Purchasing Agent

Purchasing Agent

This position primarily performs Purchasing Agent work to acquire supplies, services, and construction by purchase, rental, or lease through delivery orders and / or small purchase procedures. The work requires knowledge of policies and procedures for delivery orders and small purchases. This work also requires knowledge of commercial supply sources and common business practices related to sales, prices, discounts, units of measurement, deliveries, stocks and shipments.

Responsibilities

Major duties include but are not limited to :

• Purchasing Support (50%) : Conducts purchasing for a VA Medical Center, and supported catchment area, under the micro purchase threshold and must have knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR) and other federal procurement laws. Purchases various equipment supplies and services through the use of the government purchase card for micro purchases. Reviews and edits purchase requests to ensure the item or service is adequately described based on the requester's need. Ensures all information has been provided and the request is consistent with legal requirements. Duties include creating 2237s, completing Purchase Orders, eCMS (FORCE) entries and verify vendors in the VHA system of record prior to placing an order. As a subject matter expert, the incumbent will provide general guidance to potential vendors on requirements and information needed to be entered into the VHA's local vendor file. The incumbent will utilize various web-based portals to order items from awarded contracts to include the Department of Defense's Electronic Catalog (ECAT) and the Medical Surgical Prime Vendor's site for ordering, tracking and monitoring procurement transactions. Provides administration and oversight on orders and services. Represents the VA in discussions with vendors / contractors to obtain agreement on micro purchases and vendor / contractor compliance.
• Procurement Support (30%) : Procures supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of the organization. Examines incoming requests for completeness including presence of purchase request number, accounting codes, item description estimated cost, and quantity. Ensures all critical information is included in the solicitation package and develops unique selection criteria for each purchase. Prepare and issue contract modifications for changes in delivery schedule and sends formal correspondence to a variety of customers such as inventory management specialists, other service line contacts, and contracting officers as appropriate for the purposes of auditing documents, processing receiving reports, and payments. Utilizes various web-based applications to identify required sources of supply. Collects data to determine price reasonableness for new items, prepares detailed written solicitations, and tailors specific terms and conditions.
• Administrative Support (20%) : Serves as the first line of contact for medical staff and customers in regard to procured items. Provides clerical support and coordination to approving officials and administrators. Performs a variety of receptionist, timekeeping, record keeping and miscellaneous duties in medical facility. As the subject matter expert, the incumbent continuously reviews policies and regulations related to time and leave. They obtain data from section supervisors and submits employees' requests for overtime and prepares staffing and overtime reports. Answers telephones and refers calls to appropriate staff. Uses departmental software to produce printouts for logistic and medical staff. Establishes office files and record systems. Incumbent will utilize Microsoft Office to create, edit and aggregate data necessary for expense tracking and Supply Chain management reporting. Ability to use Outlook Mail features to respond to Medical Center inquiries and calendar to set up, manage, and organize meetings.

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday, 8 : 00am-4 : 30pm Compressed / Flexible : Not Authorized

Telework : Not Authorized Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment : You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12 / 31 / 1959. Subject to background / security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12 / 05 / 2025. Time-In-Grade Requirement : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

You may qualify based on your experience and / or education as described below :

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position :

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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note : A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements : See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at