Purchasing Agent-IT Contract specialist

Burnett Specialists; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Burnett Specialists seeks a Purchasing Agent-IT Contract Specialist in Houston to provide specialized IT procurement support across locations in line with policy and goals. Responsible for contracts, purchase orders, and outline agreements, using best sourcing practices to ensure value, quality, and delivery.

This role negotiates IT contracts, licenses, and master services agreements, coordinates with multiple stakeholders, maintains vendor relationships, and mitigates risk while ensuring IT

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree; three years of job related experience
• Six years in lieu of degree
• Negotiating skills; insurance/indemnification knowledge preferred
• Multi-tasking and communication skills
• Legal terms & conditions knowledge preferred
• Proficient with SAP (or similar ERP), MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• GEP SMART or similar e-procurement experience; Power BI

Responsibilities

• Review IT requisitions and process Purchase Orders in SAP to procure software, hardware, cloud services, and IT professional services.
• Establish secure sources for required materials and services; coordinate with Customers to evaluate supplier performance.
• Negotiate, execute and administer IT contracts, software licenses, SaaS and master service agreements.
• Coordinate with involved parties to ensure proper development and performance of all contracts.
• Maintain current vendor lists and use sourcing tools to establish IT contracts.
• Negotiate with vendors for price, delivery, and quality to establish contracts.
• Implement long-term agreements based on vendor quality and value; administer contracts through life cycle.
• Analyze market conditions and conduct value/quality analyses; identify strategic sourcing opportunities.
• Manage vendor base through market analysis; solicit bids and select vendors; support RFP/RFQ processes.
• Assist in developing specifications and evaluation matrices; resolve purchasing issues with internal/external customers.
• Support special projects and on-call procurement for customers and management.

Job description

Purchasing Agent-IT Contract Specialist- Houston

Provide specialized IT procurement support for all assigned locations in accordance with Company policies, procedures and goals. Responsible for the creation and maintenance of contracts (purchase orders & outline agreements). Utilize best-in-class strategic sourcing tools and techniques to identify, qualify, solicit, select and negotiate with vendors to obtain materials and services from vendors at the best value with consideration given to cost, safety, quality, reliability and delivery requirements per Customer’s need. Leverage best‑in‑class strategic sourcing methods to identify and qualify IT vendors, evaluate technical and commercial proposals, negotiate pricing and terms, and ensure compliance with IT security, data privacy, and legal standards. Maintain positive vendor relationships, support the onboarding of new IT suppliers, and ensure contracts deliver optimal value, performance, and risk mitigation for the company.

Responsibilities

Review Customers' IT requisitions and process Purchase Orders in SAP to procure software, hardware, cloud services, and IT professional services at the most favorable price consistent with requirements for quantity, quality, safety, and delivery to support the assigned Business Unit(s). Establish and maintain secure sources for required materials and services. Coordinate with Customers to jointly evaluate performance of existing suppliers and contractors and determine any need for alternates. Negotiate, execute and administer IT contracts, software licenses, SaaS agreements, and master service agreements. Coordinate as necessary activities of involved parties (Customers, vendors, contractors, Legal, Risk Management, Accounts Payable, etc.) to ensure proper development and performance of all contracts. Supports the maintenance of current vendor lists capable of supplying assigned commodities and services. Utilize sourcing tool to establish and maintain IT contracts (Outline Agreements) consistent with the requirements established by customers using specifications for products and/or scopes of work for services. Negotiate with qualified vendors for price, delivery and quality to establish contracts. Implement selective long term agreements based on vendor quality and value. Administer contracts throughout the life of the agreement including execution of change orders as needed, validating price/rate changes, monitoring KPIs, etc. Possess an understanding of market conditions and perform an in-depth value and quality analysis of each requirement. Identify opportunities for Strategic Sourcing. Utilizing available tools, analyze procurement patterns based on volume and cost to establish strategic contracts to provide overall cost benefits. Manage the vendor base by performing market analysis and research to evaluate and select new vendors. Perform all tasks associated with management of the vendor population, including but not limited to communication with new/potential vendors to discuss mutual interests and new opportunities. Actively participate in various vendor networking events. Using strategic sourcing tools, collaborate with the Customers to evaluate and select potential vendors through the pre-qualification and bidding process. Work with Optimization and Compliance to properly vet potential vendors and to monitor existing vendors to mitigate risks. Advise purchasing management and affected Customer groups of significant events affecting the normal supply of goods and services. Pursue innovations in procurement practices and department procedures that will improve effectiveness and produce cost savings. Using strategic sourcing tools, solicit formal and informal vendor bids for materials and services. Identify opportunities for subsequent rounds of bids, reverse auctions, and other value added sourcing techniques. Analyze proposals, negotiate, cost and terms & conditions to award the business fairly. Perform all steps necessary to prepare and release an RFP or RFQ. Assist user/requisitioner in developing specifications and/or requirements and pertinent, objective technical evaluation matrices. Resolve a variety of purchasing issues/problems for both internal and external customers (i.e., unblock invoices to secure payment for vendors, provide expediting services as necessary, disputes for \"out of scope\" changes, contractual performance issues, etc.). Support special projects in response to various customer and management requests for one‑of‑a‑kind projects. Provides Procurement on‑call support as necessary.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree; three years of job related experience Three years of job related experience or Six years in lieu of degree Negotiating Skills; Insurance/Indemnification Knowledge Preferred; Multi‑Tasking Skills; Legal Terms & Conditions Knowledge Preferred; Proficient Computer Skills: SAP (or similar ERP), MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint; and Communication Skills Preferred GEP SMART or similar e‑Procurement solution experience and Power BI

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