State of Maryland

A Buyer III, Purchasing Bureau Quality Assurance is the full performance level of technical proficiency in the field of professional governmental purchasing.  Employees in this classification are assigned to a purchasing team and are responsible for the purchase of the more complex and technical supplies, materials and equipment in a group of commodities for the use of State agencies.  Employees in this classification locate and determine the sources of supply for a variety of materials within an assigned commodity group.  Employees in this classification analyze bid documents, drawings and literature submitted by bidders in order to evaluate offerings for compliance with State specifications on commodities within the assigned group.  Employees in this classification must have expert knowledge of, and be able to apply, established competitive bid purchasing techniques and procedures.  Employees in this classification must be knowledgeable about trends, supply availability and changing market conditions of commodities within an assigned commodity group and be able to apply and instruct others in the application of that knowledge to procurement activities.  Employees in this classification have responsibility for the economical purchase of suitable products for State agencies; develop or modify complex and technical product specifications to meet specific needs of agencies; provide technical advice regarding specifications, standards, standard packaging product suitability; recommend alternatives of equal level to the using agencies.  Employees in this classification have the authority, as determined from time to time, to contract for assigned commodities at a specific dollar value.  Employees in this classification may supervise others on assigned projects and provide guidance to lower-level Buyers, Purchasing Bureau.

Employees in this classification receives general supervision from a Buyer IV, Purchasing Bureau and /or the Supervisor of the Purchasing Bureau.  Work effectiveness is determined by: review of quality of requests for quotations; degree of competition obtained; value of price offered in terms of functions to be performed; and frequency of controversy due to inadequate specifications.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Buyer I, Purchasing Bureau, Buyer II, Purchasing Bureau and Buyer III, Purchasing Bureau are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over the employees.  The Buyer I, Purchasing Bureau learns to perform duties under close supervision.  The Buyer II, Purchasing Bureau performs duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed.  The Buyer III, Purchasing Bureau performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision. The Buyer III, Purchasing Bureau is differentiated from the Buyer IV, Purchasing Bureau in that the Buyer IV, Purchasing Bureau has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Buyers, Purchasing Bureau.

Note:  In addition to the above duties, employees in this classification are responsible for formulating procedures and guidelines used in inspecting incoming deliveries and used in auditing agency records.  Employees in this classification are also be responsible for instructing receiving personnel in the agencies in regard to proper receiving procedures.  Employees in this classification are required to refuse   receipt of delivery of products that are substandard or inconsistent with contract specifications.  Employees in this are expected to recommend legal actions to be taken when criminal intent is suspected and to appear in court as expert witnesses.

Selects delivery points at various State agencies and institutions in order to physically inspect incoming materials at time of receipt;

Compares commodities received by agencies to purchase order specifications;

Periodically audits agency records to assure compliance with State requirements, laws, policies and procedures;

Develops and implements a program to ensure that materials, supplies and equipment purchased by the bureau will be systematically tested and inspected;

Determines items to be tested and arranges for their testing by selecting commercial or governmental laboratories to perform the work;

Determines adequacy of testing methods;

Reviews specifications to ensure that all items are specified in a manner that lends itself to adequate testing;

Reviews and analyzes requisitions;

Prepares complex product specifications and standards to achieve maximum competition and to effect fair and equitable awards;

Advises management of need for standardization of specific items and carries out standardization efforts;

Establishes and maintains essential records and files;

Establishes and maintains a list of active suppliers within an assigned commodity group and develops new sources of supplies;

Provides technical guidance to State agencies on special assignments;

Obtains bids and analyzes bid documents to make or recommend awards;

Keeps informed of the availability, quality, suitability and price of goods;

Studies market trends, keeps abreast of new products and technological changes and accordingly advises management;

Visits State agencies to acquire understanding of the needs for commodities and offers solutions or alternatives;

Advises State agencies on product suitability and availability;

Visits vendors to obtain new ideas and increased knowledge of commodities;

Prepares documentation and justification of bidding for audit purposes;

Assists in developing, revising and implementing uniform purchasing methods for an assigned area;

Performs market research, value analyzes and life cycle costing as assigned;

Prepares special reports as assigned;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of purchasing principles, methods, and procedures as related to specification interpretation and comparison;

Knowledge of auditing principles;

Knowledge of testing methods;

Knowledge, at the expert level of proficiency, of the principles of competitive bid purchasing and purchasing methods and procedures;

Knowledge of the market value and sources of supply for a variety of supplies, materials and equipment;

Knowledge of techniques of preparing specifications;

Knowledge of techniques of life cycle costing and value analysis;

Ability to comprehend and apply laws, regulations and policies governing State purchasing procedures;

Ability to prepare and interpret complex and technical product specifications and standards;

Ability to determine product suitability;

Ability to maintain effective relations with suppliers and State agency personnel;

Ability to prepare and maintain a variety of administrative records and reports;

Ability to study and understand market trends and product developments;

Ability to provide guidance to other buyers.

Education:   Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Four years of experience as a buyer performing work involving determination of source, preparation of specifications and the procurement of a variety of supplies, materials, equipment and services, in accordance with    competitive bid purchasing methods.  Two years of this experience must have included experience in inspecting commodities when received to assure compliance with purchase order or contract specifications.

Note: Candidates may substitute additional education at an accredited college or university at the rate of 30 credit hours for up to one year of the required general experience.  

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit G, Engineering, Scientific and Administrative Professionals classes.  As provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime, as provided by the State Personnel and Pensions      Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series. In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.