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Purchasing Agent

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position performs direct medical supply Purchasing and Inventory Management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to initiate the obligation for all related requirements necessary to provide prosthetic and sensory aids services, to include durable medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open date: 05/29/2020
Closed date: 06/04/2020
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$37,193 - $59,888 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Promotion potential
7
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Announcement number
CARZ-10827601-20-DLe
Control number
569532700

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Duties

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NOTE: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed above represent the full performance level of GS-7. At the lower grade levels, GS-5 and GS-6, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-7. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds.

The employee will perform technical level purchasing support adhering to the Prosthetics Directives and Handbooks, VISN policy and station memorandums to acquire patient specific medical equipment, supplies and services. To include; rentals to meet the outpatient medical needs of the services, which include all outpatient durable medical equipment and supplies, rehabilitation equipment, mobility and daily living aids, neuro-sensory, home oxygen, inpatient surgical implants and supplies. 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 the Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS). Verifies Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and Bradstreet 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 associates all obligations to the individual Veteran. Ensures the services provided are documented as the type of service and duration. Verifies adherence to training and other contractual agreements. Follow up action on the status of all these orders is required weekly until purchased and direct patient care is complete. Written notes must be completed in the Veteran's medical record to ensure order status is provided to the clinical requestor. Perform other duties as assigned.


Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • Subject to a background/security investigation
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • May be required to serve a probationary period
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

GS-5: Possess one (1) year of specialized experience equipped with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the Purchasing Agent position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level. Specialized experience includes: receiving and analyzing prescriptions and requests for medical equipment and services; posting pending requests to a suspense log and entering data to verify workload statistics used to determine funding; maintaining regular association with vendors, medical center professionals and staff to ensure timely acquisition and provision of items; posting notes and comments to consults; and completing purchase card order entries on the same day the order is placed with a merchant. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.
OR
GS-5: Education: Have successfully completed four (4) years above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. (Unofficial Transcripts Required)
OR
GS-5: Combination: Possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. (Unofficial Transcripts Required)
OR
GS-6
: Possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5) in federal service. Specialized experience is that which has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: experience performing clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement; working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; experience conducting market research for purchase of equipment and/or medical supplies; acquiring supplies and services; and experience assembling and/or summarizing information from files and documents as required to create reports.
Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.
OR
GS-7: Possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6) in federal service. Specialized experience is that which has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: experience with purchasing regulations, methods, procedures, and business practices to make purchases; working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; experience conducting market research for purchase of equipment and/or medical supplies; acquiring supplies and services; and experience assembling and/or summarizing information from files and documents as required to create reports.
Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

AND
You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

  • Acquisition Strategy
  • Health Informatics
  • Information Management
  • Manages Resources
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Quality Management


IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.

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; religious; 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.

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


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



NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary when conducing 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.


Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (305) 575-7000.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

  • Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
  • Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
  • Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.
Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise: "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Country's service. If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans.

The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.

America's Veterans need you!

Agency contact information

VHA National Recruitment Center
Phone
(844)456-5208
Email
VHANationalRecruitmentCenter@va.gov
Address
Bruce W Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
1201 Northwest 16th Street
Miami, FL 33125
US

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