Procurement Officer - Prairie Research Institute

Duties & Responsibilities

• Purchasing – Procurement Support
  • Facilitate, review, and approve all PRI’s purchases utilizing all University purchasing methods (Purchase Orders, Standing Purchase Orders, Change Orders, iBuy, P-Card)
  • Maintain supporting documentation in both SharePoint and Purchase Request database for transparency and audit purposes.
  • Review/reconcile/approve P-Card transactions.
  • Assist personnel with P-Card data base entry questions.
  • Communicate with vendors, subcontractors, and delivery personnel to verify pricing, shipping information, and other additional forms required (vendor forms, financial disclosures, contracts, certificate of insurance, etc).
  • Work with personnel to find the right product/service from selected vendors to meet the University BEP goals.
  • Assist with requests for extensions or amendments to existing contracts due to term limits or changes in product/service amount variation
  • Coordinate, review, issue simple contract documents (e.g. maintenance agreements).
  • Collaborate with Grant and Fund Manager to ensure allowability on grants versus ICR and other funds.
  • Provide interpretation of policies and procedures, and internal guidelines to personnel and vendors/contractors per University procurement law, rules and regulations.
• Purchasing – Outreach/Personnel Support
  • Advise personnel on procurement issues and research purchasing questions with the ability to answer and troubleshoot problems related to.
  • Communicate potential non-compliance issues and coordinate necessary resolution activities.
  • Work with PRI Finance staff to resolve orders, incorrect invoices, and payment delays with University Payables and Purchasing.
  • Serve as the liaison with University Purchasing, Payables and the Corporate Card offices.
  • Investigate complaints from staff and vendors/contractors and problems arising from the procurement of commodities; wrong/damage shipped, back ordered items.
  • Create/update job aids for internal tools and purchasing mechanisms.
  • Collaborate with customers, employees, and units in the best interests of the University of Illinois.
  • Maintain a professional working relationship with PRI units/surveys by serving as a subject matter expert and liaison between University Payables, University Purchasing, and UI Corporate Credit Card Office to promote understanding of policies and procedures.
• Travel
  • Provide backup approvals for Chrome River (CR) reimbursements and PRIDE Travel Planning data base.
  • Advise personnel on campus travel/miscellaneous reimbursement policies and procedures and assist personnel with CR and Travel Planning data base entry questions, which requires attention to detail and use of independent judgment in policy interpretation.
  • Maintain the CR Charge Code Manager Review approval queue as backup.
  • Understand and give guidance on allowability with different sponsor funding and travel related inquiries.
• Other
  • Keep abreast of developments in this discipline (policies and procedures).
  • Perform other duties as needed in order to further the mission and goals of PRI.