Contract Specialist

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: The Walla Walla District US Army Corps of Engineers helps manage local water resources for navigation, flood damage reduction, disaster assistance, hydroelectric power generation, and other natural and heritage areas.

Duties

• Review procurement packages for construction, A-E services, supplies, miscellaneous services.
• Prepare pre-award and post-award contract documents.
• Business Advisor for Source Selection Evaluation Boards.
• Formulate negotiation strategies, prepare pre-negotiation objectives memoranda and price negotiation memoranda.
• Administer contracts. Assure all acquisition report documents are accurate and provided promptly when requested or required.
• Close out contracts or issue termination notices and review settlement proposals.
• Provide technical advice and guidance.
• Senior Contract Specialist

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Contract Specialist: Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Exemption: You are exempt from the education requirements above if you are (A) a current civilian employee in DoD who occupied GS-1102 positions or contracting positions with authority to award or administer contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in an Executive Department on or before September 30, 2000; OR (B) I am a current military member who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent)-1102 on or before September 30, 2000. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: GS-12 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes (1) applying contracting principles and procedures applicable to pre-award and post-award actions to procure and administer contracts for construction, architect-engineering services, specialized equipment, and/or services, AND (2) recent (within the past 3 years) and relevant experience acting as the Contracting Business Advisor on best value procurements, both Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable (LPTA) and Best Value Trade-off (BVTO). (Each part of this requirement contains a lot of information; be sure your resume reflects the same level of detail when documenting you have this specific experience). This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11 or higher). Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For the GS-12 job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/15/2026 to receive consideration To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13053000). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your 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.