Purchasing Agent

Summary

This position is located at the Cheyenne VA Health Care System. The incumbent is a member of the Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) within the Prosthetic Service Line under the VISN and provides technical level purchasing support to acquire patient specific medical equipment, supplies, and services.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

07/03/2024 to 07/17/2024

• Salary

$44,117 - $57,354 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 6

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Cheyenne, WY 1 vacancy

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

No

• Travel Required

Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

None

• Job family (Series)

1105 Purchasing

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Not Required

• Drug test

No

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CBSU-12468693-24-DLS

• Control number

798407500

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This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• Family of overseas employees

Family members of a federal employee or uniformed service member who is or was, working overseas.

• Federal employees

• Competitive service

Current or former competitive service federal employees.

• Federal employees

• Excepted service

Current excepted service federal employees.

• Individuals with disabilities

• Land & base management

Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.

• Military spouses

• Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista

• Special authorities

Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.

• Veterans

Clarification from the agency

This is a status announcement open to Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL), Family of overseas employees Federal employees

• Competitive service, Federal employees

• Excepted service, Individuals with disabilities Internal to an agency - appears on USAJOBS, Military spouses, Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista, Special Authorities, Veterans.

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Duties

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Perform 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 Veteran 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 Electronic Contract Management System (eCMS).

• Verifies Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and Bradstreet information and ensures each vendor is in System for Award Management (SAM) and in good standing with the government to do business with.

• Verifies accountability of all prosthetics expenditures in both the purchase menu and the prosthetics program and associate all obligations to the individual veteran.

• Ensure the services provides are documented not only as the type of service, but the duration.

• Complex purchasing: requires irregular research, analysis, collaboration and many other steps to ensure both best value and the most appropriate devices are purchased for the Veterans.

• Routine purchasing: includes routine purchase orders on established contracts or through established vendor resources using regular significant research, analysis or collaboration.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.

• 4:30 p.m.

Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for Ad Hoc telework only. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD99433S

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job

• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

• You may be required to serve a probationary period

• Subject to background/security investigation

• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-6 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of a Purchasing Agent. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service. Specialized experience includes completing routine and complex purchasing transactions for obtaining prescribed medical equipment such as durable medical equipment, prosthetics/orthotics supplies, custom/complex in-home installations; independently monitors, receives, tracks, interprets, and analyzes consults and prescriptions for items, services and home medical equipment from physicians, therapists, medical center personnel, patients, or their representatives; ensuring all requirements are meet on established contracts or established vendor resources; working directly with vendors to trouble shoot duplicate billing errors and resolve those errors to ensure appropriate reconciliation of purchase orders; using initiative to make or recommend purchases for recurring requirements independently; maintaining all necessary documentation information such as quotes, bids, invoices, consults in computerized database. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.)

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

• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)

• Decision Making

• Manages and Organizes Information

• Manages Resources

• Reasoning (Clerical/Technical)

• Technical Competence

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.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary when conducting purchasing functions for PSAS. However, while conducting inventory management functions, the employee 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. Employee 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Additional information

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. 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. 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 (800) 827-1000.

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 or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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.

Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

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.