Purchasing Agent

Veterans Health Administration; Kernersville (NC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Health Administration in Kernersville, NC seeks a Purchasing Agent to perform direct medical supply purchasing for prosthetic and sensory aids services, including durable medical equipment and supplies for Veterans. The role requires navigating federal purchasing processes and time-in-grade requirements for GS levels.

Applicants must meet qualification standards by the closing date and provide SF-50 documentation if currently or formerly employed by the federal government.

Qualifications

• Experience interpreting purchase requests and specifications.
• Ability to prepare solicitations and purchase documents.
• Ability to evaluate vendor quotations and determine price reasonableness.

Responsibilities

• Review purchase requests, specifications, and work statements for completeness and accuracy.
• Prepare solicitations and purchase documents for purchases.
• Evaluate vendor quotations to determine if they meet requirements.
• Analyze prices to determine price reasonableness.
• Select appropriate terms, conditions, and acquisition clauses for purchases.
• Communicate and negotiate with customers, technical staff, and vendors to resolve purchasing issues.
• Administer purchase orders and review requests for changes or price adjustments.

Skills

Communication skills

Analytical ability

Attention to detail

Education

4 years of education above high school

Job description

This position is located in the Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) at Kernersville Health Care Center, Kernersville, NC. The Purchasing Agent is responsible for performing direct medical supply Purchasing 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, 10/21/2026. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. For a GS-6 position 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:

• reviewing purchase requests and specifications for completeness;
• preparing solicitations and purchase documents;
• reviewing vendor quotations for compliance with purchase requirements;
• comparing prices to support price reasonableness;
• applying standard terms, conditions, and acquisition clauses;
• communicating with customers, technical staff, and vendors to clarify requirements;
• and assisting with purchase order administration and changes.

(CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4 years of successfully completed education above the high school level 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. NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate 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 or technical school. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and successfully completed post-high school education as described above. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)

GS-6 Specialized Experience:

You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-05). Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: reviewing purchase requests, specifications, and work statements for completeness and accuracy; preparing solicitations and purchase documents for small purchases; evaluating vendor quotations to determine if they meet purchase requirements; analyzing prices to determine price reasonableness; selecting appropriate terms, conditions, and acquisition clauses for purchases; communicating and negotiating with customers, technical staff, and vendors to resolve purchasing issues; and administering purchase orders and reviewing requests for changes or price adjustments.

• reviewing purchase requests, specifications, and work statements for completeness and accuracy;
• preparing solicitations and purchase documents for small purchases;
• evaluating vendor quotations to determine if they meet purchase requirements;
• analyzing prices to determine price reasonableness;
• selecting appropriate terms, conditions, and acquisition clauses for purchases;
• communicating and negotiating with customers, technical staff, and vendors to resolve purchasing issues;
• and administering purchase orders and reviewing requests for changes or price adjustments.