Procurement Specialist

Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium•Burlington, VT

25d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Procurement Specialist oversees strategic sourcing initiatives and supplier relationship management for member institutions. This role is responsible for evaluating vendor partnerships, negotiating high-value contracts, and optimizing procurement processes to drive cost efficiencies while maintaining the highest standards of quality and regulatory compliance.

Requirements

Microsoft Office: Word, Access, Excel, and PowerPoint
Purchasing software
Supplier registration, sourcing of products, and contracting with suppliers
Management of requisitions and purchase orders
Identify creative opportunities for collaboration
Strong verbal and written communication skills are required
Manage multiple projects at a time with the ability to plan, delegate and evaluate progress toward goals, with transparency. Organize and prioritize work, take initiative, resolve problems, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
Strong negotiation skills are required. Must have a basic understanding or contract terminology, price points and be able to negotiate effectively. Be hungry for a bargain
Strong problem-solving skills
Meet deadlines for daily, weekly, annual, and project workload goals
Customer service oriented
Build strong, positive relationships with external and internal contacts
Manage financial data accurately
Maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive information with tact and discretion
Independently achieve results and self-direct work responsibly
Be ready, willing and able to support a leading edge, creative team that is highly focused on success for our college partners
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience is required
5-7 years of procurement experience is required

Responsibilities

Identifies potential contract opportunities and reaches out to vendors and works with college staff, when appropriate, to plan negotiations
Researches and evaluates suppliers based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history
Formulates policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services, ensuring compliance with applicable state laws and regulations along with other company policies
Works with stakeholders to implement purchasing policies and procedures
Sets up negotiation documents, collaboration teams, scoring mechanisms in system, reviews proposals and makes recommendation to collaboration teams
Evaluates and monitors contract performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and to determine need for changes
Negotiates, and administers contracts with suppliers, vendors, and other representatives
Analyzes price proposals, financial reports, and other data and information to determine reasonable prices
Creates and manages consortium supplier agreements through their life cycle
Monitors requisition and purchase order approval workflow and works with users when problems arise
Prepares purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and reviews requisitions for goods and services
Authors and maintains consortium procurement contracts
Purchases the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts.
Writes and reviews product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased
Applies for and maintains Sales & Use, Rooms & Meals, and Alcohol state tax exemptions for GMHEC and member colleges
Reports on savings, risks, and upcoming opportunities on a quarterly basis to member colleges
Creates training videos and uses existing training material to train new and existing users in the procurement process at the colleges
Supports creation and administration of the procurement budget
Registers new suppliers needed for purchasing
Reviews and sets up supplier profiles to be ready for spend transactions
Maintains existing suppliers
Ensures current W-9 information is required and submitted by suppliers
Ensures, where needed, current Certificates of Insurance (COI) are submitted by suppliers
Ensures, where needed, Contractor certificates are submitted by suppliers
Act as main contact or contract administrator for specified vendors
Sets up and maintains local, punch-out and informational catalogues in procurement system
Creates and maintains content zones per college and / or category of products
Creates and maintains smart forms for goods-based, or fixed price services-based request types
Works with suppliers, manages changes, links contract purchase agreements and categories to all of the above
Creates training videos and uses existing training material to train new and existing users