Senior Buyer

Best consideration date for applications: Monday, May 11, 2026

The Senior Buyer plays a key role in providing specialized procurement services for the University System of Maryland Office (USMO) and its member institutions. Responsibilities include preparing, managing, awarding, and administering solicitations, purchase orders, and contracts within assigned categories, with an emphasis on complex, multi‑million‑dollar, system‑wide procurements. The Senior Buyer also reviews and negotiates terms and conditions through the Strategic Sourcing Procurement Center (SSPC) on behalf of USMO and its member institutions.

• Conducts the full life cycle of competitive sealed proposals for systemwide contracts, including assisting with the development of specifications, development of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Invitation for Bids (IFB), addenda, conducts evaluation committee meetings,, conducts debriefings and develops recommendations for contract awards that may require Board of Regents and/or Board of Public Works approval.
• Conducts pre-bid/pre-proposal conferences, addresses RFP questions, conducts oral presentations, follows up on proposals, and evaluates price proposals.
• Performs sourcing activities, including research and consolidation of data to prepare lists of qualified suppliers and product descriptions or specifications for items within assigned categories.
• Collaborates with peers and institutional stakeholders across the USM to create and administer Master Agreements, ensuring alignment with systemwide business needs.
• Evaluates new sources, methods, and suppliers to ensure a consistent, reliable, and cost-effective supply of goods and services.
• Conducts price and cost analysis to support award recommendations, negotiation strategies, and long‑term value realization across systemwide agreements.
• Engages in continuous improvement of sourcing processes, leveraging lessons learned from prior procurements to streamline timelines, improve documentation quality, and enhance stakeholder engagement.

• Processes and manages complex procurement requests primarily in support of systemwide contracts and master agreements within level-of-signature authority, ensuring required documentation is obtained and retained.
• Directs procurement requests that exceed level-of-signature authority for further approval, as required. and expedites when necessary.
• Verifies completeness, accuracy, and consistency of procurement documentation to support audit readiness and contract compliance.
• Responds to complex inquiries regarding the application of procurement policies and procedures as they relate to systemwide agreements.
• Reviews, negotiates, and adjusts terms and conditions in purchase orders using State of Maryland and USM-approved commercial and legal clauses, ensuring consistency with systemwide contract terms.

• Oversees the lifecycle of systemwide contracts and critical suppliers, including sales reporting, surcharge reporting, and performance analysis.
• Assess announces and negotiate contracts and amendments to reduce contractual risk, maximize cost savings, and improve service quality based on sourcing outcomes and cost/price analyses developed during the solicitation process.
• Executes contract renewal options and develops amendments as required to maintain continuity of systemwide services.
• Serves as primary point of contact for vendor and member institution inquiries related to systemwide agreements.
• Ensures compliance with contract terms and conditions using State of Maryland and USM-approved legal clauses, supporting effective post-award contract administration and value realization.

• Responds to complex inquiries regarding the application of procurement policies and procedures.
• Manages the creation and review of departments’ procurement templates, forms, and transactions.
• Supports process-oriented materials and services invoice receipt issues, when needed.
• Contributes to improving the SSPC procurement processes through proactive identification of enhancements…