Buyer, Procurement and Contract Services
University of Tennessee Athletic Marketing Department
The Buyer is responsible for general Buyer responsibilities and vendor recruitment for the Office of Procurement and Contract Services.
Buyer (Procurement Professional 1 – MR10) Procurement and Contract Services - University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Minimum: Typically requires a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, and one year of experience in a procurement buyer related role, supply chain logistics, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Preferred: 2+ years of experience as a procurement buyer; strong knowledge of state purchasing requirements and fiscal policy in a higher education environment; and experience in an operation involving quick and accurate completion of assigned tasks in accordance with specific legal requirements is preferred.
General Buyer Duties
- Assists campus departments with purchase requisitions
- Reviews requisitions to determine if they are completed correctly with proper specifications and returns to departments for corrections if necessary
- Makes awards on assigned requisitions by generating purchase orders (PO’s)
- Places PO’s with vendors via telephone, fax, or electronically
- Solicits and analyzes bids and proposals, including preparing requests for quotes (RFQ’s) and requests for proposals (RFP’s) in the University ERP system
- Conducts pre-bid meetings, conducts bid openings, answers bidder inquiries, and issues addendums to RFQ’s/RFP’s when necessary
- Prepares bid tabulations in Excel or other electronic formats, prepares award memos to departments, and generates PO’s or contract documents from approved awards
- Works with vendors to resolve any issues related to PO’s
- Routes all PO’s to campus departments with tracking orders
- Administers assigned departmental purchase agreements and resolves any issues raised by departments or vendors by reviewing correspondence and taking appropriate action
- Processes change orders to PO’s in accordance with current policies
- Interacts with purchasing personnel at other UT campuses, TBR schools, and Tennessee State Government entities concerning contract purchases and technical purchasing issues as required
- Reviews and processes PO’s and presents PO’s to the next approver in workflow as needed
- Assures that department records are maintained and that purchases are followed and expedited as when required
- Oversees and follows up with suppliers concerning order status and communicates delivery information to impacted departments, faculty, and staff
- Utilizes the University online sourcing system to input and manage bids
- Sends registration invites to potential bidders who are not already registered in the system
- Creates listings reflecting groups of potential vendors based on certain commodities and creates contact lists in the University sourcing system
Vendor Recruitment
Participates with and assists the Assistant Director with vendor recruitment efforts between UTC and vendors which include external outreach to the community regarding conducting business with UTC and sharing information about bid opportunities
Additional Defined Duties
- Assists with mailing or faxing RFQ/RFP notifications, addendums, change orders, and PO’s as needed
- Answers incoming calls to the main Procurement and Contract Services phone line in the absence of the Purchasing Specialist
- Assists campus departments with resolving questions related to requisition and NCJ submission
- Provides assistance as needed to the Director by contacting campus departments for information, requesting information from vendors, or assisting with PO’s or statements of work to be attached to PO’s
- Carries out other purchasing or administrative/supervisory duties as assigned by the Director
The ideal candidate will possess the following:
- Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office products
- Strong ERP system(s) skills
- Strong organizational skills
- Strong customer service skills
- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Ability to maintain strong working knowledge of University policies and procedures
- Ability to multitask, often with frequent interruptions
- Ability to work with little to no direct supervision
- Ability to exhibit strong attention to detail
- Ability to work well with others utilizing both a team focused and forward-thinking approach
Review of applications will begin December 29, 2025, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by this date will receive priority consideration.