Purchasing Agent

Purchasing Agent

Duties to include but not limited to: Purchasing Support

• Conducts purchasing for a VA Medical Center, and supported catchment area, under the micro purchase threshold and must have knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR) and other federal procurement laws.
• Purchases various equipment, supplies, and services through the use of the government purchase card for micro purchases.
• Obtains necessary product information, price information and procedures for written or verbal purchase orders.
• Provides general guidance to potential vendors on requirements and information needed to be entered into the VHA's local vendor file.
• Monitors vendor performance through personal contact, review progress reports, and discuss reasons for delays, failures, or price changes.
• Tracks obligations/commitments and monitors expenditures to support recurring budget forecasts and identify potential fraud, waste and abuse based on procurement history and purchase trends.
• Provides excellent customer service to medical staff, customers, vendors, and contractors and resolves issues in an expeditious manner to ensure requests and bills are processed in a timely and accurate manner.
• Communicates in a tactful and courteous manner with a variety of individuals with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding.
• Supports other functions of the Logistics Service as required, including distribution of procured supplies and material.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Procurement Support

• Procures supplies and services to meet the purchase, rental, or lease needs of the organization.
• Examines incoming requests for completeness including presence of purchase request number, accounting codes, item description estimated cost, and quantity.
• Prepare and issue contract modifications for changes in delivery schedule and sends formal correspondence to a variety of customers such as inventory management specialists, other service line contacts, and contracting officers as appropriate for the purposes of auditing documents, processing receiving reports, and payments.
• Conducts open market research and sole source small purchases for highly specialized medical items with critical product requirements.
• Advises other services on the policies and procedures to establish 2237 requisitions for services, equipment and commodities.
• Monitors and examines fund control point accounts and requests additional funding for procurement needs working with direct supervisor, fund control point Service Line Chief and the Fiscal Department.

Administrative Support

• Serves as the first line of contact for medical staff and customers in regard to procured items.
• Performs a variety of receptionist, timekeeping, record keeping and miscellaneous duties in medical facility.
• Utilizes Microsoft Office to create, edit and aggregate data necessary for expense tracking and Supply Chain management reporting.
• Develops reports and spreadsheets, obtains, organizes, files and retrieves reports for briefing and presentation purposes.
• Continuously reviews policies and regulations related to time and leave.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/ PD99896S

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized