Prepare purchase orders and send copies to suppliers and to departments originating requests.
Compare suppliers’ bills with bids and purchase orders to verify accuracy.
Prepare, maintain, and review purchasing files, reports and price lists.
Check shipments when they arrive to ensure that orders have been filled correctly and that goods meet specifications.
Compare prices, specifications, and delivery dates to determine the best bid among potential suppliers.
Review requisition orders to verify accuracy, terminology, and specifications.
Determine if inventory quantities are enough for needs, ordering more materials when necessary.
Calculate costs of orders, and charge or forward invoices to appropriate accounts.
Maintain knowledge of all organizational and governmental rules affecting purchases and provide information about these rules to organization staff members and to vendors.
Contact suppliers to schedule or expedite deliveries and to resolve shortages, missed or late deliveries, and other problems.
Track the status of requisitions, contracts, and orders.
Respond to inquiries about order status, changes, or cancellations.
Locate suppliers, using sources such as catalogs and the internet, and interview them to gather information about products to be ordered.
Monitor contractor performance, recommending contract modifications when necessary