SENIOR PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST

Arlington Public Schools•Arlington, VA

5h•Onsite

About The Position

Human Resources announces an opening for the position of Senior Procurement Specialist. This is a full-time, in person, Grade E-9 position located in the Procurement Office.

Requirements

Have a bachelor’s degree in accounting, business or finance with major course work in purchasing, procurement, business or public administration from an accredited/approved university; or any equivalent combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skill, and ability.
A minimum of three (3) years’ experience, reflecting progressive responsibilities, in public procurement in Virginia is preferred. Experience in public procurement outside of Virginia and non-public procurement may be substituted providing the work was sufficiently complex.
Must have, or must be willing to obtain, professional procurement certification within two (2) years of employment.
Any combination of professional procurement certification and work experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with students, families, and staff from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Ability to perform technical research and prepare detailed reports, documents, and specifications. Analyze and evaluate detailed proposals and bid information and exercise independent judgment and sound reasoning.
Ability to recognize and define procurement and contracting problems and initiate appropriate remedial action.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with superiors, employees, contractors and vendors.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Possess effective communication skills to interact effectively

Responsibilities

Manages the competitive negotiation, Request for Proposal (RFP), process for goods, services, construction and insurance. Prepares RFP documentation. Provides guidance to the RFP committee to ensure the policies outlined in the Virginia Code are followed. Assists end user in developing the scope of work and evaluation criteria. Represents Procurement Office at pre-proposal conferences. Attends evaluation committee meetings and provides guidance on evaluation proposals. Oversees interviews with offerors. Negotiates price and terms and conditions of awarded contract. Prepares contract documentation.
Leading role in the competitive sealed bidding, Invitation to Bid (ITB), process for goods, services, construction, and insurance. Approves specification/scope of work. Represents Procurement Office at pre-bid conferences. Responsible for conducting bid opening. Prepares bid tabulation documentation for advertising bid results. Reviews end user’s contract award recommendation and prepares contract documentation.
Prepares Requests for Information (RFI) to assist end users develop a detailed scope of work where it is considered the proposed scope of work is not sufficiently mature to guarantee obtaining effective competition.
Evaluates options of procurement, such as purchasing off other Federal, State, cooperative and other publicly bid contracts, extending/negotiating existing contracts based on market conditions to determine which option is the most advantageous to APS.
Prepares and maintains accurate official records and documentation of all procurement actions.
Negotiates with contractors to improve services or resolve issues as they arise including delivery, warranty, pricing, etc.
Works directly with Financial Analysts to coordinate and ensure that procurement actions meet budgetary constraints, while providing solutions in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Responsible for negotiating and awarding contracts, and approving purchase orders, on behalf of the Department of Facilities and Operations. The contracts include, but are not limited to, the procurement of construction services on capital projects by design-bid-build and construction management at risk (CMR) delivery method. Contracts are also awarded for the provision of architectural and engineering (A&E) services and construction manager advisory (CMA) services to assist APS during the capital projects.
Reviews requisitions for accuracy, legality, conformity with current policies, procedures and correct prices.
Responsible for responding to protests and other vendor complaints orally and in writing.
Holds regular meetings with schools and departments to develop strategies for implementing the most effective procurement method for goods, services, construction and insurance required to satisfy their business needs.
Meets with vendors to maintain existing relationships and to evaluate new products.
Provides procurement guidance to the Procurement Specialist position on an as needed basis.
Performs other related duties as required.