Purchasing Agent

Veterans Health Administration • West Palm Beach, FL

14d • Onsite

About The Position

The Purchasing Agent works in the Prosthetics & Sensory Aid Service within the Prosthetic Service Line at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center and/or a Community Based Outpatient Clinic. This Veteran-facing role provides direct medical supply purchasing and inventory management support to administrative and clinical services, initiating procurement needed to provide prosthetic and sensory aids, durable medical equipment, and supplies to Veterans. The position coordinates care and purchasing activity with Veterans and their families, surgeons and other clinical providers, community care services, and vendor networks.

The agent purchases outpatient medical requirements, including individual Veteran purchases, stock purchases for point-of-care availability, medical-surgical implants, and rentals of outpatient equipment and supplies. The role coordinates several clinics and committees, supports approved community-care authorizations, monitors open purchase-card orders, and follows up on rentals, including retrieval and reconciliation of rental days for fiscal accountability. The agent may obligate the Government up to the applicable single micro-purchase threshold and is responsible for protecting the Government’s interests in procurement transactions.

Purchasing must comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulations, Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulations, VHA and prosthetics policies, and applicable local policies. The agent develops acquisition plans and procurement packages, uploads supporting documentation to the electronic contract management system, and independently vets and vendors suppliers when items are unavailable through established networks. The position reviews detailed specifications and statements of work, works with vendors to correct them, researches equipment and policies, reconciles invoices, and maintains thorough electronic records.

The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is not a virtual position. Work is primarily sedentary purchasing work, with inventory duties involving movement through storage areas and occasional work in a warehouse or fabrication-laboratory setting. The employee has direct contact with patients and may handle returned equipment, follow universal precautions, and occasionally accompany staff to patients’ homes or vendor sites.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Must pass a background/security investigation and complete online onboarding and acceptable-identity-document requirements.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a Department of Veterans Affairs health care personnel employee.
• 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 rules: 52 weeks at GS-05 is required for GS-06 consideration, with supporting SF-50 documentation.
• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-05, such as interpreting medical-equipment prescriptions or requests, maintaining contact with vendors and medical staff, using databases and computer systems, purchasing with an organizational purchase card, reconciling charges, and preparing reports.
• Ability to review requests for completeness and medical justification, prioritize work to meet timelines, and ensure correct funding allocations and expenditures.
• Ability to examine clinical records and claims folders to assess eligibility and medical entitlement for prosthetic items and services.
• Ability to prepare complex purchase orders for prosthetic and sensory aids, medical supplies, orthotic devices, surgical implants, durable medical equipment, and repairs.
• Ability to reconcile invoices and verify accurate charges.
• Effective verbal and written communication with Veterans, family members, vendors, and medical-center personnel.
• Ability to use prosthetic software, databases, computer systems, spreadsheets, and electronic records, and to comply with computer-security requirements.
• Ability to perform inventory tasks that may involve sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving, and climbing; lift or carry items weighing up to 25 pounds; and work for prolonged periods at a computer terminal.
• Ability to work with normal safety precautions and, when visiting the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Fabrication Laboratory, wear protective clothing if required.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate purchasing and care support for prosthetics and sensory-aid clinics, committees, and approved community-care requests.
• Purchase outpatient medical equipment, supplies, services, surgical implants, stock items, and rental equipment for Veterans.
• Interpret clinical requests and medical justifications and obtain information needed to prepare acquisition plans and procurement packages.
• Purchase in accordance with FAR, VAAR, VHA, prosthetics, local, and station policies and procedures.
• Upload quotes, bids, invoices, consults, and other procurement documents to the electronic contract management system.
• Vet and vendorize suppliers for items unavailable through established vendor networks.
• Review detailed specifications and statements of work, identify discrepancies, and work with vendors to correct them.
• Coordinate rental extensions or discontinuations, arrange equipment retrieval, and reconcile rental days and charges.
• Monitor and track open purchase-card orders to support timely service to Veterans.
• Obligate Government funds within delegated micro-purchase authority and protect the Government’s interests in procurement transactions.
• Maintain contact with Veterans, family members, clinicians, vendors, contractors, and medical-center staff to coordinate timely provision of items and services.
• Reconcile invoices and certify payment while checking prices and expenditures for accuracy.
• Maintain detailed electronic records, use prosthetic software and other databases, and research equipment, contracts, policies, directives, regulations, and emerging technology.
• Conduct inventory activities, retrieve and manage prosthetic equipment and supplies, and observe safety and universal-precaution practices.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package; specific benefits depend on position eligibility.
• Potential credit toward annual-leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval before appointment and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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