Entry Level Contract Specialist Jobs

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Join the State of Connecticut and take your next career step with confidence!

In the Department of Administrative Services this class is accountable for performing the most complex tasks as a contracting specialist in the procurement or administration of commodities, services or programs for statewide use with a major focus on contract preparation, negotiation and contract or project management as well as customer service outreach and development.

Performs a variety of specialized procurement duties in the following areas:

PRODUCT AND SERVICE SPECIFICATION DEVELOPMENT

• Creates product and/or service standards and contract specifications for statewide products and services using industry and market knowledge, customer information, needs and strategies and examination and knowledge of industry best practices and experiences;
• Prepares market analysis reports;
• Modifies state agency developed specifications to improve competitiveness and competition and assure fulfillment of customer requirements and expectations.

CONTRACTING-NEGOTIATIONS

• Analyzes and establishes pricing strategies resulting in most cost effective method of ownership in support of state’s business needs;
• Negotiates contract terms and conditions;
• Devises negotiating strategies with goals and alternate strategies;
• Analyzes technical data;
• Creates and designs complex term, master and prime vendor contracts requiring extensive customer and product knowledge and purchasing expertise (typically involving multiple product lines and commodities and very significant potential risk and exposure to the state);
• Oversees Request for Proposal bidding process for large scale, highly complex negotiations and/or contracts involving large quantities and/or dollars;
• Develops subjective evaluation and award criteria;
• Ensures contractor fitness through review of vendor qualifications, labor and legal status and company principals;
• Creates unique and precedent setting contract language and assists in setting legal standards for protection of State’s rights.

CONTRACTING-ADMINISTRATION

• Coordinates contract development for all assigned commodities;
• Seeks and incorporates customer feedback into contract design;
• Consolidates contracts within commodity groups;
• Assures a constant supply of goods and services;
• Coordinates bidding, evaluation and awarding of large-scale procurements with significant impact on state agencies;
• Coordinates vendor performance ensuring contractual compliance;
• Assures fully satisfactory vendor performance by measuring customer satisfaction;
• Develops and recommends remedial, probationary and disciplinary action;
• Leads complaint analysis review and evaluation;
• Educates customers and/or vendors on new and/or current purchasing procedures and guidelines;
• May lead multi-agency team activity involving product standards analysis and selection.

CONTRACTING-APPROVAL

• Delegated authority to approve contracts valued up to $1 million based on extensive knowledge of statutes, business law and contracting expertise.

CUSTOMER SERVICE DELIVERY

• Identifies and implements improvements to customer service;
• Ensures customer objectives are met or exceeded with highest quality service.

MARKETING

• Manages and promotes use of contracts to state agencies, municipalities, school systems and not-for-profit organizations;
• Develops and conducts presentations regarding procurement process, contract utilization and advantages to state agencies and political subdivisions;
• Promotes and develops use of small business Set Aside program to maximize opportunities for Connecticut small businesses in accordance with statutory requirements;
• Meets with customers to update them on emerging technologies and products and/or services affecting their businesses;
• Trains and advises customers on purchasing processes and procedures;
• Represents Procurement Services at National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) conferences, seminars and meetings;
• Conducts internal and/or external trend analysis and forecasting studies regarding new technologies and products and identifies vendors and/or manufacturers product and service direction and strategy;
• Identifies customer strategic and tactical business directions and influences business decisions;
• Markets vendor products and/or services and Procurement Services to state and/or municipal customer base and outside community.

PROJECTS

• Participates on or leads major internal and/or external project teams.

PROBLEM SOLVING

• Resolves difficult problems, providing solutions with minimal risk to state.

UTILIZATION OF TECHNOLOGY

• Identifies and/or develops system and/or process improvements within Procurement Services.
• Performs related duties as required.

• Considerable knowledge of
  • relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations;
  • procurement practices, procedures and supply chain management;
  • business law and its applicability to procurement, contracting and sales;
• Knowledge of
  • and ability to utilize available technology including EDP systems for financial records, reports and analyses;
  • principles and techniques of customer service delivery;
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills;
  • negotiation skills;
• Skills
  • problem solving skills;
  • marketing skills;
• Considerable ability to understand, analyze and evaluate financial records, methods and procedures including financial ratios and other mathematical formulas.

Seven (7) years of experience in procurement work with emphasis on contract negotiation or customer service delivery.

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been at the professional level.

NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Contract Analyst.

• College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor’s degree.
  
• A Master’s degree in a related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.