Contract Specialist

Job Title

GS-14 Contract Specialist

The GS-14 Contract Specialist is responsible for contracting actions within contracting divisions, actively engaged in all phases and activities related to the procurement process.

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Exercises contracting officer authority for all contract actions and serves as principal business advisor to agencies on procurement methods for all supplies and services, ensuring compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and the RFO/FAR.
• Manages and directs procurement operations to meet programmatic goals, Departmental policy, and legal requirements, exercising sound business acumen and signatory authority with accountability for the quality of all contractual documents.
• Serves as technical expert on all aspects of procurement and contract actions, including development of work statements, critical analysis of technical/business proposals, and complex pricing arrangements and incentive structures (e.g., cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-fee).
• Reviews and analyzes contract terms, conditions, and legal precedent to determine liability, monetary relief, and consistency with government contracting case law, ensuring decisions are defensible on appeal.
• Develops and implements procurement policies, procedures, and guidelines, incorporating GSA, OMB, and GAO decisions and directives to ensure proper contract execution Department-wide.
• Manages procurement workloads and resolves complex problems, exercising practical business judgment, political awareness, and calculated risk-taking/innovation; monitors performance and adjusts operations to meet emergencies or changing requirements.
• Represents the organization and advises customers on contractual matters with Federal agencies and private industry, including acquisition roles, responsibilities, and strategy development to meet mission needs.
• Communicates procurement information clearly and effectively to internal and external audiences on acquisition processes and procedures.
• Ensures contractual documents are accurate, compliant with applicable regulations, grammatically correct, and logically organized.

U.S. Department of Labor