Procurement Specialist

About the role

The Procurement Excellence Office is a newly established function at Clayco, and this role is a foundational position within it. The primary focus is subcontract procurement: bidding, leveling, awarding, and administering the trade labor agreements that drive project cost and schedule performance. Materials and equipment purchasing is a secondary, supporting function.

This is a primarily office-based position. The distinguishing qualification is the combination of field knowledge and commercial aptitude. Candidates with a background in field engineering or project engineering bring an understanding of how subcontractors operate, where scope gaps create cost exposure, and how trade sequencing affects a bid. This role does not own scope writing; it contributes field experience and lessons learned to strengthen bid packages, improve bid leveling accuracy, and inform award decisions.

Responsibilities

• Subcontract Bidding and Award
• Review bid packages using field experience to identify scope gaps, misalignments, and execution risks prior to release
• Contribute lessons learned and firsthand construction knowledge to improve scope coverage and bid package quality
• Build and manage bidder pools; coordinate prequalification, vendor outreach, and RFI responses using BuildingConnected
• Perform bid leveling and gap analysis; evaluate submitted bids against the package and document scope variances
• Prepare award recommendations supported by commercial data and field-informed analysis
• Support subcontract negotiations by contributing cost context and construction perspective
• Subcontract Administration
• Assemble and execute subcontract packages including scope, exhibits, flowdowns, insurance, and compliance requirements
• Track post-execution deliverables and hold subcontractors to their commitments professionally and consistently
• Support change management by documenting scope events, gathering pricing, and assessing legitimacy before escalation
• Maintain accurate records of commercial deviations, redlines, and resolutions
• Assist with payment application review; verify amounts billed against the schedule of values
• Cost and Budget Support
• Maintain WBS-format bid comparisons; track awarded values against the project budget and flag exposure proactively
• Build basis-of-cost documentation: unit rates, allowances, exclusions, and negotiated value rationale
• Assist with change event cost assessments and distinguish legitimate scope additions from commercial claims
• Field and Preconstruction Collaboration
• Participate in constructability reviews and preconstruction meetings as an active contributor
• Share field-based lessons learned to inform bid package development and improve trade coordination outcomes
• Support Estimating-to-Operations handoffs by identifying assumptions that may not align with field execution
• Collaborate with project managers and superintendents to surface subcontract issues before they affect field performance

Requirements

• The strongest candidates will have a background in field engineering, project engineering, or construction management and are ready to transition into an office-based procurement role.
• Construction experience and commercial aptitude are the primary qualifications.
• Formal procurement experience is a plus but is not required.
• 3 to 6 years of experience in field engineering, project engineering, construction management, or estimating on commercial, industrial, or mission-critical projects
• Hands-on experience managing or coordinating subcontractors in the field
• Exposure to scope development, bid packages, or subcontract documents
• Working knowledge of contract structure: scope of work, flowdown clauses, insurance requirements
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel; familiarity with BuildingConnected, Procore, or equivalent platforms is a plus
• Strong written communication and attention to detail