Sourcing Agent Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

May provide leadership through demonstrating skills, observing, assisting and instructing lower level or newly assigned Procurement staff.

Responsible for construction bids and construction related contracting including determining bonding requirements for solicitations valued at $1M and above, and formal bids for difficult and complex services for the County, including but not limited to highly technical areas such as engineering services, high dollar financial services, and information technology services.

Functions as an advisor to departments on fair processes, procurement protocols, policies and procedures, and determines the best possible strategic sourcing methods, verifying those sources with Fiscal Services. Ensures departmental adherence to Board-approved procurement policies and fair business practices, as well as the integrity of all public bid events.

Maintains the integrity of the solicitation process by coordinating all communications between the vendor community and the County. Responds to bidders and departmental questions during the solicitation and the evaluation and selection process.

Coordinates and oversees the creation, revision and review of complex scopes of work. Determines additional information needed to secure the best supplier submissions. Approves final scope prior to inclusion in the bid process.

Proactively engages with Corporation Counsel and Risk Management to determine the appropriate contract type to ensure that the correct insurance requirements are established for solicitations and contracts, to minimize the County's risk.

Proactively engages with Information Technology to determine the necessary questionnaires and review needed based on scope of work.

Coordinates and leads all procurement meetings related to highly complex contracts, including pre-bid meetings, evaluation and selection meetings, pre-award meetings, negotiation related meetings, supplier interviews, and bidder debriefing meetings to explain the evaluation and scoring process to help vendors better understand the evaluation process. Attends site visits for solicitations as well as e-mail and phone exchanges regarding these issues. Schedules vendor contacts for product demonstration and obtains information for County departments.

Manages the evaluation process including development of the scoring matrixes, analyzing complex bids, complex financial information contained in bids, contract and budgets, and investigates the background of proposing vendors, checking references before the formation of a contract, and potentially reviewing information to determine vendor's financial stability.

Guides and negotiates contract scope and pricing, including organizing, reviewing, and recommending strategies to the negotiation team. Develops and distributes final contract documents for approval by supplier, management, and administration.

Conducts public bid openings for sealed bids and obtains bids on specific items electronically.

Ensures a complete file of all solicitation documentation utilizing adopted procurement processes, anticipates potential areas of concern, and acts independently to prevent and/or resolve protests. Keeps management apprised of all situations and escalates as needed.

Addresses supplier/contract disputes related to contractual verbiage or determining the validity of vendor invoices as it relates to contract language. Investigates the dispute, verifies facts, and formulates resolutions in the County's best interest and in fairness to the vendor community including but limited to negotiating price changes requested by the contractor.

Maintains the Contract Portfolio Reports and proactively contacts users and department heads regarding the continued need for the contract or to initiate re-bidding, consolidation, etc.

Utilizes current countywide and/or department specific software to complete assignments.

Assists in the selection, testing and implementation of new procurement specific systems. Provides training to division and countywide end users.

Reviews blanket orders and contracts and makes recommendations for contract consolidation and/or inclusion in cooperative purchasing program.

Participates in establishing and maintaining Key Performance Indicators for the division.

Conducts market research on various products and services to stay abreast of new trends and technologies. Assists in the development and writing of Countywide purchasing policies.

Maintains memberships with professional purchasing organizations such as the Michigan Professional Purchasing Officers Association (MPPOA) and attends conferences and trade shows as required for professional development.

Participates and contributes to vendor outreach programs for minority and small businesses.

Ability to communicate to accurately convey information with tact and diplomacy.

Work is performed in a typical office environment.

May be required to travel to other locations during the course of work.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The primary purpose of this job description is to set a fair and equitable salary range for this job classification. Generally, only those key duties necessary for proper job evaluation and/or labor market analysis have been included. Other duties and responsibilities will be assigned by the supervisor.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Have a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a preferred major in business administration, Supply Chain Management, public administration, or closely related field of study.

Have at least six (6) years of full-time work experience in a purchasing department.