Purchasing and Contracting Specialist

Ramsey County•(Ramsey County Government Center) Saint Paul, MN

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Purchasing and Contracting Division is made up of two teams: the Purchasing and Contracting Expert (PaCE) team and the Purchasing and Contracting Administration (PCAT) team. The PaCE team works with departments to complete purchase intakes, finalize and publish solicitations, facilitate pre-solicitation conferences, manage the solicitation evaluation process, and create contracts. They also issue amendments for contract renewals and other changes. The PCAT team oversees executed contracts, ensuring contractor performance, compliance, and maintaining files. This vacancy is on the PaCE Team. The role is responsible for county-wide purchasing and contracting functions, including intake, competitive solicitation, and contract creation for a variety of supplies, equipment, materials, labor services, and professional and expenditure grant services. This position ensures compliance with federal regulations, state statutes, county administrative code, policies, procedures, and budget. It also involves analyzing contractor performance for compliance and corrective action. This is an entry-level position that could reside on either the Purchasing and Contracting Expert or Contract Administration team, providing support to Senior and Principal Purchasing and Contracting Specialists. The position is designated as 'flex work eligible', allowing for a full-time in-office option or a flex schedule with at least two days per week in the office and other days remote. However, the position carries on-site responsibilities and requires schedule flexibility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Business Management, Accounting or closely related field.
None. (Substitution: Equivalent combination of education and related experience.)

Responsibilities

Communicate procurement federal regulations, state statutes, county policies and procedures, and State of Minnesota Auditor’s reports.
Conduct competitive solicitations, assist with the intake process, analyze the marketplace, develop comprehensive solicitations including writing the scope or specifications, develop appropriate evaluation and pricing matrices, advertise and release solicitations, conduct pre-solicitation response conferences and solicitation openings, analyze solicitation responses for conformance with requirements, compliance, established intent and reasonableness, and allow ability of fiscal costs, and service delivery methodologies; develop quote/bid tabs, direct department representatives regarding response evaluation, manage the solicitation award process; attest that the direct purchase or competitive solicitation is in compliance with all county policies and procedures, federal regulations, and state statutes.
Conduct contract preparation for supplies, equipment, materials, labor services and professional and expenditure grant services: contract creation that is in compliance with the direct purchase or competitive solicitation and awarded contractor’s response; obtain necessary contract documents, such as bonds and insurance requirements, and validate the accuracy and compliance of documents; attest that the contract is in compliance with all county policies and procedures, federal regulations, and state statutes.
Maintain official purchasing and contracting files which are subject to state audit and public data practices requests; assist in answering questions from auditors related to procurements for which they are responsible; draft correspondence, such as responses to public data practices requests from the public and other county employees.
Recommend changes and/or improvements to purchasing and contracting policies and procedures, templates and forms, solicitation and contract language.
Conduct contract administration.
Assist in problem resolution between departments and contractors related to performance issues, warranty, pricing, quality, non-compliance with contract requirements, or any other solicitation or contract related issue; administer contract price changes, alterations, terminations, extensions and renewals, negotiations, and amendments in accordance with contract provisions.
Proactively review department contract usage, purchasing and contracting needs, and marketplace availability to develop direct purchase or competitive solicitations and resulting contracts or contract renewals that support continuation of business needs; conduct cost benefit analysis, life cycle costing, and commodity standardization studies; evaluate and recommend ways to leverage purchasing and contracting county-wide.
Coordinate intergovernmental agency cooperative purchasing solicitations and contracts; analyze existing and new procurement master contracts in order to purchase off other federal, state, and cooperative contracts.
Engages with community as needed throughout the purchasing and contracting process.