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Summary Job Description | Tasks | |||
Purchase machinery, equipment, tools, parts, supplies, or services necessary for the operation of an establishment. Purchase raw or semi-finished materials for manufacturing. | Purchase the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts. | |||
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Prepare purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and review requisitions for goods and services. | ||||
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Research and evaluate suppliers based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history. | ||||
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Analyze price proposals, financial reports, and other data and information to determine reasonable prices. | ||||
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Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations. | ||||
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Negotiate, renegotiate, and administer contracts with suppliers, vendors, and other representatives. | ||||
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Monitor shipments to ensure that goods come in on time and resolve problems related to undelivered goods. | ||||
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Confer with staff, users, and vendors to discuss defective or unacceptable goods or services and determine corrective action. | ||||
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Evaluate and monitor contract performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and to determine need for changes. | ||||
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Maintain and review computerized or manual records of items purchased, costs, deliveries, product performance, and inventories. | ||||
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Review catalogs, industry periodicals, directories, trade journals, and Internet sites and consult with other department personnel to locate necessary goods and services. | ||||
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Study sales records and inventory levels of current stock to develop strategic purchasing programs that facilitate employee access to supplies. | ||||
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Interview vendors and visit suppliers' plants and distribution centers to examine and learn about products, services, and prices. | ||||
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Arrange the payment of duty and freight charges. | ||||
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Hire, train, or supervise purchasing clerks, buyers, and expediters. | ||||
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Write and review product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased. | ||||
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Monitor changes affecting supply and demand, tracking market conditions, price trends, or futures markets. | ||||
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Formulate policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services. | ||||
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Attend meetings, trade shows, conferences, conventions, and seminars to network with people in other purchasing departments. | ||||
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CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale/Retail/Farm
The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.- Job Description
- Knowledges
- Skills
- Abilites
- Tools and Technology
- Education and Experience
- Alternate Job Titles
- Salaries
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Important Knowledge Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Mathematics | Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. | |||
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Clerical | Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology. | |||
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Administration and Management | Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. | |||
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Economics and Accounting | Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data. | |||
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Production and Processing | Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. | |||
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English Language | Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. | |||
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Computers and Electronics | Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. | |||
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Customer and Personal Service | Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. | |||
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Important Skill Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Speaking | Talking to others to convey information effectively. | |||
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Active Listening | Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. | |||
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Critical Thinking | Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. | |||
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Judgment and Decision Making | Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. | |||
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Reading Comprehension | Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. | |||
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Monitoring | Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. | |||
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Negotiation | Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences. | |||
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Active Learning | Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. | |||
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Complex Problem Solving | Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. | |||
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Management of Financial Resources | Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures. | |||
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Social Perceptiveness | Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. | |||
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Persuasion | Persuading others to change their minds or behavior. | |||
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Writing | Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. | |||
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Coordination | Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. | |||
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Time Management | Managing one's own time and the time of others. | |||
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Mathematics | Using mathematics to solve problems. | |||
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Systems Analysis | Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes. | |||
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Systems Evaluation | Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system. | |||
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Quality Control Analysis | Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. | |||
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Management of Personnel Resources | Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job. | |||
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Important Ability Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Oral Expression | The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |||
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Oral Comprehension | The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |||
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Inductive Reasoning | The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |||
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Written Comprehension | The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |||
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Problem Sensitivity | The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. | |||
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Deductive Reasoning | The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |||
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Speech Clarity | The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |||
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Speech Recognition | The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |||
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Written Expression | The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |||
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Near Vision | The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |||
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Information Ordering | The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | |||
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Mathematical Reasoning | The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. | |||
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Category Flexibility | The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. | |||
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Tools/Technology Example | Product Category | |||
Accounting software | Accounting software | |||
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Apple AppleWorks | Spreadsheet software | |||
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Assured Software JPP | Project management software | |||
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Business Objects Crystal Reports | Data base reporting software | |||
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CPR International GeneralCOST Estimator | Accounting software | |||
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CPR International Visual Estimator | Financial analysis software | |||
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Choice Job Cost | Accounting software | |||
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Construction Management Software ProEst | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Corel QuattroPro | Spreadsheet software | |||
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Cost accounting software | Accounting software | |||
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Cost estimation software | Financial analysis software | |||
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Data base reporting software | Data base reporting software | |||
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Dexter + Cheney Spectrum Construction Software | Project management software | |||
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Enterprise resource planning ERP system software | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | |||
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Financial analysis software | Financial analysis software | |||
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Galorath SEER-SEM | Project management software | |||
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IBM Costimater | Financial analysis software | |||
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IBM Lotus 1-2-3 | Spreadsheet software | |||
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Infor ERP SyteLine | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | |||
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Intuit QuickBooks software | Accounting software | |||
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Inventory management system software | Inventory management software | |||
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Microsoft Access | Data base user interface and query software | |||
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Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | |||
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Microsoft Great Plains software | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | |||
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Microsoft Office Visio | Charting software | |||
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Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | |||
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Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | |||
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Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | |||
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Microsoft Project | Project management software | |||
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Microsoft Word | Word processing software | |||
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National Job Cost software | Accounting software | |||
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QSM SLIM | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Resources Calculations Incorporated SoftCost | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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SAP software | Enterprise resource planning ERP software | |||
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Sage Master Builder | Project management software | |||
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Softstar Costar COCOMO II | Financial analysis software | |||
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Software AG software | Data base reporting software | |||
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Web browser software | Internet browser software | |||
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WinEstimator WinEst | Analytical or scientific software | |||
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Xactware Xactimate | Project management software | |||
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10-key calculators | Calculators or accessories | |||
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Adding machines | Adding machines | |||
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Desktop computers | Desktop computers | |||
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Fax machines | Facsimile machines | |||
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Laptop computers | Notebook computers | |||
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Multi-line telephone systems | Special purpose telephones | |||
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Personal computers | Personal computers | |||
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Personal digital assistants PDA | Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers | |||
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Photocopying equipment | Photocopiers | |||
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Scanners | Scanners | |||
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Tablet computers | Tablet computers | |||
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Prerequisite Qualification Category | Education and Experience Level | |||
On-the-Job Training | Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months | |||
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Required Level of Education | Some College Courses | |||
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Required Level of Education | Bachelor's Degree | |||
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On-the-Job Training | Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months | |||
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Alternate Job Title(s) | |||
Area Field Person | |||
Area Field Worker | |||
Buyer | |||
Contract Analyst | |||
Contract Specialist | |||
Contractor Buyer | |||
Contracts Administrator | |||
Contracts Manager | |||
Equipment, Supplies, and Tools Purchasing Agent | |||
Food Broker | |||
Fuel Agent | |||
Fuel Buyer | |||
General Purchasing Agent | |||
Import Coordinator | |||
Jobber | |||
Journeyman | |||
Leaser | |||
Log Buyer | |||
Lumber Buyer | |||
Media Buyer | |||
Merchandiser | |||
Ore Buyer | |||
Outside Property Agent | |||
Piece Jobber | |||
Plant Buyer | |||
Price Analyst | |||
Print Buyer | |||
Procurement Agent | |||
Procurement Engineer | |||
Procurement Specialist | |||
Pulpwood Buyer | |||
Pulpwood Contractor | |||
Purchaser | |||
Purchasing Agent | |||
Purchasing Assistant | |||
Purchasing Coordinator | |||
Purchasing Manager | |||
Purchasing Specialist | |||
Radio Time Buyer | |||
Railroad Purchasing Agent | |||
Subcontract Administrator | |||
Timber Buyer | |||
Tools, Supplies, and Equipment Purchasing Agent | |||
Traveling Buyer | |||
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