State of Connecticut Executive Branch

In the Department of Administrative Services this class is accountable for supervising Contract Specialists and Analysts engaged in the procurement of commodities and/or services for statewide use with a major focus on contract preparation, negotiation and contract management as well as customer service outreach and development.

This class is reserved for those supervising teams having statewide responsibility (all state agencies, municipalities and boards of education), team accountability of over $75 million and independent signatory authority up to $1 million.

Receives general direction from a Manager of Procurement Programs and Services or the Director of Procurement Programs and Services.

• Schedules, assigns, oversees and reviews work of teams;
• Supervises day-to-day team activities;
• Provides staff training and assistance;
• Conducts or assists in conducting performance evaluations;
• Reviews team workloads, determines priorities and plans team work to ensure all customer needs are met;
• Establishes and maintains procedures;
• Develops or makes recommendations on development of policies and standards;
• Acts as liaison with other operating units, agencies and outside officials regarding policies and procedures;
• Prepares reports and correspondence;
• Participates on business planning and performance review teams to ensure success of teams, division and department;
• Measures team performance against business plan;
• Focuses on complex procurement strategy including such areas as:

• Identifies customer strategic business direction and its impact on customers procurement needs;
• Develops related procurement strategy to assure customer needs and expectations are met;
• Analyzes current business and economic trends and emerging technologies and evaluates their applicability to procurement strategy;
• Evaluates potential for multi-state cooperative procurement agreements and/or Connecticut state and subdivision cooperative purchase agreements and establishes plans and strategy for creating such contracts.

• In addition to the advanced technical expertise of the commodities directly assigned, the team leader must also possess a working knowledge of the commodities assigned to team members.

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

• Considerable knowledge of
  • relevant agency policies and procedures;
  • relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations;
  • procurement practices and procedures;
  • business law and its applicability to procurement, contracting and sales;
  • principles and techniques of customer service delivery;
• Knowledge of and ability to utilize available technology;
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills;
  • problem solving skills;
  • negotiation skills;
  • marketing skills;
• Ability to lead a team.

Eight (8) years of experience in procurement work with emphasis on contract negotiation and customer service delivery.

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

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

• 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.

This replaces the existing specification for the class of Contract Team Leader in Salary Group AR 30 approved effective March 07, 2014. (Reviewed for content, revised to modernize format and add an Acknowledgement section) Final No. 23-308