Contract Specialist II

We are seeking a Contract Specialist II to provide dedicated acquisition and contract management support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office of Acquisition Services (OAS).

This position will provide hands-on cradle-to-grave contracting support across the federal acquisition lifecycle, including acquisition planning, market research, solicitation development, evaluation support, award documentation, post-award administration, reporting, and electronic procurement file maintenance. The role is primarily performed at the contractor’s facilities, with potential travel to Government facilities for badging, fingerprinting, or meetings as approved by the Government.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Contract Specialist II acquisition support services include, but are not limited to:

• Acquisition Workload Support. Support assigned procurement actions and maintain timely, accurate status information for Government review.
  • Perform cradle-to-grave acquisition support tasks for CDC OAS and supported program offices.
  • Track assigned procurement actions, milestones, action status, risks, and Procurement Administrative Lead Time (PALT) information.
  • Provide timely inputs for weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly status updates, including action counts, PALT information, file status, issues, and estimated completion dates.
  • Coordinate with the Contracting Officer, COR, program stakeholders, and team leadership to support workflow efficiency and customer satisfaction.
  • Maintain professional conduct, ethical behavior, and compliance with non-personal services requirements.
  • Identify issues or delays early and elevate recommended solutions to the Program Manager, Contracting Officer, or COR as appropriate.
• Pre-Award Acquisition Support. Provide acquisition support for procurement planning and pre-award activities under applicable federal acquisition requirements.
• Conduct and document market research, historical procurement reviews, and industry analysis.
• Provide input on acquisition strategy, contract type, procurement approach, and applicability of FAR, HHSAR, and HHS/CDC local policy requirements.
• Assist with preparation, review, and routing of acquisition plans, market research documentation, determinations and findings, memoranda, checklists, and other file documentation for Government review.
• Attend acquisition planning meetings, support data calls, and coordinate timely reviews and approvals.
• Assist program offices in refining procurement requirements so packages are complete, supportable, and ready for acquisition action.
• Prepare and edit solicitation and file documents, including RFQs, RFPs, IFBs, combined synopsis/solicitations, memoranda, checklists, and supporting documentation.
• Support notices and postings through appropriate procurement channels, including SAM.gov, GSA eBuy, NITACC, NASA SEWP, and agency websites, as applicable.

• Evaluation, Award, and Procurement Documentation. Support Government review of offers or quotes and prepare professional, accurate, and complete award documentation.
  • Assist with control of vendor communications and support pre-proposal conferences, technical evaluations, past performance reviews, and source selection documentation.
  • Prepare analyses of business elements and pricing information, negotiation objectives, discussion support materials, and documentation of findings.
  • Prepare award documents, notices of award, debriefing or feedback materials, and Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) reporting support.
  • Organize, quality-check, and submit complete electronic procurement files in accordance with CDC OAS requirements.
• Post-Award Contract Administration. Support post-award actions and contract administration activities for assigned procurement actions.
  • Participate in kick-off meetings and support contract administration communications among OAS, program offices, and contractors.
  • Prepare administrative, unilateral, and bilateral modifications with supporting documentation for Government review.
  • Assist with option exercise notices, contract term and condition accuracy checks, de-obligations, and other post-award actions.
  • Create and maintain digital/electronic contract file folders and deliver procurement files within required timeframes.
• CDC Systems, Compliance, and Records Management. Perform work in accordance with CDC, HHS, and federal acquisition, information security, privacy, records management, accessibility, and contractor identification requirements.
  • Use or support use of CDC’s Integrated Contract Expert (ICE) contract writing system and related procurement tools after Government-provided access and training.
  • Ensure documents and deliverables are suitable for Government review, accessible where applicable, and aligned with Section 508 expectations.
  • Comply with CDC contractor identification, non-disclosure, privacy, information security awareness, records management, and safeguarding requirements.
  • Protect non-public, procurement-sensitive, and controlled information and ensure contractor staff understand applicable disclosure and conflict-of-interest restrictions.

Required Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required.

Experience: At least five (5) years of experience in cradle-to-grave contracting is required.

Certification: Current or previous Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting (FAC-C), or civilian equivalent, is required.

• Working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR), and federal procurement lifecycle requirements.
• Experience supporting pre-award, solicitation, evaluation, award, post-award administration, modification, de-obligation, and closeout activities.
• Ability to manage assigned procurement actions, coordinate with stakeholders, and maintain schedule, accuracy, and customer service expectations.
• Strong technical writing and document review skills, including the ability to produce clear, complete, and compliant acquisition documentation for Government review.
• Experience with contract writing and acquisition systems; previous CDC Integrated Contract Expert (ICE) experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience using or supporting procurement tools and systems such as FPDS, SAM.gov, GSA eBuy, contract file systems, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, and related reporting tools.
• Experience supporting small business coordination, SBA 8(a) documentation, GWAC or Schedule-based procurements, and federal strategic sourcing vehicles is preferred.
• Ability to attend meetings, respond to data calls, prepare status information, and communicate acquisition status, risks, and recommendations to Government stakeholders and team leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain complete, accurate, and auditable electronic contract files and submit procurement files within required deadlines.
• Experience preparing status reports that include procurement action status, workload volume, PALT metrics, issues, and corrective actions.
• Demonstrated ability to protect non-public, procurement-sensitive, and controlled information and comply with NDA, privacy, information security, and records management requirements.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.

Security, Citizenship, and Access Requirements:

Candidates must be able to complete required HHS/CDC personnel security, suitability, identity proofing, and agency access procedures, including fingerprinting and background investigation requirements as applicable. The selected candidate must complete required CDC information security awareness, privacy, records management, role-based training where applicable, ICE training, and any required non-disclosure agreements before or upon beginning work. U.S. citizenship or work authorization requirements will be determined by contract and agency access requirements.

Preferred Qualifications: Prior experience supporting CDC, HHS, or another federal civilian health agency; prior OAS acquisition support experience; previous ICE experience; experience supporting high-volume procurement actions; and demonstrated success preparing timely, accurate, and complete contract documentation and electronic procurement files.