This developmental position is located in the Prosthetics & Sensory Aid Service within the Prosthetic Service Line under the VISN or medical center. The purpose of this position is to perform direct medical supply purchasing and inventory management support to the administrative and clinical services of the VA to initiate the obligation for all related requirements necessary to provide prosthetic and sensory aids services, to include durable medical equipment and supplies directly to Veterans.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/06/2025. 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 the GS-6 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: 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: performing a variety of receptionist, timekeeping, record keeping and miscellaneous duties; procuring supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of an organization; purchasing various equipment, supplies, and services through the use of a purchase card; utilizing a variety of automated systems to enter, update, revise, sort, and calculate data; and utilizing different ordering, reporting procedures, and purchasing methods. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. They must have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and post high school education as described above that demonstrates my ability to perform the duties of this position. For the GS-05, only education in excess of 60 semester hours (2 years) is creditable. 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: performing a variety of receptionist, timekeeping, record keeping and miscellaneous duties; procuring supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of an organization; purchasing various equipment, supplies, and services through the use of a purchase card; utilizing a variety of automated systems to enter, update, revise, sort, and calculate data; and utilizing different ordering, reporting procedures, and purchasing methods. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Compliance Conscientiousness Contracting/Procurement Customer Service 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: Work is primarily sedentary and is carried out in an office setting. There exist prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal. Ability to retrieve equipment from a storage room is required. Climbing associated with stocking of equipment and other items is storage areas are necessary. Incumbent 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. 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/.
The position has a high degree of visibility due to direct patient care contact with the Veteran population, many of whom are severely disabled; therefore, the incumbent displays a positive image and be highly motivated to seek ways to expedite patient processing, accomplish the VA mission and adapt to the ever-changing world of health care. The incumbent must quickly deduce from written prescriptions or oral requests what items or services are needed and/or conduct follow up information requests to the initiator to clarify the medical need or device specifications, based on the Veterans medical evaluation. Purchasing staff in PSAS conduct work utilizing independent problem-solving skills in a STAT and routine manner, taking appropriate action based on the request from the clinical provider prescribing the device based on the interpreted instructions on the clinical prescription. Timelines for procurement will be established by local or national guidance via Business Practice Guidelines or Standard Operating Procedures. Adherence to these timelines is extremely important, as a delay from PSAS could prevent discharge from input to output status, delay scheduled surgeries, and/or impact other care coordination efforts to Veterans awaiting care. They obligate purchase orders for equipment and/or supplies, or the rental of services within 30 working days. Action taken must be annotated on the consult as notification to the requestor and all other necessary parties. Monitors to ensure the completion of requests in less than a 90-days period. Action taken must explain why actions could not be completed within the established timeframe. All updates regarding the acquisition process must be indicated on the consults. These updates work as two-way communication between the purchasing staff and the VA clinical staff. PSAS purchasing staff will change the status of consults based on local processes and guidelines and in accordance with all Business Practice Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures. The incumbent has multiple levels of micro purchase threshold authority, and these micro purchase thresholds uniquely influence the major duties and responsibilities in this position, particularly the complex purchasing major duty. Purchase authority is established or changed when the incumbents VA Form 0242 is submitted and signed by VHA procurement authority based on the items purchased and their contract status. For non-national contract items the incumbent has a general micro purchase authority of $10,000 (this threshold is subject to change). For national contract-based purchases when 38 U.S.C 8123 authority is delegated, by the Secretary for the Department of Veteran's Affairs, the incumbent has a micro purchase threshold of $100,000 (this threshold is subject to change). This includes surgical implants and additional commodities which may be included as the authority is expanded. The 8123 authority was first authorized by the Secretary of the VA on October 5th, 2017, and the authority specifically authorizes the incumbent the following provisions: The incumbent performs independent technical level purchasing support 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 Veteran's medical condition. Functions include but are not limited to; rentals to meet the outpatient medical needs of the services, all outpatient durable medical equipment and supplies, rehabilitation equipment, mobility, and daily living aids, neurosensory, home oxygen, inpatient surgical implants, and supplies. They obtain 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). Unique Entity Identifier number (UEI) information and ensures each vendor is in the System for Award Management (SAM) and in good standing to do business with the government. 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. They ensure the services provided are documented as the type of service and duration. Verifies adherence to training and other contractual agreements. Work Schedule: M-F 0800-1630 Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD99434A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized