Purchasing Agent

Purchasing Agent

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) at the Veteran Affairs Health Care System (VA HCS) in Loma Linda, California. Responsibilities include :

• Responsible for complex purchasing that requires irregular research, analysis, collaboration, and many other steps to ensure both best value and the most appropriate devices are purchased for the Veterans.
• Responsible for routine purchasing that includes routine purchase orders on established contracts or through established vendor resources using regular significant research, analysis, or collaboration.
• Performs technical level purchasing support adhering to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Veteran Affairs Acquisition Regulations (VAAR), Veteran Health Administration (VHA), and Prosthetics directives and handbooks, Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) policy and station memorandums to acquire patient specific medical equipment, supplies, and services based on a medical provider's clinical assessment and evaluation of the Veteran's medical condition.
• Submits Acquisition Plans and Procurement Packages for stock and veteran specific needs to the Network Contracting Office and uploads quotes, bids, invoices, consults, and other important documents to FORCE.
• Utilizes Unique Entity Identifier number (UEI) information and ensures each vendor is in the System for Award Management (SAM) and in good standing to do business with the government.
• Verifies accountability of all prosthetics expenditures in both the purchase menu and the prosthetics program and associate all obligations to the individual Veteran.
• Quickly deduces from written prescriptions or oral requests what items or services are needed and / or conduct follow up information requests to the initiator to clarify the medical need or device specifications.
• Independently monitors, receives, tracks, interprets, and analyzes Prosthetic Consults, and prescriptions (VAF 10-2431) for items, services, and home medical equipment from physicians, therapists, medical center personnel, patients, or their representatives.
• Ensures consults are competed and appropriately closed within guidelines and follows-up on all pending consults to ensure services are rendered as quickly as possible or as indicated on the prescription / consult.
• Ensures pending requests are posted to the suspense log and enters data to verify the workload statistics used to determine facility funding for Prosthetic activities.
• Independently responsible for successfully completing the mandatory purchase card training, allowing the incumbent to be a government purchase card holder and obligate funds on behalf of the government.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Promotion Potential : The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 7 : 30 am - 4 : 00 pm

Telework : Not Authorized

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Requirements Conditions of Employment :

Qualifications : To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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.

You may qualify based on your experience and / or education as described below :

GS-6 : 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.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position :

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs and other organizations.

Physical Requirements : Work is primarily sedentary when conducting purchasing functions for PSAS. However, while conducting inventory management functions, the incumbent may work comfortably in a warehouse environment, sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving, and managing inventory. Prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal is required. Ability to retrieve equipment from a storage room is required. Climbing associated with stocking of equipment and other items in storage areas is necessary. Incumbent may carry / lift items weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds. Normal safety precautions are adequate. The work involves moderate discomfort when visiting sites away from the office. At times, the employee may be required to wear protective clothing when visiting the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Fabrication Laboratory. Often, walking between the main medical center and other parts of Prosthetics to conduct professional duties.

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 / .

Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.