Contract Specialist
Job Summary
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Procurement (OP) is seeking Contract Specialists. Ideal candidates will have strong business and analytical skills demonstrated through academic coursework and/or work experience. Duties will vary depending on organizational needs and include procurement planning, negotiation, and contract administration tasks assigned in support of NASA programs. OP is structured to provide support to our mission partners regardless of buying location using virtual tools and capabilities.
Responsibilities
- Assist with all aspects of the contracting transactions from initiation to recommendation of award to procuring items or services where standard contracting procedures may need to be modified.
- Assist with pre-award functions such as preparing solicitations and adding provisions. Also analyzing proposals for conformance; obtaining required pre-award surveys to establish contractor responsibility, and to develop negotiation strategy.
- Performs contracting work through use of negotiation techniques. Prepares Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) ensuring that technical descriptions and appropriate contract clauses are included.
- Performs analysis of responses to solicitations, including price reasonableness, adequacy of competition, compliance with solicitation, and probability of meeting requirements.
- Coordinates the contracts reflecting agreement between the agency and the vendor.
- Monitors contract performance and negotiates necessary standard contract modifications such as extensions of delivery schedules, price adjustments, option exercises etc. to ensure satisfactory progress and completion of contract activities.
- Negotiates modifications to contracts with standard and nonstandard terms and conditions.
- Prepares correspondence; provides advice, guidance, training, and assistance to technical or program personnel, or contractors whenever information is needed or issues need to be resolved.
- Prepares determinations and findings of fact relative to issues or actions. Coordinates requests for deviations with requesting activities, and makes recommendations.
- Duties described above are at the full-performance level. Duties assigned at a lower grade level will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
Education Qualifications
Applicants must meet the basic education requirements for the GS-1102 series:
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.
Graduate Education. To qualify for GS-1102 positions on the basis of graduate education, graduate education in one or a combination of the following fields is required: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-07:
Specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05) includes; (1) applying knowledge of acquisition and procurement or contracting processes and procedures;
OR
One (1) full academic year of graduate education or law school or superior academic achievement
To qualify for the GS-09:
Specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) includes (1) assisting with pre-award and post-award contracting procedures (2) applying knowledge of cost and/or price analysis techniques to assist with the evaluation of price proposals;
OR
Two (2) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D.
To qualify for the GS-11:
Specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-09) includes(1) assisting with pre-award contracting and negotiations to procure supplies and services (2) utilizing cost and/or price analysis techniques to evaluate price proposals, contract changes, repricing actions and final contract pricing (3) assisting with post-award contract administration and contract closeout;
OR
Three (3) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
Salary
Salary Range: $43,251 to $83,210 per year
***Salary is based on the "Rest of the US" pay table. Actual salary will be based on the duty location of the selectee.***