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Contract Specialist

General Services Administration
Federal Acquisition Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

As a Contract Specialist, you will independently manage acquisition activities for cost contracts within the Office of Assisted Aquisitions Services (AAS). This office provides cradle-to-grave acquisition, project, and financial management support.

Location of position: Office of AAS, Acquisition and Procurement Center of Excellence (APEX) in Washington, DC

We are currently filling three vacancies, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
12/01/2025 to 12/10/2025
This job will close when we have received 250 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$142,488 to - $185,234 per year

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.

Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Washington, DC
MANY vacancies
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is full-time in the office. In rare instances, situational telework may be approved on a case-by-case basis.
Travel Required
25% or less - Extensive travel is required at certain times. These trips can range from one to four days and can occur multiple times per month. Overtime may be required depending on workload.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
QF-2026-0001
Control number
851002900

Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Manages acquisition activities to meet the federal government’s information technology (IT) services and professional services (PS) needs in the most economical, effective, and efficient manner possible while ensuring acquisitions are executed in compliance with applicable regulations, statutes, and policies.
  • Oversees complex performance environments and manages contracts involving multiple stakeholders and funding sources, ensuring effective collaboration, government oversight, and thorough day-to-day performance surveillance, to mitigate associated risks.
  • Manages comprehensive cost analysis and disclosure activities, ensuring compliance with cost accounting standards in contractor proposals.
  • Advises and mentors junior staff to develop acquisition skills.
  • Regularly reports to senior management, communicates project progress, milestones achieved, and any deviations from the initial plan. Builds partnerships and networks within the federal community and industry, enhancing collaboration and facilitates valuable information exchange.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
  • Meet all eligibility criteria within 30 days of the closing date
  • Meet time-in-grade within 30 days of the closing date, if applicable
  • Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959

  • Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non­Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
  • Serve a one year probationary period, if required.
  • Position security requirements are dependent on the position for which selected, and may be designated at Top Secret, Secret, High Risk, Moderate Risk or Low Risk. Dependent on which position you are selected for you will be required to undergo and pass the appropriate Tier background investigation level. You must be granted this clearance before you can start the job.
  • Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee.  We will use the Department of Homeland Security’s e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment.
  • Complete a financial disclosure report to verify that no conflict, or an appearance of conflict, exists between your financial interest and this position
  • Any applicant tentatively selected for any Top Secret position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Appointment to the position will be contingent upon a negative drug test result.

Qualifications

For each job on your resume, provide:

  • the exact dates you held  each job (from month/year to month/year)
  • number of hours per week you worked (if part time).    

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

The GS-14 salary range starts at $142,488 per year.  If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.  

1102 Qualifications GS-13 & above:

You must meet the requirements in 1, 2, or 3 below:

1. All of a, b, and c below:

(a) Completion of Training/Certification: FAC-C (Professional)  or DoD Contracting Professional Certification. 
(b) At least 4years of experience in contracting or related positions including 1 year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the level described below; and
(c) Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree that included or was supplemented by 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.

2. Exception: If you were in a GS-1102 position on January 1, 2000, you will be exempt from meeting the educational requirements for the grade level of that position.  However, to be promoted you will have to meet Option 1 or 3.  

3. Waiver: GSA's senior procurement executive has the discretion to waive any or all of the requirements in 1 above.  Note: Candidates that are missing either the 24 hours of business credit and/or the mandatory training certification, but are determined to be otherwise eligible, can be placed on a waiver certification by the HR staffing specialist.

In addition to the Basic Requirements listed above, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience performing highly complex contracting actions for the procurement of non commercial Information Technology (IT) and/or Professional Services (PS) requirements. Such experience must include performing cost and price analysis techniques applicable to cost reimbursable contracts, leading negotiations, and interpreting contracting laws, principles, and regulations.

This position has a positive education requirement: Applicants must submit a copy of their college or university transcript(s) and certificates by the closing date of announcements to verify qualifications. If selected, an official transcript will be required prior to appointment. 

Education

Note: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:   https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ 

Additional information

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Applicants are encouraged to make their resume searchable in their USAJOBS.gov profile. This will allow Federal hiring specialists and hiring managers across agencies to find their resume as part of agency recruitment campaigns or staffing searches.

If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit GSA's webpage.

Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.  

Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

A panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review the resumes of qualified candidates and assign a score for each of the five required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) based on the experience documented in the resume and narrative responses.

  1. Mastery of procurement regulations and contracting principles in order to develop procedures for use by contracting professionals. Serves as a contractual authority and adviser in the acceptability and applicability of contractual matters related to the acquisition of government-wide non-commercial and cost-type contracts.
  2. Expert knowledge in contracting laws, principles, and regulations to plan and manage highly specialized procurements of significant importance to the government, an agency and/or the Nation. Ability to develop procurement policies and procedures.
  3. Mastery of cost and price analysis techniques applicable to various cost reimbursable contracts (e.g., Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF), etc.)
  4. Ability to coach and mentor junior staff and teach acquisition principles to team members.
  5. Skill in oral communications to present sensitive recommendations to higher authority, to obtain compliance with policies from activities at the highest levels, to articulate positions/policy of vast technical complexity.

Demonstration of these KSAs must be supported by your resume. Applicants should also make note of each KSA, as you will be asked to address them later in the application process.

Consideration will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume so that information will be taken into consideration during the selection process.  If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If you are eligible under the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) or GSA’s Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), your resume must clearly demonstrate experience in at least 3 of the 5 required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) to receive priority consideration.


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