Purchasing Agent

Veterans Health Administration•Salem, VA

19d•Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service within the VA Health Care System in Salem, Virginia. The role acquires supplies, services, and construction through purchase, rental, or lease, using delivery orders and small-purchase procedures. The Purchasing Agent supports a broad range of programs and activities by purchasing complex and specialized services, supplies, equipment, and systems. The role applies policies and procedures for delivery orders and small purchases, as well as knowledge of commercial supply sources and business practices related to sales, prices, discounts, units of measurement, deliveries, stocks, and shipments. It also provides administrative support to medical staff and customers, including reports, records, and general facility duties. The position is full-time, Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. Relocation and recruitment incentives are not authorized.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
Applicants must complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
Selected applicants are subject to a background/security investigation and must complete online onboarding.
Selected applicants must undergo urinalysis for illegal drug use; refusal results in denial of employment.
Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for Department of Veterans Affairs health care personnel.
Applicants must serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.
For current or former federal employees subject to time-in-grade requirements: 52 weeks at GS-05 are required for the GS-06 position, with supporting SF-50 documentation.
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-05 is required, including experience acquiring supplies, services, and construction through delivery orders or small-purchase procedures and applying knowledge of commercial supply sources and related business practices in a medical facility.
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 so requests and bills are processed accurately and promptly.
Identify needs or problems and determine corrective actions.
Use federal and agency acquisition regulations to identify potential sources and other relevant purchasing 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 through purchase, rental, or lease to meet organizational needs.
Develop unique selection criteria for each purchase.
Prepare and issue contract modifications for delivery-schedule changes and send formal correspondence to customers, including inventory management specialists, service-line contacts, and contracting officers.
Support auditing documents, processing 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; obtain, organize, file, and retrieve reports for briefings and presentations.
Perform receptionist, timekeeping, recordkeeping, and miscellaneous duties in the medical facility.
Perform other related duties as assigned.