Purchasing Agent

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Tulsa (OK); On-site; USD 36,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Tulsa, OK seeks a Purchasing Agent within the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service Line to procure outpatient medical equipment and supplies for Veterans. You will initiate obligations, document purchases, and monitor contractor performance in the VA system.

Work is performed Monday–Friday, 8:00am–4:30pm with possible ad hoc telework. Time-in-grade requirements apply for current federal employees; experience with requisitions and vendor relations is

Qualifications

• Knowledge of solicitation and purchasing methods to determine price reasonableness and prepare detailed written solicitations.
• Ability to analyze descriptions with unique aspects to identify problem areas in specifications or work statements.
• Knowledge of price analysis techniques to evaluate prices for requirements with inadequate price history.

Responsibilities

• Quickly deduce items or services needed from prescriptions or requests and select cost-effective sources.
• Document services per contract and monitor contractor performance.
• Maintain accurate records of transactions and ensure proper documentation in medical records.
• Perform purchasing support adhering to directives to acquire patient-specific medical equipment and supplies.
• Initiate procurement of outpatient medical requirements and manage recall actions for identified products.

Skills

Purchasing

Medical equipment

Vendor negotiations

Data analysis

Job description

Summary
This position - located at the the Eastern Oklahoma HCS --Tulsa Outpatient Clinic - Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service Line - serves as a Purchasing Agent and performs 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.

Summary
This position - located at the the Eastern Oklahoma HCS --Tulsa Outpatient Clinic - Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service Line - serves as a Purchasing Agent and performs 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.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 09/22/2026. 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. 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. 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 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. Specialized Experience: (GS-06): You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade of 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...Knowledge of solicitation and purchasing methods to make competitive or sole source small purchases that involve collecting data to determine price reasonableness for new items - preparing detailed written solicitations - tailoring special terms and conditions - or other matters of similar complexity; skill in analyzing descriptions that have unique aspects or critical characteristics to identify problem areas in specifications or work statements - determine if quotations are responsive - or decide if substitutions are acceptable or should be referred to other personnel for further review; knowledge of price analysis techniques to evaluate prices or costs for requirements with inadequate price history or evaluate allowable charges for requirements involving special cost features; knowledge of various acquisition clauses such as those pertaining to inspection - acceptance - packaging - or testing to select or tailor clauses for purchases that involve special handling; knowledge of post award procedures to discuss equitable price adjustments for modifications to a purchase order - determine whether to recommend termination of an accepted purchase order for convenience or perform similar actions; ability to analyze descriptions that have unique aspects in order to identify problem areas in specifications or work statements - to determine if quotations are responsive - and to decide if substitutions are acceptable; ability to work and negotiate with requestors - technical representatives - and vendors in analyzing these descriptions and administering the order - Selective Placement Factor: Ability to think independently and comprehend medical terminology. 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 may not be limited to the following: Quickly deduce from written prescriptions or oral requests what items or services are needed - selecting the most appropriate cost-effective source to deliver the items/service in the most reliable manner
• Manages the collection of data to be used in numerous reports to ensure adequate resource funding and compliance Researches the use of different solicitation methods - ordering or reporting procedures - and purchasing methods to distinguish between different purchasing strategies
• Documents the services required per the contractual agreement and monitors - tracks - and trends contractor performance
• Completes transaction on the patient's medical record to ensure documentation of exactly what was purchased and issued
• Conduct face-to-face and telephone conversations with patients - family members - and private medical staff - contractors - vendors - and co-workers
• Speaks calmly and compassionately to severely disabled patients from all walks of life
• Skills in dealing with a large community base - vendors - hospital staff and the public is required to display a positive image of the the organization
• Providing patient care and support services to an adult population and serves as the point of contact for external customer service inventory needs and support
• Resolves conflicts in administering purchase orders - such as protests - claims - duplicate billing & terminations for convenience or default
• Examines contracts - purchasing policies - equipment sources - shipping procedures and corresponding terminology to rapidly find the most reasonably priced item to meet requirement
• Works independently to complete purchase orders and reconcile charges
• Maintains accurate records of transactions and completes all adjustments to computerized system before final payment to vendor is certified
• Maintains an inventory of all purchased and consignment equipment with expiration date - imitate exchange and/or replacement of expired stock
• Completes written procurement and support notes in medical records to ensure order status is provided to the clinical requester to reduce delivery delays
• Performs technical level purchasing support adhering to the Service Directives and Handbooks - policy and memorandums to acquire patient specific medical equipment - supplies and services
• Initiates procurement of all outpatient medical requirements
• Initiates recall action of identified recall products provided and communicates all findings to the appropriate offices
• Verifies accountability of all prosthetics expenditures in both the purchase menu and the prosthetics program and associates all obligations to the individual patient
• Ensures the services provided are documented as the type of service and duration
• Work Schedule: Full-time Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: ADHOC This position may be authorized for telework
• Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process
• Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD14575A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized