Contract Specialist

Security Clearance

Not Required

Duties

As a Contract Specialist, you will: 1. Manage contracting programs and processes to acquire complex and specialized services in treatment, supervision and other areas that support the pretrial mission. Advise management and work with program staff to define and document requirements and develop procurement objectives; prepare determination findings and prepare and maintain plans and schedules for contract actions. 2. Determine contract vehicles, competition and pricing; oversee pre-award processes including advertisement, solicitation, pre-proposal conferences and evaluation of proposals. 3. Serve as lead negotiator; plan and coordinate negotiation strategy and lead negotiations with contractors to develop contract prices and terms; award the contract. 4. Perform contract administration, making decisions or recommendations on issues such as incremental funding, modifications, coordination of time extensions, incorporation of change orders, evaluation of contractor performance, identification and resolution of possible noncompliance issues, payment approval and contract closeout. 5. Evaluate assigned areas of the contracting program; develop and apply performance measures and other evaluation criteria; analyze results and recommend changes in procurement strategies or plans to address deficiencies. 6. Develop or administer interagency agreements, in coordination with program staff. Represent PSA in negotiation on agreements, ensuring that PSA requirements are met. Advise program staff in administration of agreements and resolve issues that arise during the term of the agreement. 7. Subject to the limitations identified on the individual's Certificate of Appointment as a Contracting Officer, individual may legally bind the agency and commit agency funds by entering into, administering, and /or terminating contracts.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment Incumbents must meet all the eligibility requirements to receive and maintain a FAC-C Professional Certification. 1. Must be a U.S. Citizen 2. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service 3. Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation 4. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period, if not already completed 5. All applicants are subject to a comprehensive criminal background investigation, and required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment 6. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice 7. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. 8. Will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Form within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter. A candidate appointed at a lower grade level may be promoted up to the full performance level without further competition.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic professional requirements, and specialized experience requirement below. Basic Requirement: A. 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; OR C. Exceptions: Employees in 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 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position. AND Specialized Experience: You must have at least one year (52 weeks) experience that equipped you with the skills needed to perform the job duties. Specialized experience is defined as experience in pre-award to post-award phases of cradle to grave contracting duties such as negotiating with vendors to acquire products/services and addressing technical requirements; cost/pricing, statement of work, working with procurement plans, and serving as a contract administrator on awarded contracts. NOTE: Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the experience requirements will result in an "Ineligible" rating.

Education

There is no education substitution at this grade level. However, this position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcripts by the closing date of this announcement to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation

Other Information

1. If you are an eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant or Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) applicant, you may apply for special selection over other applicants for this position. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal/PSA 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. Click here for more information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility. 2. If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you should attach a copy of your DD-214 (unedited long version) or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must attach an SF-15, "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. 3. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review in our office, in other Federal agency personnel offices, and on OPM's web site at OPM Qualification Standards . 4. In accordance with Executive Order 14170 and the Merit Hiring Plan guidance issued by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, applicants for this position are invited to respond to four essay questions. These questions are designed to provide you with an opportunity to share your commitment to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution, as well as your dedication to public service. While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. Click here to review the questionshttps://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12863870.

The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) was established under the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 to oversee probationers and parolees, and provide pretrial services in Washington, D.C. The functions were previously handled by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the D.C. Pretrial Services Agency. For the first three years, CSOSA operated under trustee John "Jay" Carver, and officially became a Federal agency in August 2000.