The following requirements are prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management and used to determine minimum qualifications.
Individual Occupational Requirements
Basic Requirements for GS-5 through GS-12
- A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;
OR
- 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.
Applicants who meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement qualify for positions at the GS-7 level.
The following table shows the amounts of education and/or experience required to qualify for positions GS-7 thorough GS-12 covered by this standard.
| GRADE | EDUCATION | SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE |
|---|---|---|
|
GS-7 |
1 full academic year of graduate education or law school or superior academic achievement |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-5 |
|
GS-9 |
2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D. |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-7 |
|
GS-11 |
|
1 year equivalent to at least GS-9 |
|
GS-12 |
(No educational equivalent) |
1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level |
Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable.
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.
Note - For positions at GS-7 through GS-12, applicants who are qualifying based on experience must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level, that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position, in addition to meeting the basic requirements in paragraph A or B, above.
- Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5 through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when seeking another position.
Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above
- Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years experience in contracting or related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.
AND
- 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.
- Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D.
- Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within that agency without additional waiver action.