Purchasing Agent
What you'd do
NIH's mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. We are looking for motivated Purchasing Agents to help drive the NIH mission.
Major duties
Duties for a Purchasing Agent include: -Contacting vendors to advise them of ordering requirements and technical specifications and to discuss price quotations and other matters related to the purchase. -Preparing and evaluating vendor list and unit prices to secure a fair and reasonable price for volume bulk orders and determine prices that appear excessive or underestimated. -Consulting with staff to gain understanding of the purchase and making final purchase decisions. -Contacting company representatives to discuss price quotations, technical specifications, and other matters related to the purchase. -Working with requestor to develop justifications for use of large business or sole source orders. -Independently selecting and applying appropriate mechanisms for securing necessary services, supplies, furniture or equipment considering need, urgency, availability, cost and other factors.
What you need to qualify
You qualify at the GS-08 level, if you meet one of the following qualification requirements: In order to qualify for a Purchasing Agent, GS-1105-8, you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: procuring a variety of equipment and services including those of a highly technical and sophisticated nature; performing cost/price analysis to determine price reasonableness for equipment and services; negotiating awards, and administering small purchase orders that involve the use of instruments that are not firm-fixed price; and selecting appropriate mechanisms for securing services, supplies, furniture and highly technical equipment. You will receive credit for all experience material to the position, including experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service, and organizational activities, regardless of whether you received pay. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings with the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer. Preview assessment questionnaire before you apply: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12987171
Before you apply
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