Purchasing Agent

Summary

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.

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Duties

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• Contact vendors to advise them of ordering requirements and technical specifications and to discuss price quotations and other matters related to the purchase.
• Prepare and evaluate vendor list and unit prices to secure a fair and reasonable price for volume bulk orders and determine prices that appear excessive or underestimated.
• Consult with staff to gain understanding of the purchase and make final purchase decisions.
• Contact company representatives to discuss price quotations, technical specifications, and other matters related to the purchase.
• Work with requestor to develop justifications for use of large business or sole source orders.
• Independently select and apply appropriate mechanisms for securing necessary services, supplies, furniture or equipment considering need, urgency, availability, cost and other factors.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
• Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
• Applicants must meet all qualifications requirements within thirty (30) calendar days of the closing date of this announcement, including time in grade.
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• The National Institutes of Health participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.
• The NIH maintains a tobacco free work environment and campus.
• Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Based on your appointment, a one or two-year trial/probationary period may be required. A decision regarding your continued employment with NIH will be made as you near the end of this period.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for a Purchasing Agent, GS-1105 position at the GS-06 level , you must: have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: performing a variety of related tasks using primarily simple noncompetitive purchasing methods; reviewing and evaluating bids received to determine lowest bid meeting the specifications and requirements of the solicitation; gathering information on purchase requirements; and applying appropriate mechanisms for securing services, supplies, furniture and equipment.

In order to qualify for a Purchasing Agent, GS-1105 position at the GS-07 level , you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-06 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector, performing the following types of tasks: handling purchasing requirements from initiation to post-award administration; recommending acceptance of the most advantageous offer and preparing papers for signature, including justification for rejection of low bids, and reasons for not advertising, as required; gathering information on purchase requirements and assisting in the negotiation purchase details; and assisting in selecting appropriate mechanisms for securing services, supplies, furniture and equipment.

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 or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

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 application questionnaire before you apply:

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• This position is designated as a "non-emergency/teleworker" position and the selected candidate will be considered a "non-emergency/teleworker" employee. In the event of a closure, you must be available to telework or request leave.
• Visit Help Applying for helpful information on the application process.
• Military Spouses selected from this announcement will remain in their current duty location (i.e., the official duty station of the military service member.
• If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: Reasonable Accommodation Information.
• A newly appointed or reappointed employee may receive service credit for prior work experience or active-duty uniformed service that otherwise would not be creditable for the purpose of determining his or her annual leave accrual rate. All creditable service must be directly related to the duties of the position being filled and decisions to allow for such credit must be finalized prior to the selectee's entrance on duty. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• NIH may repay certain outstanding Federally insured student loans to facilitate the recruitment and retention of highly qualified people. Recipients will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on organizational need, specific case justification, and budget limitations.
• At the supervisor's discretion, this position may offer work schedule flexibilities: telework compressed schedules, flexible schedules.
• Veterans' Preference only applies to Schedule A (disability appointment), HHS Reemployment Priority List (RPL) Eligibles, HHS Priority Reemployment List (PRL) Eligibles, and Veterans Recruitment Appointments (if applicable).

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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