Purchasing Agent

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Wichita (KS); On-site; USD 42,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation incentive may be authorized

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Purchasing Agent for the Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita, KS.

You will manage direct medical supply purchasing for administrative and clinical services, initiating obligations for prosthetic and sensory aid needs to support Veterans. You will use the Prosthetics Application Suite and ECM systems, coordinate with clinicians and vendors, and maintain precise documentation for all

Qualifications

• GS-05 requires one year of specialized experience or education as substitute.
• GS-06 requires one year of specialized experience at GS-05 level.
• Time-in-grade rules apply; SF-50s may be required.
• Experience with medical equipment purchases and vendor communication is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform purchasing for prosthetic and sensory aids services to Veterans.
• Initiate procurement to obligation for outpatient medical supplies.
• Process purchases via Prosthetics Application Suite/GUI.
• Manage fund control points and document obligations per Veteran.
• Update Veteran records with purchases and issued items.
• Review recalls and coordinate replacement when needed.
• Prepare acquisition plans and upload documents to ECM System.
• Coordinate with clinicians, vendors, and staff to align with guidelines.
• Ensure timely follow-up on orders until delivery and care is complete.

Skills

Purchasing

Healthcare procurement

Vendor coordination

Documentation

Education

4 years of college or higher (substitution for experience)

Tools

Prosthetics Application Suite (GUI)

Electronic Contract Management System

Job description

Summary

The Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita Kansas is seeking 3 highly qualified candidates to fill Purchasing Agent positions in the Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) in Wichita Kansas. A Recruitment or Relocation Incentive MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidates.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 09/23/2026. 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-05 position you must have served at the GS-03 or GS-04 and there is no time requirement. 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-05 Qualification Requirements: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-04). Qualifying specialized experience includes; Performing administrative duties in a healthcare setting; Reviewing and working with patients' medical records; Completing training or assisting in routine and complex specialized purchases for clinics including medical equipment - prosthetic and orthotic appliances; Utilizing computer software programs; Communicating with internal and external customers via various methods. OR; Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years above high school in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. This education was obtained in an accredited business - secretarial or technical school - junior college - college or university. NOTE: You must provide copies of your transcripts for education to be used as a substitution for experience. OR; Combination: Possess the equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education beyond two (2) years and specialized experience as described above that demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of this Purchasing Agent position. NOTE: You must provide copies of your transcripts for education to be used as a substitution for experience. GS-06 Qualification Requirements: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-05). Qualifying specialized experience includes: Interpreting prescriptions and requests for medical equipment and services; Maintaining regular contact with vendors - contractors - medical center professionals and staff; Utilizing a variety of databases and computer systems; Purchasing equipment - supplies and services using an agency/organization purchase card; Reconciling charges and preparing and submitting reports. As a general rule - education is not creditable above GS-5 for most positions covered by this standard; however - graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements and Work Environment: Requires some physical effort such as standing - sitting - walking - or bending. There are no special physical demands. The work is performed in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts. Normal safety precautions are adequate. 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

• This position functions as a Purchasing Agent for Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) within the Prosthetic Service Line at a VISN 15 medical center
• The primary purpose of this position is to perform direct medical supply Purchasing support for administrative and clinical services 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
• Position initiates procurement of all outpatient medical requirements to include direct individual purchases to the Veteran - medical surgical implants used during surgery - and/or rental requirements associated with continual outpatient medical equipment and supplies
• Major duties include but are not limited to the following
• Performs technical level purchasing to acquire Veteran specific medical equipment - supplies and services based on a medical provider's clinical assessment and evaluation of the Veteran's medical condition
• Performs purchasing actions for Veteran specific purchases in the Prosthetics Application Suite/graphical user interface (GUI)
• Responsible for various fund control points with accountability per individual Veteran for each obligation type
• Completes a Veterans Record Transaction on the Veteran's medical record to ensure documentation of exactly what was purchased and issued is recorded on the Veteran's record
• Maintains an awareness of products with possible recalls - and determines - if feasible - to obligate and replace after reviewing all documentation and discussing with the requestor the recall finding
• Initiates recall action of identified recall products provided and communicates actions taken within the Alerts and Recalls System
• Obtains all necessary procurement information to successfully submit acquisition plans and procurement packages to the Network Contracting Office and uploads quotes - bids - invoices - consults - and other important documents to the Electronic Contract Management System
• Provides coordination between the clinician - our vendor networks - and the Veterans' specific circumstances to independently make decisions in the best interests of the Veterans by independently interpreting guidelines - adapting procedures - and deciding the approach for each specific situation
• Verifies prosthetics expenditures in both the purchase menu and the prosthetics program and associates all obligations to the individual Veteran
• Ensures services provided are documented by type of service and duration
• Verifies adherence to training and other contractual agreements
• Performs weekly follow up action on the status of orders until purchased and direct patient care is completed
• Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory - qualification - and performance requirements are met
• Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level
• Work Schedule: Full-time - 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday - Friday
• Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD10312A and PD10313A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidates.