Procurement Specialist Job Description

Salary Range

$60,800 - $100,820

Experience

1 to 5 years

Work Environment

Purchasing office

What Does a Procurement Specialist Do?

For departments, auditors and taxpayers, procurement specialists ensure the fairness of every purchase an organization makes, from lab gloves to building contracts. They make sure that bidding rules are followed, and that vendors are chosen, contracted and paid on time. Many work in public universities, hospitals and government agencies, where formal competition is required above set dollar limits.

Also known as: Procurement Officer, Senior Procurement Specialist

Other Job Titles for This Work

Workers in this occupation report titles such as Buyer, Contract Administrator (Contract Admin), Procurement and Contracting Administrator (Procurement and Contracting Admin), Procurement and Contracting Buyer, Procurement Official, Purchasing Administrator (Purchasing Admin), Purchasing Agent, Purchasing and Contracts Coordinator.

Procurement Specialist Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a procurement specialist include:

• Review purchase requests for budget approval, correct specifications and the right buying method.
• Write and issue requests for quotes, bids and proposals, and answer vendor questions.
• Evaluate bids with department committees, scoring price, quality and delivery terms.
• Negotiate price, delivery and warranty terms with the winning vendor before an award is signed.
• Issue purchase orders in the procurement system and follow up on late deliveries.
• Check vendors for insurance, tax forms and exclusion from federal contracting.
• Keep bid files complete so every award can survive an audit or protest.
• Manage cooperative and state contracts that let departments buy without a new bid.
• Train department staff on purchasing card rules and buying policies.
• Track spending by vendor and category to find savings and consolidate contracts.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a procurement specialist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Public procurement rules and bid procedures
• Contract drafting and negotiation
• Procurement software such as Jaggaer or SAP Ariba
• Spend analysis in Excel
• Vendor research and evaluation
• Clear writing of specifications and solicitations
• Impartiality and discretion
• Patience with urgent department requests

Education and Training

In addition to a bachelor's degree in business, supply chain management or finance, most employers want some purchasing experience, and many specialists start out processing purchase orders as buyers' assistants. New hires usually spend several months learning the organization's buying rules on the job.

Salary and Job Outlook

According to BLS, employment of buyers and purchasing agents is projected to grow about 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 47,200 openings a year. Public-sector posts tend to be steady, given that universities and agencies must buy through formal competition. Bid and contract experience counts for a lot.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Buyers and purchasing agents.

Procurement Specialist Pay Range

Highest-Paying States for Procurement Specialists

The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are District of Columbia ($124,090), New Jersey ($93,250), Maryland ($90,900), Virginia ($89,210), Rhode Island ($86,240). Pay is lowest in Vermont ($65,330), Kentucky ($65,240), Montana ($62,850).

What the Work Is Like

O*NET surveys people who work as purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:

• 100% use email every day
• 95% are on the phone every day
• 90% spend more than half the workday sitting
• 89% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
• 85% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
• 79% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
• 50% usually work more than 40 hours a week

Education Workers Say the Job Needs

Tools and Software Procurement Specialists Use

Tools and equipment

• 10-key calculators
• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• Laser facsimile machines
• Multi-line telephone systems
• Personal computers
• Personal digital assistants PDA
• Photocopying equipment
• Scanners
• Tablet computers

Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Microsoft Word
• SAP software
• Adobe Acrobat
• Google Docs
• Intuit QuickBooks
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Project

Is This Job a Good Fit for You?

People who do well in this job tend to enjoy organized work with data, records and clear procedures as well as leading, persuading and making business decisions.

Skills O*NET rates most important: Negotiation, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Complex Problem Solving.

Knowledge areas used most: English Language, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Administrative.

Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4 of 5, which means considerable preparation.

Related Careers

These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:

• Contract Specialist job description
• Procurement Assistant job description
• Purchasing Manager job description
• Buyer job description
• Logistics Coordinator job description
• Supply Chain Manager job description
• Business Development Manager job description
• Sales Manager job description

Applying for a Procurement Specialist Job

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