Purchasing Agent

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Charlotte, NC seeks a Purchasing Agent to manage procurement of supplies, services, and construction via purchase, rental, or lease under VA programs.

The role emphasizes timely, compliant acquisitions using multiple procurement tools and strong collaboration with clinical staff. Responsibilities include supporting ECAT and VS Prime Vendor portals, monitoring funds, maintaining documentation, and ensuring accurate reporting with MS Office.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 in purchasing and procurement.
• Experience procuring supplies, services, and construction via purchase, rental, or lease.
• Ability to use purchase cards and MS Office for reports.
• Time-in-Grade requirements apply to current Federal employees.

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance to potential vendors on requirements for the VA's local vendor file.
• Order items from awarded contracts via ECAT and Medical Surgical Prime Vendor portals.
• Review Fund Control Points and verify balances before placing orders.
• Monitor vendor performance and procurement timelines.
• Coordinate with using services regarding sources and substitutions.

Skills

Procurement

Vendor coordination

MS Word

MS Excel

Documentation

Tools

ECAT portal

Medical Surgical Prime Vendor site

MS Office

Job description

Summary

The position serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Logistics Service in a Veteran Affairs Health Care System (VA HCS) and supported catchment area. This position primarily performs Purchasing Agent work to acquire supplies - services - and construction by purchase - rental - or lease through (a) delivery orders and/or (b) small purchase procedures.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 10/26/2026. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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-06 GRADE REQUIREMENTS GS-06 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: experience performing clerical or assistant duties in support of purchasing and procurement; procuring supplies and services to meet the purchase - rental - or lease needs of an organization; working with medical staff to determine procurement needs and priorities; resolving a variety of shipment - payment - or other discrepancies in support of procurement programs and operations; purchasing various equipment - supplies - and services through the use of a purchase card; and assembling and/or summarizing information from files and documents as required to create reports utilizing automated computerized supply/inventory management systems and Microsoft Office software programs such as MS Word and Excel. Physical Requirements: Requires some physical effort such as standing - sitting - walking - or bending. There are no special physical demands. 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/.

Duties

• Duties include but are not limited to: Provide general guidance to potential vendors on requirements and information needed to be entered into the VHA's local vendor file
• Utilize various web-based portals to order items from awarded contracts to include the Department of Defense's Electronic Catalog (ECAT) and the Medical Surgical Prime Vendor's site for ordering - tracking and monitoring procurement transactions
• Reviews Fund Control Points and verifies the running balances to ensure procurement obligations are completed and approved prior to placing orders
• Provides administration and oversight on orders and services
• Represents the VA in discussions with vendors/contractors to obtain agreement on micro purchases and vendor/contractor compliance
• Monitor 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
• Coordinates with the using services representatives regarding sources of supplies and acceptable substitutions when the standard items are in short supply or unavailable from the normal source of supply
• Applies conventional practices to solve any problems in the procurement transaction
• Develops recommended alternatives or solutions prior to completion of the procurement action for supervisory review
• 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
• Ensures all critical information is included in the solicitation package and develops unique selection criteria for each purchase
• Utilizes various web-based applications to identify required sources of supply
• Collects data to determine price reasonableness for new items - prepares detailed written solicitations - and tailors specific terms and conditions
• Uses federal and agency acquisition regulations - federal property management regulations - internal procedures and guidelines - and other references to identify possible sources and other pertinent information related to purchases
• Serves as the first line of contact for medical staff and customers in regard to procured items
• Provides clerical support and coordination to approving officials and administrators
• Performs a variety of receptionist - timekeeping - record keeping and miscellaneous duties in medical facility
• Develops reports and spreadsheets - obtains - organizes - files and retrieves reports for briefing and presentation purposes
• Utilize Microsoft Office to create - edit and aggregate data necessary for expense tracking and Supply Chain management reporting
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday
• 7:30am-4:00pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD99896S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved