Summary This position, located at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System Prosthetic Service Line, serves as a Purchasing Agent and provides direct patient care working with Veterans and their Families, Surgeons or Clinical Providers. Responsibilities Major duties of this position include but are not limited to... Verifies Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and Bradstreet information and ensures each vendor is in the System for Award Management (SAM) and in good standing to do business with the government Verifies accountability of all prosthetics expenditures in both the purchase menu and the prosthetics program and associates all obligations to the individual Veteran Ensures the services provided are documented as the type of service and duration; verifies adherence to training and other contractual agreements and follows up action on the status of all these orders is required weekly until purchased and direct patient care is completed Provides patient care and support services to an adult population and serves as the point of contact for external customer service inventory needs and support Monitors, receives, tracks, interprets, and analyzes Prosthetic Consults, and prescriptions (VAF 10-2431) for items, services and home medical equipment from physicians, therapists, medical center personnel, patients or their representatives Examines clinical health records and claims folders to determine eligibility and entitlement for items and services based on adopted criteria and advises Veteran of the same Purchases specialized equipment or services that have an unstable price or product characteristic, hard to-locate sources, have critical characteristics, or similar complicating factors and resolves a variety of purchasing problems, such as inadequate or restrictive specifications, lack of multiple suppliers, urgent need, or insufficient price history, or with continual requirement changes and updated products Obligates under established contracts, agreements or mandatory sources, or requiring 'excluded' documentation or Chief of Staff 'waiver' approval; or open market adhering to FAR, VAAR and Prosthetics requirements Administer small purchase orders that involve the use of instruments that are not firm-fixed-price (e.g., time and materials, labor hours, or other un-priced small purchase orders) Provides assistance and training to new Purchasing Agents in ordering of appropriate prosthetic appliances, purchase card reconciliation, stock and inventory control, etc.; Trains new Purchasing Agents on the latest PSAS Software packages as they relate to the Patient Services Section within PSAS Responsible for data collection used in preparing and submitting numerous reports: Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), Cost Distribution Report (CDR), 1465, Delayed Orders, and Patient Satisfaction Survey, Quality Assurance and Needs/Excess Uses office automation equipment such as, computer, word processor, facsimile/scanner machines, automatic data processing (ADP) equipment (keyboard and visual display), barcode scanners, label makers, calculator, copiers and telephones to effectively communicate with others, place purchase orders, produce forms and complete correspondence 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: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD12268A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/31/2024. 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 level. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06 level. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience GS-06: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level 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...must possess a broad knowledge of VA and Federal Acquisition Regulations, Public Laws, published guides, directives and procedures; knowledge of all regulations, in order to resolve and prevent possible adverse legal or technical problems; a working knowledge of business practices and market conditions, both locally and on an expanded geographic basis, are also essential to the procurement of quality products providing the best value to the Government which are in full compliance with the law; knowledge of specialized technical purchasing methods and procedures to perform complex purchasing work, involving negotiating, awarding and administering small purchases that require extensive monitoring and oversight to resolve complex problems; and knowledge of a wide range of technical methods, principles and practices in accordance with Federal and Agency procurement regulations Specialized Experience GS-07: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-06 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 medical disorders and the prosthetic devices utilized in the treatment of the same; familiarity with rehabilitation procedures and the support equipment necessary in that process; must have an understanding of clinical, social, economic, vocational, psychological and environmental needs of the patients serviced by the facility and how these impact the patient's prosthetic and rehabilitative goals is essential to this position; in-depth or broad knowledge of a body of purchasing regulations, methods, procedures, and business practices to make purchasing involving specialized requirements and/or commercial requirements that have unstable price or product characteristics, hard to locate sources, many critical characteristics or similar complicating factors; knowledge of purchasing methods, such as extended training or experience to make competitive or sole source, small, micro purchases that involve collecting data to determine process reasonableness for new items, prepared detailed written solicitations, tailoring special terms and conditions or other matters of similar complexity; in-depth market research, collaboration with clinical providers, manufacturers and validation of quote to medical prescription; knowledge of prosthetic regulations and policies, as stated in VHA Directives and Handbook 1173, " Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service; knowledge of medical terminology, physical and sensory disabilities, basic anatomy and kinesiology is imperative; ability to interpret oral and written instructions from physicians and therapists is essential; Knowledge of contracts, purchasing policies, equipment sources, trade policies, shipping procedures, and the corresponding terminology; ability to search brochures and contracts to rapidly find the most reasonably priced item that can be purchased to satisfy the prescription; knowledge of a wide variety of standard and custom medical equipment, prosthetic and orthotic appliances and basic knowledge of their purpose and function; basic knowledge for troubleshooting/repairing of this equipment; and must be cognizant with medical terms used to prescribe/describe the equipment and the sources from which the item/repair can be obtained to assure that it will meet the objective of the clinician and the patient You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Decision Making Manages and Organizes Information Manages Resources Reasoning (Clerical/Technical) Technical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. 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: Work is primarily sedentary when conducing purchasing functions for PSAS, however while conducting inventory management functions, the incumbent may work comfortably in a warehouse environment, sitting, standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, retrieving and managing inventory. Prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal is required. Ability to retrieve equipment from a storage room is required. Climbing associated with stocking of equipment and other items in storage areas is necessary. Incumbent may carry/lift items weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds. Normal safety precautions are adequate. The work involves moderate discomfort when visiting sites away from the office. At times the employee may be required to wear protective clothing when visiting the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Fabrication Laboratory. Often, walking between the main medical center and other parts of Prosthetics to conduct professional duties 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.