Buyer

Buyer Position

Under direction from the Purchasing Supervisor, independently performs a variety of complex technical duties supporting the purchasing of supplies, materials, and services for the District; ensures compliance with all applicable state laws and district policies; coordinates District travel arrangements and the repair of District property; and performs a variety of tasks relative to assigned areas of responsibility. Requires considerable exercise of initiative and independent judgment to perform the full range of complex duties.

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and / or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

• Process purchase requisitions and issue purchase orders for a variety of equipment, supplies, materials and services at the most advantageous prices and terms.
• Review purchase requisitions for accuracy and completeness; ensure proper authorization and supporting documentation; ensure compliance with applicable state laws, rules, regulations, and procedures; order commodities from state approved suppliers and contractors as required by law.
• Prepare and mail competitive bid packages; receive, open, tabulate, review and analyze bids; recommend acquisition of materials, equipment, services, and supplies; ensure competitiveness of bidding process.
• Draft specifications for materials, equipment, services and supplies to be obtained; maintain appropriate records on computerized system.
• Process all printing supplies and stationery requisitions; serve as a liaison between printing vendors and the departments in obtaining samples, specifications and proof approval for each individual order.
• Review contracts and purchase orders; maintain contact and negotiate with vendors; keep informed of market conditions and new products; evaluate vendor performance.
• Process online internet orders as assigned; order, confirm, and request pre-payment for items to be received in a "Paid in Advance" status to meet departmental deadlines; note special instructions on requisitions and orders so they can be processed in a timely manner; ensure compliance with state laws and district policies.
• Receive requisition or verbal notification for equipment repair; contact vendor for repairs; schedule appropriate vendor; obtain proper authorization and supporting documentation; reconcile invoice upon completion of repair; forward invoice for payment.
• Coordinate travel arrangements for personnel; ensure timely payments for conference registration, hotel and airfare; obtain proper authorization and supporting documentation; maintain travel and expenditures log.
• Prepare purchase orders and other necessary documents related to the purchase of supplies and materials.
• Confer with department representatives to determine purchasing needs, specifications and areas of standardization.
• Process claims with vendors for damaged materials; monitor invoices for accuracy; obtain credits where appropriate.
• Compile all maintenance contracts throughout the year; prepare spreadsheets for efficiently contacting vendors for repairs as needed; prepare clear and concise reports.
• Reconcile monthly statements from vendors; confer with vendors regarding purchase orders, invoices, and payments.
• Respond to vendor and staff inquiries in a courteous manner; provide information within the area of assignment; resolve complaints in an efficient and timely manner.
• As assigned, train other department staff on the use of the purchasing system including purchasing procedures, input of requisitions into the system, and tracking of requisitions and payment dates.
• Perform related duties as required.

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and / or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the assigned duties.

Knowledge of :

Ability to :

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be :

Education / Training : Equivalent to two years of college level course work in business administration or a related field.

Experience : Two years of responsible clerical purchasing experience, preferably within a public agency.