The incumbent is a member of Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) within the Prosthetic Service Line. Performs direct medical supply Purchasing and Inventory Management support 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.

Duties

Performs 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 the Electronic Contract Management System( eCMS). 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. Follow 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. Select the most appropriate cost-effective source to deliver the items/service in the most reliable manner. Using various sub-accounts of funds maintained by the incumbent, he/she chooses to obligate and authorize payments. Initiate action on "stat" requests within 24 hours, or five ( 5) working days for routine requests. Obligates purchase order for equipment and/or supplies, or the rental of services within 30 working days. Monitors to ensure the completion of requests in less than a 90-day period. Action taken must explain why actions could not be completed within the established timeframe. Monitors, receives, tracks, interprets, and analyzes Prosthetic Consults, and prescriptions (V AF 10-2431) for items, services and home medical equipment from physicians, therapists, medical center personnel, patients or their representatives. Reviews requests for completeness, comparing disability or diagnosis to equipment and/or services normally provided for the condition for which they are requested, and/or proper documentation has been provided to justify the issuance. 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 . Responsible for successfully completing the mandatory purchase card training, allowing the incumbent to be a government purchase card holder and obligate funds on behalf of the government. Documents the services required per the contractual agreement and monitors, tracks and trends contractor performance. Reports any detected non-contractual findings to the Contracting Official Representative (COR). 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 Compressed/Flexible: not authorized 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 - Prosthetics/PD99432A, PD99433A, and PD99434A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/24/2023. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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 based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-05: 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: Answers telephones and refers calls, provides procurement support, resolve minor disputes and informal complaints, conducts follow up action on undelivered orders and aged purchase card transactions to close purchase orders, develops reports and spreadsheets, obtains and organizes files, and retrieves reports for briefings and presentations and provides clerical support and coordination to administration. OR Possess 4 years education above high school OR A combination of successfully education and experience may be used to qualify Specialized Experience GS-06: 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: Examines procurement requests for completeness, maintain records and auditing information, maintain catalogs, contract files, conduct purchasing under the micro purchase threshold, make purchases involving specialized requirements and/or commercial equipment, monitor purchase requests and active and delinquent invoices, process receipts and utilizes various web based applications and software to produce printouts for staff. Specialized Experience GS-07: 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: knowledge of Prosthetic specialized programs such as; HISA, Clothing Allowance, Auto Adapt, Service Dogs, Home Oxygen, follow National Prosthetics Business Practice Guidelines, procurement regulations, receive and analyze procurement consults and patient eligibility, operate purchasing software package to maintain accurate accounts of actions taken, initiate action on stat requests, authorize and prepare purchase orders, reconciles purchase card transactions, process mail out items, research government contracts, approve US Bank charges and review pending orders. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: AuditingClericalCustomer ServiceMedical InformationPhysical StrengthProblem SolvingResearchTechnical 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 GS-6 and GS-7.

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.

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 Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: Christene Ammoscato
• Phone: (570) 824-3521 X24536
• Email: [email protected]