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GSA10 min readUpdated June 7, 2026

Data Analyst / Data Scientist: GSA Labor Category Guide

A practical guide to the Data Analyst / Data Scientist labor category family, with duties, qualifications, pricing support, examples, SIN mapping, and Add Labor Category mod notes.

Built for
Services contractors building labor catalogs, Services Plus Files, pricing support, or Add Labor Category modifications
By the end
Write a Data Analyst / Data Scientist labor category that buyers, reviewers, and delivery teams can understand.
Field guide

Data Analyst design board

When the role fits
Do not add a labor category just because it appears in an internal org chart.
Signal
Builds reports, analyzes datasets, designs metrics, models trends, or supports decision intelligence.
Response
Use this role when those duties are central enough to price and order.
Deliverables
Weak duties make pricing harder to defend.
Signal
Dashboards, data pulls, analysis memos, metric definitions, models, visualizations, and trend reports.
Response
Name actual outputs so the description feels like work, not a title collection.
Qualifications
Data Analyst, Data Engineer, and Data Scientist should not be written as interchangeable roles.
Signal
Data analysis skill, statistics or modeling knowledge where needed, tool fluency, and domain understanding.
Response
Write minimum qualifications that match the work and the proposed level.
Pricing
Do not make every category senior because the rate looks better.
Signal
Rates should reflect data complexity, modeling depth, toolchain, stakeholder exposure, and analytic responsibility.
Response
Use commercial support, payroll/build-up logic, CALC+ research, and role complexity together.
Role design

Data Analyst labor category proof stack

A credible labor category is more than a title. It should explain what the person does, why the qualifications fit, and how the rate makes sense.

Duties
5
Dashboards, data pulls, analysis memos, metric definitions, models, visualizations, and trend reports.
Qualifications
5
Data analysis skill, statistics or modeling knowledge where needed, tool fluency, and domain understanding.
Pricing support
4
Rates should reflect data complexity, modeling depth, toolchain, stakeholder exposure, and analytic responsibility.
SIN fit
4
The role should belong under the SINs where it will be quoted.
Buyer usability
4
The role should be easy for a buyer to understand and order.
Relative role-design scorecard, not an official GSA scoring model.
Part 1

What a Data Analyst actually does

Builds reports, analyzes datasets, designs metrics, models trends, or supports decision intelligence.

Dashboards, data pulls, analysis memos, metric definitions, models, visualizations, and trend reports.

Part 2

How to write the qualifications

Data analysis skill, statistics or modeling knowledge where needed, tool fluency, and domain understanding.

The minimums should be specific enough to justify the role, but not so inflated that the category becomes hard to staff or hard for buyers to use.

Part 3

How to think about pricing

Rates should reflect data complexity, modeling depth, toolchain, stakeholder exposure, and analytic responsibility.

CALC+ can help with market research, but the final rate story should still connect to the company's commercial practice and the way the role is delivered.

Part 4

Watch-out

Data Analyst, Data Engineer, and Data Scientist should not be written as interchangeable roles.

A clean labor catalog is easier to quote from because every role earns its place.

Examples

What this looks like in practice

In actionData Analyst in a real task order

A Data Analyst builds a contract-spend dashboard and explains which vendors, NAICS codes, and agencies are driving changes.

A strong labor category page should make it easy to see why the role exists, what it produces, and how it would be staffed on a real order.

Add LCAT noteThe modification should show the before-and-after

If Data Analyst / Data Scientist is being added through eMod, the package should explain the new title, duties, qualifications, SIN support, pricing support, and whether the Services Plus File or service description needs to change.

  • Title
  • Duties
  • Qualifications
  • Rate support
  • SIN mapping
  • Service file impact

Frequently asked questions

Can Data Analyst / Data Scientist appear under more than one SIN?

Sometimes. The role can support multiple SINs when the duties and scope genuinely fit each lane. The description should not become so broad that it stops meaning anything.

Should this role have levels?

Only when the levels change duties, independence, customer exposure, experience, certifications, or technical depth in a way a buyer and reviewer can understand.

What should I check before adding it in eMod?

Check SIN fit, service description impact, pricing support, qualifications, commercial support, and whether the role appears in the Services Plus File or related documents.