Purchasing Agent

Veterans Health Administration • Fayetteville, AR

16d

About The Position

The Purchasing Agent works in the Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) at a VA Medical Center with inpatient implant care coordination, outpatient treatment, and inventory responsibilities. PSAS coordinates clinic and Care in the Community requests for service, including authorization and care coordination, and provides purchasing and inventory-management support to VA administrative and clinical services.

The position purchases prosthetic, orthotic, sensory-aid, durable medical equipment, medical supply, repair, rental, and service requirements for Veterans. The agent reviews clinical prescriptions, consults, purchase requests, and supporting documentation; researches products, vendors, contracts, prices, availability, specifications, and delivery requirements; and seeks clinically appropriate purchases that provide the best value to VA. The agent coordinates with Veterans, clinicians, Prosthetic Representatives, vendors, fiscal and contracting staff, and other VA personnel.

The agent uses authorized contracts, vendor resources, purchase orders, delivery orders, and Government Purchase Card procedures; prepares, processes, modifies, and tracks procurement documentation; and exercises delegated purchase-card and micro-purchase authority under VA Form 0242 and applicable policy. The agent tracks orders through delivery, receipt, issuance, invoicing, reconciliation, and payment; resolves or refers discrepancies; and maintains Veteran-specific purchasing, financial, inventory, equipment, and medical-record documentation.

The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., subject to agency needs. Telework may be authorized; this is not a virtual position. Work is primarily sedentary for purchasing duties, with inventory work that may involve sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving, and managing inventory. The employee may work at a computer for prolonged periods, retrieve and stock equipment, climb in storage areas, and lift items weighing up to 25 pounds. Work takes place primarily in a health care office and storage areas, with possible visits to patient homes, vendors, or a fabrication laboratory. The employee has daily patient contact and may handle equipment returned by Veterans with contagious diseases, requiring universal precautions and normal safety practices. Protective clothing may sometimes be required when visiting the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Fabrication Laboratory.

The announcement provides GS-05 and GS-06 qualification pathways based on specialized experience, education, or a combination of the two. Promotion to the full performance level may be possible without further competition if regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met; selection at a lower grade does not guarantee promotion. Relocation, recruitment, critical skills, and permanent change-of-station incentives are not authorized or approved.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Subject to a background/security investigation and required to complete online onboarding.
• Must participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program and pass a pre-employment physical examination.
• Must serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.
• Resume must include job title, duties, beginning and ending employment dates (month/year), and average hours worked per week.
• Current and former Federal employees applying at applicable grades must meet time-in-grade requirements: 52 weeks at GS-04 for GS-05 or 52 weeks at GS-05 for GS-06, with supporting SF-50 documentation.
• For GS-05, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-04 in purchasing support, purchasing-document processing, or use of automated purchasing systems; alternatively, four years of post-high-school education in an eligible accredited institution, or a qualifying combination of education and experience.
• For GS-06, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 applying purchasing regulations and methods, using purchasing methods or established contracts, processing transactions and monitoring orders, working with customers and vendors to resolve purchasing problems, and exercising judgment within assigned authority.
• Education used to qualify must be from an appropriately accredited institution; transcripts are required when education is used. Foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.
• Able to perform inventory-related physical activities, including standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving and managing inventory; climbing to stock items; and lifting items up to 25 pounds.
• Able to work for prolonged periods at a computer terminal and observe normal safety precautions and universal precautions.

Responsibilities

• Purchase prosthetic, orthotic, sensory-aid, durable medical equipment, medical supply, repair, rental, and service requirements for Veterans.
• Review clinical prescriptions, consults, purchase requests, and supporting documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Conduct market research on products, vendors, contracts, prices, availability, specifications, and delivery requirements.
• Ensure purchases provide clinically appropriate items and the best value to VA.
• Coordinate purchasing and care-related matters with Veterans, clinicians, Prosthetic Representatives, vendors, fiscal staff, contracting staff, and other VA personnel.
• Use authorized contracts, vendor resources, purchase orders, delivery orders, and Government Purchase Card procedures.
• Prepare, process, modify, and track purchase orders and related procurement documentation.
• Exercise delegated purchase-card and micro-purchase authority in accordance with VA Form 0242 and applicable policy.
• Track orders through delivery, receipt, issuance, invoicing, reconciliation, and payment.
• Resolve or refer order, delivery, billing, pricing, quantity, and vendor-performance discrepancies.
• Maintain accurate Veteran-specific purchasing, financial, inventory, equipment, and medical-record documentation.
• Perform inventory-management duties, including retrieving and stocking equipment and managing inventory in storage areas.
• Practice universal precautions and normal safety practices when handling prosthetic equipment and supplies, including equipment returned from Veterans.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific eligibility depends on position type and other factors.
• VA may grant eligible newly appointed Federal employees credit for job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when calculating annual leave accrual; approval is required and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed