Who May Apply:
US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is
in this document.
Basic Requirement: This position has a basic entry requirement. The entry requirement requires completion of education or a combination of education and experience sufficient to be comparable to that normally acquired through the completion of a four-year course of study with a major in the professional or scientific field. Please refer to the following sites for all possible ways to meet the Basic Requirements for this position:
Basic Requirement for Engineer: Click here
Basic Requirement for Architect: Click here
Basic Requirement for Landscape Architect: Click here
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Your resume must describe at least one year of specialized experience which prepared you to do the work in this job.
Specialized Experience GS-9: I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service which includes preparing cost estimates for construction projects with guidance, including architectural and engineering features; Assisting senior cost engineers in reviewing construction cost estimates prepared by peers and external contractors for format accuracy, material costs, labor, and equipment rates; Preparing basic parametric estimates and budgetary estimates using standard historical data for budget planning; AND Assisting in the preparation of Fair Cost Estimates (independent government estimates), primarily in support of more experienced cost estimators.
OR
Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Engineering or Computer Science.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.
GS-11 Specialized Experience: I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service which includes preparing cost estimates for more complex military and civil construction projects, including modifications to existing structures; Performing detailed independent government estimates for moderately complex projects and change orders, including parametric and control estimates based on incomplete information; Reviewing designs, recommending corrections, and coordinating with design teams (architects/engineers) to ensure design modifications based on cost efficiency and technical considerations; Conducting reviews of cost estimates prepared by contracted firms, ensuring compliance with regulations, and analyzing material, labor, and equipment costs; AND Using MCACES or other approved cost estimation software independently to prepare estimates and ensure compliance with relevant guidelines.
OR
Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position such as: Engineering or Computer Science.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.
GS-12 Specialized Experience: I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service which includes extensive experience independently preparing cost estimates for highly complex and specialized military, environmental, or civil works projects, including in challenging environments like the Arctic; Leading the preparation of detailed construction cost estimates, including complex government estimates and change orders; Making high-level recommendations for design changes, alternative solutions, or cost-effective project alternatives during value engineering studies; Addressing highly specialized construction issues requiring unique methods or no existing precedents, including analyzing contractor risk and proposing mitigation; AND Mastery in using approved cost estimation software such as MCACES to prepare a full range of estimates from preliminary to final control and change orders.
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job at the GS-12 level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.