Purchasing Agent

Summary

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service within the VA Health Care System performing work to acquire supplies - services - and construction by purchase - rental - or lease through (a) delivery orders and/or (b) small purchase procedures.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 04/27/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation - but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year - it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade - as required by the announcement. In this instance - you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: experience performing clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement; working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; purchasing various equipment - supplies - and services through the use of a purchase card; assembling and/or summarizing information from files and documents as required to create reports utilizing automated computerized supply/inventory management systems and Microsoft Office software programs such as MS Word and Excel. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience - including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. - Peace Corps - AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. - professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies - knowledge - and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience - including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards - please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Duties

• Major duties and responsibilities include: Conducts purchasing for a VA Medical Center - and supported catchment area - under the micro purchase threshold and must have knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation - VA Acquisition Regulations and other federal procurement laws
• Reviews and edits purchase requests to ensure the item or service is adequately described based on the requester's need
• The incumbent tracks obligations/commitments and monitors expenditures to support recurring budget forecasts and identify potential fraud - waste and abuse based on procurement history and purchase trends
• The incumbent researches - reviews - develops spreadsheets - and prepares reports for procurement under the micro­ threshold to address departmental needs from the Supervisor
• Coordinates with the using services representatives regarding sources of supplies and acceptable substitutions when the standard items are in short supply or unavailable from the normal source of supply
• Examines incoming requests for completeness including presence of purchase request number - accounting codes - item description estimated cost - and quantity
• Prepare and issue contract modifications for changes in delivery schedule and sends formal correspondence to a variety of customers such as inventory management specialists
• Serves as the first line of contact for medical staff and customers in regard to procured items
• Provides clerical support and coordination to approving officials and administrators
• Performs a variety of receptionist - timekeeping - record keeping and miscellaneous duties in medical facility
• Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available Telework: This position may be authorized for telework
• Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD99896S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Approved Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved