Purchasing Agent

Veterans Health Administration • Los Angeles, CA

8h • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service within the VA Health Care System, Greater Los Angeles. The role acquires supplies, services, and construction by purchase, rental, or lease through delivery orders and small-purchase procedures. It requires knowledge of applicable policies and procedures, commercial supply sources, and business practices involving sales, pricing, discounts, units of measurement, deliveries, stock, and shipments. The agent is responsible for purchases involving a wide range of complex and highly specialized services, supplies, equipment, and systems that support the organization's programs and activities.

The position performs purchasing under the micro-purchase threshold, reviews and edits purchase requests, and resolves issues to ensure requests and bills are processed accurately and on time. It uses federal and agency acquisition regulations to identify sources and relevant purchasing information, tracks obligations and commitments, monitors expenditures, supports recurring budget forecasts, and identifies potential fraud, waste, or abuse through procurement history and purchasing trends.

The agent procures supplies and services, develops selection criteria for individual purchases, prepares and issues contract modifications for delivery-schedule changes, and corresponds with customers and contracting officers regarding document audits, receiving reports, and payments. The role also conducts open-market research and sole-source small purchases for highly specialized medical items with critical product requirements. Administrative work includes serving as a first point of contact for medical staff and customers, preparing reports and spreadsheets, organizing and retrieving records for briefings and presentations, and performing receptionist, timekeeping, recordkeeping, and other duties in a medical facility.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This is not a virtual position. The role requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-05, in addition to applicable federal time-in-grade requirements. No educational substitution is available at this grade level.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Applicants must complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Successful completion of a background/security investigation and online onboarding is required.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA health care personnel.
• Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.
• For current federal employees subject to time-in-grade rules, 52 weeks at GS-05 is required for the GS-06 position.
• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-05 is required. Examples include clerical or assistant purchasing/procurement support; procuring supplies and services; working with medical staff to identify procurement needs and priorities; resolving shipment, payment, or other procurement discrepancies; purchasing with a purchase card; and preparing reports using computerized supply or inventory systems and Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Applicants must describe the nature of relevant duties and responsibilities and the hours worked per week to receive experience credit.
• No educational substitution is available at this grade level.

Responsibilities

• Conduct purchasing under the micro-purchase threshold.
• Review and edit purchase requests and resolve issues so requests and bills are processed accurately and promptly.
• Use federal and agency acquisition regulations to identify potential sources and other relevant purchasing information.
• Track obligations and commitments, monitor expenditures, support recurring budget forecasts, and identify potential fraud, waste, or abuse based on procurement history and purchase trends.
• Procure supplies and services to meet organizational purchase, rental, or lease needs.
• Develop unique selection criteria for each purchase.
• Prepare and issue contract modifications for delivery-schedule changes.
• Send formal correspondence to customers and contracting officers for document audits, receiving reports, and payments.
• Conduct open-market research and sole-source small purchases for highly specialized medical items with critical product requirements.
• Serve as the first point of contact for medical staff and customers regarding procured items.
• Develop reports and spreadsheets, and obtain, organize, file, and retrieve reports for briefings and presentations.
• Perform receptionist, timekeeping, recordkeeping, and miscellaneous duties in a medical facility.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employees receive access to a comprehensive benefits package for themselves and their families.
• VA may offer newly appointed federal employees credit for job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual; this credit must be requested and approved before appointment and is not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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