Products...As-Is...Business Line...Acquisition and Materiel Management

Conduct site-specific reviews of a VA acquisition facility to ensure that all activities and processes performed at the facility comply with FAR/VAAR and other regulatory requirements.

Conduct reviews of solicitations and other pre-bid documents to ensure their technical sufficiency, prior to release to the bidding public.  These reviews are required at specified dollar thresholds, as outlined in the VAAR.

Keep track of the number and reasons for protests, debarment, and suspensions occurring at various VA acquisition facilities.

Prescribe mandatory Department-wide policies. They may be permanent or temporary. If the policies are temporary, e.g., for one-time reports or data collections specify an expiration or rescission date.

Prescribe mandatory Department-wide procedures or operational requirements implementing policies contained in directives.  Update non-codified information through the development of Handbooks.

Prescribe non-directive information.

Review VA Acquisition Regulations to ensure compliance with existing and new Federal Acquisition Regulations. Periodically update entire VAAR to ensure it contains only codified information.

Implement changes to the VA Acquisition Regulations (VAAR) through the processing of VA Circulars (VAC).

Provide specified courses to department’s acquisition professionals according to the Acquisition Training Program (ATP).

Provide specified courses to department’s acquisition professionals according to the Contracting Officer Certification Program

Manage the Center for Acquisition and Materiel Management Education Online (CAMEO) which is an automated program that provides for tracking education, training, warrant, and certification data of the acquisition workforce.

Implement acquisition internship programs that provide information on acquisition career opportunities within the department.  Develop and implement career-planning projects.

Run programs that provide a minimum of 40 hours of continuing education every other year to all VA acquisition professionals and allied acquisition professionals (COTRs, etc.).

Analyze data located in the Procurement History File for establishing acquisition trends.  This database contains data from the Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity, Accounting, and Procurement (IFCAP) System that include sources of goods and services, item, quantity, and price.  Determine patterns of acquisition/buying on an individual site basis and on a national level.

Determine if acquired items are bought in sufficient quantity on a recurring basis to justify long-term supply agreements at lower negotiated costs.

Determine the best marketing strategies for the organization.  Plan, organize, and manage tasks and resources to accomplish a defined objective, usually within constraints on time, resources, or cost.  Acquire funding for planned sales and promotions efforts.

Promote the products and services that the Office of Acquisition and Materiel Management can offer. Develop resources and business opportunities, e.g., research prospective clients, cold calls, conferences, to gain more business/accomplish an objective/increase the depth of business knowledge. Identify resource-sharing opportunities with the DOD activities and other government-agency partnership opportunities and conducts Federal Healthcare Summits.

Negotiate terms and conditions and sign specialized contracts such as information technology contracts, telecommunication contracts, management studies contracts, flags contracts, inter-agency agreements, and various types of Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).

Perform procurement, storage and delivery activities to satisfy customer orders for various products. Implement commitments under existing service contracts and memoranda of agreement.

Assert VA interests in the resolution of problems, conflicts, and other issues related to specialized contracts.

Simplified process of acquiring commonly used supplies and services while obtaining volume discounts through contracts that are awarded using competitive procedures to commercial firms. GSA has delegated the authority for VA to enter such Schedules for a variety of medical products and services.

Negotiate terms and conditions and sign national contracts such as those for supplies, services, equipment, and others wherein VA will be the prime vendor. (Most of the existing contracts are for the delivery of medical supplies and services.)

Perform procurement, storage and delivery activities to satisfy customer orders for various products. Implement commitments under existing service contracts and memoranda of agreement.

Assert VA interests in the resolution of problems, conflicts, and other issues related to national contracts.

Conduct scheduled visits to VA operations to review compliance with policy and other requirements.  Provide guidance as required.

Conduct Executive Assistance reviews at the request of the medical center director, network directors or other management to review problems with policy violations and to provide guidance in other areas.

Provide recommendations for improvements in controls and processes.  Determine appropriate actions required to resolve customer issues and correct any identified operational deficiencies

Develop and enforce formal policy guidelines for the proper functioning of VA materiel management programs.

Issue letters of advice regarding materiel management policies, regulations, and guidance that are expected to be formalized and enforced in the near future.

Conduct hands-on AEMS/MERS (Automated Equipment Management System/ Medical Equipment Repair Service) training of automated equipment management system.  The training is conducted in different phases depending on the need or changes to the AEMS/MERS system.

Conduct hands-on training on the Automated Equipment Request and Turn-in System that integrates with AEMS/MERS (Automated Equipment Management System/ Medical Equipment Repair Service) and IFCAP (Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity, Accounting, and Procurement).  Phased training is conducted based on system changes or unit requirements.

Provide hands-on IFCAP (Integrated Funds Distribution Control Point Activity, Accounting, and Procurement) training on the automated inventory system, automated case carts and control point modules.  Classes are scheduled as required for system changes or personnel needs.

Training to provide the technical information to the SPD (Supply Processing and Distribution) technicians.  This training program includes preparation, decontamination, distribution, and inventory management functions.  The training also covers the required SPD level one training.

Plan and implement training seminars on inventory management, distribution, reprocessing reusable supplies (preparation/decontamination) and warehousing.  Develop seminars for Section level Supervisors and Chiefs, as well as for the materiel management staff at VA facilities, including VHA, VBA, and NCA.

Manage the distribution of expendable and re-usable supplies and equipment including ordering, receiving, inventory management, proper handling, and meeting the user’s needs.

Provide repair service for medical equipment such as endoscopes, hearing aids for VA and Department of Defense at a reduced cost and provide replacement equipment for use during the repair.

Provide guidance on how to manage or directly manage VA nonexpendable equipment and furnishings

Provide assistance to the VA materiel management staff and customers regarding policy, training, guidance, and regulations.  Assist customers and provide timely information about the status of the customer transaction.

Provide transportation support for VA on moving supplies and equipment.  Provide assistance for household moves for VA employees.  This includes assistance in transportation of supplies to San Juan, PR.

Conduct visits to VA material management operation facilities to identify any potential operational problems and provide recommendation for identified deficiencies.  Assess actual performance against standards that have been set.

Documents the training and provide national testing for VA’s SPD staff under the SPD Certification program.  The program tracks completion of annual continuing education unit requirements.

Identify suitable performance goals, measures, and metrics for materiel management operations.

Reduce individual PO obligation Supply Fund account balances as Customer orders are filled.

Establish formal agreements between a customer Program Office (PO) and the Supply Fund.  These agreements spell out the detailed terms and conditions for the use of the proceeds from the Supply Fund.

Obligate portions of the Supply Fund Accounts as Program Offices solicit procurements.

Return obligation balance to Treasury upon completion of agreement periods, or after five years.

Create annual Budget Operating Plans with monthly estimate at the start of the Fiscal Year.  This information is input once annually into the Financial Management Systems (FMS) by the VA Secretary’s Budget Office.  The execution subfunction also compiles the reporting information about the actual amounts on a monthly basis for the three components of FTEs, Obligations, and Performance Measures.

Consolidate the budget estimates from each of the three VA components (VHA, VBA, and NCA) by all programs within VA and by OGAs wishing to utilize this Supply Fund.  After the review and approval by the Director in the CFO, the formulation is submitted to the VA Secretary’s office, which after reviews and modifications submits to OMB and Congress.