Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all qualified full-time federal employees and status applicants.

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Major duties include but may not be limited to the following:

Purchasing Support

• Conducts purchasing for a VA Medical Center under the micro purchase threshold and must have knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR) and other federal procurement laws.
• Purchases various equipment, supplies, and services through the use of the government purchase card for micro purchases.
• Reviews and edits purchase requests to ensure the item or service is adequately described based on the requester's need.
• Ensures all information has been provided and the request is consistent with legal requirements.
• Obtains necessary product information, price information and procedures for written or verbal purchase orders.
• Utilizes different ordering, reporting procedures, and purchasing methods depending on the type, quantity, dollar value, and urgency of the requirement.
• Complete Purchase Orders, eCMS (FORCE) entries and verify vendors in the VHA system of record prior to placing an order.
• Provide general guidance to potential vendors on requirements and information needed to be entered into the VHA's local vendor file.
• Utilize various web-based portals to order items from awarded contracts to include the Department of Defense's Electronic Catalog (ECAT) and the Medical Surgical Prime Vendor's site for ordering, tracking and monitoring procurement transactions.
• Review Fund Control Points and verify the running balances to ensure procurement obligations are complete and approved prior to placing orders.

Procurement Support

• Procures supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of the organization.
• Examines incoming requests for completeness including presence of purchase request number, accounting codes, item description estimated costs, and quantity.
• Ensures all critical information is included in the solicitation package and develops unique selection criteria for each purchase. Conducts open market research for purchases of routine equipment, supplies, and services.
• Prepared and issue contract modifications for changes in delivery schedule and sends formal correspondence to a variety of customers.
• Maintenance of reoccurring service agreements under the micro purchase threshold will require periodic interface with the Business and Procurement Planning Section and VA HCS service lines, accounting, and budget departments to aggregate data required to create, track, monitor performance and amend according to department and medical center needs.

Administrative Support:

• 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.
• Continuously reviews policies and regulations related to time and leave.
• Obtain data from section supervisors and submits employees' requests for overtime and prepares staffing and overtime reports.
• Answers telephones and refers calls to appropriate staff.
• Uses departmental software to produce printouts for logistic and medical staff. Establishes office files and record systems.
• Utilizes a variety of automated systems to enter, update, revise, sort, and calculate data; monitor purchase requests; process receipts; and monitor active and delinquent invoices
• Provide administration and oversight on orders and services.
• Represent the VA in discussions with vendors/contractors to obtain agreement on micro purchases and vendor/contractor compliance.
• Monitor vendor performance through personal contact, review progress reports, and discuss reasons for delays, failures, or price changes

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD99896S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/06/2026.

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.

• Specialized Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Purchasing Agent, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: experience performing clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement; procuring supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of an organization; working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; resolving a variety of shipment, payment, or other discrepancies in support of procurement programs and operations; purchasing various equipment, supplies, and services through the use of a purchase card; and assembling and/or summarizing information from files and documents as required to create reports utilizing automated computerized supply/inventory management systems.

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

• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Decision Making
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Manages Resources
• Reasoning (Clerical/Technical)
• Technical Competence

Preferred Experience:

• Evaluating Suppliers based on price, quality, availability, and other criteria
• Interviewing vendors and visiting suppliers and/or facilities to learn about products, services, and pricing
• Verifying purchases by comparing them to a primary list and recommending alternatives for expensive or irrelevant products
• Interacting with suppliers to schedule delivery times and resolve shipping errors
• Authorizing payments and maintaining receipts, records, and inventories

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.

Physical Requirements: Requires some physical effort such as standing, sitting, walking, or bending. There are no special physical demands. The work is performed in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts. Normal safety precautions are adequate.

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/.

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

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.