Purchasing Agent
What you'd do
This position is located at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Indianapolis and serves as the Purchasing Agent for the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Services. Performs direct medical supply purchasing and inventory management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to include medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.
Major duties
This is a critical direct patient care, Veteran facing position. The incumbent must work directly with the Veteran, his/her family, surgeon or clinical provider, and community care discharge planning staff. Initiates procurement of all outpatient medical requirements to include: direct individual purchases to the Veteran, stock purchases for immediate availability, all medical surgical implants used during surgery, and/or rental requirements associated with continual outpatient medical equipment and supplies. Duties include but are not limited to the following: Performs technical level purchasing adhering to the FAR, VAAR, VHA, and Prosthetics Directives and Handbooks, VISN policy and station memorandums to acquire Veterans specific medical equipment, supplies and services based on a medical provider's clinical assessment and evaluation of the Veteran's 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) Performs the process of vetting following VHA Prosthetics guidelines to complete purchases for items that aren't available through established vendor networks. Provides Veteran care and support services to an adult population and serves as the point of contact for external customer service inventory needs and support. Routinely reviews for discrepancies or loopholes in lengthy specifications or statements of work that are very detailed, or otherwise difficult to understand. These situations often come up for custom in home installation of complex pieces of medical equipment. Coordinates with appropriate vendor for device retrieval and reconciliation of acquisition days to ensure daily fund rental fiscal accountability. Independently responsible for utilizing PSAS reporting tools to monitor and track PSAS open purchase card orders, to ensure timely service is provided to Veterans. The incumbent has the authority to obligate the Government in procurement actions up to the single micro-purchase threshold for open market and under established contracts for all types of goods and services. conducts thorough market research by obtaining competitive bids/ Request for Quotation (RFQ) to determine fair and reasonable pricing. 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 completed. 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, Veterans, or their representatives. Examines clinical health records and claims folders to determine eligibility and entitlement for items and services based on adopted criteria and advises Veteran of the same. Identify, verify and ensure eligibility of all services and durable medical equipment (DME) requested on Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) consult request by an authorized requester per the area of responsibility and training is addressed before issuing DME. Responsible for successfully completing the mandatory purchase card training, allowing the incumbent to be a government purchase card holder and obligate funds on behalf of the government. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not eligible Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD91628S and PD91727VS Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/04/2026. 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 5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 4. 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 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Qualifications for a GS-5 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Submitting acquisition plans and procurement packages for stock; using data entry systems to monitor, receive, track, interpret, and analyze items, services, and home medical equipment requested by physicians, therapists, and medical center personnel; and reconciling all invoices for certification of payment. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years above high school. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education. Qualifications for a GS 6 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Submitting acquisition plans and procurement packages for stock; using data entry systems to monitor, receive, track, interpret, and analyze items, services, and home medical equipment requested by physicians, therapists, and medical center personnel; and reconciling all invoices for certification of payment. There is no educational substitute at this level. Preferred experience: Data Entry 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/.
Before you apply
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