U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs · 6 hours ago
Acquisition & Utilization Specialist
Tucson, AZ
Full-time
Onsite
Entry, Mid Level
1+ years expThe U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking an Acquisition & Utilization Specialist who will serve as a liaison and advisor on contract-related services focusing on critical clinical and healthcare services. The role involves overseeing procurement activities, developing policies and procedures, and collaborating with various stakeholders to ensure compliance with federal regulations.
GovernmentMedicalNational SecurityPublic Safety
Responsibilities
Develop procedures - policies - and supporting artifacts to ensure procurement activities are consistent with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) - VA Acquisitions Regulations (VAAR) and other federal procurement laws and regulations
Coordinate with Network Contracting Activity (NCA) and VA Healthcare System leadership - clinical service customers - Contracting Officers Representatives (CORs) - logistics staff - and other stakeholders
Conduct analyses and recommend courses of actions to ensure various clinical and administrative service requirements have addressed considerations such as construction - budgeting - supporting manpower and other factors
Develop local policies - procedures - SOPs - and associated training materials
Provide training to the facility CORs on procurement policies and new process procedures related to the procurement within the Federal Government
Establish - expedite - and review consolidation of all procurement packages
Develop performance work statements and objectives - cost benefit analysis - gap analysis - sole source justifications - past performance - quality assurance surveillance plans (QASP) - market research - independent government estimates - evaluation criteria - options - funding - delivery schedules - lead times - and reporting requirements
Review procurement documents for accuracy - adequacy - and completeness
Develop sole source justifications in relation to cost - limited availability or unusual nature
Develop and implement processes and procedures as changes are made to the VHA Procurement Manual
Work collaboratively with clinical chiefs - healthcare professionals at affiliates or within the community to discuss clinical needs to develop health resources - direct sharing agreements with military treatment facilities (MTFs) - and Department of Defense (DoD) organizational components
Develop and conduct presentations/ recommendations to VAHCS senior leadership/ internal/ external stakeholders
Develop and analyze local and regional reports
Direct facility-wide procurements as assigned through the facility Equipment Committee
Negotiate performance requirements among multiple sites and service lines
Review facility procurement documents for accuracy - adequacy - and completeness
Ensure timely certification of payments for services rendered through collaboration with the office of the Facility Chief Supply Chain Officer
Establish and maintain control to ensure that contracts are executed in accordance with terms
Advise on all phases of negotiation with the contract specialist/ contracting officer for contract modifications - change orders - supplemental agreements - and delivery order processes
Monitor quality assurance surveillance plans
Troubleshoot setbacks/ delays
Ensure compliance with the terms of contacts
Monitor contract expenditures requiring funds control
Report deviations from contract terms
Manage record system that includes contractor information and key contractual due dates
Produce documents for internal/ external audits of contracts
Qualification
Required
Applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 02/19/2026
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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9
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 must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization
Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: handling contract related services - product acquisition - and procurement of items in a healthcare environment; overseeing contracts including pre-award and post-award; preparing procurement packages with unique - emergent and complex requirements including development of requirement documents (e.g. performance work statements and objectives - cost benefit analysis - gap analysis - sole source justifications - past performance - market research - etc.); developing sole source justifications; developing and analyzing reports to make recommendations on acquisition and contracting issues; participating in negotiations with other officials throughout all phases of contract administration; and monitoring expenditures and reporting on deviations from contract terms
Applicants may substitute education for the required experience
To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. - if related - that provided the knowledge - skills - and abilities necessary to do the work of this position
Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level
You must have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education at the Ph.D. level or equivalent as stated above
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Budget Administration, Contracting/Procurement, Customer Service, Project Management
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
Work is primarily sedentary in nature
Requires occasional travel to conduct inspections of contract facilities or motor vehicles providing contracts for healthcare resources to ensure joint commission and safety requirements are met
Work is performed primarily in an office setting with adequate lighting - heating - and ventilation
Company
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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10001+ employees
Funding
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Late StageLeadership Team
Charles Worthington
Chief Technology Officer
Helga Rippen
Chief Interoperability and Veteran Access Officer
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