Purchasing Agent

Veterans Health Administration • Ann Arbor, MI

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The Purchasing Agent serves at the LTC Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The position primarily performs purchasing work to acquire supplies, services, and construction through purchase, rental, or lease using delivery orders and/or small purchase procedures. This is not a virtual position; the employee must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location.

The role provides purchasing, procurement, and administrative support. It includes conducting purchases under the micro-purchase threshold, supporting medical facility customers, and helping ensure procurement requests, bills, receiving reports, and payments are processed accurately and promptly.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Recruitment and relocation incentives are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service, involving knowledge and skills related to the position.
• Specialized experience must include 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; and compiling information from files and documents to create reports using automated computerized supply or inventory management systems and Microsoft Office programs such as Word and Excel.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Must undergo a background/security investigation and complete required application steps, including an online assessment and onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel.
• Must serve a one-year probationary period.
• Must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location.

Responsibilities

• Conduct purchasing under the micro-purchase threshold.
• Review and edit purchase requests, resolve issues, and help ensure requests and bills are processed accurately and in a timely manner.
• Identify needs or problems and determine corrective action.
• 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, 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 changes in delivery schedules.
• Send formal correspondence to customers, including inventory management specialists, service-line contacts, and contracting officers, for purposes such as 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, record-keeping, and other miscellaneous duties in the medical facility.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service experience; approval is required and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

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