Purchasing Agent

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement (10/05/2026). Time‑In‑Grade (TIG) requirements apply to current Federal employees who have held a GS grade within the past 52 weeks. For a GS‑06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS‑05 level in any Federal occupation. An SF‑50 showing your TIG eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF‑50 does not clearly demonstrate one‑year TIG, an additional SF‑50 must be provided. TIG requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement and to current employees applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA).

Specialized Experience

To qualify for this position at the GS‑6 level, you must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS‑5 level in the Federal service that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of a Purchasing Agent. Specialized experience includes:

• Performing clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement.
• Procuring supplies and services to meet purchase, rental, or lease needs of an organization.
• Working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities.
• Resolving shipment, payment, or other discrepancies in support of procurement programs and operations.
• Purchasing equipment, supplies, and services using a purchase card.
• Assembling and summarizing information from files and documents to create reports using automated supply/inventory management systems and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel).

Duties

This position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service within the VA Health Care System, acquiring supplies, services, and construction through delivery orders and small purchase procedures. Major duties and responsibilities include:

• Purchasing Support
  • Conducts purchasing under the micro‑purchase threshold.
  • Reviews and edits purchase requests.
  • Resolves issues to ensure accurate and timely processing of requests and bills.
  • Identifies needs or problems and determines corrective action.
  • Utilizes federal and agency acquisition regulations to identify possible sources and pertinent purchase information.
  • Tracks obligations/commitments and monitors expenditures to support budget forecasts and detect potential fraud, waste, or abuse.
• Procurement Support
  • Procures supplies and services to meet purchase, rental, or lease needs.
  • Develops unique selection criteria for each purchase.
  • Prepares and issues contract modifications for changes in delivery schedule and sends formal correspondence to inventory management specialists, other service‑line contacts, and contracting officers for auditing, receiving reports, and payments.
  • Conducts open‑market research and sole‑source small purchases for highly specialized medical items with critical product requirements.
• Administrative Support
  • Serves as the first line of contact for medical staff and customers regarding procured items.
  • Develops reports and spreadsheets; obtains, organizes, files, and retrieves reports for briefing and presentation purposes.
  • Performs receptionist, time‑keeping, record‑keeping, and miscellaneous duties in the medical facility.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Schedule

Monday – Friday, 7:30 am – 4:00 pm. This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.