Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies, and other status eligible applicants. See the eligibility section in the questionnaire for a list of all eligible statuses and the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more details.

Applicant Count: This announcement will remain open until the closing date, 04/07/2026, or when the applicant count is reached, whichever is earlier. The applicant count is the point at which the first 50 applications are received. All applications submitted that day up to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the date the applicant count is reached will be accepted and considered.

The Contract Specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Commodity & Services Acquisition Service (CSAS), as such, has responsibility for procuring supplies, equipment, and personal and non-personal services through sealed bids, negotiated contracts, Multiple Award Schedule, or by negotiated discounts from commercial price lists. Resultant contracts are for use by not only VA but also all Federal Agencies on a national level. Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Participates in acquisition planning, pre-award responsibilities and contract awards for all major contracting elements for the National Acquisition Center (NAC)
• Serves as the contracting officer, contract negotiator, and contract administrator for high dollar value, contracts with a national scope
• Makes final determinations relative to price adjustment, deviations from contract terms and conditions, delivery schedules and changes, supplemental agreements, change orders, disclosures, and other related contract matters upon analysis
• Conducts negotiations that are precedent-setting, involve large sums of money, involve factual or legal disputes and/or are characterized by a strong lack of cooperation and/or display of hostility on the contractor's part
• Resolves disagreements between auditors and contractors involving audit findings
• Develops realistic and attainable milestones for the NAC's complex projects
• Monitors work in progress and assures timely accomplishment of assigned workload
• Takes appropriate action to fulfill requirements of contracts and/or agreements
• Closes out contracts and/or agreements, in a timely manner
• Conducts initial conferences with contractors to provide information and clarify special provisions of the contract
• Remains cognizant of socioeconomic contracting goals and accomplishments
• Explores initiatives which increase socioeconomic accomplishments for the NAC
• Preparing proposals, conducting evaluations, and resolving contractual issues
• Reviews and approves small and disadvantaged business subcontracting plans
• Establishes a negotiation position based on technical reviews and extensive knowledge of contractor's operations
• Negotiates directly with contractor personnel to obtain final settlements
• Prepares negotiation memoranda to explain rationale and methods used in arriving at the final settlement
• Participates in conferences and meetings with customers, industry, and various Government agencies and officials
• Provides detailed explanation of Federal Contracting procedures in relationship to contracts and agreements established and administered by the NAC
• Meets with contractors to explain the ramifications of various Public Laws.

Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/07/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.


You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Contracting Series, 1102, Individual Occupational Requirements:

1. A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;
   
   OR,

2. 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,

3. 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.

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Applying a wide range of contracting methods, contract types, regulations, policies, procedures, and requirements.
  • Conducting pre-solicitation and solicitation principles, requirements, and processes including acquisition planning for large programs.
  • Experience applying source selection principles and techniques.

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Communications
• Contract Administration
• Contracting/Procurement
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Pre-Solicitation
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.


Physical Requirements: Work is generally sedentary with no special physical demands. Incumbent may be subject to stress due to changed requirements, short deadlines, limited information, and uncontrollable workload peaks. Visits to VA customer/user and contract sites will be required.


For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA 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. To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Demonstrates comprehensive expertise in Federal acquisition regulations and policies (FAR, VAAR, GSAM) to independently execute and oversee complex pre-solicitation and solicitation activities, including acquisition planning for large-scale, high-visibility programs.
• Applies advanced source selection methodologies and evaluation techniques to lead and support competitive procurements, ensuring compliance, fairness, and best value determinations in alignment with federal procurement standards.
• Develops and implements integrated acquisition strategies that align business, technical, and program requirements across all phases of the procurement lifecycle, from planning through contract award and administration.
• Performs detailed cost and price analysis using historical data, market research, and industry benchmarks to establish negotiation positions and support contract pricing decisions.
• Serves as a principal point of contact for customers, vendors, and stakeholders, coordinating complex contractual actions such as Federal Supply Schedule acquisitions and specialized service agreements.
• Executes full-spectrum contract administration functions, including post-award modifications, change orders, funding actions, and enforcement of contract terms, ensuring strict compliance with regulatory and reporting requirements.
• Analyzes contractor performance, market conditions, and contractual issues to develop sound recommendations and resolve complex problems related to pricing, delivery, and performance outcomes.
• Prepares and presents comprehensive contractual documentation, negotiation memoranda, and briefings to leadership, while effectively communicating technical acquisition concepts to diverse audiences.

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area:The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from the locations listed for this vacancy. This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance of Golden, Colorado; Hines, Illinois; Frederick, Maryland; and Fredericksburg, Virginia.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.



Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.


Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be contacted for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.


The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

• All current, permanent VA Employees in the Office of Procurement, Acquisition, and Logistics (OPAL)
• All other current, permanent VA employees
• All other applicants (if status)

Applicant Count: This announcement will remain open until the closing date, 04/07/2026, or when the applicant count is reached, whichever is earlier. The applicant count is the point at which the first 50 applications are received. All applications submitted that day up to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the date the applicant count is reached will be accepted and considered.