PROCUREMENT CONSULTANT

Every great community runs on smart decisions and many of those decisions start with procurement. Cary is seeking a Procurement Consultant who can turn ideas into action, helping departments navigate the full lifecycle of purchasing with confidence, compliance, and strategic insight. 

In this role, you won’t just process transactions, you’ll serve as a trusted advisor with teams across the organization to shape solutions, ensure responsible use of public funds, and deliver value to the community. From the initial purchase concept through contract executions, purchase, and delivery, you'll guide staff through the Cary procurement process ensuring compliance with applicable laws, policies, and best practices. Procurement is more than a function, it’s a force multiplier ensuring that every department has what it needs to serve the Cary community effectively and responsibly. The expertise on this team helps maximize resources, minimize risk, and support innovative solutions across the organization.

Assists departments by proactively determining specific needs for goods or services, determining appropriate procurement methods (IFB, RFP, RFQ, sole source, direct purchase, etc.), conducting market research as needed, identifying quality sources, analyzing availability, reviewing vendor past performance, evaluating product cost effectiveness, and recommending acceptable alternatives (if applicable);

Assists departments with end-to-end procurement processes, including solicitation, evaluation, and award; posts requests for bids, quotes, proposals, or information on the NC Electronic Vendor Portal;

Assists departments with drafting complex bid specifications and instructions in accordance with federal, state, and local laws, statutes, regulations, and ordinances; preparing formal and informal bid documents, conducting pre-bid conferences when applicable, preparing bid tabulations, evaluating and recommending selection of vendors, and conducting post-bid meetings with vendors upon request; 

Prepares relevant staff reports to present information to appropriate committees or governing boards; assists in the preparation of bid award documentation, such as recommendation of award, through established Cary processes; 

Processes purchase requisitions by ensuring information entered by departments is accurate, valid, and complete prior to approving; works to resolve internal user processing issues; 

Assists with coordination of Cary’s purchasing needs with the NC State Purchasing and Contract Division and other cooperative agreements;

Serves as the liaison between the Purchasing & Contracts Division and other Cary departments to determine appropriate contracting methods, advise on contract negotiation, review contract documents, and facilitate execution; provides guidance and assistance in writing and reviewing technical and contractual specifications;

Works with departments to develop and review contract packages to ensure required documentation is included; ensures compliance with federal, state, and local laws,  statutes,   regulations, and ordinances, and with Cary procedures related to contracting for goods, services, and construction; recommends and oversees revisions before contract execution; coordinates the submission and approval of contracts through the appropriate internal channels;

Evaluates methods to capture economies of scale while being intentional to create opportunities for historically underutilized firms; works with project managers to identify and document minority businesses invited to bid on purchases and contracts for inclusion in the Cary database and contract file to ensure compliance with North Carolina General Statutes; 

Assists departments in evaluating vendor and/or contract performance; maintains relevant data, records, and reports; assists in identifying and communicating vendor and/or contract performance issues to the responsible party and assists departments with resolution;

Assists with maintaining and updating front end contract documents and standard specifications encompassing technical, financial, risk management, legal, and procedural requirements;

Collaborates with division leadership and other departments to develop and maintain a formal process of capturing data to assist with analysis of the procurement program spend, including maintaining records, preparing reports, and overseeing data systems;

Assists with internal user education and training, including the production of training materials, participation in training modules, and user engagement through a variety of communication tools; actively identifies and recommends ways to simplify the procurement process; assists with training Cary staff;

Performs other job-related tasks as required.