Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

Ascension LLC seeks an experienced Contract Specialist to support the U.S. Navy Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Contracting and Logistics Department, Code 400. You help the customer acquire supplies, services, equipment, and information technology needed to maintain, repair, and modernize LOS ANGELES and VIRGINIA Class submarines. This role suits a federal acquisition professional who brings sound procurement judgment, strong cost and price analysis skills, and the ability to produce accurate, compliant contracting packages under competing deadlines.

2 Role Summary and Work Schedule

You support the full acquisition lifecycle, from requirements review and market research through solicitation, source selection support, award preparation, post-award administration, and closeout. You work through Ascension’s Program Manager and collaborate with Government contracting officers, contracting specialists, CORs, and program offices. Your analysis and documentation help reduce procurement delays, resolve acquisition issues, and maintain complete contract files. Government officials retain approval, award, and other inherently governmental decision authority.

The ideal candidate is self-directed, organized, detail-oriented, and customer-focused; anticipates missing information and compliance risks; proposes practical solutions; and communicates clearly under pressure. You use approved contract-writing systems, procurement databases, Microsoft 365, advanced Excel, Adobe Acrobat, and electronic filing and peer-review processes.

The schedule is 40 hours per week, excluding Government holidays and shipyard curtailment days. Work occurs Monday through Friday within 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with no more than eight working hours per day and a half-hour lunch. Telework requires Government concurrence and may be denied or ended. Travel is not anticipated. The advertised base period is November 3, 2026, through November 2, 2027, with one option year subject to exercise.

3 Expected Activities

Review acquisition requirements, statements of work, technical specifications, funding documentation, and sole-source justifications for completeness and consistency; flag gaps for resolution.

Conduct market research and analyze historical purchases, market pricing, and comparable procurements to support Independent Government Estimates and acquisition planning.

Develop acquisition strategy recommendations addressing competition, contract type, sources, risks, costs, and procurement milestones.

Draft RFQs, RFPs, combined synopses and solicitations, terms and conditions, and supporting documentation for Government review.

Analyze fixed-price and cost-reimbursement pricing using Excel lookups, PivotTables, conditional formatting, and complex nested functions; document assumptions and conclusions.

Prepare source selection plans, evaluation worksheets, conflict-of-interest and nondisclosure documentation, and draft decision memoranda; coordinate evaluation inputs.

Support prenegotiation objectives and offeror discussions; prepare contract award packages, task and delivery order documents, and COR designation letters.

Prepare option exercise and SF-30 modification documentation; analyze performance discrepancies and support Government resolution of administration, claims, and closeout issues.

Maintain accurate procurement records and award data in approved systems; apply local filing standards and procurement action lead-time requirements.

Conduct internal peer reviews, respond to review comments, track action status, record work hours on time, and report risks through Ascension’s management chain.

Share lessons learned and practical job aids, participate in required training and status meetings, and support orderly transfer of files and pending actions during transition.