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Procurement Analyst Assistant

Category: Classified/Excluded
Pay Grade: C21
Job Code: 08456

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.

JOB SUMMARY

This is technical and paraprofessional level work preparing and processing, orders, and requests for commonly purchased goods and services for Pinellas County.  Work includes the application of office business technology to receive assignments or process orders, track, and report on assignments.  The incumbent independently performs routine tasks, such as, responding to requests from associates, customers, salespersons, suppliers of commonly purchased good and services, expediting open and back orders, coordinating deliveries, and drafting of quotation specifications and scopes of work.  The incumbent may routinely be required to draft or assist in drafting specifications and scopes of work of greater complexity. The incumbent also assists customers and staff on ongoing administrative and technical support operations and tasks in completing research, providing information or coordinating non-routine more complex projects and assignments.  The incumbent maintains and discloses records, items purchased, costs, deliveries, product performance, and related financial information.  The incumbent operates equipment including automated business technology office applications and software to perform tasks, coordinate work, track assignments, document orders, deliveries, payments, prepare reports, coordinate with staff, and communicate with associates, customers or stakeholders. The position reports to a supervisor or designee.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS (examples, not all inclusive)

  • Purchases commodities, supplies, equipment and services for departments and user agencies below the bid threshold established by the Board of County Commissioners;
  • Maintains vendor contacts, assists requisitioning departments in the replacement of substandard materials or purchase order pricing errors and carries out follow up procedures to expedite or coordinate deliveries;
  • Monitors purchase contracts for price compliance, verifies monthly statements from vendors and checks for past due charges as requested by users and/or suppliers;
  • Initiates or assists more senior staff to evaluate suppliers based on price, quality, and delivery speed;
  • Analyze price proposals, financial reports, and other information to determine reasonableness of price;
  • Assists the organization in discussions with suppliers;
  • Research product market/services and determine proper procurement method specific to each requested purchase and provide procedural guidance to requesting departments for more complex and non-routine projects;
  • Communicates with staff and vendors to discuss defective or unacceptable goods or services and determine corrective action;
  • Monitor orders and deliveries to be sure that vendors and supplies comply with contract terms and conditions and to determine the need for change orders/amendments;
  • Process, maintain and review payments, history and records of items bought, costs, deliveries, product performance, and inventories;
  • Solicits and analyzes quotations for required materials and services to ensure compliance with established trade practices and governmental regulations;
  • Provides staff and technical support to higher level staff as necessary or requested;
  • Provides support to customers for the purpose of identifying and solving potential or actual problems concerning purchasing related matters;
  • Assists with formulating and drafting bid or purchasing specifications for a wide range of commodities and services;
  • Processes emergency purchases in any dollar amount;
  • Processes intergovernmental purchasing agreements in any dollar amount;
  • Prepares expired contracts for proper imaging and retention and enters information into Records Management System;
  • May perform business technology related duties including using available statistical packages or programs, encoding data, data entry and retrieval and routine computer terminal operations or programming and reprogramming;
  • Performs other related job duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

Two (2) years purchasing, procurement, and acquisition experience including purchasing related finance or  purchasing related accounting or inventory control or marketing of products or services experience; or an Associate’s degree in finance, accounting, business, information technology, public administration or a related field plus at least one or more employment experience for any minimum or longer length of time related to the above; or a Bachelor’s degree as described above; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience.

Special Qualifications (May be required depending on area of assignment):

  • Florida Driver’s License or Florida Commercial Driver’s License and endorsement, if any.
  • Assignment to work a variety of work schedules including compulsory work periods in special, emergency, and/or disaster situations.
  • Candidate to demonstrate more advanced proficiency, competency, and satisfactory completion of regularly assigned work in an independent manner. Appointing Authority retains discretion to employ an incumbent at this level or advance the incumbent non-competitively or competitively, after a candidate meets the minimum qualifications to an in-line career ladder position within the same organization or department.
  • Other highly desirable knowledge, skills, abilities, and credentials relevant to a position.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • Knowledge of purchasing, contract, and business practices and procedures;
  • Knowledge of the principles and practices of automated information systems and data processing principles, procedures, and equipment;
  • Knowledge of accounting principles as related to procurement;
  • Skill in customer service including demonstrated oral and written communication techniques, self-initiated follow-up, time management, and recordkeeping activities;
  • Ability to apply general office and procurement related computer applications and software;
  • Ability to analyze information data, make decisions, resolve problems, and develop reports;
  • Ability to maintain effective working relations with user agencies, businesses and vendors and communicate effectively, verbally and in writing;
  • Ability to accomplish heavy workloads and be flexible to meet unforeseen changes in deadlines, priorities, and requirements;
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective and cooperative working relationships with other departments, associates, employees, suppliers, and representatives from other public agencies;
  • Ability to work in high stress, time sensitive environment.

PHYSICAL/MENTAL DEMANDS

This work requires exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.  Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

  • Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
  • Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.
  • Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
  • Mental acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
  • Repetitive motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
  • Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
  • Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
  • Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work is typically performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to changing goals, priorities, and needs.