Strategic Sourcing Agent

About the role

Oakland County is seeking a Strategic Sourcing Agent to join our Purchasing team. This role involves leading complex and high-value construction bids and formal solicitations, ensuring adherence to procurement policies, and representing Oakland County at procurement events.

Responsibilities

• Lead construction bids and complex, high-dollar solicitations, including services in technical areas such as engineering, financial services, and information technology.
• Determine bonding requirements and oversee formal bids valued at $1M and above in accordance with County policies and procedures.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to departments by guiding procurement methods, establishing evaluation criteria and pricing matrices, and verifying sourcing strategies with Fiscal Services.
• Ensure adherence to Board-approved procurement policies, fair business practices, and the integrity of all public bid events.
• Maintain the integrity of the solicitation process by coordinating all communications between the vendor community and the County.
• Respond to bidders and departmental questions during the solicitation and evaluation and selection process.
• Coordinate and oversee the creation, revision and review of complex scopes of work.
• Determine additional information needed to secure the best supplier submissions.
• Approve final scope prior to inclusion in the bid process.
• Proactively engage 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 engage with Information Technology to determine the necessary questionnaires and review needed based on scope of work.
• Coordinate and lead 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.
• Attend site visits for solicitations as well as e-mail and phone exchanges regarding these issues.
• Schedule vendor contacts for product demonstrations and obtain information for County departments.
• Manage the evaluation process including development of the scoring matrixes, analyzing complex bids, complex financial information contained in bids, contract and budgets, and investigating the background of proposing vendors, checking references before the formation of a contract, and potentially reviewing information to determine vendor’s financial stability.
• Guide and negotiate contract scope and pricing, including organizing, reviewing, and recommending strategies to the negotiation team.
• Develop and distribute final contract documents for approval by supplier, management, and administration.
• Conduct public bid openings for sealed bids and obtain bids on specific items electronically.
• Ensure a complete file of all solicitation documentation utilizing adopted procurement processes, anticipating potential areas of concern, and acting independently to prevent and/or resolve protests.
• Keep management apprised of all situations and escalate as needed.
• Address supplier/contract disputes related to contractual verbiage or determining the validity of vendor invoices as it relates to contract language.
• Investigate the dispute, verify facts, and formulate 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.
• Maintain the Contract Portfolio Reports and proactively contact users and department heads regarding the continued need for the contract or to initiate re-bidding, consolidation, etc.
• Utilize current countywide and/or department specific software to complete assignments.
• Affords assistance 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.

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.
• Considerable knowledge of purchasing practices and policies, and of laws and regulations governing public procurement.
• Considerable ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with vendors, salespersons, County officials, employees, and the public.
• Considerable knowledge of government structure and budgeting and its relation to procurement as well as the ability to advise end users of this process.
• Considerable ability to summarize and prepare reports on various procurement projects.
• Considerable ability to identify concerns and make independent work decisions in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, and departmental policies.
• Reasonable ability to understand and follow complex oral and written instructions.
• Reasonable ability to make arithmetical computations with speed and accuracy and keep simple account books.
• Reasonable ability to utilize current word processing, spreadsheet, database, e-mail, and Internet software.

Skills

• Strategic thinking
• Sound judgment
• Procurement expertise
• Leadership and guidance
• Vendor outreach and procurement events
• Fair and transparent procurement practices
• Collaboration with departments and leadership
• Market research on products and services
• Development and writing of purchasing policies
• Professional development through conferences and trade shows
• Engagement with minority and small businesses

Benefits

As a Strategic Sourcing Agent at Oakland County, you will enjoy competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and the opportunity to do meaningful work that matters. For more information about Oakland County benefits and employee perks, please visit: https://www.oakgov.com/government/human-resources/benefits/new-hire

Pay

$77,840 - $104,290

Schedule

Hybrid