Purchasing Agent

Veterans Health Administration • Aurora, CO

3d • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service 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 policies and procedures for delivery orders and small purchases, along with knowledge of commercial supply sources and common business practices, including sales, pricing, discounts, units of measurement, delivery, stocks, and shipments. The agent is responsible for work leading to the purchase of a wide variety of complex and highly specialized services, supplies, equipment, and systems that support the organization’s programs and activities.

The position performs purchasing, procurement, and administrative support. It conducts purchases under the micro-purchase threshold, handles purchase requests and related issues, tracks obligations and expenditures, procures supplies and services, researches sources, prepares contract modifications and correspondence, and supports medical staff and other customers. The work is performed full-time in an office setting, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Applicants may be required to serve a probationary or trial period and are subject to a background/security investigation.
• A pre-employment physical is required.
• For the GS-6 level, at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service is required. Specialized experience includes clerical or assistant duties supporting purchasing and procurement; procuring supplies and services; working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; resolving shipment, payment, or other procurement discrepancies; purchasing equipment, supplies, and services using a purchase card; assembling or summarizing information from files and documents; and creating reports using automated computerized supply or inventory management systems and Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Current Federal employees who held a GS grade during the past 52 weeks must meet the time-in-grade requirement: 52 weeks at GS-5 for a GS-6 position.
• The position is evaluated on customer service (clerical/technical), reasoning (clerical/technical), and technical competence.
• There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
• Applicants selected must complete an online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel.
• The position requires some physical effort, such as standing, sitting, walking, or bending; there are no special physical demands.

Responsibilities

• Conduct purchases under the micro-purchase threshold and review and edit purchase requests.
• Resolve purchasing issues to ensure requests and bills are processed accurately and in a timely manner; identify needs or problems and determine corrective actions.
• Use federal and agency acquisition regulations to identify potential sources and other information relevant to purchases.
• Track obligations and commitments and monitor expenditures to support recurring budget forecasts and identify potential fraud, waste, or abuse based on procurement history and purchasing trends.
• Procure supplies and services to meet organizational purchase, rental, or lease needs, and 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, 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, record-keeping, and miscellaneous duties in a medical facility.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employees earn annual leave at a rate of 4, 6, or 8 hours per pay period based on federal service; selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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