Obtaining a position as Procurement and Contracts Officer

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The Position of Procurement and Contracts Officer is a step higher than the responsibilities of a procurement clerk or specialist. The Procurement Office does oversee procurement activities but in addition, he/she is employed by government or organizations dealing in large amounts of spending. The larger the amount, the more the company will enter into contracts for the proper specification of supplies and most accurate delivery and prices. It has more of legal structure than a simple purchase order. This requires the Officer to be familiar with the legal issues and contracts of purchasing. This position can offer between $60,000 to over $100,000 annually with extremely good benefits.

The Procurement officer enters into agreement contracts with vendors and then he/she must oversee that contract specifics are meet according to arrangements. This is an important job with billions of dollars being spent by the US government to put an infrastructure program into place. In the past there has been over charging, bad work or products and slow delivery on contracts with the US government. The problem was figured out and much of the correction of the problem fell on the employees who documented and tracked the spending. There are often special records that must be kept by the vendors who are awarded the contracts for large purchases in the course of their performance for government contract jobs. It' the same on the government's side. They must have good procurement and Contract Officers to deal with contractors and must verify the spending, quality and timeliness of the contracts awarded.

The concern for better tracking came to government awareness during the Iraq war where many war profiteers were making money by overcharging the government for services and supplies without any pressure to abide by any laws or regulations if contracted by the government. Just recently policies and procedures have been established by the Pentagon and now both sides, the government who issues the contracts and suppliers who win the contracts have strict responsibility for overseeing these large amounts of money being charged and spent.



The government now has some specific requirements for people who work in Procurement.

Certifications are required. Here is a short review of governmental requirements of the Procurement Officer and his/her representatives in the geological field of procurement.

''A. Contracting Officer is an employee who has been issued a warrant to enter into contracts and purchase orders leading to the expenditure of public funds as an agent of the U.S. Government, under delegation procedures of Survey Manual Chapter 205.4.
B. Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). An employee delegated limited authority by a Contracting Officer to perform specific, contract management duties related to technical oversight during the performance period of a contract.
D. Contracting Officers shall prepare COR appointment letters that (1) establish the scope and limits of the COR's authority, (2) appoint only employees included in the list of certified COR's, and (3) are tailored to list specific tasks or areas requiring attention/action by the COR according to the nature and complexity of the subject contract.''

These requirements list the responsibilities of the Contracting officer to verify his/her representatives are being certified.

Resources: 'OPR: Admin/Procurement', OFPP Policy Letter No. 92-3 dated June 24, 1992, subject: Procurement

Professionalism Program Policy

To get a full understanding of the whole procurement department, one must be aware of the process for orders which are determined by purchasing who is watching inventory levels and can predict when levels are low and should be restocked. The Officer might not be doing this function but the Procurement Office is responsible to oversee it because mismanagement problems will fall to the Officer's charge.

The ordering process continues with the establishment of the best contractor or a vendor to supply the company’s needs with good terms and pricing. Once the request is in writing noting all the terms of the contract, it is the procurement department which must oversee that the quantities and quality of the work is purchased is per contract. If there are any discrepancies it is the job of the Procurement and Contracts Officer to oversee any issues that are corrected per contract. If the budget isn't working for some department in the organization it must be quickly observed and reported by the Officer that there are some issues in budgeting. It's a huge job and the Officer must oversee the company's spending. There are often bonuses for the procurement staff, including the Officer, for good stewardship of company spending.

Here are some advertisements for Procurement and Contract Officers. Reviewing these ads are always helpful in understanding exactly what requirements are currently being requested in the market and if the duties are in line with procurement positions. Is more being requested of the Officer and how does the salary line up with the additional experience or education expected?

Description of Responsibilities of:
Procurement and Contracting Officer, P-4/P-5

'The Procurement and Contracting Officer will primarily be responsible for the management of all procurement and contracting activities implemented. The incumbent will be responsible for the following activities:
  • Provide effective leadership and ensure the success of the overall procurement activities, while ensuring efficient utilization of resources.
  • Prepare a comprehensive procurement plan taking into account strict adherence to deadlines, priorities, availability of financial resources, operational feasibility, procurement modalities, alternative scenarios, etc;
  • Manage local and international procurement and contracting activities, including solicitation processes, evaluation, selection and contract issuance (i.e. direct contracting, open/limited competition, contract types, contract negotiation and management, shipping and insurance, etc);
  • Establish and maintain procurement and contracting systems and processes that ensure effective programmed ability to source and deliver quality goods and services (including personnel), prequalification of suppliers, standardization of equipment, simplification and grouping of procurement processes, etc;
  • Employ rigorous standards to ensure fairness, integrity, transparency, effective competition and the best value for money in procurement and contracting activities;
  • Ensure full compliance and application of standard procurement and contracting rules, procedures and best practices;
  • Prepare monthly reports on the status of the overall programmed procurement process;
  • Coordinate shipping and delivery arrangements of purchased goods and equipment. Liaise with clients to ensure quality control, specification conformity, volume assessment, monitoring and verification of deliveries;
  • Train and give advice to staff about procurement and contracts management
  • Provide inputs to the program formulation phases that ensure company's ability to deploy equipment, materials and personnel on time;
Competencies and Skills

Technical Expertise
  • University degree in Business Administration, Procurement, Economics, Finance or equivalent disciplines;
  • Minimum 7 to 10 years of progressive relevant experience in procurement and contracts management with solid administrative background, of which at least the last two years with
  • United Nations Procurement Department (UNPD);
  • Excellent knowledge of United Nations (UN) procurement and contracting rules, regulations, procedures and related documentation is a must;
  • Good knowledge of UNDP administrative and financial rules and procedures;
  • Previous experience and knowledge of regulations is a strong advantage;
  • Knowledge of local and European market conditions is desirable;
  • Proficiency in English.
  • Good knowledge of ATLAS system and MS Office software.''
This is a government position offered by the United Nations office of Procurement. That is why there is a requirement to have experience in the department. The Officers are being hired from within to ensure experience and knowledge of their procedures as exemplified by the software system Atlas used by the United Nations. This might not be a common system used outside the government or United Nations. The salary offered for this position at the time was over $80,000 per year.

Resources: 'Procurement and Contracting Officer (P4/P5)', United Nations, October 2006.
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