressing any performance or delivery issues; and 3) assisting with negotiating contract modifications or amendments, scope changes, or settlements for goods or other services. You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or a LL.M., if related; your education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR- Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first two years of full-time study may be credited). One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours the graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. If the graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study is not available, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) is used. When crediting education that requires specific course work the number of hours of related courses required, as a proportion of the total education, is prorated. GS-12: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: 1) administering contracts requiring special handling provisions or specialized terms and conditions that may include technical equipment; 2) analyzing work requirements in order to draft, make amendments, or modifications to solicitations or executed contracts; and 3) negotiating with potential contractors or business partners to award contracts in the most effective manner. There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at the GS-12 level. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Requirements

In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration. When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully. Key Requirements: You must be a United States Citizen. This employer participates in the e-Verify program. Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements. You will be required to report in person to the official duty location. Conditions of Employment: Selectee will be required to complete the Office of Government Ethics Standard of Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OFGE450e) within 30 days of employment and annually. All newly employed BPA AWF members in the GS-1102 career series will be enrolled in the FAC-C certification program through FAITAS. This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 21, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis.

Education

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation. Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system. Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible".

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation. You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can reuse the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://login.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.