Contract Specialist

Summary

About the Position: These positions are located within the US Army Corps of Engineers, Contracting Division where you will perform contract formulation, preparation, negotiation, and administration of Architect-Engineer (A-E), professional services, construction, maintenance services, commercial items and services, utilities, cooperative and interagency agreements and emergency management. Multiple vacancies at the following locations: Huntington, WV Louisville, KY Detroit, MI Nashville, TN

Duties

• Develop procurement plans by reviewing previous history, market conditions, and specifications/technical data packages.
• Analyze and evaluate findings contained in audit reports and supports recommendations with detailed analysis of each cost element.
• Identify areas subject to negotiation (e.g., price, quantity discounts, packaging, payment discounts, transportation, and delivery, etc.).
• Perform cost analysis to assist with determining acceptability of technical proposals prior to conducting reward surveys for determining responsibility of prospective contractor.
• Ensure post-award actions taken are following all applicable laws, regulations and procedures, and Executive Orders.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and 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 and your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Contract Specialist GS-5/7/9/11: A Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. OR Exemption: You are exempt from the education requirements above if (A) you are 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) you are 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: For GS-05: A Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) from an accredited educational institution authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees. OR Exemption: You are exempt from the education requirements above if (A) you are 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) you are a current military member who occupied a similar occupational specialty to the GS (or equivalent)-1102 on or before September 30, 2000. For GS-07: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing contracting and procurement work such as assisting in applying contracting methods to perform pre-award, post-award, and/or price analysis functions; assisting with researching market conditions to evaluate bid responsiveness, contractor responsibility, and/or contractor performance. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as, Business, Communications, Computers and Math, Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Languages and Humanities, Education, or Healthcare Administration. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). For GS-09: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing contracting and procurement work such as applying contracting methods to perform pre-award, post-award, and/or price analysis functions; researching market conditions to evaluate bid responsiveness, contractor responsibility, and/or contractor performance; utilizing statutes and regulations to perform procurement functions. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). OR A Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management. For GS-11: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing contracting and procurement work such as procuring a wide variety of products and services; administering terms and conditions of contracts; following-up with vendors on delivery, invoicing, and payment; performing price/cost analysis to determine price reasonableness; or similar contracting work. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09). OR A Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.

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 09/14/2026 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/13055972). 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.