New York State of Opportunity

Purchasing Agent

Written Test To Be Held
January 28, 2023
You may be assigned to either Saturday or Sunday.
Please refer to the information below.
Applications Must Be Submitted or Postmarked By
December 14, 2022

 

Exams Included on This Announcement
Exam Number Exam Title Open to Employees of Salary Salary Grade Non−Refundable Processing Fee (Waivers available)
38-584010 Purchasing Agent Multiple Agencies $61,270 SG-18 $15

You must review important information on the New York State Department of Civil Service COVID-19 policy that applies to all candidates sitting for in-person Civil Service examinations being administered at a New York State test center. You can access our full policy on the Department of Civil Service website.

Due to current testing space limitations, candidates may need to travel to a test site to take this examination. Candidates will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

If you previously applied for this examination scheduled for April 25, 2020, which was postponed, you do NOT need to reapply. Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the qualifications to take the examination. Additional information will be sent to previous applicants via email.

Interdepartmental promotion examination open to all qualified employees of New York State.

For Promotion in State Departments, Facilities, and Agencies

1. Within Promotion Units 2. Within Entire Departments 3. To Other Departments

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Minimum Qualifications

*On or before January 28, 2023, you must be a qualified employee of New York State and have had three months of permanent competitive or 55-b/c service as:

Either A. Assistant Purchasing Agent;

Or B. Office Assistant 3 (Calculations).

Only the title or titles listed are qualifying.

*If you were permanently appointed to a qualifying title on or before October 28, 2022, and have served continuously in this title since that date, you are eligible to file for this examination.

Qualifying Experience For Appointment From The Eligible List:

After one year of the service described in the Minimum Qualifications, successful candidates will be qualified for appointment from the eligible list.

Eligibles who meet the ?B? qualifications, and who are subsequently appointed to an ?A? title, may request to have their name added to the ?A? list, once they have completed the one year of service in the ?A? title. The request should be submitted in writing to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239; Attention: S-2LAK.

Order of Certification:

The order of certification of this eligible list will be:

  1. Promotion Unit "A" eligibles
  2. Promotion Unit "All" eligibles
  3. Department "A" eligibles
  4. Department "All" eligibles
  5. Interdepartmental "A" eligibles
  6. Interdepartmental "All" eligibles

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Duties

As a Purchasing Agent, you will review complex purchase requisitions for compliance with appropriate rules, regulations and agency policies and appropriateness within the agency?s budget plan; determine the types of commodities and services available in the marketplace and prepare detailed specifications and complex bid proposals used for soliciting bids, and supervise lower level purchasing staff.

Notes:

  1. Background Investigation/Justice Center Review: In some agencies, the names of all prospective employees will be:

    • Checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL) maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s);
    • Investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). All convictions must be reported. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal laws;

    and may be:

    • Screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees whose names appear on the SCR may be barred from appointment.(NY Social Services Law, Section 424a.)

    You will be responsible for payment of all required fees.

  2. Medicaid and Medicare: To be eligible for appointment and maintain employment, you cannot be listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of the Federal and/or State Medicaid and Medicare exclusion lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program). You may be barred from appointment or your employment may be terminated at any time if you are listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program).

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

  1. Preparing Written Material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
  2. Understanding and Interpreting Written Material - These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.
  3. Principles and Practices of New York State Purchasing - These questions test for candidates' knowledge of the principles guiding governmental purchasing operations and the ability to put them into practice. These questions may deal with but are not necessarily limited to such matters as the analysis of bids, the use of specifications, the award of contracts, the analysis of market factors that can affect the cost of a purchase, and the application of a set of rules to determine how to proceed with a purchase. Some arithmetic computation may be necessary. Specific knowledge of NYS purchasing laws, rules and regulations will be required to answer these questions.
  4. Supervision - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

If you pass, your seniority credit(s), if any, will be included in the computation of your final score. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' credits.

Credit For Seniority: Seniority is credited at the rate of one credit for each five-year period (or fraction thereof), excluding the first year of service.

Note: The Department of Civil Service may administer tests either online or with paper booklets and answer sheets.

Admission To The Test: If approved for a written test, you will receive an admission notice which will indicate your assigned test date and the way your test will be administered. Your test may be administered with paper and pencil or online at a state test site using a state-provided Chromebook. You cannot request to change your scheduled day or request a specific type of test administration.

Applicants are required to have a Personal NY.gov account and keep their email address up to date. The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies will communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your test arrangements, examination results, and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number, and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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Duties

As a Purchasing Agent, you will review complex purchase requisitions for compliance with appropriate rules, regulations and agency policies and appropriateness within the agency?s budget plan; determine the types of commodities and services available in the marketplace and prepare detailed specifications and complex bid proposals used for soliciting bids, and supervise lower level purchasing staff.

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How To Apply

This announcement is for viewing purposes only.

Important: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. Any past due application processing fees must be paid in full prior to submitting an application. Please email FeeUnitMail@cs.ny.gov regarding inquiries about any past due fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your written test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Eligibility for Examination

To be considered a qualified employee eligible to compete in this examination, you must be employed in, or on leave from, the specified department or agency on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class, or in the non-competitive class or labor class if specifically noted on this announcement (or be on an appropriate preferred list), and have the specified time in the specified title or salary grade. You may not compete in a test for a title if you are permanently employed in that title (unless you are still on probation) or in a higher direct line of promotion.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

The use of cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices at your personal testing site or in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas, except as expressly authorized by the Department of Civil Service, could result in your disqualification.

S2/TB1 LAK-rkv
Reissued: 11/30/22
*Revised material: 11/30/22

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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