Purchasing Agent

Summary The incumbent serves in the developmental capacity as a Purchasing Agent for Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS), within a VA Medical Facility. This position reports to either the Chief of Prosthetics or a Supervisory Prosthetic Representative within PSAS. Responsibilities Duties outlined below are at the GS-6 full performance Purchasing Agent. Administration: The incumbent receives and analyzes Prosthetic Consults, and prescriptions for items, services and home medical equipment. The incumbent reviews requests for completeness, proper documentation and make arrangements to procure these items. Establishes workflow protocols to ensure the timely execution of work. Coordinate work for special circumstances. As the subject matter expert (SME), will advise other services on the policies and procedures to establish requisitions for services, equipment and commodities. Review requests from various sources and making substitutions if necessary (within scope). 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. Examine clinical health records and claims folders to determine eligibility and entitlement for items and services. Advise Veterans and clinicians in relation to eligibility for entitlements for items and services. Review clinical requests, determine sources and determine the availability of replacement parts and alternatives for power mobility, artificial limbs and other pieces of medical equipment. Review unique requests to ensure the requesting entity has addressed any special prescribing procedure or guidance. Reconcile all invoices for certification of payment by reviewing Veteran records against invoices to ensure that accurate cost is being charged for service/item rendered and verifies the correct total cost. Follow up in relation to parts and labor orders, returns shipping back to manufactures and accounting for warranty work. Maintain accurate records of transactions and to complete all adjustments to computerized system. Maintain accurate funding, billing, reconciling of accounts and sub-account balances to include the Prompt Payment Act as it affects vendors and the payment process between vendors and the VA Medical Center. Purchasing: Procures specialized medical equipment, supplies and services for Veterans. Examples include but are not limited to augmented speech devices specialized for veterans individual need such as eye tracking, Custom wheelchairs built with measurements and specs unique to the veteran, vehicle modifications, specialized ramping with prep work and labor. Review of various configurations and determine the most cost effective to meet the veterans need. Procure specialized medical equipment with critical and unique characteristics and associated guidance from a variety of sources. Purchases various equipment, supplies, and services through the use of the government purchase card for micro purchase. The incumbent will be responsible and knowledgeable in various purchasing strategies, such as how to solicit, who to solicit, what clauses to include, which offers to accept or how much lead time. The incumbent will negotiate prices with sole source vendors, persuade reluctant vendors and collect data for requirements not previously required. Authorizes and prepares complex purchase orders for a wide variety of devices, medical supplies and durable medical equipment. Prepares complex purchase orders for a wide variety of devices, medical supplies and durable medical equipment. Execute price adjustments; resolve any discrepancies, modifications, amendments to purchase orders and cancelations of purchase orders. Coordinate medical device orders that may require more than one vendor and more than one end user. The incumbent will also coordinate work with local vendors. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc available. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD0826VS and PD00825S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that 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, 10/05/2026. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-05: You must have one year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: includes familiarity with processes, or methods related to status updates, strategies and urgency of the requirements. Experience executing and coordinating returns, warranty work and complicated repairs which may include modifications to purchase orders. Experience with reconciliation of purchase requests. Experience modifying and researching reconciliation discrepancies and responding to a variety of audits and requests for data. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond an Associates degree. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Specialized Experience GS-06: You must have one year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: includes knowledge of relevant purchasing regulations, procedures and business practices required to procure specialized medical equipment, and supplies. Knowledge of price analysis techniques is sufficient to evaluate prices or costs. Knowledge of various acquisition clauses pertaining to inspection, acceptance, packaging, or testing. Knowledge in various purchasing strategies, such as how to solicit, who to solicit, etc. Thorough knowledge of supply and procurement regulations, policies, procedures and instructions are required; thorough knowledge of purchasing and purchase card program regulations, methods and procedures is required. Knowledge of and skill in interpreting and applying purchase card management related policies, non-payment complaints from vendors. Skill in analyzing critical patient equipment orders. Knowledge of equipment repair requests for quote. Knowledge of relevant fiscal policies and procedures of budgeting control-point maintenance. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education There is no educational substitution at the GS-6 grade level. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.