PURCHASING AGENT

Summary
This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pine Ridge Agency, Superintendent - Pine Ridge Agency, Human Services, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see What are bargaining units?
NOTE:
TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. ANY RELOCATION EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REPORTING FOR DUTY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED EMPLOYEE.
This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• Federal employees - Competitive service
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.
• Federal employees - Excepted service
  Current excepted service federal employees.
• Individuals with disabilities
• Land & base management
  Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.
• Military spouses
• Native Americans
  Native Americans or Alaskan Natives with a tribal affiliation.
• Veterans

Clarification from the agency
Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Verification form BIA -4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference. No other documents will be accepted as proof of Indian Preference.
Duties

• Purchasing Agent purchases supplies, services and equipment through competitive open-market methods and formally advertised and negotiated contracts.
• Serves as a buyer and point of contact for a variety of difficult procurement transactions utilizing SAP within the simplified acquisition threshold.
• Performs tasks of balances and distributes simplified acquisition workload in the Group, Region and/or Bureau.
• Coordinates, prepares, and submits special reports at the request of the supervisor and reports supporting socio-economic programs.
• Coordinates the installation, training, updates, and maintenance of simplified acquisition computer applications.
• Assists the operating offices with technical problems and with purchases over their warrant levels.
• Assists the Group, Region and/or Bureau with interpreting guidelines and deciding upon approaches for non-standardized simplified acquisition work.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Form BIA -4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference.
• You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit
• You may be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
• A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
• Incidental Operator position. If you are required to operate a motor vehicle in order to properly carry out assigned duties, the 25 IAM 4 Motor Vehicle Safety Program Policy applies. A Link is provided in the Additional Information Section.

Qualifications
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for One-Grade Interval Clerical and Administrative Support Positions, GS-1105).
GS-8: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service that includes determining purchasing methods and strategies applied based on cost, urgency and availability of supplies and use of mandatory schedules. Identify qualified suppliers. Collaborate with bidders, obtain price quotes, evaluate offers, and negotiate terms and conditions with vendors. Provide guidance within organization defining concise purchasing requirements. Serves as technical advisor; independently identifies and addresses problems and issues. Extensive knowledge of procurement regulations, policies, principles, methods and practices applicable to purchases of specialized supplies, services and equipment.
Specialized Experience (All positions except Reporting Stenographer, Shorthand Reporter, and Closed Micro-phone Reporter)Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date.
Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472).
Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.
Education
If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION
Additional information
All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2023 Salary Tables here and select the duty station from the Pine Ridge, South Dakota to choose the appropriate pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart.
The full performance level of this position is GS-8.
TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
As an incidental motor vehicle operator position, you may be required to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle in the performance of duties; therefore, a valid driver's license is required and be able to meet the safe driving requirements of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (25 IAM 4 Motor Vehicle Safety Program).
Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp .
Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals, Peace Corps employees, Foreign Service employees, veterans, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.
Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application package will be evaluated against the minimum qualification requirements specified above. In order to qualify, your resume must specifically describe your work history and the duties you performed in each position. Your resume will be evaluated after the closing date of 12/01/2023 to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. Competencies measured include:

• Accounting
• Applies Technology to Tasks
• Contracting/Procurement
• Organizational Awareness

We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If the information in your resume does not support your responses to the assessment questions, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your qualifications.
Qualified Indian preference candidates will be referred to the hiring manager in order of veterans' preference.
Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and awards during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.
You may preview the assessment questions here in the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12204226.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  The following documents are required for this position:
  
  • Resume which details work experience including dates worked (mm/yy-mm/yy); position title; position series and grade (if federal service); work schedule; hours worked per week; relevant duties performed; supervisor with contact information, and 3 professional references and contact information (Do not include current/former supervisors), etc. Important! If your resume does not show complete information for each job entry, your application will be considered incomplete. Specifically:
    
    • Beginning and ending dates (mm/yy) of employment,
    • Work schedule (Full-time or Part-time), and
    • Hours worked per week.
    • For more information see What should I include in my federal resume
  • On-line Assessment Questionnaire
  • Transcripts (if using education to qualify) - Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, an official transcript may be requested at a later time.
  • Veteran's documentation - (if applicable) VA letter on VA letterhead stating your overall combined rating, SF-15, DD-214 (copy 4) reflecting an honorable discharge and dates of active duty military service.
  • Special Appointing Authority documentation (if applying under a special hiring authority)
  • BIA Form 4432 (if claiming Indian preference)
  • Performance Appraisal (if applying under the Land Management Flexibility Act)
  • Current & Former Federal Employees
    
    • If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee OR a former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility, you must submit the following by the closing date of this announcement, or you will not receive consideration as such:
      a copy of a recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting proof of competitive status, ten...