Position is located in the Prosthetics and Sensory Aid Service (PSAS). The purpose of this position is to function as the Purchasing Agent and perform work in relation with the rendering of prosthetic and sensory aids service appliances and supplies to veteran beneficiaries dispensed from the VA facility and Home Medical Equipment (HME) provided to a veteran beneficiary from a contracted facility, from the Generic or Prosthetics Inventory Point or contracted/non-contracted PSAS Vendors.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: Perform technical level purchasing support adhering to the FAR, V AAR, VHA, and Prosthetics Directives and Handbooks, VISN policy and station memorandums to acquire patient specific medical equipment, supplies and services. Submits Acquisition Plans and Procurement Packages for stock and veteran specific needs to the Network Contracting Office and uploads quotes, bids, invoices, consults, and other important documents to eCMS. Verifies accountability of all prosthetics expenditures in both the purchase menu and the prosthetics program and associate all obligations to the individual veteran. Verify training and other contractual agreements are adhered to. Provides patient care and support services to an adult population and service as the point of contact for external customer service inventory needs and support. 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 8AM - 4:30PM Telework: Telework to be discussed during interview. Possible 1-2 days per pay period Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Purchasing Agent/PD99434A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/15/2023. 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, and for a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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 for the GS-05 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performing duties with supervision pertaining to purchasing equipment and supplies through an automated process or through utilization of a purchase card; ability to interpret federal laws and regulations that pertain to eligibility and entitlement to determine treatment and provision of equipment to Veterans; and review incoming shipments for correct quantities and initiates paperwork to correct deficiencies. Such experience may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work. (This experience must be well documented in your resume or application package.). 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 education above high school. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic 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, secretarial, or technical school (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school Education. You may qualify for the GS-06 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below: 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: Performing all duties with limited supervision pertaining to purchasing equipment and supplies through an automated process or through utilization of a purchase card; ability to interpret federal laws and regulations that pertain to eligibility and entitlement to determine treatment and provision of equipment to Veterans; and review incoming shipments for correct quantities and initiates paperwork to correct deficiencies. Such experience may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work. (This experience must be well documented in your resume or application package. You may qualify for the GS-07 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade 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: ability to interpret federal laws and regulations that pertain to eligibility and entitlement to determine treatment and provision of equipment to Veterans; and review incoming shipments for correct quantities and initiates paperwork to correct deficiencies. Such experience may have been gained in administrative, professional, technical, investigative, or other responsible work. (This experience must be well documented in your resume or application package.) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: AccountabilityCustomer ServiceProblem SolvingTeamworkTechnical 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 the GS 6 and GS 7 grade level.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education for the GS 5 grade level only.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Nebraska-Western Iowa HCS - Omaha 4101 Woolworth Avenue Omaha, NE 68105 US
• Name: Timothy Ries
• Phone: 605-336-3230 X7700
• Email: [email protected]