Profession ICT buyer

ICT buyers create and place purchase orders for ICT products and services, handle receiving and invoice issues, assess current procurement practices and effectively apply strategic sourcing methodologies. They build relationships with strategic vendors and negotiate price, quality, service levels and delivery terms.

Personality Type

• Enterprising / Conventional
• Conventional / Enterprising

Knowledge

• Product comprehension

  The offered products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.

• Manufacturer's recommended price

  The estimated price the manufacturer suggests the retailer to apply to a product or service and the pricing method through which it is calculated.

• Contract law

  The field of legal principles that govern written agreements between parties concerning the exchange of goods or services, including contractual obligations and termination.

• Electronic communication

  Data communication performed through digital means such as computers, telephone or e-mail.

Skills

• Coordinate purchasing activities

  Coordinate and manage procurement and renting processes including purchasing, renting, planning, tracking and reporting in a cost efficient way on an organisational level.

• Analyse supply chain strategies

  Examine an organisation's planning details of production, their expected output units, quality, quantity, cost, time available and labour requirements. Provide suggestions in order to improve products, service quality and reduce costs.

• Negotiate buying conditions

  Negotiate terms such as price, quantity, quality, and delivery terms with vendors and suppliers in order to ensure the most beneficial buying conditions.

• Manage contracts

  Negotiate the terms, conditions, costs and other specifications of a contract while making sure they comply with legal requirements and are legally enforceable. Oversee the execution of the contract, agree on and document any changes.

• Prepare purchasing reportings

  Prepare documentation and files related to product purchases.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

• Maintain relationship with customers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.

• Maintain relationship with suppliers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.

• Track price trends

  Monitor the direction and momentum of the product prices on a long-term basis, identify and predict the movement of prices as well as identify the recurring trends.

• Maintain contract administration

  Keep contracts up to date and organise them according to a classification system for future consultation.

• Issue purchase orders

  Produce and review the documents needed to authorise shipment of a product from the supplier at a specified price and within specific terms.

• Carry out internet research

  Execute efficient search on the internet in order to gather relevant information and share it with others.

• Apply procurement

  Undertake ordering of services, equipment, goods or ingredients, compare costs and check the quality to ensure optimal payoff for the organisation.

• Carry out tendering

  Place the request for a quotation to the organisation requesting a tender, then perform the work or supply the goods agreed with them during the tendering process.

• Compare contractors' bids

  Compare proposals to award a contract in order to execute specified jobs within a prescribed frame of time.

• Identify suppliers

  Determine potential suppliers for further negotiation. Take into consideration aspects such as product quality, sustainability, local sourcing, seasonality and coverage of the area. Evaluate the likelihood of obtaining beneficial contracts and agreements with them.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB