Purchasing Agent

Veterans Health Administration•Grand Junction, CO

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Supply Management Service Line within the VA Health Care System. The role acquires supplies, services, and construction by purchase, rental, or lease through delivery orders and small-purchase procedures. It applies knowledge of policies and procedures for delivery orders and small purchases, commercial supply sources, and common business practices. The position conducts purchases under the micro-purchase threshold, supports accurate and timely processing of purchase requests and bills, tracks obligations and expenditures, and procures supplies and services to meet organizational needs. It also conducts market research and specialized small purchases, prepares contract modifications and correspondence, and processes receiving reports and payments. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is not a virtual position. Work is performed in an office setting with everyday risks or discomforts, using normal safety precautions. The job requires some standing, sitting, walking, or bending, but has no special physical demands.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
Applicants must complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must meet Selective Service registration requirements.
Applicants are subject to a background/security investigation and must complete online onboarding and pre-employment identification requirements.
Participation in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
A one-year probationary period or two-year trial period is required.
For current or former Federal employees subject to time-in-grade rules, one year at GS-5 is required for the GS-6 position, with supporting SF-50 documentation.
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-5 is required. Qualifying experience may include procurement support; acquiring supplies or services; coordinating procurement needs with medical staff; resolving shipment or payment discrepancies; using a purchase card; and preparing reports from files and documents using automated supply or inventory systems and Microsoft Word or Excel.
Applicants must clearly describe the nature of relevant duties and responsibilities and the hours worked per week.
There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Responsibilities

Conduct purchases under the micro-purchase threshold.
Review and edit purchase requests and resolve issues to ensure requests and bills are processed accurately and promptly.
Identify needs or problems and determine corrective action.
Use federal and agency acquisition regulations to identify potential sources and other relevant purchase information.
Track obligations and commitments and monitor expenditures to support recurring budget forecasts and identify potential fraud, waste, and abuse based on procurement history and purchase trends.
Procure supplies and services to meet organizational needs for purchase, rental, or lease.
Develop unique selection criteria for each purchase.
Prepare and issue contract modifications for changes in delivery schedules.
Send formal correspondence to customers, including inventory management specialists, other service-line contacts, and contracting officers, for purposes such as auditing documents.
Process receiving reports and payments.
Conduct open-market research and sole-source small purchases for highly specialized medical items with critical product requirements.