Purchasing Agent

The Purchasing Agent maintains responsibility for work leading to the purchase of a wide variety of complex and highly specialized services supplies equipment and systems that support the full range of programs and activities. This position utilizes knowledge of policies and procedures for delivery orders and small purchases and knowledge of commercial supply sources and common business practices related to sales prices discounts units of measurement deliveries stocks and shipments.

Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

Complex Purchasing:

• Performs technical level purchasing adhering to the FAR VAAR VHA and Prosthetics Directives and Handbooks VISN policy and station memorandums to acquire Veteran-specific medical equipment supplies and services based on a medical providers clinical assessment and evaluation of the Veterans medical condition.
• Obtains all necessary procurement information to successfully submit 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/FORCE).
• The incumbent under close direction and supervision performs the process of vetting and vendorizing
  following VHA Prosthetics guidelines to complete purchases for items that arent available through established vendor networks.
• The purchasing agent is required to make independent purchasing decisions outside of already established contracts for open market items for custom/complex in home installations or other custom devices where the particular purchase route or vendor is not always clear and decisions must be made based on multiple bids Veterans medical condition living situation and information from the original consult.

• The incumbent verifies accountability of all prosthetics expenditures in both the purchase menu and the
  prosthetics program and associates all obligations to the individual Veteran.
• Verifies adherence to training and other contractual agreements.
• The incumbent must quickly infer from written prescriptions or oral requests what items or services are needed and/or conduct follow up information requests to the initiator.
• The incumbent 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.
• The incumbent is responsible for the identification and recording of all equipment by documenting the serial model manufacturer and other identifiable information for possible recall replacement.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification 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)

• 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.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 09/25/2026.

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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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 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-5 level in the Federal service that 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 this Purchasing Agent position. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: 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 a variety of databases and computer systems.

For more information on these qualification standards please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at Experience: One (1) year purchasing experience.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary when conducting purchasing functions for the Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service. 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. 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.

Required Experience:

Unclear Seniority